Saturday, August 15, 2009

We Are the Branches

John 15:1-8

Jesus may have spoken the words of the 15th chapter of John while standing beneath the gate to the entrance of Herod’s Temple. Herod had built a golden vine that stretched across the top of the gate and had instructed that the gate never close. Perhaps using the golden vine as an illustrated sermon, Jesus shared with His disciples that He was the “true” vine, in contrast with Israel, while the Father was the husbandman of the vineyard. This puts Jesus in the position above the gate, as the entrance to the Father.

While Jesus is the vine, you and I are the branches on that vine. He gives us the promise that if we abide in Him, we will bring forth much fruit. This promise is so wonderful because it means that believers produce good works because of Jesus; not because of their efforts. When someone speaks of the necessity of bringing forth fruit, they may refer to your increased works; but in reality, they are speaking of more of Jesus showing forth in you.

Jesus declares us clean, “through the word which I have spoken unto you” (John 15:3). This cleanliness is a permanent position due to the finished work of Christ. If Christ declares me clean then I am clean no matter what my circumstances may say. The Prodigal Son was declared a son of the Father the moment that He returned home; and the shoes and ring and robe were his proof. However, he still smelled of the pig pen, and he looked like one too! The words of forgiveness and love that were given to him from his Father provided the cleanliness of spirit that he so badly needed.

If you are not producing the works of righteousness in your life, no amount of effort on your part will begin to bring forth a harvest. Instead, you should hear the words of Jesus as He speaks of His love and grace into your life. As you hear of these things, you will be abiding in His finished work, and He will bring forth beauty from your ashes. Many believers are bringing forth no fruit at all, and they are often removed before they had to be, so that they do no damage to the body of Christ (John 15:2); while others bring forth some fruit, but not much. Christ purges them so that they will produce even more for the kingdom.

When you bear much fruit for the kingdom, you bring forth much glory to the Father (John 15:8). This fruit manifests itself as, “the fruit of the Spirit”, which is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22, 23). Notice that it is the “fruit”, not the “fruits”, for these things come in equal measure by the Holy Spirit. We cannot walk in one but not in the other but we need not fear, for the Holy Spirit knows how to grow us in each one at the right pace.

If you wish to see more fruit in your Christian walk then see more of Jesus! As you witness Him and His finished work, you are allowing the husbandman of the vineyard to prune away your self-dependency, leaving you only with Christ in you. RELAX…fruit grows naturally, not by screaming at the tree.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Much Forgiveness, Much Love

Luke 7:36-50

Some people take the message of God’s love and grace to task, arguing that telling people how much God has forgiven them and how much that He loves them will not empower them to live for God. This same argument also states that the only way to get people to love God more is to motivate them with Law and Hell. If you threaten them with eternal damnation, you will motivate them to live right; or so the argument goes. Jesus, quite frankly, disagreed.

Jesus entered Simon the Pharisee’s house to eat with him. Upon arrival, a woman of ill-repute from the city came into the house and began weeping over the feet of Jesus, anointing them with oil and drying them with her hair. Simon said nothing, but within himself he thought less of Jesus because He was allowing this to transpire. Jesus sensed Simon’s fury and asked him a simple question regarding forgiveness (Luke 7:41, 42).

Simon readily admitted that any man who was forgiven of much would have much love to give in return; even more so than the man who was forgiven little. Jesus then took that answer and compared Simon and the woman. Simon offered no water for Jesus’ feet, while the woman had not stopped washing them with her tears. Simon offered no welcome kiss to the Master, but the woman was kissing Jesus’ feet. Because of this, Jesus offers her absolution from her sins.

Jesus is not saying that the way to love Him more is to have more of your sins forgiven. If that were the case, then the only ones who could truly love the Lord would be those who lived the worst lives; committed the most sins; fell the farthest, and then had those sins forgiven. Christians that were raised in the church and had lived for Christ for many years would be incapable of loving Jesus as much as a new convert. This makes no sense, for Jesus told the woman that she was saved by her faith, not her works (Luke 7:50). What does Jesus mean then, by telling us that “to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little”? (Luke 7:47).

If a person has no realization as to how forgiven that they are because of the blood of Jesus, they will have very little love to show the Lord. They will have weak worship and a weak lifestyle, for they feel that they are unworthy of Him. When you realize the magnitude of your forgiveness, and the power of just how clean that you are in the eyes of God because of Jesus’ finished work, then you naturally love more than ever before.

The love that this woman shows is from the heart and not only from the head. A recognition in your mind of how loved that you are will cause you to walk in His love and forgiveness in your heart. When your heart realizes this love and forgiveness, good works will naturally flow from your life.

Telling someone to “Love God more!” will help no one to love Him at all. Explaining to the believer just how forgiven that they are will bring forth love and worship like the church has always dreamed of. Know that you are forgiven and you will fall in love with the forgiver!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Sheep with no Shepherd

Mark 6:32-44

The heart of a shepherd is moved at the sight of sheep. He loves them, and cares for them and they are his concern on a 24-hour basis. His heart must be tuned this way, for sheep have no natural defense mechanism, and they are nature’s completely dependent animal. Without a loving shepherd, they will wander aimlessly; find themselves in mortal danger and have no hope at recovery. The shepherd is their link to life, and once they find him, they stay close for the sound of his voice.

Jesus called Himself “the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11), and stated that His sheep know His voice (John 10:27). Love and compassion emanated from Jesus with such overwhelming force, that when He entered a village or even attempted to flee from one, the crowds would come running to throng Him. In Mark 6, Jesus attempts to go to a desert place with His disciples in order to be alone, but “the people saw them departing, and many knew Him, and ran afoot thither out of all the cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him” (Mark 6:33).

The draw of a “good” shepherd is powerful! The sheep see a defender and a protector and they flock to be near Him. Jesus was not only good, He was great, and word of His greatness spread in every direction. When Jesus looked at the people, He saw a desperate lot. These men and women were pressed on every side and were looking for hope from someone. The timing of Jesus’ arrival was impeccable, for the world was a chaotic and hard place to live. The arrival of the Prince of Peace brought people a hope that the world had never seen.

When the 12 disciples and Jesus finally arrive at their destination, the disciples encourage Jesus to send the people away. These good, hard-working citizens have just followed Jesus into a desert so that they can be near Him, and the last thing that He wants to do is leave them hungry! Remember, God’s grace will never lead you where His provision will not supply for you. This desert place becomes the setting for a miracle that every one of the four Gospels records: the feeding of the 5,000.

The reason that Jesus was moved with compassion toward the crowd on that day is the same reason that He is moved with compassion toward us today: “because they were as sheep not having a shepherd” (Mark 6:34). We garner no compassion from the Lord because of our good works or our efforts. It is our total dependency on Him and our utter helplessness to save ourselves that still moves the heart of the Master. Now that we have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, we have made Him our Shepherd; we are no longer scattered; no longer “astray”. With Jesus, we are resting beside the still water and eating in the green pastures (Psalm 23:2, 3).

Finally, when the Shepherd provides for you, it will always be a super-abundant provision. There were 12 baskets of fragments left over, and everyone ate until they were full (Mark 6:42). Trust your heavenly Shepherd to not only provide for your needs today, but to provide an abundance above and beyond what you need. He loves you that much!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The Swap

One of the most eye-opening things for me, as I began to understand the finished work of Jesus, was the knowledge of what Jesus did for me at the cross, so that I could get the opposite. If effect, Jesus swapped places with me, as I was the one who deserved to die for my own sins. I should have been punished by God for my law-breaking, but Jesus took my punishment. I should have been disciplined for my own peace, but Jesus bore my discipline (Isaiah 53:5).

The following is a list of things that Jesus took, so that you could get the opposite. It could be better said that Jesus took what you deserved so that you could have what He earned. Notice that you have not earned any of the good things, for salvation comes only by faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8, 9). This list is not conclusive, as grace is always showing us what Jesus paid for.

• Jesus was made to be sin, so that you could be made the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
• Jesus was naked at the cross so that you could be clothed in robes of righteousness (John 19:23; Luke 15:22).
• Jesus was made poor, so that you could be made rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).
• Jesus was cursed so that you would be blessed (Galatians 3:13, 14).
• Jesus died in the dark so that you could live in the light (Matthew 27:45).
• Jesus cried, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” so that you could cry, “Daddy, Daddy, why are you so good to me?” (Matthew 27:46; Romans 8:15).
• Jesus bore the crown of thorns, which represent the cares of this life (Matthew 13:22), so that the cares of this life would never trouble your mind.
• Jesus had His heart pierced so that your heart would never be broken again (John 19:34).
• Jesus drank the sour wine so that your teeth would never be set on edge (John 19:30; Ezekial 18:1-3).
• Jesus’ body was broken so that yours could always be whole (Matthew 26:26).
• Jesus was disciplined of His Father so that you could always be at peace with the Father (Isaiah 53:5).
• Jesus bore the full brunt of God’s judgment against sin so that you would never bear any of God’s judgment against sin (John 12:31, 32; John 3:36).
• Jesus defeated the devil so that you would never have to fight him (Hebrews 2:14).

The list could go on and on but I hope you get the point. Jesus did it all so that we get it all!

Every believer should apply the previous list to memory as best as possible. It will work as a defense against the accusations of the enemy who is a defeated foe, but he doesn’t want you to know that! As you see what Christ paid for in your life, you will begin to rest in the finished work as a truly finished work.

Go in His grace today!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The Finished Work Litmus Test

How familiar are you with the finished work of Jesus Christ? When you think of the cross, do you think of a man suffering and dying, or do you think of the reasons why that man suffered and died? For that matter, do you consider why it had to be that man? Could it have been anyone else who died, and if not, why? These are fundamental, simple questions about Calvary upon which the bedrock of Christianity rests.

Take this little test with me to ascertain whether or not you truly understand the work that Jesus accomplished at the cross. It is a simple test and it will only be effective if you are 100% honest in your answer. I will pose one scenario with two possible responses. You pick the response that sounds like what you FIRST think of when you see that scenario.

Scenario: Soldiers are lashing at Jesus with a whip while the flesh is ripped from His back. He is punched in the face repeatedly, and is mocked and scorned while never lifting a hand to defend Himself. A crown of thorns is plunged into His skull and the blood flows down His face, stinging His eyes. He is forced to carry His own cross up a hill where He is stripped of His clothes and then nailed to the wood, with spikes through His hands and feet. His cross is set between two common thieves and then elevated so that all can look upon Him and laugh. He struggles to breathe while the thieves hurl insults at Him. The sky grows back and you hear Jesus scream as His body takes upon it all kinds of diseases and sicknesses. Finally, He utters some words and hangs His head and dies.

Response #1 – “Oh, what a price He paid for me. He went through all of that because of my sin. He suffered and died at the hands of the Father, the least that I can do is live for Him!”

Response #2 – “Oh, what a price He paid for me. He went through all of that because of my sin. He suffered and died at the hands of the Father so I can rest assured that the Father will never judge me!”

Notice that both responses are exactly the same right up until the end. I did this on purpose, because I believe that all of us feel sadness and pain when we see that scenario, and we all realize that Jesus suffered because of our sins. The difference lies at the end of our response. Some people view Calvary as a motivation to live right. If Jesus could suffer and die for them, the least that they could do is live for Him. Calvary then becomes a source of condemnation for these believers; for they feel that no matter what they go through, they will never live up to the price that Jesus paid.

If your response was #2, then you view Calvary as a finished work that guarantees that you will never be punished in the manner that Jesus was punished. He was disciplined for your peace (Isaiah 53:5), so you need never fear an angry God. He bore your sins and iniquities so that God cannot and will not judge you for them ever. This saint believe that if God judges them for sin, then He did not judge all sin in the body of Jesus, which Peter made clear that Jesus did (1 Peter 2:24).

Jesus did not suffer and die so that you could constantly be reminded of how poor that you are living up to His death. He suffered and died so that you could have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). The scenario remains the same, but if need be, may our response begin to change.

Monday, August 10, 2009

The Searching of the Heart

Jeremiah 17:9, 10

Charles Spurgeon once said, “The heart is deceitful; more than the devil”. Unsaved man can never live by what he says his heart wants, for it is full of lust and lies. Filmmaker Woody Allen married his ex-wife’s adopted daughter, whom he had helped raise since she was a little girl. When a reporter confronted him about the relationship, he replied “The heart wants what it wants”, and therein lies the problem.

The heart of man has been tainted since the sin of Adam in the Garden. We are incapable of making moral decisions that line up with God’s morality, since we are “desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). God promised that He was the searcher of man’s heart and that He would judge man according to who he was on the inside. This dooms man to judgment.

There is good news to go along with this dreadful news, thank God! Jesus came and lived the demands of God’s holiness to perfection and then sacrificed His life for you and I. God has taken His wrath out on Jesus so that we can accept salvation by faith through the finished work of the cross. When we do this, we are clothed in robes of righteousness and set free from sin. Look at the New Testament’s assessment of the believer who has accepted Christ by faith:

“And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:10).

“For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14).

You are the completed one in Colossians and you are the perfected one in Hebrews, if you have accepted Christ by faith. This is the best news of all good news for it means that God has accepted you independent of your ability to earn it or to keep it. Now you have a clean heart which can hear from the Father with no fear of wickedness or evil tainting your decision. Paul said, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Unregenerate man cannot know the things of God because their hearts are wicked, but look at the next verse: “But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (2:10).

God is obviously still in the searching business, even after we are saved. However, now that we are His children, His searching is for different purposes. He cannot be looking for more sin, for Jesus has paid for all of our sins in His blood at the cross. On the contrary, the Spirit is searching the deep things of God to reveal them to us. Paul said of the Holy Spirit, “And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:27). Again, the Spirit is searching the heart of the saint, but not to find sin. Instead, He is finding the will of God in each of our lives.

Your heart is clean if you have accepted Jesus by faith. If you have not, your heart remains locked within sin and transgression, and you will stand alone at the judgment, defended only by your ability or inability to keep God’s laws. Won’t you accept Him who cleans the heart and sheds His love into it? He loves you friend, more than you will ever know!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

The Names of Jesus

Isaiah 9:6, 7

The title is not a misprint; I did not mean to write “the name” of Jesus in the singular, but rather the “names” of Jesus. While there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12), it is not only the name “Jesus” by which the Son of God is identified.

Isaiah prophesied that a child would be born and a son would be given (Isaiah 9:6). This child and son was Jesus, the child of Mary and the Son of God. The government of both Israel and the world would rest on Jesus’ shoulders and His name shall be called “Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

“Wonderful” – Hebrew, “pele” - extraordinary, marvelous, hard to understand. Jesus was beyond ordinary and unlike any man before or after Him. His acts brought marvel to the minds of people, just as His miracles still bring in each one of us, and His ways are so unusual, so revolutionary to the Old Covenant that Peter called them “hard to be understood” (2 Peter 3:16).

“Counselor” – Hebrew, “ya’ats” – to advise, to consult, to give purpose. Another Greek word for the “Comforter” of the New Testament is “counselor”. Jesus was our original counselor and He promised to send, “another Comforter” (John 14:16). Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit function in this role of advisor and counselor, giving purpose to the believer in their daily walk.

“Mighty God” – Hebrew, “gibbowr ‘el” – the strong God or hero. Look at that last definition of “mighty God”; “hero”. Of all of the heroes of this world, there is none mightier, none braver and none more worthy than the true hero, Jesus Christ. This scripture also shows the Jewish world that the coming Messiah would not only be God’s Son, He would be God Himself.

“Everlasting Father” – Hebrew, “ ‘ad ‘ab” – perpetual, eternal head of household. Jesus is here known as the endless Father, a title that the Old Testament never attributes to God. Prior to Christ, Israel never viewed God as their Father, but Jesus both taught His disciples to pray to the Father and to call Him, “Abba” or “daddy” (Mark 14:36). It is actually this name, Father that Jesus came to reveal to the disciples and the world. All other Hebrew names for God were already well known, but Jesus said, “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world” (John 17:6).

“Prince of Peace” – Hebrew, “sar shalowm” – the leader of completeness, health, wholeness and prosperity. Jesus is the captain of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10), and as such, He is the leader of our complete wholeness in His finished work. The Hebrew word “shalom” means more than simple peace in our lives; it denotes all of our existence. Christ is the captain of our wholeness and health, even of our prosperity. Jesus left His peace with us, meaning that He left everything that He is, so that we can be that as well! (John 14:27)

You can call on Jesus using any of these names as a guide as to His true character. Remember that He not only desires to manifest Himself as these things in your life, He really is everyone of these descriptions. See Jesus in this manner and you see Jesus in His finished work.