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And Ye Would Not...

4/24/2012

This morning my mind is on a particular passage of Scripture found in the Gospel of Luke. The setting is in the last week of our Lord's earthly ministry, just prior to the crucifixion. Our blessed Lord knows that His hour is quickly approaching and yet He is painfully aware that His own continue to reject Him as Messiah.

This is a passage that was given to Jerusalem in particular, but it has tremendous application for us as well. I fear that America, and even the modern church, is guilty of much the same. The Lord stands waiting and watching, desiring us to notice Him. He longs for us to welcome Him into our lives and our services. He knows the price He paid for the redemption of humanity and yet many continue to ignore Him and reject His glorious salvation. Take just a moment to consider one verse with me today.

Luke 13:34
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

I want to share a few thoughts from this verse, and as we consider these powerful words, I pray that it will touch our lives and move us from our complacency and apathy toward the Lord. Consider:

I. His Passion – O Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Cleary Jesus is concerned for Jerusalem. He is concerned for the spiritual condition of the people. His hour is quickly approaching and He will soon bear their sins upon the cross. He has come to redeem mankind and yet many will not believe. It is with this in mind that He weeps over the rejection of Israel. He desires them to accept Him. He desires them to be forgiven of their sin and restored to God. He is heartbroken at their rebellion and rejection of Him.

Jesus has the same passion for the world today. He died that all might be forgiven. He died that all might inherit eternal life. He died that all might live more abundantly in Him and yet many will not receive Him.

As I studied these verses I wondered how many times Jesus has looked on from the portal of glory and wept over the church. I wonder how many times He has wept over my life. I wonder how He views us today!

II. His Patience – How often would I have gathered thy children together! How many times He had stood patiently waiting for them to receive Him. How many times He had shown up in their midst and desired to move mightily among them. How many times He had longed for their fellowship and love. Jesus patiently waited upon Israel to open their eyes.

How many times has Jesus stood in the background of our lives wanting us to see Him? How many times has He longed for our worship and devotion to Him? How many times has He longed to meet our needs and yet we never recognize Him? Aren’t you glad we serve a patient Lord?

III. His Pursuit – How often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings! In essence He was saying, "How often have I been rejected and yet I would have called you unto myself that I might provide for you and protect you." Jesus continually pursued those who rejected Him. He loved them even as He hung upon the cross. He came to die that we might live. Even though He was rejected He still sought men to come unto Him.

How many times has the Lord proven Himself faithful in our lives and we fail to even acknowledge His goodness? How many times has He shown up in a service and met with us and we didn’t even recognize it was Him? How many times have we failed and come short in this life? How many times have we brought hurt and shame to our Lord? To all of these we likely couldn’t count the times and yet He continues to pursue us. He is still tenderly pleading and calling for us to come unto Him. He is calling the weary to rest, the wayward home, the hurting to comfort, the lost to salvation, even though He has been ignored and rejected time and again!

IV. His Pain – And ye would not! We can’t begin to imagine the pain that this brought to the heart of our Lord. He had left the splendor of heaven to take on a robe of flesh. He lived as a servant to all, dwelling in poverty. He worked mighty miracles among them, healing their sick, providing their needs, and raising their dead and yet they would not come unto Him. He was about to die upon the cross and they would reject His sacrifice to die lost and spend an eternity in hell. Surely this broke our Lord’s heart.

We tend to look at this passage with amazement. How could the people of God not see and know that Jesus was the Christ? How could they reject Him and cause Him such pain? I suppose that future generations will ask the same of us? How could we see the miracles He has performed among us and not believe? How could we meet for services week after week, experiencing His power and yet fail to worship? How could we receive such wonderful salvation and yet not live for the Lord? Don’t you suppose this too grieves the heart of our precious Lord? Don’t you think we bring Him pain as well?

As I ponder the state of affairs in our society and among the church, I am convinced that we are living out this scene over again. Our Lord is standing, watching, waiting, pleading with the hearts of men, simply wanting to bring them into His loving arms, and yet we go about our day to day lives unaware and unconcerned. May Christ our Lord have mercy upon us and change our cold hearts!

Church it is past time to wake out of sleep and seek the Lord. If our generation doesn't seek the Lord and commit to serving Him, it may well be too late for the coming generation. We are in the midst of defining times for our nation. Who is willing to admit the need and seek the Lord?

Preacher Chris

Blessings at Siloam

4/18/2012

As I mentioned in the previous post, I have enjoyed the privilege of preaching at Siloam Baptist Church this week. It has been a joyful time and is somewhat sad to come to the close of the meeting. Brother Bill and Ms. Jewel have been such gracious hosts and the people at Siloam have been so welcoming and encouraging.

I have no doubt that God has placed the call to preach upon my life and I am so thankful for the many opportunities that He has given me to stand. I love to preach the Word of God, and it is especially a joy when I have the liberty I enjoyed last night. There has been such a sweet spirit in the services all week, and last night was particularly good. There wasn't the least bit of hindrance in the service. I am sure the preachers who may read the blog can identify with what I am saying. Preaching is always a joy, but there are times when the Lord provides that special touch and allows us to preach in an unusual way. Last night was such a time.

Lord willing we will close out the services tonight, so pray for us that God would make Himself known again in our midst and accomplish that which He desires. It has been great to be at Siloam, but I am already looking forward to being in the pulpit at Fellowship again on Sunday morning! I hope you have a blessed remainder of the week. Seek the Lord to use you for His glory and commit to being a witness for Him.

Preacher Chris

Great First Night...

4/16/2012

I am blessed this week to have the opportunity to preach in revival efforts at Siloam Baptist Church in Siloam, North Carolina. Brother Bill Faw is the pastor there and a precious friend. He was sent out from Fellowship several years ago and has been a great blessing to me and my family during our time at Fellowship.

We began the revival services last night and they are scheduled to run through Wednesday evening. The choir from Fellowship made the trip with us and sang beautifully, in honor to our blessed Lord. Please pray for the meeting, and if you are in the area, we would love to have you come and be a part of the services. They will begin at 7:00pm each evening.

As we consider the idea of revival, many in our day doubt that we will ever see genuine revival again in America. We may not, but if we don't it isn't the Lord's fault. I am convinced, based upon His Word, that He desires us to experience revival, and is more than willing to send it if we will only seek Him in that regard.

James 4:7-10
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. [9] Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. [10] Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

Preacher Chris
Preacher Chri

The Foundation of the Gospel: The Resurrection

4/10/2012

We have just celebrated the greatest event in the history of time and eternity. This past Sunday we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. He bled and died upon the cross; suffering for our sins, bearing the judgment of God for sin in His body, all in order to purchase our redemption. I rejoice for the cross of Calvary. Had Jesus not been willing to give Himself a ransom for sin we would yet be in our sin. There would not have been payment that fully satisfied the righteous demands of God. It was there that the sin debt of humanity was paid in full, never again to need another sacrifice for sin.

Yet had that been the end of the story, we would be a people without hope. Had Jesus died upon the cross, and not risen from the dead, we would have no hope or assurance of eternal life. There would be nothing to guarantee life beyond the grave. He would have been as all others before Him, just a mortal man. He came robed in a body of flesh, wholly God and wholly man, and yet He possessed all the deity and power of God. He did come forth victorious out of the grave, having forever conquered sin, death, and hell. We do not celebrate the memory of one who was; we worship One who is and forever shall be!

This truth is confirmed many times in the Bible. Allow me to share a few of them with you.

John 20:26-28
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. [27] Then saith he to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. [28] And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

1 Cor. 15:3-8
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; [4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: [5] And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: [6] After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. [7] After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. [8] And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

1 John 1:1-4
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; [2] (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) [3] That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. [4] And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

During this most wonderful time of the year, and every other day as well, I pray that we will celebrate the resurrection of our blessed Lord. He lives and all who have put their faith and trust in Him shall live forever in eternity with Him!

Preacher Chris

There they Crucified Him...

4/3/2012

Luke 23:33
And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

In this verse we discover the description of Luke concerning the crucifixion of Jesus. There is little detail revealed in this verse. Luke reveals the place where He was crucified: Calvary. He reveals that when they came to that place, they crucified Him, but we find no real details of what actually took place; it simply says they crucified Him.

We are looking toward Easter Sunday, Resurrection Morning, and I certainly rejoice for the empty tomb. Had Christ not risen, His death would have been in vain. Had He not risen, He would have been like every other man who had lived and died. Had He not risen, we would have no hope. Thank God for the resurrection!

I am interested though in the crucifixion of our Lord. I am aware that many are shying away from a "bloody" gospel. Many today no longer want to consider the Price that was paid upon the cross. They no longer want to mention the death that He died. Had Christ not been willing to die upon the cross, there would be no reconciliation for sin. It was there that He bore the sins of the world in His body and faced the righteous judgment of God in our place.

But this was much more than just being placed upon the cross. Our feeble minds cannot begin to grasp the suffering our Lord endured during the crucifixion process. Prior to being placed upon the cross, He was scourged of the Roman soldiers. This was a particularly brutal punishment in itself. History teaches that He was whipped with a "cat of nine tails." That was an instrument devised to inflict intense pain upon the condemned. It was a whip that consisted of nine leather straps attached to a handle. At the end of each of those straps would have been secured a bone fragment or a piece of lead. As the soldier would strike the barren back of the accused, the bone fragment would lodge into the flesh. As he drew the whip back to administer another lash, the bone fragment would literally rip the flesh from the back of the one being whipped. Can you imagine being struck just one time, on a bare back, and having the flesh ripped out in nine different places? This was not done just one time, but repeatedly unto our Savior. He was literally beaten beyond recognition.

After such a brutal beating, He was forced to bear the cross, carrying it up the hill to where He would be crucified. Along the way, He was mocked and spat upon. The blood was running down His brow from the crown of thorns that was forcefully placed upon His head. The blood would have been running down His back and sides from the beating He had just endured.

He was then forced to the ground and nailed to the cross, with iron spikes driven through His hands and feet. Once Jesus was secured to the cross, He was lifted up and the cross was "dropped" into the hole in the ground prepared to hold it. Imagine the intense pain as the cross struck the bottom of the hole and the weight of His body pulled against the spikes.

Take just a moment to consider the thoughts of Dr. Alan Carr, www.sermonnotebook.org, regarding the crucifixion. We can't even begin to comprehend the pain that Jesus endured on the cross that day to atone for the sins on man. In fact, crucifixion is widely regarded as the most horrible form of execution ever devised by man. When a person was nailed to the cross, the nails would come into contact with the median nerve that runs though the forearms and into the hands. This would irritate this nerve and cause the body to undergo violent spasms, which would result in the body being slammed into the upright wood of the cross. Also, the body would sag due to fatigue and weakness in the limbs. This collapsing of the body would result in the chest muscles preventing the lungs from expanding. The only way the condemned man could breath would be for him to push against the nails in his feet as he pulled against the nails in his hands. This action would raise him up and allow him to fill his lungs. This would have to be repeated each time a breath was needed. Eventually the body would be so weak from the combined influence of gangrene, blood loss, dehydration and exhaustion, that the victim would be unable to lift his body and would suffocate.

Luke reveals that they crucified Him. May we take a moment to reflect upon all that Jesus endured during the crucifixion. He endured all of that for you and me. He loved us enough to die that horrible death so that we wouldn't have to! Jesus died so that we might live!

Preacher Chris

I am Chris Benfield, pastor of Shady Grove Baptist Church in Boonville, NC. Here you will find some of my thoughts, particularly relating to the church and serving our Lord.

And Ye Would Not...

Blessings at Siloam

Great First Night...

The Foundation of the Gospel: The Resurrection

There they Crucified Him...

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