Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

Today we explore the difference between REGRET and RESTORATION.  In Episode #38, Peter serves as a preliminary example of messing up, but then being RESTORED.  Judas, not so much.

To Judas' credit, he does have some specificity and ownership of his sin.  He calls it a sin.  He starts well.  Certainly he wants to get out of pain but chooses suicide rather than the hard remedy of restoration.  

Repentance is hard.  Perhaps it is the most difficult thing in the world.  It involves grief, specificity, and ownership like Judas demonstrates.  He recognizes ½ way.  But there is more, there needs to be a recognition that our sin is against God primarily, that He has made a way of expensive, substitutional atonement that is available.  In my view, Judas missed this.  He got to REGRET, but missed the REMEDY.

If you are human, then you could learn from Judas about incomplete repentance.  If you are human, you could subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts or at www.bewithme.us 

Peter Denies Jesus.  We should be more like him. Why?  Because the story does not end there.  Well, it DOES actually end there for now, but we know a few things for the future.   

It was cold.  Jesus suffered in the cold.  I never thought about that little detail.
The fire plays importantly into our story.  It is what lit his face that got him accused.
The HOUR soak on the denials.  That hurts.  He had lots of time to remember before this...
He is close enough to Jesus for Jesus to see him.  That is the most brutal part of the story, for as the rooster crows, THE LORD TURNED AND LOOKED AT PETER.  Ouch.

Be Like PETER:

• courageous.  pull out the sword. run to the tomb. get crucified upside down.
• wisdom: read 1st and 2nd Peter.  He must have wrestled with the Holy Spirit to understand all that is in those fantastic books
• remember.  It took, more than an hour, but he gets there
• repent.  Weep bitterly.  be alone with God
• GET BACK IN BUSINESS.  
• Receive the Lord's WITH-ness in your horrible denial moment

did you know you can listen to this podcast out of linkedIn, pod bean, playerFM, Windows Media player, Bullhorn, TuneIn Radio, iVoox, Chromecast, Castbox, FFMPEG and Overcast? Subscribe on one and I'll see you tomorrow.

We find Jesus DETERMINED, COMMITTED, AND STRONG as He encounters Caiaphas.  In fact, He let's him have it with the Old Testament in the best way.

First He fulfills the great suffering Chapter 53 of Isaiah detail:  silent before his accusers.

Then, Jesus claims a powerful prophesy from Daniel 7 for HIMSELF.  "This is about Me.  This identifies Me.  These are My roles.  This is My place. These are My powers.  Deal with it."  And deal with it they did.  Caiaphas tore his robes.  Jesus couldn't have been clearer.  Caiaphas did not miss the message.  He had to either believe Jesus as TRUE, or as as false.

Finally, there is more suffering details...Seized, mocked, Spit upon, Face covered and struck...there will be more of this to come.

Ever since the resolving in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus is just a ROCK.  Thank you for doing this!  Thank you dear podcast listener for listening!  Come back tomorrow.  Today, subscribe at www.bewithme.us 

The big black storm of Jesus' crucifixion is coming and we know it is going to be bad.  This is what's known as THE PASSION of Christ.  Today, we get the first three big raindrops.

Jesus is ARRESTED:  He doesn't get to do what He wishes with His location and WILL
     (Remember though, Jesus ALLOWS all of this and voluntarily endures all of this.  In yesterdays account, all these same soldiers were lying on their backsides at the revelation of Jesus' divinity)
Jesus is BOUND: He doesn't get to do what He wishes with His HANDS
Jesus is STRUCK:  He doesn't get to do what He wishes with His FACE

This is the encounter, 'the first Jewish trial', with Annas, the ex-high priest and current power wielder of Jewish leadership.

We have been together for around 400 Podcasts.  This is the big shift from where stuff is done BY Jesus to where stuff is done TO Jesus.  Today is the first big raindrops of a massive incoming storm.  Listen for 7 minutes.  We are going to get drenched.

Please share, and spread this podcast.  Jesus endured all this not just for you.

Jesus is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Here is just a taste of the treasure:

• Judas knows the place. This just makes the betrayal more betraying.
• The soldiers come well-armed, but find they are severely OUT-GUNNED by the Sovereign conquering Lord God of Hosts.  They fall down, which is a perfectly reasonable response to the revelation of God
• Jesus is resolved, volunteering, intent on His purpose of drinking the nasty CUP
• (what happened earlier is the engine that drives the rest of the passion story)
• Jesus reveals Himself with another of His I AM statements
• Peter tries to kill somebody.  He did say he wouldn't abandon Jesus....
• Malchus gets Jesus' final(?) miracle
• All the disciples flee.  All leave him.  Jesus goes alone from here on out

All this in almost 7 minutes!  Listen and be amazed.  Share and Subscribe on your podcast server or at www.BeWithMe.us

What happens in this episode powers the rest of the Passion story.  What happens in this episode empowers all the suffering to come.  Jesus decides, after prayer, to DRINK the CUP.  It is a cup of nastiness that doesn't taste very good.  It is taking the punishment of all the world's sin.  No wonder He didn't want to do it.  I am so glad that He did.

It is a fall-on-the-ground moment of prayerful agony for Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  The disciples, even though they are warned, are sleeping as they face their own temptations. An angel from heaven strengthens Jesus.

Nobody would want to do what was ahead.  Even Jesus.  He asks that if possible the cup be removed.  The answer is no.   Jesus yields to the Father's will.  Jesus makes the Father's will His own will.  After this, everything goes smoothly for Jesus.  This moment of resolve empowers the endurance and the entrusting necessary for the suffering ahead.  

7 minutes to listen.  An eternity to appreciate what He did.  Thanks for listening.

"The disciples are a bunch of knuckleheads.  If I was there as Jesus' disciple, I would never have fallen away from Jesus during His tough time."  This is probably the exact wrong conclusion from exposing ourselves to this passage about Peter, his fellow knuckleheads, and Jesus.

First about Jesus.  I am a big fan of the steadfast love of God.  It is called HESED in the Old Testament.  Jesus demonstrates it here PROFOUNDLY: even though you ALL are going to abandon me, 'break covenant', break friendship with me, I AM NOT GOING TO BREAK RELATIONSHIP with you.  In fact, I'll see you after the resurrection in Galilee.  

Then about Peter.  Though we are warned in the Lord's Prayer "lead us not into temptation", and "forgive us our trespass", Peter doesn't approach his upcoming trial with humility and grace.  In fact, he throws the other disciples under the bus! "Though THEY fall away, I will NEVER fall away."  To Peter's credit, he actually thinks he achieves this in about 20 verses where he pulls out AND USES a sword to defend Jesus.  However, it is the words of a person who was thought the least of in that society, a slave girl, who catches him.

Let's keep singing.  Let's stay attached to the Body of Christ.  Let's be humble.  Let's admire the steadfast love of Jesus.  

Let's share this podcast.  OK, that is not quite as important, but you could help.

This is the last chance Jesus has to tell the disciples anything.  He is minutes or at most hours away from being swept up into an arrest, suffering and crucifixion. WHO does He address and WHAT does He say?  You won't be disappointed when you find out.

First of all, He turns from the current disciples to those who will believe in the future.  Guess who?  That is you and me if you believe! Jesus choses, in His last moments of teaching and togetherness to address the FUTURE, ie: us. Drop the Mic.

Then, there is the message.  Most comforting is that the Father LOVES us enough to send a rescue mission of Jesus.  It is a reiteration of John 3:16, "for God so loved the world that He send His only Son.."  Drop the Mic.

Finally, there is the continuing ministry.  Jesus says He past tense made known the Father's name and will continue to make it known. These last lessons of Jesus have majored on intimacy and ongoing fellowship with Him.  They are invitations to friendship with God.  

I hope you enjoy this last love letter of Jesus.  I sure did.  You can find this podcast on Pocket Casts, Podchaser, Podcast Addict, iHeart Radio, Player FM, and Deezer or subscribe at www.BeWithMe.us

Often, a good way to first approach a reading of a passage of the Bible is to NOTICE stuff.  Today, we'll look at a final prayer of Jesus.  It is called the "High Priestly Prayer".  He first prays for Himself, and then turns His attention to the disciples.  That is the part we'll tackle today.  Here are 10 things you should know:

1. He knows it is going to be tough and so PRAYS for you and continues to pray for you.
2. Security:  You are kept, and guarded
3. Change: Things are different now than when He walked the earth.  We have a new interaction with the Father and Son and Spirit
4. Protection and possession: You are still in the world that has an evil one running around. He is in the business of keeping and guarding.
5. Sent:  you are on mission into the world
6. Unity:  you are part of the world wide and especially LOCAL unified body
7. Word: His is continuing to use the Word to guide you into truth and make you holy
8. Aliens:  you are a stranger to this world, yet are in it still
9. Glorify: you  represent and present Him to our world.
10. NOT ME: if this doesn't yet describe you, I'm pretty sure that He is calling you to be a part of it.  You are supposed to feel left out of the good stuff.  It is what makes you want Him and make a decision for him.

Please listen and share the podcast.  Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, google, etc. podcasts. 

Be Encouraged today dear Podcast Listener.  Jesus is bringing His earthly ministry home with a prayer that helps answer these questions:

• Am I known?
• Am I seen?
• Am I heard?
• Am I loved?
• Am I included?
• Am I forever?
• Am I created?
• Am I prayed for?

Frequently, we ask the question, Why is this page in the Bible?  If you have wondered about any of the previous questions, then this page is for you.  This 7 minute podcast might also be for you.  Listen and review on the Apple Podcast page.  Share with someone you care about.