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.
Monday, October 27, 2008
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
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Making the way for the lord (John 1:6-9)
Scripture reading:
(6) There came a man who was sent from god: his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him all men might believe. (8) He himself was not the light: he came only as a witness to the light. (9) The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
Observations:
I make two key observations here.
(1) It is interesting to note the description we are given about John the Baptist. We are not told here where he grew up, his occupation or any other of the things we might expect to learn about a man.
We are simply told (a) who he was sent from; (god) (b) his name; (c) the purpose and mission of his life (a witness to Jesus); and (d) that he himself was not the savior of the world.
In writing this, the gospel writer considered how John related to Jesus to be of far greater importance than any of the worldly facts about John’s life.
I’m sure John did other things in his life. I’m sure he didn’t simply baptize people from dawn until dusk every day. But it is clear that the god’s entire reason ever creating John was for John to be a witness to Jesus.
This has led me to thinking - what will others say about me after I die? I hope I have plenty of worthy achievements for others to talk about. I hope others can honestly say that I was a man of integrity, loyalty, courage, compassion and love.
However, above all, I hope others get up and say “there was a true witness to Jesus.”
(2) The second key observation that I make about this passage is the deliberate manner in which god prepared for the arrival of Jesus.
In the Old Testament times, prophets and angels foretold the coming of Christ. Now, we see god send a man sent from god whose entire purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus to come into the world and to prepare the world to accept Jesus.
God was not casual or haphazard in preparing for the coming of Christ. On the contrary, he was meticulous and very deliberate the specific way in which it had to happen.
The purposeful manner of god in this passage underlines two further observations we can make.
Firstly, god himself is very deliberate. He is not, impulsive, haphazard or rash in what he does.
There are many other examples in the scripture of god being very deliberate about his plans and actions for the world.
Secondly, we can observe the great importance which god himself placed upon the coming of
Christ into the world. Poor planning is a sign of lack of importance attached to an event. This event, the coming of Christ, was thoroughly and perfectly planned. Everything had to be right before the world was ready for Jesus, our savior, to enter into the world.
From god’s point of view, the coming of Christ into the world was of critical importance.
We too, should view Christ’s coming in the same way.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, whatever else I do with my life, let me be a true witness of Christ.
Grant me the courage, wisdom and the desire to life my life as a witness to Christ – both in terms of spreading your word and in terms of how I live out the life you have granted me.
Father, we can see the great emphasis you placed on the coming of your son – your own coming
– into the world. Let us sit up and take notice. Let my heart dwell always on the fact that you came from heaven to earth to pay the sacrifice for sins and to win eternal life for your chosen people.
The coming of Christ fundamentally altered the state of our relationship with you. Before, we were under your wrath. But Christ (or you) earned forgiveness for all believers. Now, we can live as your children and are free to live in an intimate relationship with you.
In the name of Christ Jesus
Amen.
(6) There came a man who was sent from god: his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him all men might believe. (8) He himself was not the light: he came only as a witness to the light. (9) The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
Observations:
I make two key observations here.
(1) It is interesting to note the description we are given about John the Baptist. We are not told here where he grew up, his occupation or any other of the things we might expect to learn about a man.
We are simply told (a) who he was sent from; (god) (b) his name; (c) the purpose and mission of his life (a witness to Jesus); and (d) that he himself was not the savior of the world.
In writing this, the gospel writer considered how John related to Jesus to be of far greater importance than any of the worldly facts about John’s life.
I’m sure John did other things in his life. I’m sure he didn’t simply baptize people from dawn until dusk every day. But it is clear that the god’s entire reason ever creating John was for John to be a witness to Jesus.
This has led me to thinking - what will others say about me after I die? I hope I have plenty of worthy achievements for others to talk about. I hope others can honestly say that I was a man of integrity, loyalty, courage, compassion and love.
However, above all, I hope others get up and say “there was a true witness to Jesus.”
(2) The second key observation that I make about this passage is the deliberate manner in which god prepared for the arrival of Jesus.
In the Old Testament times, prophets and angels foretold the coming of Christ. Now, we see god send a man sent from god whose entire purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus to come into the world and to prepare the world to accept Jesus.
God was not casual or haphazard in preparing for the coming of Christ. On the contrary, he was meticulous and very deliberate the specific way in which it had to happen.
The purposeful manner of god in this passage underlines two further observations we can make.
Firstly, god himself is very deliberate. He is not, impulsive, haphazard or rash in what he does.
There are many other examples in the scripture of god being very deliberate about his plans and actions for the world.
Secondly, we can observe the great importance which god himself placed upon the coming of
Christ into the world. Poor planning is a sign of lack of importance attached to an event. This event, the coming of Christ, was thoroughly and perfectly planned. Everything had to be right before the world was ready for Jesus, our savior, to enter into the world.
From god’s point of view, the coming of Christ into the world was of critical importance.
We too, should view Christ’s coming in the same way.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, whatever else I do with my life, let me be a true witness of Christ.
Grant me the courage, wisdom and the desire to life my life as a witness to Christ – both in terms of spreading your word and in terms of how I live out the life you have granted me.
Father, we can see the great emphasis you placed on the coming of your son – your own coming
– into the world. Let us sit up and take notice. Let my heart dwell always on the fact that you came from heaven to earth to pay the sacrifice for sins and to win eternal life for your chosen people.
The coming of Christ fundamentally altered the state of our relationship with you. Before, we were under your wrath. But Christ (or you) earned forgiveness for all believers. Now, we can live as your children and are free to live in an intimate relationship with you.
In the name of Christ Jesus
Amen.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Jesus: The Author of Life (John 1:3-5)
Scripture reading:
(3) Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (4) In him was life, and that life was the light of men. (5) The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
Observations:
(1) Jesus is the creator of everything (v3).
Every single thing that you and I know on this earth - every planet, every mountain, every city and even every ant - was created by Jesus.
Jesus (being fully god – refer previous post) is the author of all life. He is solely responsible for our existence and the existence of anything around us. Absolutely nothing in our universe exists which is not part of the perfect design of Jesus.
The earth was not made because of some scientific accident. Our universe exists because of god's deliberate plan.
(2) Jesus is the source of all life (v4).
As the author of all life, god is also the source of all life, in both the physical and spirital sense.
Jesus is the only being that has life within himself. We can only have life ourselves by god giving it to us. We cannot have life, of any form, without god. Everything that we have, everything we are, literally every breath we take is given to us by god.
Without Jesus, we have nothing and are nothing.
(3) The world does not understand Jesus. (v5)
Whilst Jesus is our maker and the maker of everything, the world, including us, has not understood god. No one can fully comprehend how great god is. Our small human minds cannot begin to comprehend the pure, unlimited greatness, power, justice and love of the creator. He is so great he is well beyond anything we could imagine.
God is the creator of the world, the architect of all of our life the one and only source of life itself.
If I ever understood even a tenth of the greatness of god, I would probably fall down on my knees and be struck with a pure sense of awe at even the thought of his name.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father
Lord, you are the creator of everything, the source of all life.
Everything on heaven and earth conforms to your perfect plan. We don’t always understand it, but we know you are in perfect control of everything.
Without you, we are nothing.
We have not understood you. Open our hearts to understanding the pure depth of your greatness, your power, your justice and your love.
In this I pray, in your great name.
Amen.
(3) Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (4) In him was life, and that life was the light of men. (5) The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
Observations:
(1) Jesus is the creator of everything (v3).
Every single thing that you and I know on this earth - every planet, every mountain, every city and even every ant - was created by Jesus.
Jesus (being fully god – refer previous post) is the author of all life. He is solely responsible for our existence and the existence of anything around us. Absolutely nothing in our universe exists which is not part of the perfect design of Jesus.
The earth was not made because of some scientific accident. Our universe exists because of god's deliberate plan.
(2) Jesus is the source of all life (v4).
As the author of all life, god is also the source of all life, in both the physical and spirital sense.
Jesus is the only being that has life within himself. We can only have life ourselves by god giving it to us. We cannot have life, of any form, without god. Everything that we have, everything we are, literally every breath we take is given to us by god.
Without Jesus, we have nothing and are nothing.
(3) The world does not understand Jesus. (v5)
Whilst Jesus is our maker and the maker of everything, the world, including us, has not understood god. No one can fully comprehend how great god is. Our small human minds cannot begin to comprehend the pure, unlimited greatness, power, justice and love of the creator. He is so great he is well beyond anything we could imagine.
God is the creator of the world, the architect of all of our life the one and only source of life itself.
If I ever understood even a tenth of the greatness of god, I would probably fall down on my knees and be struck with a pure sense of awe at even the thought of his name.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father
Lord, you are the creator of everything, the source of all life.
Everything on heaven and earth conforms to your perfect plan. We don’t always understand it, but we know you are in perfect control of everything.
Without you, we are nothing.
We have not understood you. Open our hearts to understanding the pure depth of your greatness, your power, your justice and your love.
In this I pray, in your great name.
Amen.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Jesus: The Eternal Existence
Scripture reading:
(1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was god. (2) He was with god in the beginning.
Observations:
Who and what is this passage about?
It’s about the nature and character of our savior, Jesus Christ.
This passage talks about ‘the word.’ Later in John chapter 1, ‘the word’ becomes flesh, and it becomes clear that the ‘word’ John refers to is Jesus.
I don’t know why John does not refer to Jesus by name here, but I don’t feel that point is terribly important. What is important is what the passage says about the character of Jesus Christ, our savior.
The passage makes two clear statements:
(1) Jesus has always existed. He literally had no beginning. (v1)
Hang on! Wasn't Jesus only born about two thousand years ago? How then can John say he existed in the beginning? Isn't this ridiculous?
The scripture does describe how Jesus was born in the flesh to the virgin Mary, about 2,000 years ago, and so the above line of thought may sound logical. Our own existence commenced the day we are born in the flesh. Therefore, it is natural for us to assume that commencement of existence always happens on the day of birth and that the existence of Jesus started the day he came out of Mary.
But that assumption is wrong. The existence of Jesus commenced before he entered the world in human form. Two thousand years ago, Jesus took on the physical form of a man. But his existence did not commence at that point. From a spiritual viewpoint, he had no beginning. He existed at the beginning of time.
It is difficult for us as humans to comprehend this. Everything we know in the world, including our own lives, had a beginning. We are naturally uncomfortable with the notion of any form of existence without a beginning.
However, the passage states clearly that Jesus already existed at the beginning of time. He had no beginning and will have no end. He is literally eternal. He will always exist.
(2) Jesus has an intimate relationship with god, and indeed, is god.
As I was writing this, I started to write about some observations we could make from this passage about the character of god the father.
When I think about the creator of the world, I usually think about one big creator and father in heaven called god. The image I picture is that of an all powerful, great big loving old man.
But this passage does not talk primarily about god the father. It talks about Jesus.
It is interesting to note, however, just how close the description of Jesus in this passage is to the description of god the father in Genesis 1:1, the first book in the bible. The first part of Genesis describes how god the father existed at the beginning. The first part of this passage describes how Jesus existed at the beginning.
The descriptions are remarkably similar. That’s because Jesus and god exist not separately, but together. They are part of the one unit. They are inseparable from one another.
The passage describes the 'word' (Jesus) as being with god and as being god. Being with god implies an extremely strong relationship or bond. This bond is unbreakable – because Jesus actually is god. The two are one.
This brings us to an important point in understanding in both the character of god and the character of Jesus. I naturally tend to think of god the father as a singular being. I also tend to think of Jesus as a singular being, related to but separate from god.
But this notion does not match the description of either in the bible.
They may have separate functions, but they exist together (along with the holy spirit) as part of one unit.
I don’t fully understand exactly how this relationship works. But the scripture tells us that it does work, so that’s good enough for me.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, there are so many things that we will never know about your character.
We just cannot imagine how great you are. Your infinite existence is beyond our imagination. Our small minds can only try to imagine. You were there from the beginning of time. You will never cease to exist. You are just that great and that almighty.
Help me lord, to meditate daily. Let my heart understand more and more just how great you are. Let me never lose sight of your great power, your perfect justice and your great mercy and perfect love.
In the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit.
Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
