The readings are preparing us for the Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and the
Easter Experience. The Readings remind us that Jesus had great courage in
facing opposition, modelled humility and obedience and made a New Covenant of
forgiveness with believers. This New Covenant includes the Ten Commandments but
adds the possibility of forgiveness through repentance and faith in the shed
blood of Jesus. The Readings help us understand that Jesus is more than a
teacher of goodness. Jesus is the Lord of a New Covenant relationship with God.
As we prepare ourselves for the Easter experience it is a good time to examine
our lives for evidence of humility and obedience to our half of this New Covenant – which is our Baptismal Covenant.
1. Have you “set your face like flint”?
If we are serious about keeping our Baptismal Covenant we should expect persecution. We live in a self-centred
time when very few people recognize Jesus as the Lord of a New Covenant.
- Admire His teaching and sacrifice;
but they want to be the lord of their own lives – me generation
- Being a servant to others
is not attractive to most people
- Christians who are really
loyal to Jesus act differently than most people - leads to fear, ridicule
and persecution.
- People feel uncomfortable
around those who are different
- Phrase “set my face like
flint” shocked me – realized my calling was to be different – and stand firm
against popular culture
- Question for self-examination
before Confession is “Have I really
set my face like flint?”
2. nd question is do I have the “nature of a servant”? (Phil. 2.7)
Having the right theology is
good and interesting but it is not as important as what we do every day in our lives.
- Jesus modelled the nature of a servant, giving up what he wanted to do in
order to be obedient to His Lord God.
- This is the key test of really
having a “lord”.
- We should all examine our
past week and repent any opportunities we missed to be in a servant role
to others.
- This will strengthen our
determination to become more like Jesus and to grow spiritually.
3. A third question is “how have I betrayed Jesus this week”?
We all betray Jesus in little ways every day. We skip our prayers,
forget to say thanks or deny Him by our choices in daily life. Being in a
covenant relationship is all about loyalty
and priorities.
- Judas is the big example
of betrayal
- Judas thought Jesus was
moving too slowly, wanted to help things along.
- People who “help” can do
a lot of harm.
- “The smart one”, Judas
was the only Disciple who did not see who Jesus was as his Lord.
- Others at Last Supper
address Jesus as “Lord” -.
Judas says “Surely not I Rabbi”
(Matthew 26.25).
- Judas betrays Jesus
because he thinks Jesus is a teacher
- not his personal Lord.
- Asking ourselves how - not if, we have betrayed Jesus in the last week will give us a
helpful measure of whether we have really accepted Jesus as the Lord of a
new Covenant.
The Good News is that believers live in a New Covenant relationship with
Jesus
We have been blessed with a new way to forgiveness and peace with God
through the self-examination, repentance, Confession and Absolution process.
- Forgiveness is dependent
on our belief or faith or trust in the events we are about to share in
Holy Week.
- On Maundy Thursday we
will be reminded of the Last Supper.
- Was a Jewish Passover meal that Jesus turned into a New Covenant meal
that we continue to celebrate as Holy Communion or “Eucharist” (which means “celebration”).
- Good Friday will remind
us of the terrible price Jesus paid for our sins – how firmly He “set His
face like flint”.
- This is a very good time
to do a complete self-examination
of our lives to root out our hidden sins and guilt so we can go through
the Confession and absolution process and be more completely forgiven and
restored to right-relationship with God in the New Covenant.
We
will grow spiritually as we recognize Jesus as the Lord of a New Covenant
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