He is not here; for He is risen, as He said

Why do we celebrate Easter? Is it because Wal Mart or people in the Blockbuster parking lot tell us we need to buy a bigger Easter basket than we did last year? Is it because we need to appease the Easter Bunny? Is it because Cadbury needs our money? Have you ever wondered why Easter is in a different time each year?

Easter (or more accurately Resurrection Sunday) is a celebration of salvation. The date for Easter is based on the Jewish calendar, which is totally different than ours. Passover falls on the 14th day of Nisan in the Jewish calendar, the feast of unleavened bread begins on the 15th and lasts for seven days. The seventh day is the Feast of Firstfruits. Because Jesus rose from the dead on the Sunday following Passover, the Resurrection is likewise traditionally commemorated on the Sunday following Passover.

BUT WHY DID JESUS DIE IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Because all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), we cannot come before a holy God because we have no sacrifice that will atone for our sins.

BUT…

God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

THIS MEANS…

We may therefore “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL…

Because Jesus died, he made atonement for our sins (literally, at-one-ment with God). To prove that He has power even over death, He arose from the dead. This means that we too have conquered death through Him, if we allow Him to become the Lord of our lives.

“Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone *from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

“But the angel answered and said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.’

“So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word” (Matthew 28:1-8).

Victory over our flesh on earth and eternal life in heaven. What a great deal! All we must do is come to Him and receive that forgiveness.

Why do we celebrate Easter? Because it is a celebration of our victory over death and an anticipation of eternal life together with Him in heaven.

If you are in the Del Rio area and don’t have any plans for tomorrow, you are invited to join Del Rio Christian Fellowship for the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord tomorrow morning. The service begins at 10:30am.

Del Rio Christian Fellowship is located at 115 Wildwood Drive. Go North on Highway 90 and just before you get to the Y where 277 splits off, turn left.

Who Cares?

I sit here about to begin the last day of the fifth week of school. What a year it has been! I was sitting at home last night (a rare luxury for this time of year) and began to think about this year. As hard as I am working, I am having twice as much fun. I love that I get to work with the students that I have. Whereas this year is a lot more hectic than last year was as far as time constraints are concerned, it is a whole lot more rewarding also.

I told myself that if this year was as bad for me personally as last year was, that I would not be back here again. I now can say that I honestly would like to teach here again next year. We are building a program that has essentially been decimated, and this year has already seen worlds of improvment. The rest of the year should be really good as well. Next year, we will be in a much better position, with the entire middle school level being students whose band experience includes the band staff that we have in place. The band program throughout the district lacks consistency all around. In fact, this year’s seniors have had seven different band directors at various times. That is hard for anyone!

As I found out in my private lessons teaching, there are two keys to developing successful students. I am convinced that neither of the elements are any more important than the other. One is good teaching. The other is showing up. A good teacher who doesn’t show up is not serving the students. A bad teacher who shows up is doing a disservice to the students. A good teacher who shows up is providing opportunities for the students to develop as learners. That’s really fun!

Enough about that…now to the important details of life.

I had one person show up to my Bible study on Monday. That was really neat. I am praying that more people will show up, but whatever the case, I am learning through obedience. By doing what I feel called by God to do, I am allowing Him to work through me. What an awesome opportunity that is! Opportunities pass us by every single day. Why do we not grab hold of them more often? Jesus said that “the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). So why do we so passively sit by while men and women go to hell?

I am reminded of General William Booth’s vision wherein he saw many people going about their lives on an island in the middle of a raging sea while people were drowning below. All the while, the saved men and women go about their business painint, making music, doing business, and whatever else. They are completely oblivious to the fact that the men and women around them are going to hell. How sad is that? And yet, what am I personally doing about it? What are you doing about it? Scary. Our responsibility is to present the gospel to others. We cannot save people. We are not expected to. But we have been given the truth and if we fail to so shine that light before men, then what use is our faith anyway? We are the salt of the earth. If the salt loses it flavor, Jesus said, it is only useful for being trampled under foot. Oh God! Make me worth more than the dirt on the ground! I want to be the preserving element of the world. I want to be the seasoning of the world. I want men to see my good works and glorify my Father in heaven. We are so blessed in this country, and yet we ignore the source of those blessings. Almighty God has given us everything. We overlook that and pat ourselves on the back. All the while men and women are dying and going to hell. How fair is that?

Okay, I’m at school and it’s about time for the bell to ring, so I guess that means I should go now!

Perfected Praise

“Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise.” – Matthew 21:16

We are the redeemed children of God! It only seems natural for us to come before the Lord in such great humility and reverence. So often though, it seems that our flesh has in mind for us to worship Him not in spirit and in truth, but in pride and in superficiality. “The tongue is a fire,” reminds James (3:6). God spoke through Ezekiel about the people of Judah saying, “for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain” (Ezekiel 33:31). John called those who profess to love God and yet hate their brother liars (1 John 4:20).

Pride is such a divisive state of mind. It twists our own understanding and comprehension of reality such that we esteem ourselves as more than we really are. Consistently throughout Scripture, pride is the spiritual opposite of humility. Also, pride leads to destruction (Proverbs 11:2, 13:10, 16:18, 18:12), and humility leads to honor (Proverbs 3:34, 11:2, 15:33, 18:12, 29:23). In Galatians 5:20, selfish ambitions are listed as works of the flesh whereas gentleness or meekness is a fruit of the Spirit. In the wilderness, Satan tried to appeal to Jesus through pride. “All this authority I will give to you, and their glory” (Luke 4:6). He still appeals to us the very same way. We can have the same response as Jesus, remembering that our worship is not to be towards anyone but God alone. Pride is self exaltation. When we give in to pride, we dishonor the Lord.

The heart of God is broken when we come into His assembly out of a sense of obligation rather than in sincere desire to worship the almighty Creator of the universe. If we honor Him with our lips, but not with our lives, then Jesus says that our hearts are far from Him (Matthew 15:8). James gives us the ultimate remedy for such double-mindedness. “’God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded…Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:6-8,10).

God wants his own children to come to Him in all humility! When we are humbled as little children, then our mouths can produce perfected praise and honor to God, who alone is worthy of such praise!