Click on each picture for notes.
Jesus Betrayed John 18:1-11
Jesus Suffered John 19:16-27
Jesus Crucified John 19:28-36
Jesus is Alive John 20:1-10
Alive!
Latest Posts
He has turned my mourning into dancing
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent…
He has turned my mourning into dancing
Have you ever experienced any of the following?
- deliverance from the attacks of your enemies
- answered prayer in desperate circumstances
- rescue from impending death
Has God been good to you in any way? What does it do inside of you when you see how good he is? How does it make you feel? Does it move you? If yes, than you have reasons to sing, shout and dance! You have reasons to praise the Lord. This Psalm is jam-packed with the wonderful blessing of the Lord in the life of the Psalmist. And these wonderful acts of God leaves the psalmist singing, shouting and dancing.
In fact, the bible actually says, “he breaks out in dancing.” I don’t know what this psalmist was into back in those days. I doubt he was familiar with Zouk, Conga, Charleston, Kolo, Cha-Cha, Lindy Hop or the Harlem Shake. But I imagine that he did something like the Horah or something crazy 🙂
Compare the following phrases side by side and you can see how gracious God is toward the writer.
Ps. 30:4–5 – moment of anger/ a lifetime of favor/ a night of weeping/ a joyful morning/ a turning of my mourning into a time of dancing/ a stripping of my sadness and a clothing of gladness
Though there is weeping in our lives, sometimes because our sins move God to anger, and sometimes just because we live in a fallen world, our weeping almost always comes to an end. Even when we are weigh down by sorrow due to the passing of loved ones from this life into the other, and when our soul can’t find the comfort it needs, God takes us through the stages of grief and finally brings us into a place of peace, comfort and joy. The ‘morning’ (verse 5) stands for the time when God gives relief (Psalm 90:14); it may tarry for a while, while we weep and mourn (Psalm 49:14), but his joy always comes in the morning. He lifts our sorrow, pain, discouragement and depression – filling us with songs of deliverance. This should give us reason to sing, shout and dance!
Ps. 30:6–7 You Alone Are My Security/ he alone is our help/ we live and move and have our being in you/ you are everything/ you make my mountain stand strong
It is easy, in times of prosperity, to trust in oneself; to feel invisible, untouchable; but we must always remember that it is God who makes our mountain stand strong (mountain is a sign of unshakable security), and if he should remove his care, we are undone. We fall apart. I love the imagery of God being a rampart, a stronghold, a tower, a shelter, the shadow of the almighty, he shall cover you with his feathers and under his wings you shall take refuge. This should give you a reason to sing, shout and dance!
Psalm 30:11, 12 – How can you stay silent?/ Can you contain it? Does it make you want to shout… break out into poetic exuberance of praise?
I love the lyrics to the song “when I think about the Lord” – it goes like this: “When I think about the Lord, how he saved me, how he raised me, how he filled me with the Holy Ghost, how he healed me to the uttermost. When I think about the Lord how he picked me up and turned me around, how he set my feet on solid ground – it makes me want to shout.” I don’t know about you, but I cannot remain silent because of all these things the Lord has done. Especially now, as I contemplate what he did on that cross for me. It makes me want to shout!
The psalmist say, “I will sing your praise… everything within me will praise you as long as I live. I Will Give Thanks Forever.” The experiences in which sorrow has turned to joy leads the psalmist, to give God the praise. He breaks out into a poetic exuberance of praise. The words “My glory” is a poetical term in the Psalms for one’s whole being (Psalm 16:9; 108:1).
He is saying, everything in me, every part of me, my whole being will praise God. I wonder what that looks like: Singing, shouting, clapping, jumping, dancing, rolling, waving, crying, shaking, laughing, falling, kneeling, bowing?
Maybe there are no words to explain it – it must simply be experienced!
It is finished: Shout heaven and earth, this Sum of good to Man
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit
John 19:30
It is finished!
I have executed the great designs of the Almighty
When God made man and put in him a free will, all the angels thought He was out of His mind. He had a plan. A plan, from the foundation of the earth, to reconcile the world through Jesus His Son. He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be Holy and blameless before Him (Eph. 1:4). That plan was accomplished today, 2000 years ago.
I have satisfied the demands of his justice
God is holy and just. His nature demands justice. The wages of sin is death and somebody had to pay for our rebellion. Jesus answered that call. The LORD was “pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would give Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand” (Isaiah 53:10). Today, 2000 years ago, He was bruised for our iniquity and the punishment for our sins laid upon him.
I have accomplished all that was written in the prophets
What I love about Jesus is that He is not a want-to-be, blowing his own horn, singing his own praise – pick me, pick me, kinda guy (for lack of better words). Prophecy after prophecy confirmed that he is the Messiah and the Savior of the world. He told his disciples when he was with them, “everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets must be fulfilled” (Luke:24:44). Today, 2000 years ago, it is accomplished.
I have suffered the utmost malice of my enemies
Gethsemane and the tears of blood, the betrayal of kiss (oh but it was my brother, my companion), spit, insults, slander, the Cat of Nine Tales, the brutal crucifixion, the agonizing death. Satan is defeated, the power of death broken, darkness is overcome and principalities spoiled. He “endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right of the father. He nailed the curse that was against us to the cross. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross” (Heb. 12:2). Today, 2000 years ago, he passed the test and finished the mission.
Now the way to the holy of holies is made manifest through my blood
Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. Without the cross there is no glory. Without his death we cannot live again, without his resurrection there is no reconciliation. But on this day, 2000 years ago, “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split” (Matthew 27:51). Now we can come boldly into the throne room in our time of need to seek mercy and grace. The power of sin broken. Man can live again for eternity with the father of love.
Through his death on the cross, God has reconciled man to himself. The kingdom of heaven is now opened to every believing soul. What a glorious finish!
“Shout heaven and earth, this Sum of good to Man!”
It wasn’t Easy but it was worth it!
Can you Hear me now?
The Call of Wisdom
Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.
Proverb 1:20-33
Can you hear me now?
How long will you love being simple
How long will my voice meet a refusal
How long will you delight in scoffing
How long will you trash my name with your cussing
How long will you hate knowledge
How long will you continue – your King to reject
How Long will it take before you open up your heart
How long will you keep my Spirit out
How long will you – your savior disown
How He longs to make himself to you known
Wisdom Calls – How long? Can you Hear me now?
Let my words be few!
Check these out:
- Don’t speak unless you can improve on the silence. –Spanish Proverb
- Never miss a good chance to shut up. –Will Rogers
- The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone? —
Ecclesiastes 6:11
We speak thousands of words every day. Good words, bad words, criticized words. We’re so flippant with our words; quick to criticize, quick to slander. We stab and we injure and we hurt, argue. we swear multiple times each day using words. It’s said that both men and women speak more than 27.000 words combined daily. But talking too much is not cool. God calls us to let our words be few in prayer, in conversations, yes, in every sphere of life.
Ecclesiastes 5:2 – Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; let your words be few.
But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger
Here is why:
It is just plain common sense that keeps you from sinning
It shows that you are not a fool. Only fools talk a lot. It shows that you are trustworthy. Only fools cannot be trusted. The bible says, when words multiply sin is not absent. It is not only a sin against the hearer, it is also a waste of the hearer’s precious time. But when words are few, gossip, exaggeration, lies, and embellishments of our stories are far from our lips. Integrity is at it’s best.
It shows that you are smart, intelligent and spiritually mature
A man whose tongue is always wagging, is doing a serious injury to his own intellectual and spiritual nature. It is never a smart thing to be a man/woman of many words. Plato said, “As empty vessels make the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.” But, when words are few, we display a certain kind of intellectual class and spiritual maturity.
It also shows one’s interest in others, new ideas, and one’s willingness to learn
Somebody once said, “a talkative will soon stop thinking; his mental faculties will soon fall into disuse under the constant pressure of verbosity.” When we listen to others we learn from them, even if we think we are smarter than they are. You will be surprised where you find wisdom or sometimes, simple, common sense. When words are few, we are able to learn something new.
It helps you avoid common relational problems
One of the reasons why there is strife, fighting and quarreling in our relationships is due to a lack of listening. We talk too much. We want our voice to be heard; and in the process we ignore to the voices of others. And if others are just like you, there is going to be strife. But, when words are few, we are better able to avoid fights and quarrels.
It teaches us the power of faith
When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! When words are few in prayer, we prove to God how confident we are in him.
It’s going to keep your from falling under God’s judgment
Everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. This is a big deal. This verse makes it all the more important that we be wise in the use of our words. Too much of it and our abuse of it can put us in trouble not only with men but also with God.
Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani: A Commentary on Matthew 27:46
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
This is the point of no return in Jesus’s mission to reconcile man back to God. At that point, all of humanity’s sin fell on Jesus. God the Father placing and seeing all the filth and sinfulness of man caused Him to turn away from Jesus His only begotten Son. In that moment there was a separation between father and son. Something that broke the heart of God and left Jesus crying – “Eli Eli, lema sabachthani – my God my God why has thou forsaken me?” What did Jesus really mean by this and how significant is it for us today?
My God, My God:
In quoting Psalms 22, Jesus declared His fulfillment of that prophecy, in both its agony and it exultation. The Psalm goes on to say, You have answered Me. I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You. (Verse 21 says – “Save me from the lion’s mouth; From the horns of the wild oxen You answer me.” Verse 22 says – “I will tell of Your name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You” (Psalms 22:21-22).
Why have You forsaken Me?
Jesus knew great pain and suffering – both physical and emotional – in His life, but had never known separation from His Father; now He does. There was a significant sense in which Jesus rightly felt forsaken by the Father at this moment. How? Because God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (Verse 21 – He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
But Jesus not only endured the withdrawal of the Father’s fellowship, but also the real outpouring of the Father’s wrath upon Him as a substitute for sinful humanity. Horrible as this was, it fulfilled God’s good and loving plan of redemption. Therefore Isaiah can say Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him. (Verse 10 – But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would give Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand (Isaiah 53:10).
At the same time, we cannot say that the separation between the Father and the Son at the cross was complete. Paul made this clear in Verse 19 – namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:19 : God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself at the cross.
The agony of this cry is significant. It rarely grieves man to be separated from God, or to consider that he is a worthy object of God’s wrath. Yet this was the true agony of Jesus on the cross.
To close, maybe today you feel like God has forsaken you in a similar way Jesus felt, but you need to understand that “sometimes God takes away from a Christian His comfort, but He never takes away His sustaining presence. You know the difference between sunshine and daylight. A Christian has God’s daylight in his soul when he may not have sunlight; that is, he has enough to light him, but not enough to cheer and comfort him.” (J. Cumming, D. D.)
So cheer up and fix your eyes on Jesus – the pioneer and perfected of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are.
_______________________________________
Excerpts From David Guzik’s Commentary on Mathew 27
Pastors in the order of Antiochus Epiphanes
I would hate for this little post to come across as another pastor bashing other pastors. So I hope you will take this post as just notes of a pastor who is trying to avoid the mistakes of a historical figure and at the same time sounding the alarm for others to avoid as well.
This historically, scriptural figure, Antiochus Epiphanes, is the little horn in Daniel 8:9. The name Epiphanes means the Illustrious One and the prophecies of Antiochus Epiphanes you can find in Daniel (Dan. 8:9-14; 23-25; 11:21-35).
I am going to take or use different episodes or events in his life to urge myself and others to avoid. Here we go – Pastors in the order of Antiochus Epiphanes:
1. They forget where you came from…
Antiochus grew to become a great power from a small beginning. Notice that the little horn of Daniel 7:8; 8:9 waxed exceedingly great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great even to the host of heaven (Dan. 8:9-10a). Unfortunately, he forgot where he came from. Pastors in the order of Antiochus Epiphanes usually forget where they came from. That’s why Paul would say to them, “not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. Never forget where you came from.
2. They are vengeful when they don’t get what they want.
Antiochus arrived within four miles of the great city of Alexandria to compel the pharaohs to surrender. But the Egyptians had appealed to Rome for help After being humiliated and forced to leave Egypt, Antiochus’s vengeance was quickly turned upon Jerusalem. He killed over eighty thousand men, women, and children and sold forty thousand into slavery. Pastors in the order of Antiochus Epiphanes become vengeful when denied anything. They assassinate characters through their sermons. They beat people up because they dare stand up to them. They chase people out of their churches and make the lives of the colleagues, staff or board members miserable, when they don’t buy into their plan or vision.
3. They are a personality cult
Antiochus was the first Seleucid king to use divine epithets on coins. Antiochus magnified himself even to the prince of the host (Dan. 8:11). His pride and arrogance was lifted up in opposition to the very God of heaven. Pastors in the order of Antiochus Epiphanes use media, propaganda, or other methods, to create an idealized, heroic, and, at times god-like public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. Their picture is what you see at the entrance of the church building, website, TV ads and tithing envelops. They demand respect, loyalty and praise. It’s all about them. They must be celebrated.
4. They form alliances at all cost just to get what they want
In order to merge his empire and strengthen his hold over the region, Antiochus decided to side with the Hellenized Jews by outlawing Jewish religious rites and traditions kept by observant Jews and by ordering the worship of Zeus as the supreme god. Pastors in the order of Antiochus Epiphanes are ready to use anyone, (whosoever) to get what they want. They really don’t care about the people they use, all they really care about is their agenda. They are fine as long as the drug dealers are bring them the tithe.
5. They’ve lost the sense of awe, reverence and sacredness
Antiochus also brought into the temple things that were forbidden, so that the altar was covered with abominable offerings prohibited by the laws. He set up the image of Jupiter in the Holy Place in Jerusalem and desecrated the sanctuary and its holy vessels. Pastors in the order of Antiochus Epiphanes depart from common sense decency in the pulpit in the name of “being real” They curse, swear, tell crude jokes and teach on subjects like sex in a very graphic and insensitive ways. They’ve departed from common sense practices – in the name of “being cool.”
5. They deceive skillfully
Antiochus, it was said that he will destroy many by peace (Dan. 8:25). Pretending to be on a peaceful mission he would then plunder. Pastors in the order of Antiochus Epiphanes skilled in the act of deception. In the words of Timothy, they “worm their way into homes, than gain control.” Jude says, “they secretly slipped in among you.” They are smooth talkers always coming up with some new revelation, new teaching. The are con artists, always trying to fleece you.
6. They are demon possessed.
Daniel 8:23 states that in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. I believe Antiochus Epiphanes was demon possessed. Matter of fact, his contemporaries called him a ‘mad man’. Pastors in the order of Antiochus Epiphanes are like mad men. they are if not possessed by demons, greatly influenced and demonized. Warning the church, Jude say, these are “scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.”
7. They work in the spirit of the anti-christ
Antiochus is a type of the anti-christ that is to come. Pastors in the order of Antiochus Epiphanes are not the anti-christ, but the way they live in completely anti-christ. Paul in Philippians 3:18, “For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.”
8. They always go down in shame and disgrace
He was afflicted by a horrible death by worms and ulcers, when on his way to Judea, intending to take vengeance for the defeat of his armies by the Maccabees (Dan. 8:25) Pastors in the order are themselves deceived. They fail to realize that God has a funny way of exposing them.
Even though I attached the name pastor to the heading of the post, these can apply to any one of us. Let us be pastors, men women of God in the likeness of Jesus Christ to great shepherd.
_________________________
Research Resource: ProphecyForum
When the going gets tough…
The testing of your faith! James 1:2-27Here are a few things you can do when your faith is under fire:
1. Count it all joy verse 2 – God is up to something!
2. Seek Wisdom from above verse 5 – You will need it to find you way!
3. Humility counts too… verse 9 – That’s how you attract his blessings!
4. Stay under the pressure verse 12 – Yeah! No matter how uncomfortable it is. It is a blessing in disguise.
5.Beware of deception… verse 16 – Don’t let the enemy trick you!
6. Don’t offer the sacrifice of fools… verse 19 – This is no time to complain!
7. Stand on the word… verse 22 – Yes! Don’t let you faith be shaken!
8. prepare a faith seed… verse 27 – Test him in the matter! You will never lose the seed.
Someone once said,
a faith that has not been tested is a faith that cannot be trusted… Well, I guess it was Steve Hill.
The testing of your faith Produces:
- it produces steadfastness
- it puts you on the road to perfection
- it brings you into a place where you lack nothing 1 Peter. 1:7
God is absolutely confident that you can handle any difficulty. He is training your hand for war, training you for battle. So, when the going gets tough, don’t be afraid, trust God He will see you though.
One Song that Gets to Me every time I listen
Lord, help me to be a better husband, a better father…
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for… Eph. 5:25
Walter Bright 
You must be logged in to post a comment.