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You Go, and Do Likewise

We often think that Jesus using a Samaritan, whom the Jews despised, to show kindness to a Jewish man was just to answer the question, “And who is my neighbor?” but the ‘And’ indicates that this parable goes much deeper.  There was a previous question posed by the lawyer: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

I. Luke 10:25-28.  Since we discover later that the lawyer was seeking to justify himself, his use of ‘Teacher’ was perhaps a bit smug.  He believed he knew it all, but Jesus, who knew all men’s hearts, answered both questions posed to Him in this passage as a great teacher would–with questions of His own.  The puffed-up lawyer answered correctly, but Jesus said he did not fully understand the implications of what it meant to love God with ALL of his heart, soul, mind, and strength nor his neighbor as himself (Matthew 5:43-48).  Love as Jesus loves, and he will live (John 15:12-13 and Romans 5:6-8).

II. Luke 10:29-35.  Speaking to Jews, Jesus first tells of two among them–a priest and a Levite–who ought to treat well a fellow Jew who has been beaten and robbed.  They don’t, however, as they pass by the poor man without taking any loving action to ease his distress.  It is a Samaritan, one who was not in the covenant with God and lived in the land that was once part of Israel, who had compassion instead.  More than just broadening their concept of who was their neighbor, Jesus challenged them on how love was defined.  An enemy of the Jews took sacrificial actions to care for and serve one of their nation (James 2:14-17).  Would they have done the same in return?

III. Luke 10:36-37.  Then turning the lawyer’s question back to him, the Teacher makes his student apply the head knowledge of the Law, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor …?”  Perhaps not able to say the name of his enemy’s race, the lawyer answers in honesty, “The one who showed him mercy.”  Jesus’ command, then, to what the lawyer must do to inherit eternal life is a command to us as well, “You go, and do likewise.”  Having found freedom in Christ, how should we use that freedom, then?  Not to indulge in sin but rather to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13-15).

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There’s a Great Day Coming

At this time of year, the world puts forth all the things that it considers scary, but they all have to do with the first death, the separation of our souls from our bodies.  No wonder that this experience and the unknown surrounding it are the ultimate in fear for those who have no hope.  But what is the first death to a Christian?  After all, every human being will experience this death.  As one humorist quipped about life: none of us will get out of it alive!  Paul said it best in Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”  Gain?  How did he get to that point?  By knowing what to fear.

I.  Matthew 10:16-35.  As Jesus sends His disciples out into the world, He admits that He sends them out like sheep among wolves.  Not having the same power as God in the flesh, how was it that they were to combat the strength of the world?  By rejoicing, persevering, and trusting in God (Philippians 4:4-7).  Being anxious about circumstances of this temporary existence that could only lead to their first death would show that they feared the one who could only kill the body–and they are reassured that the Lord is at hand.

II.  Ecclesiastes 12:12-13.  Rather than fearing anything that might bring about the separation of our souls from our bodies, we should fear the one who can throw both body and soul into hell.  This verse in the middle of the Matthew 10 passage is often used by itself to mean we should fear Satan, but God alone is our Judge.  His judgment will part the saints and sinners right and left, the conquerors to eternal life and the cowardly to the second death, an eternal separation of their souls from God (Revelation 21:6-8).  It is no wonder, then, that rather than being scared or worried about the things of this life, our whole duty here is to fear God and keep His commandments.

III.  Matthew 25:1-13.  Consequently, our time here is all about preparing for eternity.  Judgment Day will come when all will have to give an account to God.  Rather than any suspenseful music you might hear coming from a horror movie or costume party, the scariest song is “There’s a Great Day Coming” because it speaks of the second death (Matthew 7:21-23) and challenges us in our preparation now, especially the third stanza:

There’s a sad day coming, a sad coming,

There’s a sad day coming by and by,

When the sinner shall hear his doom, “Depart, I know ye not.”

Are you ready for that day to come?

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Sons of God Through Faith

A man drowning at sea is suddenly thrown a life ring that splashes into the water next to him.  Taking hold of it, he is pulled into the boat by his rescuer and lives the rest of his life eternally grateful to the one who saved his life.  Like this man, we are each dying in sin.  Because of His work at the cross and the tomb, Jesus is the only one able to save us through the gospel that he casts out to us.  We must take hold of the gospel to be saved, but no one rescued would argue that we worked for our salvation because we believed, repented, or confessed ‘Jesus as Lord.’  No, we would adamantly claim that Jesus saved us through His gospel.

But what about the boat?

Why do so many in the denominational world ignore the boat?  Why is baptism not part of obeying that gospel as well?  After all, it is Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection that make the gospel possible, and it is in baptism that we die with Christ, are buried with Him, and are resurrected with Him to walk in new life (Romans 6).  Baptism is the platform from which the life ring can be thrown.  It is the vessel from which Jesus stands to cast the gospel out to sinners.  Why is being hauled into the boat by Jesus not considered essential by some to bring us from death to life?

I.  Galatians 3:23-29.  Often verse 26 is taken alone to prove by those against baptism that we are all sons of God through faith, and therefore, it by ‘faith alone’ that we are saved.  But the context of the passage shows that this is a contrast between the old system or covenant based on law versus the new system or covenant of faith.  What had been largely ritual in the Old Testament is superseded by the New Testament of relationship made possible Jesus’ work at the cross and tomb.  The passage then explains the process to come into this relationship with Christ, “As many of you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”  We needed to get into the boat.

II.  Titus 3:4-5.  In reaction to the “Church” at the time being very works-based, the Reformation of the 1500s and 1600s swung the pendulum to the opposite extreme and declared salvation to be on “faith alone.”  Baptism was seen as a work because it was something tangible, unlike belief, repentance, and confessing ‘Jesus as Lord,’ that we had to do.  Romans 10:9-13 is a passage often cited by the ‘faith alone’ crowd as it excludes baptism but tells us we are saved by belief, confession, and calling upon the name of the Lord.  But pressed, these same folks will insist that repentance, although not listed there, is also necessary.  Obviously, this passage was not intended then to be a complete list.  And, where we call upon the name of the Lord, Acts 22:16 tells us, is in baptism.  What drowning man would insist that he had worked for his salvation because he submitted to his rescuer pulling him into the boat?  Rather, Jesus has done the only work for salvation.

III.  2 Peter 1:3-7.  Rescuing sinners is not enough for Jesus; He also gives us the chance to partake in the divine nature.  After dying with Jesus, being buried with Him, and rising with Him to new life in baptism, we are “heirs according to the promise.”  We must continue to walk as Jesus did to truly abide in Him (1 John 2:6).  We must continue to add all of these listed qualities, one to another, in increasing measure to never fall and receive a rich welcome into the Kingdom of God.

Could Jesus save without baptism?  If He wanted to … He is God in the flesh after all.  But the method He chose that was to continue down through the ages from Pentecost was for us to believe, confess Him as Lord (cut to the heart), repent, and be baptized into Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:36-41) and then to continue living by faith (Romans 1:16-17) as sons of God through faith.

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Bad Company Corrupts Good Morals

The struggles of this year have certainly tested Christians!  Like tea bags diffusing into the water around them, are we influencing the world for the gospel?  Or are we like sponges instead, soaking up the culture we’re immersed in?

I.  Matthew 5:13-16.  In this world, Christians are called to be salt and light.  Both reach outward into the world around them to change the experience for the person eating or interacting in the world.  So we must flavor, preserve, and shine.  If we don’t, if we hide the truth with which we’ve been entrusted, we are good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled.  If Christians took this charge to influence the world around us for Christ seriously, then others would see and give God glory.

II.  Luke 16:1-13.  Christians must make friends for ourselves by the means of unrighteous wealth.  What?  This parable troubles many because the subject is a dishonest manager who doesn’t change or face judgment for his dishonesty.  Rather, he is commended.  But what is he commended for?  It is for being shrewd in using the things or ways of this world for his advantage.  The key comes in the last few verses when Jesus tells his followers that they can be wise about using their generation’s things for the Kingdom.  Do we do this?  Are we known as some weird folks sequestered within the walls of our church buildings?  Or are we a peculiar people using the technology and campuses–even our time and connectedness–to take to gospel to a lost world?

III.  1 Corinthians 15:17-34.  What separates the saved from the lost is the hope we have in the resurrection.  It is because of this hope that Christians make eternal choices unlike the world that makes temporal choices.  With the unceasing bombardment we get from the world, it is too easy for Christians to want to live like the lost around us Monday through Saturday and then attend church on Sunday–all the while believing that God accepts us in this compromised state.  We must wake up from our slumber, church, and look for the tea we’re diffusing.  Because if we can’t easily see Christ influencing the culture around us, then we are more likely sponges soaking up the world.

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For Ezra had Set His Heart

Is a person just blessed to be selected from the world by God for great things … or does God use a person for great things because he selects God over the world?
I.  The answer to this question is so important in the ‘hand-out’ culture that we live in. If God just randomly chooses a person for great things, then that gives us an excuse not to do great things for Him because “He hasn’t selected me.” This would mean that God’s sovereignty is really favoritism (Ephesians 6:9) at its worst and lets us shrink back into His spiritual welfare system waiting for our next scrap.
But God has always been about our individual responsibility. He did the work of salvation through His Son on the cross, yes, but we are to believe, obey, love, forgive, serve, and go–among other acts of obedience. These are actions that require us to stand up from our spiritual couches, brush the crumbs off our laps, and roll up our sleeves.
II.  God raised up Ezra to be a priest to lead His people returning from exile in the way of the Lord. Was Ezra just in the right place at the right time to get chosen haphazardly? Ezra 7:9-10 says, “… the good hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had set his heart TO STUDY the Law of the Lord, and TO DO it and TO TEACH his statues and rules in Israel.”  What have you set your heart to DO for Him?
III.  Sounds like Ezra was no spiritual slacker. What about us? Ephesians 2:10 tell us, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Each and every day good works for each of us have been prepared in this day that the Lord has made.  Are you walking in them?  Are you diligent in your search to know what they are?
And so neither is God a spiritual slacker as He plans for us.  If God could raise up an Ezra who would make good choices at the right time to be used by God to do great things for His Kingdom, then what has He planned for you to DO today? Rather than dwell on opportunities missed, might you be rolling up your sleeves and be willing to DO all that He has planned for you to Do tomorrow?
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I Have Sinned

David is described as a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22), but that doesn’t mean that he was perfect.  That’s good news for us!  Because, as we strive to also chase after God’s heart, we can become disheartened when we sin.  By exploring how David handled his return to God, we can better travel this narrow path (Matthew 7:13-14) ourselves.

I.  2 Samuel 12:1-15.  The man after God’s heart admits he has sinned.  David didn’t seem to see his sin with Bathsheba or her husband Uriah, and so God dispatched the the prophet Nathan with a parallel story.  The king saw the wrong and pronounced judgment on the wrongdoer.  That’s when Nathan was able to confront David with his sin.  Rather than ignore, justify, or pass blame for his sin as Adam and Eve did (Genesis 3:12-13), the man after God’s heart admitted to his sin.

II.  Psalm 51:1-17.  The man after God’s heart repents of his sin.  Though it may not be part of scripture, most scholars agree that the titles attached to the Psalms are very old.  The title attached to Psalm 51 indicates that this is David’s attitude after he had sinned.  It’s an attitude of repentance.  In this psalm, David takes ownership of his sin and acknowledges that only God can cleanse him from it.  More than that, he appeals for renewal of a right spirit within him, a restoration to the joy of his salvation, and to be upheld by God.  Only then can he teach sinners how to return to God.

III.  Ezekiel 18:21-23.  Admitting and repenting define a man after God’s heart.  Only if we live according to the Spirit and not the flesh can we avoid the eternal consequences of death and live (Romans 8:12-13)!  This means that like David we must admit and repent of our sins as we all must one day give an account to God (Hebrews 4:11-13).  There’s a process for repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10-11).  His kindness is meant to lead us to it (Romans 2:4-5), and He desires it (2 Peter 3:9-10).  Those after God’s heart will do it, and Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross will pay the consequence for their sins if they are in Christ (Romans 3:21-26).

Those who don’t admit, repent, and remain outside of Christ will have to pay the consequences of their sins on Judgment Day.  Are you ready for that day to come?

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Back to the Bible

I remember reading the assembly instructions as a kid for something my dad was putting together and was told that we didn’t need them.  My protests over a handful of screws when the contraption was built were dismissed with the explanation that companies always put in extras.  The product worked, yes, but not like it should.

The Manufacturer of mankind has left us a manual, God’s Word, the Bible.  So, it would make sense, for maximum effectiveness, to follow the guidelines set forth by the One who designed you, created every cell, breathed life into you, and then “beforehand” planned works for you to do (Ephesians 2:10).  This is why Jesus, the Word made flesh, came—to give us life abundantly (John 10:10).  Underscoring its importance, every time Jesus said a version of “Have you not read …?” He was bringing His listeners back to the Bible.

Now I know that each of us can point to neighbors, coworkers, and friends who have never followed the Bible or perhaps live its precepts in a randomized way, picking and choosing tasty tidbits like dishes on a buffet, and they all seem to have pretty good and functional lives.  This can be particularly hard on preacher’s kids (PKs) in small churches in the Northeast as they see their friends in public school seemingly having life more together than the handful of kids in their Bible classes and VBS.

But, do they really?  Even though I ministered to others from the Bible, I realized pretty quickly that I had a compromised version of my Christianity early in my wife’s ongoing eight-year battle with cancer—but especially in the past six months.  My foundation of faith was not as solid as it needed to be to endure the trials that forced us to live separately since January and unable to help each other with the other’s battle front.

Just as Moses was told to build everything according to the pattern shown to him on the mountain (Hebrews 8:5), I dug deep to return back-to-the-Bible to build up my prayer life and trust in Him.  Reasoning that God, who loved us unconditionally and was working for our good (Romans 8), knew what was best for my life and was entirely in control of the circumstances, I have flourished in my faith where many believed I should have floundered.

‘Back to the Bible’ is more than just an academic exercise or pithy saying.  It is a deep and determined commitment to delve into doctrine that saves and enriches your life.  It fortifies the foundation of your faith so that you may function well in the best of times and are prepared to fight during the worst.

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The Old Rugged Cross

We are to let the Word dwell in us richly, Colossians 3:16 tells us, and one of those ways to teach and admonish with thankfulness in our hearts is by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to one another.  “The Old Rugged Cross” is a beloved hymn that proclaims Jesus’ death for our sins and then gives us a glimpse of our glorious future if we not only obey but live out the gospel.

I. Romans 3:21-25.  After describing the place of Jesus’ vicarious sacrifice (John 19:17-19), the song tells us that the cross is an “emblem of suffering and shame” (Galatians 3:11-13).  And yet we “love that old cross.”  How?  Because, we discover, that the “dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain.”  As we realize that Jesus died for us, we want to live for Him (Galatians 2:19-21) … and the horrific cross takes on new meaning.

II. John 15:18-19.  The world doesn’t get it, and in the best of its wisdom despises the cross … and so us who have obeyed the gospel and are living it out in our lives (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).  But to us, the cross is the power of God and the wisdom of God.  That the “dear Lamb of God” would leave His “glory above” to “pardon and sanctify me” (John 1:29; John 17:4-5) is the “wondrous beauty I see.”

III. 1 Peter 4:12-13.  Then promising that living out the principles of the gospel will be hard, we’re encouraged in the song to persevere to one day share in Jesus’ glory.  If we “cling to the old, rugged cross,” we will one day secure a crown (James 1:12).

Since Jesus gave all for you, won’t you give all for Him?

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In Him is No Darkness

If asked, many would say that Lincoln is on the penny … but it is only his likeness.  Jesus states that He and His Father are one (John 10:30), but how does that oneness come about?  And how can we get in on that perfect fellowship with God?

I.  1 John 1:5-7.  God’s character is that there is no darkness at all.  Light throws off no shadow.  God is good, for our good (Romans 8:28-29), so that we will do good (Ephesians 2:10).  We can live a lie and tell others that we are in fellowship with God, but we will only fool ourselves and some others.  We will never deceive God, who knows our true nature and motives.

II.  Colossians 1:15-20.  The Son, who claims oneness with the Father, is an exact representation of the Father’s character and radiance.  He has that because He in the flesh abides in the Father and the Father in Him (John 14:8-11).  We are told to abide in Christ by living His commandments (John 15:4-11), a process which comes as a result of much discipline (Hebrews 12:7-14) but allows us to be perfected in holiness to share in fellowship with Him.

III.  1 John 1:8 — 2:6.  Fallen from the image of God in which we were created, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross renews that image in Him (Colossians 3:5-10) through the discipline process (Ephesians 4:20 — 5:2).  To share in oneness with God is to take on His perfect nature; then we can have fellowship with Him and other Christians who are also walking in the light as Jesus does.

To truly be Jesus’ disciple, our walk needs to match our talk.

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The Two Shall Become One Flesh

It’s often said that God created two institutions: marriage (and so the family unit) and the church.  Hebrews 10:1 indicates that the Law is the shadow of the reality to come.  Since the overall theme of the Bible is a holy God redeeming sinful man, then Ephesians 5 describing marriage as the shadow to understand the reality of Jesus’ bride, the blood-bought church, being presented to the Bridegroom at the wedding supper of the Lamb makes sense.

I.  Ephesians 5:22-33.  In figurative language, something that is unknown is described by what is known.  In this case, the relationship between a husband and wife is explained as the one between Christ and His church … and vice versa.  The marriage verse of Genesis 2:24 is quoted and then is directly applied to Jesus and His bride.  We know that earthly marriage only lasts until death or judgment (Matthew 22:29-30; Matthew 24:38-39).  Therefore, to help us better understand the oneness we need to have with God, our heavenly Father gave us the shadow of earthly marriage here.

II.  John 10:30.  Several are described as walking with God (Genesis 3:8; Genesis 5:24; Genesis 6:9).  In Enoch’s case, his fellowship with the Almighty let him escape death (Hebrews 11:5).  The Son, who was sinless (Hebrews 4:15), was in perfect oneness with the Father.  Through His redeeming work at the cross and tomb, Jesus makes it possible for us to live in a restored relationship with Him once again (1 John 2:6).

III.  John 14:9-14.  In Revelation 21:2, the church is presented as a bride adorned for her husband.  Blessed are those who are at the wedding supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-9) when the two become one flesh.  To be one with God, we first need to be baptized into Him (Galatians 3:26-27).  Then we need to continue to abide in Him through obedience and continual repentance.

Earthly marriages fail because of wedges in the oneness.  Christians fail because they allow wedges of sin and selfishness to come between them and their Bridegroom and cease to remain in the bride.  God wants all to come to repentance.  Are you heading to a wedding?