God is Bigger Than …..

 

God is bigger than any problem you face.  So why is it so hard to believe that? Maybe it’s because we see our problem, but we can’t see God.  We get stuck in the problem and it makes it difficult to see and hear God.  Our problem looks so big and powerful that we can’t seem to forget just how big and powerful God really is. 

 

Your problem may be big and confusing, but your God is bigger and He is wiser.  He sees you and knows every detail of your trouble.  Your problem may be agonizing, but your God is tender.  You can put all your fears before Him and He understands.  He is so much bigger and stronger than you think. 

 

The Bible can be a comfort when you are struggling with a problem and feeling alone.  Prayer can comfort you.  When Elisha prayed in 2 Kings 6, his prayer changed everything.  God opened his eyes and it changed his fear and showed him that God was much bigger than the problem.

 

Are you in the midst of a difficult situation?

Where do you turn?

 

We struggle to believe God is bigger because the enemy is doing his best to keep us in the battle.  He wants us distracted and discouraged.  We need a bigger view of God.  We need to trust God and His plan for our life.  We need to talk to God then wait patiently for His answer.  We need to read our Bible, join a Bible study, get involved in a community with real believers.  Then don’t worry, because God is greater than your problem and your worries.  Simply put, you need to trust God.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6.

 

God doesn’t keep us from trials and testing.  Our lives will not be problem-free.  That’s just not the way life works.  Through trials and testing, we learn to be still and trust Him more and more.  If we didn’t go through these difficult times, we wouldn’t grow.  We would be immature and spoiled.  We grow best in the midst of troubles.  Just like children, we have to experience all kind of things to become mature adults.

 

God is bigger than any problem, bigger than any worry, bigger than any fear, bigger than any enemy, bigger than our guilt, bigger than any circumstance, and bigger than any high or low you may feel.

 

God is our holy, awesome and the perfect Creator.  He is greater than anything we can imagine.  No situation is your life is greater than Him.  He can handle it all!  Nothing is greater than God and nothing is impossible for Him.

 

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” - Romans 8:31

“For nothing is impossible with God.” – Luke 1:37

 

Principle:  God is bigger and greater than anyone and anything.

Join me here next time -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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Matthew 28 – Lesson 29

 

We know from our previous study of Matt. 27 that Jesus was dead and Joseph buried His body.  Now in chapter 28 we learn that the grave was empty and the Lord Jesus is Aliv

Matthew 28:1-15 – The Truth of the Resurrection

On the first day of the week following His crucifixion the two Marys, Magdalene and Mary of Bethany went to the tomb of Jesus.  They went there to finish the preparation of Jesus' body.  They would have been very sad and mourning His death.  There was a violent earthquake and an angel of the Lord came down, rolled back the stone, and sat on it.  The stone wasn’t rolled away to let Jesus out.  He had already risen before the angel came.  The angel came only to open the tomb so they could see that He was not there.

When the women arrived at the tomb, they saw an angel of the Lord and the stone was rolled away.  "His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow." - Matt. 28:3.  Light is a sign of holiness and power that comes from being in the presence of God.   This may have given comfort to the women, because it showed that something from God was happening.  The guards on the other hand were afraid and shook and became like dead men (Matt. 28:4).

The angel told the women "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.  Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples; 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.  There you will see him.'" - Matt. 28:5-7.  They should have expected this.  This is what He promised. 

We see God didn’t forsake Jesus, death was conquered, and we have a living friend and High Priest in Jesus.  God remembered Him and gave Him the authority to raise Himself from the dead.  Jesus is the only person in history that physically arose from the dead.  The resurrection is the foundation and the center of our Christian faith.  Jesus is still risen and has ascended into heaven and continues to reign as fully man and fully God. 

The women were the first witnesses of His resurrection.  They were to go tell the good news quickly.  God wants His people to be witnesses in actions and in words.  He wanted to comfort His disciples and to know of His resurrection.  The resurrection has to be accepted personally.  The women hurried and obeyed the angel.  They were afraid yet filled with joy.  Then Jesus appeared to them as they were on their way.  "They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped Him." - Matt. 28:9.

Can you relate to their joy?
Do you see an urgency in telling others the good news?

Jesus repeated what the angel had told them.  They should not be afraid and to go tell the disciples to meet Him in Galilee.  Jesus wanted to meet them personally.  He wanted a one-to-one so He could lift their spirits and strengthen them.

The guards saw the angel and the miracle, but did not believe.  Seeing isn't always believing.  Faith comes from God alone.  Jesus' resurrection is good news to some, but bad news to others.  The guards reported to the chief priests and elders what had happened.  When they heard this, they again were deceitful and devised a plan, a plan to cover it up.  They bribed the soldiers to say that the disciples stole the body.  They did as they were instructed.  "And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day." - Matt. 28:15.

The priests knew the truth of the resurrection, yet they rejected that truth.  Their cover-up showed their foolish pride and the darkness of their souls.  This lie is spread even today with people ignoring the facts.  Jesus rose from the dead.  You can choose to believe it or you can believe it’s a lie.  By believing the resurrection there is hope.  By believing the lie leads to the end - death and eternal suffering.
 
Resurrection is a huge thing to believe.  Maybe you are not really sure about it.  Continue to read and study the Bible and God will reveal Himself and the truth to you.  Ask God to show you the truth and strengthen your faith.  We all fear death and we all will die someday.  The morality rate is 100%.  We don't have to fear death, because of what Jesus did.  We try to eat right, exercise, wear seat belts and helmets.  But all this will not help, we will still die and we need to be prepared for death.  Jesus is the only one with a plan for death.  We need to listen to what He has to say.  "If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." - Rom. 10:9.

What is the purpose of the resurrection?  Jesus resurrection resulted in our justification.  Justification means that God now sees us as “not guilty”.  He sees us as if we never sinned.  His resurrection means that someday we will be glorified meaning that we will live forever and receive the same resurrection body that Christ received. 

As Christians our faith is based on Scriptures and is our foundation.  The resurrection is the most excited event in life.  All the events in the Bible move toward God's relationship with humanity that had been broken.  Unlike any other religions of the world, it is based on sacrificial atonement.  All other religions’ founders lived, died, and were buried.  They did not rise to life again and are buried to this day. 

Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon faith was killed in 1844 and is buried in Illinois, Charles Russell, founder of Jehovah Witness had a heart attack in 1916 and is buried in Pittsburg; Mohammed, founder of Islam died in 632 and is buried in Saudi Arabia; Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology had a stroke in 1986 and was cremated and his ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean in California; Buddha died at age 83 and was cremated and buried in Nepal.  Only Jesus rose from the dead and lives again.

Why should we believe Jesus came back to life?  God planned for many people to                  witness that He was alive.  After His resurrection, the soldiers saw the empty tomb.  He appeared to the two Marys.  He appeared to the disciples several times.  He talked with them, ate food and some even touched Him.  He appeared to Peter.  He appeared to 500 people at one time, believers and unbelievers.  He appeared to His half-brother, James who did not believe Jesus was the Son of God until after the resurrection.  He appeared to Paul who hated and persecuted Christians (1 Cor. 15).

Many unbelievers have tried to disprove the resurrection.  It is the most examined event in history.  People like C. S. Lewis have written books trying to disprove it, but now believe.  It cannot be disproved!  Jesus is Alive!  We must believe the evidence!

Do you believe the resurrection of Jesus?

How does the knowledge of the resurrection impact how you live?

How do you show your belief in Him?

What are you doing to bring the message of Jesus' resurrection to others?

Principle:  The resurrection of Jesus gives us hope for eternity.

Matthew 28:16-20 - The Great Commission

When the disciples met Jesus in Galilee, they worshipped Him.  Some doubted.  He charged them to go and make disciples of all the nations.  "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching then to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matt. 28:18-20.  No matter what happens Jesus is in full control and they needed to trust Him and obey.  This is our great commission, too.  We are to share the gospel.  We are to share it with all people no matter what the cultural, racial, social, gender, or political barriers.  They are to be baptized with spiritual and physical baptism.  Our action is proof of our faith.  He promises to always to be with us.  "What, then, shall we say in response to this?  If God is for us, who can be against us?" - Rom. 8:31.

We can start with our friends and neighbors.  A good place to start is with the people we work with and see each day.  God may even call you to be a missionary to another country or He may call you to give financially so others can go.  We must decide what is the best way to tell others the Good News.  Jesus doesn't promise constant success, but He does encourage us to expect results.  But remember the results will be in His timing, not ours.  Jesus has the authority in heaven, on earth, over all people, over us, and over our temptations.  Now use that power and go tell others.  It may be hard, but we must go even if fearful.  He promises to always be with us.  He will equip you.  Don't wait till you know all the answers.  You never will.  You will be dead before that happens.

The disciples took the Lord’s command seriously.  They went into the world and shared the Gospel and many were saved.  Today there are 2.4 billion Christians in the world.  95% have never won a soul to Christ.  80% don’t consistently witness for Christ.  Less than 2% are involved in the ministry of evangelism.  71% don’t give toward the financing of The Great Commission.  There are those who have all kinds of excuse for not living up to their Christian responsibilities.  Are you one of these people?

Principle:  Jesus want every believer to tell the good news of salvation to all people.

The book of Matthew started with a baby.  He was called "Immanuel", meaning "God with us".  Matthew ends with Jesus' promise that He will always be with us.

This is a happy and joyous end to the study of Matthew.  We have hope in the life to come.  Since this study is over, I will be posting my other spiritual insights throughout the summer.  I hope you will continue following my blog.  Then next fall BSF will begin with the study of The People of the Promise Land 2.  I will post on that starting in September.  May God continue to bless and keep you until He comes again.  Have a great summer and keep the faith, stay strong, and stand firm.  -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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Resources:

The Holy Bible – New International Version

Bible.org

Enduringword.com

BibleRef.com

My research and my insights are from BSF (Bible Study Fellowship)

Visit https: www.bstinternational.org for a class near you.

 

Matthew 27:32-66 – Lesson 28

 

Matthew 27:32-55 – Jesus’ Crucifixion

Crucifixion originated in Persia.  A criminal was lifted up from the ground as to not defile the earth.  The earth was considered sacred to their god, Ormuzd.  The Romans didn’t invent crucifixion, but they perfected it as a form of torture and a punishment that produced a slow death with maximum pain and suffering.

Crucifixion victims were usually made to carry their own cross, which was just a horizonal beam.  It was very heavy and about the size of a railroad tie.  A man named Simon from Cyrene who was probably a visitor to Jerusalem was approached by the soldiers and was forced to carry Jesus’ cross. 

As they led Jesus to be crucified, they came to a place outside Jerusalem where people were crucified called Golgotha.  There Jesus was offered wine to drink mixed with gall.  He tasted it, but refused to drink it.  This was a form of sedative and Jesus didn’t want to His mind dulled. 

The soldiers divided up His clothes and gambled over the last piece.  Above His head they placed the written charge against Him: “THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS”. – Matt. 27:37.  Two robbers were crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left.  This symbolized that Jesus stood right in the center of sinful humanity. Even the robbers rejected Him.  Luke 23:39-43 tells us that one of these robbers repented and trusted Jesus and one did not.

As people passed by they hurled insults at Him saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself!  Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” – Matt. 27:40.  The chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders also mocked Him.  “He saved others, but he can’t save himself.  He’s the King of Israel!  Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.” – Matt. 27:42.

Many today mock and ridicule Jesus and His followers.  They mock Him as Savior, King, and as Son of God.  They mock His Word and laugh at Christian beliefs.  It’s done in politics, in the work place, in school and in social media.  When God’s name is used in vain, they’re mocking God because He commands us to honor Him.  People mock God in many ways - by ignoring Him, not quoting Him correctly, blasphemy, disrespect, disbelief, hatred, and plain contempt.

What should we do when we are ridicule for our faith?  We should do what Jesus did.  Don’t get defensive, never lash out in anger, pray for your enemies.  We should not be surprised, because the Bible tells us this will happen. 

Jesus hung on the cross for about 6 hours, between 9am and 3pm.  As all this occurred, an unexplained darkness fell over Israel for about three hours.  It happened at approximately from 12 noon until 3 in the afternoon.  This darkness was a symbol of the wrath of God.  God was angry and his frown removed the light of day (Spurgeon).

Jesus cried out in Aramaic, quoting the words of Psalm 22:1 – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” God the Father had laid all the guilt and wrath of the sin on God the Son in fullest measure.  There was a feeling of separation between Him and the Father, because God looked away because God cannot look on sin.  Jesus willingly and obediently bore the accumulated sin of all the Christ-rejecting, God-hating, sinful world of man -- which we deserved so we wouldn’t perish but have everlasting life.  He satisfied the wrath of God for us.  He was dying by His own choice and in submission to the will of the Father.  “God had made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – 2 Cor. 5:21). 

Some who heard Him said He was calling for Elijah and one of the people immediately ran and got a sponge and filled it with wine vinegar and offered it to Jesus to drink.  The others said to leave Him alone and let Elijah save Him.  Then Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and gave up His spirit and died.  John 19:30 tells us Jesus said, “It is finished”. 

At that very moment the curtain in the temple which symbolically separated men from the presence of God was ripped in two from top to bottom.  Nature itself was shaken by the death of the Son of God.  An earthquake broke open the graves of many holy people who had died and they were raised to life.  When the soldiers saw all that had happened, they were terrified and in awe and said, “Surely he was the Son of God!” – Matt. 27:54b.

Jesus didn’t suffer as a victim.  He was in control.  Jesus said of His life in John 10:18 – “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.  I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.”  No one took Jesus’ life from Him, He yielded up His spirit.  He stood in the place of all sinners, but never was a sinner Himself.

Principle:  Jesus accomplished His task on earth and fulfilled His life’s mission; He paid our debt of sin, suffering the ultimate punishment on our behalf.

Was it necessary for Jesus to die?  God cannot leave sin unpunished because He is just and holy.  The punishment for sin is death.  Jesus willingly died on the cross in our place so we wouldn’t have to.  He bore God’s full wrath against sin when He died on the cross.  His death freed us from slavery to sin and eternal punishment.  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Rom. 6:23.  “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” – Rom. 5:9-10.  “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” – Rom. 6:18.

Matthew 27:57-66 – Jesus’ Burial

A man called Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for Jesus’ body and Pilate agrees.  According to John 19:38 Joseph was a secret disciple of Jesus.  John also tells us that Nicodemus helped Joseph and together they took Jesus’ body, wrapped it in clean linen and placed it in his own, never-used tomb Joseph had cut out of a rock.  Then he rolled a large stone in front of the entrance to the tomb.  Mary Magdalene and another Mary sat and watched by the tomb.  They probably planned to return on Sunday, after the Sabbath, with more burial spices for the body (Luke 23:56).

The chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate and said, “We remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘after three days I will rise again’.  So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day.  Otherwise, his disciple may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead.  This last deception will be worse than the first.” – Matt. 27:63-64.  So Pilate had the tomb sealed and posted guards at the tomb to keep the body from being stolen, preventing the disciples from faking a resurrection.

Why is Jesus’ burial so important?  First, the burial proves Jesus was really dead.  Second, the burial was important because it was a fulfillment of prophecy in Isaiah 53:9.  Third, the burial is important in our understanding of baptism which is our identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Principle:  Jesus burial proved He was dead, it fulfilled prophecy, and helps us die to self and live to Christ.

Jesus’ died, but we know it’s wasn’t over.  Next week we will study about His resurrection!  Join me here next week as we study the last chapter of Matthew -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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If you have enjoyed my post and have found if helpful, please leave a comment or share this post with the buttons below.

Resources:

The Holy Bible – New International Version

Enduringword.com

BibleRef.com

My research and my insights are from BSF (Bible Study Fellowship)

Visit https: www.bstinternational.org for a class near you.