2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
In today's blog I want to consider a doctrine, a teaching of scripture, that is so fundamental to the Christian faith, that if one were to deny it, would bring into question their salvation. The Doctrine of the Trinity has been attacked over the centuries as being illogical and of no real consequence to the everyday concerns of the Christian life. In today's blog, I want us to consider this simple question: why believe the Trinity?
Though the word "Trinity" is not found in the Bible, that does not mean the teaching is not found
Immediately some people will note: "If the doctrine of the Trinity is as core to the Christian faith as you claim, then why is the word "Trinity" not found in the Bible?" True, the word "Trinity" is not found, but neither is the word "Bible", and yet the term "Bible", which comes from a greek word "biblos" meaning book, is doctrinal shorthand for designating the 66 books of the Old and New Testament as "The Book" - i.e "Bible". Thus too, the term "Trinity" is doctrinal shorthand for bringing together three fundamental ideas that the Bible teaches about the nature of God.
1. God is one God
Deuteronomy 6:4 states - “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!" Isaiah 43:10 tells us - "“You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me."
These two scriptures commmunicate the first fundamental assertion of the biblical view of God - that there is only One God. He is One God, not three gods. The Doctrine of the Trinity never has nor never will deny the underlying unity of the very being of God.
2. The Deity of Christ
1 Corinthians 8:6 tells us something profound about God and Jesus Christ - "yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him." Jesus Christ is asserted many times in the New Testament as being God. Not only is He the Creator, as revealed in this verse, but He is also the Savior of the world, as spoken of in passages such as 1 John 4:14. According to the Old Testament, only the God of the Bible can be deemed the True Savior. (please compare Isaiah 43:11) So when we come to clear and definite statements about Christ's deity, we come to understand that He shares in the same life as the God of the Bible, who is called elsewhere in scripture "God the Father". (please compare Deuteronomy 32:18 for instance) God is one in His being, and now as we probe the text of scripture, we discover that He is at least two in terms of His identity - God the Father and God the Son.
3. The Personality of the Holy Spirit
Jesus tells us about the Holy Spirit in John 16:13 - “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come." Notice how often Jesus uses the personal pronoun "He" in reference to the Holy Spirit - clearly the Spirit of God is not an "it", nor a "force", but a genuine personality. We first meet the Holy Spirit back in Genesis 1:2, where we see Him hovering over the face of the deep at creation. We discover that the Bible describes the Holy Spirit as being God (Acts 5:3-4) who has the ability to communicate (John 16:13).
The Personality of the Holy Spirit is the third plank of the doctrine of the Trinity. Just like Jesus Christ, He too shares in Divine nature. In fact, when Jesus states in John 14:16 that "another comforter" will be sent after He ascends into heaven, that term "another" means "of the same kind". Thus The Holy Spirit is God, just as Jesus Christ is God, just as the Father is God. God is "One what" and "Three Whos" - One God, who is identified as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
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Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Is Jesus your hotel, apartment or home?
John 15:2, 4-6 (2) “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. (4) “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
In this fifteenth chapter of John's Gospel, we find Jesus giving His final message to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion on the cross. As you look at the above underlined words, His main point is to emphasize the principle that marks the difference between those who profess to know Jesus with their lips and those who have come to possess Him by faith.
As I think on this subject of abiding in Christ, I compare the ways people typically view Jesus Christ. Some treat Him as a hotel, some treat Him as an apartment landlord and others treat Him as a Home. My prayer would be that this blog writer, and you dear reader, would continuously, by faith, regard Christ as our home. Let me explain what I mean in light of the above scripture.
Some Treat Jesus as a Hotel
Many people are under the mistaken impression that they can "try Jesus" out for a while, or just simply say they are a Christian when times are good, and then not even think about him once the coast is clear. They treat Jesus like a hotel - they "check-in" and "check-out". But is that the mark of a true follower of Jesus Christ? Notice what Jesus says in the above verse: “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned."
Many people today claim to be Christians, however just because you say it with your lips does not mean you are a Christian. To treat Jesus as hotel, whereby I check-in and check-out, means He is nothing more than a name. Unless true saving faith, worked forth by God's grace, accompanied your profession, you did nothing more than just say a bunch of words. To become a Christ-follower means giving-up the rights to my life. Jesus says these words in Luke 9:23-24 "And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it."
Some Treat Jesus as an Apartment Land-Lord
Now there are those who truly do trust in Christ as Savior, Lord and Treasure. However in their Christian walk, there are areas that need to be yielded up to His Authority, His Lordship. Have you ever met Christians who only call upon Jesus when problems arise? Its like when you rent an apartment, you have a relationship with the Landlord, however you only call that person when there is leaky faucet or brokendown airconditioner units. You pay your rent once a month, do what is expected, however your relationship is based mainly on reaction to circumstances.
Jesus says these words in John 15:2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit." What His will is for your life dear Christian is for you not only to bear fruit, but to bear more fruit. God wants every child of God to bear the type of life-style, flowing from a true heart of faith, that looks to Jesus not as a Land-lord, but as their True Lord. He should not be just someone you and I look to when things are only going wrong, but He must be someone we lean upon at all times. If He is powerful and precious enough for you at the moment of saving your soul from Hell, surely He is powerful and precious enough for you to lean upon in every moment of your life right now.
We need to regard Jesus as a Home in which we abide
Jesus' whole emphasis in John 15 is about abiding, remaining, dwelling in Him. To abide means I have come to not merely "rent out" parts of my life to Jesus, rather I have come to place every nook-and cranny of my life in Him. When you buy a home, the idea is that it is yours. Not only do you come to view that home differently, it in a sense becomes a part of you. You guard it, aim to always keep it from neglect - you take care of it with love.
As a Christian, Jesus wants you to abide in Him, and He in you. He says these words in John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." To abide in a home means every single area is my responsibility. To abide in a home means I regard that place as my earthly base of operations. To abide in Christ means I have given all areas of my life over to Him, and that He is my eternal base of operations .
May you and I today not merely check-in check-out, may we not call on Jesus only when problems come, but may you and I abide. Jesus Christ not only is the believer's Home, He also aims to make the believer His home.
In this fifteenth chapter of John's Gospel, we find Jesus giving His final message to His disciples on the night before His crucifixion on the cross. As you look at the above underlined words, His main point is to emphasize the principle that marks the difference between those who profess to know Jesus with their lips and those who have come to possess Him by faith.
As I think on this subject of abiding in Christ, I compare the ways people typically view Jesus Christ. Some treat Him as a hotel, some treat Him as an apartment landlord and others treat Him as a Home. My prayer would be that this blog writer, and you dear reader, would continuously, by faith, regard Christ as our home. Let me explain what I mean in light of the above scripture.
Some Treat Jesus as a Hotel
Many people are under the mistaken impression that they can "try Jesus" out for a while, or just simply say they are a Christian when times are good, and then not even think about him once the coast is clear. They treat Jesus like a hotel - they "check-in" and "check-out". But is that the mark of a true follower of Jesus Christ? Notice what Jesus says in the above verse: “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned."
Many people today claim to be Christians, however just because you say it with your lips does not mean you are a Christian. To treat Jesus as hotel, whereby I check-in and check-out, means He is nothing more than a name. Unless true saving faith, worked forth by God's grace, accompanied your profession, you did nothing more than just say a bunch of words. To become a Christ-follower means giving-up the rights to my life. Jesus says these words in Luke 9:23-24 "And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it."
Some Treat Jesus as an Apartment Land-Lord
Now there are those who truly do trust in Christ as Savior, Lord and Treasure. However in their Christian walk, there are areas that need to be yielded up to His Authority, His Lordship. Have you ever met Christians who only call upon Jesus when problems arise? Its like when you rent an apartment, you have a relationship with the Landlord, however you only call that person when there is leaky faucet or brokendown airconditioner units. You pay your rent once a month, do what is expected, however your relationship is based mainly on reaction to circumstances.
Jesus says these words in John 15:2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit." What His will is for your life dear Christian is for you not only to bear fruit, but to bear more fruit. God wants every child of God to bear the type of life-style, flowing from a true heart of faith, that looks to Jesus not as a Land-lord, but as their True Lord. He should not be just someone you and I look to when things are only going wrong, but He must be someone we lean upon at all times. If He is powerful and precious enough for you at the moment of saving your soul from Hell, surely He is powerful and precious enough for you to lean upon in every moment of your life right now.
We need to regard Jesus as a Home in which we abide
Jesus' whole emphasis in John 15 is about abiding, remaining, dwelling in Him. To abide means I have come to not merely "rent out" parts of my life to Jesus, rather I have come to place every nook-and cranny of my life in Him. When you buy a home, the idea is that it is yours. Not only do you come to view that home differently, it in a sense becomes a part of you. You guard it, aim to always keep it from neglect - you take care of it with love.
As a Christian, Jesus wants you to abide in Him, and He in you. He says these words in John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." To abide in a home means every single area is my responsibility. To abide in a home means I regard that place as my earthly base of operations. To abide in Christ means I have given all areas of my life over to Him, and that He is my eternal base of operations .
May you and I today not merely check-in check-out, may we not call on Jesus only when problems come, but may you and I abide. Jesus Christ not only is the believer's Home, He also aims to make the believer His home.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Where the Blessed Mission Leads
Genesis 24:67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death
The Son's Pleasure is the Goal of the Blessed Mission
In Genesis 23 the death of Sarah, Abraham's wife and Isaac's mother, dominates the scene. it was by that set of circumstances that Abraham was prompted to send forth his servant to his extended family some 300 miles away to search for a bride for his son. Because of His great love for the Son, the Father put out great expense. The goal of that blessed mission in Genesis 24 was for one ultimate reason - to see his son smile once again.
When God the Father and God the Son (along with the Holy Spirit) were in eternity, the Father's love for the Son prompted Him to create a universe and a world. In that world, God already knew that the beings he would have populate its surface would be dead in trespasses and sins. Not frustrated, nor the least surprised, God the Father's objective was clear - bring joy to the Son whom He has loved for all eternity. 2 Timothy 1:9 "who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity".
The Goal of the Blessed Mission will succeed
At the end of Genesis 24, when Rebecca is brought to Isaac, love is instant, and the Bible says he took her as his wife, and they dwelled in the tent of his mother, and that she brough him great comfort over his mother's death. The goal was complete - the Son found joy in the gift of the bride from his father.
When we consider The Blessed Mission, the question is -what is the goal? Many will say - it is for the salvation of sinners. Indeed that is a goal. We want to see people saved from the wrath of God to come. Certainly the Bible repeatedly tells us that "it is not God's will that any should eprish, but all come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). However, once sinners are saved and growing in the Lord, the question is: for what purpose? Truly the Great commision, The Blessed Mission, has an ultimate goal. It is this goal that defines its success or failure - namely, the pleasure of the Son.
The way we know that the Son will be pleased with the outcome of the Blessed Mission
We read of Christ's desire for a completed people of God - a bride - is what both drives the Blessed Mission. Ephesians 5:25-27 states - "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless."
If Christ is this excited now (which he is), we know He will be even more pleased whenever the Divine plan for human history is complete, and when He returns to claim for Himself the bride for which His Spirit has been gathering for Him through the work of world-wide missions. This is where the Blessed Mission leads.
The Son's Pleasure is the Goal of the Blessed Mission
In Genesis 23 the death of Sarah, Abraham's wife and Isaac's mother, dominates the scene. it was by that set of circumstances that Abraham was prompted to send forth his servant to his extended family some 300 miles away to search for a bride for his son. Because of His great love for the Son, the Father put out great expense. The goal of that blessed mission in Genesis 24 was for one ultimate reason - to see his son smile once again.
When God the Father and God the Son (along with the Holy Spirit) were in eternity, the Father's love for the Son prompted Him to create a universe and a world. In that world, God already knew that the beings he would have populate its surface would be dead in trespasses and sins. Not frustrated, nor the least surprised, God the Father's objective was clear - bring joy to the Son whom He has loved for all eternity. 2 Timothy 1:9 "who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity".
The Goal of the Blessed Mission will succeed
At the end of Genesis 24, when Rebecca is brought to Isaac, love is instant, and the Bible says he took her as his wife, and they dwelled in the tent of his mother, and that she brough him great comfort over his mother's death. The goal was complete - the Son found joy in the gift of the bride from his father.
When we consider The Blessed Mission, the question is -what is the goal? Many will say - it is for the salvation of sinners. Indeed that is a goal. We want to see people saved from the wrath of God to come. Certainly the Bible repeatedly tells us that "it is not God's will that any should eprish, but all come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). However, once sinners are saved and growing in the Lord, the question is: for what purpose? Truly the Great commision, The Blessed Mission, has an ultimate goal. It is this goal that defines its success or failure - namely, the pleasure of the Son.
The way we know that the Son will be pleased with the outcome of the Blessed Mission
We read of Christ's desire for a completed people of God - a bride - is what both drives the Blessed Mission. Ephesians 5:25-27 states - "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless."
If Christ is this excited now (which he is), we know He will be even more pleased whenever the Divine plan for human history is complete, and when He returns to claim for Himself the bride for which His Spirit has been gathering for Him through the work of world-wide missions. This is where the Blessed Mission leads.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Why Failure is never an option
Genesis 24:5 The servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?”
Yesterday we began looking at a blessed mission in Genesis 24 to understand The Blessed Mission that every Christian is called to in evangelizing the world for Jesus Christ. We dealt with the actual concept of blessing - defining it as God's guarantee of success by virtue of His presence with His people. Today we want to offer you a defense against the common discouragement that hinders many Christians from becoming involved in The Blessed Mission.
Why failure will never be an option in God's Blessed Mission
Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, raises a legitimate question in Genesis 24:5 about the possibility of not coming back with a bride for Isaac. If the outcome had taken place, not only would Isaac not have a bride, but the whole plan of God in bring forth Christ in His humanity would had been jeopardized. This godly servant knew the implications - failure was not an option. As you go down through the text of Genesis 24, we discover how we can be encouraged as we fulfill God's desire to use us in His effort to call forth sinners to salvation.
1. God's word states that the blessed mission will not fail
Abraham's response to Eliezer's concern is recorded in Genesis 24:8 “The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there." Abraham is firm - Eliezer will succeed - a bride will be found, a particular bride, from the family of Abraham's realtives.
Jesus says these words concerning the certainty of His Great Commission in Matthew 24:14 "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come". Christ connects the certainty of His second coming to the certainty of the fulfillment of the Great Commission. As God the Holy Spirit calls and convicts sinners to saving faith, He through Christians are compelling people to be reconciled to God. (please compare 2 Corinthians 5:15-21). Thus God's word tells me that when I am telling others about Jesus Christ, I cannot fail.
2. God's Law, when accompanying the Gospel message, always points to the Bridegroom
As Eliezer set out on his long journey of some 300 miles, the Bible states in Genesis 24:10 - "Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and set out with a variety of good things of his master's in his hand; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor." Camels in Bible times were the status symbols of Abraham's day. They always pointed to the wealth and power of the owner. Commonly too, whenever a bride was being sought for a son, the father would always send gifts to be given as a way of communicating to the bride and her family the intentions of the marriage proposal. Unless Eliezer would had brought those ten camels, Rebecca's family most likely would had ignored his claims. However when he came with all those camels, suddenly the intrest level increased.
When God the Holy Spirit begins His work, He does so through the Ten commandments, the law of God. Psalm 19:7 reminds us that "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the heart" (KJV). The goal of the law of God is to show sinful man the awfulness of his sin, and that he falls short of the glory of God. (please compare Romans 3:13-21) The fact that God would even do that is remarkable, since mankind is bent towards only one thing - being at war with God.
The ten commandments also function to point the sinner to Christ. When the Holy Spirit convinces the sinner of the Awesomeness of the Son, the sinner sees that He is more desireable than his sin, and thus chooses Christ. That's true conversion. God the Holy Spirit's convicting work through the law of God (both written and on the human heart) is required if the sinner is to be convinced to choose Christ.
3. Remember, the person's response hinges upon God's work, you just have to go and tell
When Eliezer finally arrives at Laban's (Rebecca's brother's home), a big meal is placed before him. It has been over 70 years since Abraham has had contact with his extended family. To hear that his chief servant has come with a wedding proposal is big news. However the servant of Abraham is so eager to tell them what his master has to say, he refuses to eat until he has given them the good news - Isaac, the son, is seeking the hand of your daughter in marriage. The servant brought gifts to Rebecca, the would-be bride's family - paid for by the Father on behalf of the son. The gifts and the message do their work. Rebecca is given the choice - go with the servant, or stay with mom and dad, fetching water for the rest of her life. Which would you choose?
4. The Blessed Mission is all about the Master's Message about His Son
In our evangelism, we present as it were the message of our master. We tell people that salvation has already been bought and paid for. We tell them that Christ, the bridegroom, would desire them to leave their reliance upon themselves and take their place at his side. All we do is tell the message. If God is so working in that person's heart at that time, and if the Holy Spirit has so chosen to affect our message, that person, like Rebecca, will come. If that person does not come, it is not our fault, and it is not God's fault - rather it is that person's fault. When Jesus did miracles, the Bible says in John 12:37 - "But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him".
Thus we have nothing to fear. In doing the Lord's bidding of going into all the world andmaking disciples, we are succeeding. In the realm of God's will, failure is never an option.
Yesterday we began looking at a blessed mission in Genesis 24 to understand The Blessed Mission that every Christian is called to in evangelizing the world for Jesus Christ. We dealt with the actual concept of blessing - defining it as God's guarantee of success by virtue of His presence with His people. Today we want to offer you a defense against the common discouragement that hinders many Christians from becoming involved in The Blessed Mission.
Why failure will never be an option in God's Blessed Mission
Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, raises a legitimate question in Genesis 24:5 about the possibility of not coming back with a bride for Isaac. If the outcome had taken place, not only would Isaac not have a bride, but the whole plan of God in bring forth Christ in His humanity would had been jeopardized. This godly servant knew the implications - failure was not an option. As you go down through the text of Genesis 24, we discover how we can be encouraged as we fulfill God's desire to use us in His effort to call forth sinners to salvation.
1. God's word states that the blessed mission will not fail
Abraham's response to Eliezer's concern is recorded in Genesis 24:8 “The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there." Abraham is firm - Eliezer will succeed - a bride will be found, a particular bride, from the family of Abraham's realtives.
Jesus says these words concerning the certainty of His Great Commission in Matthew 24:14 "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come". Christ connects the certainty of His second coming to the certainty of the fulfillment of the Great Commission. As God the Holy Spirit calls and convicts sinners to saving faith, He through Christians are compelling people to be reconciled to God. (please compare 2 Corinthians 5:15-21). Thus God's word tells me that when I am telling others about Jesus Christ, I cannot fail.
2. God's Law, when accompanying the Gospel message, always points to the Bridegroom
As Eliezer set out on his long journey of some 300 miles, the Bible states in Genesis 24:10 - "Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and set out with a variety of good things of his master's in his hand; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor." Camels in Bible times were the status symbols of Abraham's day. They always pointed to the wealth and power of the owner. Commonly too, whenever a bride was being sought for a son, the father would always send gifts to be given as a way of communicating to the bride and her family the intentions of the marriage proposal. Unless Eliezer would had brought those ten camels, Rebecca's family most likely would had ignored his claims. However when he came with all those camels, suddenly the intrest level increased.
When God the Holy Spirit begins His work, He does so through the Ten commandments, the law of God. Psalm 19:7 reminds us that "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the heart" (KJV). The goal of the law of God is to show sinful man the awfulness of his sin, and that he falls short of the glory of God. (please compare Romans 3:13-21) The fact that God would even do that is remarkable, since mankind is bent towards only one thing - being at war with God.
The ten commandments also function to point the sinner to Christ. When the Holy Spirit convinces the sinner of the Awesomeness of the Son, the sinner sees that He is more desireable than his sin, and thus chooses Christ. That's true conversion. God the Holy Spirit's convicting work through the law of God (both written and on the human heart) is required if the sinner is to be convinced to choose Christ.
3. Remember, the person's response hinges upon God's work, you just have to go and tell
When Eliezer finally arrives at Laban's (Rebecca's brother's home), a big meal is placed before him. It has been over 70 years since Abraham has had contact with his extended family. To hear that his chief servant has come with a wedding proposal is big news. However the servant of Abraham is so eager to tell them what his master has to say, he refuses to eat until he has given them the good news - Isaac, the son, is seeking the hand of your daughter in marriage. The servant brought gifts to Rebecca, the would-be bride's family - paid for by the Father on behalf of the son. The gifts and the message do their work. Rebecca is given the choice - go with the servant, or stay with mom and dad, fetching water for the rest of her life. Which would you choose?
4. The Blessed Mission is all about the Master's Message about His Son
In our evangelism, we present as it were the message of our master. We tell people that salvation has already been bought and paid for. We tell them that Christ, the bridegroom, would desire them to leave their reliance upon themselves and take their place at his side. All we do is tell the message. If God is so working in that person's heart at that time, and if the Holy Spirit has so chosen to affect our message, that person, like Rebecca, will come. If that person does not come, it is not our fault, and it is not God's fault - rather it is that person's fault. When Jesus did miracles, the Bible says in John 12:37 - "But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him".
Thus we have nothing to fear. In doing the Lord's bidding of going into all the world andmaking disciples, we are succeeding. In the realm of God's will, failure is never an option.
Friday, October 21, 2011
The Blessed Mission
Genesis 24:3 "but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
A Blessed Mission, 0ver 2,000 years before Christ
Abraham, the great patriarch of what would become the Jewish nation, is growing old and is concerned about his son having a wife. In the prior chapter, Genesis 23, Abraham's wife Sarah dies. Clearly his advanced age is prompting him to a realization that his son must marry in order to carry on the promise that God spoke to him concerning his descendants.
Genesis 24 certainly is historical, and it tells the account of Abraham sending his chief servant Eliezer to search out a bride for his son, a bridegroom, Isaac. This account helps the reader to see how God is still keeping His promise to Abraham that through his son Isaac would come the ultimate "seed" or promise of salvation. Remarkably, this same chapter gives us a great picture of what God is doing right now as He, by the Holy Spirit, is sending out the saints of God with the life changing gospel, so as to gather a "bride", the church, for the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.
To be blessed means God's guarantee of success
The servant, Eliezer (whose name by the way means "helper") asks Abraham a legitimate question about his mission in Genesis 24:4 "The servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?” How is it that Abraham is so convinced that his servant's mission to find a bride for Isaac is going to result in success? Abraham and the whole chapter of Genesis 24 bases that conclusion on the fact that God's blessing is upon the servant and Abraham Himself.
What does it mean to have God's blessing? In Genesis 24:27, we discover that after finding the bride - Rebecca, the servant of Abraham states - He said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master; as for me, the LORD has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.” On six occassions we find the word "blessed" throughout Genesis 24, revealing to us the main thrust and theme. On three occassions we find the idea of God's blessing being associated with the word "success" (Genesis 24:21,40,42). Thus the servant was successful in his mission, because he had God's blessing.
The Blessed Mission, over 2,000 years after Christ
As we noted earlier, Genesis 24 is a picture of how God, The Holy Spirit, works through Christians to search out and find those who, by grace through faith, will believe and become a part of the bride of Christ. Jesus says these words in the Great Commission text of Matthew 28:20 "teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." So when Christ pledges His presence with his church doing the work of Evangelism, He is blessing it. That is, Christ is guaranteeing the success of the Great Commission. It too, like Eliezer's search for a bride for Isaac, will be a successful mission.
What measures success in the Blessed Mission?
When you or I go out and share the gospel of Jesus Christ, whose responsibility is it to compell, persuade, position that person to trust and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? If it were the Christian's responsibility to get that person saved, then we would have to deem the task of world-wide missions a failure. However, when we look at scripture, we discover that only the Holy Spirit of God, being God, can convince, persuade sinners to trust in Christ. Thus the measure of success is not on how many souls are won, the measure of success is: have you and I shared the Gospel? Have we went out to do the bidding of our Master? With that thought, everytime you and I share the Gospel, we are achieving 100% success. God's blessing and glory is the measure of success.
A Blessed Mission, 0ver 2,000 years before Christ
Abraham, the great patriarch of what would become the Jewish nation, is growing old and is concerned about his son having a wife. In the prior chapter, Genesis 23, Abraham's wife Sarah dies. Clearly his advanced age is prompting him to a realization that his son must marry in order to carry on the promise that God spoke to him concerning his descendants.
Genesis 24 certainly is historical, and it tells the account of Abraham sending his chief servant Eliezer to search out a bride for his son, a bridegroom, Isaac. This account helps the reader to see how God is still keeping His promise to Abraham that through his son Isaac would come the ultimate "seed" or promise of salvation. Remarkably, this same chapter gives us a great picture of what God is doing right now as He, by the Holy Spirit, is sending out the saints of God with the life changing gospel, so as to gather a "bride", the church, for the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.
To be blessed means God's guarantee of success
The servant, Eliezer (whose name by the way means "helper") asks Abraham a legitimate question about his mission in Genesis 24:4 "The servant said to him, “Suppose the woman is not willing to follow me to this land; should I take your son back to the land from where you came?” How is it that Abraham is so convinced that his servant's mission to find a bride for Isaac is going to result in success? Abraham and the whole chapter of Genesis 24 bases that conclusion on the fact that God's blessing is upon the servant and Abraham Himself.
What does it mean to have God's blessing? In Genesis 24:27, we discover that after finding the bride - Rebecca, the servant of Abraham states - He said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master; as for me, the LORD has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.” On six occassions we find the word "blessed" throughout Genesis 24, revealing to us the main thrust and theme. On three occassions we find the idea of God's blessing being associated with the word "success" (Genesis 24:21,40,42). Thus the servant was successful in his mission, because he had God's blessing.
The Blessed Mission, over 2,000 years after Christ
As we noted earlier, Genesis 24 is a picture of how God, The Holy Spirit, works through Christians to search out and find those who, by grace through faith, will believe and become a part of the bride of Christ. Jesus says these words in the Great Commission text of Matthew 28:20 "teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." So when Christ pledges His presence with his church doing the work of Evangelism, He is blessing it. That is, Christ is guaranteeing the success of the Great Commission. It too, like Eliezer's search for a bride for Isaac, will be a successful mission.
What measures success in the Blessed Mission?
When you or I go out and share the gospel of Jesus Christ, whose responsibility is it to compell, persuade, position that person to trust and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? If it were the Christian's responsibility to get that person saved, then we would have to deem the task of world-wide missions a failure. However, when we look at scripture, we discover that only the Holy Spirit of God, being God, can convince, persuade sinners to trust in Christ. Thus the measure of success is not on how many souls are won, the measure of success is: have you and I shared the Gospel? Have we went out to do the bidding of our Master? With that thought, everytime you and I share the Gospel, we are achieving 100% success. God's blessing and glory is the measure of success.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Christ is All-Sufficient is what He does
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life
In this final blog of our little series on John 3:16, we have been unfolding this incredible verse, noting why it is that Jesus Christ is the All-Sufficent Savior. We saw by the phrases "Only-Begotten" and "gave" that He is All-Sufficient by virture of His full Deity and Humanity. Thus His All-Sufficiency lies chiefly in Who He is. Today I want us to look at this beloved verse and note how He is All Sufficient in what He does. Bible teachers have identified three offices that Jesus Christ occupies on behalf of the saints of God: Prophet, Priest and King
As Prophet, He reveals the true and Living God
A prophet in the Bible is someone who represents God to the people. As the "Only-Begotten Son", Jesus Christ has the ability and Sole capacity to reveal who God is, since he is God. Salvation in John 3:16 has as its outcome the goal of imparting "eternal life" to all who believe. This idea of "eternal life" is defined by Jesus in John 17:3 - "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent". Unless you know the true God, you cannot say that you have true salvation. Only Christ, and Christ alone, can gain you access to the true God, for He is both the revelation of God and God Himself.
As a Priest, he represents believers to God
A priest in the Bible represents the saints of God before God. Jesus Christ is that One Mediator, that One Advocate, between God and man. (please compare 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 2:1) When John 3:16 states "whosoever believes in Him will not Perish", clearly that truth is rooted in who Jesus Christ is as the believer's High Priestly representative. As it was in the Old Testament, when a saint of God would come to the temple to worship God, they could not just go into the temple unrepresented. The child of God had a priest who could represent both God's interests and their's. For us today, Christ fulfills that Office. As Jesus Himself states in John 14:6 - "I am the way, the truth and the Life, no one comes to the Ftaher but through me".
As the King, He alone has the authority to grant eternal life
When a prisoner in ancient times was sentenced to die, only the King had the authority to reverse His sentence. When John 3:16 states "should not perish, but have eternal life", that statement is pointing to Christ's All-Sufficient authority as the King of Kings and Lord of Lord's. When any one by Grace through faith believes on Jesus Christ, they are grabbing hold of His Kingly authority to reverse their death sentence into a sentence of life.
As Prophet, Priest and King, Jesus Christ forever functions as the Believer's All-Sufficient Savior. Praise God for John 3:16!
In this final blog of our little series on John 3:16, we have been unfolding this incredible verse, noting why it is that Jesus Christ is the All-Sufficent Savior. We saw by the phrases "Only-Begotten" and "gave" that He is All-Sufficient by virture of His full Deity and Humanity. Thus His All-Sufficiency lies chiefly in Who He is. Today I want us to look at this beloved verse and note how He is All Sufficient in what He does. Bible teachers have identified three offices that Jesus Christ occupies on behalf of the saints of God: Prophet, Priest and King
As Prophet, He reveals the true and Living God
A prophet in the Bible is someone who represents God to the people. As the "Only-Begotten Son", Jesus Christ has the ability and Sole capacity to reveal who God is, since he is God. Salvation in John 3:16 has as its outcome the goal of imparting "eternal life" to all who believe. This idea of "eternal life" is defined by Jesus in John 17:3 - "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent". Unless you know the true God, you cannot say that you have true salvation. Only Christ, and Christ alone, can gain you access to the true God, for He is both the revelation of God and God Himself.
As a Priest, he represents believers to God
A priest in the Bible represents the saints of God before God. Jesus Christ is that One Mediator, that One Advocate, between God and man. (please compare 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 2:1) When John 3:16 states "whosoever believes in Him will not Perish", clearly that truth is rooted in who Jesus Christ is as the believer's High Priestly representative. As it was in the Old Testament, when a saint of God would come to the temple to worship God, they could not just go into the temple unrepresented. The child of God had a priest who could represent both God's interests and their's. For us today, Christ fulfills that Office. As Jesus Himself states in John 14:6 - "I am the way, the truth and the Life, no one comes to the Ftaher but through me".
As the King, He alone has the authority to grant eternal life
When a prisoner in ancient times was sentenced to die, only the King had the authority to reverse His sentence. When John 3:16 states "should not perish, but have eternal life", that statement is pointing to Christ's All-Sufficient authority as the King of Kings and Lord of Lord's. When any one by Grace through faith believes on Jesus Christ, they are grabbing hold of His Kingly authority to reverse their death sentence into a sentence of life.
As Prophet, Priest and King, Jesus Christ forever functions as the Believer's All-Sufficient Savior. Praise God for John 3:16!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Why Christ is the All Sufficient Savior - P2
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life
Jesus Christ as the All-Sufficent God, came to be the All-Sufficient man
Yesterday we pointed out why Christ is the All-Sufficient Savior, noting that He is Equal to the Father in both Being and Authority. Today we want to take this familiar verse again and point our a second reason why Jesus Christ is the All-Sufficent Savior. Notice that underlined word "gave". When God the Son, Jesus Christ, came to this world, He did not come displaying His full, unveiled Deity that He has shared with God the Father from all eternity. King Solomon reminds us in 1 Kings 8:26 that the universe could never contain the full and unveiled glory of God.
Rather Christ veiled Himself by taking up Himself a human nature through the virgin birth. He did this in order to dwell among human beings, and to perform the only act that could make salvation possible - His death on the cross. Christ in His Deity never ceased being God. When He died on the cross, it was not Christ's Deity that was killed, rather it was Christ's humanity that was crucified, buried and risen.
As the Only Begotten Son from All eternity, Christ was able to take upon His person a human nature by being born. Now we witnessed yesterday the difference between "birth" and "begotten". I won't labor the comparison between the two terms, however, it must be remembered that as true as it is that Christ is "the Only Begotten" touching His Divine nature, He taking upon Himself a human nature required a birth. When we say nature, we mean the means through which one expresses their existence. Thus Christ expresses His existence through two ways: An unlimited, Eternal Divine way and through a limited though sinless human way.
Christ in His Humanity makes Him capable of being the All-Sufficient Savior
As God, Jesus Christ is able to be the All-Sufficient Savior, and as man, He is capable of being the All-Sufficient Savior. Why? First of all, it was a man - Adam, who rebelled against God in the garden of Eden. According to God's Law, the penalty, the curse of sin, committed by man, could only be reversed by a man. The problem is, all of Adam's descendants inherited the sin nature from the bloodline of Adam and Eve.
Furthermore, the curse of sin, pronounced by God on Adam and his descendants, could only be reversed by One who is God. To complicate the issue, If God would had reversed the curse after stating it in Genesis 3, then He would had violated His Holy character, since sinful man committed high treason against God.
Why Christ's Virgin birth qualified Him to be the All-Sufficient Savior
Therefore in order to alleviate this dilemma, there had to be a way in which God, who alone could reverse the curse, could become man, who must pay for the penalty of sin. Christ as God accomplished this by being born a man. His birth was not just any normal birth, it was a virgin birth. Now that is important, since the sin nature of fallen Adam is transmitted through the father's blood-line. (please compare 1 Peter 1:18-19) Thus Christ, being fully man, did not have a sin nature, and so he could in a real legitmate way represent humanity before Holy God as the New Adam. (please compare Romans 5:11-21) As God, Christ also has the authority to reverse the curse of the penalty of Sin upon all those who by grace through faith belive upon Him as the All-Sufficient Savior.
Jesus Christ as the All-Sufficent God, came to be the All-Sufficient man
Yesterday we pointed out why Christ is the All-Sufficient Savior, noting that He is Equal to the Father in both Being and Authority. Today we want to take this familiar verse again and point our a second reason why Jesus Christ is the All-Sufficent Savior. Notice that underlined word "gave". When God the Son, Jesus Christ, came to this world, He did not come displaying His full, unveiled Deity that He has shared with God the Father from all eternity. King Solomon reminds us in 1 Kings 8:26 that the universe could never contain the full and unveiled glory of God.
Rather Christ veiled Himself by taking up Himself a human nature through the virgin birth. He did this in order to dwell among human beings, and to perform the only act that could make salvation possible - His death on the cross. Christ in His Deity never ceased being God. When He died on the cross, it was not Christ's Deity that was killed, rather it was Christ's humanity that was crucified, buried and risen.
As the Only Begotten Son from All eternity, Christ was able to take upon His person a human nature by being born. Now we witnessed yesterday the difference between "birth" and "begotten". I won't labor the comparison between the two terms, however, it must be remembered that as true as it is that Christ is "the Only Begotten" touching His Divine nature, He taking upon Himself a human nature required a birth. When we say nature, we mean the means through which one expresses their existence. Thus Christ expresses His existence through two ways: An unlimited, Eternal Divine way and through a limited though sinless human way.
Christ in His Humanity makes Him capable of being the All-Sufficient Savior
As God, Jesus Christ is able to be the All-Sufficient Savior, and as man, He is capable of being the All-Sufficient Savior. Why? First of all, it was a man - Adam, who rebelled against God in the garden of Eden. According to God's Law, the penalty, the curse of sin, committed by man, could only be reversed by a man. The problem is, all of Adam's descendants inherited the sin nature from the bloodline of Adam and Eve.
Furthermore, the curse of sin, pronounced by God on Adam and his descendants, could only be reversed by One who is God. To complicate the issue, If God would had reversed the curse after stating it in Genesis 3, then He would had violated His Holy character, since sinful man committed high treason against God.
Why Christ's Virgin birth qualified Him to be the All-Sufficient Savior
Therefore in order to alleviate this dilemma, there had to be a way in which God, who alone could reverse the curse, could become man, who must pay for the penalty of sin. Christ as God accomplished this by being born a man. His birth was not just any normal birth, it was a virgin birth. Now that is important, since the sin nature of fallen Adam is transmitted through the father's blood-line. (please compare 1 Peter 1:18-19) Thus Christ, being fully man, did not have a sin nature, and so he could in a real legitmate way represent humanity before Holy God as the New Adam. (please compare Romans 5:11-21) As God, Christ also has the authority to reverse the curse of the penalty of Sin upon all those who by grace through faith belive upon Him as the All-Sufficient Savior.
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