Sweden Church - The Layman's Pen

Go and Preach

10/30/2022

   “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15).  It’s the first line of the last words Jesus spoke on this earth.  Then he ascended to join his Father in heaven.  It was time for Jesus’s homecoming.  And it was quite a homecoming.
          Where is Jesus now?  It says in Mark 16:19 that he’s sitting at the right hand of God.  John 17:5 also tells us that Jesus asked the Father to glorify him along with the Father and restore the glory he had before the world was.  He has been exalted.  It says so in Philippians 2:9-11.
          If you’re still a little fuzzy about the magnificence of our savior, Ephesians 1:19-23 spells it out quite eloquently.  For our purposes here Jesus is “far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named.”  We have a savior who triumphed over the grave, sin, Satan, flesh, and the world.
          What were his last words?  In three words, “go and preach”.  Why?  Just because Jesus left this earth to be with his Father doesn’t mean his ministry is over.  He has empowered us, his followers, to carry on his ministry.  A day will come when Jesus will ask us, eyeball to eyeball, “What did you do for my ministry?”
          Our part is to get the Word to anyone who needs to hear it.  Like Pastor Josh said in the sermon, “If all it took was a little water to save people, I’d buy a firetruck and go around and spray everyone I saw.  Wouldn’t you?  It takes more than just water to save people, though.  So do what Christ asked you to do, go and preach.  Get out and do something for Christ.  Talk to people, use the computer to reach people, sing hymns, pray, do whatever you can to reach people.
          Why is that so important?  It’s in John 12:32 where Jesus says that if he is lifted up then he can draw people unto himself.  It takes us to do the lifting, Jesus does the drawing.  It’s really quite simple:  Find a way to do your part so Jesus can do the rest.  Amen.

Not so Secret...

10/28/2022

   Once upon a time there was a man, a rich man.  He was a good man, too.  In fact, he was a Godly man.  Or so everyone thought.  He reasoned that because he was a good man that his goodness far outweighed his, let’s say, shortcomings.  He had done so much good and served God that it just wasn’t possible that he should come to no good end.
          Then the day came.  He died and passed from this earth.  Upon arriving in heaven, which was where he expected to be, he was shown into the great accounting room.  It was an immense room with files that reached up as far as the eye could see.  And they were standing in rows and columns all around the room.
          In the center of the room was a great table and someone sitting in a chair with such a tall back that he couldn’t see who it was.  “Welcome.” said the voice from the other side of the chair.  “Everyone comes here before their admittance.  You see, I much check my files and see if you have any unforgiven sins on your records before you are admitted.”  Just then beads of perspiration formed on the man’s forehead.  His heart began to race…Suddenly, he jerked awake.  “Thank God,” he said.  “I’m not dead.”
          This could have been David.  King David of ancient times.  Up until Nathan paid him a visit, David was certain that his “secret sins” were secret.  The story is in Second Samuel Chapter 12.  The prophet Nathan went to King David and told him a story about a rich man taking a prized ewe lamb from a poor man.  Reading the text is pretty dramatic.  Enough so that it infuriated David.  He wanted to go out and hang this rich arrogant man from the nearest tree.  The shocker was that Nathan pointed at David and told him that he was that man.  That’s when it dawned on David that the Lord sent Nathan to set before him his sin.
           “For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.” (Luke 12:2) There is a day of reckoning that is coming for each and everyone on the face of the earth.  David, once his sin was set before him, was contrite.  The Lord had chosen him to lead Israel.  He had blessed him many times over, David had much to be thankful for.  And yet, he had backslidden.  Is there repentance for the lamb who has strayed from the fold and now, wants to return?  Isaiah 1:18 says to that “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow”.  David was like the prodigal son in Luke 15.  He had strayed but when he came to his senses, he returned to his God.  The proof of it is in Psalm 51.  It is a passionate plea for God’s mercy and grace.  Everyone one should read it.

Do What You Can...Let God Make up the Difference

10/16/2022

  “Do the best you can for God with what God gave you and God will make up the difference.”  A passionate plea from a passionate pastor.  It was delivered at the end of the Sunday sermon which was taken from Mark 15:40-47.  It’s a story about what was going to happen to Jesus’s body.
          Generally, after crucifixion, the Romans would let the crucified hang there as reminders of what happens to criminals.  Sometimes, family members might appear and, if they had the money, they would buy their family member's body for a family burial.  It wasn’t typical that a rich man would appear before Pilate and ask for the body of one who had been crucified.
          Joseph of Arimathea is that rich man.  He’s mentioned in all four gospels.  A look at Mark 15:43 states that he is an honourable counsellor.  Couple that with Luke 28:51 that states that he hadn’t consented (gone along) with the counsel decision to have Jesus put to death.  Those two things together suggest the Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin and Pilate probably knew him.
          As soon as Pilate established that Jesus was dead, he released his body to Joseph of Arimathea. Nicodemus joined Joseph, and together they prepared the body for burial (John 19:38-40).  Then Jesus was buried in a tomb fit for a king (Matthew 27:60).
          But Joseph of Arimathea wasn’t the only one there that followed Jesus.   Yes, Joseph was a disciple, believer, of Jesus’s even though it was in secret.  Think about it, though, how many in this day and time go to church on Sunday and never mention it at work.  How many hold on to all the things of this world and show up on Sunday?  How different is that from what Joseph was doing?
          There were others in attendance.  Not everyone abandoned Jesus.  Mark 15:40,41,47 says that others were present who watched what was happening.  They were still there when Jesus’s body was put in the tomb.  They didn’t have money or influence but they were doing what they could.  “It’s not about what I have but about what I do with my faith.  There’s something for all of us to do.” said Pastor Josh.  Which takes us back to the opening line, “Do what you can for God.”

A Dark Day

10/9/2022

  Mark 15, verse 33 says that darkness filled the whole land from the sixth hour until the ninth hour.  A look at verse 25 says that Jesus was crucified in the third hour.  Verse 34 goes further and says that at the ninth hour Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?”  After that he cried with a loud voice and gave up the ghost (verse 37).
          Crucifixion, being nailed to the cross; first, the spikes are driven through the wrists into the crossbeam.  Now, remember that Jesus has already been flogged and made to carry his cross on the way to Golgotha.  Second, the legs are bent at the knees so the thighs will be made to carry the weight of the body once the cross is dropped into the hole.  Then, spikes were used to keep the feet in place.  Last, the cross was lifted up that Jesus was nailed to and it was dropped in the hole.  This occurred during the third hour of the day, around 9 a.m.
          Three hours later (the sixth hour) darkness covered the whole land until the ninth hour.  Three hours of darkness in the middle of the day.  This is when Jesus cries to God and asks why He has forsaken him.  Jesus, much like the rest of humanity when they cry out, “God, why did this have to happen to me?” reveals to us in that moment just how real his suffering was.
          After that Jesus cries out with a loud voice and he dies.  The centurion who is most likely the one who nailed Jesus to the cross stops and thinks that this was truly the Son of God.  Okay, that’s a start.  He acknowledges that.  Did he go running off to the disciples and find out what he needed to do to be saved?  If he did, there’s no record of it.
          Pilate who knew Jesus was innocent executed him anyway.  As did Herod, too.  Did they have a change of heart?  There’s no record of it.  Pastor Josh summed it all up when he repeated a conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus.  “…Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.” (John 3:5,6)

A Real Enemy

10/2/2022

  The Bible is the word of God.  First Peter 1:23-25 helps us to understand that.  Especially verse 25, “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.  And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”   It would be safe to say that everyone knows that the Bible is called the Word of God even the ones who believe that God doesn’t exist.
          The Bible states early on that there is a devil called by other names such as Lucifer, Satan, and so on.  It doesn’t come right out and say that the devil is an angel although it is known that he fell from heaven (Luke 18:10).  And he is the cherub spoken of in Ezekiel 28:14,15.
          Isaiah 14:12-15 speaks of Lucifer’s fall from heaven and why.  His iniquity is one of pride because he believes that he will be above God.  From this an assumption can be made:  Lucifer has free will.  So does mankind.  Each man and woman has the power of choice.  They can either believe God or believe Lucifer.  It’s really simple when you get right down to it.
          Mankind is locked into spiritual warfare and like anyone locked into a battle, preparation is necessary.  When people enlist in the armed services they go through rigorous training.  Why?  To be prepared for war AND to win.  Preparing for spiritual warfare is not that different.  Our enemy is not visible to the human eye but it’s still just as real.
          Lucifer, who wants to be higher than God, will use whatever it takes to become higher than God.  Peter said it right in I Peter 5:8 that the devil is a roaring lion looking for whom he can destroy.  Lucifer thinks so highly of his abilities that he tempted Jesus, our Savior, for forty days and forty nights (Matthew 4:1-11).
          To sum it up Pastor Josh once said, “You will not out scheme the devil.  Do and stand for what is right.  Stand in the grace and power of God.”

God's Perfect Plan All Along

9/25/2022

  “And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews?” (Mark 15:2) The only thing that Jesus says in the first 15 verses of Mark 15, “Thou sayest it.”  A little research reveals that the chief priests were pushing to have Jesus executed.  When they dragged him off to Pilate Jesus was accused of “perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.” (Luke 23:2)
          Apparently, Pilate hadn’t just fallen off a turnip truck.  After some questioning of Jesus, he comes to the conclusion that the priests delivered Jesus to him out of envy (Mark 15:10).  In most circles envy is considered one of the seven deadly sins.  This would make one believe that is true given what happens to Jesus.  He is crucified.
          One of the Ten Commandments is:  Thou shalt not covet (Exodus 20:17).  Envy and covet are synonyms and jealousy is akin to them.  God saw it as worthy enough to be part of the commandments.  Why?  Because Satan uses covetness as a way to steal man’s soul from him.
          Satan was working overtime in the hearts of the chief priests.  So much so that they, the chief priests, blinded the people they incited, Pilate, and the soldiers to the truth of who Jesus really was.  Satan was clever that day.  He got the chief priests to do his dirty work for him.
          But, not entirely.  Barabbas enters.  He is a murderer and Jesus takes his place to be crucified.  Jesus is the substitute for sin.  Satan forgot a lesson back in Genesis 50.  It’s verse 20, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”  Thank God that we have a loving God.  John 3:16.  Read it.

Warnings

9/18/2022

   For the Pharisees and Sadducees, the final straw was when Jesus ran the moneychangers out of the temple (Mark 11:18).  From that point on, they were out to get him.  Jesus knew it was coming and try as he might, he couldn’t quite seem to get it across to his disciples how bad it was really going to be.
          Enter Peter.  He’s the one who walked on the water with Jesus, who said that Jesus was the Son of the Living God, who was so certain that he would never fail Jesus.  Would it have made a difference if Peter had heeded the warnings Jesus had given him?  You decide?
          Warning number 1:  “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat (Luke 22:31).”  Peter responded by stating that he was ready to go with Jesus to prison or death (verse 33).
          Warning number 2:  When they were all at the Mount of Olives, Jesus tells his disciples that they will be offended by him and will scatter.  Peter objects and says that he will not be offended by him.  Jesus responds by telling him, “…before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice (Mark 14:30).”
          Warning number 3:  Jesus took Peter, James and John  to the garden to pray and keep watch.  Jesus finds them sleeping and says to Peter, “Simon, sleepest thou?  couldest not thou watch one hour?  Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation (Mark 14:37,38).”
          There it is.  Three warnings.  A disciple, a man of faith who didn’t heed the warnings.  Was he devastated when he heard the cock crow the second time?  Yes, but Jesus also said something else to him.  It’s in Luke 22:32.  “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
          A story of faith and failure.  It’s not the end of Peter’s story.  He goes on to serve his Lord, Jesus.  First Peter 5:8 is Peter’s warning, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”  A timely lesson for all of us.

Scattered Supporters

9/11/2022

  “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord (I Corinthians 15:58).”  What a verse!  To live that way is to have faith.  Faith that is able to withstand anything that the devil throws our way.
          All of humanity has a supernatural enemy.  Ephesians 2:2 refers to him as the prince of the power of the air.  Jesus calls him the prince of this world in John 12:31. A sidenote here, notice he is referred to as a prince, not the King.  Jesus is the king.  But, as long as we’re here on this earth, we have an enemy that we will do spiritual warfare with.
          It’s always good to know the ending.  Somehow it provides an inner strength  when one knows that, in the end, the devil loses and has his part in the lake of fire.  Unfortunately, this may not have been available for the disciples of Jesus.  We have been covering Mark 14 for the past several Sundays and again this current Sunday.  What we know is the following.
          Jesus and all twelve of the disciples shared in the last supper.  With the exception of Judas, eleven of them went with Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.  He took Peter, James and John to keep watch for him as he prayed but they kept falling asleep (verses 33-41).  At the end of verse 41 he says that he is going to be betrayed into the hands of sinners.
          Shortly after that Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss.  The sinners are obviously the chief priests and scribes, the temple guards and roman soldiers.  Under dark of night, in a garden of prayer, they rush in and arrest Jesus like a common thief.  Only a devil would conspire to do such mischief.
          The devil had already taken up residence in Judas.  Now, with all the hubbub and commotion Peter, who had boasted that he was willing to die with Jesus, takes a swipe at a chief priest’s servant and cuts off his ear.  Jesus then touched his ear and healed him (Luke 22:51).  Peter’s willingness to fight to save Jesus is not part of the plan, God’s plan.  The devil spotted his weakness and used it to add to the chaos.
          Now we have the rest of the disciples.  Seeing all that was taking place was enough to break and run which they did.  The devil was able to capitalize on the weakness of their faith to use it to his own advantage.  Now, he was in a position to get rid of Jesus once and for all.  That isn’t God’s plan either.  That’s why First Corinthians 15:58 is so important.  Faith, stedfast and immovable, is what it will take to stand with Jesus in the last days.

Communion

9/4/2022

  “This do in remembrance of me.”  It’s part of a verse in First Corinthians 11:24.  It has to do with the Last Supper.  The one that Jesus and his disciples had shortly before he was betrayed and crucified.  Nowadays it’s referred to as Communion.
          An account of it is given in Mark 14:22-31.  Jesus and the twelve are together one last time.  Jesus begins by taking the bread, braking it, and giving it to them.  He said, “Take, eat: this is my body.”  Then he takes the cup, give thanks, and gives it to them.  When they had drunk, he said, “This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.”
          God’s grace is at work even during this evening.  After all, Judas has already slipped out and gone to the chief priests to arrange the betrayal of Jesus.  He was there at the table eating the same bread and drinking the same cup as the others.  He heard the words.
          Jesus goes on to say that all of them at the table will be offended at him before the night is over.  But his grace was still there.  They ate the bread and drank the wine and heard their Master’s words.  The evening had to look pretty grim for our Lord and Savior.
          Peter jumps in and protests.  The others may be offended but he won’t.  Jesus warns him that before daylight and the cock crows, Peter will have denied him three times.  He ate the bread and drank of the cup, too.
          Even Thomas, after Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to the disciples except for Thomas because he wasn’t there, wanted proof before he would believe that Jesus had risen. (John 20:24-29)  He had also eaten of the bread and drank from the cup.
          There you have it.  All twelve took off like a covey of hunted quail when the tides turned against them.  But Jesus was gracious and loving in spite of what lay before him.  That is why Paul warns all of us to be introspective.  “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”  First Corinthians 11:26-29 points out in detail why it is so important to examine ourselves.

Foolish Things to Confound the Wise

5/26/2022

  “For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called (I Corinthians 1:26).”  Most of us that are saved and are called to serve are regular folks.  We don’t have the family name, great wealth, or are considered great minds such as scientists or philosophers.
          “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty (I Corinthians 1:27).”  You see, this is God’s plan.  It’s not something that the great thinkers, the rich or the powerful can understand.  After all, they’re the movers and shakers in society.  There are a few, sad to say only a few, who are confused enough about what is going on that they want to understand it.  These few are also saved and called to serve.
          “And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not to bring to nought things that are (I Corinthians 1:28).”  It’s a little wordplay on contrasts.  God has chosen the people who are considered lowly and despised by the well-to-do of this world to serve.  Why?  To bring the things that are really low and despicable in this world to nothing.
          “That no flesh should glory in his presence (I Corinthians 1:29).”  That no one, of any class or reputation, shall be able to glory in himself before God.  God’s plan and God’s grace saves us.  Nothing else.
          “But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption (I Corinthians 1:30).”  Only God is the author of our spiritual life.  No status in this world accomplishes it.  It’s only because of God’s mercy that we are established in Christ Jesus.  It’s only through Jesus we receive wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption
          “That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord (I Corinthians 1:31).”  If you’re going to brag, brag about how God has saved you.  Amen and hallelujah.