“Jesus, Noah and the Ark”

Where do you stand on spanking a child as part of the disciplinary process? Is that okay? What if a child hits another child? Should you spank that child as part of teaching them not to hit? Is that not hypocritical?

Let’s take that further. What about the death penalty? If someone murders somebody, should we kill them? “I’ll teach you not to kill. I’ll kill ya!” What’s the difference?

The difference in spanking a child is the child is acting out on uncontrolled physical aggressiveness and is disciplined in a controlled way. If the father doing the spanking is uncontrolled and violent, then it’s abuse.

The murderer is likewise acting out his uncontrolled physical aggressions and society has a responsibility to protect the rights and welfare of its citizens. But if the execution of capital punishment is not a thoughtful, controlled process and is just a tool of repression and tyranny, then it becomes equal to murder.

We are told in Genesis 6:5 that “the LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” So…you know what He did? He killed ‘em. Now, we have had this conversation before and some of you still struggle with the concept of God doing anything that is bad.

I know. I know. You like to say that God allows bad things to happen but He causes good things to happen. Well, how do you explain the great flood? It was a really, really bad, horrible thing that happened to 99.99% of all people and animals on the earth and God takes full credit for it. In chapter 6, verse 7, God says, "I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created.”

Is that hypocritical? “Man is really, really bad so I will do something really, really bad.” No, that’s not hypocritical. They deserved it. God had given them every opportunity to repent of their evil ways and follow Him but they chose not to. Noah was the only one who was obedient. And since Noah did it, we know it could be done. God showed them mercy for a long time but finally He had enough and brought justice. My only question is how much longer does the world we live in have before God brings His justice again?

From the beginning of time, God has been preparing the world…for the end of the world. He has been preparing man for the end of life as we know it. All through the Old Testament, God was showing that, while God’s creation was, as He called it, good, it wasn’t perfect. All the way back to the Garden of Eden and the forbidden fruit, God has been telling man that one day there will be something better.

With the institution of the blood sacrifice that covered over their sins, God was telling mankind, “Just wait. Something better is coming.” With the Law of Moses came a window to show them how sinful they really were but what they really needed was a door to escape that sin. God gave prophets to tell the people to be looking for something bigger and better and we now know that something was actually someone and His name is Jesus.

We are continuing our focus on finding Jesus in the Old Testament and this week we get to look at the incredible story of Noah and the Ark. I said something about this last week at Bible study and Cindy kind of laughed and said, “Noah?” And I thought, “Oh, no! Did I say the wrong guy? Is it Jonah? Is it Moses? No, it’s Noah.” Cindy, it’s Noah. And if I say it wrong in this message, you know who I’m talking about and you know who to blame, right?

Now, before we get into reading about it, I need to know something. Are you like I am when I read a book or watch TV? I spend way too much time thinking about all the reasons why whatever I’m seeing is impossible. “You can’t do that. That wouldn’t happen that way. That’s not how you do it!” And it ruins the whole show for me but I can’t help it.

If you are that way, then you will hate this story. You thought David and Goliath was unbelievable! But there are two things you need to know about this story. First, a lot of the questions you will have get answered when you do deep research and find out just how big this ark was and how long they were there and all the details help explain a lot of things.

But secondly, a big part of being a Christian is having faith. It’s not blind faith but at some point, you will have some questions that don’t get answered and you just trust that the same God who spoke all of creation into existence could get a bunch of critters on a boat and keep them safe from a flood. Like usual, if you get bogged down in the details, you will miss a beautiful jewel.

So, let’s start reading in Genesis chapter 6. We are going to read 6:9-22 and then skip over a few verses and read some more to get the whole picture without having to read three whole chapters.

This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. 16 Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.” 22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Now, skip over to 7:11. In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

17-19 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. ¹⁸ The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. ¹⁹ They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered.

8:1-5 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. 2 Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. 3 The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, 4 and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible.

Let’s stop there. There is a little more to it but that much will keep us busy for a while. So, I sent out an email this past Friday encouraging you to read this story and be looking at this as a picture of Jesus. Does anybody see anything in this story that might point to Jesus or have some characteristics of Jesus or make you think of Jesus in any way?

This is another story that is just dripping with symbolism. I can’t wait to get to Heaven so Jesus can show me all the symbolism all through the Bible and tell me everything that pointed to Him or was Him but until then, this is some of the symbolism I uncovered in my studies this past week.

Do you remember that song you used to sing in Sunday School as a kid called “Rise and Shine”? Rise and Shine and give God the glory, glory. Rise and Shine and give God the glory, glory. The Lord told Noah to build him an arky arky. The Lord told Noah to build him an arky arky. Build it out of…gopher barky barky.

That comes from chapter 6, verse 14 that the NIV and most others translate Cypress wood. The KJV interprets that as gopher wood. It is a type of wood that would have been common and plentiful in those days and it was used and still is used to make things that you want to last. It didn’t rot or decay easily.

In Psalm 16:10, David is speaking of Jesus when he prophecies, “you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.” Jesus, the “root of Jesse”, who it is said in Daniel 9 will be “cut off” is our Ark of salvation.

Okay, I’m going to have to go through some of this pretty quick because we don’t have time to do them justice. But we will see this and more tonight at 6 pm. I love this next one. In chapter 6, verse 14, God told Noah to build the ark and then cover it inside and out with pitch. That word “pitch” is the same basic Hebrew word for “atonement” which is what the blood of Jesus does for us. It covers us. Jesus died on the cross to atone for us or reconcile us back to God. We can have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus because of that atonement or pitch. Isn’t that cool?

Another point is there is only one way to enter the ark and it’s through the one and only door. Jesus calls Himself the one and only way (John 14:6), which He is (Acts 4:12), and the door to His sheepfold. Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9). If not, they have the wrath of God abiding on them (John 3:36b). Even though Noah had to choose to enter the ark, “the Lord shut him in” (Gen 7:16), showing it is God alone Who saves us and preserves us.

The waters represent God’s judgment, but Noah didn’t save himself…it was God who instructed him how to do so. Today, God instructs us how to be saved and that’s by trusting in Christ. Noah trusted the ark, and we can trust in Christ. The ark was made of wood, just as the cross was. The pitch protected the people inside, making a water-tight seal, and Jesus’ blood covers our sins and protects us from the wrath of God. God prepared a place for Noah and his family when the ark settled. Jesus said He will return for us and is preparing a place for us too (John 14:3).

One last bit of symbolism I have to mention is the date on which the ark rested on the mountain. Look again at chapter 8, verse 4. and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. The Hebrew calendar started in October and so the 7^th month would have been what we call April. The 14^th of April was Passover and also the day Jesus died. Remember? And so what happened on the 17^th day of April, 3 days after the Passover? Jesus rose up out of that grave and rested in His glory. By the way, “Ararat” means glory. Just like the ark rested on the mountains of glory, Jesus rested in His glory. You think that is coincidence?

Okay, so all that symbolism is well and good and some of you maybe thinking I made some of that up or that it doesn’t really matter and that’s okay. You can just leave and never come back. Just kidding. Before you leave, I want you to see three quick things with me about this story.

What’s the problem in this story? God is about to flood the world. That’s a pretty big problem. I know you are going through some stuff right now but I bet it doesn’t compare with that. You may be pretty stressed out but the rest of the world is not going to die. Noah was faced with a choice. Do it God’s way or do it his way. Twice it says, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”

You have that same choice. Even as a Christian, we sometimes think we know better than God. “God, I know your Word teaches that we should tithe but I just can’t afford it so, obviously, I know better than you.” “God, I know your Word says I shouldn’t worry but that’s just how I’m made so, obviously, I know better than you.” God, I know your Word says all things are possible with Jesus but I’m an addict so obviously I know better than you.”

God told Noah to build a huge ark in the middle of the desert and fill it with animals and it says, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” I know you are either going into a storm, coming out of a storm or about to go into a storm. All you have to do is be obedient. Just do what He tells you to do and continue to do it until He tells you to do something else. And if He’s not telling you to do anything, just be still and know He is God! (Psalm 46:10)

Next, abide in Him. If the ark is symbolic of Jesus, then we see that Noah was abiding in Him. He was living there, camped out there. It’s all he could see. It was all he needed. He didn’t crawl out the upper window and look at the storm. If he had he probably would have fallen away. The ark was shelter. It was provision, protection and a covering. It was a blessing of God. Noah went through the same storm that killed everybody else. The difference was abiding in Him.

We abide in Jesus when we go where He goes and we do what He does. We live in Him and through Him. Bible study starts to be a necessity. Prayer is unceasing and church is our happy place. 1 John 2:6 says, “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” We will start to look, act, sound, probably even taste and smell like Jesus. That is abiding in Him. An hour or so at church every couple of weeks is most definitely not abiding.

Obey Him. Abide in Him. And lastly, have faith in Him. Now, this last one sounds easy, right? Faith. What is faith? In Hebrews 11 it says, “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.” When warned about things not yet seen, Noah made the decision that is was better to do what God said to do even if it was hard, even if it made him look foolish, even when nobody else was doing it.

“Jesus, David and Goliath” – 1 Samuel 17

Maybe it’s just because I’m a guy. Maybe it’s because I was raised watching boxing with my dad. Or maybe it’s entertaining to everybody. I don’t know. But I love to watch a good fight. I’m not talking about street-fighting or when some loser punches his wife. I just mean I like to watch 2 athletes box or wrestle or kick box or Karate or that MMA stuff in a ring. And the best fights are always when the underdog wins.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a whole Rocky movie but isn’t that the premise behind most of them? Rocky is too young or too old or too something and he surely can’t win the big fight…but he does. I think everybody likes a story like that even if you don’t like to watch boxing. Maybe that’s why they made 6 of them and I think they made just about as many Rambo movies but that’s another sermon.
Everybody likes an underdog. It is true in every sport from boxing to tiddlywinks, but it is also true in every other aspect of life.  We have a political season coming up and you will hear certain politicians being referred to as the underdog. Don’t be fooled.  That is not an accident.  If somebody calls them an underdog, they are most likely being paid by that politician to say it because politicians know that being an underdog works heavily in your favor.  Studies have shown that being labeled an underdog can make your actions seem more virtuous and your face appear more beautiful. (The Underdog Effect -Why do we love a loser? By Daniel Engber)
Being labeled an underdog gives the impression that you try harder, have more heart, more courage and more gumption.  And that may or may not be true but that is how we look at underdogs.  What it boils down to is that everybody likes an underdog because everybody sees themselves as an underdog.
We can all relate to being the underdog and for most of us we never seem to win anything and so we root for the underdog because we long for some kind of justice in this world.  How much more so when we see the underdog as being young and pure and on the “right” team and his opponent is just a big ol’ meanie-headed jerk!  Which is what makes the story of David and Goliath such a timeless classic and the perfect underdog story.
If you would like to read along with that story, turn to 1 Samuel 17.  And since most of you have not read this story in a good while, and probably haven’t turned to the book of 1 Samuel in a while, I will set the story up for you as you find your place in 1 Samuel chapter 17.  The Samuels are in between the books of Ruth and 1 Kings.
I have been looking forward to preaching from this passage for a long time.  It is my all-time favorite story in the whole Bible.  I have said many times that I grew up reading about David growing up and now it seems like we are old friends.  And this story has fascinated me since before I could read it for myself.  And it has continued to fascinate me as I have been studying it lately.
I called my mom just this week and said, “Mama!  Did you know that Goliath was 9’6” tall???  His armor weighed 150 pounds!  The head of his spear alone weighed like 16 pounds!  That’s incredible!”  I felt like a little kid again saying, “Mama, look at this!”  I love this story!  It has action, drama, suspense, an underdog and a big ol’ meanie-headed jerk.  And the big ol’ meanie-headed jerk gets his big ol’ meanie head cut smooth off.  How great is this?

So, let’s read 1 Samuel 17. I won’t read the whole chapter but I am going to read most of it so just sit back and enjoy the story.

Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah. 2 Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. 3 The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. 4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him. 8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” 11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. Skip over to verse 22. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. 24 Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.
Now skip over to verse 32.  32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” 33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.” 38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. 41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!” 45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” 48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. 50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. 51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. 52 Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath[f] and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. 53 When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. 54 David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem; he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.

What a great story! Do you believe it’s true?  I hope so.  I sure do.  And while some scholars disagree about just how tall Goliath was – some say only 6 something while others say he may have been as much as 11 feet tall – it doesn’t matter.  Again, as in all great biblical stories, critics want to pick it apart and say that there is no way this could have happened because of such and such reason.  I won’t even go into the ridiculous things they said about this story.  Either God did a miracle or He didn’t.


Either the story is true or it isn’t.  Either the whole Bible is true or none of it is true!  And when you get distracted by debating if Goliath’s helmet covered his forehead or not or if both of his legs were covered in armor or just one of them, then you miss seeing what this story is all about. We have started a focus on how to see Jesus in the Old Testament and here, in this great story, David is a type of Messiah. I’m not saying he is the Messiah or a Messiah. He is a type of Messiah.

I have an idea that this story has had as many sermons preached on it as any other story in the Bible and the most common theme you will hear is something along the lines of, “With God, you can face your giant and overcome your adversity” and that’s not wrong, necessarily, but it’s not really the point of the story. I’ve said the last two weeks that it is obvious that the whole Bible is written about Jesus. Even the Old Testament has prophecies, types, pictures, foreshadows and illustrations of Jesus. And while we would all like to envision ourselves as David, the truth is…we are the Israelites cowering in fear because we know we can never face our enemies and we need a David to save us. We need a Savior because we can’t do it.

You see, we have a problem. In fact, we have a huge, giant problem. Scripture calls him Satan, the devil, the enemy, the father of lies, the great red dragon, the old serpent, the prince of this world, the power of the air. Some people believe Satan is just a representation of evil; that he doesn’t really exist but he is named and shown to be real all through the Old Testament and into the New Testament.

Job knew he is real. Jesus knew he is real. Deep down, you know he is real. I heard about the time Satan showed up at a church service one time. Everyone starts screaming and running for the front entrance, trampling each other in their efforts to get away from Evil Incarnate. Soon, everyone is evacuated from the church except for one man, who sat calmly in his pew, seemingly oblivious to the fact that God's ultimate enemy is in his presence. This confuses Satan a bit. Satan walks up to the man and says, "Hey, don't you know who I am?" The man says, "Yep, sure do." Satan says, "Well, aren't you afraid of me?" The man says, "Nope, sure ain't." Satan, perturbed, says, "And why aren't you afraid of me?" The man says, "Well, I've been married to your sister for 25 years."

Maybe that guy wasn’t afraid but we should be. Did you know that nowhere in the Bible does it tell us to fight back against Satan? Nowhere does it tell us to do battle with him or go up against him in any way. In Ephesians 6 and some other places, it tells us to stand against him but the context is standing up behind Jesus and, as it says in Ephesians 6:10, stand in the mighty power of Jesus.

Now, none of us, even on our best day would ever say that we are stronger than Satan on our own. But I see it all the time when people think, “I’m just going to drink a little bit. I’m just going to do a little bit of drugs. It’s just a little porn and it’s not that bad.” I guarantee you that every addict in the world said that, consciously or unconsciously. Nobody ever starts out thinking they can’t wait to become addicted. This is going to be fun. I hope I go to jail and ruin my life and my family’s lives.

Our enemy is too big and too powerful for us to take on in our own strength. Did you see in the story in verses 38 and 39 how Saul tried to dress David in his armor? That just makes sense that we should try real hard to fight against the devil but, just like if David had gone out there relying on that armor to help, so we too would get slaughtered if we try to take on Satan with our own strength, wisdom and willpower.

Just like the rest of the Israelites just allowed David to go out there and fight Goliath, so should we just go to the Lord and say, “God, I can’t do this. I need your help. I’m tempted to do this or that or even just give up but I know I can get through this in victory if You go before me.

I love in verse 45 where it says, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.”

That’s just what Jesus has said, is saying and will say to Satan every time we turn our problems and temptations over to Him. But Satan wants you to think you are pretty strong. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!” Satan says, “You got this. You’ve been a Christian a long time. You are a leader in the church; a pillar of the community. You’re a tough guy.”

But let me tell you, not only is our enemy huge, but he’s also a liar. Look again at verse 9. Goliath steps onto the battlefield and tells the Israelites, “Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” After that, some versions say that Goliath offered to sell him some oceanfront property in Arizona. Yours may not say that. It’s a pretty obscure rendering of the text. 😊

That is a huge man telling a huge lie. But don’t you know it had to be tempting to some of the Israelites? I’m quite sure Goliath wasn’t the only huge warrior they had and the options for getting out of this alive were pretty bleak. But there was no way anybody was going to beat Goliath on their own and even if they did, the Philistines weren’t just going to put down their weapons and surrender.

Has Satan ever lied to you? Of course, he has. He is the father of lies and the truth is not in him. He can’t help but lie. That’s just what he does. And I know that you know that you are spiritually mature and you usually know when Satan is lying to you. But it’s that person sitting next to you in the pew that I’m worried about. Now, don’t be nudging them with your elbow! That’s not helping anything.

They may not be as mature as you are and you remember when you were a young Christian how often you fell for those lies of Satan so show them grace when they fall. You know it’s a lie when Satan says, “That woman did that to you on purpose. She obviously doesn’t like you.” But the young Christian may not discern that.

You know it’s a lie when Satan says, “I know that church is important but the Cowboys come on at noon so maybe next week.” But the young Christian may not discern that.

You know it’s a lie when Satan says, “Just give in. Even God can’t get you out of that addiction.” But the young Christian may not discern that. And the unbeliever can’t discern that. So, show them grace. Show them forgiveness. Show them love because you have been shown grace, forgiveness and love. I’m not saying to overlook unrepentant sin. I’m saying that everybody is struggling with something. Everybody falls for those lies sometimes. Let the church be where the sick come to get well. Let the church be the lighthouse for the blind and the family that loves unconditionally. Lord, help us to do that!

So, we have seen that Satan is huge and he is a huge liar. Now, I want us to see that just like Goliath, Satan is defeated. Let me remind you of verse 51 again where it says, “When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. 52 Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines. Just like those men shouted with victory, let me remind you of the shout of Jesus on the cross.

Just before He died and took all of my sins and shipped them off as far as the east is from the west, He cried out “Tetelestai!” It means it is finished! He wasn’t talking about His life. He was going to rise up and live again in three days. It was a cry of victory! The price has been paid. The sacrifice has been made once and for all.  Colossians 2 says, “When you were dead in your sins, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

That means that once Christ died and rose again and you believe in Him with all your heart then sin is no longer what you are expected to do. Unbelievers sin. That’s just what they do. They can’t help it. It’s their nature. But for us as believers in Jesus, we are alive and new creations. We are no longer slaves to sin. The Old Testament Law is not our master. Sin is not our master. Jesus is our Master and He defeated Satan, sin and death when He died and rose again. “Tetelestai!” is the victory cry.

As long as we are alive on this old earth, we will have problems. We will struggle. There will be things we don’t understand. Life will rarely be fair and you will be persecuted for being different from the world. That’s okay. We don’t have to understand. Yes, Satan is huge. He is more powerful than you or me. He will always be a liar. Just be ready for it. But we don’t have to be afraid. We don’t have to worry. Satan is defeated just like David defeated Goliath. All we have to do now is live like it.

Have you trusted Jesus to be your Master and Savior? All you have to do is believe but that belief will be lifechanging. Do you have a problem with that? Well then, how is it working out for you so far with you being in control? I’m not telling you to be a better person. I’m telling you to give up. Tell God you can’t do it anymore and that you want Him to do it through you from now on. Ask Him for forgiveness and then repent of that sinful lifestyle. Turn away from it and let God bring you peace and joy in this life plus the promise of eternity with Him in Heaven. Do it right now as the music plays.

“The Passover Lamb” – Exodus 12:1-13

I did some exhaustive research again – I googled it – and found out that today is a holiday. Did you know that? It is. Today is National Ampersand Day. Don’t you just love National Ampersand Day? Does anybody know what time the parade is? I can never figure out what to give as a present for National Ampersand Day. I assume you have to give two things so you can say you are giving this & that.

For those that don’t know, the ampersand is the little Latin symbol for “and” (&).  I don’t know why that symbol gets its own holiday. I don’t know who gets to declare these stupid holidays but I guess you just do it and hope it catches on. And if you celebrate National Ampersand Day, I hope you enjoy it and truly find meaning in it, because I really can’t.

Some holidays are more important than others. Some are more meaningful. Most major holidays are to remind us of important things that have happened in the past. Thanksgiving and Christmas come to mind pretty easily. This Wednesday is September 11 and is Patriot’s Day when we remember what happened in 2001 when nearly 3,000 people were killed in those attacks. It is important to remember those times and so we make them into holidays and that’s good.

Americans celebrate our independence from the British on July 4^th. It is important to celebrate that. It’s a big deal. A lot of people died so we could have that independence and it would be disrespectful to forget them. But did you know there is another celebration of independence that most of us never celebrate? The Passover is a celebration of independence that has its roots in the book of Genesis when young Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. It’s a long story but Joseph was sent to Egypt. Then as an adult, he saved his family, who lived in Israel, from starving and had his whole family move to Egypt and that’s a great story.

But after some years went by, the Israelites became a problem for the Egyptians and they made the Israelites slaves and they were slaves for 400 years. But finally, God raised up Moses and instructed him to go to the pharaoh and tell them to let God’s people go. And do you remember what happened? Well, first, Pharaoh said, “Uh…no. Thanks though. Now go back to work.” But after God sent a bunch of plagues, Pharaoh started to waiver.

Pharaoh was tough but after nine plagues that included blood, frogs, flies, hail, locusts and all kinds of bad stuff, God knew He had Pharaoh on the ropes. He knew that with this next plague, Pharaoh would give in so He called Moses and Aaron together and told them…well, let’s just read what God told Moses and Aaron in Exodus chapter 12.

We have just started our series on seeing Jesus in the Old Testament. We saw last week that Jesus is the subject of the entire Bible. Some people might not see it but they just need to look a little closer. There is prophecy about Jesus all through the Old Testament. There are signs and pictures and types of the Messiah on nearly every page if you start to look for them. Today we are going to see a foreshadowing of Jesus in the Passover. When you look at it with Jesus-focused glasses, it will be obvious. So, let’s start with Exodus 12:1 and go through just verse 13. Exodus 12:1-13.

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover. 12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

Can you imagine the response of the Israelites when Moses and Aaron told them what God had said to do? “We are supposed to take a what? And do what with it? And eat it how? That doesn’t make any sense.”

Has God ever told you to do something that didn’t make any sense? Teresa, I know God told you to marry Cody and that doesn’t make any sense but you just hold on. Maybe it will some day. 😊 Seriously, somebody tell me a time when God told you to do something that didn’t make sense but you did it anyway.

I don’t know why God chooses to do some things like He does, but this story is practically dripping with symbolism and it all points to Jesus Christ. This is such a perfect picture or foreshadowing of Jesus, starting with the lamb. Is there anything anymore helpless than a lamb? Is there anything any sweeter than a young lamb, besides my sweet Sara dog of course? I saw a video the other day where somebody had put some little lambs and goats in custom pajamas and let them run around. If you can look at that and not say, “Aw!” then something inside you is dead. They are cute and helpless and sweet…and the perfect symbolic animal of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

I’ll show you why. So, let’s figure that the exodus of the Hebrew people from Egypt happened about 1300 AD, give or take a century. Then in about 700 AD, Micah prophesied in Micah 5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." That’s an incredible prophecy fulfilled by Jesus 700 years after it was written.

Did you know that for centuries Passover lambs were raised in Bethlehem?  In those very same shepherds’ fields outside Bethlehem, a special breed of sacrificial lamb was raised and nurtured to be brought to Jerusalem at Passover to be slaughtered to cover the people’s sins.  How fitting that Mary’s Lamb, God’s perfect Lamb, the Lord Jesus, would be born there!

And He was born in a stable. How fitting that a sacrificial Lamb would be born in a stable. This Lamb was the final Passover lamb, the Lamb slain from the foundations of the world (Rev. 13:8), the one sacrificed to cover the sins of the world, past, present and future—forever. (Adrian Rogers)

Then, in Matthew 27, it says that as Jesus stood before Pilate, being accused of crimes He didn’t commit, Jesus did not answer. It says that He made no reply to any charge. He didn’t fight back. He didn’t argue. He didn’t cry and beg. He just allowed them to do what they wanted to do; what had been prophesied that they would do thousands of years before. Jesus just allowed Himself to be killed. What a picture of the Lord Jesus, the Lamb of Bethlehem Who said, "No man takes it (my life) from Me, but I lay it down..." (John 10:18).

Even today, God does not force Himself on anybody. Have you noticed that somebody can slander God, call Jesus all kinds of names and blaspheme the Holy Spirit and God just allows it? Oh, there are definitely consequences but, if that’s what you want to do, God allows it. If I were God and you took my name in vain…Boom! Fire from Heaven, plagues on your house and the bird of paradise is definitely flying up your nose! But God allows you to be disrespectful. He allows you to misuse His name and mock Him or even believe He doesn’t even exist.

He just waits patiently for you to try all the other ways first. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom. Sometimes it takes years of doing it your way and finally when your life is as big of a mess as you can make it, you turn around…and there’s Jesus quietly waiting to be asked into your life.

I’m reminded of the old hymn Softly and Tenderly. Written in 1880, it says, “Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me; O for the wonderful love he has promised,
promised for you and for me! Though we have sinned, he has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me.” Softly and tenderly, like a beautiful little lamb.

Now, can you imagine taking that perfect young lamb in from the rest of the herd; bringing it into your house and caring for it- making it a part of your family - for four days? Then the head of the house takes that lamb and sacrifices it and uses the blood to cover the entrance of the house. As an animal lover, that seems almost horrific. God specified that you are to use its blood and to eat its body and when you do, God will see that and pass over. Does that remind you of anything else; even something that we do today?

That’s why we take the Lord’s Supper or Communion. We drink the juice and eat the bread to remember and honor the blood and body of Jesus and how, because He died on the cross, that our sins are not counted against us and God’s wrath passes over us even today. In 1 Peter 1 it says, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world but was revealed in these last times for your sake.”

In Revelation, John the apostle sees Jesus as “a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6). In 1 Corinthians 5:7 it says, “Get rid of the old yeast, (Yeast is symbolic of sin – get rid of the sin in your life) so that you may be a new unleavened batch-as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”

If you truly know Jesus, you will be hurt by your sin. It will pain you the more you know Him. Just like spending time with that little lamb before the first Passover would have hurt those people when they had to sacrifice him, your relationship with Jesus should make you want to never sin again, and when you do, it should pain you. God allows us to have free will but just know that it is your sin and my sin that put Jesus on the cross to suffer and die.

This passage of scripture is pregnant with symbolism and we will see more of it tonight when we meet again but right now, I have to tell you the good news about this story. Look again at verse 11. This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover. Do you know why they were supposed to eat it like that? They would tuck in their cloak so they could be ready to run! It was almost time for God to pass over and when he did Pharaoh would tell them to get out and it was time to go. So, God is telling them to get your shoes on and get packed up. Don’t even sit down to eat it. It’s almost time. “Eat it in haste.”

How many of you remember the old Charles Atlas ads in the back of magazines and comic books back in the day? Do you remember? The little skinny, scrawny guy got sand kicked in his face by the big bully, so he went home and started lifting weights “the Charles Atlas way” and got all buff and went back to the beach and beat up the bully. Do you remember those hand-drawn ads?

Okay, keep that visual in the back of your mind as I read something. Now, remember, we have just seen the little lamb sacrificed and we have seen Jesus allowing them to kill Him and we have felt the pain of our sins. But hang on just a second. In fact, maybe you ought to be standing up as I read this. No kidding. Stand up for just a minute. Now, do you remember the sweet little lovable lamb that wouldn’t hurt a fly?

Well, let me set the scene for ya. First, from 2 Timothy 3, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.  2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips…” Sounds like today, doesn’t it? Well, the rapture could happen at any moment. Matthew 24 says, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” So, are you getting the picture? That sweet Lamb is in Heaven now just waiting and He doesn’t need Charles Atlas to make Him strong. And one day soon – are you ready? – one day soon, as it says in 1 Thessalonians 4, we will be caught up with Jesus in the air and He will rapture us to Heaven, and won’t that be a glorious day? Jesus said in Revelation 22, “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” But that’s not the end of the story. Oh no! There is a Second Coming. At His first coming, He was a suffering servant and sacrificial Lamb. At the Second Coming, He is the conquering King!

Revelation 1:7 says, “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.” But then it says in Revelation 19, speaking of this, “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. (That’s us, by the way.) Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

There’s your sweet little lamb! Sit down if you can. Sit down if you dare but you might want to be ready because it could happen at any second. We are going to be looking at some Old Testament prophesies that Jesus fulfilled pretty soon but I will just tell you that there are no prophesies left that need to be fulfilled. Everything has happened. Everything is done. We are just the bride waiting for her Bridegroom and it could happen any time.

Are you ready? If He came right now (and I pray that He does) are you doing what you want Him to find you doing? Have you told the people in your life that need to be told? Is there any sin in your life that you are aware of that is unforgiven and unrepented of? Is there any barrier between you and God right now? In Psalm 139, King David said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. 24See if there is any offensive way in me.” Let’s do that right now. If you have never asked God for forgiveness and accepted what Jesus did on the cross for you, today is the day of salvation. Allow God’s Holy Spirit to come into your life and change you. Do it right now as the music plays.

"Blind Eyes and Burning Hearts" - Luke 24:13-35

Besides the Bible, is anybody reading any good books this summer? Any good novels? What is the book about? Who is the main character? Is the main character likable? They usually are. Some authors have main characters that are so popular, they write a series of books with that same main character. People really enjoy reading about that character and the author would be crazy to write about him being killed.

Tom Clancy has several books with Jack Ryan as the hero and main character. Ryan has saved more lives and had more adventure and more close calls than anybody in history but as long as people keep buying the books, Clancy will let him live on. That’s just good marketing. The audience likes it. The author is selling books. It’s a win-win situation for Jack Ryan to live.Now, can you imagine if Tom Clancy wrote a book and his hero, Jack Ryan, didn’t even appear until the last quarter of the book and then only for four chapters and then was killed? That book would be a flop, wouldn’t it? People would lose their minds. They would be outraged. It might even end Clancy’s career as a writer. Nobody would do that. The publisher wouldn’t let them.

But that sounds a lot like the Bible. If you ask anybody, even a little kid, what the Bible is about, they would say the Bible is mainly about Jesus and yet, His story is only found in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John with just a little bit in Acts, right? The Hero even gets killed so I doubt many Bibles are going to be sold. It’s just not the right way to go about selling books. Even I know that. And obviously a sequel is out of the question, which is sad because the story really had potential. 😊

It has been years since I read one, but I remember being entertained by Tom Clancy’s books, but do you think anybody ever had their life changed by Patriot Games or Debt of Honor or any of his books? Do you think reading about Jack Ryan ever brought anybody peace or joy in their difficult times? Did Tom Clancy ever write something that gave you the answer you were looking for when an impossible problem came up? Does anybody ever read one of his novels and have their eternity changed and go from Hell to Heaven by his grace? That’s ridiculous, isn’t it? That’s almost heretical for me to say.Why? Because the Bible tells the story of how Jesus was born, lived, died and rose again and for those that believe in Him – and we talked last week about what “believe” really means – we are saved by His grace and are promised an eternity in Heaven with Him. This is a life-changing book!

And if you don’t believe me, then ask my friend Bryson Boswell who wrote me from Wise County Jail. Bryson is a recent believer in Jesus and got hold of a Bible and says that everything is changing for him. I quote, “I’m not a preacher, yet felt sharing God’s Word was what I should do. I wrote “Mr. So n So” back yesterday and first time ever included Bible verses in my writing.” He goes on to say he found a verse that is helping him and he reads it a lot. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” He said, “I believe that’s how it goes and I draw from it always.” Bryson may be entertained by Jack Ryan but Jesus changed his life!

Now, when somebody tells me they have never read the Bible and don’t know where to start, I always suggest starting in the Book of John or one of the other Gospels so that they get a look at the life of Jesus and find out the basics about Him first. Some people mean well and start in Genesis all excited and by the time they get to Leviticus, well, there’s no more excitement left. And that’s understandable because (and don’t tell anybody I said this) Leviticus is boring. Right? Y’all know. But did you know that even boring old Leviticus starts to be exciting when you realize that there are references to Jesus on almost every page? For example, when Leviticus talks about killing a perfect lamb for a sin offering, you may think that’s kind of gross but not all that interesting. But 1500 years after that was written, John the Baptist saw Jesus and cried out, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) referring back to boring old Leviticus.

I can’t wait to get to Heaven to hear Jesus explain all the references of Himself in the Old Testament. Can you imagine that? We can see a lot of them but don’t you know we are missing a lot? If you turn to Luke 24, you will see a story of a time when Jesus gave two men walking down the road a grand tour of scripture and allowed them to see Him in a way that most people miss.In Luke 24, the story picks up just after Jesus was crucified. As you remember, the followers of Jesus (His disciples and others) were almost all blinded to what had really happened the last few days. They were expecting Jesus, as the coming Messiah, to liberate them from Roman authority and to rule on the throne of David there in Jerusalem. It was supposed to be a time of celebration but then they watched as Jesus was tried in a mock court, tortured even though He was innocent and then crucified until He died on the cross. Then…they saw Him buried along with all their hopes and dreams.

In this passage, we see two men leaving Jerusalem and walking to Emmaus, probably where they lived. Let’s start reading at verse 13 and go all the way through verse 35. Wouldn’t you have loved to be a fly on one of their shoulders as this happened?

Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still; their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

What a fascinating passage! What an incredible gift Jesus gave to these two men! So, let’s look at it closer. I read a lot of commentaries about this and there is a lot of supposition going on with this story. There is a lot we don’t know and I always say that if we don’t know something about a story in the Bible, it’s because we don’t need to know. But it’s fun to suppose sometimes, isn’t it?

The first question is, who are these men? Well, Cleopus is named but we never read anything else about him. The other one is not named but could possibly be the author of the book, Luke. It has been suggested it was Peter but I have a problem with that and it really doesn’t matter. Secondly, how did they not recognize Jesus until He was eating with them? There are lots of theories about this, as well. Emmaus was northwest of Jerusalem and so some think the sun was in their eyes until they got in the house. Or maybe Jesus blinded their eyes supernaturally until dinner and then left supernaturally as well. That may be and it really doesn’t matter but my theory is that they didn’t recognize Him because He had yet to heal from being beaten and crucified. You remember it was said that Jesus was beaten until He was unrecognizable (Isaiah 52:14). Maybe it was only when they saw the nail prints in His hands as He broke the bread that they recognized Him. I don’t know and why they didn’t recognize Him doesn’t matter. It’s just interesting.

What I really do want to know is what Jesus told them on the way. Look at verse 27 again. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” Now, that’s a history lesson I could pay attention to! Can you imagine hearing Jesus, who is God, explain His part in all the Old Testament?Jesus: Do you remember the very first sentence; the very first phrase written in scripture? “In the beginning, God…” Yea, that’s me. Then in chapter 1, verse 26 where it says, “Let us make man in our own image”? Yea, the Father and the Holy Spirit and I did that and it was good! Then in Genesis 3:15, it mentions me specifically where it says, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." That “He” is me.

Then Jesus just continued for mile after mile and don’t you know what was usually a long, dreary seven-mile hike went by so fast and easy? Jesus taught those two men, whoever they were, all about how the sacrifices that the Law required were satisfied by Him, and about how the Passover that they had just celebrated in Jerusalem was a foreshadowing of the Messiah, how their beloved King David was a type of Messiah and how even Noah’s ark was a picture of Him as well. He showed them how all the prophecies all through the Old Testament were fulfilled in Him, by Him and for Him. He had to have gone through book by book and chapter by chapter showing them how in some places He was the one who was described as an Angel of the Lord and showed up physically even way back then in what we call Christophanies.

Their minds were blown as their eyes were blinded to who was speaking to them even as their hearts burned to hear more and more. Don’t you know that even though they still didn’t understand that it was Jesus speaking to them that they had to have felt closer to Him than ever before? Don’t you know that their love for Him grew as they saw scripture unfolded and realized that Jesus was on every page; that the whole Old Testament, which was all they had back then, was written all about Him?They had seen His crucifixion but only heard of His resurrection and therefore had a hard time believing it but then Jesus showed them in scripture that it was prophesied. Can you imagine Jesus quoting Psalm 22 to these men? Can you imagine how they felt when He started off by saying, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Do you think a red flag went up and made them think, “I not only have read those words, but I just heard Jesus say those words on the cross and now, this guy’s voice saying them sounds familiar”?

I would imagine Jesus continued teaching these men by quoting Psalm 22 quoting David who was prophesying what Jesus had just said three days before. “But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”

They had to have thought, “Yes! Yes! I just heard some of the Pharisees saying just that the day before yesterday!” Again, from Psalm 22, “Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. 17 All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” They had to think, “Oh, yes! That is exactly what happened!” Can you imagine their excitement as they heard prophesied truth coming from the Father of truth who lived the truth? They still didn’t understand that it was Jesus telling them this but they had to know that this Man was special and what He was telling them was special.I’m sure that when their eyes were finally opened it all started to sink in. Then Jesus left and while they were probably tired from a long day and a long walk, and it was already late in the evening, they knew they had to go back to Jerusalem to tell the others what they had learned. What an incredible gift Jesus gave to those two men! They must have felt so much closer to Jesus after seeing Him clearly all through the Old Testament and how their lives must have changed because of it.

Let me ask you a question. Do you know Jesus? I mean, really know Him. Are you intimately familiar with Him? Do you know what He is capable of? Do you know His manners and His ways? Do you know His likes and dislikes? Do you know how to please Him? I want you to just think about that for a second and let me ask you another question. How is your life going? Oh, I know. Nobody is perfect and nobody lives a perfect life. But are you happy with how you are doing? Are you making wise choices? Do you have peace and joy even in the difficult times? Do you have peace about what is going to happen to you when you die?

You might not realize it, but those questions are intimately related. The more and better you know Jesus directly corresponds with your level of peace and joy and wisdom. It always will. The Apostle Paul understood that. In Philippians 3:10 he said, “I want to know Christ--yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” That is a hard thing to say. Honestly, I don’t know if I’m there yet but do you know what? I want what Paul had. I want to be able to say, as Paul said in Philippians 4, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Isn’t that what everybody wants? When you boil it all down, we just want to be content and Paul is telling us in this powerful fourth chapter of Philippians that the secret to being content is knowing Jesus more, deeper and better even if it means we need to suffer like Jesus did.

Paul goes on to say, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Paul is not saying God will get him the job he has always wanted or the car he has his eyes on or help him score the winning goal in the football game. He is saying that in his quest to know Jesus deeper and better, he knows that Christ will give him the strength to get through anything that comes, even when it is difficult. And it will be difficult as long as we are here on earth.

So, yes, I want what Paul had. I want that contentment. But I also want what Paul has. I want to be blessed in Heaven like Paul. I want the eternal blessings like Paul has. I want to know Jesus better and so I want to see where He was and what He was doing in the Old Testament so that I can know Him better because it is when we have an intimate relationship with Jesus that we are most blessed.In the next few weeks, we are going to look at some of those times when Jesus showed up in the Old Testament. We are going to see some of the foreshadows, types and pictures of Jesus, as well as the prophecies about Jesus and even some of those Christophanies where He showed up physically. It should be interesting but if any of us are going to truly know Jesus better, we are going to have to devote ourselves to scripture and prayer by ourselves as well. What is keeping you from going deeper in your relationship with Him? Has He told you to do something and you haven’t done it? Or maybe God has shown you that you need to quit something or give something up. Maybe it’s a person or a habit or a possession that is between you and a deeper walk with God through His Son Jesus. Maybe you just aren’t making the time that you should. Let’s bow our heads and close our eyes and just spend some time with Him right now, asking Him what you need to do.

Maybe you don’t have a relationship with Jesus at all and you need to ask God for forgiveness of your sins and ask Him to send you the Holy Spirit to guide you in your life and to make Jesus the Lord of your life. You can do that right now as the music plays.