Two sides of the Cross

Luke 23:44-48 - It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun had stopped shin-ing. And, the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”. When he had said this, he breathed his last”… Mark 15:39 “When the centurion who stood there in front of Jesus heard his cry, and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”… Luke 23:48 “When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away”…Matt. 27:57 “As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.”

Comment; At this point in time and at this point in the lives of those who were there, the Cross was a symbol of death. To the disciples, the Cross was the realization of the death of their leader… To many today, the Cross is still a symbol of the death of Jesus… However, as we will see, the Cross was soon to become a symbol of life, and so, our viewpoint all depends on which side of Easter you are living on!                   

    In Matthew 19 we have the story of the rich man who came to Jesus and asked; “What must I do to get eternal life?” And Jesus replied; “Sell all that you have, give to the poor, and come follow me.” It goes on to say that the rich man “went away sad because he had great wealth”. He was unwilling to give up anything …especially his wealth…to gain salvation and eternal life. There are those today as well who stand before the Cross and are unwilling to give up anything in their lives in order to gain eternal life. Listen, If you are on the Easter side of the Cross, you don’t have to give up anything!…You get something! You get Jesus! You get your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life! You get a new life! You get a new attitude! You get a clean slate! You get forgiveness! And, you get right with God and He will work with you to take away all those things in your life that are killing you!!! You don’t have to give up anything!

    So, anger, fear, hatred, doubt, sorrow, grief, indecision, lost hope and death… these were just a few of the emotions and actions that were on the “Good Friday” side of the Cross… I don’t have to tell you that there are many people today still living on that side of Easter. How sad it really is, if we only see the Cross as the place where Jesus died.

    Well, what about the emotions and actions after the Cross? What about the Easter side of Calvary?  “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” said the angel, “He is not here! He has risen!” … Then it says “they remembered his words, how the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and on the third day be raised again”… Matthew 28 says that the women “hurried away from the tomb, filled with joy!”… John 20 says that when the Lord appeared to his disciples in the upper room, and showed them his hands and his side, “the disciples were overjoyed!”  In Acts 1 - before His ascension, Jesus gives his disciples a mission to accomplish… Only a fool would believe that they would give their lives for a lie…. Or that we would have what we have today, some 2000 years later, if it were based on a lie.

    Peter, who three times denied even knowing Christ, now stands with boldness and preaches to the people saying; “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses to the fact…Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this, God made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ!…

    Paul, who was living to persecute Christians on the Good Friday side of the Cross… when he was brought to the Easter side of the Cross, said “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes!”

    The people cried out in Acts 2:37 - “What shall we do?” “Repent and be baptized” said Peter, “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins”….

    On this side of the Cross, there is forgiveness! On this side of the Cross there is victory! On this side of the Cross there is eternal life! And, death becomes nothing more than a step into glory! Because, on this side of the Cross there is LIFE! … And, finally, on this side of the Cross, there is assurance… John says “I write these things to you who believe, so that you will KNOW that you have eternal life”…”I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word, and believes in him who sent me, has eternal life, and will not be condemned; says Jesus… And, listen to this; “He has crossed over from death unto life!”  On one side of the Cross there is death… On the other side of the Cross there is life… Those who believe have “crossed over from death unto life!”

    On which side of Easter do you live? Are you living with anger, fear, grief, sorrow, sin and the consequences of sin?…With no real hope for today much less tomorrow?… To you, Jesus says “Come”…” Cross over!”

    “Come unto me all who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”

    “Come before the throne of Grace with confidence, that we may  

      receive grace and find mercy in our time of need”.

Go to Israel My Son

A Jewish businessman in Brooklyn decided to send his son to Israel to absorb some of the culture of the homeland. When the son returned, the father asked him to tell him about his trip. The son said, "Pop, I had a great time in Israel. By the way, I converted to Christianity."

"Oh, my," said the father. What have I done?" He decided to go ask his friend Jacob what to do. Jake said, "Funny you should ask. I too sent my son to Israel, and he also came back a Christian. Perhaps we should go see the rabbi and ask him what we should do." So, they went to see the rabbi. The rabbi said, "Funny you should ask. I too sent my son to Israel. He also came back a Christian. What is happening to our young people?

Perhaps we should go talk to God and ask him what to do."

The three of them prayed and explained what had happened to their sons and asked God what to do. Suddenly a voice came loud and clear from Heaven; The Voice said, "Funny you should ask… I, too, sent my Son to Israel .....

    When we were in S.C. there was a friend whose name was Carston. He and his wife were from Australia. He preached the Sunday before me during the Lenten Sundays and  opened about six different ways for me to preach and inspired me to take a detour from the traditional Palm Ave. We enjoyed a Spirit led message on having Christ in our midst highlighted by an Australian preacher using some southern lingo! (very amusing) One of the notes I put in my Bible was how Jesus said to his disciples “They will know that you are my disciples if Christ’s love is in “all-ya-all”!

    Carston explained the difference between “having love “for” one another” and having the love of Christ “in our midst”. What a truth he proclaimed! Having the love of God, the love of Christ, permeating the midst of the body!...The way we talk, the way we walk (or our actions) the way we honor and encourage one another, choosing to use our giftedness to build one another up and build the church as we do our part to grow the Kingdom of God! That, my friends, is what Jesus wants the world to see. That’s what Jesus wanted the church to experience. And, I want to take a step in that direction today by sharing this thought; that the birth and the ministry of Jesus Christ, and the events of Passion week leading to Easter, (the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus as the final sacrifice for sin, as important and awesome as these were concerning the message of the Gospel)…that the gift of the Holy Spirit was the continuation of God’s plan and purpose in ultimately building the church and proclaiming the only way of salvation to the world.

    Just a little further in the Book of John; It was Jesus who said in John 16:7-15 “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned… “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. (Now listen to this;) He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

    Carston stated that this is what it means to have the “mind of Christ”… “for no one knows the mind of a man except the spirit of the man, and only the Spirit of God knows the mind and the will of God… and His Spirit speaks to our spirit concerning truth, and sin and righteousness…” The Holy Spirit is not only our comforter, He is our teacher, our leader, our enabler, our power, and it is the Holy Spirit “in our midst”…in the midst of all-ya-all…that makes us the body of Christ, the church! It’s not the building, the Eagles, the Elks, the Moose, and the Masons all have nice buildings…It’s not because we gather on Sundays to sing and listen to a sermon…We are the body of Christ because the Holy Spirit of Christ is in our midst!

    Without a doubt the most important roads Jesus walked were those during what we call “Passion week”. The Gospel writers focused more on the events of this time period than on any other portion of Jesus ministry. In fact, the biblical record seems to slow down rather than speed up as it gets to details of Holy Week. As Christians, we say that this is the most important week of our faith.

    Some of the things that took place just during that week were; the plot to betray and arrest Jesus; the triumphal entry into Jerusalem we recall today; Jesus clears the temple of the money changers; Peter’s confession of Christ; and his later denial…The Lord’s Supper takes place in the upper room; Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane for himself, for His disciples, and for us, those who would come to know him through their preaching and teaching. Then, of course, his subsequent arrest by the Roman soldiers in the same Garden of Gethsemane; His appearance before the authorities and before Pontius Pilate; His crucifixion on Calvary’s hill; His death; His burial; and His resurrection; His appearances which follow His resurrection; and finally, His ascension to the Father in heaven. Wow! Do you think this was an important week in the life of Jesus?...And we think we have some busy days!

    Jesus knew all about the what, where, when, why, and how of His mission, His purpose, yet knowing that all this was to take place, and, especially knowing that just over the horizon was the cross looming like a monster ready to consume Him, Luke tells us that in spite of it all,  “As the time approached for Jesus to be taken up to heaven, He RESOLUTELY set his face to go to Jerusalem…Why?...LOVE!...It was the power of love! The love of God for His creation; the love of Jesus for His Disciples and His church, as well as the world; The power of love that Jesus told; suggested; no commanded that they have for one another! The power of love that was to be “in their midst!” and which was to be the driving force of the church; His body!

    There is no doubt that something powerful took place in the lives of the disciples over 2000 years ago that transformed and multiplied what we call the “church”.  A combustible faith was ignited and the flames of Pentecost swept like a prairie fire throughout the then known world! 

In Acts chapter 5 in reference to the disciples it says “day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news about Jesus!”  It is one thing to accept the teachings of the Bible and be a believer; it is another to be an active disciple! That person is a “doer of the Word” as James tells us. A disciple never stops learning and wanting to learn.  A disciple is always active and involved in the activities and ministries of the church; using his or her God given and Holy Spirit empowered gifts. A disciple is always teaching and telling. But, a disciple also is convinced of his faith; and a disciple is empowered by the Holy Spirit; and a disciple experiences God daily in his or her life! 

A disciple “can’t help but tell all about what he has seen, and heard, and learned, in the hope that his friend or his neighbor and yes, even his family will come to know the assurance of heaven and the transforming power of Jesus Christ which saves them from the pits of Hell!

    What was it that was drawing people into the early church? What was it that attracted them? Was it a nice building? Was it the fact that they had a program for every age group? (No) Was it the fellowship? (No, you can find fellowship in any bar in town.) It was the same thing that has always attracted people to Christ and the church…They see the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. They see a change in people that they don’t see or find in the world. They see people who are controlled by love, and joy, and have a peace in their lives that surpasses all understanding, and they see people who are patient with one another, allowing God to do His work. They see people who are faithful and steadfast in their beliefs. They see people who truly care about and carry one another’s burdens. They see people who demonstrate self-control and are willing to forgive those who lack it… You don’t find these things in the world! Many don’t find these things even in their own families;

And when they see this and feel this, it brings glory to God and lifts up the name of Jesus…who said “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto myself”… But, when they see the lack of these things, they only see hypocrites!  Having Christ in us changes our destination, having the Holy Spirit changes our Destiny!

“They will know that you are my disciples when the love of Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is in All-ya-all!”

“Before The Cross”

Matthew 16:13-21 –“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

    From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

    I personally like to think of the period of time that we call Lent as a “journey to the Cross.”  It begins on Ash Wednesday and takes us through Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and of course, to the destination of our journey, Easter.  It’s kind of like taking a road trip; As we drive along toward our destination, we focus on many different things and several landmarks along the way. That’s what Lent is like. It’s a time of turning our focus to the many things that took place along the way to the Cross.

    It is also a time of considering “self-sacrifice” during a time when we remember the greatest sacrifice ever given, when Jesus laid down his life as a final sacrifice - once and for all. This journey has been taken by countless thousands of people and preachers - in countless thousands of ways - yet it never loses its power to transform lives.

    Preceding these verses, Jesus had been teaching and preaching and healing and performing miracles…But, here in the 21^st. verse - which is where I really want us to focus our attention - Jesus turns his attention on his disciples and it says; “From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples what must take place in the coming days”…He begins to explain what his ministry is all about…He begins to explain the “Who”, What, Where, Why, and How” of what was going to happen. In other words, he tells them a few of the landmarks they should watch for on this journey to Jerusalem.

    If you read ahead to chapter 17, it says that 6 days later Jesus took them “up a high mountain” and, we have the story of the transfiguration. Jesus takes Peter, James and John with him up a little higher, and it tells us that they witnessed Jesus in his “pre-earthly” glory. Jesus has a little rap session with Moses and Elijah; who, by the way, have been dead for a few hundred years… And then, a cloud comes down upon them, and a voice comes from out of the cloud saying; “This is my Son whom I love, with Him I am well pleased, Listen to Him!” …What would you do or say at a time like this?  It says that the disciples “fell face down to the ground, TERRIFIED!” …No kidding!  I would have been like the cowardly lion or the tin man in the Wizard of Oz…You would have heard my bones rattling from fear!  But it says that Jesus came and touched them… Now, I don’t know about you, but if someone would have touched me at such a moment, I would take off like a rocket!

    The Disciples - Peter in particular - made a confession back in verse 16 of our text, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” and, now they witness what they had confessed with their mouths. But there was a problem. In chapter 17 verse 22 it says; “When they came together in Galilee, he said to them again; “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life” …They didn’t get it.  In Chapter 20 verse 17 it says; “He took the 12 disciples aside and said to them; “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day, he will be raised to life” …They still didn’t get it. You see, what they had confessed with their mouths, and heard with their ears, had not yet reached their hearts! The heart is the true “seat of understanding.” They didn’t understand, because when the time came, and these things began to happen…they all ran!  And, Peter even denied knowing him at all!

    Something happened that turned their fear into boldness; Something happened that turned their grief into joy; something happened that finally sunk in and went directly to their heart! That something was the resurrection of Jesus!

New book

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A lack of knowledge.

Romans 1:21-32  – “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”

    The problem is a lack of knowledge. The problem is that we do not know God. Whereas some parts of Scripture emphasize the “fear of God,” Romans emphasizes a knowledge of God. “My people are destroyed from lack of know-ledge.” (Hosea 4:6)

    When we lack knowledge about God, we do not – and in fact, cannot -  develop a relationship with Him. Our relationships are built upon the foundation of knowledge. A lot of marriages fail because the relationship is just based on emotions or the satisfaction of needs. To really love someone, you really have to know them. The Israelites did not have an intimate knowledge  of God nor a relationship with God. Allow me to list six things that resulted:

When we lack a knowledge of God there will be: #1. NO FAITHFULNESS. 

• The people were struggling with their faithfulness to God because of their lack of knowledge. As God’s chosen people looked around them, they saw the pagans worshiping. Pagan worship looked fun to them; it was loose and just about anything was allowed. There were really no rules. This looked good to the people of God; they constantly struggled with Baal worship and other forms of idolatry. (What would you compare that to today?)

    We will struggle with being faithful to God because we will have no foundation for our faithfulness. If you do not know God, what is it that keeps you in line?  Hebrews 11:6 – “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” How can we know, much less please or even desire to please someone with whom we have no relationship?

#2. When we lack an intimate relationship with God there will be:  NO KINDNESS.

LUKE 6:27 "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” How many of us want to do this? How many of us want to be kind to people who do not like us? Jesus told us that if we are good to those who are good to us, then we are no better than the pagans who do the same.

    Do you find it hard to be kind to some people? As you grow closer to Jesus, you will find that being kind to people becomes so much easier. If we are not kind, we will not attract people to Jesus. I remember the story that Jesus told of the Good Samaritan. Remember, a man was injured, the priest and the Levite walked right by the man, but the Samaritan stopped and showed kindness to the man. The punch line was that the Jews hated the Samaritans so this story really struck a nerve with them… What if we told this story about a black man? When people in our community need kindness and compassion, I hope that it is God’s people who are there. Showing kindness will go a long way with people. One of the benefits of knowing God is that we will start seeing people the way that Jesus saw them because we as we grow in our knowledge and love for Jesus, we are “being transformed into His image.” (2 Cor 3:18)

#3. When we lack an intimate relationship with God there will be: IGNORANCE. 

This passage says that the people did not have knowledge of God, this is ignorance. Ignorance breeds even more ignorance. Ignorance is dangerous. If we are ignorant of something, we will believe anything about it. The Constitution of the United States is a good example. How many of you know that the Constitution speaks about the separation of church and state? It does have that phrase in it right? No, it does not! But, we have a whole nation of people who think that is in there, so based on that assumption; we are allowing the ACLU and other political organizations to rid us of God in our society. When we are ignorant of God’s word, we will not know when we are being sold a bill of goods. 

    What if the church buys into the thought that all roads lead to heaven, so there is really no difference in the different religions and that doctrinal differences mean nothing? When the people are ignorant, then they we believe everything except the truth!

#4 When we lack a knowledge of God there will be: A LIFE OF SIN.

Ignorance of God and His word leads to a life of sin. Notice the things mentioned here in the opening scripture…They are all direct violations of God’s Law. The “People of God” were being swept away by the sinful life-styles of the pagans around them. Is this happening today? Why? We have allowed the teachings of the world to overtake the church. 1 John 2:15 - “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” We have fallen too much in love with the world to keep it out of us.

#5 When we lack a knowledge of God there will be: NO REPROOF.

Romans 1:32 “although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them”. We have a whole nation that wonders why things are get-ting so bad socially, and when we tell them why, we are intolerant, narrow-minded, bigots. There are absolutes even if over 70% of the people say there are none. If God says it is wrong, it is wrong for everyone.

Finally,#6 When we lack an knowledge of God FUTURE GENERATIONS ARE AFFECTED.

Vs 6-7 Ignorance breeds ignorance. God says to the Israelites that He was going to turn from the children of the people because the more they had, the more they sinned. We are raising a society of people who know little to nothing about God and we will pay and are paying the price for that. The nation of Israel suffered because one generation did not teach the other. If we – who sit in the church lack a knowledge or relationship with God, how in the world will we teach our children, and how will they teach their children? Let me say it again; “My people perish from a lack of knowledge”. (Hosea 4:6)

The Knowledge of God continued...

Here is probably the clearest and best example:

    The disciples walked and talked with Jesus for over three years. They were with Him constantly, listening to Him teach, seeing His miracles, asking Him questions, seeing Him in all the aspects and circumstances of life. But they did not understand. They did not perceive His purpose in coming, until after the resurrection...and even then, they continued to ask questions that exposed their ignorance. “We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel”… They asked him; “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”… It wasn’t until they were gathered in the upper room, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they stepped out onto the streets of Jerusalem...

    Now I want you to take notice here... they weren’t given a crash course in theology. They didn’t stay sequestered in the upper room for another 13 weeks while Jesus appeared to them with a dry erase board and a box of scrolls and taught them doctrine and homiletics and how to properly apply the scriptures…They had a certain knowledge, a learning that He had stored up in them while He was with them, but they had no revelation of the Spirit, until He came and filled them; and baptized them, there in that upper room.
    And when He did, these disciples who only days before stood gazing into the sky as He ascended...now stepped immediately out of the upper room and preached a Holy Spirit inspired sermons that had even those who crucified their Lord crying, “What must we do to be saved?”

    So you see, it is not enough to have just a head-knowledge of Jesus. To examine Him and scrutinize His word and His actions and think to understand Him that way. Our relationship to Him must be based on the revelation of Himself through His Spirit to our spirits; it will only be in the spirit and by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation…as Paul prays … that we will begin to understand His mission in the world, His purpose in us; and that we begin to know the Father.

    I want to finish today by sharing with you an excerpt from D. Martin Lloyd-Jones’ commentary on this verse. I enjoyed what he said, and I want to share it with you;

“We have been considering one of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. The Protestant Reformers used to tell their hearers that there is a double action of the Holy Spirit. There is the ‘Testimonium Spiritus Externus’ - the Spirit that is in the Word, as it were, the Spirit that inspired the men who produced the Word. That is essential. But it is not enough. Before I know that this is God’s Word and God’s truth, before I can read the Bible and discover health and food for my soul, something additional is necessary - the ‘Testimonium Spiritus Internus’. The Spirit in the reader! And without the Spirit in him, no man will be able to understand the meaning of the Word. The two operations are absolutely essential."

    In other words we have seen that the Apostle Paul prays for the Ephesian believers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give them ‘the Spirit of wisdom (the Spirit in the Word) and ‘the Spirit of revelation’ The Spirit in the believer, taking the Word and from it revealing God in all His glory.

"The Knowledge of God"

Ephesians 1:15-1:17 – 

“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,  I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”

    I want to teach a short lesson on the topic of “knowledge”… God’s Word has a lot to say about knowledge, and the different forms and subjects of knowledge, and today we are going to look at what the Bible calls the “knowledge of God”. Not knowing what God knows, - but knowledge about God…or knowing God. Our scripture is from Ephesians 1:15-23 – which has to do with know-ing some things about God – but, we have to start from the beginning because of the first words of verse 15 – “For this reason” … we have to know first of all what Paul is talking about… for what reason?  That being said, let’s begin with verses 1-14…

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blame-less in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s posses-sion—to the praise of his glory.”

How many spiritual blessings can we find here in these verses? (These could become five separate teachings…)

1. “chose us to be holy and blameless in His sight”. (“to be” means this is a result of – not the basis for…)

2. “predestined us to be adopted as his sons – through Christ”

3. “we have redemption” – “the forgiveness of sins” (by grace and grace alone.)

4. “made known to us the ‘mystery of Christ’ (Is that a blessing? What is the mystery? )

5. “marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” (a deposit on our inheritance?)

“For this reason – or, because of all that) … Paul prays, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation, so that you may know Him better...”

    In other words, Paul is praying for the Ephesians the most important prayer any Believer can pray for another Believer. That God would take them deeper and deeper into an intimate knowledge of Himself. “Man’s chief end is to know God and to enjoy Him forever.” it was determined in the Westminster Catechism; but Paul knew and taught that basic truth long before that was ever written; ... “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him”.

    Now something that surprised me about the various translations is that only the NIV translates verse 17 to say “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, giving the word ’Spirit’ a capital “S”. What Paul is praying for the Ephesians, is for something that only the Holy Spirit of God can give. He is praying and asking God for this particular thing because he is praying for spiritual wisdom and revelation, that can only come from God’s Holy Spirit.

    Now does that mean he’s praying for God to give them the Holy Spirit? No. Because he’s writing to believers. They have the Holy Spirit since their salvation. What he is praying for simply, is the Holy Spirit’s help and continued unction in bringing to these faithful believers an ever-greater wisdom and revelation in their knowledge of God. This is the goal of every minister in every church.

    The point is this; Man in his natural mind cannot begin to comprehend God. In fact, one basic truth that the scriptures teach us from beginning to end, is that apart from the Spirit and spiritual birth, God is infinitely and eternally out of man’s grasp. “Man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1st. Cor. 2:14)

    Paul is, in effect, repeating Jesus’ teaching when He told the Pharisee, Nicodemus, “...unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

    Man cannot have the knowledge of God apart from God’s Spirit. The wisdom, the teaching, and the understanding of the things of the Spirit.

More to come…

Short-term Missions

In my experience as a pastor, there are many benefits of short-term missions:

1. BLESSINGS: People who engage in obeying the great commission are to be blessed abundantly by God. Those who go on short term missions trips realize that we are blessed to be a blessing. The experiences I had were not a feeling of pity or superiority, but a desire to share that which God has blessed me with…whether money or abilities.

2. VISION: Those who go are given greater enlightenment about God and His purposes toward the people groups of the world. You are overwhelmed by the fact that you are a part of a much bigger picture - a much bigger plan then you realize sitting in the pew of the local church. It’s easy to become self-focused in the local church.

3. PURPOSE: Those who go are given a heightened sense of meaning, fulfillment and direction when they give themselves to serve on short term mission projects. New objectives and perspectives are learned about God’s greater plans for the world beyond our own limited personal perspective. You never know how God will use you. Short term mission experiences help one uncover hidden areas of strengths and weaknesses that are helpful in all areas of life, relationships and decision-making.

4. PROJECTS COMPLETED: Some are often able to complete new buildings, worship halls, or training clinics that fulfill the needs of people on the field. Things are accomplished that could never be done by the locals…and God gets the glory!

5. DRAWING CAPACITY: Short termers often attract attention from locals who are interested in seeing their evangelistic films or participating in their medical clinics or sewing classes, or V.B.S. programs. Fresh faces also provoke a sense of curiosity from all sectors of the community that will open up many new doors for the gospel…and the pastors.

6. LONG-TERM COMMITMENTS: Many short termers develop long term commitments to missions…Often going again and again. The need is great in all countries, and Jesus said that we must pray for workers in the harvest field.

7. PRAYERS INCREASED: When people engage in short term missions they pray more fervently. People tend to pray for things that they have some kind of personal involvement.

8. LINKS ESTABLISHED: Many barriers of culture, geography and perceptions are broken down as a result of the favorable relationships that are established in short term missions. You develop a love for the people that can only be God loving them through you. The lives of the local believers are warmed by the spirit of cross-cultural servanthood that the short termers display.

9. Personal EXPERIENCE:  Greater insight is given to those who take part in short term missions as their experience teaches them things they could not learn any other way. There is something to be said for the sights, sounds, smells, and hands on experience.

10. DONATIONS: People who have been on short term missions tend to give much more generously to missions the rest of their lives. They will also encourage other volunteers as a result of participation on short term missions as well. They are apt to engage in local ministries with great enthusiasm, and greater effectiveness.

11. FULL-TIME MISSIONARIES: Some people who go on short term missions are much more likely to commit themselves to full time missionary service. They often need first hand experience before they are willing to commit themselves to missionary service.

12. APPRECIATION: Short term missions give people a greater appreciation for what they have so they are less likely to fail to give thanks for all things.

13. BLESSING: Those who go will be blessed! And they will have a personal testimony that will never be forgotten.

     If you ever get the opportunity... GO!

What's the use?

2 Timothy – 2:20-21

 “In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and earthenware, and some for noble use, some for ignoble. If anyone purifies himself from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use, consecrated and useful to the master of the house, ready for any good work.”

    Most of the commentators take this reference to "a great house" to refer to the church. They see the church as the house of God, which is the term Paul used for this in his first letter to Timothy. But, if we compare what other Scriptures say on this, we discover that Scripture itself forces us to extend this analogy not only to the church, but to the whole world. Every person in the world is a possible vessel for God to use, regardless of what his attitude about God may be.

    Scripture reveals that God uses his enemies, even the devil, to accomplish his work. In the story of the Exodus, in the Old Testament, we learn that not only was Moses the instrument of God but so was Pharaoh… In Isaiah we are told that Nebuchadnezzar was the servant of God (Jeremiah 27:6), even though he was a Babylonian pagan. Cyrus the Persian king is called "God's anointed one," (Isaiah 45:1).  So, Scripture itself supports the idea that God can use anybody, believer or nonbeliever.

    Many nonbelievers will raise the question about the sovereign justice of God. In other words, if God uses someone for whatever purpose, how can God hold that person responsible?  What’s your opinion?

    In this passage in Second Timothy it is clear that the analogy between a house and vessels breaks down when it is applied to human beings. In our homes pots and pans have no choice as to what they are going to be used for -- that is entirely up to the householder -- but in Scripture it is very clear that, when this is applied to human beings, a choice is involved.

    We see that in Verse 21: "If any one purifies himself from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use." We have no choice of whether we are going to be used of God or not; the choice we have is what God is going to use us for. That is up to us; it is put in our hands. I grant you we are not dealing with the whole question of the sovereignty of God here. Paul is not dealing with the way God brings about his purposes in man, but he is facing us with a clear responsibility to make a choice in the question of how God is going to use us, whether it will be for a good purpose or not.

    Choice determines the way God uses us. "If a man purifies himself" -- that means man has something to do with it; he has to purify himself. God will never set man's will aside. One of the most remarkable things about the Scriptures is how they preserve for us what we regard as our highest dignity, which is the right to exercise our own will. God does not force us to be used of him; it must always be a willing choice on our part.

    When it says, "he must purify himself," that does not mean that we have the power to deal with our own sins, to cleanse our own lives. We do not have that power. But it does mean that we are responsible to use the cleansing that has been provided.

Example: If you have been working on your car or in the yard and your hands are dirty, you go into the bathroom to clean yourself up with soap and water -- you deliberately choose to use the soap and water provided -- when you have done so you say, "I've cleansed myself." It was not you that did the cleansing (it was the soap and water), but you used that which was provided.

You can go into a bathroom with dirty hands and there is soap and water there, but if you refuse to use them you will come out just as dirty as you went in. You cannot blame the bathroom for that. You cannot blame the soap and water for that…How does that apply to the church?...

    Now notice the result: "If any one purifies himself ... he will be," Paul says, "a vessel unto honor, consecrated and useful, ready for any good work." He will be "consecrated." He becomes adaptable; God can use him in many different ways. Life becomes a tremendous adventure as you discover the innovative ways in which God can use you.