The Man: Christ Jesus

1 Timothy 2:5, 6

In our endless journey to discover the spiritual Jesus, may we never forget that Jesus was also a man. He was not ‘part man/part God’. He was all man and all God, both at the same time. Seem impossible? Such are the ways of a God whose reasoning and thoughts lie beyond our own. If Jesus were less than a man, then He could die as a man who was sinless. If he were less than God then He and the Father could not have been as one.

There is one mediator, or representative between God and man and that is Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). Paul emphasizes that it is ‘the man’ Christ Jesus so that we are reminded of Christ’s humanity. It is not the deified Christ Jesus that mediates for us, but rather it is the humanity of Christ that intercedes on our behalf. The man, Christ Jesus knows what it means to be a human, and can properly mediate to the Father for us, for He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

When Moses heard from God on Mt. Sinai, he brought God’s words back to the people. Moses became the representative and mouthpiece of God, first to Pharaoh and then to Israel. Whatever God wanted to say and do, He would say and do it first through Moses.

This arrangement left little hope for the children of Israel. Every time they saw Moses climb the mountain, they knew that he would bring back a mandate from the Lord. They grew to despise these meetings, for it was always God addressing them, and they had no defense.

Then God provided the priesthood, and specifically, the high priest. The high priest held the honor of sacrificing the animal for the entire children of Israel on the annual Day of Atonement and sprinkling that blood on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. This blood would appease the wrath of God for another year and Israel would have their sins covered.

As Moses had represented God to the people, the high priest now represented the people to God. The people now had a mediator; someone to plead their case. Through the sacrificial blood, the people appeared forgiven and God would honor the sacrifice because of the consecration and dedication of the high priest. This was great, as long as the priest was a good one. A bad, sloppy, sinful priest would spell doom for them all.

Not only was Jesus tempted in all points as we are, yet He did not sin, we find out more in the front part of that verse. Notice His role:

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He is our high priest, or our representative to God, and we never have to fear Him living wrong, or sloppy or sinful.

You have a mediator today. Do you have a problem? Take it to God through your mediator Christ Jesus. Pray in Jesus’ name and watch your heavenly Father respond to the man, Christ Jesus.

A Hell to Shun

2 Thessalonians 1:8, 9

As a boy, I often heard a description of gospel preaching as, “There is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun”. Most of the messages that I heard gave heavy emphasis to hell, with its flames and torment; while paying little attention to heaven beyond “streets of gold”. Heaven was viewed as a final destination and a mystery; one so great that no human could comprehend it, so we need not preach much about it. Hell was viewed as getting bigger and bigger to accommodate the many millions who were falling headlong into it every day.

As I grew older and went into the ministry, I fell into the same habit of heavily emphasizing hell and preaching sermon after sermon on how to gain heaven and avoid hell. Preaching seemed to encompass those thoughts exclusively. I would go so far as to say, “My job is to keep you out of hell and get you to heaven”. Actually, that is not the preacher’s job at all. Jesus said that our job was to feed the sheep (John 21:17). It is the job of the blood of Jesus, met by your faith, to get you to heaven and keep you from hell.

The great messenger of God’s Grace and Goodness was the Apostle Paul. It is a good idea to take our cues on how to preach and how to view God from this giant of the ministry. In the 14 books that he contributed to the New Testament (75% of the total volume), Paul gives us the sum total of the New Covenant. He ministers on salvation, faith, fruit of the Spirit, gifts of the Spirit, the end times and even how to handle problems in the local church. He gives instructions for speaking in other tongues in a church service, and tells us why we should observe communion. In light of all that he tells us, we could possibly learn volumes by noticing what he never tells us.

Paul never mentions hell. He never threatens the believer with flames of fire and he never romanticizes the tortures of the afterlife in order to solidify a sermon. His lack of preaching on this subject is not meant to suggest that the place does not exist, but when we remember that he was writing to churches, composed of Christians, we understand why he leaves it out.

There is no room in hell for the believer! We are promised heaven and an inheritance. If hell were the possible final destination for someone who has accepted Christ, the Apostle Paul should have mentioned it, at least once. The absence of such a warning lends credence to the fact that the New Covenant has no punishment left for believers, for Christ has bore all of God’s judgment (John 12:31, 32).

The closest that Paul comes to this subject is found in 2 Thessalonians 1:8, 9 when Paul warns that Jesus will appear to take “vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” The vengeance of hell will be against those who do not know God and that disobey the gospel of Jesus Christ. This says nothing of disobeying the law and the commandments. The gospel of Christ is good news and all that reject that good news are promised ‘everlasting destruction’.

Saints, there is a hell to shun, but you need not to fear it. Jesus bore your punishment in His body at Calvary and now you never have to think of punishment again. For those who do not believe, they will receive that punishment, but for those of us who do, we rejoice in His suffering for our sake.

Wake Up!

1 Thessalonians 4:14; 5:10

As a father of two, I find that I must occasionally yell, “Wake up!” to my children when they seem a bit lazy getting out of bed on a school morning. Every parent knows that feeling, and every child loathes those words. We want to sleep a bit longer because we are so comfortable, but there are things that need to be done, and they will not get done lying in bed.

One of the things that must be accomplished in our Christian walk is the spreading of light to a dark world. In this final hour, more than ever, saints need to shine as light, and flavor as salt, a world that is in the dark and has no flavor. To do this, we must wake up to who we are in Christ. When you fall asleep as to how God views you, you fall back into the habits that you formed when living for the world. It is for this cause that Paul said to the church at Corinth, “Awake to righteousness and sin not” (1 Corinthians 15:34).

There are two Greek words for sleep that are used in the New Testament. One is ‘koimao’ which means “to fall asleep or to die”. It can only be interpreted within the context of the scriptures surrounding it. For instance the word is used to describe the death by stoning of the Apostle Stephen (Acts 7:60), and it is also used to describe the sleeping disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:45).

The other Greek word for sleep is ‘katheudo’ which means “to fall asleep” and this one never means “to die”. For instance, this word is used when Jesus says of Jairus’ daughter, “She is not dead, but sleepeth” (Matthew 9:24).

When Paul writes of the resurrection at the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4, he speaks of those who “sleep in Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). He uses, ‘koimao’ and we know that he means that they are dead, because the next verse says, “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). This context proves that the ‘sleep’ is death; as ‘alive’ never means ‘awake’.

When Paul furthers his sermon into the 5th chapter, he makes this statement, “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:6, 7). Here, ‘sleep’ is ‘katheudo’ meaning, “to fall asleep”. Paul is warning us to stay awake as to who we are in Christ. The previous chapter is speaking of death, but this one is speaking of life.

It all comes to a head in the next two verses, as Paul explains that the church must be removed by Rapture in order for God’s wrath to be poured out. Look closely as he describes the kind of Christians that are going to make it:

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9, 10).

‘Sleep’ here is ‘katheudo’ meaning “to fall asleep”. This is not a statement about Jesus taking us whether we are alive or dead, it is a statement about Him taking us whether we are awake to our righteousness or not!

Wake up to who you are, not so that you can make heaven for that is already your inheritance, but rather wake up because you are children of the day, and not of the night (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Walk in the light today!

Can't Help But Hope

Colossians 1:27

In the midst of troubled times, when economies are shaking, prices are sky-rocketing and investments are vanishing, it is easy to grow distressed. Even believers, washed in the precious blood of Christ can find themselves looking at the stormy waves and ignoring the sleeping Savior inside of their vessel. It is easy to forget that we have Him, not only in our boat so to speak, but living in our hearts, and He is our provider.

While the world can find little to be hopeful for, the Christian need look no further than Christ’s finished work, being manifested in their very life. The mystery among the Gentiles is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). It is such a mystery because it defies all natural laws. Only with Christ can you find peace in the storm. Only with Christ can you see the problems that befall our nation and have no fear for tomorrow. He is not around you, or near you, for that would be too far away. He is in you, reminding you that His grace is rich (verse 27)!

Jesus told His disciples that the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer was to convince, or convict them of righteousness. This does not mean that He is in you to tell you to live righteous every day. If you could just ‘live righteous’ by being told to, then the 10 Commandments would do just fine, but we know that Israel had those and didn’t live righteous at all. Jesus further explains it when he tells you why the Spirit convicts of righteousness:

“Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more” (John 16:10).

The Holy Spirit must remind the believer of their righteousness because without Jesus standing by us in the flesh, it will be easy to feel that He is not with us at all. The Spirit works constantly to convince the believer that they are the righteousness of God in Christ, even if they don’t feel like it.

Christ in us is as our hope for all of glory. When we acknowledge that He is there, in spite of our circumstances, we are bringing His glory to light, allowing Him to control our circumstances. Many Christians wander through this life subject to the same things that their worldly counterparts suffer through because they do not rest in Christ’s finished work in their life. Be reminded today that He will never leave you nor forsake you. Need hope? Look inside and find Jesus.

Zechariah told the Israelites to turn to the strong hold when they were in need. Jesus is that strong hold, anchored in Calvary’s cross, unshakable in times of shaking. The prophet completes the statement with, “Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee” (Zechariah 9:12). I love the phrase ‘prisoners of hope’. When you view Christ as your hope of glory, you become a prisoner to that hope. You can’t help but hope!

Remember who you are in Jesus; and remember who Jesus is in you. Christ is in you, even if you don’t feel like it. The Holy Spirit is proclaiming that you are righteous in Christ. Don’t worry about the shaking, for He is greater than it all.

Work Out What He Is Working In

Philippians 2:12-16

When we go to the gym or the fitness center, we commonly refer to our activity as ‘working out’. What do we mean by this phrase? Though it may encompass lifting weights or running, it is speaking of working our muscles and our lungs. We are trying to work the excess fat out of our system and bring the excellence from our bodies to the surface. This truly profits us, if we are dedicated and devoted to bringing about results, but there is a greater exercise.

The saint is in a daily battle, not with the devil, for he is a defeated foe, but with ourselves. We will fight our old habits, thought-processes and tendencies more than anything else that we will face. As someone once said, ‘We are our own worst enemy’.

While Christ has finished the work at the cross, we feel unfinished and unpolished in our daily walk. Who we are in Christ and who we appear to be on the surface do not always go hand in hand. We are His righteousness, regardless (2 Corinthians 5:21), but I have never met a Christian who does not want their outward man to line up with the Jesus of their heart.

“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12), has been used for generations to try to convince people that their salvation should be handled with kid gloves. The insinuation is that you should constantly be on guard to losing your soul and that there should be a continuous fear of God’s judgment that prompts you to live right, coupled with a healthy dose of Godly trembling. Fear of God and trembling at His might did not cause the children of Israel to live right in the wilderness. What makes us think that this will be any different for us?

The verse following “work out your salvation” says, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). We ‘work out’, for it is God which is ‘working in’ us. There is nothing good within us, if God is not there. We have no righteousness or goodness or holiness apart from the finished work of Jesus Christ. If He is there, then God is working His will inside of us, demanding only that we ‘work it out’.

How does one ‘work out’ their salvation? Paul tells us next to “Do all things without murmurings and disputing: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life” (Philippians 2:14-16).

With our mouths we represent the Jesus that is working inside of us. If we murmur and complain we are playing the role of the children of Israel in the wilderness, not living up to their calling as the chosen seed of Abraham. When we govern this type of talk, we have no blame and are ‘harmless, the sons of God’. Though we are in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, we will be lights when we hold forth the message of God’s grace.

Do some spiritual exercise today. Hold forth the good news as a light to a darkened world and show how God is working in you.

A Guaranteed Inheritance

Ephesians 1:11-14

Paul told the church at Ephesus, and thus he is telling us, that we have redemption through the blood of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins, and all of it according to the riches of God’s grace (Ephesians 1:7). Paul believed in making the grace of God sound rich, as opposed to ‘just enough’. While some preach a grace that is only as good as your last sin, Paul preached a radical grace that covers all of your sins and encompasses the fullness of God’s goodness.

Because of rich grace, we have further obtained an inheritance. This inheritance is a guarantee, since Paul says that we “have obtained”. That phrase is odd to us if we are convinced that we are unworthy. If we are convinced of that, then we feel that we cannot possibly receive anything from the Lord, for we have not earned it. However, Paul’s message of grace was to inform us that the sins were forgiven and we were redeemed. If we believe that, then we can believe that the inheritance is ours!

As soon as you believed on Jesus Christ, “you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13). Just as a seal is placed on a jar to keep the goods secure inside, the Holy Spirit is sealing us to keep our righteousness safe inside of our hearts. That can is also sealed to keep the elements out of the goods, so that they retain their taste. The Holy Spirit is in us to seal us off from the tainted wickedness of this world. No matter what the believer goes through, there is nothing that can break through that seal. You can neither lose your righteousness, nor have the curse placed upon you, for the Holy Spirit is tireless in watching over you.

Paul concludes the thought with this statement, “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:14). The ‘which is’ refers back to the previous verse, pointing to the Holy Spirit. The seal of the Spirit is the “earnest of our inheritance”. Unfortunately, the word ‘earnest’ doesn’t tell us much in our English translation, but in the Greek, of which the New Testament was originally written; it refers to a ‘down-payment’. Paul is telling us that the seal of the Spirit in our hearts is the down-payment on our inheritance. We may not see all of the inheritance now, but we have Holy Ghost earnest money laid down on it, so we are guaranteed that it is ours.

He says it again to the church at Corinth:

“Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; who hath also sealed us , and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 1:21, 22).

He also speaks of the inheritance to the church at Rome, assuring them that they will receive it, not because of their works or abilities but because they have entered into Christ, and they have the Holy Spirit in them. Look at what He does in us according to these verses, and how it assures our inheritance:

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:16, 17)

You have the down-payment of the Spirit in your heart, and the guarantee of a heavenly inheritance. Rejoice in your salvation, and thank God for your joint-heir!

Spies of Our Liberty

Galatians 2:4

Liberty in the finished work of Jesus Christ is a beautiful thing, but it does not come easy for most of us. We are preprogrammed to work for everything and to do penance through the way that we live. Pure liberty, given freely by Christ’s finished work often seems too good to be true.
Paul exhorted the Galatians to “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1). He knows that most of the battle is just trying to stand in liberty and that the alternative is to be entangled “again”. Why does the Apostle use the phrase “again”? We were in bondage to the performance of the law before we came to Christ, but His perfect sacrifice has made us free from that entanglement.

Each Christian is actually called into liberty. Their conversion calls them out of the bondage of works based religion and into the glorious light of Christ’s freedom. “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). This call is for us to live free, but not to use our freedom to indulge our flesh. There is a preprogrammed inclination towards sin in all of humanity, even those who are saved. Our liberty gives us no laws or restrictions (1 Corinthians 6:12), but we know that using that liberty wrongly can cause a brother to stumble or fall.

In the ministry of the Apostle Paul, some came to join him in the work that knew the right words to say, and how to act to make those around them think that they were a true believer. These joined up with Paul so that they could observe him living in his “liberty” and then use those things against him to bring him into condemnation. Jews were not to eat certain foods under the law, nor were they to do anything on the Sabbath day. Paul was free from the law through Jesus so he ate what he wanted and did whatever he desired on the Jewish Sabbath day. These actions were used against him to try and discredit his ministry.

People will use your liberty against you for a number of reasons. Some will do so to try and make themselves feel righteous. If they can accuse you of something, then it makes all of their good deeds feel so much better. Another reason is to bring you under condemnation. This trick is used frequently of the enemy as he tries to make saints feel guilty for enjoying life and having a good time. The church often jumps in on this too, trying to suppress any entertainment or leisure activity. Soon, the saint begins to feel bad for any and all activity that is not wrapped up in the church and they go back under the bondage of law.

As a believer, use your liberty to promote the wonderful love of Jesus Christ and His finished work. Live free in Christ. Laugh a lot, live life to the fullest and never feel that joy is a crime. Many have been turned away from the modern version of Christianity because the ‘saints’ seem miserable. Oftentimes they are the rudest, angriest and most unhappy people that you will ever want to meet. Stand fast in your liberty today and change the perception that the world has about what it means to be a child of the King.