Britton Christian Church

1 Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; protect me from men of violence, 2 who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day. 3 They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s; the poison of vipers is on their lips. (Psalm 140:1-3 NIV)

It is almost depressing to watch the local or national news or to spend any amount of time reading the “news” section of the newspaper. Bad news dominates. There is bloodshed and mayhem spanning the globe, crimes in our neighborhoods that are almost incomprehensible, and it is persists from day-to-day. It is enough to almost convince me to lock the doors and pull the blinds.

The battles that most of us face each day are less dramatic, but devastating nonetheless. I’m an optimist, but I’m enough of a realist to recognize that there are people around me each and every day who are mean and nasty. They don’t stir things up on as broad of a scale as some of the diabolical national leaders who grab headlines, but they place “land mines” in office work spaces, school cafeterias, neighborhoods, and Sunday school classrooms on a regular basis. David says, “They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s; the poison of vipers is on their lips.” The kind of people that David pleaded with God to rescue him from didn’t carry guns or knives, but their tongues inflicted incredible pain.

Those that David sought protection from are still with us today. A rumor is started in an office that spreads like wildfire, a boss demeans and belittles those who work for him, lie is told about a young girl at her school that forever damages her reputation, a neighbor walks across the street to plant a seed of suspicion about a family, or a good, church-going “lady” asks someone to pray for sister so-in-so who has “backslidden.” I was taught as a kid that “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words may never harm me.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Sometimes the pain inflicted by words lasts much longer than a broken bone.

James said, “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” (James 3:6 NIV) I know that I will never stop rumors, innuendo, slander, and the harm inflicted by words, but I can pray with David that I might be protected from them. I have learned that one way God can protect me is to give me the strength to resist retaliating when these kinds of words are aimed at me.

My prayer today, Lord, is that You will fill my mouth with words that will bless all of those I interact with today regardless of how they speak to me or about me.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV)

Many people see God as a distant deity who created us, along with everything else, but who now sits back at a distance watching history unfold. David, and all of the authors of the Bible, would never agree with this assessment of God. They would say that God is immanent, He is intimately involved in every aspect of our lives and all of history.

Psalm 139:23-24 certainly helps me to see just how intimately God was involved in David’s life. David said to God, “Search me” and “try me.” These are two different ways God is involved in our lives. To “search” means, “to examine” or to “inspect.” God is watching, He is inspecting our thoughts and actions to see if they rightly reflect His character, His very heart to a broken and lost world. To “try” us is the same thing that a Silversmith does as he purifies silver. As the silver is heated the dross rises to the top and the Silversmith scoops it off to raise the quality of the silver. “Searching,” “examining,” and “trying” are all God’s activity in each of our lives, but they are very different activities. Job said, “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10 NIV) The “tests” God administers to us come in many different ways, some more intense than others. They are not punishment, they are intended to purify us, to bring the dross of ungodly behaviors to the surface so that He can remove them.

David desired for His life to be lived under the constant purifying and reforming eyes of God. I find that most of us, including myself, would rather not undergo such intense scrutinization, but look what happens as a result. Sinful thoughts and actions that initially seem like no big deal end up growing into monsters that consume us and can destroy our lives. I would rather live under God’s microscope and submit myself to His “tests” than fail at living the life He has called me to live.

My prayer for today, Lord, is that You will keep me under surveillance every moment of every day and reveal to me those things in my life that You want to change.

33 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”–which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” 36 One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:33-39 NIV)

It was a dark day. Darkest day in history. God came to earth to seek and save those who were lost, yet they yelled, “Crucify Him!” Love embodied had been hated and judged worthy of death. The One who had intricately knit His executioners together in their mother’s wombs was bloodied by the hands He had created. Those whom He had given a voice to praise His name were using their voices to hurl insults at Him. Those who had followed Him for three years were drowning in disappointment. It was a dark day.

I’m sure the disciples had to have been thinking to themselves, “It’s over.” All of their hopes. All of their dreams. All of the things that they thought were going to happen as a result of the three years they had followed, listened to, and believed in Jesus…it was now over. What they didn’t realize was that God was working on the darkest day of their lives. This is what I, and maybe you, fail to remember on the dark and seemingly hopeless days of our lives as well.

I love verse 38, “The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” Just one little sentence. A sentence most skip right over. This one little sentence assures us that God was working on the darkest day in history. The “curtain” Mark refers to was the curtain surrounding the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. The high priest of the temple would enter “behind the curtain” once a year to make atonement for the sins of the people. Behind the curtain was where the very presence of God resided. Nobody could enter into the presence of God except for the high priest and he could only enter once he had made sacrifice for his own sin. At the death of Jesus the curtain was torn from top to bottom. From top to bottom? That’s right. Who could have torn it from top to bottom? I told you God was working on the darkest of days. God tore the temple curtain and as a result you and I can enter into the very presence of God. What a thought! The writer of Hebrews puts it this way.

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:19-23 NIV

God was working on the darkest day of all even though Jesus’ followers didn’t know it. God is still working in the darkest days of my life and yours–even though we oftentimes don’t realize it. The events of Friday–a cross and a torn curtain, can serve to remind me that even in the darkness, He is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords! Never forget that He is always working.

My prayer today, Lord, is that you will allow the events of Friday to remind me that You are always working in my life, even on the darkest of days.

35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:35-36 NIV)

On Thursday, Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples. They remembered how God had delivered His people who had been under Pharaoh’s thumb for more than 400 years. They recalled how God had “passed over” the Hebrew homes where the blood of the lamb had been smeared over the door frames of their houses. The disciples listened intently as Jesus took the cup and unleavened bread and told them their real meaning was found in Him–the Lamb of God who had come to take away the sins of the world.

After the meal they sang a hymn. I would love to know exactly what they were singing. When they finished singing, Jesus said, “Come and follow Me.” He walked with them to the Garden of Gethsemane. Once they reached the Garden Jesus left the disciples, went further into the Garden where He could be alone with the Father, and fell to the ground in prayer. He cried out, “Daddy, Father…” Mark uses the word, “Abba,” but this Aramaic word is the most intimate word a child can use when calling for his dad. Jesus confessed, “Everything is possible for you.” No words could be more true. God can do it. If He could part the Red Sea and make a way for a bunch of former slaves, then He could make a way for His own Son. If He could raise the Shunammite mother’s son back to life then He could spare the life of His own Son. (2 Kings 4:32-37 NIV) If He could cleanse the leprous Naaman by having him dip himself in the Jordan, then surely He could figure out another way to cleanse sinners of their sin. (2 Kings 5:10-14 NIV) Jesus knew that God could do anything so surely He could remove this cup of suffering that Jesus was about to drink.

He could, but He wouldn’t. Jesus knew He wouldn’t. Jesus knew that God could do anything, but He also knew that the Cross was the Father’s will so He prayed, “Yet not what I will, but what You will.” Jesus knew what was awaiting Him as He rode into Jerusalem as the crowds cheered on Sunday. On Sunday, He knew Friday was coming. There is one thing that Jesus wanted more than to escape the suffering of Friday’s Cross–He wanted to restore you and me to the Father. So He prayed, “Yet not what I will, but what You will.”

My prayer today, Lord, is that I would want Your will for my life more than I want anything in all of life. As much as I want to avoid pain and suffering, let me long for Your will even more.

15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ” ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” 18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. (Mark 11:15-18 NIV)

It was Monday when Jesus went to the temple area and saw what was happening. Needless to say, He didn’t like it. The “House of Prayer” had become the Jerusalem Mall as people, more concerned with making money than worshiping God, had taken over the outer court of the temple where the Gentiles were allowed. In the entire temple complex there was no place where the Gentiles were allowed to worship except in the Court of the Gentiles. How could they worship with the noise of livestock and merchants hocking their wares? The Gentiles couldn’t simply find another place in the temple complex to worship. Josephus tells us that there was a sign that threatened the Gentiles on punishment of death if they passed beyond the appointed mark. In 1871 an archeologist actually found a stone sign in Jerusalem carved with these words in Greek and Latin,

NO FOREIGNER IS TO GO BEYOND THE BALUSTRADE AND THE PLAZA OF THE TEMPLE ZONE WHOEVER IS CAUGHT DOING SO WILL HAVE HIMSELF TO BLAME FOR HIS DEATH WHICH WILL FOLLOW

Needless to say, the Jews in Jesus’ day saw the Gentiles as inferior. For those who are unfamiliar, if you are not Jewish, you are a Gentile. When Jesus came to the temple He could not believe His eyes, the Gentiles were being denied their worship space so that the businesspeople could line their pockets. Jesus quotes from Isaiah, “…for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isaiah 56:7 NIV) It is interesting that the word used by Jesus in Mark’s Gospel is the Greek word, “ἔθνος” (ethnos), the word that we get our word, “ethnic” or “ethnicity” from.

Jesus came to announce that in God’s House there is room for all people. Those in Jesus’ day didn’t understand and if we choose to build walls around the House of God we show that we don’t understand either. It is not because of our ethnicity, education, or elegance that we find or place in God’s House. It isn’t because of our pedigree, power, position, or popularity that God has made room for us in His House. There is room for you and me in God’s House of Prayer because Jesus gave His life in order to tear down the wall that separates us from God and from one another. Paul wrote,

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility… (Ephesians 2:13-14 NIV)

My prayer today, Lord, is that You will never let me forget what You have done through Your life, death, and resurrection to bring me near to You. Never let me forget so that I will do everything in my power to share your love with others so that they might be brought near to You as well.

41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. (Luke 19:41-43 NIV)

Yesterday people all over the world celebrated Palm Sunday. Most people think of Jesus’ triumphant ride into Jerusalem when they think about Palm Sunday. They think of the adoring crowd waving palm branches, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed be the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” For those who were there to welcome Jesus to Jerusalem, there were other things running through their minds. They had visions of the overthrow of the Romans who kept their thumbs on the Jews in the land. They hoped that Jesus would be the conquering King who would call out the tanks and troops and whip the Romans. They didn’t get it. Jesus would have none of it.

The Scripture for today makes it very clear that Jesus knew they didn’t understand. They wouldn’t understand. Jesus, before He rode into Jerusalem, stopped outside of the city, and cried as He thought about those who just didn’t understand. He said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes.” They wanted to do things their way instead of God’s way. What they couldn’t see was that it was not going to work out as they thought it would. Rather than restoring peace to the land, they would bring destruction on themselves as the Romans would finally get fed up and destroy the city in 70 A.D. Jesus knew this…and He wept.

This really boggles my mind. It wasn’t that Jesus thought to Himself, “I’ll give them one more chance.” He knew there was nothing He could say to change their mind. He knew what was awaiting Him as He made His way into Jerusalem. He knew that those who would cheer for Him would eventually yell, “Crucify Him!” Still He wept. He wasn’t bitter, He wept. He didn’t get angry, He wept. He wasn’t disgusted, dismayed, or defensive–He wept. In a few days He would willingly give His life for those who wanted Him to be something different than what He was, but on Palm Sunday He paused, before all of the chaos broke, and He simply wept over the city. He could have turned back, but He dried His tears and rode on. I’m so glad He did.