As I read through scripture, I notice the recurring wording following an action of the Lord or His servants. It is often worded as “In order to,” “In order that,” or “So that.”

          This time around, I am reading the Good News Translation. In this Bible version, those phrases occur twenty-one times in the Old Testament books and eighteen times in the New Testament books.

          When these phrases occur, they describe more than a cause-and-effect relationship. They show intentionality and purpose. There is an ultimate goal or outcome that is desired to be achieved.

          I remember when I was a pastor in my first church, the church had experienced stability and growth that it had not known for many years. Many new people came to the church from various backgrounds and church affiliations. As a result, they had their own ideas about what our church should do or be like. After a service, I remember one lady approaching and making the statement, “You really do know what you are doing!” I wasn’t quite sure how to take that statement. I didn’t know if I was coming across so inept that I needed help, or if, since I was willing to listen to comments from others, what someone said would be adopted into the church. She realized that I did know the vision I had for the church, and that it was not open to being thrown off track by others, even if they were well-meaning.

          The point is, I did have an outcome in mind behind the values and practices of the church. As you read the Bible, you see that the apostles and Jesus had the same desire for God’s people and their lives; they, however, did a better job than I did as a young pastor.

          Consider the following example,

Jesus prayed, And for their sake I dedicate myself to you, in order that they, too, may be truly dedicated to you. John 17:19 (GNT)

But these have been written in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through your faith in him you may have life. John 20:31 (GNT)

It was only right that God, who creates and preserves all things, should make Jesus perfect through suffering, in order to bring many children to share his glory. For Jesus is the one who leads them to salvation. Hebrews 2:10 (GNT)

I have worked for you and for the people in Laodicea and for all others who do not know me personally. I do this in order that they may be filled with courage and may be drawn together in love, and so have the full wealth of assurance which true understanding brings. In this way they will know God’s secret, which is Christ himself. Col. 2:1-2 (GNT)

By our baptism, then, we were buried with him and shared his death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might live a new life. Romans 6:4 (GNT)

So far as the Law is concerned, however, I am dead—killed by the Law itself—in order that I might live for God. I have been put to death with Christ on his cross, Galatians 2:19 (GNT)

          You get the idea of what scripture is communicating in these and other passages. What we read in the Bible is to have an impact on our lives just as it did for those who were the original recipients of the message.

          God is a God of purpose. Scripture reveals the outcome for your lives when we embrace and put into practice what we are taught as we follow Jesus. The events and experiences of our lives are to serve an eternal purpose as we trust the Lord even in the valleys and dark places. Paul wrote to the Corinthians about his difficulties with this perspective. We felt that the death sentence had been passed on us. But this happened so that we should rely, not on ourselves, but only on God, who raises the dead. 1 Cor. 1:9 (GWT)

The actions of our lives should mirror that, so the actions we take will have an eternal consequence for our lives and those we influence. May we live our lives on purpose for a purpose.

Although the Bible is a collection of 66 books written by 40 different authors over 1,500 years, it is amazing the flow of the themes that appear.

          Genesis begins with the creation of the world and Adam and Eve in a garden paradise, where they enjoy the blessings of God, who is with them and whose fellowship they enjoy.

          We see that sin enters the world, and the Bible narrative shows God working to restore to people the presence of God that was so vivid in the beginning. We see glimpses of God’s presence with His people as God brings forth a nation by calling Abraham from his home to a place that God promises will be inherited by his offspring.

          As the exodus from bondage in Egypt takes place, God’s presence is seen in an awesome form in a cloud and pillar of fire that leads them through the wilderness to possess the land promised to Abraham hundreds of years before.

          During this journey, Moses is given the privilege of experiencing God’s presence. So much so that after meeting with the Lord, his face shone so bright that it frightened God’s people. At a critical moment, the Lord’s reassurance to Moses was, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14) God’s presence among His people was to distinguish them from all other people.

          In the New Testament, Jesus was with His disciples as the presence of the Lord took human form. When Jesus prepared for the cross, He told His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit to be with them forever. The Gospel of Matthew begins with Jesus coming as Immanuel (God with us) and ends with Jesus’ words, “Behold, I am with you till the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

          The age and grand bookend of the Bible is seen in Revelation 21:3. It is there we read, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”

          I am thankful that we can experience God’s presence through the Holy Spirit in our lives and corporately when we gather as God’s people in worship. But as the words of the old hymn remind us, this is “a foretaste of glory divine.”

“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ Matthew 25:24-25 NIV

The response of the servants who received one talent or one bag of gold (Luke 19) has always been challenging for me. It was during the discussion of this parable in my online class this last week that a student made an observation that caught my attention.

          She pointed out that the “lazy” servant resented the fact that he was doing the work and the Master was receiving the benefit. That allowed me to see that this servant did not understand the relationship with the Master and his role as a steward.

          The servants in this parable about the Kingdom of God are entrusted with money to manage on behalf of the Master. That is the essence of stewardship. I manage the money of another for their benefit. That is what financial advisors do today for their clients. The difference is that in Jesus’ day, these servants were not paid advisors or partners.

          The faithful servants and the lazy servant had different views of the Master. The faithful ones understood their role and gladly accepted it. The lazy servant resented his role and, as a result, had a negative view and attitude toward the Master. He viewed the Master as unfair and harsh. The Master could not be trusted. His laziness was a result of his resentment. He wasn’t willing to work without the guarantee of any reward.

          However, the faithful servants viewed their reward as pleasing the Master and fulfilling their responsibility. What we see is that those who were faithful were rewarded and elevated. In Matthew’s gospel, they share in the Master’s happiness or pleasure. In Luke’s account, they are rewarded with authority over cities. In this way, the servants become leaders and those with authority.

          We see Paul the Apostle reflect the attitude of stewardship in the call of God on his life. Let a man so consider us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.    1 Corinthians 4:1,2 (NKJV)

          Do you understand your role as a steward of your finances? Talents? Opportunities? How do you view the Lord? Trustworthy or unfair?

          Jesus related this parable to His coming Kingdom. His servants are called to be faithful and diligent until he returns. There is a reward for faithful stewardship. We see this in Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:46 (NLT) If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.

          We see this promise as well at the end of the Book of Revelation. “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.” Revelation 22:12 (NLT)

          Jesus has entrusted us with resources, talents, opportunities, and good news to share with others. Let’s be faithful servants, stewards of all entrusted to us until the Lord returns.

He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ” And they remembered His words. Luke 24:6-8 NKJV

This morning, during the Easter sunrise service, our pastor said the keyword for this year at Easter is the word “remember.”

Memory is a significant part of our lives. When we get older, memories in the present can be faulty, but memories of the past seem to linger. We can’t remember what we ate yesterday but can remember our favorite meal from childhood.

Memories can elicit both pleasure and pain. They can serve as a guide when what has been learned in the past is applied in the present. Some things are not understood when they are heard but they become clearer over time. That was the case for the disciples. Jesus had spoken to his disciples about his eventual death and resurrection, but it wasn’t until it happened and they were called to remember His words that it all made sense.

In the Old Testament, the children of Israel were called to “remember the sabbath.” They were to “remember when they were slaves in Egypt.” They were to remember how the Lord had provided for them.

In the Book of Revelation, the Church of Ephesus is called to “remember the height from which you have fallen…” The writer of Hebrews challenged his readers to “remember those earlier days after you had received the light when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering.”

On this Easter 2024, what do you need to remember? Do you need to remember a time in your life when you were open to God’s love? Do you need to remember a past answer to prayer? Do you need to remember a time when your spiritual commitment and fervor were stronger than they are today? Do you need to remember that God loves you and that hasn’t changed? Do you need to remember that Jesus is alive and is still bringing life to that which is dead?

There is one thing you don’t need to remember: your past sins and failures that have been forgiven. The reassuring words of Hebrews 10:17 remind us of the Lord’s promise, “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” If the Lord doesn’t remember, you don’t need to either. Today, you can live a new life and have a new beginning through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! Matthew 27:40 (NKJV)

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” Luke 23:39 (NKJV)

     Perhaps the above verses could represent the last temptation of Christ. Even when we are wrong, people have a tendency to save themselves from the consequences of their actions. This is especially the case when someone is wrongfully accused. The normal reaction is to defend, to rationalize, to protest. All of this in an effort to change our circumstances.

     We can understand someone who would save themselves. We can’t understand someone who would willing be punished and die for sins they did not commit. But that is what Christ did.

     Peter would later write, For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18 NIV)

     Christ died on the cross, not for His sins, but for ours. He took our place. Because He took our place, we don’t have to suffer the eternal consequences and judgment for our sins.

     Jesus’ death on the cross was the fulfillment of the Old Testament ritual of the sacrifice of a lamb for the forgiveness of sin. We can’t save ourselves. We can’t undo the wrong we have done. We can’t justify ourselves and point to how others are worse than we are in order to save ourselves. We must pay the penalty or have someone pay the penalty for us. That is what Jesus did on the cross.

Hebrews declares, “…we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10 NIV)

John writes, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2 NIV)

We may be able to save ourselves at times from the wrath of man, but not from the punishment of our sin. That is only available through the cross. So, the proper response is not to work to save ourselves but to repent and receive the forgiveness that is available through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

The good news is found not in understanding or believing but in receiving.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 NIV)

That’s when the day we remember the cross becomes “Good” Friday.

America! America! God shed His grace on thee,

and crowned thy good with brotherhood

 from sea to shining sea

I am greatly displeased with the nations that take my grace for granted. I was a little displeased with them, but they have only made things worse for themselves. Zechariah 1:15 (NET)

     Katherine Lee Bates, an English teacher from Wellesley College, made a trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado. As she viewed the grandeur of the scenery from the top of Pikes Peak she was inspired to pen the words that became known as America the Beautiful.

     The poem extols the beauty of the American landscape. From amber waves of grain to purple mountain majesty. It reflects on the sacrifice of patriots and the endurance of the pioneers. However, the conclusion of the poem provides a fitting conclusion. All of this that has come to define the American experience is by the shed grace of God. It is only through God’s divine providence that unity and brotherhood can be found from sea to shining sea.

     As we look from the precipice of Pike Peak today and view America in 2024, brotherhood seems to be a foreign concept. Division, strife, and conflicts of various kinds now replace a sense of brotherhood. A brotherhood that unites instead of divides. A brotherhood that does not stem from conformity but the commonality of each person being made in the image of God.

     This morning, during my morning Bible reading, the words above from Zechariah arrested my attention. “God is displeased with the nation that takes His grace for granted.”

     I am reminded of Paul’s warning to the Corinthian believers: “…we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” (2 Corinthians 6:1 (ESV). We are challenged by the impact of the grace of God on our individual lives but fail to see the grace of God working on behalf of nations.

     In times past, it was common for the leaders of our nation and the people to recognize God’s authority over the universe and our independence and growth as a nation. In President Lincoln’s call to prayer in 1863, during the height of the Civil War, he began with the words,

Whereas the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the supreme authority and just government of Almighty God in all the affairs of men and of nations.

The resolution then contains this indictment:

But we have forgotten God.

 “We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us,

 and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts,

that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.”

          How true those words are for today. Our nation has not only forgotten God but has treated God with contempt. The words of Zechariah to the Medes are true to the United States today. We have treated God’s grace with contempt and have made things worse. We have turned from Divine Wisdom to human wisdom and ingenuity.

     The good news in all of this is that the grace of God is still being shed abroad. It is manifested in the lives of all those who call on Him and submit their lives to His Word. Just as in Israel’s worse days of rebellion and idolatry, there are those who were faithful to the Lord in all areas of society. There are those who are voices for righteousness and truth and the love and grace of God.

     Just because a nation takes God’s grace for granted, individuals must not. A nation is comprised of a collective of people, governments, and leaders. Regardless of what is reflected in the masses, there are individuals who are experiencing the blessings of God’s grace, and that number is growing.      In our day, just like the servant of Elisha, we need our spiritual eyes to be open. (2 Kings 6:16) When the forces of secularism, humanism, and anti-Christism seem to overwhelm, with spiritual eyes open, we can see that those who are for us are greater than those who oppose the purposes of God. While it may not apply to our nation, the words of Katherine Bates still apply to the Church, “God shed His grace on Thee and crowned they good with brotherhood…”

How can you say, “We are wise!
We have the law of the Lord”?
The truth is, those who teach it have used their writings
to make it say what it does not really mean.” Jeremiah 8:8 NET

It can be interesting how God and the Bible are thrown into conversations or social media posts, both personally and politically. These often use scripture to justify a position or cast doubt on the integrity of the Bible rather than to align life to what the Bible teaches.

What is sad, is when those who are entrusted with teaching the Bible and providing spiritual guidance to people, misuse God’s Word. There is a challenge between truthful interpretation of the Bible and the application of God’s truth to our lives. The important question is, am I seeking to understand what the Bible says, or am I looking for “proof” text to support (or excuse) my own beliefs or practices?

In the verses before our scripture for today, we see the words, “None of them says, I have done wrong! (v. 6) “My people no attention to what I, the Lord, require of them.” (v.7) But they still considered themselves wise because they had the Law of God.

When you look at all 66 books of the Bible, there are passages that are difficult to understand, especially with our present world perspective and context. That calls for study and examination, not skepticism.

Someone once said, “It is not the verses of the Bible that I don’t understand that cause me trouble. It is the ones that I do understand.”

When we read the clear instructions of the Bible we must understand, “it says what it means, and it means what it says.”

The Bible needs to be read, and it needs to be studied. Paul admonished Timothy, ^“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV) The King James Version uses the word “study.”

Our lives are to be transformed by the Word of God as our lives are conformed to the image and character of Christ. That only happens when we align our lives with what the Bible says and do not use or abuse the Bible to say what it does not really mean.

Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “The Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘You must surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon. If you do, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down. Indeed, you and your whole family will be spared.  Jeremiah 38:17 NET

            King Zedekiah of Judah was the last King before Jerusalem and the nation was taken fully captive by the Babylonians. He is a perplexing individual because it seems that he wants to hear the voice of God but not obey the voice of God.

            Jeremiah had been prophesying that the Lord had determined to turn His people over to King Nebuchadnezzar because of their idolatry and refusal to repent and turn fully to the Lord. Some of the people of Judah had already been taken into captivity. The rest are clinging to hope, looking to Egypt for help instead of trusting in the Lord.

            Jeremiah is accused of treason and thrown into prison. When he was released, King Zedekiah asked him for a word from the Lord. Jeremiah was hesitant because he did not trust the King. The King gave him assurance he would not be punished. Jeremiah lets him know that surrender to the Babylonians would result in the city being spared and Zedekiah’s life being spared.

            This is Zedekiah’s response, “King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Babylonians. The Babylonians might hand me over to them and they will torture me.” Then Jeremiah answered, “You will not be handed over to them. Please obey the Lord by doing what I have been telling you.” Jeremiah 38:19-20

            This was the critical turning point. Zedekiah was given the choice to trust the Lord and save the city and his own life or give in to his own fears. Zedekiah was also afraid of the leaders of Judah. Like Pilot dealing with the fate of Jesus he was caught between his conscious and the crowd.

            Zedekiah trusted his own judgment and fears and that of his own officials over the word of the Lord. As a result, Jerusalem was burned to the ground, and the walls were torn down. Zedekiah witnessed his sons and officials killed just before his eyes were gouged out. He died in captivity in Babylon.

            You can count on it every time. When we trust our own feelings and fear instead of trusting and obeying the Word of the Lord, it always ends up poorly. When we decide to save ourselves instead of looking out for others and how they will be impacted.

            Saving ourselves is a natural tendency. It is what we can understand. It is what we can relate to. That is why those who taunted Jesus on the cross to “Save yourself!” They could believe someone would save themselves, not someone who would put their own interests aside for others to be saved.

            Zedekiah and Jesus were connected to the line of David. One saved himself and the city of Jerusalem and God’s people suffered the consequences. Jesus chose not to save himself but surrendered to the Father’s will and mankind had salvation and freedom from the bondage of sin.

            Paul the Apostle would point this out when he wrote, “…through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19 NIV)

            Keep this in mind the next time you need to make a decision on what is best for you or what is best for your family and others.