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Sounds of the Passion: Weeping Tears :: John 11:35

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[Introduction] Weeping. This is one of those sounds we never want to hear. When you hear the sound of weeping, you want it to stop. Though sometimes we weep tears of joy, mostly we weep because something’s wrong. Maybe we are confronted with death or the loss of a career. Maybe the loss of a relationship brings us to tears. But sooner or later, we all weep. Jesus wept (v 35). This two-word verse in the Bible eloquently and powerfully proclaims that we actually have a high priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses (Hb 4:15). Jesus is the Lord who rejoices with those who rejoice and he mourns with those who mourn (Rm 12:15).  He weeps because he is True Man. He weeps because he is True God. Our Lord saw the pain that sin and death causes ... and he wept. And like Joseph, our Lord weeps over those who reject his peace (Gen 50:17; Lk 19:41).  Can you hear how he loves you? 3. The first time we encounter Jesus weeping is at the death of Lazarus.  Lazarus was a cl...
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Great Is the Prayer of the Faithful :: Matthew 15:21-28

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[Introduction] During this Lenten season, we’ve been walking through the wilderness with our Lord. Last week, we heard how he walked out of the waters of his baptism that fulfilled all righteousness and was immediately led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After resisting Satan’s accusations, he went to Galilee to begin his ministry ... preaching, teaching, cleansing, healing, forgiving, saving the lost sheep of Israel. Today, that journey has once again taken our Lord somewhere you never thought he’d go ... to the cursed land of Canaan, the land of Jezebel and the worship of Baal and Asherah, the land of child sacrifice and sexual immorality, the land of voodoo dolls and horoscopes ... the land of Tyre and Sidon ... a pagan wilderness.  4. Behold, when a Canaanite woman from that region came out, she began to cry, saying, Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David: My daughter is badly demonized (v 22). This is remarkable.  For more than two millenn...
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Sounds of the Passion: Chiming Coins :: Matthew 26:14-16

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There is a musical quality to the sound of silver coins. Unlike our nickel coins, silver pieces produce a bright, alluring chime. There are two places in the Gospels where we hear this sound.  6. [Jingle ... Jingle ... Jingle.] Both times they chime the betrayal of Jesus. Judas Iscariot was captivated by the chime of silver coins. John says he used to help himself to the coins in the purse (Jn 12:6). But worse, he approached the chief priests with a proposition: What do you wish to give me [if] I deliver [Jesus] to you? (Mt 26:15) It was an intriguing proposition. Just a few days earlier, the priests had decided they needed to get rid of Jesus. But they didn’t think they could do that during the week of Passover (Mt 26:3-5). They were certain a riot would break out.  So they waited. But then Judas came forward. I’ll help you , he told them. I know a quiet place ... away from the crowds ... that Jesus frequents . You’ll be able to arrest him there . I know when you can do it...
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The Wilderness Walk Leads to Paradise :: Matthew 4:1-11

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[Introduction] Lent is our season in the wilderness ... our season among the wild things.  1. Immediately after Jesus was baptized, the Spirit led him into the deep, dark, dry place called the wilderness, the desert (v 1). The Gospel of Mark also tells us that this is the place with the wild beasts (1:12). Scripturally speaking, as a waterless place, this is where unclean spirits wander restlessly. You won’t normally find the Son of God here, but today it’s where he needed to be. The Israelites, you will remember, were in the wilderness for forty years after God rescued them from the hand of Pharaoh, set them free from slavery in Egypt and to be tested. Jesus was there for forty days and nights (v 2), setting you and me free from your bondage to sin. The Holy Spirit had led him there immediately after his baptism to be tempted by the devil (v 1).  We can describe the temptations Jesus faced as materialism, egoism, and spiritualism ... lusts of the body, mind, and spirit (vv 3,...
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