Gen 14:1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, 2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). NKJ
Genesis 14 records how several kings banded their armies together to go against nearby cities including Sodom and Gomorrah. It so happened that Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family lived in Sodom and were taken captive along with all the people of the city, their food and supplies. One resident of Sodom managed to escape and brought the news to Abraham. When he heard of it he rounded up 318 of his trained servants to go hunt them down.
Gen 14:8 And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar — four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled to the mountains. 11 Then they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12 They also took Lot, Abram's brother's son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram. 14 Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 16 So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.
NKJV
They recovered everything that was stolen, Lot, all his possessions and all the people from the city. While they were returning home, Melchizedek, King of Salem, met them with bread and wine and pronounced God’s blessing upon Abraham saying, “The God of heaven and earth has delivered the enemy into your hand.” Abraham gave a tenth part of the spoil as a tithe to Melchizedek being the priest of “The Most High God.”
Just then the king of Sodom showed up and told Abraham to keep all the supplies he had recovered for himself, just let the people return home. But Abraham refused to keep even one fragment of the spoils lest the king of Sodom would claim to have made Abraham rich. Abraham knew that it was God that had given them victory in battle and that his wealth and power were from God. He gave a tithe to Melchizedek the priest in honor of God. Abraham would not take even a sandal strap from the spoils of Sodom because he wanted to protect the reputation of being made rich and powerful by God alone. He would not allow an opportunity for anyone else to claim that they had made Abraham rich.
We also must never forget that it is God who gives us the power to get wealth as a confirmation of His covenant with us. We give tithes of all our increase into His storehouse in honor of Him, and as a result we will be blessed along with Abraham. Deuteronomy 8:18 says God confirms the covenant that was made with our forefathers (Abraham) by giving us the ability to obtain wealth. When God gives us victory over our enemies and we recover what has been stolen from us it will be because we have honored God as our source of power not our own wisdom or might. We must also be careful not to take spoil for ourselves that would leave even a shadow of doubt as to who made us rich.
Abraham was in covenant with his nephew as part of his family. A covenant meant that if one of the two parties was ever in trouble the other would do all in his power to fight for and recover all that was lost. Of course this covenant included God as one of the partners and that is where the supernatural power factored in.
Abraham gave tithe to Melchizedek to recognize and honor God as covenant partner. He had the confidence to go after armies likely numbering in the thousands with only three hundred and eighteen men because he trusted in God who was the initiator of the covenant. The king of Sodom’s offer to keep all the spoil would have been appealing to someone who did not know the source of all the things we need for this life.
On the flip side of the coin, the book of Daniel records the story of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who would not honor God as the source of might, wisdom and the power to gain wealth. Nebuchadnezzar thought everything revolved around him. He had a golden statue of himself made and set up. He ordered all to fall down and worship before the statue every time they herd the sound of the musical instruments. If anyone refused to bow down and worship the image of Nebuchadnezzar they would be thrown into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
God gave Nebuchadnezzar opportunity to repent of his evil ways. The three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down to the image or worship any other god than the God who made all things and put breath within them. As a result they were taken, bound and thrown into the furnace. The God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego delivered them from death and not even the smell of smoke was upon them. Only the ropes that bond them were burned off. Nebuchadnezzar was so impressed with the way their God delivered them from death that he made a decree stating that anyone who says anything amiss concerning the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would be cut in pieces and their houses be made a dung hill.
Though Nebuchadnezzar was greatly impressed with their God he evidently was not willing himself to bow down and make Him his God. He continued on in pride and arrogance believing all the wealth and provision of his kingdom was a result of his own wisdom and might. He saw himself as the provider of all things as if the people of his kingdom were eating out of his hand. He failed to give glory to the God of heaven and earth, so God gave Nebuchadnezzar a dream.
Daniel’s interpretation of the dream was that Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom would be taken from him and that his mentality would be reduced to that of a beast in the field. He would grow hair like eagle feathers and claws like a bird and would live off grass and vegetation. Seven years would pass before his reason and mentality would be restored. As Daniel completed the interpretation he gave the king some advice saying that if he would break free from his sinful way and begin to show mercy to the poor perhaps God would lengthen his days and continue to prosper his kingdom.
One year after Daniel interpreted his dream, Nebuchadnezzar was in his royal palace. He said to himself; “Is not this great kingdom of Babylon built by my own power and for the honor of my majesty?” No sooner than these words were out of his mouth a voice came from heaven declaring that the kingdom had departed from him. He was driven from among men and went into the fields to eat grass like an ox and his ability to reason was taken from him until seven years passed.
Nebuchadnezzar had to learn the hard way that his ability to reason, to be creative and prosperous is a gift from God. He learned the hard way not to steel the glory from his creator. In contrast to Abraham, Nebuchadnezzar could not honor and give glory to God. So God removed from him the very mentality and reason that made him different from all other creatures. The image and likeness of God was temporarily removed. God reduced him to the level of a cow grazing in the fields.
It would behoove us all to learn this lesson without having to go through a similar experience. Abraham gave a tenth part of all his increase to Melchizedek in honor of God. He knew without a doubt it was God given supernatural ability allowing 318 men to defeat armies. He knew also that it was by the power of God that they were able to recover all the spoil stolen from the city of Sodom. Abraham was very careful not to touch the glory while Nebuchadnezzar could not keep his hands off it.
In Roman 1, Paul describes people who failed to recognize and honor God with thankfulness.
Rom 1:21 for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools; 23 and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. NRSV
Those that Paul described, appear to have followed a similar path as Nebuchadnezzar. Their mentality diminished to the point that they lost sight of the one in whose image they were made. They exchanged the image of the immortal, eternal God for the mortal, corruptible image of self made man, or the beasts of the field.
We often overlook our natural talents and abilities as a gift of grace from God. He has given us our abilities, talents and the power to gain wealth. He has given us a mentality far greater than all other creatures and He has breathed life into us. Without Him we can do nothing. Tithing is honoring God for what He has given into our hands. It is recognizing and acknowledging the covenant we have with Him. Abraham gave tithes of all the spoils recovered in the battle yet in the end he kept nothing for himself. He knew the tithe was more about honoring God for the power to gain or recover wealth than for the wealth itself.
I believe the recovery of family and goods stolen by the enemy will result as we follow the example of Abraham in honoring God. As we remain in covenant with God as did Abraham our small bands of faithful warriors will be empowered to defeat armies of thousands. Though our battle today is not against flesh and blood the principal is the same. We rely on the promise of God to supernaturally cut off our enemies according to our covenant with Him. Giving God the tithe is our acknowledgement of covenant. We are partners with Him, and through that covenant relationship we are supernaturally empowered to defeat our enemies. If we fail to acknowledge God as covenant partner and take the glory for ourselves He has no responsibility to show Himself strong on our behalf.
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Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Lord, Increase our Faith
In Luke 17 Jesus taught His followers that they must forgive an offending brother seven times in one day if necessary. It is unlikely that anyone would offend seven times in a day, and Jesus was surely not limiting it to seven. In Matthew 18:21-22, Peter asks the Lord how often he should forgive, until seven times? Jesus’ reply was not until seven times but seventy times seven. In other words we are to forgive without limit. This teaching obviously prompted the disciples to ask for an increase in faith. Operating in faith requires that we remove the limits from our thinking and actions.
Jesus’ reply to their request for an increase in faith was; “If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” KJV
Jesus continues talking about a servant working in a field. It could appear as if He had gone on to another subject, but if you look closely, His comments were instructions for them to increase their faith. Many suppose Jesus was saying they needed nothing more than a speck of faith to command a tree to be uprooted and cast into the sea, but if that were so why did He rebuke His disciples for having so little faith on other occasions?
Jesus is introducing Kingdom thinking. A mustard seed is the smallest of seeds yet when planted, becomes a tree large enough for birds to take refuge in. (See Mark 4:31) A seed is not very impressive, and by itself is limited, but if it falls into the ground and dies, it sprouts up and becomes a tree that produces much. (becomes profitable) Those who are great in God’s Kingdom must become humble servants of all. God’s Kingdom on earth began as a seed that fell into the ground. Jesus was that seed. He humbled Himself, set aside His equality with God and became a servant even unto death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and has given Him a name above all other names.
The servant that came in from the field for lunch should not expect his master to prepare food, but just the opposite. He should serve his master and not expect a special reward for doing his duty. Jesus went on to tell His own followers that they should not expect to be rewarded for doing their duty. Their request for an increase in faith is compared to asking for a greater level of authority in His Kingdom. Jesus was showing them that increase occurs by our decrease. In order to be rewarded with a greater level of authority their service must exceed duty.
Here again Jesus is adjusting their thinking. Peter thought in limited terms when he asked how many times he was required to forgive. Until we break free from a duty or obligation mentality we remain limited in our thinking and lacking in faith. The very nature of faith is having no limits. God’s Kingdom does not come with observation. In other words it begins small, it is obscure or out of sight like a mustard seed when it is planted. Though it is an ever increasing Kingdom it cannot be measured or limited. Therefore those who operate in the authority of His Kingdom must be humble, obscure and small. Entrance into God’s Kingdom is through a very narrow passage like the eye of a needle, we must shrink to fit, but once inside all limits are gone.
The disciples understood their need for more faith to forgive without limits and Jesus instructed them in how to receive it. It is not a matter of Him just giving us more than we have now, but we increase our faith by taking the seed we have and planting it through humble service. A servant must exceed the requirements of duty and obligation in order to enter the realm of faith. Faith cannot operate within the limits of obligation.
This teaching ended on an interesting note. In Luke 17:10 Jesus said; So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things that were commanded you, say,
We are unprofitable servants: We have done that which was our duty to do. KJV
Something that is unprofitable costs more to own and maintain than it produces, at best the master breaks even on his investment. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 provides a good comparison between faithfulness and being unprofitable. The master was testing his servants to determine there faithfulness. We often think of faithfulness as being steady or never missing a beat, but in this parable it goes much deeper than that. The servants that were called faithful took interest in and added value to their master’s wealth as a project they were not required to do. I do not see any specific instructions given in how to look after the talents they received. The interpretation of that was evidently left up to them.
I am sure the master already knew his servants well, which explains why he only gave the third, one talent. The third servant saw his master in a different light than the others. While the first two were honored to be trusted with the wealth, the third had a suspicious attitude. He saw it as an added responsibility, not part of their original agreement and it exceeded his obligation. In his mind the master was just expecting more with no added benefit. Since his master gave no specific instructions, he decided to do nothing but hide the talent in a safe place. He totally misread his master. His true intent was to allow his servants to keep that which had been entrusted to them, but prejudice eliminated the reward. Since he was not faithful with his master’s possessions and did not treat them as if they were his own, they did not become his own. (See Luke 16:12) Because the two faithful servants took interest in and increased their master’s wealth, he in turn promoted them to a greater place of authority as rulers over cities.
If we want an increase in faith or to receive a promotion in God’s Kingdom, we must trust our Master and believe that He is good, that His intentions are for us to prosper and receive a place of honor. We must not have a slavery mentality that will only do what is required lest we forfeit our inheritance. We must become vulnerable and step outside the limitations of duty to which we are so accustom. We must trust that our master God will never expect anything of us that He will not also give us the grace to perform.
Jesus’ reply to their request for an increase in faith was; “If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” KJV
Jesus continues talking about a servant working in a field. It could appear as if He had gone on to another subject, but if you look closely, His comments were instructions for them to increase their faith. Many suppose Jesus was saying they needed nothing more than a speck of faith to command a tree to be uprooted and cast into the sea, but if that were so why did He rebuke His disciples for having so little faith on other occasions?
Jesus is introducing Kingdom thinking. A mustard seed is the smallest of seeds yet when planted, becomes a tree large enough for birds to take refuge in. (See Mark 4:31) A seed is not very impressive, and by itself is limited, but if it falls into the ground and dies, it sprouts up and becomes a tree that produces much. (becomes profitable) Those who are great in God’s Kingdom must become humble servants of all. God’s Kingdom on earth began as a seed that fell into the ground. Jesus was that seed. He humbled Himself, set aside His equality with God and became a servant even unto death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and has given Him a name above all other names.
The servant that came in from the field for lunch should not expect his master to prepare food, but just the opposite. He should serve his master and not expect a special reward for doing his duty. Jesus went on to tell His own followers that they should not expect to be rewarded for doing their duty. Their request for an increase in faith is compared to asking for a greater level of authority in His Kingdom. Jesus was showing them that increase occurs by our decrease. In order to be rewarded with a greater level of authority their service must exceed duty.
Here again Jesus is adjusting their thinking. Peter thought in limited terms when he asked how many times he was required to forgive. Until we break free from a duty or obligation mentality we remain limited in our thinking and lacking in faith. The very nature of faith is having no limits. God’s Kingdom does not come with observation. In other words it begins small, it is obscure or out of sight like a mustard seed when it is planted. Though it is an ever increasing Kingdom it cannot be measured or limited. Therefore those who operate in the authority of His Kingdom must be humble, obscure and small. Entrance into God’s Kingdom is through a very narrow passage like the eye of a needle, we must shrink to fit, but once inside all limits are gone.
The disciples understood their need for more faith to forgive without limits and Jesus instructed them in how to receive it. It is not a matter of Him just giving us more than we have now, but we increase our faith by taking the seed we have and planting it through humble service. A servant must exceed the requirements of duty and obligation in order to enter the realm of faith. Faith cannot operate within the limits of obligation.
This teaching ended on an interesting note. In Luke 17:10 Jesus said; So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things that were commanded you, say,
We are unprofitable servants: We have done that which was our duty to do. KJV
Something that is unprofitable costs more to own and maintain than it produces, at best the master breaks even on his investment. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 provides a good comparison between faithfulness and being unprofitable. The master was testing his servants to determine there faithfulness. We often think of faithfulness as being steady or never missing a beat, but in this parable it goes much deeper than that. The servants that were called faithful took interest in and added value to their master’s wealth as a project they were not required to do. I do not see any specific instructions given in how to look after the talents they received. The interpretation of that was evidently left up to them.
I am sure the master already knew his servants well, which explains why he only gave the third, one talent. The third servant saw his master in a different light than the others. While the first two were honored to be trusted with the wealth, the third had a suspicious attitude. He saw it as an added responsibility, not part of their original agreement and it exceeded his obligation. In his mind the master was just expecting more with no added benefit. Since his master gave no specific instructions, he decided to do nothing but hide the talent in a safe place. He totally misread his master. His true intent was to allow his servants to keep that which had been entrusted to them, but prejudice eliminated the reward. Since he was not faithful with his master’s possessions and did not treat them as if they were his own, they did not become his own. (See Luke 16:12) Because the two faithful servants took interest in and increased their master’s wealth, he in turn promoted them to a greater place of authority as rulers over cities.
If we want an increase in faith or to receive a promotion in God’s Kingdom, we must trust our Master and believe that He is good, that His intentions are for us to prosper and receive a place of honor. We must not have a slavery mentality that will only do what is required lest we forfeit our inheritance. We must become vulnerable and step outside the limitations of duty to which we are so accustom. We must trust that our master God will never expect anything of us that He will not also give us the grace to perform.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
God's Love for Creation
There is nothing more amazing than God’s love for His creation, especially for those who are created in His image and likeness. In the beginning God created man from the dust of the earth. He used matter that had no will or ability to refuse His designing hands. But, in these last days, God is making a new creation, not from the dust of the earth but from abused, confused and rejected material. He is using broken and twisted humanity, with all their faults, and is forming them into something beautiful: much more beautiful than His original creation.
God formed Adam from the dust of the ground in one day, but it is now a life long process for those who yield to his handiwork. He works according to our ability to surrender to His hands. God doesn’t want mindless robots that have no choice, but people that will love from a willing heart. He never takes away our choices but will guide us in the right way, and warns of the consequences of wrong choices.
God’s love is best defined by examining His greatest act of love which, I believe, is what He did for us on the cross. John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” God freely gave His Son and Jesus freely gave His life. He did not have to die for the sins of humanity but He chose to because of His love. No one took Jesus’ life but He freely gave it up for us. (See John 10 17-18) And, in John 15:13 it says: “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for His friends.” While we were in the midst of our sin, Christ died for the ungodly. By this we see that love is expressed by giving freely from the heart.
Love can not be demanded of another. Many people think that when God says “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart” that He is demanding our love, but love that is demanded is not true love: it must be freely given. God’s commands are creative and carry the power, or grace, to change the condition of those who receive them willingly. God delights in asking us to do the impossible but, along with that request, He gives us divine ability. Not one of us could love God because we did not have the capacity to do so. But, because His spoken words have creative power, they have the ability to turn God haters into lovers; all we have to do is believe and receive them with a willing heart. Our will must come into agreement with what He has spoken. We can not let what we think or feel overrule the words of God. His words have the ability to change what we think and feel, if we will just agree with and respond to them.
In the beginning, the earth was in darkness and chaos, but when God said “let there be light”, the light appeared. The elements of earth had no will or ability to refuse God’s command, therefore change occurred suddenly. But, when He speaks to the stubborn will of humanity, change only occurs if there is agreement and a yielding heart.
God is preparing His people for eternity with Him in heaven. He is also preparing a city wherein dwells righteousness. In that city there is no darkness, evil or anything deceptive. All things are openly transparent before Him. (See Revelation chapter 21) Only those who have allowed God to make them over anew, and have become a new creation in Christ, will be prepared to live in the city of God.
God never stops loving people no matter what they do. Judas betrayed and sold Christ into the hands of His enemies, yet Jesus greeted him as friend. I am sure it was in hopes that even at that last moment Judas would change his mind. It is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance, but obviously not all respond to that goodness. God still loves every one that rejects and blames Him for all their problems. He is so patiently waiting for us to realize we have had a wrong view of who He really is and His intentions for us.
In Hebrews 12:6-8, we read that God loves and chastises every son that He receives. Those who respond to His correction are acknowledging Him as their Father but those who refuse correction are rejecting Him and are showing themselves to be illegitimate sons. Not every one who claims God as Father is actually a son of God. In John 8:39-44, we see Jesus speaking to some who claimed both Abraham and God as their Father, but Jesus said: “If you were Abraham’s children, you would act like Abraham, but you go about looking for an opportunity to kill me.” That proved that they were of their father, the devil, because he was a murderer from the beginning. They were illegitimate sons because they would not recognize and respond to the voice of the heavenly Father or His Son Jesus Christ. At any time they could have turned to God in repentance and acknowledged Him as a good Father but they would not.
In Matthew 3:19, Jesus said that God is able to raise up children unto Abraham from stones. Men’s hearts can become more hardened than stones because of their stubborn will. Those who Jesus was speaking to had hearts that were totally unresponsive to His words. A stone would more likely be transformed into God loving children, like Abraham, than they.
The difference between God’s children and the children of the world is that God’s kids respond to his correction. God’s kids make many mistakes, and often commit horrible acts, but God doesn’t reject them. He is always waiting for them to come back to Him and receive His love and correction. The children of the world continue to reject the love and correction of God and blame Him for the evil consequences of sin. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
We were all children of this world before we received Christ as savior. From that time on, we are being formed and shaped into the image and likeness of Christ. We must allow God to make us into a new creation. It requires only that we yield to His will every day. It is a life long process but has great rewards in this life, plus eternal life in heaven.
God formed Adam from the dust of the ground in one day, but it is now a life long process for those who yield to his handiwork. He works according to our ability to surrender to His hands. God doesn’t want mindless robots that have no choice, but people that will love from a willing heart. He never takes away our choices but will guide us in the right way, and warns of the consequences of wrong choices.
God’s love is best defined by examining His greatest act of love which, I believe, is what He did for us on the cross. John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” God freely gave His Son and Jesus freely gave His life. He did not have to die for the sins of humanity but He chose to because of His love. No one took Jesus’ life but He freely gave it up for us. (See John 10 17-18) And, in John 15:13 it says: “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for His friends.” While we were in the midst of our sin, Christ died for the ungodly. By this we see that love is expressed by giving freely from the heart.
Love can not be demanded of another. Many people think that when God says “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart” that He is demanding our love, but love that is demanded is not true love: it must be freely given. God’s commands are creative and carry the power, or grace, to change the condition of those who receive them willingly. God delights in asking us to do the impossible but, along with that request, He gives us divine ability. Not one of us could love God because we did not have the capacity to do so. But, because His spoken words have creative power, they have the ability to turn God haters into lovers; all we have to do is believe and receive them with a willing heart. Our will must come into agreement with what He has spoken. We can not let what we think or feel overrule the words of God. His words have the ability to change what we think and feel, if we will just agree with and respond to them.
In the beginning, the earth was in darkness and chaos, but when God said “let there be light”, the light appeared. The elements of earth had no will or ability to refuse God’s command, therefore change occurred suddenly. But, when He speaks to the stubborn will of humanity, change only occurs if there is agreement and a yielding heart.
God is preparing His people for eternity with Him in heaven. He is also preparing a city wherein dwells righteousness. In that city there is no darkness, evil or anything deceptive. All things are openly transparent before Him. (See Revelation chapter 21) Only those who have allowed God to make them over anew, and have become a new creation in Christ, will be prepared to live in the city of God.
God never stops loving people no matter what they do. Judas betrayed and sold Christ into the hands of His enemies, yet Jesus greeted him as friend. I am sure it was in hopes that even at that last moment Judas would change his mind. It is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance, but obviously not all respond to that goodness. God still loves every one that rejects and blames Him for all their problems. He is so patiently waiting for us to realize we have had a wrong view of who He really is and His intentions for us.
In Hebrews 12:6-8, we read that God loves and chastises every son that He receives. Those who respond to His correction are acknowledging Him as their Father but those who refuse correction are rejecting Him and are showing themselves to be illegitimate sons. Not every one who claims God as Father is actually a son of God. In John 8:39-44, we see Jesus speaking to some who claimed both Abraham and God as their Father, but Jesus said: “If you were Abraham’s children, you would act like Abraham, but you go about looking for an opportunity to kill me.” That proved that they were of their father, the devil, because he was a murderer from the beginning. They were illegitimate sons because they would not recognize and respond to the voice of the heavenly Father or His Son Jesus Christ. At any time they could have turned to God in repentance and acknowledged Him as a good Father but they would not.
In Matthew 3:19, Jesus said that God is able to raise up children unto Abraham from stones. Men’s hearts can become more hardened than stones because of their stubborn will. Those who Jesus was speaking to had hearts that were totally unresponsive to His words. A stone would more likely be transformed into God loving children, like Abraham, than they.
The difference between God’s children and the children of the world is that God’s kids respond to his correction. God’s kids make many mistakes, and often commit horrible acts, but God doesn’t reject them. He is always waiting for them to come back to Him and receive His love and correction. The children of the world continue to reject the love and correction of God and blame Him for the evil consequences of sin. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
We were all children of this world before we received Christ as savior. From that time on, we are being formed and shaped into the image and likeness of Christ. We must allow God to make us into a new creation. It requires only that we yield to His will every day. It is a life long process but has great rewards in this life, plus eternal life in heaven.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Is the Gospel a Message of Balance? part l
In our society the idea of keeping proper balance and doing all things in moderation has gained great acceptance. Tolerance is another buzz word we hear a lot, but does the Gospel promote moderation or balance? There are good reasons for moderation and without balance, some things could disintegrate, but the gospel of the Kingdom is a message of extremes. Balance speaks of finding the center point between two extremes, but Jesus said He would rather we were cold or hot, not lukewarm. Where do we find the balance between peace and unrest? Where is the balance between joy and depression or love and hatred? Jesus said we can not serve two masters; we must love the one and hate the other. He did not leave room for moderation in relationships. We are to love one another as He loves us. The Gospel I read speaks of an extreme love, indescribable joy and a peace that surpasses our own understanding.
Avoiding the extremes of the Gospel message takes us back to the old wineskin and results in the new wine being lost.
Do not put new wine into old wineskins
Jesus said new wine could not be poured into old wineskins lest they burst and the wine is lost. Some of us have experienced the inebriation of the Spirit of God and say that we have been drinking the new wine. On the day of Pentecost, those who were filled with the Spirit were described as being drunk with new wine. They became bold and spoke with great conviction. Three thousand were saved as Peter stood up and declared the message. Stephen later spoke with a power that stirred up such opposition from religious spirits that he was stoned to death. He was sold out to the Gospel message and did not value his natural life above the truth. As an old wineskin, Peter denied knowing the Lord in the face of opposition, but as a new creation filled with the Spirit he was bold as a lion.
The new wine is lost by trying to integrate the old with the new. The fear of punishment and death was the major ingredient that kept sin in check under the Old Covenant. Stephen was not under the influence of fear but the new wine. In him, we see an illustration of the new wineskin holding up under great pressure. In fact, the whole church at that time flourished under pressure.
I believe Jesus’ reference to putting new wine into old wineskins was to illustrate the result of integrating the two covenants. The Galatian church had poured their new wine into the old wineskin of the law. They strayed from being continually filled with the Spirit of God and resorted to trusting the frailty of human effort in order to attain righteousness. They were convinced of the necessity to incorporate circumcision and keeping the law with the gospel of Christ. Paul reminded the Galatians that they had not received the Spirit’s power through performing legal requirements but by hearing and receiving the gift of God through faith. He also explained how mixing the old with the new results in loss of identity and inheritance.
The union of Abraham and Hagar produced Ishmael. Hagar is a type of the law, a slave in bondage. The promise of God was that Sarah, the free woman, would give birth to a son. Sarah and Abraham were a type of believing faith and now all who believe, as Abraham did, are heirs of the same promise. We can not mix faith with the law and expect it to contain an inheritance. Ishmael was put out of the house because he was a mockery to the son of promise through faith. Being a product of man’s efforts, and not God’s promise, excluded him as heir.
None of us would readily admit that we had gone back to the law or circumcision as the Galatians did, but we have fallen back in other ways. The law operated on the principle of balance. Even today we see a balanced scale used as a cymbal of legal justice. The believers of old were not born again but walked as natural men. The law system was designed for the natural man but the things of the Spirit of God are foolishness and cannot be received by the natural mind. Justice by faith and grace is for born again, Spirit filled believers who walk by faith in their new identity. Our inheritance is only realized through our identity with Christ. Too many have forfeited the inheritance intended for this temporary life, putting it off to the future life in heaven.
We believers should not assume that living in the New Covenant era guarantees that we will automatically experience all its benefits. If we try to mix the old with the new or, as Jesus put it, try to put new wine into old wineskins, the new will be lost because the old can not contain it. The Old Covenant promoted balance but the new embraces the extreme. The old law system was satisfied by requiring the guilty to pay in proportion to his offence, an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. The New Covenant calls for the innocent to pay the debt of the guilty. The old is illustrated by placing the offender’s debt on one side of the scale and justice is only served when the required payment balanced the scale. The new is illustrated by the extreme, by making a more than enough payment, going the second mile or giving your shirt as well as your coat. Christ’s payment for our sin was more than enough for all sin for all time.
Jesus’ teaching was misunderstood and rejected by many who thought He wanted to do away with or destroy the law. Matt 5:17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. NKJV
Jesus was not setting aside the commandments but an out dated legal system. It was time to introduce Justice by faith and to open the way for the gentiles to come to God.
Continued in part 2
Avoiding the extremes of the Gospel message takes us back to the old wineskin and results in the new wine being lost.
Do not put new wine into old wineskins
Jesus said new wine could not be poured into old wineskins lest they burst and the wine is lost. Some of us have experienced the inebriation of the Spirit of God and say that we have been drinking the new wine. On the day of Pentecost, those who were filled with the Spirit were described as being drunk with new wine. They became bold and spoke with great conviction. Three thousand were saved as Peter stood up and declared the message. Stephen later spoke with a power that stirred up such opposition from religious spirits that he was stoned to death. He was sold out to the Gospel message and did not value his natural life above the truth. As an old wineskin, Peter denied knowing the Lord in the face of opposition, but as a new creation filled with the Spirit he was bold as a lion.
The new wine is lost by trying to integrate the old with the new. The fear of punishment and death was the major ingredient that kept sin in check under the Old Covenant. Stephen was not under the influence of fear but the new wine. In him, we see an illustration of the new wineskin holding up under great pressure. In fact, the whole church at that time flourished under pressure.
I believe Jesus’ reference to putting new wine into old wineskins was to illustrate the result of integrating the two covenants. The Galatian church had poured their new wine into the old wineskin of the law. They strayed from being continually filled with the Spirit of God and resorted to trusting the frailty of human effort in order to attain righteousness. They were convinced of the necessity to incorporate circumcision and keeping the law with the gospel of Christ. Paul reminded the Galatians that they had not received the Spirit’s power through performing legal requirements but by hearing and receiving the gift of God through faith. He also explained how mixing the old with the new results in loss of identity and inheritance.
The union of Abraham and Hagar produced Ishmael. Hagar is a type of the law, a slave in bondage. The promise of God was that Sarah, the free woman, would give birth to a son. Sarah and Abraham were a type of believing faith and now all who believe, as Abraham did, are heirs of the same promise. We can not mix faith with the law and expect it to contain an inheritance. Ishmael was put out of the house because he was a mockery to the son of promise through faith. Being a product of man’s efforts, and not God’s promise, excluded him as heir.
None of us would readily admit that we had gone back to the law or circumcision as the Galatians did, but we have fallen back in other ways. The law operated on the principle of balance. Even today we see a balanced scale used as a cymbal of legal justice. The believers of old were not born again but walked as natural men. The law system was designed for the natural man but the things of the Spirit of God are foolishness and cannot be received by the natural mind. Justice by faith and grace is for born again, Spirit filled believers who walk by faith in their new identity. Our inheritance is only realized through our identity with Christ. Too many have forfeited the inheritance intended for this temporary life, putting it off to the future life in heaven.
We believers should not assume that living in the New Covenant era guarantees that we will automatically experience all its benefits. If we try to mix the old with the new or, as Jesus put it, try to put new wine into old wineskins, the new will be lost because the old can not contain it. The Old Covenant promoted balance but the new embraces the extreme. The old law system was satisfied by requiring the guilty to pay in proportion to his offence, an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. The New Covenant calls for the innocent to pay the debt of the guilty. The old is illustrated by placing the offender’s debt on one side of the scale and justice is only served when the required payment balanced the scale. The new is illustrated by the extreme, by making a more than enough payment, going the second mile or giving your shirt as well as your coat. Christ’s payment for our sin was more than enough for all sin for all time.
Jesus’ teaching was misunderstood and rejected by many who thought He wanted to do away with or destroy the law. Matt 5:17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. NKJV
Jesus was not setting aside the commandments but an out dated legal system. It was time to introduce Justice by faith and to open the way for the gentiles to come to God.
Continued in part 2
Is the Gospel a Message of Balance? part II
Jesus introduced extreme righteousness
Matt 5:20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. NKJV
Old Covenant righteousness was attained by a “just enough” payment: one that was just enough to balance the scale of justice. Jesus’ new system of justice would produce an extreme righteousness through a “more than enough” payment.
Matt 5:27 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. NKJV
The old law system could only be applied to the outward acts of sin. Sin could remain hidden in the heart as long as it was not acted upon. It would be easy to assume that lustful desire was not sin until it became a physical act, but God sees the heart: Jesus wants us to deal with the hidden root of sin. Our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, it must go deeper than what appears on the surface.
Matt 5:38 You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. NKJV
I am sure that many who heard Jesus were scratching their heads. It does not make sense to let someone off the hook. If the offender does not pay it could be interpreted as rewarding evil. The context of Jesus’ teaching is: we turn the other cheek and extend unmerited favor and grace, rather than seeking vengeance through the law. Jesus wants us to become living sacrifices, illustrating His suffering for the wrongs that were done against Him. We only overcome, or defeat, evil by returning good. What we sow we will reap. If we want mercy and grace then we must give it away.
Matt 5:40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. NKJV
Jesus illustrated a new method of settling debts. The old required them to give their coats to achieve justice, but the new says give your shirts as well. Paying more than required qualifies as extreme; it is the innocent one giving more than is required to achieve justice by faith. The just shall live by faith and not the law. Jesus began by saying that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees.
The cross is an extreme measure
The innocent Christ paid the debt of the guilty but included more than required by law. He did not just forgive us and leave us with a zero balance, like the law system did, but He added grace and divine favor that we could access in our time of need, like a savings account. The key to the bank, so to speak, is the cross. Our natural mind will tell us we have no ability to pay another’s debt or to give them unmerited favor. But if we look beyond our own ability and see what Jesus provided, we see that our account contains mercy, favor and grace for us and, an abundance to extend to others.
Jesus said in Luke 6:38 “Forgive and you shall be forgiven, give and it shall be given unto you again, pressed down, shaken together and running over they shall give to you. The measure you use, will determine the measure used in return to you” (my paraphrase)
The best the law system could do was to provide forgiveness to those who offered innocent sacrifices. They went away debt free but with a zero balance in their account. Since no one has the ability to earn forgiveness or mercy, they were left vulnerable to further debt. Their very next sin weighed on them until the next annual sacrifice. The saints of old never acquired a plus balance in their righteousness account.
Taking up our cross is doing what Jesus did. We must not leave our offender with a zero balance but add a gift of grace to our forgiveness. We must use the extreme measure of faith. If we press down, shake together, heap up to overflowing our measure, we have surpassed the law as an act of faith. Faith never comes short of the law but always exceeds it. Love is the fulfilling of the law and faith must be motivated by love, not a requirement. Faith is freedom to do as love directs yet love never violates God’s commandments. On the other hand, we cannot use the law to require love otherwise it is no longer love. Just as freedom and bondage can not go hand in hand faith and the law can not mix.
The gospel was good news to Old Covenant saints.
The saints of old already had the promise of eternal life if they obeyed the law and offered their innocent lamb once a year. The good news of the Gospel, to them, was not a promise of heaven some day, but trusting that sacrifice of Christ would clear not only their debt but remove their guilt, shame and condemnation once and for all. And, if they did sin again, they would not have to wait to offer their annual sacrifice. Christ is the once and for all time sacrifice. Under the new system of justice it is no longer necessary for a priest to mediate before God, all can boldly enter His presence by the blood of Christ through faith.
Only the sacrifice of Christ has the power to cleanse the conscience from our past. The payment Christ made for sin qualifies as extreme: it was more than enough to pay our debt. It was so weighty a payment that it bottomed out the scale of justice in our favor. There is now no need to renew the payment for sin. In fact, His payment forever put the law system out of commission for those who trust in His sacrifice.
So where is the problem? I believe the problem is in our lack of understanding of the cross of Christ and our new identity in Him. We too often identify ourselves by our temporary life. We allow the limitations of our humanity to overrule faith. We are a new creation in Christ; the old has passed away and the new has come. We are now a new wineskin and able to contain the new, but if we identify with the old, limited, balanced life of moderation, the new will spill out and be lost. The old must be left at the cross and our new identity is found in the risen Christ.
Continued in part 3
Matt 5:20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. NKJV
Old Covenant righteousness was attained by a “just enough” payment: one that was just enough to balance the scale of justice. Jesus’ new system of justice would produce an extreme righteousness through a “more than enough” payment.
Matt 5:27 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. NKJV
The old law system could only be applied to the outward acts of sin. Sin could remain hidden in the heart as long as it was not acted upon. It would be easy to assume that lustful desire was not sin until it became a physical act, but God sees the heart: Jesus wants us to deal with the hidden root of sin. Our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, it must go deeper than what appears on the surface.
Matt 5:38 You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. NKJV
I am sure that many who heard Jesus were scratching their heads. It does not make sense to let someone off the hook. If the offender does not pay it could be interpreted as rewarding evil. The context of Jesus’ teaching is: we turn the other cheek and extend unmerited favor and grace, rather than seeking vengeance through the law. Jesus wants us to become living sacrifices, illustrating His suffering for the wrongs that were done against Him. We only overcome, or defeat, evil by returning good. What we sow we will reap. If we want mercy and grace then we must give it away.
Matt 5:40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. NKJV
Jesus illustrated a new method of settling debts. The old required them to give their coats to achieve justice, but the new says give your shirts as well. Paying more than required qualifies as extreme; it is the innocent one giving more than is required to achieve justice by faith. The just shall live by faith and not the law. Jesus began by saying that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees.
The cross is an extreme measure
The innocent Christ paid the debt of the guilty but included more than required by law. He did not just forgive us and leave us with a zero balance, like the law system did, but He added grace and divine favor that we could access in our time of need, like a savings account. The key to the bank, so to speak, is the cross. Our natural mind will tell us we have no ability to pay another’s debt or to give them unmerited favor. But if we look beyond our own ability and see what Jesus provided, we see that our account contains mercy, favor and grace for us and, an abundance to extend to others.
Jesus said in Luke 6:38 “Forgive and you shall be forgiven, give and it shall be given unto you again, pressed down, shaken together and running over they shall give to you. The measure you use, will determine the measure used in return to you” (my paraphrase)
The best the law system could do was to provide forgiveness to those who offered innocent sacrifices. They went away debt free but with a zero balance in their account. Since no one has the ability to earn forgiveness or mercy, they were left vulnerable to further debt. Their very next sin weighed on them until the next annual sacrifice. The saints of old never acquired a plus balance in their righteousness account.
Taking up our cross is doing what Jesus did. We must not leave our offender with a zero balance but add a gift of grace to our forgiveness. We must use the extreme measure of faith. If we press down, shake together, heap up to overflowing our measure, we have surpassed the law as an act of faith. Faith never comes short of the law but always exceeds it. Love is the fulfilling of the law and faith must be motivated by love, not a requirement. Faith is freedom to do as love directs yet love never violates God’s commandments. On the other hand, we cannot use the law to require love otherwise it is no longer love. Just as freedom and bondage can not go hand in hand faith and the law can not mix.
The gospel was good news to Old Covenant saints.
The saints of old already had the promise of eternal life if they obeyed the law and offered their innocent lamb once a year. The good news of the Gospel, to them, was not a promise of heaven some day, but trusting that sacrifice of Christ would clear not only their debt but remove their guilt, shame and condemnation once and for all. And, if they did sin again, they would not have to wait to offer their annual sacrifice. Christ is the once and for all time sacrifice. Under the new system of justice it is no longer necessary for a priest to mediate before God, all can boldly enter His presence by the blood of Christ through faith.
Only the sacrifice of Christ has the power to cleanse the conscience from our past. The payment Christ made for sin qualifies as extreme: it was more than enough to pay our debt. It was so weighty a payment that it bottomed out the scale of justice in our favor. There is now no need to renew the payment for sin. In fact, His payment forever put the law system out of commission for those who trust in His sacrifice.
So where is the problem? I believe the problem is in our lack of understanding of the cross of Christ and our new identity in Him. We too often identify ourselves by our temporary life. We allow the limitations of our humanity to overrule faith. We are a new creation in Christ; the old has passed away and the new has come. We are now a new wineskin and able to contain the new, but if we identify with the old, limited, balanced life of moderation, the new will spill out and be lost. The old must be left at the cross and our new identity is found in the risen Christ.
Continued in part 3
Is The Gospel a Message of Balance? part lll
Some teaching I had received concerning our position in Christ seemed to be contradictory. One emphasized being seated in heavenly places with Christ while others stress the necessity to embrace the cross daily. In my confusion one day, I asked the Lord where I was to be. Was I to embrace the cross or be seated with Him in the heavens? I was rather surprised at the answer I received. Those of different persuasions on the subject spoke as if one was right and the other was wrong, but the Lord said both are right. My eternal spirit man is seated with Christ in heavenly places while my temporary flesh man must embrace the cross. We leave our old identity as slaves to sin at the cross and accept our new identity as a child of God.
Jesus said we must take up our cross daily and follow Him to become His disciple. Why did He not say we must take our heavenly seat to become His disciple? I believe the one must come before the other. Jesus was our example. He went to the cross trusting His Father to raise Him up. It was because He willingly gave up His own life that He was raised up by promise. In the same way we receive a heavenly seat as a result of willingly embracing the cross. The way up is down. It is our job to go down and His job to raise us up.
Let us take a closer look at the cross to determine if we are doing our part. First, and maybe the most important thing to remember, is that the suffering of Christ was not for His own debt of sin, but for others. He was totally innocent of all charges. He also suffered just because He was righteous. He, who knew no sin, became sin for us. Jesus willingly went to the cross. No man took His life: He freely gave it up for the sins of many. He could have called ten thousand angels to fight His enemies but He chose another way. His payment for sin on the cross exceeded that of the Old Covenant sacrificial system. It was an extreme payment containing more than enough to cover all sin for all time.
Jesus said we must take up our cross, daily, and follow Him in order to become His disciples. He gives us a choice and a daily one at that. Our cross also has to be defined by our willingness to bear it. It has to be something we can choose and not be put on us as a legal requirement. The cross is total submission of love to love. If we place a requirement on love, then love is lost and spilled like the new wine in old wineskins. Love has to be given freely from the heart. The cross was and is the greatest expression of unconditional love. It was undeserved favor toward the unlovely.
The cross we bear has to be our choice and it has to include a more than enough payment, an undeserved payment. When Jesus said turn the other cheek or go the second mile, He was describing the cross. If a court of law required my coat so that justice would be served, I would have no choice but to give. But if I follow Jesus’ directions I would, by choice, add to the payment something I did not owe, an undeserved bonus, if you will. If I only give what is required then I am operating in the realm of law. If I want to escape the realm of law, with its guilt, condemnation and shame, I have to embrace the cross, adding to the legal requirement an undeserved portion. Paul says in Galatians 3:11 No man is justified by the law in the sight of God; it is evident: for the just shall live by faith. KJV
In order to escape the law’s domain we enter into faith by exceeding the law’s requirements. One major strategy of our enemy is to keep God’s people living under the influence of the law using a counterfeit cross. Religion says we gain favor with God through works and suffering. A religious cross leads to self punishment, false humility and striving to please God by our own efforts. The devil’s domain is in the law and our escape is through the cross.
For much of my Christian experience I suffered much guilt, condemnation and shame and struggled to understand why. I believed with out a doubt that Jesus died for my sins on the cross and I trusted in His finished work. I believed nothing I could do would add to what He had completed. But I had problems I could not resolve. One day, the light went on for me concerning the cross. I realized I was not experiencing the full benefit of the cross; I had been deceived by religion. I thought I had taken up my cross and had been following Jesus, as one of His disciples, but, in reality, I had unwittingly avoided embracing it. My problems were the result of walking in legal territory where the devil is empowered to harass and condemn God’s people over past failures. Even though I would pray, and claim the power of the blood of Christ, it had a very short term effect.
I realized that I had not been enjoying the full benefits of the cross because I had avoided it. I had chosen rather to be satisfied with legal requirements. I had not blessed those who had cursed me. I had failed to do good to those who had wronged me. I did not give to those who did not deserve it. I forgave others their debt of sin toward me but I did not add the undeserved portion spoken of by Jesus. I came to realize taking up the cross was not just mental agreement but action.
I had not lost my salvation but my experience more resembled that of the Old Covenant saints than what is described in the new. I was not experiencing the wonderful presence of God because of guilt and shame. I had a hard time believing God was pleased because of my own feelings. I had poured the new wine into the old wineskin and it was spilled.
The same religious spirits that hoodwinked the Galatian church are still alive and active today. They promote mixing the requirements of the old law system in with the new to cause the new to be of no effect. Even though the cross brought an end to the requirements of the law, religion tries to sell the church a counterfeit cross and a powerless gospel. Even though Jesus dealt a death blow to the devil, the only way we can walk in that victory is through embracing the cross. Jesus provided a way for us to escape enemy dominated territory. We must find our identity in Christ. He has proclaimed us innocent and has given us authority over all the power of the enemy.
No one is justified by the works of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ. The just shall live by faith. The cross walk is a faith walk. The only way I can stay in the faith is to surpass the law. Faith always exceeds the requirements of the law. I can only walk in the authority of my new identity through faith. Mixing the law with faith always produces an Ishmael. Ishmael could not receive the inheritance of God’s promise to Abraham’s descendants because he was not born of the free woman. Hagar was a type of the law and brought forth children in bondage to the requirements of slavery. Those who are free have a choice. They suffer or give unmerited favor to the undeserving as a mater of choice. Those in bondage to the law are not working by choice but by requirement.
Whenever we choose to act like slaves and focus only on what is required, we choose to take on that identity. If I want to walk and live under the blessing of my new Father I have to choose to act like Him. He is the one who is generous and gives unmerited favor to sinners. I must refuse to walk in my old identity lest I fall again to bondage of slavery and the law. God never takes away our choice, but He always says “This is the way, walk ye in it” (Isaiah 30:21)
From my own, past experience and from what I observe in the body of Christ, I conclude that many are living at the level of Old Covenant believers. We struggle to keep our joy. We fight off memories of past failures and abuses against us. We have trouble maintaining intimacy with God and even think He is against us at times. These are symptoms of trying to walk out a balanced and moderate gospel having removed the extreme from the cross. The Gospel calls for us to move to the extreme, to the cutting edge, always pressing into new territory. The Gospel of Christ calls for us to be hot or cold, not lukewarm. The fruit of the Spirit in our lives should be extreme, like the fruit of the promise land. The gospel I read promises indescribable joy, a peace that surpasses our understanding, and a rest that is not disturbed by storms. Though the cross involves suffering it causes rejoicing not gloom and depression.
I see a generation of young people today who are looking for the extreme. Extreme sports are more popular than ever. I always cringe when I see the dangerous stunts performed by some and shake my head wondering why they would live on the edge like that. I do not believe that the church, as it is today, will reach an extreme generation with a balanced and moderate gospel message. They are hungry for the extreme and are ripe for the true gospel message.
Jesus said we must take up our cross daily and follow Him to become His disciple. Why did He not say we must take our heavenly seat to become His disciple? I believe the one must come before the other. Jesus was our example. He went to the cross trusting His Father to raise Him up. It was because He willingly gave up His own life that He was raised up by promise. In the same way we receive a heavenly seat as a result of willingly embracing the cross. The way up is down. It is our job to go down and His job to raise us up.
Let us take a closer look at the cross to determine if we are doing our part. First, and maybe the most important thing to remember, is that the suffering of Christ was not for His own debt of sin, but for others. He was totally innocent of all charges. He also suffered just because He was righteous. He, who knew no sin, became sin for us. Jesus willingly went to the cross. No man took His life: He freely gave it up for the sins of many. He could have called ten thousand angels to fight His enemies but He chose another way. His payment for sin on the cross exceeded that of the Old Covenant sacrificial system. It was an extreme payment containing more than enough to cover all sin for all time.
Jesus said we must take up our cross, daily, and follow Him in order to become His disciples. He gives us a choice and a daily one at that. Our cross also has to be defined by our willingness to bear it. It has to be something we can choose and not be put on us as a legal requirement. The cross is total submission of love to love. If we place a requirement on love, then love is lost and spilled like the new wine in old wineskins. Love has to be given freely from the heart. The cross was and is the greatest expression of unconditional love. It was undeserved favor toward the unlovely.
The cross we bear has to be our choice and it has to include a more than enough payment, an undeserved payment. When Jesus said turn the other cheek or go the second mile, He was describing the cross. If a court of law required my coat so that justice would be served, I would have no choice but to give. But if I follow Jesus’ directions I would, by choice, add to the payment something I did not owe, an undeserved bonus, if you will. If I only give what is required then I am operating in the realm of law. If I want to escape the realm of law, with its guilt, condemnation and shame, I have to embrace the cross, adding to the legal requirement an undeserved portion. Paul says in Galatians 3:11 No man is justified by the law in the sight of God; it is evident: for the just shall live by faith. KJV
In order to escape the law’s domain we enter into faith by exceeding the law’s requirements. One major strategy of our enemy is to keep God’s people living under the influence of the law using a counterfeit cross. Religion says we gain favor with God through works and suffering. A religious cross leads to self punishment, false humility and striving to please God by our own efforts. The devil’s domain is in the law and our escape is through the cross.
For much of my Christian experience I suffered much guilt, condemnation and shame and struggled to understand why. I believed with out a doubt that Jesus died for my sins on the cross and I trusted in His finished work. I believed nothing I could do would add to what He had completed. But I had problems I could not resolve. One day, the light went on for me concerning the cross. I realized I was not experiencing the full benefit of the cross; I had been deceived by religion. I thought I had taken up my cross and had been following Jesus, as one of His disciples, but, in reality, I had unwittingly avoided embracing it. My problems were the result of walking in legal territory where the devil is empowered to harass and condemn God’s people over past failures. Even though I would pray, and claim the power of the blood of Christ, it had a very short term effect.
I realized that I had not been enjoying the full benefits of the cross because I had avoided it. I had chosen rather to be satisfied with legal requirements. I had not blessed those who had cursed me. I had failed to do good to those who had wronged me. I did not give to those who did not deserve it. I forgave others their debt of sin toward me but I did not add the undeserved portion spoken of by Jesus. I came to realize taking up the cross was not just mental agreement but action.
I had not lost my salvation but my experience more resembled that of the Old Covenant saints than what is described in the new. I was not experiencing the wonderful presence of God because of guilt and shame. I had a hard time believing God was pleased because of my own feelings. I had poured the new wine into the old wineskin and it was spilled.
The same religious spirits that hoodwinked the Galatian church are still alive and active today. They promote mixing the requirements of the old law system in with the new to cause the new to be of no effect. Even though the cross brought an end to the requirements of the law, religion tries to sell the church a counterfeit cross and a powerless gospel. Even though Jesus dealt a death blow to the devil, the only way we can walk in that victory is through embracing the cross. Jesus provided a way for us to escape enemy dominated territory. We must find our identity in Christ. He has proclaimed us innocent and has given us authority over all the power of the enemy.
No one is justified by the works of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ. The just shall live by faith. The cross walk is a faith walk. The only way I can stay in the faith is to surpass the law. Faith always exceeds the requirements of the law. I can only walk in the authority of my new identity through faith. Mixing the law with faith always produces an Ishmael. Ishmael could not receive the inheritance of God’s promise to Abraham’s descendants because he was not born of the free woman. Hagar was a type of the law and brought forth children in bondage to the requirements of slavery. Those who are free have a choice. They suffer or give unmerited favor to the undeserving as a mater of choice. Those in bondage to the law are not working by choice but by requirement.
Whenever we choose to act like slaves and focus only on what is required, we choose to take on that identity. If I want to walk and live under the blessing of my new Father I have to choose to act like Him. He is the one who is generous and gives unmerited favor to sinners. I must refuse to walk in my old identity lest I fall again to bondage of slavery and the law. God never takes away our choice, but He always says “This is the way, walk ye in it” (Isaiah 30:21)
From my own, past experience and from what I observe in the body of Christ, I conclude that many are living at the level of Old Covenant believers. We struggle to keep our joy. We fight off memories of past failures and abuses against us. We have trouble maintaining intimacy with God and even think He is against us at times. These are symptoms of trying to walk out a balanced and moderate gospel having removed the extreme from the cross. The Gospel calls for us to move to the extreme, to the cutting edge, always pressing into new territory. The Gospel of Christ calls for us to be hot or cold, not lukewarm. The fruit of the Spirit in our lives should be extreme, like the fruit of the promise land. The gospel I read promises indescribable joy, a peace that surpasses our understanding, and a rest that is not disturbed by storms. Though the cross involves suffering it causes rejoicing not gloom and depression.
I see a generation of young people today who are looking for the extreme. Extreme sports are more popular than ever. I always cringe when I see the dangerous stunts performed by some and shake my head wondering why they would live on the edge like that. I do not believe that the church, as it is today, will reach an extreme generation with a balanced and moderate gospel message. They are hungry for the extreme and are ripe for the true gospel message.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
The Greatest Gift of All
During this Christmas season we center our focus on giving gifts to family and friends in celebration of the greatest gift ever given. It is a time to reflect upon the gift that God has given to all the world.
Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is His gift to a lost and dying world. Jesus is the light of the world. He is the way to the Father. He is the truth and the life. He has given us His Son and eternal life is in His Son. (See 1 John 5)
Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. NIV
Luke 2:11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. NKJV
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. NIV
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. NKJV
The gift of God’s Son is not just to provide a way to heaven when we die but is intended to give us life now. Jesus said in John 10:10 b. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. NKJV
This life is found in Christ. 1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. NKJV
We are a new creation in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. NKJV
This wonderful gift from God includes becoming a new creation. We are all descendants of the first man Adam and destined to die but His gift gives us access our new destiny in Christ, which is life for evermore.
1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. NKJV
We enter God’s eternal family and are given a new identity.
Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. NKJV
We have a new father and receive position in His family. Our old identity is passed away and the new has come. We count our old man of sin as dead with Christ on His cross and now identify ourselves with the risen Christ who is seated in heavenly places. Paul says “I am crucified with Christ never the less I live, but it is not I but Christ that lives in me.” Paul found new life in his identity with Christ. He no longer wanted to identify with his former life with all its accomplishments, but counted life’s gains but loss that he might attain Christ. Paul also said he no longer wanted to be mindful of any man according the flesh. That is, he did not determine any one’s value or usefulness to God based on their ancestral line, their education or their position in life. In fact, those with no resume at all might even have an advantage because they have less to count as loss.
2 Corinthians 5:16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. NKJV
Many could not acknowledge Christ as the Son of God because they knew Him according to the flesh. That is, they knew Joseph as His father, they knew that His sisters and brothers were all born and raised in their neighborhood. Paul says that even though some had known Christ according to the flesh they know Him in that way no longer. His flesh and blood body did not reveal who He really was. Peter’s revelation of Jesus as the Christ came from the Father in heaven. Peter was no longer confused over who Jesus’ Father really was.
Looking at flesh and blood can obscure the identity of Christ. Even though Christ is no longer walking the earth in His earthly body He is walking about in all who have received Him. Just as many were uncertain of His identity in that day, so today many can allow the flesh and blood He walks in to obscure His identity. Even believers can struggle with their identity. Now our identity is found in Him. We are no longer identified with our past. Our earthly heritage does not determine our value or position in Christ.
Many could not receive the gift of God because of the package it came in. Though the gift was heavenly and eternal, the wrapping, so to speak, was temporary and made from this earth. Let us not make the same mistake many have made and reject the gift because of the wrapping. Jesus’ followers have been commissioned to announce the good news. Unto us a child is born and unto us a Son is given. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. And whosoever believes that He is the Christ and trusts in Him shall be saved.
Lord, I pray that the gift of your Son will be revealed to all the world through your people in this season. Not because of good marketing and packaging but because the glory of the Lord shines through us. I pray that your people will no longer be confused about their own identity, that they would no longer see themselves in their former state, but be revealed as the sons and daughters of the living God. Amen
Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is His gift to a lost and dying world. Jesus is the light of the world. He is the way to the Father. He is the truth and the life. He has given us His Son and eternal life is in His Son. (See 1 John 5)
Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. NIV
Luke 2:11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. NKJV
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. NIV
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. NKJV
The gift of God’s Son is not just to provide a way to heaven when we die but is intended to give us life now. Jesus said in John 10:10 b. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. NKJV
This life is found in Christ. 1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. NKJV
We are a new creation in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. NKJV
This wonderful gift from God includes becoming a new creation. We are all descendants of the first man Adam and destined to die but His gift gives us access our new destiny in Christ, which is life for evermore.
1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. NKJV
We enter God’s eternal family and are given a new identity.
Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. NKJV
We have a new father and receive position in His family. Our old identity is passed away and the new has come. We count our old man of sin as dead with Christ on His cross and now identify ourselves with the risen Christ who is seated in heavenly places. Paul says “I am crucified with Christ never the less I live, but it is not I but Christ that lives in me.” Paul found new life in his identity with Christ. He no longer wanted to identify with his former life with all its accomplishments, but counted life’s gains but loss that he might attain Christ. Paul also said he no longer wanted to be mindful of any man according the flesh. That is, he did not determine any one’s value or usefulness to God based on their ancestral line, their education or their position in life. In fact, those with no resume at all might even have an advantage because they have less to count as loss.
2 Corinthians 5:16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. NKJV
Many could not acknowledge Christ as the Son of God because they knew Him according to the flesh. That is, they knew Joseph as His father, they knew that His sisters and brothers were all born and raised in their neighborhood. Paul says that even though some had known Christ according to the flesh they know Him in that way no longer. His flesh and blood body did not reveal who He really was. Peter’s revelation of Jesus as the Christ came from the Father in heaven. Peter was no longer confused over who Jesus’ Father really was.
Looking at flesh and blood can obscure the identity of Christ. Even though Christ is no longer walking the earth in His earthly body He is walking about in all who have received Him. Just as many were uncertain of His identity in that day, so today many can allow the flesh and blood He walks in to obscure His identity. Even believers can struggle with their identity. Now our identity is found in Him. We are no longer identified with our past. Our earthly heritage does not determine our value or position in Christ.
Many could not receive the gift of God because of the package it came in. Though the gift was heavenly and eternal, the wrapping, so to speak, was temporary and made from this earth. Let us not make the same mistake many have made and reject the gift because of the wrapping. Jesus’ followers have been commissioned to announce the good news. Unto us a child is born and unto us a Son is given. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. And whosoever believes that He is the Christ and trusts in Him shall be saved.
Lord, I pray that the gift of your Son will be revealed to all the world through your people in this season. Not because of good marketing and packaging but because the glory of the Lord shines through us. I pray that your people will no longer be confused about their own identity, that they would no longer see themselves in their former state, but be revealed as the sons and daughters of the living God. Amen
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