Category Archives: Messiah

Children, Discipleship, Faith, Maturity, Messiah, Scripture, Training, Walk with Jesus

God Has No Grandchildren

Posted by admin on March 22, 2010 at 11:03 pm.

They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” John 4:42

                It is the experience of every believer in Christ that at some point he comes to the same decision as the Samaritans who heard about Jesus from the woman at the well. Many – especially those who grew up in believing homes – trust in Him initially because of the influence of those they respect, such as parents. But there always comes a time when they have to face the decision on their own, a time when they have to decide for themselves whether Jesus is THEIR Savior or just their parents’.

                Whoever coined the phrase, “God has no grandchildren,” was exactly right. I have done my children a disservice if I have not shown them by my words and my example how to establish a relationship with Christ personally. Of course, that relationship changes as they change in their maturity, but at some point I believe that they need to be reading the Scripture for their own direction from God. Time will tell whether my training of my own children was successful.

                One of the better things we did in our family was to memorize parts of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. This is a wonderful summary of Evangelical doctrine that properly emphasizes the nature of God, the Scripture and salvation. It is thoroughly Trinitarian, and though it is often associated with the Presbyterian Church, its teaching does not violate the cardinal doctrines of any Christian denomination, as far as I can tell. I should emphasize that it shouldn’t replace the reading of the Scripture itself, but rather it wonderfully summarizes the Scripture in these key areas.

                If we are going to properly prepare our kids to walk with Christ on their own, it is imperative that they see themselves within the larger context of the Church. This is where good Christian biography comes in to play. We especially found missionary biographies to captivate the attention of the kids, but our family time of devotion was a great opportunity to read aloud some of the classics. C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia are wonderful stories that captivate the attention of kids in elementary school and up (I read them for the first time in college, and have read them several times since). And, while the stories are thoroughly engaging, they contain many tremendous allegories of the Christian life.

                But none of this is profitable if our kids don’t see in us a vital walk with Christ ourselves. Just as we don’t want them believing solely because we tell them it’s the Truth, so we should not simply believe because someone has told US that Christianity is the Truth.

Disciples, Faith, Messiah, Miracles, Resurrection

Coming to Jesus Step By Step

Posted by admin on March 20, 2010 at 10:35 pm.

 

Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him (John 11:45).

                Whatever happened to these Jews who believed in Jesus following the raising of Lazarus? We don’t know and won’t know for sure until we get to heaven, but there are some likely scenarios for these people.

                Undoubtedly, many of these formed the throngs that lined the road at Jesus’ Triumphal Entry. They would have waved palm branches and laid out their cloaks before Him as He rode into Jerusalem. They probably WEREN’T among the crowds that were incited by the religious leadership to call for Him to be crucified.

                Acts 6:7 records that the disciples increased greatly after the Day of Pentecost, and that even a number of priests became Christians. We are not told that the Jews who believed following Lazarus’ resurrection were priests, but some may have been and certainly many of the people who came to Christ in the early chapters of Acts were likely ones who witnessed the miracles of Jesus – including this significant event.

                Most of us forget that those who came to Christ in the book of Acts were not hearing about Jesus for the first time. It is likely that many had been among the crowds that followed Jesus, that ate the bread that He miraculously provided, that knew someone who knew someone who had been healed. Finally the news of the Resurrection of Jesus reached them and convinced them the He really was Messiah.

                People in our day don’t usually come to know Christ the first time they hear the Gospel message either. The vast majority of people need to hear, think about the claims of Christ and finally become convinced that He really is God before they will trust Him. This reality should make us re-think what real evangelism is, and help us to recognize that when we stand for Christ in our neighborhoods or work places, someone may be there who will later recall that testimony as a step toward his decision for Christ.

Messiah, Purpose, Righteousness, Scripture

Search the Scriptures

Posted by admin on March 14, 2010 at 9:56 pm.

You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. John 5:39-40

The King James translation of these verses omits the first word “You,” thereby making this statement a command, and while it works, most translators think the context would suggest that this is a declaration of the attitudes of the Pharisees and religious leaders toward the Scriptures.

Something in me wants to make this a command, because it is what men should do, especially those who claim to know Jesus. I want it to be a command because such a statement is the passion of my life and ministry. But, alas, I recognize that this desire in me is just a fleshly attitude, justifying my desire that men study the Scriptures. There are plenty of other places where my passion can be expressed legitimately.

No matter how we approach this verse – as a command or a declaration – Jesus is clear that the testimony of the whole of Scripture is about Him. The historical sections of the Old Testament describe His sovereign activity in the lives of His people. The Psalms often describe His workings in the emotions of individuals that trust in Him. And the prophetic sections tell of the declarations and commands that He has given to His people. Sprinkled throughout are a large number of specific predictions about the life and ministry of Messiah – Jesus.

We who love a spouse or child learn all we can about that person. We know what makes them happy, what makes them sad or angry and a function of our love is to use this knowledge to please them. It should be the same with Jesus. In fact, I dare say that the fact that we haven’t made Jesus our passionate study suggests that we don’t love Him like we say we do. I fear that this will be the indictment upon our generation.

Christ, Eternal Son of God, Gentiles, Hearts, Messiah, Restoration, Resurrection, conversion

Receive or Reject

Posted by admin on March 10, 2010 at 12:01 pm.

He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:11-12).

                This passage is one of the many “sad and glad” couplets in Scripture. It combines one of the most tragic phrases in all of literature with one of the most hopeful.

                There are many reasons why “His own” did not receive Him. Some can be attributed to misunderstanding. He didn’t fit the mold that they had come to expect. He didn’t follow all their rules and regulations; He didn’t throw off the yoke of the Roman government; He didn’t stroke the religious establishment in the right way; indeed, on that point, He stirred them up and pointed out their hypocrisy.

                Some of those who misunderstood Him at first came around later and broke up mold of their expectations so that they could see Him for Who He really was.

But others didn’t. These stubbornly held fast to their expectations and required Him to conform to their ways of thinking. The irony (or perhaps hypocrisy) was that these apparently religious people had put God in a box and refused to let Him out. Their ways were all that mattered. They would be recognized and honored when they forced God to do what they determined was the best policy for their people. Many of those that refused to receive Him tried to use their personal or political influence to make Him conform to their ways. Ultimately they would “win the battle” but “lose the war.” Jesus would be crucified at their hands, but He would rise again to life.

But how much happier were those who are described in the “glad” portion of this couplet. They received Him, acknowledging ultimately His glory. They didn’t necessarily understand all that He was doing or all that would happen to Him, but they understood, with John, that this One – the Messiah – was not their puppet, but was the One they needed to obey. They were willing to be the servants rather than the Master.

It seems to me that we see the same contrast among people today in Western society. We can argue about whether “His own” only refers to Jewish people, but it would be immaterial. Whether we are Jews or Gentiles, the human heart still is rebellious against our Creator. We still want to pull His strings rather than submit to His will. We still have the same choice: receive Him or reject Him. In the end there is no other option.

Jesus' Teachings, Messiah, Pain, Scripture, Sin, Struggles, Suffering, hardship

Hang on Jesus’ Words

Posted by admin on March 5, 2010 at 5:20 pm.

Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words. Luke 19:47-48

                Things certainly are different in our day! Today we ignore, rather than “hang on to,” His words. The difference between the response in the time of Jesus and our own is not a matter of the delivery because the Holy Spirit has breathed life into the words of Scripture just as the breath of Jesus carried them through His lips. It is also not because men are innately different today than in that day. I would suggest that the reason we don’t hang on Jesus’ words because we don’t have the motivation that they had in the time of Jesus.

                The people of Jesus’ day were looking for a Messiah, a deliverer. They were oppressed by an authoritarian political regime that didn’t care about their Jewish laws and practices. Rather than being the head, they were the tail (see Deut. 28:13-14) because they had not paid attention to the Lord’s commands. His judgment upon them had led to their subservient position.

                People in America today – even Christians – are not looking for a Messiah, at least not a Messiah like Jesus. We are too comfortable in our position on top of the world. When our bank accounts run dry, when our health gives out, when our families decide to blow us off, then we’ll hang on Jesus’ words. But probably not before, unless we have been trained well (and sometimes, not even then!).

                I’m glad that the Church can be there when life happens for people in our world, but the truth is that the fix is not an easy one. It’s always simpler to get into trouble than to get out of it, because the source of that trouble is always sin. Sometimes it’s the original sin that plagues all mankind on this side of heaven, sometimes it is a specific sin that has led to our circumstances. But either way, the remedy is Jesus – His death for us or His words to us.

                I am very thankful for the easy life God has blessed us with in America with our many freedoms and creature comforts and I recognize their Source, but I fear that unless we wake up and hang on his words again like our Founding Fathers did, we’ll repeat the cycle that plagued the Jewish people.

Christ, Death, Eternal Life, Faith, Gentiles, Jesus, Messiah, Sovereign Lord

Prepared for death

Posted by admin on February 15, 2010 at 2:47 pm.

Luke 2:25-32  Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:  “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

                Probably my favorite character (aside from Jesus) in the Christmas story is the old man, Simeon. He was a faithful and godly man in the midst of a religion of external forms and ritualistic worship. At some point – we don’t know if it was that morning when he woke up or months before – God had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen Messiah. But eight days after Jesus was born, His parents brought Him to the Temple for His dedication and, while there, they met Simeon.

                Simeon recognized the Baby Jesus as the Messiah and “sang” the wonderful hymn that is recorded in verses 29-32, called the “Nunc Dimittus.” (This is the last of four hymns recorded in the first two chapters of Luke and takes its name from the first words of the Latin text.)

                I like Simeon and his song because he has life in its proper perspective. First he recognizes that God has him in this world for a purpose. Once he recognizes Messiah, he can be “dismissed” by the “Sovereign Lord.” His work is done; his next assignment is in a different venue – heaven. We who are “in Christ” should take our cue from Simeon – we are here as servants of God, not those who issue the orders! He calls us to His service and dismisses us when He is done with us – not the other way around.

                Simeon also has a global perspective. While God’s principle place of activity was within the nation of Israel, Jesus was still “a light of revelation to the Gentiles.”It was always within God’s scope that ALL nations would worship Him. Around His throne will be some “from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (see Rev. 5).

                But mostly I like Simeon because he is prepared to die. It’s not a fearful thing; he may not know exactly what death will bring, but he knows the One who has ordered it. And he trusts Him.

                Lots of people today aren’t ready to die. But they can be – if only they follow Simeon’s example, and actively look for Messiah.

Bartimaeus, Jesus, Mark 10:46, Messiah, Son of Timaeus

Encountering Jesus

Posted by admin on February 13, 2010 at 10:36 pm.

Mark 10:46 As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging.

The ancient language of the Jews was Hebrew, but by the time of Jesus the land had been conquered and re-conquered so many times that the main language had changed to Aramaic. In Hebrew, the word for “son” is “ben.” “Ben-yamin” means “son of my right hand.” However in Aramaic, the word for son is “bar.”

As Jesus was leaving the city of Jericho one day, He heard a blind man crying out to Him. While the rest of the entourage suggested that He ignore him, Jesus came to Him and asked what He could do for him. He wanted to receive his sight, which Jesus granted. But, to my way of thinking, the gift of his sight was secondary. Here is a man whose only identity was that he was “the son of Timaeus.” He had no skill; all he could do was beg. He must have felt utterly worthless. Still, though he couldn’t see, Bartimaeus could reason. He reasoned that this miracle-working Rabbi must be the Son of David, an idiom for “Messiah.” And he reasoned that this might be the only opportunity he would ever have of being this close to Him. So he wouldn’t be stopped in his effort to get Jesus’ attention. If Jesus passed him by, it wouldn’t be for lack of effort on Bartimaeus’ part.

 The healing of Bartimaeus’ eyes was minor compared to the healing of his soul. Suddenly, after his encounter with Messiah, this man had an identity. He could make a name for himself; he could be a productive part of society; he wouldn’t have to depend upon the pity of others; he would no longer be known as “that blind son of Timaeus.”

The wonderful thing about this story is that it is repeated again and again. People who encounter Jesus suddenly find that their life has a meaning and purpose that they never had known before. They discovered it when they acknowledged Him as Messiah and pursued Him with all their hearts.