Cross

The Longest Journey – Part 2

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16 NKJV

After the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the wise men returned to their country, the shepherds to their fields and Mary and Joseph to Nazareth. But the journey of Jesus was only half completed on that night. The first leg of His journey brought Jesus to our world. But from His first cry in the manger to His last breath on Calvary’s cross Jesus traveled the second mile to take away our sins.

Bethlehem’s story is only half told if we leave the side of the manger with soft warm feelings. If we are simply amazed at how God could have allowed Himself be born as a fragile baby boy we only know the half of Jesus’ journey.

 

The path from Bethlehem’s stable to Golgotha’s hill was farther even than from heaven to earth. Jesus had no one for comfortKIMG2589 but the Holy Spirit, no one to understand but His Father in heaven and no one to suffer with Him but two thieves crucified by His side. Yet in the garden He prayed for us, from the cross He forgave us, prayed for us and by His final breath, gave His life for our sins. In thankful astonishment let’s remember His long journey then fall in step behind our Lord to see what journey He has chosen for us this Christmas.

Desperate Times Desperate Prayers

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I was struck this morning by the difference between my own nice sweet quiet prayers and the prayers of Jesus Christ. The Bible astonishes me when it says that “He was heard because of His Godly fear. Maybe many of my prayers are not heard because they are no more than just words recited by habit as I begin another day. What is this Godly fear that even Jesus had and how can I enter into this to find His help for my needs and for the desperate needs of the world around me?

Seeing in this morning’s news yet another account of a terror attack in New York I am burdened for the needs of New York and for our nation. Rather than the usual finger-pointing as to who is to blame; why don’t we fall on our faces and cry out to the only one who can help? Jesus was not afraid of His Father in the manner of worry that He would be rejected. He was instead praying with the reverent fear that says, “On;y you can help!” In fact Jesus stated plainly, “I can of Myself do nothing. ..” John 5:30 Jesus said again “then you will know that I am He,and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me…” John 8:28 The same Jesus who walked on water, healed blind eyes and multiplied bread, said that He wasn’t doing even one single thing without asking for His Father’s help. This morning before we try again to come up with new solutions or new people to blame for our vulnerability we must run to our only hope and refuge: God Almighty, who alone is able to save!

We are not protected by our technology, our weapons or by our popularity. Our protection, blessing, help and strength can only be found in Jesus Christ. Who will join me this morning and truly cry out for God to hear, to help and to deliver from death? It may seem out of touch with modern attitudes towards prayers of faith but it is never wrong to pray like Jesus prayed. No one had greater faith than the Son of God; yet no one prayed more earnestly to be heard by His heavenly Father. And He was heard because of His Godly fear! He was not delivered from the cross; but from the grave! What a mighty Savior we serve!

 

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