The Power to Save: A six-week study on the powers of Jesus: Week 6

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.” ~Luke 24:5-6

Resurrection Morning by James Martin

Reading for today: John 20:1-18, 30-31; 21:25

The power over disease, evil spirits, and nature. The power to forgive sins and the power over death. And then, on Easter, Jesus’ revealed his ultimate power and purpose – the power to save.

Easter Morning by He Qi

For all humanity, Easter morning was the dawning of a new existence. New life offered at the very moment that Jesus rose from the dead.

For all the power he had, Jesus chose to save us. To save us forever from the clutch of sin, to save us from the fear of death, and to save us from the overwhelming darkness that pulls us away from our Creator God. We are saved for eternity, by the power of Jesus.

But underneath all this power, there is yet a deeper power that courses through the veins of God himself. It is the power that drove, from the very beginning, his unwavering commitment to our salvation. It is the basis of God’s every action through the person of Jesus. This underlying power is love –God’s steadfast love for us.

It is God’s love that first created us. It is God’s love that set his plan of salvation in motion at the Garden of Eden when humanity first sinned against him. It is God’s love that heard humanity’s cry, “Lord save us!” It is God’s love that sent Jesus as Immanuel – God with us – to earth. It is God’s love that set Jesus’ face towards Jerusalem and the cross, as people shouted Hosanna – God save us. And it is God’s love that sacrificed his only Son, to be the answer to our cries.

In love, God sent Jesus, with all authority and power, in order to make a way for us to enter back into his perfect love. And God desires that you not only accept his love in faith, but also extend it outward to those who have not yet felt its warmth. For he who is mighty to save, has given his power to us. God’s loving promise to save is now upon us and we have the power to share his love with those around us.

I want you to know all about Christ’s love, although it is too wonderful to be measured. Then your lives will be filled with all that God is. ~ Ephesians 3:19 (CEV)

This week, spend some time basking in God’s love for you.

Day 2 – John 3:16-17; Ephesians 3:14-21

Day 3 – 1 John 4:7-12,16

Day 4 – 1 Corinthians 13

Day 5 – John 15:9-17

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The Power to Save: A six-week study on the powers of Jesus: Week 5

Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” ~ John 11:25-26

Quick review: Over the past four weeks, we have been studying Jesus’ powers. In week one, we looked at Jesus’ healing power over disease and affliction. In week two, we studied his power over demons and the devil. Week three, we saw Jesus demonstrate his power over nature. And last week, we read about his power of forgiveness of sin.

This week as we prepare for Good Friday and Easter, we will study his power over death.

Reading for today: John 11:1-46

Jesus stood at the burial site of his recently deceased friend, Lazarus. As he stood among the mourners, he was deeply moved and he too wept (11:33-35). In the original Greek, the term “deeply moved” also suggests that Jesus felt anger.

A weeping Jesus seems appropriate, but an angry Jesus? Anger seems an odd response, since Jesus had purposefully delayed in coming (he could have saved his friend from death – claimed Lazarus’ hurt sisters). And he had just told his disciples “this illness does lead to death. It is…so that the Son of God may be glorified” (11:4) and then later, “our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him” (11:11).

But anger is an appropriate response to death. Because unlike popular notion, death is not a natural stage in the life cycle. Death is the exact opposite of life. God didn’t create us to expire, he created us to live.

And if God created us to live, then that makes death our greatest adversary. It’s why Jesus came to earth in the first place. It’s why he stood in front of his friend’s grave and felt deeply disturbed. For he was face-to-face with the very enemy he had come to conquer. The thing that constantly threatens God’s miracle of life.

Yet in that moment of quiet anger and deep sadness, Jesus demonstrated his greatest power. “Take away the stone,” he said. Lazarus’ sister, Martha, objected, “Lord! He’s been dead for four days!” Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they rolled away the stone and Jesus thanked the Father who had sent him and then called Lazarus out. The Bible says, “The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go’” (John 11:44).

Jesus confronted death and commanded life. That’s what Jesus came to do, he came to conquer death and grant new life. But this new life isn’t just a rebirth into our broken, expiring world. It’s actually an eternal life, one that’s saved for us in Jesus. A life without the threat of death. A life full of God’s perfect glory.

Dear God, We praise and thank you for your power over death through Jesus. Create in us new and everlasting life. Amen.

Welcome to Passion Week! This week we observe Jesus’ battle with death and we celebrate his victory on Easter. As we prepare, let’s take a look at more scripture pertaining to Jesus’ power over death.

Day 2 – Romans 5:12-17; 6:9; Hebrews 5:7; 2:14-15

Day 3 – Acts 2:23-28

Day 4 – 1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Day 5 – Revelation 21:3-6

 

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The Power to Save: A six-week study on the powers of Jesus: Week 4

The Paralytic (artist unknown)

Reading for today: Mark 2:1-17

“Sin is not just breaking the rules, it is putting yourself in the place of God as Savior, Lord, and Judge” (Timothy Keller from The Prodigal God, 2008, p. 50).

Sin is our debt towards God. And just like any case of a debt and a debtor, the only one who can forgive the debt is the one to which everything is owed. In the case of humanity’s great debt, the only one who can forgive our sins is God – the very one we are indebted to.

That’s why the religious leaders found Jesus so offensive. By saying to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven,” Jesus was making a bold statement, which was: I am God. I have the power to forgive your sins. And either Jesus is correct, and he is God. Or he is a con artist and a liar.

“Who does he think he is? The religious leaders asked angrily. “Is he in the place of God, that he can forgive?” The paralytic and his friends certainly thought so. That’s why they made every effort, in faith, to come to Jesus. And in faith they received not only healing, but also the forgiveness of sins.

Sin separates us from God but forgiveness brings us back to him. And that forgiveness comes from Jesus. God the Father gave Jesus the power to forgive our sins and bring us back into relationship with God. Jesus paid our debt for us. He erased it. That’s what the Easter story is all about.

As we prepare to understand the power of the Easter story, we need to see the damning power of our sin. But be confident in this, Jesus’ power is greater. In the midst of our darkness, Jesus calls us out and into his marvelous light.

Dear God, We know that something is wrong in our world and in our hearts. That “wrongness” is sin. Please forgive our sins and give us your saving faith. Amen.

Jesus’ mission on earth was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). This week, read more about Jesus power over sin and his gift of forgiveness.

 

Day 2: Luke 7:36-50

Day 3: Matthew 18:21-35

Day 4: Luke 15:1-32

Day 5: Colossians 1:13-14; Psalm 32:1-5; Psalm 103:10-13

 

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The Power to Save: A six-week study on the powers of Jesus: Week 3

“Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.” ~Psalm 107:28-30

Reading for today: Mark 4:35-41

Jesus Calms the Storm by Laura James

Jesus Calms the Storm is one of the first accounts to describe Jesus’ power over nature. I love the trifold symmetry of this story. First, the story is framed by the great storm, followed by the great calm. Next, Jesus rebukes the wind and waves, but he also rebukes the disciples’ lack of faith. And what begins as the disciples’ fear of the elements, is finally replaced with their fear of the Lord. Meanwhile, unchanging Jesus runs centerline right through the story.

As we have discussed in weeks 1 and 2, Jesus has full power over disease and evil spirits. And while extremely popular with the crowds, attracting a huge following, he is still thought of as a miracle worker, not the Son of God. Not the Messiah. Not the Lord of all.

This split second miracle in a fisher’s boat, strikes a new kind of fear in the hearts of Jesus’ disciples. Jesus power is unreal. He can no longer be safely kept under the category of miracle worker or healer. “Who is this,” they ask, “that nature obeys him?” His power is mind-blowing and therefore, potentially dangerous.

Yet as we have studied thus far, Jesus’ power, his unconceivable power, seems to be revealed in those don’t-you-care-that-we-are-perishing moments of our distress. Rest assure, that as we add more powers to Jesus’ resume, know that he absolutely cares for you. And as we continue to study Jesus’ specific powers, keep that very notion at the heart of it. You are loved. And there is no fear in love.

Dear Jesus, You have power over nature. Still the storms. Rebuke the wind and the sea. Deliver us and bring us safely home. Amen.

Further reading for this week:

Day 2 – Psalm 107:28-30

Day 3 – Matthew 21:18-22

Day 4 – Matthew 14:22-33

Day 5 – Luke 5:1-11; John 21:1-12

 

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The Power to Save: A six-week study on the powers of Jesus: Week 2

We are continuing to study the powers of Jesus. Powers, that when combined, make Jesus mighty to save. Last week, we looked at Jesus’ power over disease and affliction. This week we will study Jesus’ power over evil.

Temptation of Jesus in the Desert by Daniel Bonnell

Reading for this week: Matthew 4:1-11

“…With power and authority he commands the unclean spirits” ~Luke 4:36b

I am afraid that we think that Jesus and evil, or Jesus and Satan are equal opposites.

Just a few centuries after Jesus was on earth, an eastern philosophical concept was born: yin-yang. Quite beautiful and logical, yin-yang is the dualistic understanding that in order to have wholeness or balance in life, you need both “light”(white) and “dark” (black). And within light there is a bit of darkness, within darkness there is a bit of light. Each leading into each other, and interdependent.

Examples of yin-yang are night (yin) and day (yang), female (yin) and male (yang). You can see how the world can easily be classified under a yin-yang lense.

While I have oversimplified this philosophy, my point is that we have wrongly placed Jesus and Satan into the yin-yang circle. And in so doing, we have bought into two dangerous concepts.

Temptation of Christ by Jason Hawn

One, we see Satan as Jesus’ perfect compliment – his perfect match. The angel on one shoulder, the devil on the other. Who will win? We aren’t sure, for we believe they are equally matched.

And two, we believe that neither Jesus nor Satan are absolutes. In other words, Jesus and Satan are interdependent upon each other. And we may even go so far as to think that Jesus is good, but not absolutely good. And that Satan is evil, but not absolutely evil.

Never forget that while our world seems to fit nicely into the yin-yang framework, Jesus is not of this world. He is absolute. He is perfect. He is God. And while Satan and his evil spirits are adversaries of Jesus for a designated time, they are not His equals.

Be confident in this: Jesus has full power over the devil and all his works and all his ways (Hebrews 2:14-18; 1 John 3:8; Colossians 1:13-14). And we can rest under his promised protection.

Dear Jesus, You have full power over evil. Protect us from evil in your name. Give us the power to trust you, to fill our hearts with your saving faith, and give us the courage to lead other hearts to you. Amen.

“The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.” ~Psalm 121:7

(artist unknown)

On Day 2, you will read a complicated teaching. Simply stated, Jesus claims that if your heart is not filled with God’s spirit, then it is open to be filled with other spirits. Those other spirits may be obviously evil, Satan-worshipping and the like. Or those spirits may be subtly evil, to the point of even seeming good. But Jesus reminds us that goodness and truth come from God alone. Any truth, any spirit not of God, is against God.

This week, as you read these accounts, continue to ask yourself the following questions: Why is this story included in the Bible? What can I learn about Jesus from this story?

Day 2 – Luke 11:14-28

Day 3 – Matthew 8:28-34

Day 4 – Mark 5:1-20; 6:53-56

Day 5 – Mark 6:7-13; Luke 10:1; 10:17-20; Mark 9:14-29

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The Power to Save: A six-week study on the power of Jesus: Week 1

We are in the season of Lent. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and culminates on Good Friday. For church people, Lent is traditionally the time to stoically remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us. During this time, we tend to dwell on the fact that Jesus gave up all his power on our behalf.

While this is very true, I want to spend the rest of Lent looking at the power Jesus did not give up on our behalf. Specifically I want to discuss six powers, that when combined not only make Jesus the perfect sacrifice but also make him mighty to save.

Reading for this week: Luke 8:41-56

“I perceive that power has gone out of me.” ~Luke 8:46

At the time of this story, Jesus was still early in his ministry but famously known for his power to heal. He healed the sick, the lame, the blind, the infirm, and even the dead. Because of his power to heal anything, he had a following and everywhere he went, people gathered.

In this particular story, Jesus was heading towards Jairus’ home. Jairus’ daughter was very sick, close to death. Yet Jesus allowed himself to be delayed along the way by a desperate, sick woman reaching out to grab a bit of his power. And it worked. This woman, who had spent twelve years consulting experts, only to be left worse off, was healed in a second, simply by touching Jesus’ clothes.

Jairus’ Daughter by Barbabra Februar

After healing the woman and finally arriving at Jairus’ house, it was too late. The disease had killed the little girl. But Jesus seemed unfazed by the mourners. There was not a “let me see what I can do”. No, Jesus confidently walked over to the little girl and commanded her to arise. And she did.

There are two crucial distinctions in Jesus’ power to heal. First, unlike a doctor or an expert, Jesus doesn’t just possess a working knowledge of common diseases, ailments, and afflictions, he rules over them. That’s why he can demand Jairus’ daughter to rise up out of her death, and she does. That’s why he can rebuke a fever into submission, and it immediately dissipates (Luke 4:39). That’s why he can spit into the dirt, make mud, and smear it over a blind man’s eyes, to heal like no medicine available (John 9:6-7). He has complete power over disease.

Second, faith is involved. In both situations, Jesus links his power to their faith. In the case of the trembling woman, Jesus reveals that the power that had gone out of him was released by her faith. And to the mourners at Jairus’ house, Jesus says, “Believe, and she will be well.” In each situation, Jesus is not simply showcasing his power, but he is demonstrating that we have access to his power through faith. And that power, is life-saving.

Dear Jesus, You have the power to heal. Heal us. Thank you for your ultimate, life-saving healing where we, through faith, receive your salvation. Amen.

This week delve into the world of Jesus the Healer. As you read each story of healing, remember that the Bible does not expound on every healing. With that in mind, ask yourself the following questions: Why is this story included in the Bible? What can I learn about Jesus from this story?

Day 2 – Matthew 20:29-34

Day 3 – Matthew 8:1-17

Day 4 – Luke 6:6-11

Day 5 – Luke 17:11-19

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