2 Chronicles 30:1-22

¹ Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel.  ² The king and his officials and the whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month.  ³ They had not been able to celebrate it at the regular time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem.  ⁴ The plan seemed right both to the king and to the whole assembly.  ⁵ They decided to send a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, calling the people to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel.  It had not been celebrated in large numbers according to what was written.

⁶ At the king’s command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read:

“People of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.  ⁷ Do not be like your parents and your fellow Israelites, who were unfaithful to the Lord, the God of their ancestors, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see.  ⁸ Do not be stiff-necked, as your ancestors were; submit to the Lord.  Come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever.  Serve the Lord your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you.  ⁹ If you return to the Lord, then your fellow Israelites and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will return to this land, for the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate.  He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”

¹⁰ The couriers went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun, but people scorned and ridiculed them.  ¹¹ Nevertheless, some from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem.  ¹² Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the Lord.

¹³ A very large crowd of people assembled in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month.  ¹⁴ They removed the altars in Jerusalem and cleared away the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.

¹⁵ They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month.  The priests and the Levites were ashamed and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the temple of the Lord.  ¹⁶ Then they took up their regular positions as prescribed in the Law of Moses the man of God.  The priests splashed against the altar the blood handed to them by the Levites.  ¹⁷ Since many in the crowd had not consecrated themselves, the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all those who were not ceremonially clean and could not consecrate their lambs to the Lord.  ¹⁸ Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written.  But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone ¹⁹ who sets their heart on seeking God—the Lord, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.”  ²⁰ And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

²¹ The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great rejoicing, while the Levites and priests praised the Lord every day with resounding instruments dedicated to the Lord.

²² Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites, who showed good understanding of the service of the Lord.  For the seven days they ate their assigned portion and offered fellowship offerings and praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

 

Was the Cross necessary?  Yes, because of sin, if it was no big deal, we wouldn’t need Jesus to go to the Cross.                                                                                                        ~D. Moore

 

Mark 14:12-21, 27-28 (NIV)

¹² On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

¹³ So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.  Follow him.  ¹⁴ Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’  ¹⁵ He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready.  Make preparations for us there.”

¹⁶ The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them.  So they prepared the Passover.

¹⁷ When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve.  ¹⁸ While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me – one who is eating with me.”

¹⁹ They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely not I?”

²⁰ “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me.  ²¹ The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him.  But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man!  It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

²⁷ “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’  ²⁸ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

 

Today I want to talk about the width of sin, the depth of sin and how to overcome sin.   ~D. Moore

 

In placing the Last Supper between the betrayal and the defection of the disciples, the gospel of Mark vividly conveys that the sin that necessitates the death of Jesus is not someone else’s sins, but his own disciples Peter, John, you and me.  Experiencing the Lord’s Supper is celebrated, the essential evil, the essential problem with the world is present.       ~D. Moore

 

Sin is universal, it’s out in the world, and it’s in our heart.  I must realize that there is sin in my life.  ~DM

 

If we are honest, we are capable of doing against evil.                       ~D. Moore

 

G. K. Chesterton was asking what is wrong with the world?  He said, “I am.”  Sincerely, G. K. Chesterton

 

If this world could only grasp the power of forgiveness.  Being able to forgive someone breaks the cycle of bitterness and vengeance. ~James Augustus St. John

 

If we believe we are the problem, then life would look different.   ~D. Moore

 

Often, we try to offer God partial obedience.  We want to pick and choose the commands we obey.  We make a list of the commands we like and obey those while ignoring the ones we think are unreasonable, difficult, expensive, or unpopular.  I’ll attend church but I won’t tithe.  I’ll read my Bible but won’t forgive the person who hurt me.  Yet partial obedience is disobedience.                                                                                                ~Rick Warren

 

Two reasons we are challenged are that we are the problem:

1.      We have trouble forgiving others.

2.      We have a sinful tendency to not be fond of other groups. ~D. Moore

 

We believe that we are saved not by who we are or what we do, but by the sheer grace of God.  And so are those people.  We walk through the door of faith, and then look back, above the door is the slogan, ‘You didn’t choose me, I chose you.’                                                                                                ~D. Moore

 

I think most of us would agree that the reason we believe in Jesus and love God is because God took the long road persistently and patiently pursued us through His grace, not because I’m a better person than anyone else.  ~D. Moore

 

Until Jesus is enough nothing else will be.

 

I have noticed about following Jesus if there are deeper, layers to my sin and I assume; yours as well.  Jesus is, at times, ambiguous.  This ambiguity is Jesus coaxing us to examine our hearts.  Will I serve as long as I benefit from it, but as soon as it costs me anything I’m gone?                                   ~D. Moore

 

Are you a person who is praying, serving, worshipping with the motivation of getting what you want, or are you motivated to please God?     ~D. Moore

 

Mary found Jesus to be wonderful, Mary served Jesus, Mary wanted to be like Jesus.  Judas served Jesus in order to get.  It is all about perspective and motivation.  Am I following Jesus to get, or to give my life away to Him and to others?                                                                                                            ~D. Moore

 

Jesus is the end in Himself.  He is not the way to get what we want.            ~D. Moore

 

Mary believed that Jesus is enough.  If we have Jesus, we have all we need.  Obedience to God becomes natural, service to others just seems to happen and in itself is joyous.  We’re not driven by emotional surroundings because the balancing and beauty of life are Jesus Himself.                              ~D. Moore

 

Jesus is ambiguous with the disciples, “One of you will betray me.”  He wants us to examine our heart.  Jesus exposes Judas and gives a path to repentance.                                                                                                         ~D. Moore

 

Jesus is all-in both ways; totally gracious and totally just.  Jesus is just, condemning our sin, but gracious in taking the punishment your actions deserve.                                                                                                                ~D. Moore

 

The events and actions between Palm Sunday and Easter are beautiful and gracious.  The Cross is so terrible and wonderful at the same time.  Let’s look to Mary as our example of a follower of Jesus, during this in-between time.  Obey Jesus, listen to Him, and learn from Him because He is wonderful and loves us.  God knows our heart and why we do what we do.  Let’s make sure we’re right with Him.  God bless.