In reality, it was not Jesus who was on trial. It was them! Jesus is going to the Father, admittedly by a very painful route, but it was essential. The sacrificial lamb has to be slain.

Pilate’s pathetic actions, and Herod’s rage, and the evil plans of the religious leaders, cannot stop Jesus Christ from fulfilling the will of the Father and doing His Saving Work.

You cannot stop Jesus. You cannot stop God.

Having read of the trial of Jesus Christ, in Luke 22,23, we read on at verse 26, which describes the crucifixion, and it is the cross which lies right at the very heart and core of our faith.

That political weakling, Pilate, gives way to the demands of the people, and anxious Herod must have this rival king killed, and the Jewish leaders want this troublesome Jesus out of the way, and then, things can return to normal.

But, that can never be, after a man has met Jesus Christ. After you have been confronted by the Lord Jesus Christ, a man can never be the same again, no matter how that man might react, by receiving or rejecting.

There are consequences, good and bad, wonderful and tragic. We have a man like Peter, or a man like Judas.

When you meet Jesus, it can never be as though you had never met Him.

The physically exhausted Jesus is led away to be crucified, along the narrow compacted streets of Jerusalem, and across the busy thoroughfare to the hill.

It has been a long 24 hours, very long, for Jesus.

He has been teaching, breaking bread and sharing that cup at the Passover Meal, praying and wrestling and struggling and battling in the Garden amidst the olive trees. Jesus has been betrayed, arrested, denied by one of his key disciples, put on trial, taken here and there, mocked, ridiculed, scourged and now they compel someone to carry his cross.

This is not very pretty. How did people ever come to present it as being respectable and dignified, like His birth? Why does man want to dress things up, and have them appear nice? Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem, and now the real purpose of it all is about to be evidenced to the whole world who wishes to know and understand.

There are three most helpful words we use when leading people around these significant places in Jerusalem. They are Gethsemane, the Gabbatha (or Pavement) and Golgotha.

In Gethsemane, Jesus Christ prayed. At the Gabbatha, Jesus was on trial before Pilate, and today you can visit and walk on the very same excavated pavement slabs in the Via Dolorosa on the north side of the city of Jerusalem. And, on Golgotha Jesus Christ was crucified and shed his blood to wash away all our sin.

Those of you who preach and teach, take these three words beginning with the same letter and your people will remember what is so central and vital. Present your people with facts about Jesus Christ. Allow them to be confronted by the gracious loving rescuing and saving Christ. When we do our work, the Holy Spirit does His!

Author bio:
Alexander “Sandy” Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness – on the Moray Firth Coast – not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40 a.m., New Orleans time, at wsho.com.

We have taken a longish time look in detail at this last day in the physical life of Jesus Christ as Dr Luke relates it in Chapter 22, but it is important that we do not hurry over the crucial issues raised in this passage. It is also helpful too to read the parallel passages in Matthew Chapter 26 and Mark Chapter 14. These accounts are given to us for a very real purpose.

In verse 54Jesus is led away, humbly but with dignity, and Peter follows, afar off and at a safe distance.

There is no safe distance when you are distancing yourself from Jesus. Peter is watching, trailing behind, and in great danger. We are called to come close, and draw near and be right at the very heart, and be involved, participating faithfully, following and serving Jesus, where He has placed you and appointed you.

Peter continues following, from a distance from the Garden of Gethsemane, through the valley, up the slopes past the Temple, watching where they were going, keeping an eye on what they were doing, and being careful not to be discovered and found out.

We have followed that route from Gethsemane on various occasions and it has not changed all that much over these past two thousand years.

The man who had vowed never to leave Jesus side was now keeping his distance.

Verse 55. Peter sat down with them. He sits down in the wrong place. We have to watch our company and be careful who we are with, and where we are seen. At times it matters.

Jesus would sit down with sinners, and mix with anyone, but this was different.

A young girl sees Peter – “This man was also with Him.” Here was an opportunity to witness for Jesus, and Peter denies His Lord. “Woman, I don’t know Him.”

Peter was prepared to take on 200 soldiers and religious leaders with his sword, but the words of a young girl floor him. Sometimes it is the little things that get us down and defeat us, especially when we are sitting where we should not be sitting.

Trailing behind and falling behind and moving into the wrong company, and denying Christ. There is a progression, all within about the space of an hour.

Verse 58. Again Peter denies having any knowledge of Jesus. “You are also one of them.” We must be prepared to be called ‘one of them’ at times too.

Verse 59. Around that charcoal fire Peter must have become involved in the conversation. Someone recognised his accent, and accused him of being a follower of Jesus. If only he had kept his mouth shut, but he opened it on the wrong occasion, and kept it shut when he should have been speaking. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, the cock crows, and through the High Priest’s Courtyard they eyes of Peter meet the eyes of the arrested Jesus.

You can go into that courtyard today. It has been uncovered and excavated, and you can look into the cell where Jesus would have been held. They are on the same level. When they were still doing the archaeological work I jumped over the rope and checked things out. Yes, the eyes of Peter and the eyes of Jesus would have met. It is interesting to check out what can be checked in Jerusalem and Israel, and to find it all accurate and authentic.

That loving look shattered Peter. After you have failed someone like Jesus, it is hard to look them in the face. He went out and wept bitterly. Peter seemed to have made such a mess of following Jesus. In a way, yes, but 30 years later he is still there.

Three times Peter denied Jesus as he was sitting around a charcoal fire. Two weeks later Jesus is around another charcoal fire and three times gives Peter the opportunity to declare his love and loyalty. It is good to get it all sorted out. Not only is it good. It is essential to have all these matters and issues sorted out and resolved.

Originally here:
Word from Scotland

Author bio:
Alexander “Sandy” Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness – on the Moray Firth Coast – not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40 a.m., New Orleans time, at wsho.com.

Where You Sit and The Company You Keep Is Vitally Important

We have taken a longish time look in detail at this last day in the physical life of Jesus Christ as Dr Luke relates it in Chapter 22, but it is important that we do not hurry over the crucial issues raised in this passage. It is also helpful too to read the parallel passages in Matthew Chapter 26 and Mark Chapter 14. These accounts are given to us for a very real purpose.

In verse 54Jesus is led away, humbly but with dignity, and Peter follows, afar off and at a safe distance.

There is no safe distance when you are distancing yourself from Jesus. Peter is watching, trailing behind, and in great danger. We are called to come close, and draw near and be right at the very heart, and be involved, participating faithfully, following and serving Jesus, where He has placed you and appointed you.

Peter continues following, from a distance from the Garden of Gethsemane, through the valley, up the slopes past the Temple, watching where they were going, keeping an eye on what they were doing, and being careful not to be discovered and found out.

We have followed that route from Gethsemane on various occasions and it has not changed all that much over these past two thousand years.

The man who had vowed never to leave Jesus side was now keeping his distance.

Verse 55. Peter sat down with them. He sits down in the wrong place. We have to watch our company and be careful who we are with, and where we are seen. At times it matters.

Jesus would sit down with sinners, and mix with anyone, but this was different.

A young girl sees Peter – “This man was also with Him.” Here was an opportunity to witness for Jesus, and Peter denies His Lord. “Woman, I don't know Him.”

Peter was prepared to take on 200 soldiers and religious leaders with his sword, but the words of a young girl floor him. Sometimes it is the little things that get us down and defeat us, especially when we are sitting where we should not be sitting.

Trailing behind and falling behind and moving into the wrong company, and denying Christ. There is a progression, all within about the space of an hour.

Verse 58. Again Peter denies having any knowledge of Jesus. “You are also one of them.” We must be prepared to be called 'one of them' at times too.

Verse 59. Around that charcoal fire Peter must have become involved in the conversation. Someone recognised his accent, and accused him of being a follower of Jesus. If only he had kept his mouth shut, but he opened it on the wrong occasion, and kept it shut when he should have been speaking. “I don't know what you are talking about.” And immediately, the cock crows, and through the High Priest's Courtyard they eyes of Peter meet the eyes of the arrested Jesus.

You can go into that courtyard today. It has been uncovered and excavated, and you can look into the cell where Jesus would have been held. They are on the same level. When they were still doing the archaeological work I jumped over the rope and checked things out. Yes, the eyes of Peter and the eyes of Jesus would have met. It is interesting to check out what can be checked in Jerusalem and Israel, and to find it all accurate and authentic.

That loving look shattered Peter. After you have failed someone like Jesus, it is hard to look them in the face. He went out and wept bitterly. Peter seemed to have made such a mess of following Jesus. In a way, yes, but 30 years later he is still there.

Three times Peter denied Jesus as he was sitting around a charcoal fire. Two weeks later Jesus is around another charcoal fire and three times gives Peter the opportunity to declare his love and loyalty. It is good to get it all sorted out. Not only is it good. It is essential to have all these matters and issues sorted out and resolved.

Originally here:
Word from Scotland

Author bio:
Alexander “Sandy” Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness – on the Moray Firth Coast – not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40 a.m., New Orleans time, at wsho.com.

It is possible to be physically close to Jesus Christ and have rebellion in your heart. Jesus makes no attempt to frustrate Judas’s hellish scheme. Jesus is calm and poised and in control.

Jesus knows what has to happen, that we might be saved, rescued, washed, forgiven, justified, sanctified, and anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus shows no fear as he faces the enemy. Jesus is Master of the whole situation.

Judas had started well, being appointed treasurer of that band of disciples, but what counts is not how well we run at the beginning, but how we complete the course remaining faithful to Jesus.

Jesus was going to the Father, but not so Judas.

Peter barges in with his sword and cuts off a man’s ear, but Jesus heals the severed ear to show that brute strength and physical resistance is NOT the way for the disciple of Jesus to walk. Peter in a sense missed! He was not going for the man’s ear, but for the man, and Jesus makes amends for Peter’s mistake.

Is this what we do today when someone makes a mistake? Do we minister to that person? Do we make amends? Or do we gossip about the mistake, and spread rumours about the person? There are deep lessons here as we see how Jesus acted on this dark tragic occasion.

This gracious healing miracle should have made the gang stop and think. It should have made the mob consider what they were doing – but NO.

A religious festival is on, but look at the behaviour of the leaders of Worship in the Temple. It is the Feast of the Passover.

Verse 52. You come out to Me as I were a common thief. Can you imagine these men in their resplendent robes trampling out down the valley to the Garden of Gethsemane? As well as the religious leaders there were around 200 soldiers, armed with weapons one would use to go and hunt a wild animal.

Verse 53. They had been such cowards. They couldn’t do this openly. They were not only in natural darkness, but they were in spiritual darkness too.

Verse 54. Jesus is led away, humbly but with dignity. And Peter follows, afar off and at a safe distance. There is no safe distance when you are distancing yourself from Jesus. Peter is watching, trailing behind, and in great danger.

We are called to come close, and draw near and be right at the very heart – involved – participating – faithfully following and serving Jesus – where He has placed you and appointed you.

The religious leaders finally had Jesus in their hands, but not His Love in their hearts.

They should have been in the hands of Jesus – the tender, loving, healing hands of Jesus. But, they took Him and led Him to Caiaphas’s house, the House of the High Priest.

They wanted to kill Christ, and have Him removed from their sight, and His Voice silenced once and for all – this troublemaker – this radical, popular preacher.

Originally here:
Word from Scotland

Author bio:
Alexander “Sandy” Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness – on the Moray Firth Coast – not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40 a.m., New Orleans time, at wsho.com.

How often do you think about your spiritual armor? Photo copyright Paramount Pictures & Marvel Entertainment Studios.

Have you ever considered yourself the warrior type? Odds are, as a Christian, you proabably haven’t given too much thought to battle tactics, ground strategy or how to overtake a stronghold.

But we see this type of action in movies all the time. And speaking of movies…

The wait is finally over — Iron Man 2, the most anticipated action film sequel of the decade, has officially rocketed into theatres nationwide and taken the American movie-going public by storm.

And, if you’re anything like me, you’ve been looking forward to this flick since the closing credits of number one.

Let’s face it: there just isn’t anything cooler than watching the debonair Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.)  suit up as the famous armored Avenger and give bad guys everywhere a run for their money.

Besides, what other superhero do you know who can manage to save the world and still find time to go for a late night sports car cruise and belt out those side-splitting, sarcastic one liners while wooing every unsuspecting dame in his path?

But fancy gadgets and hot rod cars aside, there is a spiritual truth to suiting up and preparing to do battle – and this suit, just like Stark’s, comes outfitted with an array of weapons that will light up the world of evil like Iron Man’s suit in a dark alleyway full of bad guys.

Most of us would give our right arm for a chance to blast off in an armored Iron Man suit for a quick soar through the heavens.

But, as Christians, we’ve been given access to an amazing suit of armor.Check out Ephesians 6:10-18:

“¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God   so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of   righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (New International Version)

Wow! Talk about a seriously sweet and super suit of armor! Unlike Iron Man, who fights against “flesh and blood,” we as Christians are instead battling against “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Take it from a fellow soldier, this war isn’t for the weak at heart or for the soldier who can’t decide which side he wants to fight on.

Now is the time for Christians to be strong and courageous and take a tough stance against the enemy (1 Corinthians 16:13).

Check out the elements of your suit and your arsenal of holy weaponry:

The Belt of Truth: this comes in handy for overcoming the lies and deceptions of Enemy Number One, Satan. Remember that Jesus said He alone was and is “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6).

The Breastplate of Righteousness: this means having a daily, consistent walk with God. Remember that Satan is the Accuser (Revelation 2:10), but a Christian who walks in the light will not give Satan an opportunity to attack.

The Shoes of Peace (yes, contrary to popular belief, way cooler than Iron Man’s rocket boots): Because Satan desires to instigate spiritual warfare and unrest, a believer who walks in the way of peace will be better prepared to defeat such attacks.

The Shield of Faith: Remember that Satan is the source of all doubt, mistrust and disbelief. He loves to ask believers, as He asked Eve in the Garden, “Hath God indeed said?” (Genesis 3:1). Faith is the weapon we use to overcome every obstacle and every foe (1 John 5:4). Use the shield of faith to repel Satan’s fiery darts of doubt, fear and uncertainty.

The Helmet of Salvation: this refers to our ultimate salvation, which we will receive when God returns to take us Home.

It is no mistake that this piece of our armor guards the warrior’s mind. As long as our mind remains fixed and focused on our eternal Home, which should spur us toward sharing our faith with others, we will not fall into the traps of the Enemy.

The Sword of the Spirit: this is the Word of God, which Paul later describes as being “sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). And look at what can happen when we use it:

“ ³For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. ⁶And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete”
(2 Corinthians 10:3-6).

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start “demolishing arguments.” Grab a quick bite to eat for lunch and then take a few thoughts captive for the day.

Or better yet, skip this evening’s dessert and demolish some strongholds and pretentions that exist in opposition to the knowledge of God. After all, you’ve got the weapons. Now it’s time to use them.

Serving Jesus Christ Is Full Of Painful Excitements

In Luke Chapter 22, we read of that scenario in verses 31,32, where Jesus is informing Peter that he is about to be sifted, but Jesus also reassures this man who is to lead the early church that he is being prayed for. We need to know this too in these challenging and peculiar days when so much of what we have been used to is being undermined and shaken just as the Scriptures depict.

There are times when we are sifted like flour, and put through the mill and pummelled as the dough is prepared. And after all that it is the fire to bake the bread! Read how the showbread was prepared for the table in the Tabernacle. There are profound lessons there for us, and particularly as we remember the thousands across the world who are being sorely and severely persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ in these present times.

Make sure you have access to the information provided regarding those who are having a hard time. “Release International” or “Open Doors” with Brother Andrew, or “Christian Solidarity Worldwide” or the “Barnabas Fund” are all excellent sources and resources. If you have come all this way with me through Acts and Luke then make sure you are praying for those who are suffering in a way that few of in the West experience.

But returning to our passage in Luke Chapter 22 – almost before the words of Jesus have come out of His mouth, Peter is saying, “You can count on me. I'll be with You. Some of the others in the room may not stick with You Jesus, but I'll be there.”

All this has to go. All this has to be dealt with, and dealing with this pride and arrogance and cockiness can be sore. That very night – within an hour or so – Peter went and wept bitterly, when he realised that he had denied Jesus three times.

It did lead to his conversion – to his coming back – to his becoming a new man – a man who could strengthen others. It was Peter who ran to the tomb three days later when he heard that something had happened to the body of Jesus.

From the text it looks as though they were all going to go through it to some degree, and don't we all. This has been our experience. There come times of testing and sifting, when Jesus allows things to happen to shake out the lumps, and knock off the rough edges, in order to refine us. How much more has he still to do?

Remember, it is to this man Peter, at the end of John's Gospel, that Jesus says three times, “Feed My sheep, and feed My lambs.”

Very often those who are able to minister and strengthen their brethren, and truly edify and build up the Church, are those who have experienced falling and failing.

Those who know what it is to have been through the mill and who have gone through a time of sifting and pummelling, know what it is all about, and once Jesus has dealt with them, He has lifted them up, and restored them, and given them a ministry, which otherwise would have been impossible.

Is this not one of the painful excitements of serving in the front line of the Kingdom of God?

I write this article during the week when I recall that it is now forty one years ago since the risen living and ascended Lord Jesus Christ baptised me in the Holy Spirit when I was on the point of resigning and returning to Motor Insurance. I thought I had got this ‘Call Thing’ all wrong, and then the caring concerned living Christ, who had called me when I was eight years old, met me in a room in Cowdenbeath, Scotland.

What a joy and amazing privilege it has been to know the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, for over forty one years.

Originally here:
Word from Scotland

Author bio:
Alexander “Sandy” Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness – on the Moray Firth Coast – not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40 a.m., New Orleans time, at wsho.com.

Being Different Because We Are ‘in Christ’ is Seldom Easy

We are in Luke Chapter 22, and this week from verse 31. Jesus Christ is spending His last night on earth with His chosen men. That is significant.

Final words are always highly significant. They have been remembering the Passover, and Jesus has given new meaning and significance to the bread and the wine.

Then there arises that dispute. They squabble as they become so interested in what their place and position might be in the coming Kingdom, and Jesus has to tell them not to be like the world. Verse 26. Don't be like everybody else. Be different. That has its cost too. Being different is not easy, and being known for being different has its own difficulties, but this is part of our calling in Christ, and this is something we must face up to and confront.

Those who are not ‘in Christ’ may hate and detest us because of this, and others may wish they had the faith and assurance and peace which only Jesus Christ can give.

Jesus is teaching those men that they are to serve. Now, that is a word that has almost gone out of use. Serve, service and serving others – you do not see a lot of this in today’s world, and perhaps that is why Jesus had to take the time to teach its importance. Serving has never been popular!

Then Jesus indicates that these disciples are going to be sifted – put through a sieve – put through the mill – to be refined. That will remove the lumps, and knock off the rough edges.

The shewbread in the Tabernacle had to be made with refined flour.

Jesus looks at Simon Peter and spells it out clearly. “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.” Jesus is very specific.

Peter was going to have a wild 24 hours, and be in turmoil over these next three days, but Jesus had prayed for him that his faith would not fail.

Peter is to be sifted and tested and put in the most awkward situations, and have it all written down for all to see. The wheat was being separated from the chaff, in the life of the man who was to arise and lead that young Church during the first few years of its dynamic exciting life.

In a sense it is not what you are that counts. It is what God can make of you. It is what God can do with you and in you, before He can work through you.

Originally here:
Word from Scotland

Author bio:
Alexander “Sandy” Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness – on the Moray Firth Coast – not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40 a.m., New Orleans time, at wsho.com.

We Do Not Serve According To Our Feelings and Emotions

In Luke Chapter 22, we are reading of Jesus and His disciples in the Upper Room and they have been celebrating the Passover, but there are other things going on, and one of the lessons we have been learning is how to serve humbly and with humility. There is a reward. Those who serve as Jesus served, and those who serve in the Name of Jesus in The Kingdom of God, are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

Now, it may not feel like that at times. I am sure Peter and John did not feel as though they were in some new glorious Kingdom of Light as they were imprisoned in Jerusalem, within seven weeks or so of hearing these words of Jesus. That is why it is vital that we are not motivated or driven by our feelings and emotions or even our circumstances.

I am sure there were many occasions when Silas and Paul did not feel as though they were in a Kingdom bathed with love and light. Yet, they were, but in that Kingdom there is also persecution and pain.

Jesus is teaching them here about true greatness, in what has been called the 'upside down kingdom'.

Verse 31. Jesus turns to Simon Peter at this point, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.” It is as if the pride and disputing and arguing and jockeying for position had opened the door to Satan's influences. It is as though the squabbling regarding promotion had weakened them spiritually, and they needed the chaff removed.

At this precise moment, their usefulness was NIL – because of SIN.

Sifting is to be put through the sieve – to be put through the mill, so that we can be refined, and have the lumps removed and rough edges knocked off us.

What a sifting Peter was about to experience, sleeping in Gethsemane, getting involved in some wild sword play, and then denying Jesus three times.

This is the calibre of the bunch of men Jesus chose, and Peter had to be groomed and prepared to emerge as leader after Pentecost. Peter had to learn the hard way. Things can be so very difficult, even after we have talked with Jesus. Things can be difficult even after we have walked with Jesus, and supped with Jesus, even after we have been called by Jesus, and having had revelations from the Father. God doesn't hide this aspect of Peter's life.

In the Alpha Course it is mentioned about how might we like it if everything we thought and said and did were shown up on the screen. That is virtually what God does here regarding Peter. It is written down and openly displayed so that we can read and learn. This is almost part of normal Christian growth and almost unavoidable, as we walk on the pathway to maturity. That is another reason as to why we do not act upon our feelings and emotions but we act and serve in obedience to Jesus Christ.

God allows these things to happen to us, and there are times when He even arranges for these types of things to happen to us, to enable us to develop and mature.

All this was allowed, so that that the wheat could be separated from the chaff, in the life of the man who was being raise up by God to lead that young dynamic Church.

It is not what you are that counts. It is what God can make of you. It is what God can do with you, and in you, before He can work through you.

The other side of it is Satan's desire to destroy Peter before his real work and ministry could begin. See his tactics. Know how he works. Imagine how Peter felt when he realised that he had denied Jesus, but all that was part of the sifting, and it was all forgiven. The prayers of Jesus would intervene. Jesus Christ was praying for Peter before this mighty storm broke, but Peter still had to go through the storm, and take some battering. We need to be clear on Christ's tactics too.

Peter went through the sifting, and suffered it all publicly. He must have been in emotional turmoil when he realised what he had done, and then when Jesus was raised from the dead, and was known to be alive, that was a whole new episode, and it is all written down for all to see.

We see the nature of God, and we see the nature of the enemy, and we see clearly how fickle we can be at times, and we see how real and fierce the battle can be. Do you see how we must not be motivated simply by how we feel or how positive our emotions might be. We require to be far more objective than that.

Jesus did not rescue Peter from the sieve. O, Jesus rescued him, but he had to go through the sifting, as did Paul, and the others, and it is all written down so that we might read and learn the lessons.

Originally here:
Word from Scotland

Author bio:
Alexander “Sandy” Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness – on the Moray Firth Coast – not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40 a.m., New Orleans time, at wsho.com.

We Take A Long Time To Learn Some Really Important Lessons

We are in the Upper Room, and reading from Luke Chapter 22. It is the night before Jesus Christ is crucified on Calvary’s Cross, and He and His disciples are celebrating the Passover. Jesus has just given new profound meaning to the bread and the wine.

A dispute breaks out among the disciples as to who is the greatest. It is almost unbelievable that that should occur at this moment. These disciples of Jesus, this group of proud men are arguing and squabbling among themselves as to which of them was to be considered the greatest. They are jockeying for position.

They are after what might be considered the best jobs in The Kingdom, which they believed Jesus was about to usher in, and some wanted a higher place and position and rank in the Kingdom of God than some of the other brothers. And, the Bible doesn't hide this.

There is such self-seeking here, which must have made them somewhat insensitive to the battle that was really going on. Self-interest had blinded them to the actual situation. This can creep in to any of us at times.

“What can I get out of it? What is in it for me? How well will I emerge from all this?” It is all there. And the only cure for this is DEATH. Self has to die. Personal ambition has to go. This is supposed to be dealt with when we are baptised in water. Self has to be buried. Self has to be crucified, dead and buried. That is not easy. Even these men who were so close to Jesus had difficulty with this area in their lives.

They are sitting next to Jesus, and receiving from Jesus all that they needed, and yet, there is this struggle for prominence and position and placement and recognition.

This is sin.

Jesus looks at His chosen men. These men in whom He has invested three years of His Perfect Ministry, and this was it. Speak about success? “Your conversation is the sort of thing you hear in the world.”

Verse 26. You are not to be like that. Don't be like the world. We so need to hear this repeatedly. Jesus, come and remind us.

What is the world? The world is the society of the human race which rejects the righteous government of God. Jesus is saying, Don't be like the world. Don't reject the righteous government of God in your life.

The world is in rebellion against God. You can meet nice people, but underneath the nice cloak there can appear rebellion, and the people of God cannot be part of that, and must not be part of that.

This is something to which we have to die. Crucify it. Bury it. Jesus Christ calls us out of all that to be the Church, with different values, and with different aims and goals and ambitions and priorities and desires, and we are separated unto God to serve Him.

In The Church of Jesus Christ and in the Kingdom of God, so many things are reversed.

There is nothing wrong with ruling, with being a leader and leading. Rulers in the Church are called to rule, but to rule by serving, and these people were soon to discover that. It takes time. We do not learn all the necessary lessons the first week, or even the first year.

Some of us take thirty or forty years just to begin to see the fundamentals. Never mind, learn all the vital lessons. Jesus had just washed these disciples’ feet. Jesus had served them in that lowly way, and He lost nothing by doing it. He lost nothing by doing the job which nobody else would do. Jesus sets the example and then says, “Follow Me”.

Originally here:
Word from Scotland

Author bio:
Alexander “Sandy” Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness – on the Moray Firth Coast – not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40 a.m., New Orleans time, at wsho.com.

Would Jesus Christ Celebrate The Passover If It Were Not Historically True?

We are reading and studying in Luke 22 and we come to verse 24. What is the setting? Jesus and His disciples are in the process of observing The Passover Meal, and Jesus has taken the bread, and one of the Passover Cups which would have been on the table, and, Jesus gives them this new meaning and significance, for the Church, for believers, for His disciples.

The Passover is celebrated to remember that night in Egypt when the doors of the Hebrew slaves were marked with the blood of the lamb and they were inside the houses eating the lamb. They were in the lamb and the lamb was in them. What a significant picture!

One other lesson is this. There are people who question the reality of the Passover and what happened that night as recounted in Exodus Chapter 12. If that record of what took place were untrue, then why would Jesus Christ, the Son of God, be marking it on this His last night on earth?

Surely in this setting all would be peace and tranquillity and calm, but NO.

Judas Iscariot is there, waiting his moment to betray Jesus, and then an argument breaks out among some of the others. A row erupts, “as to which of them was to be considered the greatest”. Well, the Bible certainly does not disguise the sinfulness of human nature. The darkness deepens.

They had shared in this significant fellowship meal, with Jesus. They had had their feet washed, by Jesus, and that was the job of the lowliest servant. They had been listening to the teaching of Jesus all week. They had been with Jesus for three years. They knew something was going on in Jerusalem. They were aware that things were working up to some kind of climax. There was a tension in Jerusalem, physically and spiritually. They knew there was a battle going on, even from Jesus Words in verses 21 to 23.

There had been such opposition to Jesus, with people trying to trap Him. This desire to get rid of Him was strong. This man who was so popular with the people, and so despised by the religious leaders, was at the heart and centre of all that was going on.

And here they are – a group of proud men who are arguing and squabbling among themselves as to which of them was to be considered the greatest. They are jockeying for position.

They are after what might be considered the best jobs in The Kingdom, which they believed Jesus was about to usher in, and some wanted a higher place and position and rank in the Kingdom of God than some of the other brothers. And, the Bible doesn't hide this.

We find that as we study The Word of God, as we have it in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, that it never shies away from revealing the sinfulness of the heart of man. Learn the lesson as we read of such a poignant moment in the life of Jesus Christ as He is about to face the cross within a few hours.

Originally here:
Word from Scotland

Author bio:
Alexander “Sandy” Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness – on the Moray Firth Coast – not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40 a.m., New Orleans time, at wsho.com.