Shared during the Discovery Rangers 2016 camp, campfire night.
Bible Caves = not good endings
Wherever caves were mentioned in the Bible it was not associated with something good. Often it had something to do with hiding from God, or the enemy or associated with death.
Caves were usually a place where they buried the important people. Like Abraham and Sarah, and Lazarus and Jesus. It was associated with immoral activities like the one where Lot’s daughters got him drunk in order to get him to have sexual relations with him. Then there’s the association with hiding, like David hiding from King Saul, the 5 kings, the children of Israel in Judges 6.
Our caves = not good starts
We ourselves have caves in our own lives which are also not good.
We have caves in us where we hide secret sins. Or sometimes where we hide dreams and hopes and affections that have “died” in us. Or where we try to bury hurt from the past. Like the Bible caves, these are not good for us.
Let’s “ex-cave-ate” our cave (excavate for those who didn’t get it)
In order to get rid of our caves, we first need to inspect the cave that Jesus was in. Why is this important? We need to understand that Jesus conquered the cave that He was set in; He is alive! Jesus was also laid in the cave but like the people who went to see, they saw he was not there and that he had risen.
In John 20, Mary Magdalene saw that the stone had been rolled away, then informed 2 disciples and they ran to see the cave, the Bible says the other disciple (most likely James) reached the cave saw the linen cloths but did not go in. Peter went all the way in and say that the cloth that wrapped Jesus’ head was folded neatly. Then the other disciple went in and saw and the Bible says he saw and also believed.
First altar call: you don’t understand that Jesus is alive. You may be like Mary, you only observe from far that the stone is rolled away, or like James, you just see from outside but you didn’t enter. You need to be like Peter, go and see for yourself that Jesus is no longer in the cave. You only hear about it but have ever believed, or you even always go to church but have never realised for sure, that Jesus is risen.
Let’s EVAC-uate
Secondly, in getting rid of our caves, believe that I’m stating the obvious but, we need to actually come out of our own cave. Like Lazarus, Jesus is calling us to come out of the cave, and be alive. Jesus didn’t come to make bad people good, He came to make dead people live.
Cave spelt backwards is EVAC, a short expression for evacuate. That is evacuating from our caves of secret sins and past hurts. EVAC to the light that is calling us out and to be free and be alive.
2nd altar call: How many of you have secret sins or past hurts hidden in your heart cave? If so,
- Understand that God sees those things in your heart, Where can I go from Your Spirit… Even if I make my bed in the depths… Psalm 139:7-8
- EVAC those things from your heart by turning to the light, to Jesus who is calling you.
- Fill it with God’s Word, psalms 119:11, Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. God’s Word is light in our cave.
Let’s pray.
Bible text from: John 20:1-9, NKJV:
“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.”
John 20:1-9 NKJV
Tags: caves, devotion, Royal Rangers
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