"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you."1 Peter 5:8-10

The Jewish leaders of His time rejected Jesus when He first came. He didn't meet their expectations. They were expecting a Messiah who would bring relief from the Romans, restore the Kingdom of David, and usher in an era of tranquility throughout the world. It is probable that their intense jealousy of Jesus blinded them to the numerous passages in the (OT) which describe Messiah as a suffering servant, since they were certainly aware of those passages. The Scriptures present two pictures of Messiah, leaving bible interpreters with a dilemma to explain. Zechariah 9:9 portrays him riding a donkey into Jerusalem, lowly and humble; Daniel 7:13 refers to the Messiah as coming on the clouds of heaven. Some of the rabbis concluded there must be two Messiahs. The truth is, one Messiah, two advents. When Jesus failed to fulfill the Jewish expectation of restoring the Kingdom of David, he was dismissed as Messiah. Their own lack of humility, their jealously and self centered pride caused them to miss what should have been obvious from the scriptures, that Messiah had to come first to identify with us, and then through suffering and death, break the power of sin, before he could restore the Davidic Kingdom. Is it possible for our expectations to be likewise colored or even contaminated by sin? We ought not to avoid the question. If our hearts are set in a self centered expectation of victory that fails to apprehend the suffering to which WE too are called, we can make the same mistake the rabbis made, and end up rejecting the true Messiah. While it's true that our ultimate victory is assured, we can never forget that the journey to that victory is a narrow path fraught with all the dangers of real warfare, with deadly enemies. Brothers & Sisters, check your expectations...what are they based upon? Are there selfish or carnal motives in your expectations of God? If Jesus said following him would be a narrow path with a cross on your back, then don't presume your victories until they have passed through the purifying fires of suffering. This is simply true fellowship with Him, and leads to the greatest glorious joys and triumphs. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS?

"David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men."1 Samuel 22:1-2 ; "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence."1 Corinthians 1:26-29

Early in his life David was forced to flee from his king and father-in-law, Saul -- to flee for his life. During this long season of exile and hiding David began to find himself surrounded by loyal friends who joined themselves to him. But these were friends of an unusual kind: they were men who had all been unhappy, distressed, helpless, or in debt -- by and large, the outcasts of the world. But an amazing thing happened to these formerly hapless human beings when they joined with David; they were empowered and became his "mighty men." When David finally became King of Israel, these men were ennobled and raised to be princes and officers in his Kingdom. As it was with David, so it is with Jesus. Jesus came to save sinners, the wretched outcasts of this world, discontented, indebted, distressed and helpless ... whom He clothes with His righteousness and fills with His Spirit, ennobles and transforms into "mighty men", who will rule and reign with Him in His kingdom! Brothers & Sisters, we have gathered ourselves to Jesus, the Messiah, the son of David, and He has chosen us as His friends and fellow laborers in His Kingdom, never again to be outcasts, but rather embraced in His love, part of His enormous family, and delegated and empowered to serve with Him in His Kingdom. Let's be encouraged remembering where we came from AND where we are going! YOU ARE CHOSEN AND CHANGED!

"Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Acts 13:33-34 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David."Psalms 2:6-7 ; "And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:"Romans 1:4

The central fact of the gospel message is the resurrection of Jesus, declared in Psalm 2, the begotten Son of God. In 1952, Dead Sea scrolls were discovered in Cave 4 called the "Messianic Apocalypse". The Messiah's ministry of resurrection is reiterated in these ancient documents with an obvious reference to Isaiah 61:1-3. The scroll identifies someone who "... will heal the wounded, and revive the dead and bring good news to the poor." It is clear that at least some of the authors of these documents clearly understood the central nature and ministry of the coming Messiah, most certainly based on their intimate knowledge of the prophetic writings in the Tenach (OT)...that ministry, resurrection of the dead. This reality of the resurrection of Jesus and His power to raise the dead cannot be overestimated. Death is the inevitable result of sin. Jesus became sin, bearing all of it in His body, and then was raised from death to eternal immortal glory. This wonderful fact has proliferated throughout the world, the most important and powerful message ever delivered to mankind. An illustration from our own time reveals the pervasive hope of Messiah's resurrection and victory over death. I tried to Search the Gospels to find a funeral sermon given by Jesus, but unfortunately my search was in vain. Instead of ministering at funerals, Jesus broke up every funeral he ever attended! Death could not exist where He was. And when the dead heard His voice they sprang to life, for He truly is "the resurrection and the life." Brothers & Sisters, are you feeling dead and worn out today? Then be reminded that your Savior is Life and that He brings it abundantly wherever He is, and that death is overcome in His Presence. So GET IN HIS PRESENCE! Repent, pray, worship, read, dance, delight, intercede, seek Him with all your heart and soul. His Life is waiting to refresh, restore, and revive you. EMBRACE THE POWER OF RESURRECTION & THE LIFE!

"Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemedHim stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed."Isaiah 53:4-5 ; "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone."Hebrews 2:9 ; "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."Hebrews 12:2 ; "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."Romans 8:16-18

When I studied Isaiah 53, I was taken back by the Hebrew word for "afflicted". In modern Hebrew this word means "tortured". When I was young, and first learned what torture actually involved, my soul was shocked that this could happen to people; in fact that it was happening to people. That a person could be kept alive for the purpose of intentionally causing him intense agonizing pain was an astounding enigma for my young soul. It really frightened me; and I think that fear of torture is probably the greatest fear that humans can experience. We read about people who have been tortured, with a kind of horrified awe. And quietly we wonder inside, "How can this be?" And, "Could this ever happen to me?" Crucifixion was a form of torture which the ancient Romans used frequently. And while I had a concept of the suffering that our Messiah endured for us, for some reason the understanding that He was tortured for our iniquities brought my awareness to a new level. I did not begin to appreciate or fathom the suffering Jesus went through. His identification with our suffering and our sin was total, and His experience of this torture so fully absorbed Him that He experienced what must have felt like infinite isolation and pain. Somehow, this is a deep comfort; to know that the Son of God understands by experience, torture and suffering unthinkable. But then, I suddenly realized that I also could not begin to comprehend the glory that awaited Him after His suffering. And that His suffering purchased for me a portion in that glory as well. It was the other side of the story, and somehow, these two extremes complement one another; suffering, and glory. The apostle Paul states his revelation about our sufferings with almost light-hearted conviction; that they are not even "worthy" to be compared with the glory that awaits us. This, to me, could be the most amazing promise in all of scripture. Brothers & Sisters, suffering is everywhere, a constant part of this life; it may be you, or someone you love, or people you don't even know but are agonizing over and praying for. This world casts suffering in every direction at every level of intensity. But all of it, every flaming ounce of it has been successfully absorbed into the body of Jesus the Messiah. He was tortured for us – suffered death for us – so that our sufferings are trifles in the light of eternity. It's been said this way: from heaven the most miserable earthly life will look like one bad night in a cheap hotel. Thank the Lord. HE UNDERSTANDS OUR SUFFERING MORE THAN YOU KNOW!

"And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to You on the water. And He said, "Come." And when Peter got out out of the boat, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand, and caught him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"Matthew 14:28-31

When Peter stepped out of the boat to walk on water – he literally stepped out of the boat! Imagine that! But was Peter going overboard? No, I don't believe so -- he was literally taking a step of faith with his eyes fixed on the Lord! Often, when we step out in faith – it may appear that we are going overboard, but are we really? Honestly, the question is -- "Can you really go overboard in your faith toward God?" I don't think so! When our passion is no longer on the Lord, then that's when we're going overboard. Brothers & Sisters, when you love the Lord God with "all your heart, mind and soul"-- it's okay to step out and go all out for God -- because in God, the only way to go overboard is to not go overboard enough! ARE YOU GOING OVERBOARD?

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."John 16:33

In this world we will face all kinds of obstacles, trials and tribulations and we should be wary of any doctrines or teachings that say we shouldn’t have to face these things. Why? Because the Lord said we will have tribulations. So the encouragement He is giving is simply this: You’re going to face trials, but GOD is greater than any problem you will face in this world! As problems present themselves, we should face them in the power of God and overcome them with Him -– because every problem is an opportunity to exhibit the love and power of God in our lives. And it’s often through these situations that the world gets our true testimony as believers in Him! Brothers & Sisters, so, lift up your head, and don’t expect "no obstacles" in this life. Continue looking up, and be filled with His joy, because the Lord has already overcome this world and our problems, and we will experience that when we simply give them over to Him! YOU WILL FACE PROBLEMS, BUT THERE'S GOOD NEWS!

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”Matthew 7:7-8

Jesus made it clear: In prayer, we are to ask, seek, knock, confident that what we need and ask for will be given to us. But the opposite also is true. If we don’t ask, what we need will not be given to us. If we don’t seek, we will not find. The reality is that, if we never knock, the door never will open. We can stare at the door but nothing will change. And if we don’t seek, we will be stuck in the same position. If we never show initiative, we never will find what we are interested in, or would like to have. There may be many reasons why we don’t ask or aren’t more specific in prayer. We may not feel worthy, or embarrassed, concerned about what God would think if we asked. We may not feel that God would hear us, or confident in our relationship with Him. Or we may feel we don’t know how to ask. But, no matter our excuse, we can be sure not to receive anything if we don’t ask, seek, or knock. How confident are you about your relationship with God? Do you really think that, if you ask, it will be given? That if you seek, you really will find? If you knock, the door really will be opened for you? What keeps you from believing these truths? Brothers & Sisters remember that without faith, you will not receive the answers you need or find what you are looking for. Don’t be bogged down with lethargy or skepticism. And don’t be hampered by doubt or reluctance. Instead, take Jesus at His Word, confident in Him. Believing that His Word is true.