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On a recent hike through a beautiful Texas State park, as we were walking through a narrow path in a heavily wooded area, a young lady was approaching us from the other direction. Her shirt had a message on the front which said, “The death penalty kills innocent people.”  I know there are Christians on both sides of this issue, and my purpose in sharing this here today is not to enter a political discussion. I know there are people who have been executed for crimes they did not commit, and that is horrific. However, I want to share with you the thought that struck Cheryl and I when we saw that t-shirt. After that that young lady walked away, we were talking about that message on her shirt and we said “You mean like Jesus?”

The Roman government practiced a brutal form of execution known as crucifixion. It was a death penalty. And we know for certain that they executed the only truly innocent person there ever was. They were God’s instrument in carrying out His plan to buy us back from sin and death. God used the death penalty to accomplish our forgiveness, life and salvation.  Paul wrote about it this way:

2 Corinthians 5:17–21 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

“Him who had no sin” – the innocent one – became sin for us, took our punishment, paid our debt, and reconciled us to God. The only truly innocent one that ever lived endured the death penalty so that we might become righteous. God truly makes all things work for our good.

A few days ago my dear wife and I ate at a Cracker Barrel. As is our custom, after placing our order, we told our server, Nick, that we were going to ask God to bless our food and that we were going to pray for him, too. I asked if there was anything in particular he would like us to pray for. He said, “I don’t think so. I’m not really a church type person.” I told him, “That’s okay. We are going to pray for you anyway.” He smiled and walked away.

I don’t know if Nick was ever part of a church, if he was hurt by someone or something associated with a church, or if he was just unaware of who Jesus is. In that prayer, I asked God to send someone into Nick’s life who would let him see Jesus for who he really is: a loving, caring, giving and forgiving Savior. Let the love of Jesus shine through that someone so that the Holy Spirit can lead Nick to know and believe that Jesus is his Savior, too.

The problem is that the church gets and lot of bad press, and sometimes rightfully so. There are a lot of charlatans out there claiming to preach God’s Word who abuse their positions to hurt and steal. That is not what the church should be, but that is what a lot of people on the outside see. No wonder they are not really church type people.

Lord, help more of us be the kind of people who, in response to our Savior’s dying love, strive to let the Nicks of this world see the love us Jesus in our words, our lives and our actions.

On our most recent RV trip, Cheryl and I make a big loop out through West Texas to places we had never been before, some of which were the Davis Mountains, Big Bend, and Seminole Canyon. While at that last place, one morning we hiked a seven mile canyon rim trail. It was cloudy when we started, but the sun was beating down on us by the last two miles. That was enough hiking for one day!

That afternoon we decided to take it easy, so we drove about 45 miles to Del Rio to do some shopping. It was a beautiful, clear day. While we were in Walmart, just about to check out, we heard the roof of the building begin to shake. Looking out the front doors, we saw all kinds of things flying through the air. A wind gust of what I was told was about 80 MPH blew through town. The power flickered off and on twice in the store, shutting down all the checkout lanes for about 25 minutes.

When we finally were able to make our purchase we went outside. The winds were still blowing well over 30 MPH, which made it interesting loading our groceries into our pickup. We got things stowed away and started heading back to our campsite on Highway 90. I felt the wind pushing us around and was glad I wasn’t towing our camper. I watched the semis struggling to stay in their lanes.

Then we came to a stretch of the road where they had cut through several hills to build the road. On either side of the highway, the limestone was forty to fifty feet high. In those places there was a row of semis parked on both shoulders up next to those rock walls. Cheryl mentioned that was a smart thing for those big rigs to do. They found a rock of refuge!

When we got back to our camper around 6 that evening, thankfully the high winds had done no harm to it. The electricity was off, but that was the only problem. The forecast said the worst was past and the winds would diminish and stop by midnight, so we decided to stay. We could have gone back to Del Rio and got a room, but much of the town had no power when we left. So we stayed in our camper. The winds stayed, too. The 30 to 40 MPH gusts shook our camper steadily until about 3:00 a.m. before they started to die down. About 30 minutes later the electricity came back on and by 4:00 a.m. the winds were gone.

While going through this, we prayed and talked to each other quite a bit. We talked about those truckers taking refuge by the rocks, and were reminded of our Rock of refuge as well.

2 Samuel 22:1–3a David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior…

It was comforting to know that the same one who was with David, the same one who came down here to pay for our sins, was with us. I felt like we were sheltered by rock walls even though the winds were blowing. I know the Lord was and is our stronghold, refuge and Savior. No matter what comes, I am confident that I am in His loving hands.

Colossians 1:9–14 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Yesterday I shared some thoughts about submitting our lives to God’s will. Then last might I was reading Colossians and came across the passage above. Paul’s prayer was that the believers in Colossae would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, something that would come from spiritual wisdom and understanding. Why? So that they could live lives pleasing to God. If you are going to do God’s Will, you have to know what it is. That is the knowledge we need, and should pray for each other to have it.

I especially like how Paul reminds the Colossians and us of the reason we should make every effort to know and do God’s will. God has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The reason I want to do God’s will is because I know what Jesus did for me. He saved me. He took my sin on Himself and paid the penalty I owed. He was my substitute, and made it possible for me to be forgiven and assured of life with God now and life with Him always.

Knowing that makes it possible for me to say “Thy will be done” and actually mean it.

Part of praying for God’s Will to be done is setting aside our own desires, which can be a terribly difficult thing to do. We are used to having things our way. Burger King has used that slogan off and on since the early 1970s: “Have it your way.” I conducted a funeral for a non-member and the family wanted that Frank Sinatra song “My Way” (I did it my way) played. All I could think is that when we do things our way, we are bound for death and doom and destruction. Why would you want to brag about that? It is only because God sent Jesus to pay for sin that we can be assured of forgiveness and life. That should be our focus, especially at a funeral.

But getting back to the topic of “Thy will be done.” That was the prayer and attitude of Jesus is the Garden of Gethsemane.

Matthew 26:39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

So how do we follow His example and submit ourselves to God’s Will?

A man walks into a church in the middle of the week. He is by himself, which is perfect, because he wanted some alone time with God. He was resolved to turn his life around, and today was the day he was making a fresh start. He took out a piece of paper and started making a list. “I promise to be a better husband and father. I promise to be more faithful in church attendance. I promise to give a fair days work to my employer. I promise to…” and the list went on and on. After he had filled up the paper, he signed it, took it to the front of the church, placed it on the altar, then he sat down again. He waited. And he waited. And he waited some more. Then he heard a voice that said, “Go get the paper.” He walked to the altar, picked up the paper, and the voice said, “tear it up.” So he did that. Ripped it to shreds. Then the voice instructed him, “Take out a blank piece of paper, sign it, and put it on the altar.” He did that, and the voice said, “That’s what it means to pray ‘Thy Will be done.’”

Lord, help us to rejoice in being your children, part of your kingdom now and forever. Give us hearts that want to live according to Your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A young Christian man got a job as a roughneck in the oil patch. A friend warned him that he might be surrounded by ungodly men who would give him a hard time when they found out he was a Christian. But the young man really needed the job, so off he went. A year later, the two men met again. The friend asked, “How did it go? Did they give you a bad time because you were a Christian?” “No,” the man replied. “They didn’t give me a bit of trouble. They never even found out!”

I remember once in my ministry after conducting a funeral, one of the deceased’s acquaintances was walking out of the service and said, “I never knew he was a Christian!”

Someone once posited the question, “If you were put on trial for being a follower of Jesus, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

Matthew 7:16–20 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

That has a positive and a negative side to it, doesn’t it? You should be able to recognize believers in Jesus by how they live, just as you can recognize non-believers by their actions. Those who have taken to heart the message that Jesus paid for the sins of the world, including their own, will be changed. They will not be perfect, but they will live a new way, a different way, not like those who do not have faith. Rather than “trying to fit in” or sinking to their level, we should seek to bring them into a faith relationship with Jesus.

1 Peter 2:12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

There should be no doubt in the minds of others that you are a Christian. Let them see Jesus in you by the way you live.

Matthew 5:14–16 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Years ago I heard a story about old Jack and old John, two board members of the same Church who were always at odds with each other. They were constantly at each other’s throat, especially in board meetings. When one of them said “yea,” you could be assured that the other would say “nay.” So, one day old Jack dies and arrives at the pearly gate. He notices how St. Peter asks everyone a question before they were admitted. When it was his turn, St. Peter said: “Hi Jack, to see if you qualify for heaven, I need to ask you to spell “Jesus” for me.” “That’s easy,” says Jack, “J-E-S-U-S.” Peter said: “great, you’re in, but could you do me a small favor and take over here for a while; I just need to check on something. I’ll be back.” Jack didn’t mind and asked everyone in line to spell Jesus. Just then, old John was coming through the line. “What are you doing here?” asked old John. Said Jack; “O, I am just filling in for St. Peter asking everybody to spell a word before they can pass through.” So John says,  “Okay, what’s the word?” Jack said: “spell Albuquerque!”

Harboring a grudge is something we all know about. It is also something we should not do. When he taught His disciples to pray, Jesus added these words:

Matthew 6:14–15  For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Jesus wanted to stress the importance of forgiving each other, those who sin against you. He was not saying you have to earn your forgiveness by forgiving others. He would earn forgiveness for everyone with His life, suffering and death. What He was trying to teach us is that the refusal to forgive others is a sin that could keep you from being forgiven.

I have people who have done me wrong. Some hurt members of my family deeply. Others have cheated and stolen from me. Still others have falsely accused me of things. I felt strong anger towards these individuals and held onto it for a while. But I forgave them, whether they asked me to do so or not. That does not mean I excuse what they did. I just chose to let it go. I didn’t want to carry that burden around the rest of my life. And something else I did (and continue to do) is pray for them. When something happens to remind me of what those individuals did, I use that as an opportunity to pray that they have repented and are in a right relationship with Jesus. It is hard to remain angry with someone when you are praying for them. I truly want them to be forgiven by God. That is the forgiveness that really matters.

Is there someone you need to forgive and pray for today?