Scripture - Gal 1:6 –Gal 1:7 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.

Observation - the church of Galatia was struggling as teachers were encouraging people to embrace Jewish law for the sake of righteousness once again. Their incorrect thought was that Christ's sacrifice was good, but following the law was the activity that provided righteousness in God's eyes. Of course, that is incorrect. Only Christ's sacrifice brings righteousness. Our righteous acts can not and will not bring right standing with God.

While the distraction for the church in Galatia was legalism... it really could have been anything. When the person of Jesus, his teaching, and his leading isn't our central focus, distraction is imminent.

Application - I appreciate Paul's explanation of the real issue for the people of Galatia - your embrace of legalism causes you to walk away from "the one who called you." Jesus, "the one who called us" is the centerpiece of our faith. Pursuit of anything else is a distraction. Getting distracted with legalism, Holy Spirit Power, anointing, prophecy, church, ministry, growth, healing... and whatever else, are all distractions from our relationship with Christ. While all of these things have value and are worthy of discussion, practice and study, our focus must be the person of Jesus Christ. Everything we study, discuss, pursue, enact, must be filtered thorough Him.

The church of Galatia was guilty of legalism, but it could have been anything! I (we) all need to be on guard that we don't allow any of the various aspects of our faith eclipse the person of our faith, Jesus!

Prayer - Captivate my focus with your image!

Scripture: Mk 16:1 –Mk 16:8 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. 

Observation:

Resurrection Foretold in OT - Ps 16:9 –Ps 16:10  Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

Jesus Foretold Resurrection - Mt 20:18 –Mt 20:19 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” Mk 9:9 –Mk 9:10 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant. Mk 14:28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Lk 18:31 –Lk 18:34 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about. Jn 2:19 –Jn 2:22 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” The Jews replied, “It has taken fortysix years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

Jesus Was More Than Resurrected: Jn 11:25 –Jn 11:26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 

There are 10 scriptural accounts of resurrected Jesus in the NT.

Mt 22:23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question.

Witness Necessary For Apostleship - Acts 1:21 –Acts 1:22 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” 

Message Of NT Preachers - Acts 4:33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.  

Societal Dividing Point - Acts 17:32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 

Application: 5 Things His Resurrections Says/Means To Me:

1) He/His Message Is Validated

2) He’s Alive – We Serve A Living God 

3) He’s Got Skin In The Game 

4) He’s Able To Do Anything 

5) Resurrection – spiritual and physical

Prayer - Lord, thank you for the resurrection!

Scripture - Mk 15:15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

Observation - prior to these verses, Pilate had just survived an insurrection, apparently led by Barabbas. While scripture doesn't talk much about it, it was clear that it was on a large scale and had rocked the city. Pilate was not in the mood to face that again, so his desire to "satisfy the crowd" played into his decision to crucify Jesus. Clearly, he didn't want to hurt Jesus, nor did he find any wrong in his actions. He recognized the leaders of the Jews were simply jealous, and that was their reason for wanting him dead. And yet, the pressure to satisfy a crowd was greater than the pressure to do the right thing. Therefore, Pilate released Barabbas and had Jesus flogged and crucified.

Application - There are all sorts of pressures that apply their weights to life. Financial pressure, denominational pressure, legal pressure, family pressure, church pressure, fleshly pressure... and I have to guard my response! The path of least resistance is not necessarily productive in the long run. Going against the popular grain sometimes is a must because that more comfortable usually leads nowhere! Status Quo. Same old same old.

There are moments of right and wrong we all face, just like Pilate. They create personal loss and challenge, but they are the right thing to do. In those moments, God's people shine.

I just met a couple who lost a friend in Iraq a few years ago. They moved to the Northwest because they committed to the friend to take care of his wife if anything happened to him. This extracted a huge price from their lives, but for them, it was the right thing to do. And they did it! And they paid a huge price. But the look on their faces spoke volumes. The personal pain of doing the right thing, regardless of all the pressures, was still the right thing. And the right thing always brings reward with God.

Prayer - in those moments, Lord help me to do the right thing.

Scripture - Mk 12:13 –Mk 12:14 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?

Observation - Jesus was approached by the Pharisees (religious leaders amongst the Jews) and the Herodians (Jewish political party who sympathized with the Herodian rulers in their general policy of government, and in the social customs which they introduced from Rome. They were at one with the Sadducees in holding the duty of submission to Rome, and of supporting the Herods on the throne). They came with a hidden agenda. They lavished him with compliments, hoping to gain access, ultimately seeking his downfall which would promote their cause, giving them success.

Application - I am reminded today that not everyone around me (or you) has a pure motive. There are some in the crowd, making their way closer, for personal reasons that will result in our loss, destruction or demise. The way the come closer is through feigned friendship, acts of kindness and words of blessing. Unfortunately, their personal agenda is king of their hearts.

It happens on the playground - the unlikable boy with a box of candy suddenly has many friends. It happens to the teenage girl whose body is blooming with sexual attraction who becomes popular with the boys. It happens to the young man with money who has friends at every turn. It happens to to purchaser who has no knowledge of value, and is reeled in by the cunning salesman. It happens to the elderly as they stand at their screen door facing the man who "needs to use the phone for an emergency." It even happens in church.

What I (you) need is not suspicion, but discernment. It is one of the gifts of the Spirit - Pr 15:14 says The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. Pr 18:15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out. 1 Co 12:10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. It is something we are encouraged to seek after - 

Discernement - 1) the ability to judge well; 2) perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual direction and understanding

Jesus recognized their hypocrisy - Mk 12:15 But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. The innocent need to be and can be forewarned! Discernment needs to be in our arsenal.

Prayer - Lord, grant me discernment!

Scripture - Mk 10:2 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

Observation - Jesus was approached with questions about divorce and remarriage by religious leaders of His day. Interestingly, they weren't seeking legitimate answers, they were looking to cause division and to disrepute God's best with age old problems.

Application - I am reminded through this passage of a few things. First, the problems people have today are the same problems they had several thousands of years ago. There's nothing new under the sun. Families struggle, marital strife is an issue, and people end up divorced. Too often we look at our problems as something unique that neither God nor man is able to deal with.

Secondly, I am reminded that often times people are looking to create schisms as a cloak for their own spiritual issues. Arguing about divisive matters a smoke screen for their own personal spiritual sickness. As a leader, I have to discipline myself to see beyond the argument, which would be easy to get sucked into, and identify the real need. Not reacting to the surface matter takes tremendous discipline, but is critical for the sake of the person involved.

Prayer - Lord, help me to see beyond the argument. Help me to discern the heart.

Scripture - Mk 9:8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

Observation - The three disciples had just witnessed Jesus in glorified form talking with Moses and Elija, and they offered to build three shelters so they could stay there. God spoke from heaven, "This is my son, listen to Him!" The Steve Parrish translation reads, "Your idea is ridiculous! Be quite, and listen to Jesus. He's in charge." Immediately after they opened their eyes, Moses and Elijah were gone, and only Jesus remained.

Application - It's not a strong contextual study of the scripture from this verse, but I do think that we need to get to the place as followers of Christ where Jesus is the only one we truly see. We look to so many others for our self-worth, our friendships, our relationships, our comfort, our direction, etc. Unfortunately, we see everyone else, and then if we have time, we see Jesus. 

I am grateful for all other relationships, but me and Jesus is the key! Family members die. Friends move on. Companies close. Employees quit. If I am looking to others as my source, I will arrive at times of great discouragement and personal devastation. If I am looking to Jesus, I will experience difficulty, but I will move on because as long as it's just me and Him, we can make it.

Prayer - Lord, you are a friend who sticks closer than a brother, but you are God. I am fortunate and grateful.

Scripture - Mk 5:40-43 After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” ). Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Observation - Repeatedly, Jesus thins down the crowd and then heals people asking for their silence afterward. In the case of this dead child, Jesus was with a huge throng of people who were pressing upon. He insisted that most remain, while only a few follow him to the home. When he got there, he dismissed the small grieving crowd and allowed only a few in the room where the girl was. After her healing was completed, he gave strict orders not to tell anyone about the event, a remarkable charge, in that everyone knew she died and now she was alive. Surely that would raise some questions! How could anyone keep that a secret.

Application - I am struck by the desire for intimacy that Jesus wants with the people involved in healing. A crowds tendancy is to promote, sensationalize, romanticize, glamorize, carnivalize and form a mob-ish movement off such an event. Jesus, on the other hand, treats so many of his individual healings as intmate interactions whose details of which are for those directly involved to know, and them only. It's not that the world shouldn't know, but it seems that Jesus feels they don't need to know all the details. 

Once again I see the blueprint of marriage in Jesus relationship with individual followers. There are some things married couples should not reveal in public. We all know they are taking place in the general sense. But they are to be held like treasures between the couple. They are not to be placed on the internet to create a sensationalized buzz and a mass following.

Could it be that one of the reasons we see so few healings in America is because those involved are so quick to write books, start conferences, sell testimonies, post pictures on FACEBOOK, and overall create a non-personal mob mentality of "let's everyone come and get healed," completely missing Jesus initial intentions, to prove his deep intimate love for people on a personal level? Hmmm. Jesus heals because he loves people, and because He desires for them to know who he is, not so the crowd can chant his name.... much like they did the fateful day he arrived in Jerusalem. In a matter of hours the "crowd" always goes from "Hosannah" to "Crucify" because they have no real relationship!

Prayer - Jesus, I can't wait to meet you face to face. You are unique, mysterious, and awesome! I pray to see people experience the miraculous in the proper setting and attitude!