As little 5-year-old Johnny scoots himself away from the dinner table he digs down deep into his trouser pocket, pulls out a crumpled ten-dollar bill, slaps it on the table, and exclaims, “Thanks Mom for the delicious meal!” 

His father looks at him quite puzzled and little Johnny, sensing his father’s confusion says, “Don’t worry Dad, I paid my portion of the monthly mortgage yesterday by direct deposit.”

That’s outrageous. These are things never heard from the lips of a child. Little children can’t comprehend the cost of maintaining a home nor do they possess the resources to contribute in any meaningful way. They simply receive daily provisions from a responsible adult.

As we continue our salvation story we read that Jesus welcomes the little children, declaring that the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Turning and trusting in Jesus isn’t just for sophisticated adults. Heaven is full of little children. Not only that, Jesus goes on to say that everyone must receive the kingdom of God like a child. We contribute nothing. Luke includes this story about Jesus and the little children to show that these are the ones who will be found faithful when the Son of Man comes. These are the ones who will be saved, those who contribute nothing to their own salvation but only humbly receive.

Perhaps you’re familiar with those TV courtroom dramas like Hot Bench or Judge Judy. Maybe you remember The People’s Court that started it all. Real-life litigants would agree to have their small claims disputes settled by the Honorable Judge Joseph Wapner. Each party pleaded its case, insisting on the rightness of their cause before a binding judgment was rendered.

As we continue reading in our salvation story Jesus tells the parable of two men who approach the bench of the Divine Judge. One man, a well-respected Pharisee, proudly promoted his own righteousness. He was convinced that his behavior was morally upright. The other man, a despised tax collector, threw himself upon the mercy of the court. In a surprising verdict, the tax collector was the one who went home justified. 

Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which He declares a sinner righteous. But who is the person that God justifies? The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector reveals that trusting in one’s own righteousness is a losing argument. Jesus Christ is the propitiation, the satisfactory payment, for our sins. Only those who trust in Christ’s righteousness and not their own will be saved. These are the ones who will be found faithful when the Son of Man comes. This is the kind of faith that saves.

A study has revealed that 48% of Americans pray at least once a day. Most people pray for their own needs and even more pray for friends and family. Some people say they’ve prayed for a parking spot (7 percent), others for their favorite sports team to win a game (13 percent). Perhaps surprisingly, 21 percent of respondents in this study admitted they’ve prayed to win the lottery. Most people believe that God answers at least some of their prayers. Only 3 percent of those who pray say God answers none of them.

What should Christians ask God for and what prayer does he answer?

As we continue reading in our salvation story, Jesus teaches his disciples about being persistent in prayer. He tells the story of a widow who kept coming before a corrupt judge, demanding justice. Eventually, the judge granted her request. If a corrupt judge responds to the pleas of a lowly widow, how much more so will a good God grant justice to His people? 

Jesus’ parable on prayer immediately follows his teaching about the kingdom of God and the coming of the Son of Man. Because Jesus’ Second Coming is yet future, Christians are to faithfully endure by continually pleading with God in prayer, and he will give justice to them speedily. 

Since the days of the early church, Christians have pleaded with God in prayer that His kingdom come. So too, we should persistently pray for Jesus’ return, confident that He will answer the cries of His people.

"Fake it till you make it” means to project confidence and competence, even if you don't feel it, to achieve a goal or become someone you aspire to be. It's the idea that by acting as though you have the skills or qualities you desire, you can eventually acquire them through experience and practice. Yet this can be a tiring, even dangerous game to play.

In his letter to the Christians at Corinth, the Apostle Paul doesn’t fake it. He gets vulnerable about his personal struggles. There were some who looked down on Paul, suggesting that if he were truly an apostle he’d project strength. Instead, Paul boasted about his weaknesses because they taught him to rely not on himself but on God who raised Jesus from the dead.

This year during Holy Week we’ve been reflecting on Jesus’ journey, which Paul divided into three legs. The journey began with Jesus setting aside his rights and privileges as the Eternal Son of God, submitting to the plan of His Heavenly Father. The second leg of the journey led to his suffering, becoming obedient to death on a cross. Finally, it would end in his exaltation, which we celebrate on Easter Sunday, his resurrection from the dead. 

Paul compares his own spiritual journey to that of Jesus. In fact, it is the path marked out for all Christians. While we might be tempted to project confidence and competence, only in weakness and desperation can we truly experience God’s power. This is the most joyful journey.

In the summer of 2017 Amee and I took what we anticipated would be our last family vacation with all the kids. Our oldest child was in college, the next was entering his senior year of high school and we were headed back to the mission field. We wanted to make it memorable. So, we decided to take a road trip to Washington, DC. That’s 1603 miles of family bonding; site-seeing and picnicking along the way. But then the A/C went out in our 2001 Dodge Caravan. Our collective joy turned into 14 hours in the back of a minivan in the middle of July.

In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul describes his journey with Jesus. It all began when he counted everything as loss compared to the superior value of knowing Christ. Paul’s whole life purpose became the passionate pursuit of following Jesus. 

Such a journey might sound almost dreamy, even delightful. Indeed, the theme throughout the book of Philippians is joy. However, it wasn’t easy at all. Paul wrote his letter from prison. His dear friend Epaphroditus had nearly died. Yet, Paul came to know Christ more deeply through sharing in his sufferings. In fact, it was through sharing in his sufferings that Paul came to be more and more like Jesus.

Paul compares his own spiritual journey to that of Jesus Himself. In fact, it is the path marked out for all Christians. We haven’t been called to just believe in Jesus but also to suffer for his sake. Sharing in his sufferings makes up the second leg of this most joyful journey.

In our salvation story we’ve read that Jesus was on a journey. He had left the northern region of Galilee and was headed south toward Jerusalem. He was determined to go to Jerusalem because he knew that it was there where he would suffer and die according to the predetermined plan of God in order to offer himself up as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of the world. 

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul describes three legs that marked Jesus' journey. First, it began with the setting aside of his divine prerogatives, submitting himself to the will of the Father. The second leg of the journey led to his suffering, becoming obedient to death on a cross. Finally, it would end in his glorious exaltation, being raised from the dead. 

Paul compares his own spiritual journey to that of Jesus. In fact, it is the path marked out for all Christians. During Holy Week we’ll consider these three legs of this most joyful journey.

We begin with Jesus setting aside his divine prerogatives. He submitted himself to the will of his Heavenly Father. So too, in Philippians 3 we read that Paul set aside anything that could have been considered personal gain for something so much better, knowing Christ. There is no more rewarding passion than pursuing greater intimacy with Jesus. 

To help us in that pursuit, God has commanded the practice of fasting. Christian fasting is voluntarily abstaining from food, we set it aside, for the purpose of greater intimacy with Christ. John Piper has said, “Fasting is when we hunger for God more than we hunger for the food God made us to live on.” If you are able, join us this week in a church-wide fast as we embark on this joyful journey together.

Who are some of the most famous monarchs to have ever lived? Alexander the Great, the Grecian ruler was renowned for his military exploits. Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, oversaw the golden age of French art and culture. Cleopatra was the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, maybe most famous for her love affair with Julius Caesar and later Mark Anthony. There was the British monarch, King George III, who was king during the American Revolution. He became synonymous with tyranny and the arrogance of the old European aristocracy. 

As Americans we’re proud revolutionaries. We rebelled against the monarchy. We set our own destiny founded on the principles of democracy and self-rule. So, you might find it difficult to see yourself as a subject to any king. 

Yet, the Bible is full of kingdom language. There was the Old Testament expectation of a coming king. It was the substance of Jesus’ preaching as he went about proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.

As we continue reading in our salvation story, the Pharisees ask Jesus when this kingdom would come. His disciples wanted to know where. We see that with the arrival of Jesus the kingdom of God was already here. Wherever Jesus resides he reigns. Though it cannot be seen, Jesus is reigning right now in the heavenly realm. However, he will one day visibly return and physically reign in the earthly realm too. Therefore, as loyal subjects, we submit to Jesus’ heavenly reign now to be ready for his earthly reign later.

Perhaps you’ve taken a job just for the benefits. Maybe you’re a new mom who’d prefer to stay home with the baby but you get health coverage through your work. So, you put in part-time hours to keep that benefit. Maybe you're ready to retire but you keep working until fully vested in the company’s pension plan. You hang on for the benefits.

Sometimes we maintain personal relationships just for the benefits. There are advantages to being friends with certain people. They throw really good parties, insist on picking up the lunch tab, or always flatter you with compliments.

Many people approach their relationship with God in the same way. They’re in it for the benefits.

Continuing in our salvation story, we read that as Jesus approached a certain village he encountered ten lepers. This group of desperate men recognized Jesus’ power to heal and begged him for mercy. When he sent the men away they were all healed. However, only one came back to give thanks and to worship Jesus. All the men were healed but only the one who worshiped was then saved. We see that God graciously bestows benefits on everyone. But, he only graciously saves some, those who worship Jesus as Savior and Lord. Like the ten lepers, people are drawn to Jesus for many reasons. But saving faith means believing in Jesus for more than just benefits.

To be vigilant means to be carefully observant and attentive, especially to potential danger or trouble. Like a mom watching her kids play at the city pool, she remains vigilant. She's vigilant about protecting them from the harmful rays of the sun, applying generous amounts of sun screen on all their exposed skin. She's vigilant about their safety while playing in and around the water. She makes sure the ones who don’t know how to swim have their floaties fastened and remain in the shallow end of the pool. She’s vigilant about who her kids interact with, the other children, but especially other adults who are strangers. She dutifully pays attention to her children. 

As we continue reading in our salvation story, Jesus implores his disciples to pay attention to themselves. In the previous episode Jesus told the story of a certain rich man who was surprised to find himself enduring the horrors of hell. Jesus’ teaching was directed at the prideful, presumptuous Pharisees. Pride and presumption cause a person to think it could never happen to me. Vigilance requires humility. Different from the Pharisees, Jesus’ disciples are to be humble, watchful servants. Using a series of hyperbolic examples, Jesus warns his disciples about a variety of instances in which they are to remain vigilant.

Recent Pew Research indicates that 71% of Americans believe in the existence of heaven. 64% of those who believe in heaven think they’ll go there. On the other hand, 61% of Americans believe in hell. Only 1% think they’ll end up there. Evidently, most people believe that hell is for other people.

As we continue reading in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells a disturbing story. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus contains some of the most explicit teaching in all the Bible about the nature of heaven and hell. Even more importantly, Jesus sheds light on who goes where and why.

The standard view today is that anyone and everyone will go to heaven; no matter who they are, what they do, or what they believe. However, like the rich man in Jesus’ parable, many people might be surprised to find themselves suffering eternal torment. God has revealed Himself and His will in His Word. Jesus’ words serve as a warning. No more information is needed. Repent and believe now to avoid hell later.