Essential Connection to Christ’s Passion

Week Six

Day 1 - Wrong Address: Luke 24:1-8

Day 2 - Where’d He Go?:  John 20:1-9

Day 3 - Name Dropper:  John 20:10-18

Day 4 - Keeping Decay at Bay:  Psalm 16:5-11

Day 5 - Eyewitness News:  Acts 4:32-36

Day 6 - Grave Robber:  Romans 6:1-5

Day 7 - A Reason for Raising:  2 Corinthians 4:13-18

 

 

Day 1 - Wrong Address: Luke 24:1-8

I dislike wrong addresses. Whether I’m trying to find a house or looking for something on the Internet, I hate getting the wrong address. I hate the time I wasted by looking for someone in the wrong place. I hate the aggravation of having to look somewhere else for this person or website.

Most of the time it is my own fault. I get in a hurry and write down the wrong address. Still, the result is always the same—I can’t find what I’m looking for, which leaves me disappointed and discouraged.

In today’s passage, some women were looking for the body of Jesus. However, when they got to the tomb, a couple of angels let them know they were at the wrong address. They were wasting their time looking for a living person in a cemetery full of dead men. Jesus had risen!

Now, let’s turn the tables for a second. Where have you been looking for Jesus lately? Could it be that you’ve been looking for Him in the wrong places? For example, if you’ve been looking for Him in the dead things of this world, you’re barking up the wrong tree. If you’re trying to find Him in a bunch of do’s and don’ts or in a bunch of religious activity, you’re looking in the wrong place.

You’ll find Him when you start looking for Him in His Word. Seek Him with your whole heart. He’s not dead, and He’s not hiding. You just have to make sure you’re checking out the right address.

·          Real Choices - Make a list of five things that keep you from seeking Jesus with your whole heart.

·          Pray - God, show me how to live in the power of the resurrected Christ today.

 

Day 2 - Where’d He Go?:  John 20:1-9

How many times have you seen a magician disappear only to be seen later in a different place? How’d you feel? Amazed? Shocked? Confused?

Well, imagine how Peter and John must have felt as they ran into the tomb where their Lord had been buried a few days earlier—only to find that it was empty. Of course, Mary had been there already; but they needed to see it for themselves.

Imagine what went through their minds: Who would play such a cruel trick? What have they done with Jesus? Where did He go? Of course, what they didn’t realize at the time—but would come to understand soon afterward—was that no one had done anything with Jesus. He had done it all Himself! No one else had emptied the tomb. Jesus left under His own power—the same power that gives us eternal life today!

As you approach your worship times this weekend, remember you serve a risen Savior. Don’t take that for granted just because you’ve heard the story a thousand times before. He is alive. Share Him with someone!

·          Pray - God, please place people in my life today who are looking for Jesus.

 

Day 3 - Name Dropper:  John 20:10-18

I look forward to coming home from weeklong trips to be reunited with my family. I walk in the door and my children will scream, “It’s Daddy!” Then, they run up and jump into my arms. Of course, I call out each of their names and give them great big hugs as well.

When you’ve been gone, it is nice to know that you have been missed. In today’s verses, Mary recognized Jesus by the way He spoke her name; and her reaction was kind of like my kids’ reaction when I come home. Jesus had only been “gone” a few days, but Mary was beside herself to see Him.

Funny thing . . . Jesus is still calling people by name today. And when folks respond, their lives are never the same. When was the last time you recognized Jesus calling you by name? Tune into His voice. Hear what He has to say today.

·          Pray - Thank You, Father, for recognizing me and for calling out my name.

 

Day 4 - Keeping Decay at Bay:  Psalm 16:5-11

He is not worth his salt!

It’s an old expression; but, like many old expressions, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to those of us living in the 21st century. So, what’s it mean?

Well, it actually refers to a practice dating back to the Roman Empire. Back then, Roman soldiers were paid in pounds of salt. That sounds kind of funny, but it is true. So, to say people weren’t worth their salt was pretty much the same as saying they hadn’t really earned their paychecks.

Salt was precious back then because it was used as a preservative. People would buy meat at the market, then take it home and pour salt on it to keep it from rotting. Salt could keep meat from decaying for several days.

In today’s passage, the psalmist was talking about a different kind of preservation. He wasn’t worried about rotting meat. Instead, he was prophesying about Jesus’ death and resurrection. Through him, God was letting the world know that His servant wouldn’t be stuck in the grave forever. He would keep decay at bay—not through salt, but through resurrection!

The cool thing is that the same power God used to raise Christ keeps us from living in decay as well. As Christians, death has no power over us. After all, God is in the business of preserving life, not promoting decay.

·          Real Choices - Make a list of all the activities in which you are involved. Determine ways God can use you to be a preservative in the lives of others.

·          Pray - God, help me keep decay at bay in my life by living in Your power.

 

Day 5 - Eyewitness News:  Acts 4:32-36

When I was in high school, I went to Chicago on a mission trip. During one lunch break at a fast-food restaurant, we noticed two guys having a dispute. Then, when we returned to our car, we saw they were still arguing. In fact, somehow they had worked their way around us so our car was between them.

Now, it’s bad enough to have two guys yelling at each other over your car, but things got worse The man on my side of the car pulled out a pistol and pointed it at the other man. Since our car was in the way, I literally was staring down the barrel of a loaded gun. Guess what happened next? The car died!

What timing! It seemed like an eternity, but we finally got the car started and out of the way. Eventually, the man with the gun hit the other man on the head, took a package from him, and ran away.

Needless to say, the whole incident blew my mind. I looked around for TV cameras, but this was real life. I’ve told this story many times, and I’m sure some of my listeners have told their friends. But no one can tell it like me because I was the one who experienced it.

In the early church, the apostles gave a great witness to the resurrection of Jesus because they had seen Him firsthand. They knew the power of a changed life. In fact, they were so sure of their message, they were willing to die for it! Now, you know they wouldn’t have done that for something they knew was fake!

How powerful is your walk with Jesus Christ? Are your providing eyewitness testimony to what He has done in you?

·          Real Choices - Outline your experience with Christ by writing your testimony out on paper. Then share your experience with Jesus with a friend today.

·          Pray - Father, thank You for giving me a firsthand experience with Jesus Christ. Give me boldness to share this experience with others.

 

Day 6 - Grave Robber:  Romans 6:1-5

Little Philip, born with Down’s syndrome, attended a third-grade Sunday school class with several eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip because he was different. But because of a creative teacher, they began to care about Philip and to accept him as part of the group.

The Sunday after Easter, the teacher brought some large, egg-shaped containers and instructed the children to go outside and find a symbol of new life to put in their containers. After searching the church property, the students returned to the classroom. Surrounded by kids, the teacher opened the eggs one by one. Each flower, butterfly, or leaf brought oohs and ahhs.

Then one was opened, revealing nothing inside. “That’s not fair,” the children exclaimed. “Somebody didn’t do their assignment.”

“That’s mine,” Philip responded. “And I did do the assignment. It’s empty because the tomb was empty!”

Silence followed; and from that point on, Philip became a full member of the class. Soon afterward, he died from an infection most children could have shrugged off. At the funeral his eight-year-old classmates marched to the altar with their teacher—not with flowers, but with empty, egg-shaped containers.

It’s great to know that the tomb was (and still is) empty. Because there’s an empty tomb, we can be resurrected in Christ. We can walk in newness of life.

Out of the mouths of children comes the truth.

·          Real Choices - As the weather allows this week, spend some time outside looking for symbols of new life. Reflect on how the empty tomb helped fill an empty spot in your life.

·          Pray - God, thank You for robbing the grave and for defeating death so I could have eternal life through Jesus.

 

Day 7 - A Reason for Raising:  2 Corinthians 4:13-18

I hate getting up in the morning. I am 40 years old, and I still have a hard time crawling out of bed.

It’s not always that way. For example, I don’t have nearly as much trouble on days when I have a good reason for getting up—like playing golf or going on vacation. But just to get up in the morning for a normal day, I have no motivation at all. It’s not like I don’t have things I want to do, but putting my feet on the floor doesn’t top my list.

There is a old spiritual that states, “In that great getting up morning, fair thee well, fair thee well.” Slaves used to sing this song from the bottom of their hearts. Even though things were terrible in their lives, they knew a day was coming when they would get to see their Savior. That’s where our hope lies too.

We know God raised Jesus from the grave, so we have that same promise and hope. Do you have problems in your life? Are you feeling discouraged and defeated? Do you feel enslaved by temptation? You’ve got good reason for believing that you will rise above all that. Jesus Christ rose to set you free.

Don’t let your hope rest in people or things. Remember your chains are broken in heaven. There is power in the name of Jesus Christ and that’s reason enough to get up in the morning.

·          Real Choices - Make a list of all the things in your life that discourage you. Talk to God about the list. Let Him take care of it.

·          Pray - Lord, let my feet be ready to serve You. Help me hit the floor running for Your glory each day.