Category Archives: Jesus

Atonement, Eternal Life, Heaven, Jesus, Peter, Repentance, Satisfaction, Sin

Justice, Not Love

Posted by admin on June 4, 2010 at 3:16 pm.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-10).

                Sometimes changing a word in a familiar passage of Scripture awakens our minds to the truth that is really there. I had a professor in seminary that used to intentionally misquote I John 1:9 for just that point. He would say, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and LOVING to forgive us our sins…”

                My professor’s misquotation highlighted the common misunderstanding in our hearts concerning the basis for our forgiveness. We imagine that God as the compassionate Heavenly Father feels so lovingly toward us when we confess our sins that He chooses to forgive. After all, that always seemed to be the basis for our parents’ forgiveness when we offended them. I know a woman who recalls that at the age of 5 she figured that she would crawl up in God’s lap and He would be so moved by her that He would forgive whatever wrong she had done. After all, it had worked with her earthly father!

                But God does not forgive because He feels sorry for us. If He did He would not be a perfectly holy God. He forgives us because Jesus’ death satisfied His wrath against our sin. Lest I am misunderstood, let me say that He does love us, and He does have compassion for us, and He is moved by our repentance and brokenness. But that is not the basis for His forgiveness.

                Romans 3:26 points out that the purpose of Christ’s atoning sacrifice was that God might “be just (in His character) and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” If He, like the Islamic god, Allah, simply forgave sin capriciously, according to His mood when we happened to arrive at His judgment seat, He would not be just at all – He would actually be UNjust.

                No other religious system in the world offers a way to forgive sin without detracting from the holy character of God. Christianity is exclusive. And that is why Peter could say in Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Apart form Jesus, there is no forgiveness.

Church Today, Faith, Gentiles, Jesus, Missions, Psalms, nations

Other Sheep

Posted by admin on March 19, 2010 at 10:37 pm.

I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd (John 10:16).

                The “sheep pen” here refers to the Jewish people who believed in Jesus. This would suggest that the “other sheep” are non-Jewish (that is, Gentiles).

 The term “Gentiles” really refers to the “nations.” When Israel was a sovereign kingdom God intended that they would be an example to the outlying nations of the goodness of their God. Responding to Israel’s obedience, God wanted to shower upon them blessing after blessing until – like the Queen of Sheba – the nations would recognize Him as the true and living God.

But we know that Israel wasn’t obedient, and instead of drawing the nations to Himself, God used them as instruments of judgment upon Israel. In their continuing state of rebellion, Israel became antagonistic toward those nations rather than recognizing them as tools of God’s judgment and great tensions developed. Examples of these tensions are seen in the prophetic books of Jonah and Obadiah as well as in Psalm 137.

All of this is to say that from the very beginning, God has had a heart for all nations. Many of the Psalms used in Temple worship include phrases like, “let the nations rejoice” and “declare His glory among the nations” (Ps. 96:3). It has been His purpose to bring men “from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” to Himself. And because this is His passion, He has communicated it to those people that are truly His. That’s why every evangelical denomination has some involvement in overseas missionary activity. In fact, Jesus tied His own return to the progress of His Church in reaching the nations with the Gospel. He couldn’t be much clearer than when He said, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come (Matt 24:14). Some will think I am exaggerating when I suggest that the extent to which a local church is involved in missions will be the extent to which they please the heart of God.

Having been part of a missionary organization for more than 30 years, I never fail to be thrilled over reports of the Gentile nations coming to the Savior. It is especially satisfying as I see the Church in North America declining to know that God has not forgotten His passion to bring the nations to Himself, because it has ALWAYS been part of His plan.

Jesus, Scripture, assumptions

A Wrong Premise

Posted by admin on March 18, 2010 at 10:37 pm.

Some of the Pharisees said, “This man [Jesus] is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” John 9:16.

The Jewish leaders’ comment about Jesus is wrong because their underlying premise is wrong. If they had said, “This man [Jesus] is not from God, for He made a false prophecy,” their statement would have been correct because the test of a prophet was his accuracy. But Sabbath keeping was not a proper test.

We have many false premises in this period of Church history. Many assume that God must be pleased if a church is “successful” or has lots of people. But that’s a false premise. Cults like the Mormons or many of the TV evangelists draw big crowds, but they will answer to God for their false teaching. Others assume that God’s ways must always make sense to them. That too is a false premise because the Scripture says that He acts from a principle of grace not works. Proverbs says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (16:25). And Isaiah told us that God’s ways are not our ways (55:8). Another false assumption is that the way to prosperity is through saving and hoarding. The Bible does teach proper stewardship, but it is the one who honors God who will prosper, and this includes generosity as a part of stewardship.

I cannot be too hard on the Pharisees because their original intent was proper when they established the Sabbath laws. After all, they spent 70 years in Captivity in part because they failed to keep parts of the Sabbath laws. It is probably a natural thing that they became a bit over-zealous. Likewise, well meaning Christians today make wrong assumptions when they judge a person’s spiritual condition on the basis of the length of their hair, the style of their clothes or the number of wheels on their vehicle. But both the ancient and modern Pharisees need the think more carefully before they speak for God on these matters.

So if there are so many false assumptions, it is proper to ask how we will know the right assumptions. These are found, of course, in the Scripture. And it is why it is so important that we truly pour over this revelation of God’s Person and will. David made it His meditation daily, and God called him a man after God’s own heart (I Sam 13:14). We should be so blessed.

Humility, Jesus, John the Baptist, fasting

I Must Decrease

Posted by admin on March 12, 2010 at 3:50 pm.

He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30

                These are the words of John the Baptist, but they should be the words of all who know Jesus. In Matthew 11:11, Jesus makes a statement that, though it defies our logic, communicates an essential truth. He said, “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Apparently John did become less.

                Humility ought to be the characteristic of everyone who is a genuine believer in Christ. Our salvation is a gift of His grace; our daily nourishment comes from the earth that is His (see Ps. 24:1); any material possessions we have are merely on loan from the One who “owns the cattle on a thousand hills” (Ps. 50:10). One of the great hymns of the faith includes the line, “While all that borrows life from Thee…”

                Sadly, though, pride gets firmly entrenched in our lives well before we are able to really grasp these things, and it is tough to evict. Perhaps that’s why both Testaments call upon us to “humble ourselves.”

                I believe that that phrase was understood in ancient times to refer to the discipline of fasting. It was clearly interpreted in this way in Leviticus 16 when Moses was given instructions about the annual Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). By the time of the Apostle Paul that day was known simply as “the fast” (Acts 27:9). Even to this day, Jews will fast on that holiest of days in their calendar.

                Interrupting our normal eating schedule startles the body. We depend more upon food for energy than we would care to admit. And often that energy props up our moods. During a day of fasting I find myself somewhat depressed and feel keenly how frail I really am, and that feeling sends my pride packing. I really understand how inadequate I am and how my adequacy comes from Christ, and though it isn’t always pleasant, it’s a good thing.

                I don’t know how John the Baptist became the most humble of our race. His diet certainly wasn’t full of the rich foods that many of us enjoy on a daily basis, so maybe he did some fasting along with his disciples (Mark 2:18). But given that this quality is praised so highly by Jesus, it should be my purpose – somehow – to acquire it for myself.

Eternal Life, Eternal Son of God, Heaven, Jesus, Passover

Celebrating Passover with Jesus

Posted by admin on March 7, 2010 at 9:07 pm.

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” Luke 22:14-16

Some might dispute my statement that the central celebration in the Jewish calendar was intended to be Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. By this statement I am not trying to diminish God’s many deliverances of the Jewish people that are celebrated throughout their calendar year. But I am suggesting that the Passover is central to them all. Before He suffered and died, Jesus celebrated it with His disciples.

There was a sense among the ancient Jewish and Hebrew commentators that somehow Messiah would deliver the nation on the anniversary of their deliverance from Egypt which happened the day after Passover. This sense was correct for Jesus died the day after the Passover. Messiah did indeed deliver His people on this day.

Christian theology teaches that the inaugural event of heaven will be the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb.” I can’t quite figure out how it can be an inaugural event in a world without time, but I will leave that dilemma to God. But that event would appear to be comparable, if not identical, to the Passover feast on this side of eternity, and Jesus says in the passage above that He will “eat it again.”

Over the years, as our church has celebrated Passover by pointing to its fulfillment in Christ, we have recognized how completely this event melds the Old and New Testaments together into a single unit. The Exodus was central to the deliverance of the nation of Israel from the taskmasters of Egypt; Christ’s death was central to the deliverance of all mankind from the harsher taskmaster of sin. It is wonderful to celebrate not only with music and message, but to see how even the traditional food and ceremony point to the truth of Jesus’ deliverance of men.

It is even more thrilling to know that what we do each year is just a rehearsal for heaven where Jesus Himself will be physically present!

Eternal Son of God, Jesus, Prayer, Struggles

Prayer – Just do It

Posted by admin on February 19, 2010 at 5:12 pm.

Luke 6:12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.

                With the possible exception of evangelism, few topics elicit guilt in Christians like the call to pray. We all know we should and we have a plethora of examples showing why it is important, but still we don’t. My purpose is not to make us feel more guilty, but simply to observe the occasion of Jesus’ prayer – He prayed all night while deciding who would be His Twelve closest followers.

                Now, it wasn’t like these were established positions. There was no Bylaw that said He had to have twelve. He could have chosen 10 or even 15. Certainly twelve was a Biblical number, but  He wasn’t filling a quota; He was looking for men whose hearts were right deep down, because they would carry on His ministry after He had gone to heaven. They would be called upon to suffer hardship and trial, eventually even martyrdom, and if their hearts were compromised, they wouldn’t last.

                We don’t know what transpired between Father and Son that night, but somehow, He heard from the Father about which of the multitude He should call to “be with Him.” Those hours of prayer helped Him peer into the hearts of these men and understand who would last and who wouldn’t. I suspect that as the night wore on, Jesus saw how they would respond to His message and His purpose for their lives. I suspect also that there was some wrestling over the appointment of Judas Iscariot!

                This passage doesn’t give us great insight into how prayer works or what methodology we should use to find the answers to our questions and struggles. But it does point out the importance that Jesus placed upon prayer prior to major decisions, and it is an example of how we also should approach decisions in our own lives. If prayer was necessary for Jesus before decisions, how much more is it necessary for us.

                I don’t believe there as anything “magical” about spending all night in prayer, any more than any other discipline. But the main point of this brief statement in Luke’s Gospel is that we need to pray – even if it’s just a brief cry for help. It doesn’t matter how long or how big the decision, when it comes to prayer, just do it.

Christian, Church Today, Doubt, Faith, Jesus, Leap of Faith

No Leap of Faith

Posted by admin on February 16, 2010 at 10:47 am.

Luke 3:1-2 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar — when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—  during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert.

                The challenge from the secular world and its accomplices, the mainline liberal and neo-orthodox theologians of our day,  is that we who believe in Jesus have taken a “leap of faith.” To their way of thinking, our faith is firmly planted in mid-air!

                But that is not how the New Testament reads. In the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel (verse 5) and in the second chapter (verse 1) Luke includes historical markers to identify the times in which those events took place. In the passage above, he does the same – no less than in 6 different ways. He may not have used the Gregorian calendar (mostly because it hadn’t been invented yet), but Luke was very accurate in his identification of the historical documentation of the events he recorded.

                We who know Christ should protest when our faith is characterized as a “leap.” It is not. It is rooted in enough documented history that legal experts have declared events like the Resurrection of Jesus to be undeniable. These passages in Luke’s Gospel are just a few of the many intersections the Bible has with other documented secular history.

                I find it also interesting that those who usually characterize our faith as a “leap” are the same ones who say they believe in an evolutionary origin. It’s funny (ironic) that neither the “spontaneous generation” that I read about in my high school science texts nor the more recent suggestion that life was dropped upon this world from outer space are considered “ leaps.” But I shouldn’t be surprised because the politically correct Lexicon has to re-define even the word “is!”

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.

Christ's afflictions, Christian, Daily Struggles of Life, Jesus, Missionary Alliance Church, Oak Ridge, Promise, Psalms, Restoration, Struggles, Tennessee, Walk with Jesus

Struggles of Christian Life

Posted by admin on February 6, 2010 at 2:57 am.

“Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hos 6:1-3)

                This passage speaks first of God’s sovereign control over the events of our lives. Others don’t injure us or reproach us or revile us – He allows it. Certainly we experience struggles at the hands of other people (usually) but – as with Job – only with the divine permission of the Father.

But the promise is for restoration. It could be that Hosea is conditioning our restoration upon our “return” (i.e., repentance). Or it could be that he is saying that in view of the certainty of His restoration, we should return to Him. The interpretation here doesn’t really matter to me. As one who wants to know the fullness of a relationship with Him, I seek to maintain a repentant spirit, holding to the promise that “nothing can separate me from the love of Christ” (Rom 8 ) – not even tribulation.

The challenge of this passage is in the phrase, “let us press on to acknowledge Him.” The call to disciplined and diligent effort is clearer in some other translations, notably the NAS, but it is still in this translation. So, in the midst of my torn and injured spirit, it is my duty to press on to know Him. I am to count the pain as insignificant to my service for Him, as best I can, and move forward in my knowledge of Him. Admittedly, that is easier said than done.

Paul recognized that to a certain extent, we who are in Christ “fill up that which was lacking in Christ’s afflictions” (Col 1) – although not in a redemptive sense. This experience allows us to know “the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil 3:10-11) and “face death all day long” (Rom 8:36).

I have found that the struggle of the Christian life (which, although I am in ministry, is not confined to professional ministry) is often best met by reading the Psalms. Often my human desire is to lash out at those whom Satan uses to criticize me and impugn my motives, but I am checked in my spirit by the words of Jesus to turn the other cheek and to forgive as I have been forgiven. But despite these commands, my anger remains. Yet there is something encouraging about David’s writings where he calls down judgment on his enemies. If he, as a “man after God’s own heart,” can hold these thoughts, then I imagine that I can too. (However, this is a far cry from acting upon them!) Reading these thoughts from David (or the other psalmists) gives my spirit time to heal from whatever wound I am feeling.

If you are going thru struggles in your Christian life and need a place to fellowship with believers that can understand and encourage you in your walk with Jesus, we at the Oak Ridge Alliance Church in Oak Ridge Tennessee would love to walk beside you and encourage you in your journey. Please feel free to call us at 865-483-0606.