Week of 3/31-4/6: His Life - The Suffering King

Day One: Matthew 16:13-16, 21-24 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But you,” He asked them, “who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!”... From then on Jesus began to point out to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, “Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to You!” But He turned and told Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns, but man’s.” Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.

DO YOU KNOW THE FASTEST WAY TO get a ton of Facebook comments? Post something that takes a strong political or religious stand. If you were to post a status condemning abortion or endorsing a candidate for president, you’re almost guaranteed to start a heated discussion. You’ll probably have supporters on both sides of the issue quick to offer encouragement or to call you names. You’ll have people politely show you where they think you went wrong in your thinking and you’ll have others that are quick to come to your defense. The thing is, Facebook allows us to have an open public forum on just about any topic we choose.

Jesus conducted a brief public forum of His own. He polled His disciples by asking what the people they encountered thought of Him. People’s opinions of Jesus were quite high, and, like today, it seemed like everyone had something to say about Him!

The thing we must keep in mind with these hot-button issues is ultimately our opinions don’t matter. The only thing that really matters is that our belief corresponds with, or matches, reality. Jesus wasn’t concerned with being popular or having a high approval rating. Jesus was concerned that the people’s opinion of Him matched the reality that He is the Messiah.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷How do you think the world would describe Jesus?

▷▷How would you describe Jesus?

▷▷How do you know which of these descriptions is better?

▷▷How can ensure our understanding of Jesus matches the reality of who Jesus is?

Week of 3/31-4/6: His Life - The Suffering King

Day Two: Matthew 26:26-29 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take and eat it; this is My body.” Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks, He gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood that establishes the covenant; it is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins. But I tell you, from this moment I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it in a new way in My Father’s kingdom with you.”

I GREW UP IN A SMALL NORTH TEXAS town where sports is kingpin began my athletic career at the ripe old age of 5.The first organized sport I played was tee-ball, which is similar to baseball. The difference is the ball is placed on a tee, instead of being pitched by the opposing team

I vividly remember one of the first lessons I learned in tee-ball: “Get your body in front of the ball!” This means that it’s not good enough to simply stick your glove out and hope the ball lands in it.Instead; we were taught that we had to place our entire bodies in the path of the ball. Why, you may ask? So that if we happened to miss the ball with our glove, our body would stop the ball, and we’d prevent the opposing team from gaining extra basest put it another way, we were taught that we had to sacrifice our bodies for the sake of the team.

This same lesson was reinforced as my athletic horizons expanded. In high school, my basketball coach devised something he called “blood drills.” This consisted of the player starting on the baseline. The coach would roll the ball in the opposite direction, and the player would have to run and slide to get the ball. Then, the player would dribble back to the basket, only to find another coach waiting with a big blocking pad trying to prevent an easy lay-up. After these workouts, we all huddled in the locker room to compare court burns!

The purpose of the “blood drills” was the same as the lesson taught in tee-ball: You must sacrifice your body for the sake of the team. Interestingly, this is similar to what Jesus has already done on our account. At the last supper, Jesus explicitly told the disciples that He was sacrificing His body and His blood for the sake of humanity. While we sacrifice our bodies in small, insignificant ways, Christ gave the ultimate sacrifice. And with that ultimate sacrifice came complete and total victory over sin!

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷Why did Jesus sacrifice His body and His blood?

▷▷What benefits do we receive as a result of Jesus’ sacrifice?

▷▷How should Jesus’ sacrifice affect the way we live out our lives on a day-to-day basis?

Week of 3/31-4/6: His Life - The Suffering King

Day Three: Matthew 27:45-50 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over the whole land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling for Elijah!” Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, fixed it on a reed, and offered Him a drink. But the rest said, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to save Him!” Jesus shouted again with a loud voice and gave up His spirit.

I REMEMBER A CERTAIN TOY STORE in a mall my parents took me to when I was younger. This store was awesome! It was full of displays and demonstrations’ went from toy to toy, being totally engrossed in the experience.

As a kid it was easy to get lost in my own little world playing with the fun and unique displays. Unfortunately, for me, “getting lost” extended into physical realm as well. In the midst of my intense play session, I somehow got separated from my parents’ vividly remember the terror of finally realizing that my parents were no longer by my side felt completely alone and helpless. While in reality my parents found me in a few short minutes, those few minutes felt like forever!

I would not wish the fear I experienced during those moments on my worst enemy. Amazingly, Jesus willingly went to the cross where He took the sin of the world on Himself causing the Father turn his face away. For the first and only time in His life, Jesus experienced His father’s absence. Even though this experience lasted just for a short time, it probably felt like an eternity for Jesus.

This truth is vitally important to us. Now, because Christ took on the sins of those who put their faith in Him, we never have to be separated from the Father. The gospel tells us that Jesus took the punishment and wrath of God on our behalf. Now, we are able to rejoice in the fact that we can not only have a relationship with the creator of the universe, but we never have to worry about the terror of lostness again!

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷Why is the feeling of “lostness” so terrifying?

▷▷What is significant about Jesus experiencing this feeling of “lostness” when suffering on the cross?

▷▷How has Jesus defeated and overcome “lostness” in the world?

Week of 3/24-3/30: His Life - The Power of His Kingdom

Day One: Mark 1:29-34 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went into Simon and Andrew’s house with James and John. Simon’s mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. So He went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she began to serve them. When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all those who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. The whole town was assembled at the door, and He healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. But He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

I DON’T GO TO THE SYMPHONY very often.And by “very often,” I actually mean “never.” My wife has, however, convinced me to attend a few plays that have orchestra accompaniments.During these performances, I find myself entranced on the conductor.Despite all the action taking place on stage, my eyes continuously drift toward the orchestra’s leader.

By simply moving a tiny stick, called a baton, the conductor is able to lead an entire orchestra.There is something powerful about one man with a small baton being able to direct an entire band.The musicians obeyed every command of the baton and he displayed complete authority over the group.

In Mark 29, we see a picture of a conductor showing complete authority over everything He encountered.The conductor was Jesus and the things he encountered included sicknesses, demon-possessions, and even an interaction the demons themselves.

Jesus exercised power and authority over these things with his Word.For example, He healed Simon’s mother-in-law.He cured many other sicknesses from the town’s people.He cast out and instructed demons not to speak.In other words, Jesus showed complete dominance over everything He encountered.When we read about the power and authority of Jesus, we are left with a spectacular picture.For this reason, we must spend more time reading about Him, listening to Him, and talking with Him.He alone has the power and authority change our lives for His glory.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷When you think about “power,” what is the first thing that comes to mind?

▷▷What makes that thing “powerful”?

▷▷How does understanding the idea of “power” help us to understand the gospel of Christ?

Week of 3/24-3/30: His Life - The Power of His Kingdom

Day Two: John 6:10-14 Then Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, so they sat down. The men numbered about 5,000. Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were seated—so also with the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were full, He told His disciples, “Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.” So they collected them and filled 12 baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign He had done, they said, “This really is the Prophet who was to come into the world!”

Read the beginning of the story, John 6:1-9, in your Bible.

AS A CHURCH PLANTER, I have seen churches do many different activities in the community and for the community.In the name of full disclosure, I’ll admit that many of the things my church plant did were attempts to get our name out in the community.We wanted people to know that we existed and that they were invited to our church.

While this isn’t necessarily a bad motivation for our community activities, it seems as though Jesus’ motivations were a bit different.When I read about what Jesus did, I read about a singular reason for doing the things He did.His singular purpose in serving others was to show that He was sent from the Father in heaven.For example, consider the result of Him feeding the 5,000.We might expect to read that the result of the meal was full bellies and a wonderful nap.Instead, we read that people said, “This really is the Prophet who was to come into the world!”

What if that was the reaction we got from people when we did something for them? In all honesty, I can’t say that the sole purpose of some of my church plant’s community efforts were to point people to Jesus.Some of the our past efforts were simply to help meet needs of our community or promote the name of our church.While these motivations aren’t inherently bad, if we focus on these purposes and neglect the proclamation of the gospel, we miss our ultimate objective.Jesus’ ultimate objective was to draw people to Himself.Similarly, our ultimate objective must also be to point people to the love and grace of Christ.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷What are some ways that our churches can become involved in our communities?

▷▷Why is it important for our churches to be involved in our communities?

▷▷What ought to be the ultimate objective of our churches’ involvement in our communities?

Week of 3/24-3/30: His Life - The Power of His Kingdom

Day Three: Luke 7:18-23 Then John’s disciples told him about all these things. So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord, asking, “Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for someone else?” When the men reached Him, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask You, ‘Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for someone else?’” At that time Jesus healed many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and He granted sight to many blind people. He replied to them, “Go and report to John the things you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news. And anyone who is not offended because of Me is blessed.”

A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO I went skydiving.I was terrified, but I knew the experience would be well worth any potential anxiety ...assuming I lived to tell about it.Had I not lived to tell about my skydiving experience, it definitely would not have been worth the fear! Knowing this, I checked and re-checked (and then checked again!) to make sure everything was in place, that my harness was secure, and that my tandem partner had packed the parachute properly.When all was said and done, it was an experience of a lifetime.But that experience was worthwhile only because I lived to tell about it.

In Luke 7:18-23 we read about followers of John the Baptist asking Jesus if He was the Messiah sent to save them.Knowing that John the Baptist was about to be killed, this is a completely legitimate question.They knew that following Jesus would only be worth it if He was who they thought He was.Devoting one’s life to following just any ole’ person isn’t worth anything.Devoting one’s live to following the Messiah is worth everything.

We cannot live the lives Jesus calls us to unless we are assured that Jesus is worth it.He may not call for us to die in the way John the Baptist died, but we are called to die to ourselves.We can only die to ourselves if we fully accept and embrace the truth that Jesus is the Messiah sent to save us.That truth makes dying to self and living for Christ fully and completely worth it.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷What is something in which you have participated despite a great amount of fear?

▷▷What caused you to participate in that activity?

▷▷How can you use the memory of that experience to help you grow in Christ?

Week of 3/17-3/23: His Life - The Teaching of the Kingdom

Day One: Mark 1:14-15 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the good news of God: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news!”

“THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!”

Have you ever received a piece of good news that prompted this reaction? Maybe the guy or gal you’ve had your eye on finally noticed you. Maybe you or a loved one had a lingering illness that finally went away. Maybe you found out that you’ve been cast as the lead for the new school play. Maybe you found out that you’ve been accepted to the college you’ve dreamed of attending since elementary school. Maybe the big test or project has been postponed. Or maybe it’s something as simple as a typo on the cafeteria schedule, meaning you get to eat pizza instead of Brussels sprout casserole for lunch.

The point is, there are a number of pieces of news you can receive that would excite you. But even though every piece of good news is exciting, some good news is more exciting than others. Working hard for years and finally getting into the school of your dreams is going to be a bit more exciting than receiving a slice of pizza for lunch!

The Bible teaches us that Jesus came to earth preaching good news. It is important for us to not only understand that Jesus came to preach good news, but also the degree of the good news. For instance, is the good news that Jesus proclaimed closer in degree to the wink you got from an admirer across the room, or is it closer to finding out that your favorite aunt has recently been declared cancer free?

The good news that Jesus delivers is as follows: “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near.” This is incredibly good news! Jesus came and shared how to enter this awesome kingdom: “Repent and believe.” Jesus’ good news is that salvation is available. He promises to you lead into a better way of life if you repent and believe. The incredibly good news not only tells about this amazing Kingdom of God, but also gives specific instructions on how to be a part of that kingdom!

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷What is the best news you’ve ever received?

▷▷What made that news so great?

▷▷Why is Jesus message considered “good news”?

▷▷How has this “good news” affected your life?

Week of 3/17-3/23: His Life - The Teaching of the Kingdom

Day Two: Luke 4:16-21 He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As usual, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him, and unrolling the scroll, He found the place where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him. He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”

THERE IS NOTHING WORSE than missing college football on a nice, fall Saturday.I say that with experience, as a few weeks ago I had to skip the big game.I felt like I was totally missing out.Friends kept calling and texting scoring updates, and I knew what it was like to be completely out of the loop.

After returning home, I was able to get caught up fairly quickly.Facebook and Twitter were full of armchair quarterbacks, providing plenty of commentary on key plays and the final score.The news of the game was being broadcast and proclaimed by a multitude of people in a multitude of various mediums.

It’s interesting that the people proclaiming the outcome of the game had nothing to do with the actual team winning the game.But they do often feel like they can take part in the big win by simply proclaiming the victory.

In Luke we read that Jesus came to bring the kingdom of God to earth.We don’t bring the kingdom of God to earth; Jesus does.So what’s our part? Our part is to proclaim and broadcast that the kingdom is here and we can enter it through the King.We get to announce to the world that our team won.Better yet, we get to declare the truth of our King winning the battle over sin and securing everlasting victory over evil!

We proclaim the kingdom with both our lives and our mouths.We aren’t afraid to proclaim the victory of our favorite team.Likewise, we must not be afraid to proclaim the victory of King Jesus.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷Why do fans so readily broadcast and proclaim victory when their team wins?

▷▷Why are so many believers hesitant to broadcast and proclaim the victory of King Jesus?

▷▷What are some ways you can begin to proclaim the victory of Jesus in your life?

Week of 3/17-3/23: His Life - The Teaching of the Kingdom

Day Three: Luke 8:4-8 As a large crowd was gathering, and people were flocking to Him from every town, He said in a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky ate it up. Other seed fell on the rock; when it sprang up, it withered, since it lacked moisture. Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. Still other seed fell on good ground; when it sprang up, it produced a crop: 100 times what was sown.” As He said this, He called out, “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!”

A FEW YEARS AGO my grandfather had open heart surgery.This serious medical procedure prevented him from being able to plant his large garden that year.Not wanting to miss out on the season’s vegetation, he asked if I would plant the seeds.

Part of the planting process included using a tractor to dig straight lines for the rows of vegetables.Not wanting to disappoint my grandfather, I said, “Sure!” ...even though I had never driven a tractor before in my life!

My grandfather told me that all I had to do was go straight across from one side of the garden to the other.I did that ...or at least I tried to do that.My lines ended up being uneven and crooked.

I went ahead and planted the seeds in the crooked rows.To my surprise the crops came up just fine.Granted, it may have looked like a corn maze in the garden, but at least there was plenty of corn! Through this adventure, I learned something important about farming: the most important thing is the receptivity of the soil, not how straight your lines are!

This incident helped give me a completely new perspective on Jesus’ parable about the sower and the seed.If the soil is receptive the seed will have its best chance at producing a crop.How can we be receptive soil? Jesus said, “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen.” Listening, being receptive, is what allows the seed to find a hospitable environment for it to grow.Jesus isn’t simply talking about hearing the words physically.He is talking about allowing the word, the seed, to penetrate deep down.If our hearts are receptive then we can be assured that our “soil” is ready to receive the seed.It’s much better to have receptive soil and crops growing everywhere than neat straight lines but no growth because our hearts aren’t listening to the Lord.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷Why do you think receptive soil is more important than straight rows when planting seeds?

▷▷Do you think your heart is receptive to the truthfulness of the gospel? Why or why not?

▷▷What are some ways you can prepare your heart to be receptive to the truthfulness of the gospel?

Week of 3/10-3/16: His Life - The Coming of the Messiah King

Day One: John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.  

WHEN PEOPLE THINK ABOUT JESUS there are many different pictures that come to mind.Many of them are ridiculous.For instance, He is often pictured as a mild-mannered, European, blond-hair, blue-eyed, well-groomed man.In reality, we know that He was Middle Eastern.Further, the Bible says He wouldn’t have stood out in a crowd based upon His appearance alone.Perhaps the real Jesus wouldn’t make a good picture to hang on our church walls!

We often produce and embrace these images of Jesus based on what we want to see.We make Jesus in our image.The fault with this process is simple: It is impossible for us to imagine an image of Jesus that is anywhere close to as great as He really was.So how do we begin to think rightly about the image of Christ? By turning to the Scriptures!

John tells us that Jesus is the eternal Word.That image of Jesus may not hang on the church walls, but it does say something powerful about Jesus.Think about what you do with a word.You interact with it.You receive it and you respond to it.

Fundamental to Jesus’ nature is His desire to be in a relationship.Communication, which entails receiving and responding to a message, is a necessary component of any relationship.Notice the connection between these truths: Jesus is the Word, and the Word is meant to be received and responded to.This connection teaches us much about who Jesus is and how He interacts with us.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷Why are inaccurate depictions of Jesus so common?

▷▷What would an accurate depiction of Jesus look like?

▷▷Why is it important to have a right depiction of Jesus?

▷▷What does depicting Jesus as the “Word” communicate?

Week of 3/10-3/16: His Life - The Coming of the Messiah King

Day Two: John 1:6-9 There was a man named John who was sent from God. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

I RECENTLY WAS WALKING out to my car at a local shopping center. I saw a guy pull into a spot near me and empty a can onto the cement.It looked like he was pouring the last little bit of his beer into the parking lot.This shocked me, and, for a moment, I thought maybe I was just seeing things.As the man got out of his car, he headed right to the Liquor store! As I passed by his vehicle I noticed that it reeked of alcohol.I saw the can he poured out and my suspicions were confirmed: it was a beer.That means this man had been drinking and driving.And worse than that, he was going into the store to buy more to drink!

Upon making this discovery, I realized I needed to tell someone in order to protect this person and those in his path.I called 911 and the operator asked, “What is your emergency?” I explained to her that while it wasn’t an immediate emergency, I needed to report something important.I then proceeded to describe what I had seen, including a description of the man, his car, and his actions.

I described to this operator something I witnessed, something I experienced.It wasn’t weird or awkward.I simply told her what I had seen.I wasn’t concerned or even thinking about if she would believe me or not.I simply explained what I had seen.I was a witness to these events.

In a similar manner, we as believers are called to be witnesses of the Messiah as well.Think about our parking lot story for a moment.I had no problem describing the circumstances to the operator at all.I knew that I needed to do that for the sake of both that individual and those he might affect by continuing to drink and drive.

Why, then, do we often struggle to bear witness of the Messiah? If we are confident in the truthfulness of the gospel, and we know that those around us are in need of the gospel, then what holds us back? Why is it easier for us to report a crime than share the love of Christ with a lost soul? These are some things we need to wrestle with as we develop our understanding of who Christ is and what it means to be His witness.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷What does it mean to be a witness of Christ?

▷▷Why do so many believers struggle to bear witness to Christ on a regular basis?

▷▷What are some ways to encourage yourself and others to bear witness to Christ on a more regular basis?

Week of 3/10-3/16: His Life - The Coming of the Messiah King

Day Three: John 1:10-13 He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet the world did not recognize Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

IMAGINE THAT YOU JUST RECEIVED the exciting news that you’ve been cast as the lead in the school play.You need to share this news with your best friend immediately.Do you...Send her a text message? Post on her Facebook Wall? Shoot her an e-mail? Direct message her on Twitter? Leave a comment on her blog? Drop a postcard in the mail? Skype her? Pick up the phone and call her? Shout the news to her across the cafeteria?

The point is, in today’s connected society, we see a multitude of possible ways to communicate with other people.We, as finite human beings, have developed countless ways to stay in touch and disseminate important information with others.If fallen man could develop this many different means of communication, think of the possible means of communication God had at his disposal!

In fact, the Old Testament shares several of the ways He used to communicate in the past: there was the burning bush, the yelling through thunderclaps, the whispering through a cloud, the sending of angels, and even a talking donkey! God had plenty of options at His disposal to reveal Himself and His means of redemption to the world.He ultimately chose to reveal this important truth through His only begotten Son, Jesus.

Jesus, though, did more than simply deliver a message.Jesus was the message! This perfect message gave a glorious glimpse of what God looks like.Instead of merely telling us what God is like, Jesus showed us what He is like.Jesus was able to show us a picture full of grace and truth! That is something that only Jesus could fully show.Grace and truth couldn’t be adequately communicated in a cloud, or in thunder or even through a talking donkey.The fullness of God’s grace and truth can only be communicated through the glorious Gospel of Christ!

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷What are some ways God communicates with people?

▷▷What does the Gospel of Christ communicate about God?

▷▷How does the communication of the Gospel shape and direct our lives?

Week of 3/3-3/9: Scattered - Further Restoration Awaited

Day One: Ezra 3:10-13 When the builders had laid the foundation of the LORD’s temple, the priests, dressed in their robes and holding trumpets, and the Levites descended from Asaph, holding cymbals, took their positions to praise the LORD, as King David of Israel had instructed. They sang with praise and thanksgiving to the LORD: “For He is good; His faithful love to Israel endures forever.” Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD because the foundation of the LORD’s house had been laid. But many of the older priests, Levites, and family leaders, who had seen the first temple, wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this house, but many others shouted joyfully. The people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shouting from that of the weeping, because the people were shouting so loudly. And the sound was heard far away.

FOOTBALL HAS BECOME a large part of the fabric of American life. We love the NFL as Americans. Often the most interesting and dramatic occurences of the whole season take place during the playoffs. In the NFL, there are two conferences, each of whom crowns their own conference champion through the playoff system. Once the conference championships are decided, the two winning teams meet in biggest sports event of the year: the Super Bowl.

It is always interesting to watch a team win their conference championship. They are understandably excited, but they often temper their celebration because they still have the big game in front of them. It is an awkward moment. The players celebrate the fact that they have just won. They have accomplished a big feat. They are conference champions. But they know something else looms near. There is still another challenge ahead of them. They are still aiming at the greater prize. They are not content to only be conference champions, they want to achieve the greater goal of being world champions!

In Ezra 3 we see something similar. We see a group of people who are ecstatic that they have been returned from exile. They are excited about God’s grace and mercy to bring them back to their land. But notice that there is a greater longing still. They long to be fully restored. For their nation to be again what it once was. There was still a greater prize to be sought after. Yes, they were happy and joyful for being back, but they were not content with only being back—complete restoration was the final goal.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷What is the ultimate and final goal for Christians?

▷▷What can we do to strive toward that goal?

▷▷How does God help us in this goal?

Week of 3/3-3/9: Scattered - Further Restoration Awaited

Day Two: Zechariah 8:1-8 The word of the LORD of Hosts came: “The LORD of Hosts says this: I am extremely jealous for Zion; I am jealous for her with great wrath.” The LORD says this: “I will return to Zion and live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, the mountain of the LORD of Hosts, and the Holy Mountain.” The LORD of Hosts says this: “Old men and women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each with a staff in hand because of advanced age. The streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in them.” The LORD of Hosts says this: “Though it may seem incredible to the remnant of this people in those days, should it also seem incredible to Me?”—the declaration of the LORD of Hosts. The LORD of Hosts says this: “I will save My people from the land of the east and the land of the west. I will bring them [back] to live in Jerusalem. They will be My people, and I will be their faithful and righteous God.”

THERE IS NOTHING MORE FUN and nothing more regretful than telling a child the plans about an exciting trip in advance. There is nothing more fun because you get the pleasure of watching their excited reaction. There is nothing more regretful because you have to listen to the questions over and over and over again: “Is it time for us to go yet? When are we going on our trip?”

Telling a child they are going to Disneyland during the summer will cause them to live in constant expectancy of the trip. They are always checking how close is it to being time. How long will it take us to get there? Can we go visit the castle when we are there? And so on and so on the questions go.

This can be quite annoying for a parent. But the kid is living in the light of a promise that the parent has made them. They are living in anticipation of the parent’s promise coming true and becoming a reality.

This is the situation in which the people of God found themselves in Zechariah 8. God has promised that He will be their God and they will be His people. He is going to live among them in Jerusalem and give them peace. The people of Israel, who had experienced exile and trials, lived in light of this promise. Believers today, while often living in turmoil and strife, look to the day of the fulfilled promise of God. God promises us that there is a day coming that He will live with us, in the new heavens and new earth, and we will dwell in perfect peace.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷What are some of God’s promises to man?

▷▷How do we learn about the promises God makes to us?

▷▷How do those promises impact the way we live our lives?

Week of 3/3-3/9: Scattered - Further Restoration Awaited

Day Three: Malachi 4:4-6 “Remember the instruction of Moses My servant, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. Look, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome Day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to [their] children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

ANTICIPATION IS ONE OF THE NEATEST, most enjoyable human emotions we experience. To anticipate something is usually good, because to not anticipate something would be dread or indifference. So to anticipate something implies that you look forward to it, you are excited about it, or you long for it.

We can anticipate a lot of things. If you have not eaten all day, you may anticipate a nice dinner. If you have not bathed or showered in a week, you may anticipate a hot shower. If you have not seen your spouse or significant other in a few days, you may anticipate your reunion. We anticipate many different things.

The people of Israel were left a prophecy that fueled anticipation. The last recorded words of the Old Testament, given by the prophet Malachi, told of a prophet like Elijah who would come, and whose coming would inaugurate the kingdom of God and the great day of the Lord’s grace. They lived for more than 400 years anticipating this promise to be fulfilled. The reason for their anticipation was the desire to see reconciliation occur between God and man, which Jesus Christ would bring. He would also bring reconciliation between men.

Today, we live in the reality of this world. Christ has come and made reconciliation to God and man possible for us. But we too live in anticipation, waiting for His final return, and the ultimate reconciliation that will bring.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷How has Christ brought reconciliation between God and man? How have you experienced that reconciliation?

▷▷What will the ultimate reconciliation between God and man look like?

▷▷How do we live in anticipation for that ultimate reconciliation?