Hope Alliance Bethlehem

"God is our refuge" and "Be still and know that I am God" are encouraging words of exhortation from Psalm 46 for times of struggle in our lives. But they are hard to live in to if we have not been living a life of worship during the "normal" days of our lives.What we learn from King Hezekiah is that worship as a way of life prepares us for the worst of life; that daily taking refuge in God paves the way for us to find God as our refuge in times of trouble. And ultimately, we find that Jesus is our spring of living water when we are under siege.

In Psalm 24, we are faced with the challenging question, "who can ascend the mountain of God?" In relaying this question, the psalmist shows us the identity of God as Creator and our identity as creation. He is the one to be worshipped and we at our core are worshippers. And just as we are realizing the impossibility of climbing God's mountain, the psalm shifts to ask a different question, "will you open your gates?" The God of the mountain we cannot climb, descends the mountain to meet us and in this stunning twist we see even more clearly the identity of the God who we were created to worship.

In the book of Acts we find the dramatic account of Saul, the destroyer of the early church. He has an encounter with the risen Jesus that changes his direction in life and the course of history. What we learn from this is that when we have an encounter with Jesus today, it confirms or leads to new life, new purpose, and a new image for us.

As severe as Peter's three public denials of Jesus were, the resurrection of Jesus was far more powerful. And so Peter experienced a beautiful and complete restoration. Where there was distance, Jesus restored their relationship. Where there was toil, Jesus restored genuine life. And where there was shame, Jesus restored a true identity. All this, he offers to us as well.

In this message we look at the famous story of Thomas, a disciple of Jesus. Known for his doubt, he should also be known for his declaration of Jesus as his Lord/King and his God. We, too, can look to the resurrected Jesus as the proof that Jesus is truly King over all of the earth and God who offers us full life.

When the resurrected Jesus appeared to the two disciples on their way to Emmaus, he showed his heart for those experiencing disappointment with God. The plans they had didn't go as they expected, but Jesus showed them how God was telling a far bigger and far better story for the whole world that culminated in the resurrected Jesus. Because of the resurrection, we can believe that God is truly working for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.

When Mary Magdalene is the first to see Jesus after his resurrection, we are reminded that there is real hope for the broken and broken hearted. To a world and humanity who has been defined by its broken past, the resurrected Jesus offers a new and validated identity as children of God.

Even in the most challenging circumstances, we can experience real peace. This is possible because of the nearness of God in Jesus, not the absence of struggle. The greatness of our God is evident in his drawing near to us. And our experience of peace is found in our willingness to turn our mind and hearts to the One who experienced the loss of peace on the cross so we could draw near to God and find peace there.

In Philippians 3:12-4:1 we find Paul completing his thought that he started in the verses prior concerning the Gospel. We can sense his desire to know Jesus fully by joining in his suffering and triumph. Paul is challenging the Philippians and us to be steadfast as ones who will die to self and live the cruciform life. And by doing so, we come to know Jesus in a deep way and learn to expand the kingdom now rather than simply waiting for heaven.