120422
John 20:24-29 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
If impostors and deceivers had compiled the Bible for their own private advantage, they would never have told mankind that one of the disciples of Jesus had behaved as Thomas here did. Just look what Thomas missed by not being with the other believers first time Jesus appeared. Throughout history Thomas has been known as the doubting disciple. We don't know a lot about him. We certainly don't know as much about Thomas we do about Peter, James and John. He was one of the Twelve who were chosen, out of all the disciples, to be close to Jesus. So Thomas was important and it may help our Christian walk to see what John has to say about him. Matthew, Mark and Luke simply list him among the names of the Twelve. These three earlier Gospels leave this story out possibly because Thomas was still alive. John, writing much later, tells us more.
Thomas spoke up when he needed to.
One of those times was when Jesus was headed into danger. John 11:14-16 tells us, “Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”” Jesus and his disciples had been staying away from the vicinity of Jerusalem. The religious leaders had been trying for some time to arrest him. Jesus knew that the arrest would come but he also knew it wasn’t time yet. Thomas was with him, along with the others, when word came that Jesus' dear friend Lazarus was very sick. Jesus’ first reaction was to wait two more days and then say, “Let us go to him.” That was when Thomas said, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Thomas was disappointed in his desire to die with Jesus. He would yet be given the opportunity to die for Jesus a long time after. The tradition of the early church is that Thomas left the Holy Land and founded the first church in Babylon. Then he went on to India. There are Christians living today who believe they are descended from people who were converted by Thomas before he was killed for his faith.
Jesus’ followers often expected to die for him. Many years later Paul would go to Jerusalem expecting to die there — but he was disappointed! He was beaten by the crowd who intended to kill him but he was rescued by the Romans! After Paul was examined and locked up in prison Jesus came and stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” (Acts 23:11) After Paul had borne witness in Rome — knowing that he would soon pay the price of discipleship — he wrote to Timothy, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:6-8)
In 1724 Isaac Watts would write a song as part of a sermon entitled, “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?” It goes like this:
Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follower of the Lamb,
And shall I fear to own His cause,
Or blush to speak His name?
Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?
Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?
Sure I must fight if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord.
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy Word.
Thomas also spoke up when he didn't understand Jesus. John 14:1-7 tells us, ““Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
I am sure that the disciples often failed to understand what the master had to say. This was a prime example. At least three times Jesus had told them that he would be crucified and would rise again on the third day. He was going away but they didn’t understand it! Instead of sitting there confused, like the rest of the disciples, Thomas spoke up, “Lord, we do not know where you’re going. How can we know the way?” This seemed like a good question to him and Jesus patiently explained, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Thomas needed to know that and so do we. Our Lord Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. There is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved.
He was not there when Jesus first appeared to the disciples.
He simply did not expect the risen Lord. No matter how many times Jesus had said he would be crucified and come back to life the disciples didn’t get it! So after the crucifixion of Jesus, apparently, Thomas stayed away. Maybe he had trouble settling with his grief. If he didn’t believe Jesus would rise from the dead he might’ve thought the rest of them were a little crazy pretending Jesus had been raised from the dead
In fact, he openly rejected the idea. John 20:25b Thomas said to the other disciples, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” This is utterly amazing!
Think of what Thomas had seen. He saw five thousand men, not counting women and children, fed with a boy's lunch! He saw Jesus, and Peter, walk on the water! He had seen lepers healed! He had seen the eyes of the blind opened! He had seen Lazarus raised from the dead! He had heard Jesus’ teaching and had even been willing to die with him! But after seeing him die he wouldn’t believe that he would come back from the dead. All of us slip into times of doubt and we can be encouraged by Thomas. If the Lord Jesus would patiently bring Thomas around to faith he will surely do the same thing for us when we doubt.
But he was open to discuss it. On the next Lord’s day, when the disciples gathered together in the upper room Thomas was with them! His doubt did not turn him away from the fellowship of believers. He knew there was something special about these people and he needed to be there with them. I don’t believe he went expecting to see the risen Lord. It could very well be that Jesus appeared the second time just for Thomas’ sake. The thought of that is encouraging to me! I’m often slow to catch on to what God is up to and I need him to reach out and draw me along. The story of Thomas’ doubt should encourage us all to come to the throne of grace and trust that the one we are unsure of is sure of us. Even when we are faithless he is faithful! J. C. Ryle, in his commentary on The Gospel John, wrote, “Our Lord has many weak children in His family, many dull pupils in His school, many raw soldiers in His army, many lame sheep in His flock. Yet He bears with them all, and casts none away.”
Thomas confessed Jesus to be his Lord and his God!
For a second time Jesus came to a room where the door was locked yet he entered because he cannot be locked out. No matter how often we turn away he will come to us by his will not ours. He will not leave us alone — praise God for that! Jesus had the promise of the Father, “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6: 39-40) Paul would later write to the Romans, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39) Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord! We may turn away, we may drag our feet, we may doubt and even consider ourselves without faith but he will remain faithful — Praise God!
Thomas proclaimed Jesus "Lord". In Romans chapter 10 verses 9 & 10 we are told if we confess Jesus as Lord with the mouth and believe with the heart that God raised Jesus from the dead we will be saved. The term “Lord” is used a number of times in the Gospels for God himself. It was not a casual term like it might be today. When Thomas recognized that all that Jesus had said was true his relationship to Jesus was forever changed. Jesus had been his Rabbi, or teacher, but now Jesus was his Lord! Now, Thomas belonged to Jesus! The doubting one was convinced because of the patient love of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Then Thomas proclaimed Jesus as "God". This is a much more serious confession! At that time one might call a social superior “Lord” though it was a serious term to use. Now, Thomas adds, “My God”. If there was ever any doubts as to the divinity of Jesus this should settle it. When Cornelius fell down at the feet of Peter and would have worshiped him, the Apostle refused such honor at once--"Stand up; I too am a man." (Acts 10:26.) When the people of Lystra would have done sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas, "they tore their clothes, and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, "Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of like nature with you." (Acts 14:14.) But in this case, there was not a word of rebuke. Instead Jesus said, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus could hardly have made it clearer. He is God!
There is no doubt that the divinity of Jesus is a foundational truth for Christianity. If Jesus was not God then there is a limit to what he can do for us. He can’t be our mediator. He can’t bear our sins since he would have sins of his own. He can’t give us salvation since he would need salvation himself. Many years ago C. S. Lewis put forth the idea that Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic or he is Lord. There is no middle ground. It Jesus is not Lord then everything we know about him is false. If Jesus is not Lord he was a deceiver, he was deceived or he was insane. Where do you stand? Is he your Lord?
All Scripture quotes are from: The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Jn 1:1). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
As… Even So!
John 20:19-23 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
Jesus came and stood among them! The door was locked and yet he entered! It little matters how this happened. The door may have miraculously opened as a prison cell would later open for Peter. Or, Jesus may have just appeared in the room. After all, he is now in his glorified body. What matters is the fact that he was there at all! After all, they had seen him die! It had been reported by others that Jesus had been raised from the dead but the disciples don't seem to have believed that. Now Jesus appears to them. Only John gives us this account. Luke records a similar instance but he wasn't an eyewitness. John was there and even though he wrote many years later this event was burned into his memory. "Peace be with you" Jesus told them. Then he repeated those words and added, "As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you."
Jesus, the sent One!
Jesus was sent from heaven with a particular plan in mind. This was not a last resort it was a first choice. He had always known that man, in his own strength,would fail to live up to the glory of God. We need to remember that God operates on an entirely different level from us. The plan of the ages was simply that God himself would come into the world to bear the sins of mankind. The cross was never a surprise to God. A part of the process leading to the cross was the work that Jesus did on Earth.
Jesus was sent to do the Father's will. John 5:30 records the words of Jesus when he said, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me,” This is a remarkable statement! To hear the creator the universe say, “I can do nothing on my own.” is absolutely amazing! In order to set a pattern for our lives he lived a life that was entirely human yet without sin. The temptations of Satan in the wilderness were attempts to get Jesus to act like God. “Turn the stones to bread” the devil said. “If you’re the Son of God”, “All these I will give you, if you fall down and worship me.” Jesus was not truly tempted in the way we might have been. He came from the Father to do the Father’s will.
Jesus was sent to reveal the Father's will. John 6:38-40 tells us “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” I love it when the Bible points me to the answer of a question in my life. “This is the will of him who sent me”, Jesus said. Wow, the Father’s will in Jesus’ life was, wondrously, that nothing given to him would be lost! The will of the Father is that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life! This is not a Calvinist or an Armenian doctrine, these are the words of Jesus himself. “Everyone who looks and believes will be saved!” Why would one look, except the Father reveals the Son? How can one believe except the Father enables faith? Jesus came from the Father to reveal the Father’s will.
Jesus was sent so that we could know the Father. Jesus said in John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Many years ago a friend of mine asked me, “what is eternal life?”. I began a rather complicated answer beginning with the Father, continuing on forever, etc. and he simply asked, “What does the Bible say?” I said, “Show me” and he opened to this passage of Scripture and read it to me! Eternal life is knowing the Father, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he sent. It’s that simple and that complicated all at once! Once we know him and receive the Son — believing on him — we have eternal life! Jesus came so that we could know the Father.
Jesus becomes the sender.
Jesus, who was sent from the Father, became the sender. He did this by a process that was predetermined before the world began. Jesus did not come into the world to study man and plot a course for correcting the problem. He already knew what to do when he came. Central to all of Jesus’ life was the process of setting an example.
Setting an example. In John 13 Jesus shows us how to minister. He had come to the end of his human life. He loved his disciples even though one of them would betray him. They came into the room where no servant was present and reclined at table without washing their feet. Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, took the basin and towel and began the process of washing the feet of his disciples. This would’ve been the job of the lowest servant in the household. The disciples must’ve been embarrassed that their Master would kneal at their feet and begin to bathe off the dust. He had set an example for us to follow. No one in the kingdom is above, or too good for, the lowest job.
In a recent Undercover Boss TV show, Harlan Kent, President and CEO of Yankee Candle, went undercover and soon found himself cleaning up and even scrubbing the toilets. He did not hesitate nor did he grumble. He was there to do whatever needed doing and that is a good example of a leader. I am sure he gained respect in his company because he was willing to do the down and dirty jobs.
Jesus trained his disciples. In Matthew 10:24-25 he gave specific instructions. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.…” Jesus had taught by example and then he gave specific instructions. I’m afraid that many who claim to be disciples of Jesus today would turn away rather than be as he was. When I see some Christian leaders’ lifestyles I cringe at the thought that this is what people think Christian ministry is really about. Throughout history there have been many godly men who have lived the example of Jesus. One that often comes to my mind is J. Hudson Taylor. Taylor was the founder the China Inland Mission in 1865 when he was in his 20s. He began the mission at a time when there were only about a hundred Western missionaries in China. He had no large financial backers but relied entirely upon God. He dressed in Chinese clothing and plaited his hair into a pigtail like the Chinese scholars did. He moved away from the coastal cities where the wealthy Westerners lived. He called for other to come and help and live like a servant to the Chinese. During his lifetime he saw hundreds of missionaries come to China in complete dependence upon God. He also saw thousands of Chinese come to faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus not only set an example for his disciples and trained his disciples the also empowered his disciples. As John told the story found in John 20:22 Jesus breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Luke tells us in Acts 1:8, “…But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Remember, the work that must be done in the kingdom to win the world to Christ cannot be done in human strength. The work that needs to be done can only be done by the power of God. Any time we are called to a special ministry we are also empowered to do it. The gifts of the Spirit are given to enable the world to receive the witness we give. Spiritual gifts are not designed to glorify the person who receives the gift, or exercises it. Spiritual gifts are given to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ!
Now we are sent as he was! When Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, even so I’m sending you.” He wasn’t just talking about the twelve. He was speaking of all the believers throughout all of history. His closest disciples laid down their lives so that the gospel could go into all the world.
We too are to carry the gospel into all the world. Acts 1:8 actually lays out a process. “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Jerusalem corresponds to our local community. By every means possible we are to take the gospel to our neighbors, friends and even our family. Judea and Samaria represent the region we live in and the area just beyond us. We cannot be content with just telling those in our village about Jesus. When his disciples came to him and told him that everyone was seeking for him. Jesus said, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” (Mark 1:38) Jesus had a missions mentality. Not content with attracting crowds he wanted to go on to the next villages. J. T. Davis, the former director missions for Central Association, used to say, “We came here as pioneers but now we have become settlers.” There are dozens of villages around us that need an ongoing witness in the form of a church or Bible study. But it’s not enough to reach our village and our region. We are under orders to go to all the world.
We are to go for the specific purpose of making disciples of all nations. Matthew 28:18-20 is called “The Great Commission”. Here we find the last words of Jesus as recorded by Matthew, “…All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Too often we are content with “making decisions” rather than making disciples. The central focus of this passage is the imperative, “make disciples”. The process is shown in the words: “go”, “baptizing” and “teaching”. Most of us “go” every day. We go to work, we go shopping, we go to visit a friend, etc. In today’s world we “go” even when we stay home. At least many of us do. We “go” by mail (writing a letter or card), by telephone or on the Internet. All of those are excellent ways of “going”. Jesus is very specific, as we go we should disciple others. And when they receive him as Lord and Master we are to baptize them and teach them what he taught us.
We are also to multiply witnesses. Paul wrote to Timothy and gave him specific instruction about discipleship in 2 Timothy 2:1-2 he wrote, “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” There are generations of witnesses here. Paul, of course, is the first who witnessed to Timothy. The second is Timothy entrusting the message to faithful men. The third-generation is those men who also teach others. If everyone would share their faith with someone else each year the world we live in would be radically changed. We need to plant, water and let God bring the increase.
Jesus promised that those who believe in him will do the work that he did! You find that promise in the Gospel of John chapter 14, verse twelve. We cannot do that in our own strength but we will try! The flesh always tries to assert itself. We can only do the works that he did by doing them the same way he did. As we have seen, Jesus himself said, "I can do nothing on my own." He could do, on Earth, only what the Father did. Even Jesus, in his work on earth, had to have clear direction from the Father just as we have to have clear direction today. What ever God calls us to do He empowers us to do. He never calls us to anything that he doesn't equip us for! Have you been called by him? Then he is in the process of equipping you to do what he has called you to do. Put your trust in Christ and follow him!
Jesus came and stood among them! The door was locked and yet he entered! It little matters how this happened. The door may have miraculously opened as a prison cell would later open for Peter. Or, Jesus may have just appeared in the room. After all, he is now in his glorified body. What matters is the fact that he was there at all! After all, they had seen him die! It had been reported by others that Jesus had been raised from the dead but the disciples don't seem to have believed that. Now Jesus appears to them. Only John gives us this account. Luke records a similar instance but he wasn't an eyewitness. John was there and even though he wrote many years later this event was burned into his memory. "Peace be with you" Jesus told them. Then he repeated those words and added, "As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you."
Jesus, the sent One!
Jesus was sent from heaven with a particular plan in mind. This was not a last resort it was a first choice. He had always known that man, in his own strength,would fail to live up to the glory of God. We need to remember that God operates on an entirely different level from us. The plan of the ages was simply that God himself would come into the world to bear the sins of mankind. The cross was never a surprise to God. A part of the process leading to the cross was the work that Jesus did on Earth.
Jesus was sent to do the Father's will. John 5:30 records the words of Jesus when he said, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me,” This is a remarkable statement! To hear the creator the universe say, “I can do nothing on my own.” is absolutely amazing! In order to set a pattern for our lives he lived a life that was entirely human yet without sin. The temptations of Satan in the wilderness were attempts to get Jesus to act like God. “Turn the stones to bread” the devil said. “If you’re the Son of God”, “All these I will give you, if you fall down and worship me.” Jesus was not truly tempted in the way we might have been. He came from the Father to do the Father’s will.
Jesus was sent to reveal the Father's will. John 6:38-40 tells us “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” I love it when the Bible points me to the answer of a question in my life. “This is the will of him who sent me”, Jesus said. Wow, the Father’s will in Jesus’ life was, wondrously, that nothing given to him would be lost! The will of the Father is that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life! This is not a Calvinist or an Armenian doctrine, these are the words of Jesus himself. “Everyone who looks and believes will be saved!” Why would one look, except the Father reveals the Son? How can one believe except the Father enables faith? Jesus came from the Father to reveal the Father’s will.
Jesus was sent so that we could know the Father. Jesus said in John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Many years ago a friend of mine asked me, “what is eternal life?”. I began a rather complicated answer beginning with the Father, continuing on forever, etc. and he simply asked, “What does the Bible say?” I said, “Show me” and he opened to this passage of Scripture and read it to me! Eternal life is knowing the Father, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he sent. It’s that simple and that complicated all at once! Once we know him and receive the Son — believing on him — we have eternal life! Jesus came so that we could know the Father.
Jesus becomes the sender.
Jesus, who was sent from the Father, became the sender. He did this by a process that was predetermined before the world began. Jesus did not come into the world to study man and plot a course for correcting the problem. He already knew what to do when he came. Central to all of Jesus’ life was the process of setting an example.
Setting an example. In John 13 Jesus shows us how to minister. He had come to the end of his human life. He loved his disciples even though one of them would betray him. They came into the room where no servant was present and reclined at table without washing their feet. Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, took the basin and towel and began the process of washing the feet of his disciples. This would’ve been the job of the lowest servant in the household. The disciples must’ve been embarrassed that their Master would kneal at their feet and begin to bathe off the dust. He had set an example for us to follow. No one in the kingdom is above, or too good for, the lowest job.
In a recent Undercover Boss TV show, Harlan Kent, President and CEO of Yankee Candle, went undercover and soon found himself cleaning up and even scrubbing the toilets. He did not hesitate nor did he grumble. He was there to do whatever needed doing and that is a good example of a leader. I am sure he gained respect in his company because he was willing to do the down and dirty jobs.
Jesus trained his disciples. In Matthew 10:24-25 he gave specific instructions. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.…” Jesus had taught by example and then he gave specific instructions. I’m afraid that many who claim to be disciples of Jesus today would turn away rather than be as he was. When I see some Christian leaders’ lifestyles I cringe at the thought that this is what people think Christian ministry is really about. Throughout history there have been many godly men who have lived the example of Jesus. One that often comes to my mind is J. Hudson Taylor. Taylor was the founder the China Inland Mission in 1865 when he was in his 20s. He began the mission at a time when there were only about a hundred Western missionaries in China. He had no large financial backers but relied entirely upon God. He dressed in Chinese clothing and plaited his hair into a pigtail like the Chinese scholars did. He moved away from the coastal cities where the wealthy Westerners lived. He called for other to come and help and live like a servant to the Chinese. During his lifetime he saw hundreds of missionaries come to China in complete dependence upon God. He also saw thousands of Chinese come to faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus not only set an example for his disciples and trained his disciples the also empowered his disciples. As John told the story found in John 20:22 Jesus breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Luke tells us in Acts 1:8, “…But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Remember, the work that must be done in the kingdom to win the world to Christ cannot be done in human strength. The work that needs to be done can only be done by the power of God. Any time we are called to a special ministry we are also empowered to do it. The gifts of the Spirit are given to enable the world to receive the witness we give. Spiritual gifts are not designed to glorify the person who receives the gift, or exercises it. Spiritual gifts are given to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ!
Now we are sent as he was! When Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, even so I’m sending you.” He wasn’t just talking about the twelve. He was speaking of all the believers throughout all of history. His closest disciples laid down their lives so that the gospel could go into all the world.
We too are to carry the gospel into all the world. Acts 1:8 actually lays out a process. “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Jerusalem corresponds to our local community. By every means possible we are to take the gospel to our neighbors, friends and even our family. Judea and Samaria represent the region we live in and the area just beyond us. We cannot be content with just telling those in our village about Jesus. When his disciples came to him and told him that everyone was seeking for him. Jesus said, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” (Mark 1:38) Jesus had a missions mentality. Not content with attracting crowds he wanted to go on to the next villages. J. T. Davis, the former director missions for Central Association, used to say, “We came here as pioneers but now we have become settlers.” There are dozens of villages around us that need an ongoing witness in the form of a church or Bible study. But it’s not enough to reach our village and our region. We are under orders to go to all the world.
We are to go for the specific purpose of making disciples of all nations. Matthew 28:18-20 is called “The Great Commission”. Here we find the last words of Jesus as recorded by Matthew, “…All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Too often we are content with “making decisions” rather than making disciples. The central focus of this passage is the imperative, “make disciples”. The process is shown in the words: “go”, “baptizing” and “teaching”. Most of us “go” every day. We go to work, we go shopping, we go to visit a friend, etc. In today’s world we “go” even when we stay home. At least many of us do. We “go” by mail (writing a letter or card), by telephone or on the Internet. All of those are excellent ways of “going”. Jesus is very specific, as we go we should disciple others. And when they receive him as Lord and Master we are to baptize them and teach them what he taught us.
We are also to multiply witnesses. Paul wrote to Timothy and gave him specific instruction about discipleship in 2 Timothy 2:1-2 he wrote, “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” There are generations of witnesses here. Paul, of course, is the first who witnessed to Timothy. The second is Timothy entrusting the message to faithful men. The third-generation is those men who also teach others. If everyone would share their faith with someone else each year the world we live in would be radically changed. We need to plant, water and let God bring the increase.
Jesus promised that those who believe in him will do the work that he did! You find that promise in the Gospel of John chapter 14, verse twelve. We cannot do that in our own strength but we will try! The flesh always tries to assert itself. We can only do the works that he did by doing them the same way he did. As we have seen, Jesus himself said, "I can do nothing on my own." He could do, on Earth, only what the Father did. Even Jesus, in his work on earth, had to have clear direction from the Father just as we have to have clear direction today. What ever God calls us to do He empowers us to do. He never calls us to anything that he doesn't equip us for! Have you been called by him? Then he is in the process of equipping you to do what he has called you to do. Put your trust in Christ and follow him!
Saturday, April 7, 2012
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Luke 24:1-12, "But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened."
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is a historical fact! Jesus was publicly buried and his tomb was guarded by soldiers who were not sympathetic. His disciples, including Peter, were cowards who hid themselves, or lied about their relationship, during his trial and crucifixion. Yet, forty days later they would boldly stand in front of the same crowd that called for Jesus' crucifixion and proclaim, "… this Jesus, … you crucified … God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it," (Acts 2:23-24) How could they have been so brave if they had not seen the risen Lord? There are people, even today, who claim that the resurrection was a fabrication of the apostles. If that were true the authorities would've produced the body and stopped the whole movement in its tracks. None of the arguments against the resurrection hold water in the light of the fact that his disciples believed so strongly that he was raised that they were willing to die rather than deny it. What can we learn from his resurrection?
This resurrection was different from others.
Lazarus, and others, had been raised from the dead but died again. While these earlier resurrections were very significant in proving that Jesus is the Christ they were temporary. The widow's son at Nain, I am sure, was given many years to take care of his mother. He was given a second chance I'm sure he made the best use of it. Lazarus was restored to his family and lived on for a time as a witness to the power of God over death but he died again. I am sure he had less fear of death. After all, he had been there! It was no longer a mystery to him!
Jesus was the first of a new kind of human.
Paul presents the idea in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Here, he uses the word "firstfruits" and then notes that death came by a man and by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. Many theologians use the term, "Federal Head" to describe Adam and Jesus. Adam's sin resulted in death for all mankind. Jesus' death, burial and resurrection resulted in the hope of life eternal. Jesus became the head of a new race of humans. A race of people who no longer live in the kingdom of darkness but have been transferred to the kingdom of light.
He will never die again.
Romans 6:9 tells us exactly that, We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. Dominion is an interesting word. The Greek word that it translates speaks of influence and authority over. When Jesus was born of Mary in Bethlehem he was born into a body that was under the curse of sin. The body not the baby was under that curse. The person who lived in the body was God himself. He was the Lord of life and as such was never strictly under the dominion of sin, but his body was. When he was raised from the dead is body took on new characteristics. In his first appearance to his disciples he came into a closed room. He didn't need a door, but he always had before! They could touch him and feel him. Jesus invited Thomas to touch his wounds and see that they are real. Later he walked with two of his disciples and they didn't recognize him. When he broke bread with them they suddenly recognized him and he vanished from their sight! Again, a little later, he met some of them by the sea and cooked breakfast for them. For thirty-three years he had walked on the earth in his earth-suit. Now, he was walking around in his heaven-suit. It was a body that was perfected, made forever free from weakness, sickness, and death. There is a heaven-suit waiting for all those who have faith in him. The Bible says that when he appears we shall be like him! Have you trusted him? Do you have a heaven-suit waiting for you?
Christ's resurrection is essential to Christianity.
The empty tomb sets Christianity apart from all the world religions. The great teachers of the Greeks all died and remain dead. The great teachers of the Far East all died and remain dead. None of them offer eternal life because they don't have it to offer. The life of Jesus, not just the time he was on the Earth as a man, but the life force of Jesus is, and always was, eternal! He was there at the creation. All that was created, including life itself, came from him. As John would say, "… in him was life, and the life was the light of men".
Through his resurrection we were born anew.
1 Peter 1:3, says Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,… When Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus to talk about his teachings Jesus surprised him by saying, "… unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) Apart from the resurrection of Jesus Christ there is no eternal life. We were born into the kingdom of death and darkness. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ gives us the right to be called children of God. Children who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:13) Without this new birth mankind has no hope. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And, the wages of sin is death, but the gift God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Through his resurrection we are justified.
Romans 4:25 speaks of the Lord Jesus, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. What is justification? Wayne Grudem, in his Systematic Theology defines justification as follows: Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which he (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in his sight. What a marvelous thing this is! Having put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ your sins are forgiven, legally, and we are credited with Christ's righteousness. He took our sins since he had none of his own and gave us God's righteousness since we have none of our own. We should be overwhelmed by this truth. The power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ gives us salvation and justification and guarantees our resurrection.
Jesus' resurrection ensures ours.
In 2 Corinthians 4:13-15, Paul tells us, Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. In fact, Paul goes farther in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 4-6, when he says, But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. God will raise us up with Jesus because he HAS raised us up with Jesus! He took our sins to the cross and nailed them there. He took our sins into the grave and left them there. He raised us up with Jesus and seated us with him in the heavenly places. Of course we are not physically there yet! But so far as God is concerned, according to Scripture, he raised us up and already considers us as seated with him.
Christ's resurrection applies to our life now!
This is not some pie in the sky by-and-by scheme. This has practical applications for our lives right now! Through the power of the resurrection he does several things for us.
He gives strength to our service.
After a long discussion of the power of the resurrection in first Corinthians chapter 15 Paul tells us in verse 58, Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. Remember, any time you see the word "therefore" in Scripture you should pause for a moment and ask yourself, "What Is therefore there for?" In order to answer that question look at the material just before it. For most of the chapter before verse 58 Paul is talking about the concept of the resurrection. Since the resurrection releases so much power in the human life we can be: steadfast, immovable, abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord our labor is not in vain. Sometimes it seems to be and sometimes we are discouraged. A lady by the name of Lucie E. Campbell wrote a song in 1933, that goes like this, "If when you give the best of your service, Telling the world that the savior has come; Be not dismayed when men don't believe you, He understands; He'll say, "Well done". Oh when I come to the end of my journey, Weary of life and the battle is won; Carrying the staff and the cross of redemption, He'll understand and say, "Well done."
He inspires us to seek a heavenly reward.
Because Christ has been raised, and because we have been raised with him, we are to seek for a heavenly reward and set our mind on the things of heaven. Paul wrote to the Colossians words that encourage us to look to our reward. In Colossians 3:1-4 he says, If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. We spend too much of our time on earth looking for temporary satisfaction. There's nothing secure about earthly rewards. Peter talks about our security in his first epistle chapter 1 when he says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5) Remember, Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)
Do you have an inheritance waiting for you in heaven? If you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and confessed him as your Lord you do.
He encourages us not to sin.
Paul wrote to the Romans to tell them that by virtue of the resurrected Christ, and his resurrecting power in us, we are to "consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" He then goes on to say, Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:11-14. I believe the greatest promise in Scripture, for the believer, apart from promises related to salvation is contained in verse fourteen. Sin will have no dominion over you! Admittedly, it's in future tense but it is God's promise to us and is part of the process of growing in grace and the knowledge of the Lord. The resurrection power includes victory in life and over death.
In the early days of the church the only "special days" were the first day of the week, as a day of worship, and Passover Sunday later called "Easter" by the established church. It's the only calendar date that is essential to the Christian church. Apart from the resurrection, Christianity is just another man-made religion rooted in the flesh and not worthy of our consideration. As Paul said, "… If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:14) In the resurrection we have hope that we could never have without it. Not just hope of heaven but hope of a better life in the here and now! Have you trusted him?
All Scripture quotes are from, The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is a historical fact! Jesus was publicly buried and his tomb was guarded by soldiers who were not sympathetic. His disciples, including Peter, were cowards who hid themselves, or lied about their relationship, during his trial and crucifixion. Yet, forty days later they would boldly stand in front of the same crowd that called for Jesus' crucifixion and proclaim, "… this Jesus, … you crucified … God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it," (Acts 2:23-24) How could they have been so brave if they had not seen the risen Lord? There are people, even today, who claim that the resurrection was a fabrication of the apostles. If that were true the authorities would've produced the body and stopped the whole movement in its tracks. None of the arguments against the resurrection hold water in the light of the fact that his disciples believed so strongly that he was raised that they were willing to die rather than deny it. What can we learn from his resurrection?
This resurrection was different from others.
Lazarus, and others, had been raised from the dead but died again. While these earlier resurrections were very significant in proving that Jesus is the Christ they were temporary. The widow's son at Nain, I am sure, was given many years to take care of his mother. He was given a second chance I'm sure he made the best use of it. Lazarus was restored to his family and lived on for a time as a witness to the power of God over death but he died again. I am sure he had less fear of death. After all, he had been there! It was no longer a mystery to him!
Jesus was the first of a new kind of human.
Paul presents the idea in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Here, he uses the word "firstfruits" and then notes that death came by a man and by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. Many theologians use the term, "Federal Head" to describe Adam and Jesus. Adam's sin resulted in death for all mankind. Jesus' death, burial and resurrection resulted in the hope of life eternal. Jesus became the head of a new race of humans. A race of people who no longer live in the kingdom of darkness but have been transferred to the kingdom of light.
He will never die again.
Romans 6:9 tells us exactly that, We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. Dominion is an interesting word. The Greek word that it translates speaks of influence and authority over. When Jesus was born of Mary in Bethlehem he was born into a body that was under the curse of sin. The body not the baby was under that curse. The person who lived in the body was God himself. He was the Lord of life and as such was never strictly under the dominion of sin, but his body was. When he was raised from the dead is body took on new characteristics. In his first appearance to his disciples he came into a closed room. He didn't need a door, but he always had before! They could touch him and feel him. Jesus invited Thomas to touch his wounds and see that they are real. Later he walked with two of his disciples and they didn't recognize him. When he broke bread with them they suddenly recognized him and he vanished from their sight! Again, a little later, he met some of them by the sea and cooked breakfast for them. For thirty-three years he had walked on the earth in his earth-suit. Now, he was walking around in his heaven-suit. It was a body that was perfected, made forever free from weakness, sickness, and death. There is a heaven-suit waiting for all those who have faith in him. The Bible says that when he appears we shall be like him! Have you trusted him? Do you have a heaven-suit waiting for you?
Christ's resurrection is essential to Christianity.
The empty tomb sets Christianity apart from all the world religions. The great teachers of the Greeks all died and remain dead. The great teachers of the Far East all died and remain dead. None of them offer eternal life because they don't have it to offer. The life of Jesus, not just the time he was on the Earth as a man, but the life force of Jesus is, and always was, eternal! He was there at the creation. All that was created, including life itself, came from him. As John would say, "… in him was life, and the life was the light of men".
Through his resurrection we were born anew.
1 Peter 1:3, says Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,… When Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus to talk about his teachings Jesus surprised him by saying, "… unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) Apart from the resurrection of Jesus Christ there is no eternal life. We were born into the kingdom of death and darkness. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ gives us the right to be called children of God. Children who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:13) Without this new birth mankind has no hope. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And, the wages of sin is death, but the gift God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Through his resurrection we are justified.
Romans 4:25 speaks of the Lord Jesus, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. What is justification? Wayne Grudem, in his Systematic Theology defines justification as follows: Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which he (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in his sight. What a marvelous thing this is! Having put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ your sins are forgiven, legally, and we are credited with Christ's righteousness. He took our sins since he had none of his own and gave us God's righteousness since we have none of our own. We should be overwhelmed by this truth. The power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ gives us salvation and justification and guarantees our resurrection.
Jesus' resurrection ensures ours.
In 2 Corinthians 4:13-15, Paul tells us, Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. In fact, Paul goes farther in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 4-6, when he says, But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. God will raise us up with Jesus because he HAS raised us up with Jesus! He took our sins to the cross and nailed them there. He took our sins into the grave and left them there. He raised us up with Jesus and seated us with him in the heavenly places. Of course we are not physically there yet! But so far as God is concerned, according to Scripture, he raised us up and already considers us as seated with him.
Christ's resurrection applies to our life now!
This is not some pie in the sky by-and-by scheme. This has practical applications for our lives right now! Through the power of the resurrection he does several things for us.
He gives strength to our service.
After a long discussion of the power of the resurrection in first Corinthians chapter 15 Paul tells us in verse 58, Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. Remember, any time you see the word "therefore" in Scripture you should pause for a moment and ask yourself, "What Is therefore there for?" In order to answer that question look at the material just before it. For most of the chapter before verse 58 Paul is talking about the concept of the resurrection. Since the resurrection releases so much power in the human life we can be: steadfast, immovable, abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord our labor is not in vain. Sometimes it seems to be and sometimes we are discouraged. A lady by the name of Lucie E. Campbell wrote a song in 1933, that goes like this, "If when you give the best of your service, Telling the world that the savior has come; Be not dismayed when men don't believe you, He understands; He'll say, "Well done". Oh when I come to the end of my journey, Weary of life and the battle is won; Carrying the staff and the cross of redemption, He'll understand and say, "Well done."
He inspires us to seek a heavenly reward.
Because Christ has been raised, and because we have been raised with him, we are to seek for a heavenly reward and set our mind on the things of heaven. Paul wrote to the Colossians words that encourage us to look to our reward. In Colossians 3:1-4 he says, If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. We spend too much of our time on earth looking for temporary satisfaction. There's nothing secure about earthly rewards. Peter talks about our security in his first epistle chapter 1 when he says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5) Remember, Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)
Do you have an inheritance waiting for you in heaven? If you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and confessed him as your Lord you do.
He encourages us not to sin.
Paul wrote to the Romans to tell them that by virtue of the resurrected Christ, and his resurrecting power in us, we are to "consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" He then goes on to say, Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:11-14. I believe the greatest promise in Scripture, for the believer, apart from promises related to salvation is contained in verse fourteen. Sin will have no dominion over you! Admittedly, it's in future tense but it is God's promise to us and is part of the process of growing in grace and the knowledge of the Lord. The resurrection power includes victory in life and over death.
In the early days of the church the only "special days" were the first day of the week, as a day of worship, and Passover Sunday later called "Easter" by the established church. It's the only calendar date that is essential to the Christian church. Apart from the resurrection, Christianity is just another man-made religion rooted in the flesh and not worthy of our consideration. As Paul said, "… If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:14) In the resurrection we have hope that we could never have without it. Not just hope of heaven but hope of a better life in the here and now! Have you trusted him?
All Scripture quotes are from, The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Easter Sunrise 2012
The Resurrection
28 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” English Standard Version, 2001
We have a written record of at least three times when Jesus told the disciples that he would be delivered up, beaten and crucified. He also said that he would rise again on the third day! They never seemed to understand. After all they had seen him do, one would think they would have clung to his every word, but no, they never understood!
The two Marys must’ve heard some of those accounts when Jesus promised to return from the dead. But obviously on the Sunday morning as the sun was rising they expected to find his body where it had been placed on Friday afternoon. Matthew’s account is probably taken from their testimony. When they arrived they found an Angel sitting on the stone that should’ve blocked the entrance to the tomb. I’m not sure what an appearance like lightning looks like but I can imagine some possibilities. His clothing was white as snow.
The brave guards fainted at the very sight of the Angel. (or Angels) So when the women came on the scene, the tomb was open. That solved a problem that they had obviously been worried about — how to move the stone! And there, in the vicinity of the tomb, lay the guards whose job had been to keep the disciples from stealing the body! What an absurd idea! To think that the disciples who had run away and hidden themselves when he was crucified would then come back on the scene, overpower the guards, (who were trained soldiers) and steal his body so they could pretend he had been raised from the dead!
Well, the women were frightened. This was way more than they expected! The Angel immediately moved to help them relax. He said, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” I suppose that little conversation caused them to calm down and relax. No, I’m sure they were still quite excited.
The Angel gave them instructions, “Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”
Immediately the women departed from the tomb. They were filled with mixed emotions, fear and great joy. They had walked to the tomb but as they left they ran!
And as if they’d not been through enough, Jesus met them on the way!
What would they have expected Jesus to say? Of course I can’t know but I have an idea that what he did say was not what they expected. The ESV says, “Greetings”, while the KJV says, “All Hail”. These are two translations of a Greek word that expresses joy, more than that, extreme joy! Remember, he had been rejected, abandoned, arrested, beaten, spat upon, dragged through the streets and crucified! He had been hung out as a common criminal and buried in a borrowed tomb. Now, having been raised from the dead to never die again he was filled with extreme joy and shared it with the first people he met!
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” In effect, he repeated the instructions the Angel had given because they probably were too excited to remember.
What an exciting morning the two ladies had had. Now they had to go tell the disciples what they had been instructed to say. You see, the disciples also had bad memories. They didn’t remember that he would rise again on the third day. And it took them over a week to go to Galilee according to the instructions they had received.
The disciples’ reaction is encouraging to me. I often “don’t get it” the first time the Lord gives me directions. In fact, I often need two or more reminders and then I’m still slow to get the job done. Slow as they were, they were effective in their ministry because they were empowered by the Holy Spirit and were faithful to the word of God and the heavenly vision.
Let’s determine to be equally faithful and trust God’s Spirit to guide us in the future as we serve him.
28 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” English Standard Version, 2001
We have a written record of at least three times when Jesus told the disciples that he would be delivered up, beaten and crucified. He also said that he would rise again on the third day! They never seemed to understand. After all they had seen him do, one would think they would have clung to his every word, but no, they never understood!
The two Marys must’ve heard some of those accounts when Jesus promised to return from the dead. But obviously on the Sunday morning as the sun was rising they expected to find his body where it had been placed on Friday afternoon. Matthew’s account is probably taken from their testimony. When they arrived they found an Angel sitting on the stone that should’ve blocked the entrance to the tomb. I’m not sure what an appearance like lightning looks like but I can imagine some possibilities. His clothing was white as snow.
The brave guards fainted at the very sight of the Angel. (or Angels) So when the women came on the scene, the tomb was open. That solved a problem that they had obviously been worried about — how to move the stone! And there, in the vicinity of the tomb, lay the guards whose job had been to keep the disciples from stealing the body! What an absurd idea! To think that the disciples who had run away and hidden themselves when he was crucified would then come back on the scene, overpower the guards, (who were trained soldiers) and steal his body so they could pretend he had been raised from the dead!
Well, the women were frightened. This was way more than they expected! The Angel immediately moved to help them relax. He said, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” I suppose that little conversation caused them to calm down and relax. No, I’m sure they were still quite excited.
The Angel gave them instructions, “Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”
Immediately the women departed from the tomb. They were filled with mixed emotions, fear and great joy. They had walked to the tomb but as they left they ran!
And as if they’d not been through enough, Jesus met them on the way!
What would they have expected Jesus to say? Of course I can’t know but I have an idea that what he did say was not what they expected. The ESV says, “Greetings”, while the KJV says, “All Hail”. These are two translations of a Greek word that expresses joy, more than that, extreme joy! Remember, he had been rejected, abandoned, arrested, beaten, spat upon, dragged through the streets and crucified! He had been hung out as a common criminal and buried in a borrowed tomb. Now, having been raised from the dead to never die again he was filled with extreme joy and shared it with the first people he met!
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” In effect, he repeated the instructions the Angel had given because they probably were too excited to remember.
What an exciting morning the two ladies had had. Now they had to go tell the disciples what they had been instructed to say. You see, the disciples also had bad memories. They didn’t remember that he would rise again on the third day. And it took them over a week to go to Galilee according to the instructions they had received.
The disciples’ reaction is encouraging to me. I often “don’t get it” the first time the Lord gives me directions. In fact, I often need two or more reminders and then I’m still slow to get the job done. Slow as they were, they were effective in their ministry because they were empowered by the Holy Spirit and were faithful to the word of God and the heavenly vision.
Let’s determine to be equally faithful and trust God’s Spirit to guide us in the future as we serve him.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
The Coming of the King!
John 12:12-16 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
"Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!"
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.
He was born to be King of the Jews. Once, the crowds tried to force him to be an earthly king. Jesus did have a kingdom but it was not of this earth. The wise men from the East knew it was true when they said, "Where is he who was born King of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." He had announced it himself when he said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." He had demonstrated the power of the kingdom when he cast out demons, healed the sick and preached the message. He told the Pharisees, "… If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God is come upon you." He was born to be King but he didn't act like one! Now, he appeared to be getting with the program! He came into Jerusalem triumphantly! But wait, he was riding on a donkey! He should've been on a white horse with armed followers around him.
The crowd recognized that he was the Son of David!
He was descended from David on both sides of his genealogy. Matthew 1 gives us the genealogy of Joseph his adopted father. Luke 3:23ff gives us the genealogy of Mary his mother. So according to earthly standards he was the descendent of David. But he was so much more! Once, in a discussion with the Pharisees, he raised the question, "How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?… David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?" Matthew 12:35-37 His human body was descended from David but the person inside that body was God himself!
He was recognized by those in need. There were two blind men begging by the side of the road and they cried out to him, "Have mercy on us, Son of David." (Matthew 9:27) There was a Canaanite woman with a sick child. She went further than the blind men did. Not only did she call him Son of David, she called him "LORD" (Matthew 15:22), that should only be used for God, and stood by her position even when he questioned her right to ask for healing for her daughter. Let's read what Matthew had to say, She came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." 26 And he answered, "It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs." 27 She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table." 28 Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly. Matthew 15:25-28.
Even Rome would recognize Jesus' royalty. When it was time to crucify Jesus, Pilate saw fit to put a sign above his head stating the charges against him. "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews" (John 19:19) The Pharisees were horrified at the charge. The very thing they had fought against was now being rubbed in their faces. They wanted Pilate to change the sign to read, "This man said, I am King of the Jews." Pilate had had enough of them. He had personally interviewed Jesus and his wife had warned him of a dream she had. As the official representative of Rome he proclaimed Jesus to be: King of the Jews!
The crowd didn't understand what they were doing.
The crowds that gathered to cheer for him and proclaim him King did so because they had seen the miracles he had done — especially that of bringing Lazarus back from the dead after four days. A little earlier Jesus had called on them to believe what he said as being proven by what he did. He had said to them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, … (The Pharisees said) ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." (John 10:26; 36-38)
When the King arrived the kingdom was at hand! See what Mark had to say, "Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15) Each of the gospel accounts, one way or another, clearly states that Jesus came to usher in the kingdom of God, or, the kingdom of heaven. The King had arrived he just wasn't recognized because he came as a baby, born in a stable! He lived among men as a common boy. He must not have been too unusual in his early years. He became a carpenter and worked with his hands. Even when he became a teacher with disciples he did not impress the religious leaders, he just frightened them.
He had shown the disciples again and again. Some, or all of them, were present when he turned the water into wine, brought back to life the son of a poor widow, gave sight to the blind, cleansed the leper, lifted up the cripple, calmed the storm, fed five thousand men with five loaves and two fish (not counting the women and children!), healed the servant of a Roman centurion, healed the daughter of a Canaanite woman, brought Jairus' daughter back to life, restored a withered hand, forgave the sins of a woman in the house of a Pharisee, and another who was caught in adultery, cast out demons, they saw him transfigured on the mountain with Moses and Elijah, he healed a boy with an unclean spirit, and all the while, they listened to him teach, and at least three times, he told them he would be crucified and brought back from the dead. What more did they need?
Everyone thought of an earthly kingdom. Not just the crowd who had only seen his miracles but the disciples themselves expected an earthly kingdom. Look at what Matthew said, "Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." 22 Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." 23 He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." (Matthew 20:20-23) This event occurred immediately after Jesus had told them, for the third time, that he would be turned over to evil men beaten and crucified.
They needed a King.
They (we) were ruled by sin! Sin came into the world by one man — Adam! In the Garden of Eden he was faced with a choice. He could believe God and live or, he could believe the lie of Satan. Rather than exercise faith Adam followed his feelings and fell into sin. When he sinned we all became sinners. See what Paul said in Romans 5:17-21, Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
They (we) lived in the kingdom of darkness. Why didn't we recognize the fact that we were in the dark? We had acclimated ourselves to it. We had accepted it as being normal. Yet the Scripture says is true! In one of his prophecies of the coming Messiah, Isaiah said, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined." (Isaiah 9:2) In the first chapter of his gospel, John tells us, "In him was life, and the life was the light of men" and, later, in chapter 12, Jesus said, "I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness." In the late 1800s, Philip P. Bliss wrote a hymn that goes like this: "The whole world was lost In the darkness of sin,The Light of the world is Jesus! Like sunshine at noonday, His glory shone in. The Light of the world is Jesus! — Come to the light, ’tis shining for thee; Sweetly the light has dawned upon me. Once I was blind, but now I can see: The Light of the world is Jesus! The whole world, apart from Jesus Christ, is lost in the darkness of sin! And there's only one way out! And that is a transfer of citizenship from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light!
Only the King could deliver us. The story is told in the book of acts chapter 4 that Peter and John were brought before the Council and charged them with healing a lame man and false teaching. Peter stood before them and explained what had happened. In the course of that he said, "…there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." No other being, in heaven or on earth, has the authority to deliver us! No one else can redeem us! Our sin condemns us because all have sinned! The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord! Only the sinless Son of God could take our sin away from us! He had no sin of his own. One of the men who died on the cross beside him recognized that. He said to the other criminal, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? … This man is done nothing wrong." And then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." That man knew something about Jesus I can only be explained as a revelation from God. Because of our need he took our sins into his own body and nailed them to the cross!
Jesus entered a world in rebellion against its true King. As long as man had been on the Earth (except for the early days of Adam) man was in rebellion against God. Throughout history some had recognized the true King and had suffered for it. The writer of Hebrews tells us about some of them, "Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, there were sown in two, they were killed with the sword, etc.… of whom the world was not worthy…" Jesus came to correct that for all who will come to him in faith. Where do you stand today?
All Scripture quotes are from: The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
"Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!"
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.
He was born to be King of the Jews. Once, the crowds tried to force him to be an earthly king. Jesus did have a kingdom but it was not of this earth. The wise men from the East knew it was true when they said, "Where is he who was born King of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." He had announced it himself when he said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." He had demonstrated the power of the kingdom when he cast out demons, healed the sick and preached the message. He told the Pharisees, "… If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God is come upon you." He was born to be King but he didn't act like one! Now, he appeared to be getting with the program! He came into Jerusalem triumphantly! But wait, he was riding on a donkey! He should've been on a white horse with armed followers around him.
The crowd recognized that he was the Son of David!
He was descended from David on both sides of his genealogy. Matthew 1 gives us the genealogy of Joseph his adopted father. Luke 3:23ff gives us the genealogy of Mary his mother. So according to earthly standards he was the descendent of David. But he was so much more! Once, in a discussion with the Pharisees, he raised the question, "How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?… David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?" Matthew 12:35-37 His human body was descended from David but the person inside that body was God himself!
He was recognized by those in need. There were two blind men begging by the side of the road and they cried out to him, "Have mercy on us, Son of David." (Matthew 9:27) There was a Canaanite woman with a sick child. She went further than the blind men did. Not only did she call him Son of David, she called him "LORD" (Matthew 15:22), that should only be used for God, and stood by her position even when he questioned her right to ask for healing for her daughter. Let's read what Matthew had to say, She came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." 26 And he answered, "It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs." 27 She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table." 28 Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly. Matthew 15:25-28.
Even Rome would recognize Jesus' royalty. When it was time to crucify Jesus, Pilate saw fit to put a sign above his head stating the charges against him. "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews" (John 19:19) The Pharisees were horrified at the charge. The very thing they had fought against was now being rubbed in their faces. They wanted Pilate to change the sign to read, "This man said, I am King of the Jews." Pilate had had enough of them. He had personally interviewed Jesus and his wife had warned him of a dream she had. As the official representative of Rome he proclaimed Jesus to be: King of the Jews!
The crowd didn't understand what they were doing.
The crowds that gathered to cheer for him and proclaim him King did so because they had seen the miracles he had done — especially that of bringing Lazarus back from the dead after four days. A little earlier Jesus had called on them to believe what he said as being proven by what he did. He had said to them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, … (The Pharisees said) ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." (John 10:26; 36-38)
When the King arrived the kingdom was at hand! See what Mark had to say, "Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15) Each of the gospel accounts, one way or another, clearly states that Jesus came to usher in the kingdom of God, or, the kingdom of heaven. The King had arrived he just wasn't recognized because he came as a baby, born in a stable! He lived among men as a common boy. He must not have been too unusual in his early years. He became a carpenter and worked with his hands. Even when he became a teacher with disciples he did not impress the religious leaders, he just frightened them.
He had shown the disciples again and again. Some, or all of them, were present when he turned the water into wine, brought back to life the son of a poor widow, gave sight to the blind, cleansed the leper, lifted up the cripple, calmed the storm, fed five thousand men with five loaves and two fish (not counting the women and children!), healed the servant of a Roman centurion, healed the daughter of a Canaanite woman, brought Jairus' daughter back to life, restored a withered hand, forgave the sins of a woman in the house of a Pharisee, and another who was caught in adultery, cast out demons, they saw him transfigured on the mountain with Moses and Elijah, he healed a boy with an unclean spirit, and all the while, they listened to him teach, and at least three times, he told them he would be crucified and brought back from the dead. What more did they need?
Everyone thought of an earthly kingdom. Not just the crowd who had only seen his miracles but the disciples themselves expected an earthly kingdom. Look at what Matthew said, "Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." 22 Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." 23 He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." (Matthew 20:20-23) This event occurred immediately after Jesus had told them, for the third time, that he would be turned over to evil men beaten and crucified.
They needed a King.
They (we) were ruled by sin! Sin came into the world by one man — Adam! In the Garden of Eden he was faced with a choice. He could believe God and live or, he could believe the lie of Satan. Rather than exercise faith Adam followed his feelings and fell into sin. When he sinned we all became sinners. See what Paul said in Romans 5:17-21, Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
They (we) lived in the kingdom of darkness. Why didn't we recognize the fact that we were in the dark? We had acclimated ourselves to it. We had accepted it as being normal. Yet the Scripture says is true! In one of his prophecies of the coming Messiah, Isaiah said, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined." (Isaiah 9:2) In the first chapter of his gospel, John tells us, "In him was life, and the life was the light of men" and, later, in chapter 12, Jesus said, "I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness." In the late 1800s, Philip P. Bliss wrote a hymn that goes like this: "The whole world was lost In the darkness of sin,The Light of the world is Jesus! Like sunshine at noonday, His glory shone in. The Light of the world is Jesus! — Come to the light, ’tis shining for thee; Sweetly the light has dawned upon me. Once I was blind, but now I can see: The Light of the world is Jesus! The whole world, apart from Jesus Christ, is lost in the darkness of sin! And there's only one way out! And that is a transfer of citizenship from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light!
Only the King could deliver us. The story is told in the book of acts chapter 4 that Peter and John were brought before the Council and charged them with healing a lame man and false teaching. Peter stood before them and explained what had happened. In the course of that he said, "…there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." No other being, in heaven or on earth, has the authority to deliver us! No one else can redeem us! Our sin condemns us because all have sinned! The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord! Only the sinless Son of God could take our sin away from us! He had no sin of his own. One of the men who died on the cross beside him recognized that. He said to the other criminal, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? … This man is done nothing wrong." And then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." That man knew something about Jesus I can only be explained as a revelation from God. Because of our need he took our sins into his own body and nailed them to the cross!
Jesus entered a world in rebellion against its true King. As long as man had been on the Earth (except for the early days of Adam) man was in rebellion against God. Throughout history some had recognized the true King and had suffered for it. The writer of Hebrews tells us about some of them, "Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, there were sown in two, they were killed with the sword, etc.… of whom the world was not worthy…" Jesus came to correct that for all who will come to him in faith. Where do you stand today?
All Scripture quotes are from: The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Free From the Law
Romans 7:1-6, Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.
Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.”
This chapter is one of the most controversial in Scripture. Without a thorough background, which Paul has put forth in chapter six, Chapter seven would be confusing and even frustrating for the person who wants to understand the Bible. I do not believe Paul is talking about the Mosaic law. The law of Moses would be included but the passage is speaking about natural law, or moral law. A law written in man's heart that is the basis of all right and wrong. We are all bound by the law — not “laws” individually — but law in general. In Paul's example, the Christian has died to the law and is free to be united with Christ. Having been born again we can now live as free people under grace — not under law.
We are not free from responsibility.
All lawlessness is to be rejected. Antinomianism is one of the charges brought against Paul. And is often brought against anyone who teaches grace. Paul answered this twice in chapter six. “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” And, “Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?” The answer to both questions is pretty much the same, “ABSOLUTELY NOT!” In no way did Paul ever advocate a lawless lifestyle.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-20, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
According to Ephesians 2:8-10 we are saved by grace through faith unto good works. Those who advocate salvation by works have missed the point altogether. Good works have never been the basis of salvation. The blood sacrifices of the Old Covenant were pictures pointing to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. They spoke of God's grace not of man's works. When God's grace is released in our lives we joyfully serve him and should obediently do the works he has set out for us to do.
We have been united with Christ in order to bear fruit for God. The fruit we had been bearing under the old relationship was fruit unto death. But now we can bear good fruit. Galatians 5:22-23, "…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. This is certainly not lawlessness. In fact, these fruits call us to real responsibility. To love is not always easy instead it calls for the other gifts to be released. To joyfully love another is to be at peace with them; to be patient with them; to show them kindness; to be good to them; to be faithful with them; to be gentle with them; and, most of all, to practice self control with regard to them. Living under that kind of grace is hard work indeed! We need strength that is beyond our human ability. We we need the Spirit of God that comes at salvation to live out the fruit of the Spirit.
Instead, we are freed from bondage.
We were slaves to sin under the law. Remember Romans 6:16-18? “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” “Set free from sin” is an awesome concept! This does not mean that we cannot sin but it does mean that sin has no power over us. That makes our guilt even greater because we cannot use the excuse, “The devil made me do it.” Or, “I couldn't help myself”.
You see, we were set free by the Son of God. In John 8:31-36 Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The Pharisees said they had never been enslaved to anyone. They said this while they were occupied by the Roman army and in many ways were enslaved to Rome. But that's not the freedom Jesus is talking about.
He went on, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. …” Since all have sinned then everyone is a slave to sin. This is a bondage we cannot break. We are married to the law at birth and that marriage is driven by the flesh. We cannot free ourselves. Like the old song says, “He paid a debt he did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay, I needed someone to wash my sins away, and now I sing a brand-new song, “Amazing Grace”, all day long. Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.” the wages of sin is death. Not just physical death but spiritual death. In the atonement Jesus took us to the cross with himself.
We have been crucified with Christ. Paul said it best in Galatians 2:19-21, “For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”
I once heard the story of a man who was faced with being drafted into the Confederate Army during the Civil War. We'll call him George. George had a wife and children and of course did not want to go. His neighbor, we'll call Tom, was the same age, was unmarried and had not yet been called up for the draft. Tom came to George and said, “I will go in your place”. He then went to the county seat with the draft papers in hand and was enlisted in the Army as George. A few months later Tom, now called George, died on the field of battle. His death certificate was sent back to the County seat where he lived. In the course of time the Army was desperate for soldiers. They sent out patrols looking for men who should have been drafted. They found George plowing a field one day and arrested him as a draft dodger. He was taken to the county seat and put in jail. George asked the judge to look at the death certificates. When he did he found that Georgia was legally dead. He sent him home to his family because as far as the law was concerned he had already died.
Christ did that for us. He took our sin and our self to the cross and put it to death so that we could live to him under a new relationship, a new covenant!
Believers now live under a new covenant.
This was prophesied by Jeremiah Hebrews 10:14-18 tells us about it, “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. These quotations are from Jeremiah chapter 31. A new way of living! A new covenant! The law is now written on the hearts of those who believe.
This is a covenant that gives life. Not a covenant of law, or the letter, the law of the spirit. We find in 2 Corinthians 3:4-6, “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
This covenant is without any condemnation. Listen to Romans 8:1-4, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” There Is No Condemnation! The liar, the devil, tries to make us feel condemned and worthless. We recognize that our past condemns us. But that past is based on a marriage that's been done away with! Once we were married to the law empowered by the flesh. But, since we have come to faith in Christ we are now married to Christ Jesus. The law has been satisfied by the death of Jesus on the cross. Now a new law takes over “the law of the Spirit of life”. Praise God! If God says you not condemned then you are not condemned!
The Apostle uses the example of marriage to teach an essential truth. Being married to the law, and the flesh, from our conception made us bring forth fruit for death. Having died to the law through the body of Christ we can now bring forth fruit for God. In order for us to grow spiritually we must recognize that we are not married to the law and the flesh. With salvation several things have happened. We're united to the Lord Jesus Christ, we have died with him and are made dead to the law as a result of that death. And now we are married to the Lord Jesus Christ! We are risen with Christ and are enabled to seek things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Our union with Christ is essential to our sanctification.
If you have not settled the issue of salvation listen to the voice of God that is calling you. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved.
All quotes are from: The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001, Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.”
This chapter is one of the most controversial in Scripture. Without a thorough background, which Paul has put forth in chapter six, Chapter seven would be confusing and even frustrating for the person who wants to understand the Bible. I do not believe Paul is talking about the Mosaic law. The law of Moses would be included but the passage is speaking about natural law, or moral law. A law written in man's heart that is the basis of all right and wrong. We are all bound by the law — not “laws” individually — but law in general. In Paul's example, the Christian has died to the law and is free to be united with Christ. Having been born again we can now live as free people under grace — not under law.
We are not free from responsibility.
All lawlessness is to be rejected. Antinomianism is one of the charges brought against Paul. And is often brought against anyone who teaches grace. Paul answered this twice in chapter six. “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” And, “Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?” The answer to both questions is pretty much the same, “ABSOLUTELY NOT!” In no way did Paul ever advocate a lawless lifestyle.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-20, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
According to Ephesians 2:8-10 we are saved by grace through faith unto good works. Those who advocate salvation by works have missed the point altogether. Good works have never been the basis of salvation. The blood sacrifices of the Old Covenant were pictures pointing to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. They spoke of God's grace not of man's works. When God's grace is released in our lives we joyfully serve him and should obediently do the works he has set out for us to do.
We have been united with Christ in order to bear fruit for God. The fruit we had been bearing under the old relationship was fruit unto death. But now we can bear good fruit. Galatians 5:22-23, "…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. This is certainly not lawlessness. In fact, these fruits call us to real responsibility. To love is not always easy instead it calls for the other gifts to be released. To joyfully love another is to be at peace with them; to be patient with them; to show them kindness; to be good to them; to be faithful with them; to be gentle with them; and, most of all, to practice self control with regard to them. Living under that kind of grace is hard work indeed! We need strength that is beyond our human ability. We we need the Spirit of God that comes at salvation to live out the fruit of the Spirit.
Instead, we are freed from bondage.
We were slaves to sin under the law. Remember Romans 6:16-18? “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” “Set free from sin” is an awesome concept! This does not mean that we cannot sin but it does mean that sin has no power over us. That makes our guilt even greater because we cannot use the excuse, “The devil made me do it.” Or, “I couldn't help myself”.
You see, we were set free by the Son of God. In John 8:31-36 Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The Pharisees said they had never been enslaved to anyone. They said this while they were occupied by the Roman army and in many ways were enslaved to Rome. But that's not the freedom Jesus is talking about.
He went on, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. …” Since all have sinned then everyone is a slave to sin. This is a bondage we cannot break. We are married to the law at birth and that marriage is driven by the flesh. We cannot free ourselves. Like the old song says, “He paid a debt he did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay, I needed someone to wash my sins away, and now I sing a brand-new song, “Amazing Grace”, all day long. Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.” the wages of sin is death. Not just physical death but spiritual death. In the atonement Jesus took us to the cross with himself.
We have been crucified with Christ. Paul said it best in Galatians 2:19-21, “For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”
I once heard the story of a man who was faced with being drafted into the Confederate Army during the Civil War. We'll call him George. George had a wife and children and of course did not want to go. His neighbor, we'll call Tom, was the same age, was unmarried and had not yet been called up for the draft. Tom came to George and said, “I will go in your place”. He then went to the county seat with the draft papers in hand and was enlisted in the Army as George. A few months later Tom, now called George, died on the field of battle. His death certificate was sent back to the County seat where he lived. In the course of time the Army was desperate for soldiers. They sent out patrols looking for men who should have been drafted. They found George plowing a field one day and arrested him as a draft dodger. He was taken to the county seat and put in jail. George asked the judge to look at the death certificates. When he did he found that Georgia was legally dead. He sent him home to his family because as far as the law was concerned he had already died.
Christ did that for us. He took our sin and our self to the cross and put it to death so that we could live to him under a new relationship, a new covenant!
Believers now live under a new covenant.
This was prophesied by Jeremiah Hebrews 10:14-18 tells us about it, “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. These quotations are from Jeremiah chapter 31. A new way of living! A new covenant! The law is now written on the hearts of those who believe.
This is a covenant that gives life. Not a covenant of law, or the letter, the law of the spirit. We find in 2 Corinthians 3:4-6, “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
This covenant is without any condemnation. Listen to Romans 8:1-4, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” There Is No Condemnation! The liar, the devil, tries to make us feel condemned and worthless. We recognize that our past condemns us. But that past is based on a marriage that's been done away with! Once we were married to the law empowered by the flesh. But, since we have come to faith in Christ we are now married to Christ Jesus. The law has been satisfied by the death of Jesus on the cross. Now a new law takes over “the law of the Spirit of life”. Praise God! If God says you not condemned then you are not condemned!
The Apostle uses the example of marriage to teach an essential truth. Being married to the law, and the flesh, from our conception made us bring forth fruit for death. Having died to the law through the body of Christ we can now bring forth fruit for God. In order for us to grow spiritually we must recognize that we are not married to the law and the flesh. With salvation several things have happened. We're united to the Lord Jesus Christ, we have died with him and are made dead to the law as a result of that death. And now we are married to the Lord Jesus Christ! We are risen with Christ and are enabled to seek things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Our union with Christ is essential to our sanctification.
If you have not settled the issue of salvation listen to the voice of God that is calling you. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved.
All quotes are from: The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001, Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Slaves of Righteousness
Slaves of Righteousness 120304
Romans 6:15-23
What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Last week we heard a great promise “Sin will have no dominion over us”, since we are under grace not under the law. A person who is born again does not have to be a slave to sin. We can sin, and will sin, but we can help ourselves because of the spirit that works in us. Today we see the Apostle asking the same question, “Are we to sin because we not under law but under grace?” The answer remains the same, “BY NO MEANS!” Ultimately, spiritual slavery is a matter of choice. (This choice is not a choice between being free or being enslaved. The choice is, “Whose slave will I be?”) The problem most people have with that statement is this, their slavery to sin is an entrenched habit that is not yet broken. Therefore, they think they have no choice. Believers have a choice because the grace of God is released in their lives. The Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.
I. There are two kingdoms. Anyone who doubts that is not very observant. No matter how one looks at it there is obvious evil and obvious good in the human race. Whether it is set in the world of fiction such as The Chronicles of Narnia or in the reality of the daily news nothing could be so obvious as the struggle between good and evil. These two kingdoms dominate our worldview. Often Christians try to “sit on the fence”. Jesus himself said that wasn't possible.
A. We cannot serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24) “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Here, “money” is used to represent the fallen world. The anger and dissension we see all around us as a result of attempting to live in two worlds at one time. Having become a Christian we have a new allegiance. We must serve Christ if we are to have peace.
B. We cannot be intimate with the world and with God. (James 4:1-7) “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” In recent years it has become more and more obvious that the church and the world are much alike. But it's not anything new it is just more obvious in the world of television and the Internet. Wordsworth said it two hundred years ago: “The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:” Of course, we cannot be totally separated from the world! To do so would cut us off from all opportunity to witness to our faith in Christ. The problem is not the world around us but the subtle inroads of the world within us.
C. We have been transferred. We were born sons and daughters of Adam and Eve and as such were subject to the kingdom of this world. Paul explained our new relationship to the Colossian Christians with these words: “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:11-14) Now, we did not apply for a transfer and it was not our idea! It is God the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints. He delivered us! We did not deliver ourselves because we could not. We were dead in sin!
II. Believers were dead and are now alive.
A. Dead In trespasses and sin. Paul said, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—“ (Ephesians 2:1) We must all admit that dead people are incapable of making decisions. We could not decide for ourselves. He had to decide for us because we were not only dead but our very actions proved we were dead in sin. Of course we were physically alive but spiritually dead. We could not make spiritual decisions that would deliver us.
B. We lived like dead people. In the first letter to the Corinthians Paul reminded them what life was like before they met Christ, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) When a person comes to faith in Christ things began to change. What was formerly natural to them is now unnatural! Things that they used to do without any sense of conscience now disturb them. After a person comes to faith in Christ they begin to wonder why people around them seem to not care when they do wrong. They are simply following their nature. We really shouldn't expect better of them. The change in the Christian's nature comes about by the work of God in them. What they once did, without much thought, now weighs on their conscience. You see? We been transferred to the kingdom of his beloved son and we have passed from death to life.
C. We are now alive! Paul reminded the Ephesians that they were once alienated from the life of God having no hope. Then he says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, …“ (Ephesians 2:13-15) This is magnificent news! We were spiritually dead and lived like spiritually dead people. But now, in Christ Jesus, we have been brought near to God and to other believers. God has destroyed the barriers that kept us from him and from others who believe in him. We once were slaves to sin but now, Praise God, we have been given life in his name and have been adopted into his family. We have submitted ourselves to a new master!
III. Now we are slaves of righteousness.
A. We have been set free. A new spiritual law has taken effect in our life. In Romans 8:1-2 Paul points out that we are not under condemnation because we have been set free! Listen to his words, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
Have you ever wondered what makes an airplane fly? Most of us have made paper airplanes. Some of them actually fly! The reason they do is they are shaped right and balanced properly. No matter how large the plane the rules are the same. A Boeing 747 has a takeoff weight of nearly one million pounds. It's long enough that the first flight of the Wright brothers could have been made inside its economy section. It takes off with between 400 and 500 people inside. And it flies! The 747 flies because the engineers designed it according to certain scientific laws that override the law of gravity. Gravity would keep it down on the Earth. But the laws of aerodynamics work together and it not only can lift into the air! It can fly from San Francisco, California, to Melbourne, Australia, nonstop!
In the same way, the law of the spirit of life sets us free from the law of sin and death. We were in bondage to a slave master. We were bound by the chains of sin and inheritance. We could not set ourselves free. New Year's resolutions, determination and struggle produced frustration and failure. And then Christ came into our life and set us free. One problem we have, out of many, is this — we're accustomed to the voice of our old slave master. We haven't fully believed that we are free. Romans 6:11 lists two of our assets: “dead to sin” and “alive to God”! When we enter those assets and weigh them against the deficit of “dead in sin” we see that our eternal assets greatly outweigh our deficits. If Christ has set you free you are free indeed! ( John 8:36)
B. We are free to serve God. Verse 22 of our text says, “…now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” in the Garden of Eden Satan promised freedom and delivered death! The fruit they received led to bondage. We're either subject to Satan or God. When we come to faith in Christ we are set free from sin and have become the slave of God. A blessed slavery that bears fruit leading to holy living and eternal life. Jesus told the Pharisees, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) Satan lies when he promises happiness and freedom. Remember, Satan was a liar from the beginning. Only in service to God are we going to find peace. We were created for that purpose. The old confession of faith says, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Service to God is a joy beyond compare!
C. God's grace gives us eternal life. Verse 23 of our text says, “…the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The usual use of this passage is to point out the obvious, “the wages of sin is death”. If we stop there we are left in trouble. Grace is a gift given without any expectation of return having its sole purpose in the need of the recipient and the freeheartedness of the giver, God's grace gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. We should rejoice in serving him. Because he has rescued us from death — eternal death. We should glorify God by enjoying him forever. We should begin now and the joy of our relationship with God will flow over into the lives of others.
Mankind is born in trouble. All mankind is born in sin and we all choose to sin. The wages of sin is death. If that was the entire message we would have no hope in this world or in the next. The truth is we do have hope. Although the wages of sin is death the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord! We once were slaves to sin leading to death, and now, for those who've trusted Christ, we are slaves to God leading to sanctification and eternal life! Praise His Holy Name!
( All Scripture references are from The English Standard Version unless otherwise noted. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.)
Romans 6:15-23
What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Last week we heard a great promise “Sin will have no dominion over us”, since we are under grace not under the law. A person who is born again does not have to be a slave to sin. We can sin, and will sin, but we can help ourselves because of the spirit that works in us. Today we see the Apostle asking the same question, “Are we to sin because we not under law but under grace?” The answer remains the same, “BY NO MEANS!” Ultimately, spiritual slavery is a matter of choice. (This choice is not a choice between being free or being enslaved. The choice is, “Whose slave will I be?”) The problem most people have with that statement is this, their slavery to sin is an entrenched habit that is not yet broken. Therefore, they think they have no choice. Believers have a choice because the grace of God is released in their lives. The Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.
I. There are two kingdoms. Anyone who doubts that is not very observant. No matter how one looks at it there is obvious evil and obvious good in the human race. Whether it is set in the world of fiction such as The Chronicles of Narnia or in the reality of the daily news nothing could be so obvious as the struggle between good and evil. These two kingdoms dominate our worldview. Often Christians try to “sit on the fence”. Jesus himself said that wasn't possible.
A. We cannot serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24) “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Here, “money” is used to represent the fallen world. The anger and dissension we see all around us as a result of attempting to live in two worlds at one time. Having become a Christian we have a new allegiance. We must serve Christ if we are to have peace.
B. We cannot be intimate with the world and with God. (James 4:1-7) “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” In recent years it has become more and more obvious that the church and the world are much alike. But it's not anything new it is just more obvious in the world of television and the Internet. Wordsworth said it two hundred years ago: “The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:” Of course, we cannot be totally separated from the world! To do so would cut us off from all opportunity to witness to our faith in Christ. The problem is not the world around us but the subtle inroads of the world within us.
C. We have been transferred. We were born sons and daughters of Adam and Eve and as such were subject to the kingdom of this world. Paul explained our new relationship to the Colossian Christians with these words: “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:11-14) Now, we did not apply for a transfer and it was not our idea! It is God the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints. He delivered us! We did not deliver ourselves because we could not. We were dead in sin!
II. Believers were dead and are now alive.
A. Dead In trespasses and sin. Paul said, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—“ (Ephesians 2:1) We must all admit that dead people are incapable of making decisions. We could not decide for ourselves. He had to decide for us because we were not only dead but our very actions proved we were dead in sin. Of course we were physically alive but spiritually dead. We could not make spiritual decisions that would deliver us.
B. We lived like dead people. In the first letter to the Corinthians Paul reminded them what life was like before they met Christ, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) When a person comes to faith in Christ things began to change. What was formerly natural to them is now unnatural! Things that they used to do without any sense of conscience now disturb them. After a person comes to faith in Christ they begin to wonder why people around them seem to not care when they do wrong. They are simply following their nature. We really shouldn't expect better of them. The change in the Christian's nature comes about by the work of God in them. What they once did, without much thought, now weighs on their conscience. You see? We been transferred to the kingdom of his beloved son and we have passed from death to life.
C. We are now alive! Paul reminded the Ephesians that they were once alienated from the life of God having no hope. Then he says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, …“ (Ephesians 2:13-15) This is magnificent news! We were spiritually dead and lived like spiritually dead people. But now, in Christ Jesus, we have been brought near to God and to other believers. God has destroyed the barriers that kept us from him and from others who believe in him. We once were slaves to sin but now, Praise God, we have been given life in his name and have been adopted into his family. We have submitted ourselves to a new master!
III. Now we are slaves of righteousness.
A. We have been set free. A new spiritual law has taken effect in our life. In Romans 8:1-2 Paul points out that we are not under condemnation because we have been set free! Listen to his words, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
Have you ever wondered what makes an airplane fly? Most of us have made paper airplanes. Some of them actually fly! The reason they do is they are shaped right and balanced properly. No matter how large the plane the rules are the same. A Boeing 747 has a takeoff weight of nearly one million pounds. It's long enough that the first flight of the Wright brothers could have been made inside its economy section. It takes off with between 400 and 500 people inside. And it flies! The 747 flies because the engineers designed it according to certain scientific laws that override the law of gravity. Gravity would keep it down on the Earth. But the laws of aerodynamics work together and it not only can lift into the air! It can fly from San Francisco, California, to Melbourne, Australia, nonstop!
In the same way, the law of the spirit of life sets us free from the law of sin and death. We were in bondage to a slave master. We were bound by the chains of sin and inheritance. We could not set ourselves free. New Year's resolutions, determination and struggle produced frustration and failure. And then Christ came into our life and set us free. One problem we have, out of many, is this — we're accustomed to the voice of our old slave master. We haven't fully believed that we are free. Romans 6:11 lists two of our assets: “dead to sin” and “alive to God”! When we enter those assets and weigh them against the deficit of “dead in sin” we see that our eternal assets greatly outweigh our deficits. If Christ has set you free you are free indeed! ( John 8:36)
B. We are free to serve God. Verse 22 of our text says, “…now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” in the Garden of Eden Satan promised freedom and delivered death! The fruit they received led to bondage. We're either subject to Satan or God. When we come to faith in Christ we are set free from sin and have become the slave of God. A blessed slavery that bears fruit leading to holy living and eternal life. Jesus told the Pharisees, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) Satan lies when he promises happiness and freedom. Remember, Satan was a liar from the beginning. Only in service to God are we going to find peace. We were created for that purpose. The old confession of faith says, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Service to God is a joy beyond compare!
C. God's grace gives us eternal life. Verse 23 of our text says, “…the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The usual use of this passage is to point out the obvious, “the wages of sin is death”. If we stop there we are left in trouble. Grace is a gift given without any expectation of return having its sole purpose in the need of the recipient and the freeheartedness of the giver, God's grace gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. We should rejoice in serving him. Because he has rescued us from death — eternal death. We should glorify God by enjoying him forever. We should begin now and the joy of our relationship with God will flow over into the lives of others.
Mankind is born in trouble. All mankind is born in sin and we all choose to sin. The wages of sin is death. If that was the entire message we would have no hope in this world or in the next. The truth is we do have hope. Although the wages of sin is death the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord! We once were slaves to sin leading to death, and now, for those who've trusted Christ, we are slaves to God leading to sanctification and eternal life! Praise His Holy Name!
( All Scripture references are from The English Standard Version unless otherwise noted. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)