Romans 5.1-5
In Christ we’re justified.
Let fullest peace be ours —
With you — and in ourselves.
For us he suffered and died.
To us came heaven’s powers —
To me — as one who believes —
O Lord, be Savior and Guide.
You Will Catch Men
What’s the difference between a chicken and a pig? Well, in terms of what they each provide for breakfast, the chicken in involved while the pig is committed! Our pews may be full of involved Christians, some who have attended for years, but, like Simon, God confronts us to be committed to Him.
I. Luke 4:14-37. After Jesus’ baptism and time of temptation, He began His ministry and was gaining quite a reputation for Himself around Galilee. After Andrew introduced his brother to Jesus, the Savior said that Simon would be called Peter or ‘Rock’ (John 1:42). But, that would not become his name that day as Simon just stayed involved with Jesus through the healing of his mother-in-law and the use of his boat for Jesus to teach from while Simon washed his nets after working hard all night (but catching nothing) from his own strength (Luke 4:38 – 5:3). Like so many of us, he was content to have his ears tickled by this great man’s teaching without recognizing that it was the Creator in his craft.
II. Luke 5:4-11. Jesus then confronts Simon by asking him to put his nets out into deep water. Exhausted by his own limitations, Simon does not recognize what is possible for him through Jesus but does what Jesus asks. It is in verse 8 that this simple but involved fisherman crosses over into being committed. Never so tall as when he’s on his knees, never so much the solid ‘rock’ as when he is weakest, Simon recognizes his sinfulness in the presence of God in the flesh and is called ‘Peter’ here first. Verse 11 demonstrates that committment as he and his partners “left everything and followed” Jesus.
III. Romans 4:1-5. Even though Jesus could have pointed to His power as reason enough for Peter to follow Him, He instead pointed out what Peter could do through Him. The fisherman could become a fisher of men. If we were Peters instead of Simons, what could we do for Jesus as Jesus can do all things through us (John 14:12-14)? To do that, we must be committed to God (Mark 8:34-35).
Are you a chicken or a pig? Are you involved or committed? Are you trying to serve God by your own strength or are you serving Him through His? Are you still Simon or have you become Peter?
Quieten our hearts and free us
Quieten our hearts, O Lord, with peace that rises from your Spirit, with joy that has salvation as its source, with love that flows from Jesus’ cross.
Free us from the desire to possess the things of this life, to control the lives of others, to follow our emotions and passions to destruction.
In service bind us. In trials and sufferings train us. Surrounded by the physical and material, open our spiritual eyes to see your power. For glory prepare us.
Made You Alive with Christ
In David LaChapelle’s painting, “Last Supper,” Jesus is surrounded by the sinners of today, yet Romans 5:6-8 tells us that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Thus in the cross we see God’s love shown through His benevolence.
I. Colossians 2:13-14. We were dead in our sin, but God made us alive with Christ. Through His work on the cross, we can see His benevolence through His forgiveness and justice. While it is easy to see love in not counting our sins against us, it is harder to see love in Jesus dying to pay for our sin.
II. Hebrews 4:14-16. Mercy is not getting what we do deserve, and grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Because of God’s benevolence in the form of His Son on the cross, we don’t have to be eternally punished for our sin and will spend eternity in heaven with Jesus instead (Romans 3:21-26).
III. Ephesians 2:1-5. We who have received God’s benevolence must, in turn, show benevolence to others. This is illustrated well in Jesus’ parable of Matthew 18:21-35 in the story of the debtor, forgiven of his debt, who wouldn’t forgive another of the debt owed to him.
God’s love, as shown through Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross, brings us to another table, one laid out for the wedding supper of the Lamb. We are spiritual beggars, knowing we are not worthy of a scrap from the King of King’s table, yet we find ourselves in robes washed clean and seated at the table, feasting for all eternity.
The Time of the Devil
The days are dark, the time of the devil;
But the Light will break, the Lord descend,
The blessed truth will blind the unrighteous
And lead the saints to live with God —
Oh, come, Lord Jesus — call us home —
We groan in spirit, the grim existence
On earth is not for us, your people!
Your strength sustain our way, O God —
Your mercy be ours for many days.
God Sees Our Hearts
Hebrews 4:12-13 (NIV)
“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
God sees our hearts. I have heard that phrase uttered to discount deliberate deviation from God’s Word. But most often it is used as an excuse to not try to do His will.
Some people cannot walk into a house without straightening a picture they see crooked on the wall. The homeowner doesn’t shrug and say it was the thought that counted or mutter that he had a level but was too lazy to use it. God sees in what ways our lives are crooked and doesn’t accept our fumbled excuses. Rather, He tells us to “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” Matthew 5:48.
But there’s grace, we cry out! Sure there is, but we cannot be like the Roman Christians who thought they could keep on sinning so that grace might increase (Romans 6:1). His grace, freely given and possible through the death of God’s Son on the cross, cannot be our excuse to sin.
True worshipers, Jesus tells us, worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). This means that our Christianity cannot just become a checklist and be pleasing to God. Neither, though, can it be just whatever feels good and right. Emotion and experience, in our assemblies or our personal lives, do more to please ourselves than they do God.
In my toolbox I have a plumb line that my dad gave me when I left home. In a world of transits and laser levels, we’ve forgotten how our grandfathers used to build things square. God had the prophet Amos tell His people of the Old Testament before the Assyrians swept through that He was going to set a plumb line among them and spare them no longer. They had the Law to tell them how to live to please Him. “God sees our hearts” was not good enough.
And so we have the plumb line of the Word of God that judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. We may deceive ourselves with our motives and excuses, but nothing is hidden from God. To Him, our heart is laid bare. He knows if we are true worshipers, worshipping Him in spirit and in truth.
We must correct our lives in accordance with the plumb line of His Word because it is true, what we say—God sees our hearts.
[This article will also appear in the next issue of Christ For Today, David Tarbet editor.]
We Rely on You
2 Chronicles 14.11 (VOTD)
O Lord, only you can help the weak,
Outnumbered by the enemy’s powerful force —
Come help us! For we rely on you, we seek
Your strength. In Christ we follow this course
Of life, this field of battle. In faith we speak.
O Lord, we know you as our living source.
Bible.02: Living & Active
“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” Hebrews 4:12. In a popular movie, The Monster Book of Monsters would try to take a bite from a person if not strapped shut. This is not what is meant when the Word of God is described as ‘living and active,’ but rather it’s the difference between a doll and a baby. A mother lets a toddler drag the doll by the foot down the stairs, but is adamant that she treat her newborn brother with great care when gently laying him in her arms. So is the Bible unique and amazing, having only the appearance of a book with its cover and dead pages. Its inspiration of God is its breath of life. More than just an instruction manual for the human existence, God’s word is something we can treasure, study, and live out in our hearts and minds. As a living seed, once planted there, it grows within us and overflows into the life we live out as Christians. And, not only good for life, it is also accurate about life in every way, and through God’s Spirit guides us into all truth as it is itself ‘truth.’ Do you live out God’s Word?
The Bible is an amazing book.
I. Luke 8:11-15. Like a seed, the Bible is living and active, but we must be good soil for it to grow within us. Jesus is the Word (John 1:1-14). We are baptized into Him (Galatians 3:26-27), but He also dwells in our hearts by faith (Ephesians 3:16-17).
II. 2 Timothy 3:16-17. The Bible is inspired by God. Not of human origin to fail (Acts 5:38-39), it has withstood the test of time because men were carried along by the Holy Spirit to write it (2 Peter 1:20-21).
III. John 17:17. As it is truth, we would expect the Bible to be accurate. Though it is not primarily a history or science textbook, unlike myths, it is accurate in details pertaining to history or science. No “once upon a time in a land long ago” type of language in it, real people and places are described in the Bible (Luke 2:1-4). Long before any scientists could have such knowledge, the Bible describes the earth being round (Isaiah 40:22), the paths of the sea (Psalm 8:8), and dinosaurs (Job 40:15-24)!
Even if the Bible could somehow be discounted, it still leaves us with the greatest moral and ethical code the world has ever known (John 15:12-14). It truly is an amazing book.