Crucifixion…Fulfillment
This Sunday, we start a week of remembering the sacrifice Jesus has made for each of us. Palm Sunday starts with the triumphal entry of Jesus and ends with His triumphal resurrection from the dead. Even though we start and end the week in celebration, there was much sorrow in between. This sorrow, although tough to read about, was needed in order to fulfill the Scriptures. When I look back at this week in Scripture, I am always in awe of the Omniscience of God. When the Old Testament was written, God already knew what was going to happen in the New Testament. He had the authors write it down to help us see how incredible He is.
The passage we will be examining is John 19:28 and following. As we pick up in verse 28, Jesus has been betrayed by Judas, arrested by His enemies, denied by Peter, found guilty by Pilate, and nailed to the Cross by Roman soldiers.
“Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that
Scripture would be fulfilled; Jesus said “I’m thirsty.” John 19:28
The events of the Cross fulfilled Scripture as Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” Psalm 69:21 was fulfilled in this act. When vinegar was given to Jesus, He said, “It is finished,” and He died. “It is finished.” The debt is paid! This statement alone should give us comfort and assurance. The work that brings salvation is finished! We can neither add to it nor take anything away from it. The saving work of the Cross is finished. PRAISE THE LORD!
“But when they came to Jesus and found that He was already dead,
they did not break His legs.” John 19: 33
This event fulfilled Word of God in Exodus, Numbers and Psalms. They pierced His side fulfilling what was prophesied in Zachariah 12:10.
The fulfillment of prophecy truly amazes me. The God of the universe is a God of the details. This gives me great hope in knowing that if God were so detail-oriented with the crucifixion of Christ, then I can rest assured that He cares about every detail in my life. As we remember the sacrifice of Christ, let us take time to thank Him for the love and concern He has for all of us!
Happy Easter! Jesus is Risen!
Aaron Hodges
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
THE PRESENCE OF GOD
And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place,
that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud:
for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.
1 Kings 8:10-11
The Presence of God
Last Wednesday morning, I was at FCA at Cherokee Charter Academy where 3 of my kids go to school. The Wednesday morning routine includes getting up really early, heading to the school to be there by 6:50 am, and setting up for a 7:00 am start to FCA. The kids have a little breakfast first and at 7:10, Payton Hodges introduces the speaker and the worship leader. That is the norm, but last week was a little different. At 7:10 when Payton was to get up and introduce everyone, he instead asked the group a very pointed question. The question involved their reason for being at FCA. Was their reason the food? Was their reason the fellowship? Was their reason the music or Bible study? Many great answers were given, but they sounded a bit too much like “Sunday School” answers. Then Payton asked a second time, where he was able to get down to the real reasons. I was amazed at the depth of some of the answers coming out of 4th, 5th , 6th and 7th graders.
So what is your reason for serving in worship ministry? Really think about this before you answer. Some of you may say it is because of connections and friends you have made in the ministry. While others may answer it is because they love to sing or play an instrument. Some may even be here because of the
performance element of the ministry on Sundays. None of these answers are really that bad; but, there is a reason that I think we all should have. We should be involved in the worship ministry mainly because we long to be in the presence of God. The worship ministry should be a ministry that does not focus on making everyone happy, but instead it should be focused on welcoming the very presence of God. This goal is not a self gratifying goal. Instead, it is a sacrificial goal. It is a process of laying down our wants and desires and leaving them at the feet of our Savior in reckless abandon, pleading with God to be in our presence. For when we truly come into the presence of Almighty God, then we can say we have entered into the Holy of Holies.
We have come in to His house and gathered in His name to worship Christ the Lord.
Let’s forget about ourselves and magnify the Lord and worship Him.
Worship Him, Jesus Christ Our Lord
So: WHY ARE YOU HERE? Examine your heart today to see if there is any self serving reason and ask the Lord to remove that desire. Replace it a holy hunger for God’s presence.
Aaron Hodges
that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud:
for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.
1 Kings 8:10-11
The Presence of God
Last Wednesday morning, I was at FCA at Cherokee Charter Academy where 3 of my kids go to school. The Wednesday morning routine includes getting up really early, heading to the school to be there by 6:50 am, and setting up for a 7:00 am start to FCA. The kids have a little breakfast first and at 7:10, Payton Hodges introduces the speaker and the worship leader. That is the norm, but last week was a little different. At 7:10 when Payton was to get up and introduce everyone, he instead asked the group a very pointed question. The question involved their reason for being at FCA. Was their reason the food? Was their reason the fellowship? Was their reason the music or Bible study? Many great answers were given, but they sounded a bit too much like “Sunday School” answers. Then Payton asked a second time, where he was able to get down to the real reasons. I was amazed at the depth of some of the answers coming out of 4th, 5th , 6th and 7th graders.
So what is your reason for serving in worship ministry? Really think about this before you answer. Some of you may say it is because of connections and friends you have made in the ministry. While others may answer it is because they love to sing or play an instrument. Some may even be here because of the
performance element of the ministry on Sundays. None of these answers are really that bad; but, there is a reason that I think we all should have. We should be involved in the worship ministry mainly because we long to be in the presence of God. The worship ministry should be a ministry that does not focus on making everyone happy, but instead it should be focused on welcoming the very presence of God. This goal is not a self gratifying goal. Instead, it is a sacrificial goal. It is a process of laying down our wants and desires and leaving them at the feet of our Savior in reckless abandon, pleading with God to be in our presence. For when we truly come into the presence of Almighty God, then we can say we have entered into the Holy of Holies.
We have come in to His house and gathered in His name to worship Christ the Lord.
Let’s forget about ourselves and magnify the Lord and worship Him.
Worship Him, Jesus Christ Our Lord
So: WHY ARE YOU HERE? Examine your heart today to see if there is any self serving reason and ask the Lord to remove that desire. Replace it a holy hunger for God’s presence.
Aaron Hodges
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
A FINE EXAMPLE
A Fine Example
The other day I was browsing Facebook and came upon a video that was posted of glorybound singing at one of our concerts. At that concert, I was wearing one of my dad’s sport coats that my mom gave me after he went to be with our Lord. Surprisingly, it fits me perfectly. (Although currently, it may be on the tight side.) I noticed in the video how much I favor my dad. My mannerisms were so much like my dad that it was scary! The more that I thought about it after seeing that video; the more I realized that I want to favor my dad in many ways. I want to favor him in his love for Christ. I want to favor him in his work ethic. I want to favor him in his love for his family. I want to favor him in his love for the church. I want to favor him in his love for music, and so much more. In the future I hope my children when they remember me will want to favor their dad. It is true, we are called to be godly examples to our families, our co-workers, our friends outside and inside the church, and everyone we come in contact with. But here’s a deeper question: are we to merely strive to be examples of our elders? No! We are called to look further and follow an even greater example, Jesus Christ.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in His very nature, God, did not consider equality with God
something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself
by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11
As we follow the example of Christ, then Christ will use our example to draw all men and women to Himself! Be the example that the world so desperately needs.
Aaron Hodges
The other day I was browsing Facebook and came upon a video that was posted of glorybound singing at one of our concerts. At that concert, I was wearing one of my dad’s sport coats that my mom gave me after he went to be with our Lord. Surprisingly, it fits me perfectly. (Although currently, it may be on the tight side.) I noticed in the video how much I favor my dad. My mannerisms were so much like my dad that it was scary! The more that I thought about it after seeing that video; the more I realized that I want to favor my dad in many ways. I want to favor him in his love for Christ. I want to favor him in his work ethic. I want to favor him in his love for his family. I want to favor him in his love for the church. I want to favor him in his love for music, and so much more. In the future I hope my children when they remember me will want to favor their dad. It is true, we are called to be godly examples to our families, our co-workers, our friends outside and inside the church, and everyone we come in contact with. But here’s a deeper question: are we to merely strive to be examples of our elders? No! We are called to look further and follow an even greater example, Jesus Christ.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in His very nature, God, did not consider equality with God
something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself
by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11
As we follow the example of Christ, then Christ will use our example to draw all men and women to Himself! Be the example that the world so desperately needs.
Aaron Hodges
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Timing is everything
Timing is everything.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
You have probably heard this phrase many times. There is a great deal of truth in that statement. The difference between a good joke and a bad one is a person’s sense of timing. An appropriate pause makes a joke successful…an inappropriate pause can kill the same joke. Timing is essential when dealing with people. You don’t ask for a raise when business is not going well or when things are tense around the office. You don’t try to correct someone who feels threatened by you. You don’t ask for a favor when someone is under a lot of stress or is angry. Timing is important in cooking. The juicy hamburger on the grill is raw meat if cooked for too little time and a clump of charcoal if it is cooked too long. Timing is important in medicine. If you catch a problem early you will be able to treat it more effectively. Your timing is important in taking medication. If you take your medicine as directed, it will be helpful. If you skip doses, it loses its effectiveness. If you take extra doses, it can be deadly. Timing is important in finance. When you invest in a particular stock and when you sell the same stock will be the difference between making a profit or taking a loss.
Timing is important in your spiritual life as well. It is critical to live your life with an acute awareness of God’s timing. In Eccl 3:1-8, Solomon tells us that life is really a matter of timing, for timing is everything. This should be evident to us. You and I probably have a dozen clocks and four or five calendars in our homes. Many of us carry a timepiece attached to our wrist. Time indicators are built into our cell phones and computer screens.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace
Timing is everything. If timing is everything, how then should we live? Live every moment for the glory of God. Don’t waste a single minute in serving the Lord.
Living every moment for Christ!
Aaron Hodges
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
You have probably heard this phrase many times. There is a great deal of truth in that statement. The difference between a good joke and a bad one is a person’s sense of timing. An appropriate pause makes a joke successful…an inappropriate pause can kill the same joke. Timing is essential when dealing with people. You don’t ask for a raise when business is not going well or when things are tense around the office. You don’t try to correct someone who feels threatened by you. You don’t ask for a favor when someone is under a lot of stress or is angry. Timing is important in cooking. The juicy hamburger on the grill is raw meat if cooked for too little time and a clump of charcoal if it is cooked too long. Timing is important in medicine. If you catch a problem early you will be able to treat it more effectively. Your timing is important in taking medication. If you take your medicine as directed, it will be helpful. If you skip doses, it loses its effectiveness. If you take extra doses, it can be deadly. Timing is important in finance. When you invest in a particular stock and when you sell the same stock will be the difference between making a profit or taking a loss.
Timing is important in your spiritual life as well. It is critical to live your life with an acute awareness of God’s timing. In Eccl 3:1-8, Solomon tells us that life is really a matter of timing, for timing is everything. This should be evident to us. You and I probably have a dozen clocks and four or five calendars in our homes. Many of us carry a timepiece attached to our wrist. Time indicators are built into our cell phones and computer screens.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace
Timing is everything. If timing is everything, how then should we live? Live every moment for the glory of God. Don’t waste a single minute in serving the Lord.
Living every moment for Christ!
Aaron Hodges
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