Posted on

As Though By Our Own

In recent years, the world has grown aggressively antagonistic to Christianity, and yet the church’s response has been to compromise with the culture and blend in to with every secular help agency to win souls.  Rather, let us hold out the treasure of the gospel and point to Jesus no matter what the cost.

I. Acts 3:5-16.  Peter healed a man lame from birth and an utterly astounded crowd soon came running.  Had it been the expected alms, like the silver or gold that everyone expected, then perhaps no one would have taken note.  But a complete healing of the man so that he could leap and praise God stood out dramatically.  Instead of blending in, God’s power was at work.  The gospel also heals us completely from sin, yet the church would rather be like every other agency to keep from being noticed.

II. Hebrews 7:11-16.  Peter was quick to tell the gathering crowd that it was not by their own power or piety that the man was healed.  Rather, he pointed to Jesus’ authority, power, and indestructible life.  Being sinful, we can do little (Romans 7:18-20), but Jesus was sinless (Hebrews 4:15).  Christians have often served without thanks, but when great things happen because God worked through us, we should acknowledge Him who is able to do all things.

III. Acts 12:21-24.  Peter then preaches the gospel to them (1 Corinthians 15:3-5), explaining that is faith through Jesus (John 8:24) that distinguishes us.  Yet, the Lord’s church attempts to compete with the world by means of the world.  We strive to have the same programs and ministries, the same facilities and advertising campaigns that the world has.  In doing so, we hope we’ll stand out enough to grow in numbers while not enough to incur the world’s wrath.

Because our Savior was on a mission (Luke 19:10), we who wear His name must be as well.  We must have the courage to stand out in a world that stands against us.

Posted on

Where He Leads, I’ll Follow

In A Christmas Story set in post-WWII America, Ralphie swears while helping his dad change a flat tire but doesn’t want to let his parents know that he had heard that word from his father when his dad daily battled their ancient furnace.  Fathers can be a bad example or a good one to their kids; they are certainly always influencing and leading.  Our heavenly Father’s example is always good, and He always leads us in good ways.  Are you following where He leads?

I. Matthew 8:18-22.  As Jesus urges His disciples to go across the Sea of Galilee when the Capernaum crowd begins to press in upon Him, a scribe asks to follow.  Jesus tells him of the hard life that will befall those who obey the gospel (Ephesians 2:1-6) and don’t make this world their home (2 Corinthians 5:1-4).  But it is a life full of sweet promises as the title song tells us:

Sweet are the promises, Kind is the word, Dearer far than any message man ever heard; Pure was the mind of Christ, Sinless I see; He the great example is, and pattern for me.

II. John 13:12-38.  Another disciple coming to Jesus at the same time desires to follow Jesus as well but wants to wait until his father dies.  Jesus tells him that following Jesus has urgency and priority in life.  So much love did He have for the living that He doesn’t want us to die outside of Him.  So, He led the way for us to love others by giving us the example of dying for them (1 John 3:16-18).

Sweet is the tender love Jesus hath shown, Sweeter far than any love that mortals have known; Kind to the erring one, Faithful is He; He the great example is, and pattern for me.

III.  Matthew 11:25-30.  Peter state emphatically that he will follow Jesus even to death but is told that he will soon deny Jesus three times.  Actions speak louder than words, and Jesus’ led to the cross.  So, we have a traveling companion in our following so we won’t grow weary.  We can believe or trust or lean upon our Savior who leads the way (is the Way) to our eternal home (John 14:1-6).

List to His loving words, “Come unto Me!” Weary, heavy laden, there is sweet rest for thee; Trust in His promises, Faithful and sure; Lean upon the Savior and thy soul is secure.

There’s determination in the chorus: Where He leads I’ll follow, Follow all the way; Where He leads I’ll follow, Follow Jesus ev’ry day.  You may sing, “Where He Leads, I’ll Follow,” but do you?

Posted on

In a Strait Betwixt Two

Struggling with the ghosts and monsters that glorify death at this time of year, many Christians focus on the delights of the Fall season instead.  Rather, we have an opportunity with those who still fear death (or believe that’s the scariest thing in this life) to teach them that Jesus has conquered death (Philippians 1:19-24).

I.  Hebrews 2:14-15.  Though Paul was suffering in prison, he states that by his life or by his death, Christ would be glorified in his body.  While we often place our comfort over our character, Paul had adopted God’s perspective on death, knowing, as the Hebrew writer says, that Jesus had destroyed the one who had the power of death and freed us from the slavery of the fear of death.  Sadly, many love the world still (1 John 2:15-17) and live in their bondage to this fear.

II.  Philippians 3:8-11.  Paul knew that this temporary world could not offer what was ‘far better’ with Christ.  Often, though, we assign eternal status to the temporary and work to live forever in this world that is passing away, becoming a friend to this world and an enemy to God (James 4:1-4).  Looking to avoid the sufferings that Jesus endured while in this life, we exchange that which is ‘far better’ for worldly pleasures and so forfeit the resurrection.

III.  1 Corinthians 15:42-58.  Unlike many today who have grown comfortable in this life, Christians should view, as Paul did, that our time here is for a purpose to have an impact on those around us.  And, just as those who served others didn’t recognize that they were doing these things for Jesus when they did them for others (Matthew 25:37-40), we too must realize that time here is “necessary on [another’s] account” and abound in our work for the Lord.

So, how do you feel when someone dies in the Lord or think about your own eventual death?  Do you fear death or are you joyful that you used the time that God has given you to live faithfully and play a role in getting others through the gates of heaven?

Posted on

What is Truth?

Truth is to be sought after above all other things in this world (Proverbs 23:23), yet in a world that denies the existence of truth, we who insist on proclaiming it are hated (Amos 5:10).  Pilate was a product of the world that believed that whatever power or advantage a person could gather for himself was the only truth, relative as it may be, that existed.  Yet, Jesus declared to him that His purpose in coming into the world was to bear witness to absolute truth (John 18:33-40).  This is the purpose of His followers today.

I.  Acts 5:27-40.  Believing Jesus a liar, Pilate asked, “Are you the King of the Jews?”  Word of this itinerant preacher from Galilee must have surely reached Pilate before his own people turned him over to be condemned.  He sure didn’t look the part, but if he was “the King of the Jews,” why were his own people, who hated the occupiers, so willing to involve Rome?  He must have done something else?  In the same way today the world tries to either shut truth-tellers up or get us to dilute our message.

II.  John 15:18-25.  Thinking Jesus a lunatic, Pilate asked, “So you are a king?”  If not lying, Jesus must be crazy, yet he was speaking not like one condemned but factually about his spiritual kingdom.  He has no fear in the face of the worldly power I wield buts speaks to me as a head of state, like he’s the one in control, not me.  I can see that he’s done nothing deserving death, but it’s out of envy that they turned him in.  For the same reason, Jesus’ followers are hated today as we are citizens of His kingdom.

III.  Acts 17:16-21.  Considering Jesus to be LORD, Pilate asked, “What is truth?”  Why would someone willingly go through this, even die if truly a king?  Jesus answers by stating that it’s his purpose for coming into this world in order to bear witness to the truth.  In my position, I only ever hear what I want to hear from those around me or lies to spare prisoners’ lives.  But, here is one in power as well and innocent.  Because truth is relative in our world today, truth-tellers are considered narrow-minded and are cancelled (Acts 19:23-41).

Pilate gave in to the crowd to keep peace.  That’s what worldly power does.  But, he would put an inscription on the cross stating that Jesus was King of the Jews.  Meanwhile, God’s people are urged to love truth and peace (Zechariah 8:16-19).  Do you–even in the face of a world that is against you?

Posted on

Save Those Who are Eagerly Waiting

Why was it so essential that Jesus be seated at the right hand of the Father and that we know that He is coming back?  What is the work of the King of Kings that He does on our behalf as He entered His kingdom?

I.  Colossians 1:9-20.  Jesus is on a rescue mission.  He had to enter His kingdom to deliver us from the dominion of darkness and transfer us to His kingdom.  He accomplishes this through the church (Matthew 16:18), which is His body, which He bought with His blood (Acts 20:28), over which He is head (Ephesians 1:7-23).  We are rescued when we obey the gospel (Acts 2:36-41).

II.  Hebrews 7:23-25.  We need Jesus to intercede for us.  Jesus’ constant work on behalf of those who have obeyed the gospel until the Day of Judgment is to sit at the right hand of the Father as our permanent High Priest and offer intercession for us (Hebrews 9:11-15).  And, it is good that He does as the accuser of our brethren is constantly about his deceitful work (Revelation 12:1-17).

III.  Hebrews 9:23-28.  Because we know that Jesus will return for us (Acts 1:9-11), we must be eagerly waiting for Him.  The time for His redemptive work is done, His sacrifice for sins on the cross and overcoming of death at the tomb accomplished.  He has gone away to prepare a place for us (John 14:1-4), so we must live faithfully, watching and preparing (Matthew 25:1-13).

Jesus has gone away to do His important work of saving us.  Are we about our important work of eagerly waiting for His return?

Posted on

How Long Will You Go Limping …?

Elijah describes those who should have been God’s people in his day as “limping between two opinions.”  That is a good way to describe those in the church that have grown complacent and compromised in their faith and the lost but searching that we’d like to reach with the gospel.  In the contest he forces between the impotent false gods the people were worshiping and God Himself, Elijah shows God to be GOD! with tremendous power.

I.  1 Kings 18:11-39.  Just how difficult those in power had made it for God’s people who were truly seeking to worship God in spirit and in truth is evident when Elijah tries to send Obadiah, one of the Lord’s prophets, to force the contest with Ahab and Jezebel.  Obadiah relates how the faithful are being persecuted and how prevalent enforced idolatry is in the culture.  In the contest on Mount Carmel, true power is displayed from God, the people see this, and their decision to choose God cancels out the power those in power believed they had over the people as the false prophets are put to death.

II.  Acts 2:22-39.  In Jesus’ time on earth, those in power feared the opinion of the people as well (John 11:45-48), and when it began to turn towards hailing Jesus, they sought to put Him to death (Luke 22:1-2).  With a “hard saying” Jesus, like Elijah, sought to make the spiritually limping among those who should have been God’s people choose between opinions (John 6:25-69).  Most left Him then but not “the twelve” at that time, Peter wisely answering, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”  After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the gospel confronts us with the same choice.

III.  Romans 10:9-15.  The only way that the lost will be reached with that choice (call on His Name) is if those who have already obeyed the gospel (Romans 6:3-5) go (are sent) … so the power of the gospel is presented as a choice (is preached and they hear it) … because they believe it.  First, we must truly believe it ourselves (John 8:24).  Far too often, Christians fear the opinion of the people controlled by those in power and our love grows cold (Matthew 24:9-13).  Instead, we must love through obedience (John 14:15) and sacrificial living (Romans 12:1-2) to love the limping as Jesus did (John 13:34-35).

Are you limping between two opinions?  See the power of God in dying on the cross for your sins and being raised from death for your eternal life.

Posted on

By Him All Things Were Created

Since the second Person of the Godhead is eternal, what was Jesus doing from creation through incarnation?  The Great Christology of Colossians 1:15-20 tells us quite a lot.  Far from just arriving on the scene for the first time in Bethlehem (Luke 2:11), God says that He alone would be the Savior (Isaiah 43:11) over seven centuries before.

I.  Colossians 1:15.  Jesus was active as the exact imprint or essence of God.  Ask and someone will say that Lincoln is on the penny.  Is he or is that his image?  Jesus backed this concept up with Caesar (Matthew 22:19-21).  Hebrews 1:1-18 further explains this and its necessity for Jesus’ preeminence over all things but especially our salvation.  He was God to be our Savior but man to be our sacrifice.  Though the subject of theophanies in the Old Testament isn’t conclusive that they are Christ and not angelic ambassadors speaking for God, being the exact representation of God would allow for Jesus to be addressed as God if was indeed Him (Genesis 16:10-13, Genesis 18:17-19, Joshua 5:13 — 6:2, Daniel 3:24-25, et. al.).

II. Colossians 1:16.  All things were indeed created through Jesus (John 1:1-18), and so He has dominion over all things as our Sovereign Lord (Romans 9:16-21).  This also means that because of His sovereignty, all things were created FOR Him as well.  Throughout the Bible, God upholds the idea of property rights (Proverbs 22:28, Acts 5:4).  David brings us back to the concept from creation that all things belong to God (1 Chronicles 29:14-16).

III.  Colossians 1:17.  Jesus has also been active since creation (and still is) at sustaining all things.  This means what we often attribute to the laws of nature are really the laws of Christ.  Again Hebrews 1:1-3 deepens our understanding of Jesus’ work.  That means He was upholding the universe while challenged (Matthew 22:18-21), in the garden (Matthew 26:53-54), before Pilate (John 18:36-37), and at the cross (Luke 23:34).  He is sustaining it now while we are here in this chaotic world and for our loved ones who have died in Him.

That Jesus is in control is a comforting thought, especially when we are bombarded by the world’s headlines.  We must put our trust in Him and in His gospel!

Posted on

Before the World Existed

In the 1st century, those who had been with Jesus or witnessed the power of the resurrection of the dead had a difficult time believing that He had been a man.  In the postmodern skepticism of the 21st century, many can’t believe He was ever God.  Jesus was more than a good man and teacher, religious philosopher or advocate for the common man.  The alpha and the omega, He is eternal and through whom all things were made.  Therefore, He cannot be placed on the buffet with other leaders from world religions.  Through His great love for us, though we were sinners, Jesus died and then was raised from the dead for our justification and sanctification.  Jesus stands alone.

I.  John 1:1-18.  Jesus was God and was with God before creation and at creation.  It was through Him that all things were made.  After the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, John records that the Son’s followers saw Jesus’ glory, the glory of the only God, who was at the Father’s side, who had seen God and made God known to us.  From eternity to creation, then, Jesus was in His glory and was awaiting His role as Creator and through whom all was created (Genesis 1:1-27).  Before He took on the image of man, Jesus made man in the image of Himself.

II.  John 17:1-5.  Before Jesus went to the cross, we glimpse from His own lips what He longed for in prayer–the glory He had with His Father “before the world existed.”  This rare peek into His eternal nature also gives us a clue how He endured the pain and shame of the cross.  While fixing His eyes on the glory that He would return to in complete fellowship with His Father, Jesus gave us a way to run the race that is set before each and every one of us (Hebrews 12:1-2).  Told to deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Him, three of Jesus’ followers were allowed to witness that glory while Jesus was transfigured (Matthew 17:1-8).

III.  John 17:20-24.  Jesus will only give His glory to those who are seeking the Savior’s glory (Romans 2:6-10).  In this life we hope for it as He who promises it is faithful (Romans 5:1-2).  The sufferings of this life can’t compare to the glory that is promised to us (Romans 8:18-21).  The promise comes in a spiritual body that is resurrected in power and glory (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).

This is why we forsake the world and all its glory (John 12:42-43).  Just as Jesus longed to be clothed once again in the glory He had with His Father before the world existed, we too must live every moment here in a relentless pursuit of the glory that is promised to us in Him.

Posted on

That She Might Be Holy

In the Beauty & the Beast, it is the beast who changes over the course of the story.  That’s how we would like wedding supper of the Lamb to go.  “Just As I Am” means that Christ ought to accept His bride without any change on her part while the Lion of Judah must be transformed into our image.

The Bible, however, shows a very different picture–one that describes a process of perfection that we must undergo to share in Jesus’ holiness.

I.  Ephesians 5:25.  Like God’s people of the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 7:6-8), there’s nothing special about us that the Bridegroom would choose us (1 Corinthians 1:26-28).  We are the nothings of this world, despised and rejected (Ezekiel 16:4-7), yet God loved us, and Jesus gave Himself for us (John 3:16-17).

II.  Ephesians 5:26.  We are not okay the way we are but dirty, sinful, and separated from Him.  Jesus perfects His bride, the church, through a sanctification process (Ezekiel 16:8-12).  This was made possible through His sacrifice on the cross and involves much discipline on our part (Hebrews 12:7-14).  The result, however, is that we share in His holiness if we are trained by it (Ephesians 4:20-24).

III.  Ephesians 5:27.   Once perfected, we advance to royalty (Ezekiel 16:13-14) as the King of Kings presents the church to Himself (1 Peter 2:9-10).  There is no doubt that the sanctified bride will be presented to the Lion of Judah (Revelation 21:1-4).  All that is to be determined is if you will be part of the bride.

We are given the opportunity to share in Christ’s character–holiness, but many do not work out their salvation with fear and trembling.  In describing how God’s people of the Old Testament did not go through the sanctification process, Ezekiel gives us a bleak picture of their end in Ezekiel 16:15-22.  May we remember where we’ve been, recall the price of our sanctification, and live our new lives as the bride of Christ.

Posted on

Calloused Hands

Jesus the man, of calloused hands,
Of muscled arms, of work and wood;
The God of sweat and tears and blood,
At the Father’s side, you sit and rein:

Now in heaven, in power and might,
Break open our hard and painful shell
Of sin and self-reliant hell —
Put all our lonely fears to flight.

Pierce the silence — heal the pain —
O Christ who knows sharp solitude,
Whose prayers showed every human mood —
Lord save me from the curse of Cain.

You felt no lack, in perfect want;
With him who sent you, thought as one —
Surrendered glory — God’s will was done —
Raise me to your transfigured Mount.