Scripture reading:
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit."
48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel."
50 Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that." 51 He then added, "Very truly I tell you, you will see 'heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
Observations:
(1) God is not always who we expect.
I personally became a Christian and put my faith in Christ nine years ago.
However, I have often found that I have held ideas about god which I later found to be completely unsubstantiated by what the bible says.
Our natural tendency is to view god as how we think he should be – not how the bible says that he is. It can be difficult to cast aside pre-conceived notions about how we think the lord should be like and how we think he should act.
But god will not be confined to who we think that he should be. He acts the way he is.
We can see a good example here. Both Phillip and Nathanael had a were well-versed in the Old Testament – a fact that we can see from Philip’s reference to the law of Moses. Both were familiar with the concept of the messiah. Both had their own ideas about what the messiah should be like.
Nathanael’s idea was completely misplaced.We are not told what Nathanael expected. Perhaps, he expected the messiah to come in some form of grandeur and splendor. Maybe, he would descend from the clouds. At the very least, the messiah would come from a more dignified region or town.
Clearly, he did not expect the messiah to come from a modest region.
In Nathanael’s case, his pre-conceived notion of the messiah was blown apart by a physical encounter with Jesus. But I think we can learn an important lesson. Too often, we approach god with pre-conceived notions. This could lead to disappointment when god does not do what we think that he ought to.
God will not simply do what we think he should do. He rules over us, not the other way around.
(2) God knows your name.
Have you ever felt small and insignificant? Ever felt that that huge guy in heaven is too big to care about us or any of our daily lives?
Good news – god does not view us that way. God cares enough to know everything there is to know about us.
In the previous passage (John 1:42), when Peter was bought before Jesus, Jesus looked straight at him and said “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephras (which, when translated, is Peter).”
Jesus knew Peter by name. Not only that, he knew about Peter’s family background. Peter was not some unimportant part of the masses of unknown. He meant enough to Jesus that Jesus already knew him by name.
Moreover, consider verse 47, when Jesus saw Nathanael approaching. Jesus already knew everything about his character, and confidently stated that there was nothing false about him.
That much, Jesus could not have known from simply being told by others. In order to be able to make that much of a statement about someone, you have to know their character inside out.
God is not distant. He does not consider us as unimportant. He knows each of us by name, family background and character. He knows everything that there is to know about us
(3) Jesus put his reputation on the line.
If someone came up and told you that you were going to see “heavens open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the son of man,” what would you think? Would you think those claims might be a little extravagant?
By promising this, Jesus was putting himself on the line. If he had delivered something less, his credibility would have been shot to pieces and he would have been exposed as a fake. He could not, after making such elaborate promises, afford to come up short.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord I thank you that you are not distant. You do not sit up in heaven and take no interest in our lives. You are not some distant creator who doesn’t really know us.
You know us by name. You know what is happening in each of our lives.
Lord, so many times, we see you as we think you should be, not as your great word says that you are. Lord, help open our hearts and minds to learning more about your character. Let us dwell upon your great character every day.
Lord, you made great promises about what you would do through your son, Jesus Christ. Thank you lord, that throughout his life, your son fulfilled what was promised and your glory was on full display for us to see.
In these things, I pray and thank you for.
Amen.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Boldness and Humility (John 1:19-28)
Scripture reading:
(19)Now this was John’s testimony given when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. (20)He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.”
They asked him, “Then, who are you. Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Phrophet?
He answered, “No.”
(22)Finally, they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
(23)John replied in the words of Isaiah, the prophet. “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, “Make straight the way for the lord.”
(24)Now some Pharisees who had been sent (25)questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ?”
(26)“I baptize with water,” John replied. “But among you stands one you do not know. (27)He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.
(28)This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Observations:
I have written in earlier posts how I feel that we can learn a lot from the attitude of John the Baptist.
Here, John states his identity and place before god in a clear and unambiguous fashion.
John shows true humility in his responses to the questions. He does not try to pretend he is something he is not. Nor does he overstate his significance. John states clearly that he is not the Christ and acknowledges that compared with Christ he is nothing.
But whilst his responses show a truly humble attitude before god, there is no sign of false humility. Nor was he in any way apologetic. John clearly knew and unambiguously stated his role and identity before god.
God gave John a mission and he boldly fulfilled that mission. He did so with no regard to either what others may think or any personal cost to himself. God gave him a role, John fulfilled that role. God gave him an identity and a place, John assumed his identity and place assigned by god – no questions asked, end of story.
John never shied away from being who god made him to be or doing the work god had assigned him. Nor should any Christian. Whatever god has called us to do in life, we should do boldly and without hesitation. Whoever god has called us to be, we must assume our place and live out god’s plan to the full.
Like John, we too must understand our place before Jesus. Compared to Christ, we are nothing.
As we have discussed previously, Jesus is the author and source of all life. He came from heaven to earth, lived a sinless life and laid down his life so that our sins could be forgiven.
We, sinful man, pale in comparison. We must never forget that.
At the same time, god has a specific plan the lives of every believer. All believers in Christ have a specific place in his kingdom. We must summon courage and fully carry out god’s plan in full.
How do we know what god’s plan for our life is?
God may or may not choose to tell us his plan in advance. One good idea is to pray for God’s continued guidance, that he may guide us through life and in making decisions according to his will.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, you are everything. We are nothing.
Lord Jesus, you, who were before all things, the creator and source of all life, came down from heaven to earth. You lived a perfect, sinless life and sacrificed yourself on the cross so that we could have life.
Your greatness, your power and your love are beyond comparison. We, sinful men and women, do not even deserve the right to be able to speak your name. We are not worthy to be part of your family.
But thanks to your great sacrifice on the cross, we, all believers, can be take up a place in your family. And lord, let us assume our place in your family with boldness and courage as well as graciousness and thankfulness.
Guide us lord, in our decisions. Guide us into the fulfillment of your plan for our lives. Give us courage and strength to stand out from the world and assume firmly the role you have allocated to each of us.
In these things I pray,
In your great name,
Amen.
(19)Now this was John’s testimony given when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. (20)He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.”
They asked him, “Then, who are you. Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Phrophet?
He answered, “No.”
(22)Finally, they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
(23)John replied in the words of Isaiah, the prophet. “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, “Make straight the way for the lord.”
(24)Now some Pharisees who had been sent (25)questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ?”
(26)“I baptize with water,” John replied. “But among you stands one you do not know. (27)He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.
(28)This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Observations:
I have written in earlier posts how I feel that we can learn a lot from the attitude of John the Baptist.
Here, John states his identity and place before god in a clear and unambiguous fashion.
John shows true humility in his responses to the questions. He does not try to pretend he is something he is not. Nor does he overstate his significance. John states clearly that he is not the Christ and acknowledges that compared with Christ he is nothing.
But whilst his responses show a truly humble attitude before god, there is no sign of false humility. Nor was he in any way apologetic. John clearly knew and unambiguously stated his role and identity before god.
God gave John a mission and he boldly fulfilled that mission. He did so with no regard to either what others may think or any personal cost to himself. God gave him a role, John fulfilled that role. God gave him an identity and a place, John assumed his identity and place assigned by god – no questions asked, end of story.
John never shied away from being who god made him to be or doing the work god had assigned him. Nor should any Christian. Whatever god has called us to do in life, we should do boldly and without hesitation. Whoever god has called us to be, we must assume our place and live out god’s plan to the full.
Like John, we too must understand our place before Jesus. Compared to Christ, we are nothing.
As we have discussed previously, Jesus is the author and source of all life. He came from heaven to earth, lived a sinless life and laid down his life so that our sins could be forgiven.
We, sinful man, pale in comparison. We must never forget that.
At the same time, god has a specific plan the lives of every believer. All believers in Christ have a specific place in his kingdom. We must summon courage and fully carry out god’s plan in full.
How do we know what god’s plan for our life is?
God may or may not choose to tell us his plan in advance. One good idea is to pray for God’s continued guidance, that he may guide us through life and in making decisions according to his will.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, you are everything. We are nothing.
Lord Jesus, you, who were before all things, the creator and source of all life, came down from heaven to earth. You lived a perfect, sinless life and sacrificed yourself on the cross so that we could have life.
Your greatness, your power and your love are beyond comparison. We, sinful men and women, do not even deserve the right to be able to speak your name. We are not worthy to be part of your family.
But thanks to your great sacrifice on the cross, we, all believers, can be take up a place in your family. And lord, let us assume our place in your family with boldness and courage as well as graciousness and thankfulness.
Guide us lord, in our decisions. Guide us into the fulfillment of your plan for our lives. Give us courage and strength to stand out from the world and assume firmly the role you have allocated to each of us.
In these things I pray,
In your great name,
Amen.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Our part as witnesses to the kingdom of god (John 1:35-42)
Scripture reading:
(35) The next day, John was there again with two of his disciples. (36) When he saw Jesus standing by, he said “Look, the lamb of god!”
(37) When the two disciples heard him say this, they turned around and followed Jesus. (38) Turning around, Jesus saw them and asked, “What do you want?”
They said “Rabbi” (which means ‘teacher’) “Where are you staying?”
(39) “Come,” he replied, “and you will see. So they went and saw where he was staying and spent the day with him. It was about the tenth hour.
(40) Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. (41) The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him. “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). (42) And he bought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephras” (which, when translated, is Peter).
Observations:
I’d like to make some observations here about witnessing to the gospel.
(1) Witnesses to the gospel play an integral part of building the kingdom of god.
There are two paths via which people come to know god. Firstly, the bible records some people who came to god through either direct contact with Jesus or divine revelation. Whilst Jesus walked the earth, many came to know him through direct contact. And the bible records some examples (e.g. Paul) of people who received to gospel through divine revelation.
Yes, god can work divine miracles. However, in the majority of cases, people receive the gospel via other believers. This is what we see here – John witnessing to two of his own disciples (more on that in a later post) and Andrew, in turn, witnessing to Peter - witnesses witnessing about the gospel to others, who, in turn, become witnesses and witness about the gospel to yet others still.
God is not in any way reliant upon this method, but it seems to be the most common way for the kingdom of god to expand most of the time.
I believe that all who know Christ as their savior are given an active role in the growth of the kingdom of god. God, as we see in the book of Genesis (the first book in the bible), is an active god. He believes in activity, not passivity, and I believe that he has an active role for every believer.
True, I believe that god chooses to give special spiritual gifts to special people for specific purposes. But no matter what, every single follower of Jesus can (and should) be a witness for Jesus. There are no special qualifications.
Every believer, I feel, should seek to be active in two ways – knowing Christ themselves (usually through reading the bible) and making him known by being a witness to others.
(2) Being an effective witness to the gospel does not require education or talent. (v41)
Do you know your bible inside out? Are you particularly talented at speaking or presenting new ideas in a persuasive manner?
If the answer to one or both of these questions is yes, then I have good news. If the answer is no, I have the same good news:
You can be an effective witness to the gospel.
In verse 41, Andrew has only just heard the news about Jesus. Now it does appear that Andrew previously had a reasonable background knowledge of the old testament - after all, he was one of John’s disciples. But, this was Andrew’s first encounter with Jesus.
How did Andrew approach the task of making Jesus known to others?
Did he go away and study for six months to refine his knowledge of the OT and write a carefully scripted answer to every possible question about Jesus? No.
Did he follow Jesus for a while to undertake a detailed study of him? No.
Did he ‘brush up’ on his techniques at people persuasion? No.
He went straight into action. Immediately after meeting Jesus himself, he found his brother and shared his good news. Instinctively and instantaneously, Andrew found himself being an effective witness for the gospel. He did not need special skills or training - he simply went into action.
I’m certainly not saying that we should not undertake diligent study of the bible. Nor am I saying that careful preparation for sharing the gospel is a bad thing. Objections to the gospel must be expected, and in dealing with these, it does help, I think, to be battle ready.
What I am saying, is that we should not put off the task of sharing the gospel with others.
Start today.
(3) First, you must encounter Jesus
So, then. What does it take to be an effective witness to the gospel?
When we look at the story of Andrew, we can see, I think, three key aspects of Andrew witnessing to Peter.
First, Andrew had a personal encounter with Jesus. Before Andrew could tell Peter about Jesus, he had to know Jesus himself.
So must we. Before we go out and tell others about Jesus, we must first come to the point where we ourselves know Christ as our savior.
We can only share with others what we know ourselves.
Now, we will not, like Andrew, have a physical encounter with Jesus. Our encounter with Jesus will be spiritual. The point which we need to come to is where we can confidently affirm Jesus as our savior, where we have absolute faith that all of our sins have been covered by the death of Jesus on the cross.
If you have come to that position already, you are ready to be a witness to the gospel.
If not, I do not believe that you are ready to be a witness to the gospel at this point.
(4) Second, you must follow Jesus:
There was one thing Andrew, as well as the other disciple of Jesus, did betwee the point of encountering Jesus and the point of Andrew becoming a witness to Peter:
Andrew followed Jesus.
Andrew, and the other disciple, literally turned and followed Jesus. They turned around, giving up whatever else they were doing in their lives, and followed their messiah.
We, too, must follow Jesus in our own lives. For us, following Jesus will not be a physical act, as with Andrew, but a spiritual act. It’s turning around our lives and following a life worthy of the gospel. It’s turning from any areas of sin in our lives and instead following the ways of righteousness.
If we truly know Jesus, we will follow him. We won’t do it perfectly, and some of us will still fall back into sinful ways, but we will be drawn naturally to following the ways of Jesus – if we truly know him.
It’s all well and good to go out and share the gospel with others. But our sharing of the gospel will be much more effective if we, ourselves are living the gospel. We cannot share what we don’t follow. The people whom we share the gospel with must be able to see the grace of god in how we live, as well as what we say.
(5) We must bring people to jesus
In verse 42, the bible says that Andrew brought Peter to Jesus.
That’s exactly what sharing the gospel is about – bringing people to Jesus. In the same way that Andrew bought Peter to Jesus, we, too, must try to bring those with whom we share the gospel to Jesus.
In the case of Andrew, his act of bringing Peter to Jesus is a physical and literal act. In our case, bringing people to Jesus is a figurative act, not a literal one. We might choose to take them along to church or to a home bible study group. We might introduce them to online bible study groups.
Whatever we do, I think that we need to bring people to a place where they can meet other believers, learn about Jesus and experience some form of worship.
There, they will be able to experience Jesus for themselves. Whether or not they accept Jesus into their lives will depend on them and god. But we must bring them to a place where they can experience the saving grace of Christ.
Prayer:
Lord, I pray for two things.
First, for us to know you. Lord, we cannot witness effectively to others until we actually know you ourselves. So lord, ever so much more, please shower upon us more and more understanding of your perfect justice, power, mercy and love, so that we may know you more fully every day.
Second, I pray that you equip us with the courage and wisdom to follow you and to share the news of your great mercy and love to others. Lord, how often I fail in this simple task!
Lord, let others look upon us and not only hear about you from our mouths, but see your work and your grace in our lives. Let our words and our lives be a witness to your glory.
In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.
(35) The next day, John was there again with two of his disciples. (36) When he saw Jesus standing by, he said “Look, the lamb of god!”
(37) When the two disciples heard him say this, they turned around and followed Jesus. (38) Turning around, Jesus saw them and asked, “What do you want?”
They said “Rabbi” (which means ‘teacher’) “Where are you staying?”
(39) “Come,” he replied, “and you will see. So they went and saw where he was staying and spent the day with him. It was about the tenth hour.
(40) Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. (41) The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him. “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). (42) And he bought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephras” (which, when translated, is Peter).
Observations:
I’d like to make some observations here about witnessing to the gospel.
(1) Witnesses to the gospel play an integral part of building the kingdom of god.
There are two paths via which people come to know god. Firstly, the bible records some people who came to god through either direct contact with Jesus or divine revelation. Whilst Jesus walked the earth, many came to know him through direct contact. And the bible records some examples (e.g. Paul) of people who received to gospel through divine revelation.
Yes, god can work divine miracles. However, in the majority of cases, people receive the gospel via other believers. This is what we see here – John witnessing to two of his own disciples (more on that in a later post) and Andrew, in turn, witnessing to Peter - witnesses witnessing about the gospel to others, who, in turn, become witnesses and witness about the gospel to yet others still.
God is not in any way reliant upon this method, but it seems to be the most common way for the kingdom of god to expand most of the time.
I believe that all who know Christ as their savior are given an active role in the growth of the kingdom of god. God, as we see in the book of Genesis (the first book in the bible), is an active god. He believes in activity, not passivity, and I believe that he has an active role for every believer.
True, I believe that god chooses to give special spiritual gifts to special people for specific purposes. But no matter what, every single follower of Jesus can (and should) be a witness for Jesus. There are no special qualifications.
Every believer, I feel, should seek to be active in two ways – knowing Christ themselves (usually through reading the bible) and making him known by being a witness to others.
(2) Being an effective witness to the gospel does not require education or talent. (v41)
Do you know your bible inside out? Are you particularly talented at speaking or presenting new ideas in a persuasive manner?
If the answer to one or both of these questions is yes, then I have good news. If the answer is no, I have the same good news:
You can be an effective witness to the gospel.
In verse 41, Andrew has only just heard the news about Jesus. Now it does appear that Andrew previously had a reasonable background knowledge of the old testament - after all, he was one of John’s disciples. But, this was Andrew’s first encounter with Jesus.
How did Andrew approach the task of making Jesus known to others?
Did he go away and study for six months to refine his knowledge of the OT and write a carefully scripted answer to every possible question about Jesus? No.
Did he follow Jesus for a while to undertake a detailed study of him? No.
Did he ‘brush up’ on his techniques at people persuasion? No.
He went straight into action. Immediately after meeting Jesus himself, he found his brother and shared his good news. Instinctively and instantaneously, Andrew found himself being an effective witness for the gospel. He did not need special skills or training - he simply went into action.
I’m certainly not saying that we should not undertake diligent study of the bible. Nor am I saying that careful preparation for sharing the gospel is a bad thing. Objections to the gospel must be expected, and in dealing with these, it does help, I think, to be battle ready.
What I am saying, is that we should not put off the task of sharing the gospel with others.
Start today.
(3) First, you must encounter Jesus
So, then. What does it take to be an effective witness to the gospel?
When we look at the story of Andrew, we can see, I think, three key aspects of Andrew witnessing to Peter.
First, Andrew had a personal encounter with Jesus. Before Andrew could tell Peter about Jesus, he had to know Jesus himself.
So must we. Before we go out and tell others about Jesus, we must first come to the point where we ourselves know Christ as our savior.
We can only share with others what we know ourselves.
Now, we will not, like Andrew, have a physical encounter with Jesus. Our encounter with Jesus will be spiritual. The point which we need to come to is where we can confidently affirm Jesus as our savior, where we have absolute faith that all of our sins have been covered by the death of Jesus on the cross.
If you have come to that position already, you are ready to be a witness to the gospel.
If not, I do not believe that you are ready to be a witness to the gospel at this point.
(4) Second, you must follow Jesus:
There was one thing Andrew, as well as the other disciple of Jesus, did betwee the point of encountering Jesus and the point of Andrew becoming a witness to Peter:
Andrew followed Jesus.
Andrew, and the other disciple, literally turned and followed Jesus. They turned around, giving up whatever else they were doing in their lives, and followed their messiah.
We, too, must follow Jesus in our own lives. For us, following Jesus will not be a physical act, as with Andrew, but a spiritual act. It’s turning around our lives and following a life worthy of the gospel. It’s turning from any areas of sin in our lives and instead following the ways of righteousness.
If we truly know Jesus, we will follow him. We won’t do it perfectly, and some of us will still fall back into sinful ways, but we will be drawn naturally to following the ways of Jesus – if we truly know him.
It’s all well and good to go out and share the gospel with others. But our sharing of the gospel will be much more effective if we, ourselves are living the gospel. We cannot share what we don’t follow. The people whom we share the gospel with must be able to see the grace of god in how we live, as well as what we say.
(5) We must bring people to jesus
In verse 42, the bible says that Andrew brought Peter to Jesus.
That’s exactly what sharing the gospel is about – bringing people to Jesus. In the same way that Andrew bought Peter to Jesus, we, too, must try to bring those with whom we share the gospel to Jesus.
In the case of Andrew, his act of bringing Peter to Jesus is a physical and literal act. In our case, bringing people to Jesus is a figurative act, not a literal one. We might choose to take them along to church or to a home bible study group. We might introduce them to online bible study groups.
Whatever we do, I think that we need to bring people to a place where they can meet other believers, learn about Jesus and experience some form of worship.
There, they will be able to experience Jesus for themselves. Whether or not they accept Jesus into their lives will depend on them and god. But we must bring them to a place where they can experience the saving grace of Christ.
Prayer:
Lord, I pray for two things.
First, for us to know you. Lord, we cannot witness effectively to others until we actually know you ourselves. So lord, ever so much more, please shower upon us more and more understanding of your perfect justice, power, mercy and love, so that we may know you more fully every day.
Second, I pray that you equip us with the courage and wisdom to follow you and to share the news of your great mercy and love to others. Lord, how often I fail in this simple task!
Lord, let others look upon us and not only hear about you from our mouths, but see your work and your grace in our lives. Let our words and our lives be a witness to your glory.
In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.
Monday, October 27, 2008
John's Testimony About Jessus (John 1:15-19)
Scripture reading:
(15) John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said ‘he who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” (16) From the fullness of grace, we have received one blessing after another. (17) For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (18) No one has ever seen god, but God the One and Only, who is at the father’s side, has made him known.
Observations:
(1) Although I am focusing on the character of Jesus Christ, our savior, I think we can learn a lot about the attitude we should take before god through looking at John the Baptist.
More will be written about this in future posts. But for now, let’s consider John’s testimony about Jesus in verse 15:
“He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.”
John knew and understood his place before Jesus. So should we.
In earthly terms, John was slightly older than Jesus. Attitudes of people toward their ‘seniors’ and ‘juniors’ varies from country to country and from culture to culture. But in most cases, those who are slightly older tend to look down a little on those who are slightly younger. Accordingly, John might feel ever so slightly justified in perhaps looking down at Jesus a little.
But, John the Baptist knew who Jesus really was. In John Chapter 1:1-5, John the gospel writer describes how:
• The existence of Jesus, like that of god, had no beginning;
• Jesus is the source of all life; and
• all things were made through Jesus.
John the Baptist recognized and acknowledged that Jesus was before him. Yes, John’s birth on earth predated that of Jesus, but Jesus existed from the beginning of time. Therefore, Jesus was ‘before’ John. Jesus was not just before John in terms of physical existence. Jesus was before John, and is before all of us, in all aspects of life. Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life – we haven’t. Jesus, by his death and resurrection, saved people from their sins – we can’t. Jesus came from the father, from god – we didn’t. Jesus, being fully god, is the creator and source of all life – we aren’t.
In short, Jesus is before us in every way.
Knowing all of this, we can learn from the attitude of John about humility toward Jesus. John the Baptist showed the appropriate respect before Jesus. He humbled himself and demonstrated appropriate respect and reverence toward Jesus.
That is something which I do not always do. Too often, I focus on my own needs, not upon my savior. Too often, I am too busy running around chasing my dreams and materialistic things instead of using my time and money in ways which honor god.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that it is necessarily a bad thing to work for your dreams or to attain material things. But what I need to do is focus my priorities. I must learn to first seek to give Jesus the appropriate level of respect, be it in spiritual ways such as prayer and my thought life, or in practical ways such as how I use my time and money, or making the effort to care for and love those in need.
(2) “For the law was given through Moses, Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ”
For those who may not be aware, the ‘law’ being referred to here is ‘mosaic law.’ Essentially, this refers to a set of laws for holy living which god gave to Moses after he (god) had lead the Israelites in an escape from an oppressive regime in Egypt.
The law is detailed throughout the second, third, forth and fifth book in the bible: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It contains something like six hundred commandments. These include the famous ten commandments – which outlined the main points of the law.
Both Israel as a nation and each and every Israelite individually were required by god to follow the law, which defined god’s way of living. Living by the law was living god’s way. Breaking the law was a sin against god.
The requirements of the law were extremely burdensome. With the exception of Jesus, no one was able to follow them in full. Accordingly every single Isralite (except Jesus) sinned against god as some stage in their lives, as has every single person that has ever walked this earth.
Whilst the law proved impossible to follow, I feel that it still reveals a large part of the character of god. As far as relevant to this discussion, the law shows us:
• how high god’s standards are;
• the degree of pureness, cleanliness and holiness of god;
• just what it would take to please god (basically, absolute perfection); and
• how far short we fall of god’s standards
God’s requirement was for nothing less than full compliance with his law. God is perfect and he simply cannot tolerate any sin or breaking of any of his holy laws. But we are not perfect and fall well short of his requirements. God simply cannot overlook this and it creates a problem between us and god.
Thankfully, through Christ, we are shown another side of god – his perfect grace, mercy and love. Although we fall well short of god’s requirements, god does not simply abandon us. Instead, through his great mercy, he offered to everyone his own solution to our sin. He sent his one and only son to pay the price for our sin.
So, through the law, we see god’s perfect standards. Through Christ, we see god’s perfect mercy and love.
(3) “No one has ever seen god, but god, the one and only, who is at the father’s side, has made him known.”
Ever heard anyone claim to have seen god? Maybe you have. Next question, what exactly were they taking?
Physically seeing god does not appear to be a common experience. Personally, I’ve never just been driving down to the road and just happened to see god on the side of the road. Nor have a said to my nephews or nieces “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with ‘g’ – god!”
Seeing god was not a common experience for Old Testament characters either. Moses, for instance saw only an angel through flames of fire from within a burning bush.
Come to think of it, the Old Testament does not describe anyone seeing god – no one at all. God the father spoke directly to certain people, but no-one actually saw him.
So, I am highly dubious of any claims to have seen god the father.
But, although we cannot and have not seen god, Jesus, his son, has made him known. Jesus has shown us the full character of god. As we have discussed at length in prior studies, Jesus showed the full power of god through his miracles, the faultlessness and cleanliness of god through the perfect way in which he lived and his amazing justice, love and mercy through the his death and resurrection.
Jesus fully reflected the character of god in every way. If you want to know about the character of god the father, look at Jesus, his son. Through him, the full character of the father is displayed.
Not only that, but Jesus, through his death and resurrection, made relationship with the father possible. Before the act on the cross, the problem of our sin was blocking us from relationship with the father. But, this barrier has been torn and all who truly believe in Jesus can share full relationship with the father.
We will not see god the father until we die. But we can know his full character by looking at the son. And through the death and resurrection of Christ, we are free for full relationship with the father.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, let us humble our hearts before you. You existed when time commenced. You created everything and are before everything. Let us humble ourselves and look upon you with mass reverence.
Lord, you showed us just how perfect you are through your law. We can never come anywhere near your standards, lord. We’re just not good enough. We’re just sinful man. But thanks also for showing us grace through Christ. Without grace, we would be lost. Without grace, we could have no relationship with you.
Lord, we will never see you until we die. But thank you oh so much for revealing yourself to us through your son, Jesus Christ. Through him, we have the privilege of knowing you. Through him, we can have full relationship with you.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
In the name of Jesus Christ our lord,
Amen.
(15) John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said ‘he who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” (16) From the fullness of grace, we have received one blessing after another. (17) For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (18) No one has ever seen god, but God the One and Only, who is at the father’s side, has made him known.
Observations:
(1) Although I am focusing on the character of Jesus Christ, our savior, I think we can learn a lot about the attitude we should take before god through looking at John the Baptist.
More will be written about this in future posts. But for now, let’s consider John’s testimony about Jesus in verse 15:
“He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.”
John knew and understood his place before Jesus. So should we.
In earthly terms, John was slightly older than Jesus. Attitudes of people toward their ‘seniors’ and ‘juniors’ varies from country to country and from culture to culture. But in most cases, those who are slightly older tend to look down a little on those who are slightly younger. Accordingly, John might feel ever so slightly justified in perhaps looking down at Jesus a little.
But, John the Baptist knew who Jesus really was. In John Chapter 1:1-5, John the gospel writer describes how:
• The existence of Jesus, like that of god, had no beginning;
• Jesus is the source of all life; and
• all things were made through Jesus.
John the Baptist recognized and acknowledged that Jesus was before him. Yes, John’s birth on earth predated that of Jesus, but Jesus existed from the beginning of time. Therefore, Jesus was ‘before’ John. Jesus was not just before John in terms of physical existence. Jesus was before John, and is before all of us, in all aspects of life. Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life – we haven’t. Jesus, by his death and resurrection, saved people from their sins – we can’t. Jesus came from the father, from god – we didn’t. Jesus, being fully god, is the creator and source of all life – we aren’t.
In short, Jesus is before us in every way.
Knowing all of this, we can learn from the attitude of John about humility toward Jesus. John the Baptist showed the appropriate respect before Jesus. He humbled himself and demonstrated appropriate respect and reverence toward Jesus.
That is something which I do not always do. Too often, I focus on my own needs, not upon my savior. Too often, I am too busy running around chasing my dreams and materialistic things instead of using my time and money in ways which honor god.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that it is necessarily a bad thing to work for your dreams or to attain material things. But what I need to do is focus my priorities. I must learn to first seek to give Jesus the appropriate level of respect, be it in spiritual ways such as prayer and my thought life, or in practical ways such as how I use my time and money, or making the effort to care for and love those in need.
(2) “For the law was given through Moses, Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ”
For those who may not be aware, the ‘law’ being referred to here is ‘mosaic law.’ Essentially, this refers to a set of laws for holy living which god gave to Moses after he (god) had lead the Israelites in an escape from an oppressive regime in Egypt.
The law is detailed throughout the second, third, forth and fifth book in the bible: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It contains something like six hundred commandments. These include the famous ten commandments – which outlined the main points of the law.
Both Israel as a nation and each and every Israelite individually were required by god to follow the law, which defined god’s way of living. Living by the law was living god’s way. Breaking the law was a sin against god.
The requirements of the law were extremely burdensome. With the exception of Jesus, no one was able to follow them in full. Accordingly every single Isralite (except Jesus) sinned against god as some stage in their lives, as has every single person that has ever walked this earth.
Whilst the law proved impossible to follow, I feel that it still reveals a large part of the character of god. As far as relevant to this discussion, the law shows us:
• how high god’s standards are;
• the degree of pureness, cleanliness and holiness of god;
• just what it would take to please god (basically, absolute perfection); and
• how far short we fall of god’s standards
God’s requirement was for nothing less than full compliance with his law. God is perfect and he simply cannot tolerate any sin or breaking of any of his holy laws. But we are not perfect and fall well short of his requirements. God simply cannot overlook this and it creates a problem between us and god.
Thankfully, through Christ, we are shown another side of god – his perfect grace, mercy and love. Although we fall well short of god’s requirements, god does not simply abandon us. Instead, through his great mercy, he offered to everyone his own solution to our sin. He sent his one and only son to pay the price for our sin.
So, through the law, we see god’s perfect standards. Through Christ, we see god’s perfect mercy and love.
(3) “No one has ever seen god, but god, the one and only, who is at the father’s side, has made him known.”
Ever heard anyone claim to have seen god? Maybe you have. Next question, what exactly were they taking?
Physically seeing god does not appear to be a common experience. Personally, I’ve never just been driving down to the road and just happened to see god on the side of the road. Nor have a said to my nephews or nieces “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with ‘g’ – god!”
Seeing god was not a common experience for Old Testament characters either. Moses, for instance saw only an angel through flames of fire from within a burning bush.
Come to think of it, the Old Testament does not describe anyone seeing god – no one at all. God the father spoke directly to certain people, but no-one actually saw him.
So, I am highly dubious of any claims to have seen god the father.
But, although we cannot and have not seen god, Jesus, his son, has made him known. Jesus has shown us the full character of god. As we have discussed at length in prior studies, Jesus showed the full power of god through his miracles, the faultlessness and cleanliness of god through the perfect way in which he lived and his amazing justice, love and mercy through the his death and resurrection.
Jesus fully reflected the character of god in every way. If you want to know about the character of god the father, look at Jesus, his son. Through him, the full character of the father is displayed.
Not only that, but Jesus, through his death and resurrection, made relationship with the father possible. Before the act on the cross, the problem of our sin was blocking us from relationship with the father. But, this barrier has been torn and all who truly believe in Jesus can share full relationship with the father.
We will not see god the father until we die. But we can know his full character by looking at the son. And through the death and resurrection of Christ, we are free for full relationship with the father.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, let us humble our hearts before you. You existed when time commenced. You created everything and are before everything. Let us humble ourselves and look upon you with mass reverence.
Lord, you showed us just how perfect you are through your law. We can never come anywhere near your standards, lord. We’re just not good enough. We’re just sinful man. But thanks also for showing us grace through Christ. Without grace, we would be lost. Without grace, we could have no relationship with you.
Lord, we will never see you until we die. But thank you oh so much for revealing yourself to us through your son, Jesus Christ. Through him, we have the privilege of knowing you. Through him, we can have full relationship with you.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
In the name of Jesus Christ our lord,
Amen.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The Word became flesh (John 1:14)
Scripture reading:
(14) The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the father, full of grace and truth.
Observations:
I would like to break this passage down into five parts and deal with each part separately.
Part A - “The word became flesh.”
One of the most misused phrases in the bible.
Robert Kiyosak, in his series “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” series, quotes this passage in support of his view about self-talk – that your self-talk helps to determine your destiny.
This is an absolutely ludicrous interpretation of the passage. The passage has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with self-talk. To quote this passage in support of self-talk is to take the passage way, way, way out of it’s proper context.
Leaving aside such ridiculous quotations, what does it mean that the word became flesh? I must acknowledge that I do not fully understand this passage, so I cannot explain it fully.
Nevertheless, I’ll make some suggestions based upon what I think.
The passage is literally referring to Jesus coming in the flesh and body of a man, and living among us. The ‘word’ here (also referred to in John 1:1) probably refers to both the Old
Testament and to Jesus.
The Old Testament prophesized a savior. When Jesus was born, the prophesy came true.
Accordingly, the prophesy became flesh both literally and figuratively – literally, as in Jesus was born in the physical body of a man, and figuratively as in it came to pass.
‘The word’ here also refers specifically to Jesus. It was, after all, Jesus, who literally came in the flesh.
Jesus claims that the scriptures point to him. I believe, therefore, that the expression ‘the word became flesh’ refers to what was foretold in the scriptures becoming literally true in terms of
Jesus, the savior, being literally born in the flesh.
Part 2 – And made his dwelling among us
It can be tempting to view god as being detached from human life.
Under this view, he sits on his high horse in heaven all day long. He does not know or care what it’s like to have to confront the challenges of life on earth.
But the scripture does not support this view.
The scripture says that Jesus – the son of god (and himself fully god) – came down from the father, took on the physical body of a man and actually lived among us. He confronted (and overcame) all of the temptations and challenges of living a real human life in a real human body amongst real people. He was fully god, but he also experienced first hand the trials of living as a man on earth.
Therefore, we cannot say that he is indifferent toward our lives on earth. He isn’t. Jesus came in a very deliberate manner from the father lived a full life with us on earth as one of us.
Nor can we say that he does not understand human struggles or pain. He does, through first hand experience.
Part 3 - “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only”
In this statement, I think that John is referring to the whole and complete event of Jesus’s birth, death and resurrection.
Jesus did not hold back. He displayed the full extent of the glory of god – his great power, understanding, perfection and love. He did this both through the perfect life he lived and the great sacrifice of his death on the cross and subsequent resurrection. God’s sheer power of was on full display through the miracles which Jesus performed. His all-surpassing knowledge, wisdom and understanding of god was fully demonstrated through his groundbreaking teaching of scripture. The absolute perfection of god almighty was displayed through the pure and faultless way in which Jesus lived – fulfilling god’s law completely with absolutely no sin in any way. Finally, the perfect love of god, which surpasses all knowledge and understanding, was demonstrated through the death of Jesus on the cross, as payment for the forgiveness of our sins.
If we want to know about the absolute glory of god the father, we need only look at the life, death and resurrection of his son Jesus Christ. There, god’s full glory – his power, understanding, perfection, justice and love, were on full display.
Part 4: “Who came from the father”
I have spent the last two years of my life living and working in a foreign country. I am from Australia and I am now living in rural South Korea.
The Koreans have been very kind to me and have welcomed me into their country. But I will never be one of them. I am different to them in many ways. Koreans observe very strict social rules. Whilst I try to respect Korean customs, but am prepared to break them if there is a good enough reason to do so. Koreans operate under a clearly defined social hierarchy – and will never question someone above them. I do not care as much about social hierarchy. Koreans are good at sitting cross legged whilst eating dinner. I simply can’t do it.
I see the world differently to Koreans. My beliefs, thoughts, mannerisms and actions are different to theirs. I love them and their way of life, but I am not one of them. I am different and I always will be.
The same is true with all foreigners who I meet in Korea, whether from England, New Zealand,
Scotland Australia, America, Canada, or other parts of the world. We are all different to Koreans.
Why am I different? I am different because of where I came from. I came from a different place.
Throughout the gospel, it is clear that Jesus is completely unlike anyone else in any way. He told oceans to be calm and they obeyed – no human could do that. He displayed unlimited understanding and wisdom, far beyond that of any other human. He lived a perfect, completely sinless life – no other person has ever done that. He laid down his life for the lord – few people have done that.
Why was Jesus so different? He was different because of where he came from. He lived a sinless life because he came from the father, who is sinless. He had complete control over science and nature because he came from the father, the creator of the earth. He had unlimited knowledge and wisdom because he came from the father, who has unlimited knowledge and wisdom. He spoke the truth boldly because he came from the father, who is full of nothing but truth. He had mercy on tax collectors and sinners because he came from the father, who is full of mercy and grace.
Finally, he demonstrated perfect love on the cross, because he came from the father, whose justice and love are perfect and unlimited.
Part D: “Full of grace and truth”
These words, used to describe the fundamental nature of Jesus and how he lived on earth, speak volumes about the character of god the father.
Jesus came from the father. His character and nature perfectly reflect that of god our heavenly father. Jesus came full of truth and grace and those traits came directly from the father. This means that the character of god the father is absolutely full of truth and also of grace.
Throughout his life on earth, Jesus spoke the truth boldly. Now this is easy when the truth is easy to accept. But when the truth is difficult to accept, then it’s all too easy to water it down.
The gospel contains some fairly difficult truths as it is. It is difficult for people to accept that they have failed god and are in need of salvation. It is also difficult to accept that a loving god would ever punish people for their sins.
But add to this what Jesus had to say – that he was the savior – that he was the son of god – and that all who believed in him would have their sins forgiven, and the truth gets harder still to tell.
But Jesus never once backed away from the full truth. Not once did he water down or sugar coat the truth.
Not only this, but Jesus lived the truth as well. During his lifetime, he fulfilled everything which had previously been prophesized about the savior. Moreover, he lived a perfect life and perfectly fulfilled the requirements of god’s law.
Jesus not only spoke and lived the truth in full, he also spoke and lived a life full of grace and mercy.
There is no better illustration of this than on the cross. Jesus had been crucified, severely beaten and nailed to the cross without doing anything wrong. At that point, Jesus would feel entitled to be at least a little angry. But his response: “Forgive them father, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Those words speak for themselves about the extent of Jesus’s grace and love.
Prayer:
Thank you, lord Jesus.
You were up there in heaven, in marvel and glorious majesty. We were down here. Little people, sinful man. Completely underserving of your grace.
Yet you, though you were everything, came from heaven to earth and took on the form of literal human flesh. You know what it is like, lord, to be one of us. You have literally lived on this earth amongst us as one of us.
Yet, though you lived in human flesh, you did not hold back in showing the wonderful glory of god the father. You demonstrated the full extent of his power through the many miracles you performed. You also demonstrated his purity and truthfulness by the perfect way in which you lived on earth. Finally, lord Jesus, you demonstrated everything about the lord – power, truthfulness, justice and mercy – through your death on the cross and resurrection.
You were able to demonstrate all of this because you came from the father, full of grace, love, glory and truth. And then, at the resurrection, you went back to the father, after all had been accomplished.
Jesus, I am lost for words when I think about you. Your greatness is just beyond comprehension. I can only fall down on my knees and say “Thank you, lord. Thank you.” When we turned away from you, you never disowned us. You paid an amazing price to allow sinful men and women to be included amongst your glorious family.
I can only thank you and praise you.
Amen.
(14) The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the father, full of grace and truth.
Observations:
I would like to break this passage down into five parts and deal with each part separately.
Part A - “The word became flesh.”
One of the most misused phrases in the bible.
Robert Kiyosak, in his series “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” series, quotes this passage in support of his view about self-talk – that your self-talk helps to determine your destiny.
This is an absolutely ludicrous interpretation of the passage. The passage has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with self-talk. To quote this passage in support of self-talk is to take the passage way, way, way out of it’s proper context.
Leaving aside such ridiculous quotations, what does it mean that the word became flesh? I must acknowledge that I do not fully understand this passage, so I cannot explain it fully.
Nevertheless, I’ll make some suggestions based upon what I think.
The passage is literally referring to Jesus coming in the flesh and body of a man, and living among us. The ‘word’ here (also referred to in John 1:1) probably refers to both the Old
Testament and to Jesus.
The Old Testament prophesized a savior. When Jesus was born, the prophesy came true.
Accordingly, the prophesy became flesh both literally and figuratively – literally, as in Jesus was born in the physical body of a man, and figuratively as in it came to pass.
‘The word’ here also refers specifically to Jesus. It was, after all, Jesus, who literally came in the flesh.
Jesus claims that the scriptures point to him. I believe, therefore, that the expression ‘the word became flesh’ refers to what was foretold in the scriptures becoming literally true in terms of
Jesus, the savior, being literally born in the flesh.
Part 2 – And made his dwelling among us
It can be tempting to view god as being detached from human life.
Under this view, he sits on his high horse in heaven all day long. He does not know or care what it’s like to have to confront the challenges of life on earth.
But the scripture does not support this view.
The scripture says that Jesus – the son of god (and himself fully god) – came down from the father, took on the physical body of a man and actually lived among us. He confronted (and overcame) all of the temptations and challenges of living a real human life in a real human body amongst real people. He was fully god, but he also experienced first hand the trials of living as a man on earth.
Therefore, we cannot say that he is indifferent toward our lives on earth. He isn’t. Jesus came in a very deliberate manner from the father lived a full life with us on earth as one of us.
Nor can we say that he does not understand human struggles or pain. He does, through first hand experience.
Part 3 - “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only”
In this statement, I think that John is referring to the whole and complete event of Jesus’s birth, death and resurrection.
Jesus did not hold back. He displayed the full extent of the glory of god – his great power, understanding, perfection and love. He did this both through the perfect life he lived and the great sacrifice of his death on the cross and subsequent resurrection. God’s sheer power of was on full display through the miracles which Jesus performed. His all-surpassing knowledge, wisdom and understanding of god was fully demonstrated through his groundbreaking teaching of scripture. The absolute perfection of god almighty was displayed through the pure and faultless way in which Jesus lived – fulfilling god’s law completely with absolutely no sin in any way. Finally, the perfect love of god, which surpasses all knowledge and understanding, was demonstrated through the death of Jesus on the cross, as payment for the forgiveness of our sins.
If we want to know about the absolute glory of god the father, we need only look at the life, death and resurrection of his son Jesus Christ. There, god’s full glory – his power, understanding, perfection, justice and love, were on full display.
Part 4: “Who came from the father”
I have spent the last two years of my life living and working in a foreign country. I am from Australia and I am now living in rural South Korea.
The Koreans have been very kind to me and have welcomed me into their country. But I will never be one of them. I am different to them in many ways. Koreans observe very strict social rules. Whilst I try to respect Korean customs, but am prepared to break them if there is a good enough reason to do so. Koreans operate under a clearly defined social hierarchy – and will never question someone above them. I do not care as much about social hierarchy. Koreans are good at sitting cross legged whilst eating dinner. I simply can’t do it.
I see the world differently to Koreans. My beliefs, thoughts, mannerisms and actions are different to theirs. I love them and their way of life, but I am not one of them. I am different and I always will be.
The same is true with all foreigners who I meet in Korea, whether from England, New Zealand,
Scotland Australia, America, Canada, or other parts of the world. We are all different to Koreans.
Why am I different? I am different because of where I came from. I came from a different place.
Throughout the gospel, it is clear that Jesus is completely unlike anyone else in any way. He told oceans to be calm and they obeyed – no human could do that. He displayed unlimited understanding and wisdom, far beyond that of any other human. He lived a perfect, completely sinless life – no other person has ever done that. He laid down his life for the lord – few people have done that.
Why was Jesus so different? He was different because of where he came from. He lived a sinless life because he came from the father, who is sinless. He had complete control over science and nature because he came from the father, the creator of the earth. He had unlimited knowledge and wisdom because he came from the father, who has unlimited knowledge and wisdom. He spoke the truth boldly because he came from the father, who is full of nothing but truth. He had mercy on tax collectors and sinners because he came from the father, who is full of mercy and grace.
Finally, he demonstrated perfect love on the cross, because he came from the father, whose justice and love are perfect and unlimited.
Part D: “Full of grace and truth”
These words, used to describe the fundamental nature of Jesus and how he lived on earth, speak volumes about the character of god the father.
Jesus came from the father. His character and nature perfectly reflect that of god our heavenly father. Jesus came full of truth and grace and those traits came directly from the father. This means that the character of god the father is absolutely full of truth and also of grace.
Throughout his life on earth, Jesus spoke the truth boldly. Now this is easy when the truth is easy to accept. But when the truth is difficult to accept, then it’s all too easy to water it down.
The gospel contains some fairly difficult truths as it is. It is difficult for people to accept that they have failed god and are in need of salvation. It is also difficult to accept that a loving god would ever punish people for their sins.
But add to this what Jesus had to say – that he was the savior – that he was the son of god – and that all who believed in him would have their sins forgiven, and the truth gets harder still to tell.
But Jesus never once backed away from the full truth. Not once did he water down or sugar coat the truth.
Not only this, but Jesus lived the truth as well. During his lifetime, he fulfilled everything which had previously been prophesized about the savior. Moreover, he lived a perfect life and perfectly fulfilled the requirements of god’s law.
Jesus not only spoke and lived the truth in full, he also spoke and lived a life full of grace and mercy.
There is no better illustration of this than on the cross. Jesus had been crucified, severely beaten and nailed to the cross without doing anything wrong. At that point, Jesus would feel entitled to be at least a little angry. But his response: “Forgive them father, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Those words speak for themselves about the extent of Jesus’s grace and love.
Prayer:
Thank you, lord Jesus.
You were up there in heaven, in marvel and glorious majesty. We were down here. Little people, sinful man. Completely underserving of your grace.
Yet you, though you were everything, came from heaven to earth and took on the form of literal human flesh. You know what it is like, lord, to be one of us. You have literally lived on this earth amongst us as one of us.
Yet, though you lived in human flesh, you did not hold back in showing the wonderful glory of god the father. You demonstrated the full extent of his power through the many miracles you performed. You also demonstrated his purity and truthfulness by the perfect way in which you lived on earth. Finally, lord Jesus, you demonstrated everything about the lord – power, truthfulness, justice and mercy – through your death on the cross and resurrection.
You were able to demonstrate all of this because you came from the father, full of grace, love, glory and truth. And then, at the resurrection, you went back to the father, after all had been accomplished.
Jesus, I am lost for words when I think about you. Your greatness is just beyond comprehension. I can only fall down on my knees and say “Thank you, lord. Thank you.” When we turned away from you, you never disowned us. You paid an amazing price to allow sinful men and women to be included amongst your glorious family.
I can only thank you and praise you.
Amen.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Becoming a child of god (John 1;12-13)
Scripture reading:
(12) Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of god - (13) children not born of natural descent, not of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of god.
Observations:
The previous post was not particularly uplifting.
We saw that Jesus came to the world and that the world, as a whole, rejected him.
This passage brings some more uplifting news. Whilst the majority of people rejected Jesus, some believed in him. To these people, the gospel says, Jesus gave the right to become children of god.
Normally, when I believe in someone, seeing them succeed fills me with encouragement and enthusiasm. Seeing them fail brings fills me with disappointment, particularly if the failure is for ethical reasons.
People who succeed and live an honorable life provide others with inspiration, encouragement, belief, a role model and many other positive things. But what heroes and mentors can give to others who believe in them pales in comparison to what Jesus gives to his followers – the gift of becoming a child of god.
When looking at this passage, I think there are three important questions to consider:
(1) Who gets to be a child of god?(2) What does it mean to be a child of god?(3) By whose design do we become god’s children?
Who gets to be a child of god?Simply put – those who believe in Jesus.
This is a highly controversial point. Some believe that a truly loving god would think of everyone as his children. They feel that everyone should be able to go and be with god in heaven when they die.
But the gospel does not support this viewpoint. The gospel specifies only one way for us to enter god’s family – to believe in Jesus.By human logic, this may not seem fair. But god, our creator, decides who enters his family. We don’t make that decision – god does.
What does it mean to be a child of god?
It is interesting to note the words used here – a child of god. When I look at my relationship to my earthly parents, I make three key observations:
• Being a child is who you are, not something you earn.
I did nothing to earn the privilege of being the son of my parents. I just simply came out.
If I had simply ‘came out’ of somebody else’s womb, I would not be a child my parents. Nothing I did – no amount of good works which I performed for them – would have changed one fact - I would not have been their son.
But, fortunately for me, I came out as my parents’ son. I did not earn the right to be the son of my parents, I just came out that way. It’s simply who I am.
Being a child of god is something that you are at your very core being. You don’t earn it, if you believe in Jesus, you simply are that way. It’s just who you are.
• Second, being a son is permanent.
Many times, I have not done the right thing by my parents. But no matter what I do – no matter how many arguments I have with them or how many times I dishonor them – one thing will not change - they will always be my parents and I will always be my son.
Similarly, there are times in our lives where we all wander from god’s ways. When this happens, he may provide some fatherly discipline. But no matter what we do, as long as we believe in
Jesus, we will always be his children.
Our heavenly father will never expel us from his family. God has a permanent place reserved for us in his family and nothing will ever change that.
• Finally, being a son is intimate.
When you are a member or employee of a club or organization, you get actively involved in the activities of that club or organization. But at the end of the day, you go home.
You may work together to achieve some common goals, but you do not relate intimately with them in the same way that you relate to your own family.
God shares an intimate relationship with his children. He is not cold, dispassionate or detached from our lives.
No. He cares for his children like a father cares for his son.
Being a child of god is a phenomenal gift which believers in Christ have been granted through Christ and his sacrifice on the cross.
By whose design were we made a child of god?In short – god’s. (v13)
Believers in Christ have been chosen by god to be born of god. This was god’s deliberate design.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, the whole world, including all of the people in it, and yes – including us, has rejected you – our creator. You have every right to be angry. You would have every right if you were to turn your back on us in disgust.
Yet, in spite of all this, because of your pure love and your great mercy, you still invite believers into your great family. You and only you have made us this way.
We cannot earn a place in your family and we have no right to be there. But, in your great mercy, you have made us your sons and daughters.
We can only stand in awe. We can only fall down on our knees and say “Thank you, Thank you.” I am astounded when I think that you, great and holy creator, love me, a lowly, sinful human being, enough to grant me a place in your great family.
In your great name I pray.
Amen.
(12) Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of god - (13) children not born of natural descent, not of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of god.
Observations:
The previous post was not particularly uplifting.
We saw that Jesus came to the world and that the world, as a whole, rejected him.
This passage brings some more uplifting news. Whilst the majority of people rejected Jesus, some believed in him. To these people, the gospel says, Jesus gave the right to become children of god.
Normally, when I believe in someone, seeing them succeed fills me with encouragement and enthusiasm. Seeing them fail brings fills me with disappointment, particularly if the failure is for ethical reasons.
People who succeed and live an honorable life provide others with inspiration, encouragement, belief, a role model and many other positive things. But what heroes and mentors can give to others who believe in them pales in comparison to what Jesus gives to his followers – the gift of becoming a child of god.
When looking at this passage, I think there are three important questions to consider:
(1) Who gets to be a child of god?(2) What does it mean to be a child of god?(3) By whose design do we become god’s children?
Who gets to be a child of god?Simply put – those who believe in Jesus.
This is a highly controversial point. Some believe that a truly loving god would think of everyone as his children. They feel that everyone should be able to go and be with god in heaven when they die.
But the gospel does not support this viewpoint. The gospel specifies only one way for us to enter god’s family – to believe in Jesus.By human logic, this may not seem fair. But god, our creator, decides who enters his family. We don’t make that decision – god does.
What does it mean to be a child of god?
It is interesting to note the words used here – a child of god. When I look at my relationship to my earthly parents, I make three key observations:
• Being a child is who you are, not something you earn.
I did nothing to earn the privilege of being the son of my parents. I just simply came out.
If I had simply ‘came out’ of somebody else’s womb, I would not be a child my parents. Nothing I did – no amount of good works which I performed for them – would have changed one fact - I would not have been their son.
But, fortunately for me, I came out as my parents’ son. I did not earn the right to be the son of my parents, I just came out that way. It’s simply who I am.
Being a child of god is something that you are at your very core being. You don’t earn it, if you believe in Jesus, you simply are that way. It’s just who you are.
• Second, being a son is permanent.
Many times, I have not done the right thing by my parents. But no matter what I do – no matter how many arguments I have with them or how many times I dishonor them – one thing will not change - they will always be my parents and I will always be my son.
Similarly, there are times in our lives where we all wander from god’s ways. When this happens, he may provide some fatherly discipline. But no matter what we do, as long as we believe in
Jesus, we will always be his children.
Our heavenly father will never expel us from his family. God has a permanent place reserved for us in his family and nothing will ever change that.
• Finally, being a son is intimate.
When you are a member or employee of a club or organization, you get actively involved in the activities of that club or organization. But at the end of the day, you go home.
You may work together to achieve some common goals, but you do not relate intimately with them in the same way that you relate to your own family.
God shares an intimate relationship with his children. He is not cold, dispassionate or detached from our lives.
No. He cares for his children like a father cares for his son.
Being a child of god is a phenomenal gift which believers in Christ have been granted through Christ and his sacrifice on the cross.
By whose design were we made a child of god?In short – god’s. (v13)
Believers in Christ have been chosen by god to be born of god. This was god’s deliberate design.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, the whole world, including all of the people in it, and yes – including us, has rejected you – our creator. You have every right to be angry. You would have every right if you were to turn your back on us in disgust.
Yet, in spite of all this, because of your pure love and your great mercy, you still invite believers into your great family. You and only you have made us this way.
We cannot earn a place in your family and we have no right to be there. But, in your great mercy, you have made us your sons and daughters.
We can only stand in awe. We can only fall down on our knees and say “Thank you, Thank you.” I am astounded when I think that you, great and holy creator, love me, a lowly, sinful human being, enough to grant me a place in your great family.
In your great name I pray.
Amen.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
The Rejected Son (John 1:10-11
Scripture reading:
(10) He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. (11) He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
Observations:
Earlier in John, we saw some pretty amazing things about Jesus.
Amongst other things, we have seen that Jesus:
• existed at the beginning of time;
• is inseparable from god the father;
• was the creator of everything that existed; and
• is the source of all life, having life within himself.
Does that sound exciting?
If a man put that on his resume, wouldn’t he be sought after?
He would - if you believed him. And many did. The gospels do say that Jesus had many followers.
But even though many people believed him, the great majority did not. Many people despised Jesus, believing he was a fake or a religious nutcase. Some even saw him as a blasphemer against god.
So Jesus, after having made the whole world, and all of the people in it, himself came into the world, his own creation. The world’s response to our maker – “Reject him. Mock him. Laugh at him. He’s just a raving lunatic – or worse, a blasphemer. Kill him. Crucify him!
Nothing had changed. In Old Testament times, before Jesus, god had been rejected over and over again by the people he made. Some people made a decent attempt to follow god (although all sinned against him at some point), but the great majority rejected him and his ways. They set up idols to worship instead of god.
Now, when we see god come enter the world in human form, we see the same pattern arising.
Many did believe and follow him. But the great majority rejected and despised him, not recognizing that he was indeed their maker. Over and over again, we see man rejecting god.
I wonder how god feels about all this. I wonder how you would feel if you made an entire world and all the people in it, and then the people who you owned and who you made, rejected you.
You make them, you own them, they are yours, and yet they reject you. Could you let that go unpunished?
Personally, I would be extremely and uncontrollably angry. I would unleash complete destruction.
I have heard people say that “a truly loving god would never send people to hell.” This, from a human perspective, is an understandable way of thinking.
However, this viewpoint ignores the fact that we have rejected god. We have turned our back on god. God cannot let this go unpunished.
Fortunately, we will see from the next passage, god is merciful and has a solution toward dealing with our rejection.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father.
Lord, you created the whole earth and all of life, yet we rejected you. You are the source of all life – you gave us everything that we have and everything that we are – yet we hid from you, spat on your face and turned away.
Lord, we can only look on our rebellion with shame. Who do we think we are to have a right to turn our back on you? You are our maker, who are we to reject you?
Lord, for our shameful rebellion, we can only beg for your mercy. We see in the next passage that despite our rebellion, you, in your mercy still provide a way for us to be in relationship with you.
Lord, all we can ask for is your mercy.
In the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord
Amen
(10) He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. (11) He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
Observations:
Earlier in John, we saw some pretty amazing things about Jesus.
Amongst other things, we have seen that Jesus:
• existed at the beginning of time;
• is inseparable from god the father;
• was the creator of everything that existed; and
• is the source of all life, having life within himself.
Does that sound exciting?
If a man put that on his resume, wouldn’t he be sought after?
He would - if you believed him. And many did. The gospels do say that Jesus had many followers.
But even though many people believed him, the great majority did not. Many people despised Jesus, believing he was a fake or a religious nutcase. Some even saw him as a blasphemer against god.
So Jesus, after having made the whole world, and all of the people in it, himself came into the world, his own creation. The world’s response to our maker – “Reject him. Mock him. Laugh at him. He’s just a raving lunatic – or worse, a blasphemer. Kill him. Crucify him!
Nothing had changed. In Old Testament times, before Jesus, god had been rejected over and over again by the people he made. Some people made a decent attempt to follow god (although all sinned against him at some point), but the great majority rejected him and his ways. They set up idols to worship instead of god.
Now, when we see god come enter the world in human form, we see the same pattern arising.
Many did believe and follow him. But the great majority rejected and despised him, not recognizing that he was indeed their maker. Over and over again, we see man rejecting god.
I wonder how god feels about all this. I wonder how you would feel if you made an entire world and all the people in it, and then the people who you owned and who you made, rejected you.
You make them, you own them, they are yours, and yet they reject you. Could you let that go unpunished?
Personally, I would be extremely and uncontrollably angry. I would unleash complete destruction.
I have heard people say that “a truly loving god would never send people to hell.” This, from a human perspective, is an understandable way of thinking.
However, this viewpoint ignores the fact that we have rejected god. We have turned our back on god. God cannot let this go unpunished.
Fortunately, we will see from the next passage, god is merciful and has a solution toward dealing with our rejection.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father.
Lord, you created the whole earth and all of life, yet we rejected you. You are the source of all life – you gave us everything that we have and everything that we are – yet we hid from you, spat on your face and turned away.
Lord, we can only look on our rebellion with shame. Who do we think we are to have a right to turn our back on you? You are our maker, who are we to reject you?
Lord, for our shameful rebellion, we can only beg for your mercy. We see in the next passage that despite our rebellion, you, in your mercy still provide a way for us to be in relationship with you.
Lord, all we can ask for is your mercy.
In the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord
Amen
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