What Did Jesus Do?

Jesus Made Sure The Father's Grace, Mercy, and Peace Will Be Ours

2012-02-02T18:41:00.004-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father
and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.
2 John 3

State Farm prides itself on being our “good neighbor.” Allstate promises not to fumble our security because they have “good hands.” Progressive, well, they pretty must just want us to go with the “Flo.” Prudential is happy to sell us a “piece of the rock.” We never have to feel like it’s “me against the world” if we have “Nationwide on our side.” Aren't insurance companies swell? All the nice slogans can almost make us forget that they are in business for one reason—to make money off us. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I have insurance. I just wish they’d stop trying to pass themselves off as altruists. In sharp contrast to insurers, Jesus, who provides real, eternal security, had no catchy slogan. He also never cancelled anyone’s coverage; once he accepts us, we’re tight with Jesus forever, no matter how many claims we might file. And, he never raises premiums. Job #1 and only for Jesus was truth and love, not making a profit. And because of this we get to enjoy the Father’s grace, mercy, and peace forever. In a word, salvation!

It’s a simple, but awesome formula. Take the truth of who Jesus is—the Son of God—and combine that with what he did—poured out the agape love of God on the cross—and we get grace (Which is favor that we don’t deserve), mercy (Which is not being on the receiving end of divine wrath), and peace (Which is so much more than the absence of hostility—it is absolutely intimate fellowship with God). And, we need to be certain on this point, it is such abounding grace, mercy, and peace that we have from the Father and the Son, that we can, in fact we must, spread it around. That’s why New Testament authors like John and Paul placed it prominently in the greeting of their more personal letters (1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; and here in 2 John).

The Great Commission which the Lord has given to his disciples, all his disciples, demands that we testify to the world the truth of Jesus the Son as he expressed the love of the Father. It is our testimony, in words, yes, but even more by our lives lived after the Lord’s own example, that pour out the grace, mercy , and peace of God, the Father and the Son, upon family and friends, neighbors and co-workers, even upon people quite different from us, people with whom we have nothing in common other than our utter need for the salvation which is only to be found in Christ.

Being His disciple means he has charged us to do our utmost to make sure that the grace, mercy, and peace which He made sure is ours, is offered to every man, woman, and child. With something like, oh, 7 billion people in the world today, there’s more need than ever for grace, mercy, and peace. So the deal is, if you’re sure you’ve got it/Him, then be sure to give it/Him.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Rasied Up God's Family: Fathers, Many Sisters, and Lots of Children, in Truth and in Love

2012-01-31T17:16:00.004-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

The elder to the elect lady and her children…
2 John 1

When we consider that Jesus came to raise up one family, God’s family, by repairing the breach between the Father and his children, isn’t it ironic how so many churches take such pains to separate themselves from other churches? Even more, isn’t it troubling? And this is to say nothing about the internal acrimony and division present in a lot of congregations. But, as the Second Letter of John makes clear, Church is all about family, family brought together and held together in and through Jesus, who raised up fathers, many sisters, and lots of children, in truth and in love, and made them one family, God’s family.

Though there is still some ongoing debate as to the authorship of 2 John, it seems pretty clear that it is the same person who penned 1 John (and 3 John), there are so many stylistic and thematic similarities. And there is almost no question at all that 1 John is the work of the author of the Gospel of the same name—John, the apostle, and as we see here, the elder. Elder (Greek presbuteros) is sometimes translated in English as overseer. In the New Testament it is a title which represents one with authority over one or more congregations or fellowship of believers in the First Century. It is quite a natural title for someone like John, who was literally an old man by the time of the canonical letters, and one who looked upon the members of the Church as his little children (1 John 2:1, 28; 3:7; 4:4). John not only understood that he had an apostolic responsibility for the Church, but also expressed a paternal love for her ( We often use the feminine personal pronoun when talking about the Church, for the Church is the Bride of Christ, she is, as John writes here, the elect lady.). They were one family, God’s family.

Those of Christianity’s first generation, John and the other apostles, were fathers whose proclamation of the word of life called, formed, and sustained the Church in intimate fellowship with the Father and the Son (1 John 1:1-3). John and the other apostles proclaimed the truth, and shared with the Church a life characterized by both knowledge of the truth, and loving relationships in the truth (2 John 1). They were one family, God’s family.

Even as the Church catholic (universal) was betrothed to Christ, she also existed and functioned in particular places, and for specific gatherings of believers, as the elect lady in a house, or in a city. The many particular churches were as daughters to the apostles, and sisters (2 John 13) to one another. They were one family, God’s family.

No family, not even God’s will be around for more than one generation, if there are no children. But the elect lady was not barren, she had children, lots of children. And for these children, these little children, John also had an abiding love. For the children, like John, and the elect lady, abided in the truth forever (2 John 2). They were one family, God’s family.

Today, when many churches are barely on speaking terms with one another, if the Church is one family, it is one broken and dysfunctional family. If the elect lady and her children in our day are going to abide in the same truth and love as John and the Church once did, it will only be through our common acknowledgment of the truth of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and our submission to Jesus and to one another in love. It is this truth and this love alone which can make of us one family, God’s family.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Subscription Invitation

2012-01-31T13:15:00.003-05:00

The majority of people who read What Did Jesus Do? receive them directly via email. Recently, we've contacted our "e-clock" inviting them to officially become subscribers. Not that we have lots of blog followers, but we would also like to invite those of you who are, to also become subscribers and receive the WDJDs directly in your inbox. Below is the text of our "Subscription" invitation.

We've emailed something over 400 What Did Jesus Do? devotions over the last two and a half years. Some of you have been receiving them pretty much from the beginning of our ministry, while others have only recently been added to the address book. Certainly, long-time or recent recipient, we hope you find the WDJDs more helpful than not, and take time to read them, well, more often than not.

Up to now we have not required any kind of subscription to receive WDJDs. Unfortunately, times being what they are, we are facing some real financial challenges. Therefore, commencing March 1st of this year, we are going to ask everyone to become a subscriber (Don't worry, you'll be amazed at how cheaply you can keep getting the WDJDs. Essentially, there are four subscription options, two of which don't cost a cent:

1. Simply acknowledge via return email that you would like to continue to receive
WDJD emails, and we'll keep sending them to you (If we don't hear from you by
March 1, however, we will take that as an indication of disinterest, and remove
you from the mailing list).

2. Indicate via return email that you would like to continue to receive WDJD
emails, and help grow this ministry by sending us the names and email addresses
of family and friends who you want to receive, well, a "gift" subscription.
(This still won't cost you a penny, but you will be helping us as you help
us to grow the audience for this ministry).

3. Become a paying subscriber for the super low price of $2 a month ($24.00
annually). What a bargain! Your subscription may be conveniently paid through
our website using PayPal.

4. Become a paying subscriber, and sustainer of this ministry as well, at the
level of $40 or more, and we will send you as a thank you a copy of I Just
Wanna Ride (One man's ride to real faith...), by Dr. Bob Kopp, a biker and
Presbyterian pastor, who challenges both those who mount chrome ponies and
those who sit in pews, or stand in a pulpit, to live authentically after the
example of Jesus.

Now, I have to be frank here, if everyone takes option 1 or 2, we may have to shut down the ministry because we simply won't have the money to keep even our shoestring operation going. Nonetheless, we trust that, ultimately, it is the Lord who provides for you, and for us, and for all.

We hope 2012 has begun well for you, and pray God will bless and highly favor you, and position you to prosper.

Christ IS All!

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.3

Jesus Forgave Ceaselessly and Loved Exceedingly

2012-01-30T10:44:00.003-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them…”
And Jesus said to the thief who was also being crucified,
“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Luke 23:34, 43

Pain makes me angry. Really. Like some wild beast with a wound that drives it crazy, when I’m hurt I can lose it in an instant. Like when the hammer hits the wrong nail. Or the garage door with the old, weak, stretched out spring hangs down just far enough, and at just the right angle, to crack my head open. Hey, I’ve got scars on my head to prove that the door has it in for me. And, even though hammers and doors don’t have parents, I will bellow in pain a few choice phrases about the subject. Pain makes me angry. Like when some does me wrong. I don’t usually say the things to them that I say to hammers and garage doors, but I will develop and nurture a pernicious enmity towards them that is totally contrary to who I’m supposed to be in Jesus. When I’m hurt, when the pain penetrates deep, I forget that I am a follower of Jesus, who forgave ceaselessly and loved exceedingly.

Think, for just a moment, about His forgiveness and His love. In particular, think about them in the context of Christ hanging on the cross. Even as the onlookers scoffed and mocked him in his dying agonies, Jesus pleaded for forgiveness of the ones who hated him and hurt him so much worse than I have ever, or will ever, be hurt. And, if people don’t know what they do, how much less a hammer or a garage door? So, I’m going public with my confession and forgiveness, “Hammer, I forgive you for all the times you’ve smashed my thumb. And, garage door, though I will carry the scars on my scalp to my grave, I forgive you too.” Guess that sounds kind of silly, doesn’t it? So, here’s something a little more serious, I’m forgiving all those people who have, and those who no doubt will sometime down the road, hurt me (Whether they know they’re hurting me or not), whom I have been so angry with. If this includes any of you who are reading this, I ask you to please forgive me for being not only a jerk, but so un-Christian towards you. And, as not only the Lord, but you also, are my witnesses, hold me accountable and help me to be as ceaselessly forgiving as my Savior.

Now, unlike the way so many practice forgiving and “forgetting” (You know, they forgive and forget how they are to love others, especially those who hurt them), I need to move on to the practice of loving like Jesus, which is to say exceedingly, which it to say deeply, fully, visibly, vocally, and to the very end. I mean, there are so many examples of Jesus loving so many people in so many ways, but I can’t think of one more moving than when the Lord loved the thief who was hanging on the cross next to his own, and pledged in effect to love him forever, for death could not and would not part them. THAT’s some kind of love! Even “crazy” love, the love of Christ for those who broke his heart, love even for his far from perfect bride.

I’m not going to presume to say it’s what’s wrong with your life, or the life of the Church, but I know it’s been messing up my life for a long time, hurt and anger that lead to unforgiveness and anything but love. Not that I’m going to be able to keep from being hurt, and losing it at least a little. But from this time on I don’t want to ever cease forgiving, and I want my love today to exceed my love yesterday, and my love tomorrow to exceed my love today, and on and on without end. That’s what Jesus did.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Came And Crowned Creation With His Incarnation

2012-01-29T17:23:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son,
born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Galatians 4:4-5

When we finish a job, we like to rest and recreate. When we’ve done a good job, we are sure we’ve earned some “R & R.” And, if the work we have completed is very good, well, surely, there should be some extended rest and recreation. And why not, God established the rhythm of work and rest in the beginning, when he ceased from his labors on the seventh day, going so far as to make the seventh day holy (Genesis 2:2-3). The finished work of God in the beginning, which, it must be acknowledged, was “very good” (Genesis 1:31), was tragically broken, and God had to get right back to work to keep all creation from going to, well, hell. And it all but did (Check out Genesis 6-9, and the balance of the Old Testament to see how close a call it was). But, though God had to get back to work to clean up the spill, the Fall actually, in the middle of the Garden of Eden (And it would take more than Adam and Eve could have ever imagined to clean up the mess they made.), the ordinance establishing a regular time of rest and recreation has remained, all modern evidence and lifestyles to the contrary not withstanding. For God perseveres; he’s not a quitter you know. So, through call and covenant, through patriarchs and prophets, through kingdoms that crumbled, and exiles who exited, and remnants who returned, he was faithful, until, when the fullness of time had come, he sent forth his Son. And, from Bethlehem to Egypt, from Egypt to Nazareth, from Nazareth to Jerusalem, from Jerusalem to the Cross, from the Cross to the Grave, from the Grave to Glory, Jesus came and crowned creation with his incarnation.

In other words, knowing all along that it would be necessary for his work to be consummated in the passion and the glory of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of his Son, the Father created, so that Jesus would, in the absolute ripeness of the most Kairos of kairos moments, perform the work of re-creation, that would redeem, would transform and radically make over, humanity, in and through himself by the power of the Holy Spirit. In and through Jesus, the creation, which was very good from the beginning, becomes glorious through the Father's works of re-creation in and through the incarnation of the Son.

Now, here’s the thing, God is still glorified through the re-creative power of incarnational lives. That’s right, the work which Christ completed on the Cross continues, and shall continue, to re-create, to transform, to radically make-over those who are fallen and broken, as the Lord’s disciples live like Jesus by loving like Jesus. The power of the incarnation, the power to re-create, is nothing other than the power of God’s love manifest by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. As it was the power of the Holy Spirit in the Son that enabled him to accomplish the work the Father sent him to do, so the Father gives the same Spirit to all who follow Jesus, that we would be enabled to live incarnationally.

You see, redemption is so much more than restoration, so much more than being made as good as new. If in Christ we are made no better than good as new, we would be no better than Adam. Praise God that, in and through Jesus by the power of God’s love and the work of the Holy Spirit, what was very good in the beginning is made perfect unto the end of time, and forever and ever. Creation is crowned by the Incarnate One who lives in those who believe in and bear his name!

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Came to Give Us True Understanding of God

2012-01-25T10:33:00.003-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

And we know that the Son of God has come and have given us understanding…
1 John 5:20

In the words of Hitch (Will Smith), “You wouldn’t know the truth if it kicked you in the head.” While the truth didn’t exactly kick him in the head, it, or, more accurately, He, looked Pilate right in the face, and Pilate was clueless (John 18.38). But maybe it/He doesn’t matter all that much—the truth, I mean. Or, perhaps, the truth matters, but not as much as a lot of other things? Should we, like Agent Mulder on the X Files, make knowing the truth a crusade?

Ask someone who should know, say, a Christian. More to the point, ask them, “Why did Jesus come?” We might expect to hear, “To save us” or “To free us” or “To give us eternal life” or perhaps even “To repair the breach between us and God.” But I believe that what Jesus had to say on the subject is of more value than any of our thoughts or opinions. And, not just what Jesus said to his disciples as he traveled from village to village, but the Lord’s actual testimony given to Pontius Pilate at his trial. Do you know the Lord’s testimony on the night before he was crucified? Jesus said, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.” (John 18.37) Kind of makes truth a big deal, doesn’t it? The Lord completed his testimony with these words, “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” What did Jesus come to do? Jesus came to give us true understanding of God.

Here’s the thing about the truth that Christians know, or should know, it is not an intellectual construct, doctrinal supposition, or abstract philosophical proposition. For Christians, the truth is ultimately not a thing at all, but a who, more specifically a him, and, most specifically, “him who is true”(1 John 5:20). All truth is grounded in, and emanates from, the one true living God, who has made himself known to us in a most intimate and personal way through his Son. Is God knowable, then, only in and through the Son? No. The apostle Paul tells us that God may be known, may be “clearly perceived…in the things he has made.” (Romans 1:20) But the general knowledge of God which is plain to see in his creation does not of itself keep anyone from making a fool of themselves by exchanging the glory of God for images and idols of “mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” (Romans 1:23) How, then, do we keep from becoming fools; how can anyone truly know God?

The only way to move from knowing about God, to knowing God, that is to say, to have a fellowship, a personal relationship, with him, is through his Son, Jesus Christ. The Son came to give us understanding in order that we could know the Father (God who is true), and be in the Father (who is true) by being in the Son (Jesus Christ, who came to bear witness to the truth.) The end result of the knowledge of the truth, of knowing God the Father in and through God the Son by power and work of the Holy Spirit is eternal life. To know and abide in the truth is to live in the love of God now and forever, which is the theme of John’s letter to his little children (the Church).

Finally, knowledge of the truth must be guarded, if it is to remain pure and unadulterated. And, any “truth” that is not pure and unadulterated in fact ceases to be true in any meaningful sense. So John closes his letter admonishing his little children to avoid making fools of themselves by turning from the truth to idols (1 John 5:21). There is, at the last, a call to constant vigilance in defense of the truth. John calls the Church, which exists in a world that has little use, and even less love, for truth, to preserve that for which Jesus came into the world—the revelation of true knowledge of the true God.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
Ps 37.4

Jesus Made Every Day CHRISTmas

2012-01-24T09:46:00.000-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20

It has been bugging me for a good month now, and, thanks to an article I read in The Week magazine from December 2011, I have come to a conclusion—with Christmas we should either be all in, or we should drop it all together. You see, for the last month I have been posting on Facebook about keeping CHRISTmas every day. Every year we all hear, and many of us say to one another, “Gee, I wish it could be Christmas throughout the year.” But then we all take Christmas and box it up and shove it in the attic, or the basement, or the garage for eleven months or so and forget about it. I’m sorry, but that’s just wrong. Why? Because when he came, Jesus made every day CHRISTmas.

Did you know that the Puritans, you know those folks who brought us Thanksgiving, were strongly, almost violently, opposed to the observance of Christmas? And, did you know, that opposition to Christmas lasted through the colonial era and the birth of this nation, right on into the 19th Century? What? Were the Puritans a bunch of Scrooges? Were we a nation of Grinches? Not at all. Let me explain briefly.

You see, the Puritans were really big on the Bible, particularly its authority. And the Bible, specifically the New Testament, instructs us to put no stock at all in special feast days, new moons, and holy days (Colossians 2:16), even as it never says one word about Christmas or Easter. What’s going on? I think the confusion is largely the result of our not getting Christmas. Christmas, or, if you will, CHRISTmas, is all about the birth of Emmanuel, God with us. And this is a big deal, a VERY BIG deal. Oh sure, Zeus supposedly liked to come and masquerade on the earth, but that was for the purpose of trying to hide his many adulteries. When God, the one true living God, became flesh, it was for a very different purpose. He came to die for us, in order that, by believing in and through him, we should live, and live for ever with him.

Even more, when God, in the person of the Son, Jesus Christ came, it was with the sovereign intention of never again leaving. God, in the person of the Son, and the Holy Spirit, came to stay, even to the end of the age. Again, Jesus came, and promised to never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). What does all this have to do with the Puritans aversion to the observance of Christmas? Well, because they, unlike most of us, truly believed what the Bible says, they understood every day to be a holy day (holiday) because they truly believed that God was with them, literally, in spirit and in truth, not merely as some kind of intellectual or philosophical construct. Though they didn’t actually come out and say it, I believe the Puritans felt that the observance of Christmas belittled the Incarnation, because, for the sake of one day of celebration the other 364 were lived in tacit denial of the abiding presence and power of Christ.

Again, though they didn’t say it, the Puritans sought to live each and every day as Christmas, or CHRISTmas, believing that the Lord, Emmanuel, was and is among us 24/7/365. Our trouble is, we either don’t believe that Jesus is truly here to stay, or we prefer to live most of our lives as if he isn’t here. Maybe we’ll put the spotlight on Jesus for an hour or so most Sundays. And perhaps we’ll make kind of a big show of Jesus being Lord and Savior on a few special days of the year (Christmas and Easter). But, truly acknowledge and live each day affirming Christ’s active presence in us and in the world, well, don’t you think that’s a bit much? The Puritans didn’t.

So, I am going to keep posting on Facebook about keeping CHRISTmas every day. And, I am going to offer a “Merry Christmas” or two each day in affirmation that every day is CHRISTmas. In and through Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit, I am going to live each day in celebration, service, and worship of God, the Father. I invite you to join the observance of CHRISTmas, of God with us, every day. That’s what Jesus did.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenmiistries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Adjusted Our Attitude Towards the World

2012-01-23T11:16:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
1 John 5:19

It is a shame that so much of the Church has ignored most of what Jesus said and did, while embracing his rebuke of Peter at Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:23). Too many Christians, both individually and corporately in many congregations, are so determined to be heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good to anyone. Forgetting that Jesus came to save, and not to condemn, the world, a lot of folks who claim to follow Jesus imagine they do so by hating and shunning the world. But how can condemning, hating, and shunning ever be the way to follow a Savior who came to love and to redeem? They can’t. The truth is, we cannot follow Christ if our attitude towards the world is 180 degrees opposite of his. Remember, the Father sent the Son because of his great love for the world (John 3:16). So Jesus adjusted our attitude towards the world, in order that we may indeed follow him.

Our problem is, without Jesus, without being born again, we are not of God. And, if we are not of God, we can only be one thing, in the power of the evil one. Yet, John could say to his little children in the First Century, and to the Church in the Twenty-first Century, “We know that we are OF God.” How can we know? When we have a new attitude toward the world.

When we are not of God our attitude toward the world is love of the world, and the things of the world. Apart from God, the way of the world is selfish, slavish, short-sighted—in sum, rebellious and sinful. The way of the world is to pursue pleasure and self-satisfaction; to strive, to seize, to do whatever it takes to have more of the world for ourselves, though, no matter how much of the world we ever experience or own, it is never enough. This is the trap Satan has set for all of us. The more we have of the world, the more we want of the world, even as more of the world ultimately leaves us more and more enslaved to the world, which, apart from Christ, is under the devil’s power.

But when Jesus adjusts our attitude toward the world, our love of the world becomes love for the world. Love for others supplants love of self. Giving to takes the place of taking from. Love for sacrifices, where love of once seized. Love for goes into the world as the Lord commands (Matthew 28:19), it does not turn sanctuaries into safe houses from which to watch the world and the lost as they perish without Jesus.

Knowing that he was from God, Jesus manifested the Father’s love for the world. Knowing that we are from God, we are, in and through the Son who adjusts our attitude toward the world, to also manifest our heavenly Father’s love for the world, by being salt and light in the world and for the world.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Enforced God's Limits

2012-01-22T15:31:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

‘You have heard…But I say to you…”
Matthew 5:21ff

I believe one of the surest signs of the fallen human condition is our obsession with pushing, stretching, and testing limits. Don’t get me wrong, I am very thankful that four years ago doctors were able to take one of my kidneys and put it in my son. Wasn’t all that long ago when such a thing would have been way beyond the limits of medicine. But, for every beneficial advance that has come about as a result of someone pushing, stretching, and testing the limits, there are countless stories of suffering, tragedy, and death brought about by disregard for limits that are in place for our own good. We drink and eat so much more than is good for us that it ruins our health. We so obsess and pursue sexual pleasure that we destroy families, ruin lives, and contract all kinds of nasty STDs. We strive to make ourselves stronger, but kill ourselves with steroids for the sake of building muscle. We note the speed limit, and then consistently drive 5-10 over it even though speeding is one of the top contributing factors of accidents. Why? I truly don’t get it. Here’s the thing, in case you didn’t know this, God is a god of limits. God sets boundaries, draws lines, erects signs that say “Do not go past this point.” The Bible pretty much tells the story of what happens when people obsessively push, stretch, and test God’s limits. Our flaunting of God’s limits began long ago in the Garden of Eden, when we couldn’t help adding to the menu God had given us, and then quickly spread to just about every aspect of our lives. Were God into issuing citations for violation of his limits, all of us would have more summonses to appear before the Judge than we could count. It was so bad, our pushing, stretching, and testing of God’s limits, that the Father had to send the Son. That’s right, Jesus enforced God’s limits.

Not that any of us should try and live by Law, the Old Testament version of God’s limits. No, we’ve been set free from the law of sin and death by the law of the spirit of life to live in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2). But the free life in Jesus is life within the limits.

Jesus in fact set even stricter limits than those that had been in place for hundreds of years. Sure, people had for generations heard that it was wrong to murder, though they kept right on murdering (Matthew 5:21), but Jesus came to enforce the old limit by setting a new and stricter one (Matthew 5:22). Adultery was never accepted (Well, at least not until recently), that people had long heard that they were to be faithful to the marriage vow (Matthew 5:27), but Jesus came to enforce the old limit by putting a far tighter control on the heart and mind, and eyes of those who are married (Matthew 5:28). Everyone was familiar with the exception God had granted for divorce (Matthew 5:31), but Jesus came to enforce the original limit by establishing a narrower understanding of what was acceptable (Matthew 5:32). False promises, commitments and oaths taken with no intention of ever honoring them, had always been forbidden (Matthew 5:33), but Jesus came to enforce the law prohibiting false oaths by teaching that one should not take an oath at all (Matthew 5:34-37). Retribution had been limited to that which was proportionate to an offense (Matthew 5:38), but Jesus set a whole new limit by instructing that it is wrong to even take offense (Matthew 5:39-42). Jesus even changed the limits of love. Where the limit of love had for years precluded any need, or even possibility, of loving an enemy (Matthew 5:43), Jesus put a much stricter love requirement in place which charges us with loving our friends and our enemies (Matthew 5:44).

Of course, you have probably seen the absurdity in setting stricter limits for people who habitually pushed, stretched, tested the old limits. How could we ever hope to observe the new limits when we have already proven incapable of honoring the old ones? Well, the good news is, the Father didn’t just send an enforcer, he sent the Fulfiller—Jesus Christ. In and of ourselves, we will eat too much and drive too fast. We will cheat, hate, lie, lust, and, well, you name it and we’ll do it. It is only in and through Jesus that we can understand, respect, and observe the totally life giving limits the Father has set.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Altered Our Appetite for Sin

2012-01-21T18:05:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

…he who was born of God protects the one who believes…
1 John 5:18

I was a weird kid. I know this comes as no surprise to those who know me now, I guess I’m still pretty weird. But when I was a kid…well, let me just say that I had some peculiar appetites. I wouldn’t eat mashed potatoes without catsup on them. You could not have gotten me to eat a bologna sandwich, and I LOVED bologna, if it didn’t have Miracle Whip on it. I wouldn’t touch tomato sauce with a ten foot pole, my spaghetti had to have butter and parsley on it or no go! And I liked canned asparagus (Ugh!). Nowadays I don’t think I could even swallow a forkful of mashed potatoes if they had catsup on them. I still eat bologna, but don’t really care for Miracle Whip. And, while I love pretty much any kind of pasta with tomato sauce on it, I will still eat spaghetti with melted butter, as long as there’s plenty of minced garlic on it. As for canned asparagus, don’t make me gag! The point is something changed my appetite since I was a boy, and, I believe, for the better. Even more certain than the vagaries of our appetite for food, is the change in our appetite for sin once we receive Jesus.

Oh, there has never been a Christian who hasn’t backslid, stumbled, SINNED, after their conversion. But, the thing is, once we’ve been born again, sin leaves a very different taste in our mouth than before, and we simply can’t go on sinning as we once did (1 John 5:18a). It’s not that sin changes, sin is sin. But Christ changes us. Yes, we may still be too weak in our flesh to resist the appeal of what we once loved and could not get enough of, but we are not left alone to struggle with our flesh. For “he who was born of God” (that is Jesus, the eternally begotten Son), is with us, is within us, and the Holy Spirit of the risen Lord in us makes us stronger and stronger, so that we find the pull of sin lessening, sin’s sweetness grows more and more bitter. (1 John 5:18b) Over time, our appetite for sin diminishes as our desire for righteousness increases. And, though he would dearly love to get his hands on us, the devil can’t get a hold of those who belong to Jesus; it’s as if we have a new non-stick coating which frustrates Satan’s grasping for us (1 John 5:18c).

Even as Jesus and the Holy Spirit vigilantly protect us from the designs of the evil one, so too all who have been born of God are to be vigilant in prayer and encouragement for our brothers and sisters in the Lord (1 John 5:16). As Christ is one with every believer in altering our appetite for sin, and turning us to new ways of living, so all believers are one with each other, and we all have our part to play in cultivating the appetite for God and the things of God, and strengthening one another in faith. Mutual personal accountability of believers before the Lord is an important part of reinforcing our new appetite and resisting our old ones, protecting one another from the devil. That’s what Jesus did.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Drew A Line

2012-01-18T10:16:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
1 John 5:17

How do you keep a sinner in fear? Well, if you are God, your goal is not to keep sinners in fear, but to cast out all fear by means of your perfect love. The Father did not send the Son in order to frighten us to death, but to love us to life. But this is not to say that sin in any way could or can be overlooked. Sin, wrongdoing, has real consequences, and it ultimately pays but one wage to the sinner—death (Romans 6:23). Jesus came to love us to life by collecting, if you will, the wages for our sin, in order that, by believing in him, we would receive a totally different currency from the Father—eternal life. All humanity may be separated into one of two groups. Oh, we’re all of us sinners. But some have been, or will yet be, in and through Christ, forgiven, while others, rejecting Christ, are not, nor will ever be, forgiven. So, in a way, Jesus came and drew a line to separate the forgiven from the un-forgiven. In truth, Jesus is the line that divides all humanity.

John’s little children (the Church) were those who had heard and accepted the message about Jesus Christ, his life and atoning death on the cross, and who, believing in Jesus, had repented of sin, received forgiveness, and crossed over the line from death to life. But false teachers, antichrists had come among them denying the truth of the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22). So John wrote to remind the Church about the line that Jesus drew. While the wages of sin, all sin, is death, there is sin that does not lead to death. Huh? It’s not as confusing as it may sound. Think about it. Are there any of us who have never sinned? Of course not. Yet, for those of us who have been, or who some day by the grace of God will be, convicted of our sin, and repented, and received Christ, our sin does not lead to death, though it required the death of Jesus (Never forget that, though grace is free, it came at a very high price!). Okay, but what, then, is “sin that leads to death?”

I mean, should believers, even though we have received salvation by grace through faith in Jesus, be afraid of committing some ill-defined, but absolutely deadly, unpardonable sin? I bet there are no few believers who in fact go about day to day carrying a pretty heavy burden of fear of stepping over the line from life to death. What could this sin that leads to death which John talked about be? Let’s think again about the context of the letter. John wrote it to warn and to arm his little children against the false teaching of the antichrists, those who denied the truth about the Incarnation, who denied the true deity and true humanity, along with the death and bodily resurrection, of Jesus. In short, John seems to be warning the Church about the sin of apostasy, of having heard and received the truth, and then denying and forsaking it. Forsaking Jesus, having once received him, leaves one in essentially the same place as one who has never accepted Christ at all.

So there is sin, no use in any of us denying it, especially in our own lives. But we can take our sins to the cross, be forgiven of those sins of which we repent, and be secure and free of fear, because of the love of the Father in and through the Son, who is the promise of eternal life for all who believe. We also need to be committed to prayer for any brother or sister who commits a sin not leading to death (1 John 5:16). This means we all should be praying for one another pretty much all the time, because, though we are being renewed in the Spirit, our flesh, still falls short of the glory of God regularly. “Pray for the brother/sister who sins—those sins that do not lead to death—and God will given him/her life.” As for those who, like the false teachers of the First Century, and the many sects that have risen and fallen in the years since the time of John, reject and turn from the truth about Jesus, who fall into apostasy, committing sin that leads to death, John does not instruct us to pray for them (Though he does not actually say not to pray for them either.).

Our job then, according to John, having in Jesus crossed from death to life, is to stay on the Christ affirming side of the line, and to pray for our brothers and sisters who sin, who should be praying for us. The Father’s one big family united in prayer in and through the Son. This is the very work and prayer of Jesus (John 17).

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Provided Assurance By Cutting Out All Add-Ons

2012-01-16T10:55:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

I write to you who believe in the name of the Son of God
that you may know that you have eternal life.
1 John 5:13

Have you ever found a bargain on the internet, perhaps on Amazon or eBay, only to be frustrated by the “+”? You know, when the bargain item you found for $8 requires $15 in “Shipping & Handling” to get it to you. There are all kinds of things where add-ons and hidden charges complicate, threaten, and sometimes simply put out of reach, our obtaining what we are after. Fortunately, this is not at all the case with salvation and eternal life, and prayer, because Jesus provided assurance by cutting out all add-ons.

You see, it is never Jesus+ __________=Eternal life. John was compelled to write to the Church (his little children; 2:1, 28; 3:7, 18; 4:4; 5:21) because false teachers had come among them and tried to sell them add-ons, ups, and extras. John’s response in this letter was to say that our assurance is Jesus, the Son, and him alone. We are certain, secure, and sure in the name of the Son—in Jesus we know we have eternal life. But that’s not all we have in Jesus. John also tell us that we have a new sureness, a confidence in prayer in and through the Lord (1 John 5:14).

You see, our prayer will be diluted, diminished, distracted, and devoid of power if we are forever seeking after something to make it better, more acceptable to the Father, than simply coming to him in and through the Son. Our confidence in prayer, our boldness (Hebrews 4:16), is grounded in the great high priest who is in heaven interceding for us (Hebrews 4:14). And this confidence rests upon our knowledge of the perfection of the Son’s sympathizing with us, for he was tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). So, we know he not only hears our prayers, when they are prayers of faith, prayers in accord with and submitting to his will, but we also have the assurance that he answers every prayer asked of him according to his will (1 John 5:15). In exhorting the Church to pray in and for the will of God, John passed on what he and the other apostles had learned from the Lord about prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), and followed the example of Jesus himself in prayer (Matthew 26:39).

One important aspect of prayer according to his will which I must not fail to mention is that, even though we have the immediate assurance that we have the requests that we have asked of him, there may yet be a delay in our experience of them due to the fact that part of our submission to God’s will includes his sovereign authority to act at the time he himself appoints. While we might, and often will in our flesh, chafe at any delay, we may be certain that God’s timing will result in more glory to his name, greater advancement of his kingdom, and more benefit to us than we can presently imagine.

Finally, John’s pointing to our assurance in prayer in and through Jesus should free us from fretting when we pray. Yes, we should feel a burden for prayer in our hearts, but our hearts need never be burdened by worry when we pray, because the Lord is our assurance in prayer, and there is no need to add anything, even worry, to prayer that is confident in Christ Jesus.

Commit your way to the LORD [in prayer];
trust in him, and he will act.
Psalm 37:5

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Supplied the Evidence for Faith's Witnesses

2012-01-15T15:58:00.003-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself.
1 John 5:10

We have observed that victory comes via the “winning play” Jesus designed for us—our faith (1 John 5:4; see WDJD for 1/13/12)—without faith that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:5), our defeat is certain. But what of faith? What can make our faith so certain and secure that victory is assured? John knew that his little children (the Church) would be wondering, so he went ahead and told them/us the key to faith—evidence. If anyone should ever try to dismiss us by saying our faith is a dream, an unsubstantiated hope, we can come back by declaring that our faith has a firm foundation, that we have the testimony of witnesses, which supports our belief in Jesus as God’s Son and our Savior. And Jesus supplied the evidence for faith’s witnesses.

John tells us that there are three witnesses who testify to the person and work of Jesus Christ: the water, the blood, and the Spirit (1 John 5:7-8). Water alludes to Christ’s baptism in the Jordan, a baptism like ours. Jesus came by water in that his public ministry commenced after the Lord came through the water of baptism. Jesus came by water, yes, but he also came by blood—the blood of the cross. The identity and work of Jesus were revealed and commenced in the water of his baptism. The completion and fulfillment of his ministry came by the blood Christ shed on the cross. We must appreciate and understand the importance of both the Lord’s baptism and his death if we are to have the faith whereby victory is achieved. But the witness of the water and the blood by which Jesus came are not of themselves sufficient unto victorious faith, we also need the third witness, the witness of the Spirit. It is the function, the work, the mission of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, who is truth, to testify to the truth in and of Jesus Christ. The Lord himself promised us as much of the Spirit (John 15:26-27), guaranteeing as well that the Spirit would take us and guide us into all truth (John 16:13). The three-fold witness of the water, the blood, and the Spirit together gives us so firm a foundation of truth for our faith as to make it certain and unshakable.

John, along with the other apostles, could bear witness based on their having heard, seen, and touched the word of life, manifest in Jesus. Yet, John conceded that the apostolic witness, and the witness of all men, is eclipsed by a greater testimony. It is the testimony of God, for it was the Father himself who testified that Jesus was his beloved Son when Jesus was baptized (Mark 1:11), that far surpasses any and all other testimony (1 John 5:9).

There is a fourth witness, which is also essential to faith. This testimony is internal, is it in everyone who believes in the Son of God (1 John 5:10). The best thing about the testimony that inhabits every believer is that by it we have God’s gift of eternal life (1 John 5:11). Nothing could be more compelling and stark than the utter contrast between those who have the testimony of the Son in them and those who do not, for it is this testimony alone which separates from death to life, and that life forever, in and through Jesus Christ (1 John 5:12).

The water of his baptism, the blood he shed on the cross, the testimony of the Spirit to us, and in us, this is the evidence Jesus supplies that witnesses unto faith, faith that give us life, now and forever. Whenever anyone asks us about our faith this is the testimony we must give them.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Designed the Winning Play

2012-01-13T09:40:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
1 John 5:4

It is NFL playoff time, and that means this Sunday there will be more people attending the games, listening to them on radio, and watching on television (live or streaming) than there will be in worship. Actually, for most NFL fans I guess the games are worship. Except, perhaps when they are busier hating someone than cheering for someone. When New England hosts Denver in a Divisional match-up, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will have a much simpler game-plan than his opponent. All Brady has to do is beat the Broncos. Denver quarterback Tim Tebow has to overcome the world, because the world, and lots and lots of people, are bitterly opposed to him. Fortunately for Tebow, and for all God’s children, Jesus designed the winning play.

Actually, while some NFL snob-types like to tear down Tebow because he is far from the classic drop-back quarterback, many more boil with murderous rage against him because of his faith. Well, while I regularly root for just about anybody who faces the Patriots, and have a long-standing affection for the Giants, I have a confession to make—I don’t really care all that much about the NFL. Or the NBA, or MLB, or the NHL, or college football, or even college hoops (Last year I even went cold turkey and did not watch a second of March Madness, only learning that UConn won a couple of days after the fact on the internet). So it won’t really matter much to me who wins this weekend. But I do care about Tim Tebow, love him even. That’s why, even before the game’s played, I know that Tebow will come out on top. In fact, I guarantee that Tebow will be a winner this weekend. How can I make such a guarantee? Like I said, Jesus designed the winning play, and Tim Tebow has already shown that he knows how to execute it perfectly.

What’s the play? It’s no secret, at least in Tebow’s case, though there are way too many Christians who like to keep it under wraps. No, Bill Belichick won’t have to deploy any spies or try and intercept any signals from the sidelines this time. Tebow has a simple game-plan that he follows, and when he comes at you, well, he’s pretty much a straight ahead runner. Not a lot of deception, faking, or feinting for Tebow, he’s just aimed toward the goal line. So, here’s the play that ensures victory for Tim Tebow, and for every believer—faith. Jesus designed, he pioneered and perfected, faith (Hebrews 12:2). Yes, I admit, faith might not overcome the Pats, but I know, as Tim Tebow does, that faith has overcome our biggest opponents—the world and its ruler. Faith has even defeated sin and death!

So, while there may be some closely fought games this weekend, the outcome for Tim Tebow is already settled because he believes that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:5). And he has let the whole world know it, which isn’t an easy thing to do when you are in his position because it means that every time Tim Tebow takes the field he faces more opposition than any other quarterback in the league.

I don’t know who or what you might be facing this week. You might have been tackled by a job loss. Maybe the clock is running out and foreclosure looms. You may feel defeated because of a divorce. It’s very possible that you, or someone you love, has heard a doctor say, in effect, “game over.” But all these can and have been overcome by Jesus, and we are victorious through faith in him.

None of us, not even Tim Tebow, may ever hold the Lombardi Trophy, or be enshrined in a Hall of Fame. But every one of us can wear a crown, and have a room in the Father’s house. Just run the play that Jesus designed, and we’ll all be eternal winners.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Supplied Certitude

2012-01-12T14:39:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.
1 John 4:16

The great George Bernard Shaw was fascinated by the English language. If you are a fan of the film Patton you may recall the scene where George C. Scott, excuse me, where George S. Patton, quoting Shaw, observed that Americans and Englishmen are “Two people separated by a common language.” Shaw once noted on a radio program that there are two words in the English language that begin with the sh sound, but are not spelled with sh. A woman wrote, challenging Shaw, and asserting that sugar was the only word that makes the sh sound without sh. Shaw wrote back, “Madam, are you sure?” Sometimes, it seems, we shouldn’t be so sure of what we know. But, when it comes to faith and hope, Jesus supplied certitude; we can be sure of what we know and believe in and through Jesus.

Though there are folks who will tell you that certainty is the enemy of faith, don’t listen to them. John wanted his little children (the Church) to know and believe, to have a faith, they could be certain of. So, in the middle of his letter to the Church, John wrote about several things that believers receive in and through Jesus, which make our faith something we can be sure of.

At the top of the list is the Holy Spirit, who assures us that we abide in God, and he in us (1 John 4:13). Secondly, we have the witness of the testimony of John himself, along with all the other apostles (1 John 4:14). Next, there is our own affirmation that Jesus is the Son of God, sent by the Father to be the Savior (1 John 4:15). Then there is the certain hope we have in the love of God—which we know and believe, which is being perfected in us, in which we have boldness (“no fear”)—love which we now give because it was first given to us (1 John 4:16-19). Finally, there is the love we have for all other believers, a love God confidently can command his children to express because, through all the ways he has gifted us with his love, we are now able in Christ Jesus to love (1 John 4:20-21). As God is love, so his children receive his love and reflect that love to others. Of this we can be certain, because—that’s what Jesus did!

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Loved Us to Death

2012-01-11T11:43:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us
and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:10

If you have ever taught a class for more than ten minutes there is a good chance that you have heard a student say in response to a question, “I know the answer, I just don’t know how to say it.” Uh-huh, right! If they can’t say it, they don’t know it. Similarly, John, whose intent in his first letter was to instruct the Church how it was to live in the love of God, came to a place where, in so many words, he said, “If we don’t show it, then we don’t know it.” Or, more precisely, we don’t know Him. The “it” is love, the “Him” is God, who is love (1 John 4:8). Having just explained to the Church how it was to “test the spirits” (1 John 4.1-6; see WDJD for 1/10/12), John immediately gave a simple way to test those who claim to be Christians, “Anyone who does not love does not know God.” Of course, surveying our world where there is precious little love in evidence, but much hatred and hostility, one could ask, “Where are we to look for, and how are we to know, God and his love?” John’s answer to the Church, then and now, was to look to the cross, and to Jesus who loved us to death.

The search for love anywhere but in the person and nature of God is ultimately a fruitless search, a quest that must ultimately end in disappointment. Oh, the world offers no few definitions and examples of “love.” But only in God is love to be found that is totally, sacrificially, committed to others. Incredibly, the totally committed love of God was given to those who were, and to we who are, totally unlovable. You see, the Father did not send his Son to love those who had been showing any kind of love to God, but to those who had been in rebellion, who had been rejecting God, and chasing endlessly after idols. It is utter foolishness for the world and for us to look for love amongst ourselves, love is not to be found there! True love was only manifest in the Father’s sending of his one and only Son for the sole purpose of offering himself as the one acceptable payment and sacrifice for the sins of the world by his death on the cross. It is the deepest mystery of the divine will that grace and mercy are expressed in the Father’s love through the death of his pure and sinless Son, the result of which is life for those sinners for whom the Son died (1 John 4:9).

For John there is but one possible response to the all but unimaginable love of God manifest in Jesus, and that is to love one another in the same way that he has loved us (1 John 4:11). In this John echoes the very command which he and the other apostles had received from the Lord himself (John 13:34). John had heard, had seen, had touched and been touched by the very love of God manifest in the life of Jesus the Son (1 John 1:1). And having been “so loved” by God, John in turn loved his “little children” (the Church) with that very same love. This is the very heart of the letter. The Church was called forth and formed out of the love of God manifest in Jesus Christ, and manifest most sublimely on the cross. Having been so loved by God, the church is called to live in that love and to manifest, to show it, in and through the love of believers for one another. In this way, the world, more particularly lost sinners, may see God in and through those in whom his love abides and is perfected (1 John 4:12).

The one place where the love of God has abided eternally is the Trinity itself, in the mutual love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for one another. Now, God having sent his only Son, that love abides in the Church as its members love one another, and, amazingly, as we love one another, the love of God is made perfect in us. Like some PowerPoint presentation to the world, God has chosen his Church to exhibit his love to the world through the fellowship and love of believers. Jesus loved us to death, so that we might have life. As God pours his love into the life of every believer, so the Church should be filled and overflow with love for God, and for all those God so loved.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus "Fleshed Out" the Truth

2012-01-10T10:45:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

Test the spirits to see whether they are from God,
for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
1 John 4:1

Well, it’s a Presidential Election year, and that means we will be deluged by a sea of campaign ads, bumper stickers and buttons, debates and denials, platforms and platitudes, stump speeches, and probably a scandal or two. And we can of course count on it all being absolutely, scrupulously true. Okay, you can stop laughing. I don’t know what is more disturbing, that we all know we are going to hear a lot of lies during the upcoming campaign, or the sad fact that so few Americans are in anyway equipped to actually sift out the truth and separate it from all the deceiving that will be going on. Of course, we are not the first people to have trouble separating truth from lies. Even though God is truth eternal, and even though he gave his Word to his people Israel, very few were able to grasp and hold onto the truth of the Word, or recognize when someone was corrupting it and twisting it into falsehoods. Knowing this, the Father sent the Son, Jesus, to “flesh out” the truth of his Word by making the Word, well, flesh.

Having personally heard, seen, and touched the Father’s word of life made manifest in the Son (1 John 1:1-2), the Apostle John faithfully proclaimed to his “little children” (the Church) so that they should share in the fellowship of all believers with the Father and the Son, and receive eternal life (1 John 1:3; 2:24-25). But, with the Son returned to the Father in Heaven, there was no longer any opportunity to “see, hear, and touch” Jesus in the flesh, but only in the Spirit. So John charged the Church with testing the spirits, and then supplied the means for testing spirits, so that the Spirit of Truth might be rightly separated from all false spirits. The test itself was, and is, simple: What do people believe and say about the incarnation? Was Jesus the Son of God come down to become one of us? Did Jesus really put on flesh and walk among us “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), or was the Lord more like a really good hologram, a very good likeness of a man, but in actuality no more than appearing to have come in the flesh. Any spirit not confessing Christ’s coming in the flesh is not from God, is in fact the spirit of the antichrist (1 John 4:3). So, the first thing we must do is listen carefully to what is being said about Jesus. If we hear any denial of Christ’s coming in the flesh, or of his being the divine Son of God, we should quickly turn a deaf ear to what is being said.

But the spirit testing John exhorts us to do involves more than just listening, John also wants us to look. Look at behavior, as well as listen to teaching, because behavior betrays teaching (Or, if there is consonance between one’s words and one’s actions, then behavior confirms belief). False prophets and lying spirits will always, sooner or later, be exposed by their actions, even if their words have a ring of truth. The great gulf separating the true from the false is all about the one’s origin. All who originate in God, who is eternal truth, are true. All who originate in the world, which is corrupt, full of deceit, and passing away, are and will always be revealed as false (1 John 4:4-5).

There is a third, final, aspect to the testing of spirits. We listen and we look for the truth, but it is also essential for us to speak the truth. We can discern who is of God and who isn’t by how they react when we proclaim his Word, his Truth. John put it plainly enough, “Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (1 John 4:6)

The Father sent Jesus so that the truth could be heard, seen, touched (1:1-2). The truth of Jesus Christ which we receive via the testimony of the Spirit of Truth in us, give us ears to hear truth, eyes to see truth, and a tongue to proclaim truth. It is not enough to know truth when we hear it and see it, we must live it and proclaim it, we must flesh out the truth, even as Jesus did. If we do not, we are not being true to the Lord, and it is very likely that the Spirit of Truth is not in us.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Caused BIG Things to Happen When Those Who Believed Even a Little Cried Out

2012-01-09T05:14:00.003-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

“All things are possible for one who believes.”
Mark 9:23

Unless you are at least as ancient as I am, or you are a devoted Frank Sinatra fan, it is likely you have never heard of the song “High Hopes.”

While it is a secular song from a Hollywood movie, it teaches a lesson about faith. Without going into details, I’ll just say that it illustrates how hope (faith) can accomplish some mighty difficult tasks, and overcome some seemingly impossible obstacles. When Jesus causes those who believe, who have faith, to cry out, some pretty amazing things have happened.

Take the time the blind son of Timaeus heard that Jesus was passing by him as he sat begging for alms at the side of the road. Bartimaeus cried out! And, you know what happened, don’t you? Bartimaeus asked the Lord to restore his sight, and the Lord did! (Mark 10:46-52) How about when Peter, out for a stroll on the Sea of Galilee, suffered a real “sinking” feeling, and cried out to Jesus? Jesus helped the apostle, who was notorious for leaping before looking, to leap back into the boat. (Matthew 14:28-33) Of course, you may recall that, though Peter believed, his doubting just about ended up dunking him. Still, good things happen when Jesus causes those who believe to cry out.

My favorite illustration of this, because the father’s belief was so much like mine is, encumbered and imperfect, is found in the Ninth Chapter of Mark. One day there was a big commotion going on, and the Lord’s disciples were right in the middle of it. It seems that a man had come and sought out Christ’s followers hoping they might be able to do something to help his son, who was terribly afflicted. Alas, the disciples had been unable to do anything, except become embroiled in a public shouting match with some scribes. Though it had been faith which had led the man to come and seek the Lord in the first place, the father spoke out of his very real doubt when he responded to the questioning of Jesus by saying that he hoped Jesus might help his son, “if he could.” That Jesus replied with some mild indignation, “If I can! ALL things are possible for one who believes.” may seem somewhat out of character for the Lord, but it moved the man to cry out, “I believe!” I have to say that this father was more honest about his faith than most of us, for he immediately added, “Help my unbelief!” The end result was that the boy was set free, and the father, we may assume, went away with at least a little more belief and a little less unbelief than he came with. (Mark 9:14-29)

Do you know what unbelievers cry out when they encounter Jesus? Nothing, for they have no faith at all. And, like the disbelieving neighbors of Jesus in Nazareth, the Lord can do nothing for them. (Mark 6:1-6) But, when we cry out to Jesus, even with our pitiful little and imperfect faith, why, mountains can be moved. (Matthew 17:20-21) All this should encourage those of us who have a habit of chastising ourselves for our little faith. It turns out that the works of the Father are more about magnifying the person and power of the Son, than they are about our faith. Don’t get me wrong, faith is absolutely essential, and it is important for us to seek to grow in faith. But let us not get ourselves discouraged, or let the world discourage us, because Jesus causes big things to happen when those who believe, even a little, cry out.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Bore Perfect Witness to the Truth, and Supplied Assurance to, Those Who Would Otherwise Be Uncertain

2012-01-08T14:39:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him...
1 John 3:19

Poor Pontius Pilate, he was about twenty centuries ahead of his time. Think about it. Would not Pilate, who, with the Truth (Jesus) staring him in the face, asked “What is truth?” (John 18:38), have loved this age when the questioning of any and all truths has become the dominant worldview? Actually, I suppose Pilate was pretty comfortable in his own time. The questioning of truth and the shaking of assurance already threatened the Church, and the security of believers, in Pilate’s First Century. Fortunately, Jesus bore perfect witness to the truth, and supplied assurance to those who, without it, would be uncertain.

It is critical, as we read John’s letter, that we understand that John was not writing to, or about, Christians whose faith is unassailable, who never doubt, who never ask questions. John knew that there are times of doubt and questioning in the life of every Christian. Even more, there are many times when our hearts condemn us (1 John 3:20a). We all know, better than almost anyone, how frequently we fail to love brothers or sisters in the Lord. Even more, we know when we have little or no love at all for a particular brother or sister, and this knowledge convicts and condemns us in our own heart. Most of us have laid awake a night or two fretting over our glaring imperfections, our many shortcomings, our persistent weaknesses after many years of professing Jesus as our Lord. Our heart simply will not let us get away with the pretensions by which we attempt to put on a good face to others. But, here’s the thing John wanted believers in the First Century, and the Twenty-first, to never forget—“God is greater than our heart” (1 John 3:20a). More precisely, God’s forgiveness, his grace, and his mercy are greater than our heart. No matter how much our heart condemns us, the Father’s justification of us in and through Jesus Christ is infinitely greater. And, get this, the Father justifies us even though he knows “everything” there is to know about us (1 John 3:20b), which is more than our deceitful hearts reveal, even to ourselves. THIS is the truth that galled Pilate and the world the most, because they didn’t get it. Pilate, folks like him, and the world, have no trouble sleeping at night, do not feel the same condemnation in their hearts that believers feel, because, well, they don’t believe. If anything, John tells us, the condemnation and conviction that believers experience is affirmation that we do know the truth of the Father’s great and sacrificial love for us in and through the Son, otherwise we would sleep as peacefully in denial or ignorance of our sin as the rest of the unbelieving world. The truth is, regardless of whatever words of self-condemnation we may hear from our own heart, that nothing “is able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).

Yet, we still wonder about the efficacy of our prayers to God because our obedience, our “keeping his commandments” and our doing “what pleases him” (1 John 3:22), is imperfect. Though we know that God commands us to believe in the name of the Son, and to love one another (1 John 3:23), the testimony of our own heart confirms that we fall short both in faith and in love. The thing about prayer is, God answers the prayers, not of those who believe and who love perfectly, but of those who believe enough to pray, and who love God enough to know that we don’t love him, well, enough. The truth is, it is only those in whom God abides who believe and love at all as he has commanded (1 John 3:24a).

Christ’s own perfect witness to the truth, and the assurance of Jesus’ matchless love for the Father and for all, are ours according to the grace of God. As believers, we need to learn to ignore our heart, for it is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9), and listen instead to the Holy Spirit. For it is by the Holy Spirit, whom God has given us, and who is at work building us up in faith and in love, that we receive and accept the perfect witness of Jesus, and the assurance of the Father’s love for us in and through the Son. (1 John 3:24b).

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
Ps 37.4

Jesus Illustrated Love, and Faith, That Is Real (Jesus Lived the Real Life)

2012-01-06T09:09:00.000-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us,
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
1 John 3:16

From the beginning, love has been the core of God’s’ Word, it is the essence of his message to us. The Old Testament can even be summed up in the two great commandments of the Law to love God with all one’s heart, soul, and might, and to love one’s neighbor as one’s self (Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18; see Matthew 22:34-39). Yet it was painfully evident, pretty much from the beginning, that God’s people didn’t get it. God spoke love to his people through the Law and the Prophets, through Psalm and through Proverb, yet the people’s lives cried out, in effect, “Show us the love!” And show the love the Father ultimately did, in the person of the Son. To and for a people who were anything but loving and faithful, Jesus illustrated love, and faith, that is real.

John emphasized to the Church, his “little children,” that love was the content of the apostolic proclamation, it was “the message you have heard from the beginning” (1 John 3:11). The Church, every believer, had a choice to make. They could go the way of Cain, who murdered his brother Abel (1 John 3:12), or they could follow the example of Christ, who laid down his life for his brothers (1 John 3:16). Nothing could be clearer. One can take the life of one’s brothers, or one can preserve the life of the brothers. One can choose death, or pass from death to life (1 John 3:14). Cain was the slayer of his brother. Jesus was the lover of his brothers. Which are we?

Just as it was necessary for God to “show the love,” so too must God’s children, if our claim to faith be genuine. Talk is, after all, cheap. No one can say that God short-changed anyone with respect to love, for Jesus did not offer mere words for the salvation of God’s people, but gave his very life for ours. Even so, John exhorts believers in every time and in every place to demonstrate true love and true faith by more than “word or talk.” Real love and real faith is illustrated by how one lives “in deed and in truth.” For love and faith to be really real, they have to be, well, really lived. Jesus lived the real life. What kind of life are we living?

John wrote to the Church at a time when a lot of powerfully charismatic posers threatened to lead Christians away from real love for other believers, and away from real faith in a real Savior who really lived and died, and rose again. Following the posers would only lead from life back to death. The same kind of posers threaten the Church today, so John’s letter is just as timely as ever. Our only hope, today as it was in John’s day, is to love, to believe, to live as Jesus did.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Showed Because Jesus Is

2012-01-04T11:07:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
1 John 3:7

Putting a gorilla into a tuxedo might dress him up a bit, but it in no way alters the fact that he is an ape. The gorilla’s behavior, his “lifestyle” will go on just as before when he wasn’t all decked out in Armani. In the same way, just because someone sits in a pew Sunday after Sunday does not necessarily or of itself mean that person is a believer. How pewsitters live, their lifestyle, the other 167 hours of the week, says a lot more about what family they belong to, than the mere act of their attending worship. The life of a child of God is, or should be, evidently different from the life of a child of the devil. Jesus showed the way to the Father because Jesus is the way to the Father and, therefore, because of Jesus, who our father is, well, it shows.

While there should be a resemblance between God and the members of his family, appearances can be deceiving. So John, who was much concerned that his “little children,” the members of God’s Church whom he so loved, were being led astray, sent them a warning, “let no one deceive you” (1 John 3:7a). Even more, John wanted the Church to know the how and why of living as children of God.

First of all, there is a particular practice, or principle that should distinguish whose family we belong to, God’s or the devil’s. We might call it the righteousness principle. The righteousness principle is based on the fact that there is only one who was truly righteous—Jesus Christ, the Son of God. God’s children, adopted in and through the Son, who is righteous, live according to the righteousness principle, which is to say that they practice righteousness in their own lives. The children of God seek to live like Jesus, who not only showed the way to the Father, but is the way to the Father (John 16.6). In sharp and utter contrast, the children of the devil practice sin. It is impossible for a child of God to make a practice of sin (1 John 3:9). This is not to say that is impossible for any of us who believe to sin, we all stumble and fall short (Romans 3:23). But there is a difference between stumbling, being convicted, and repenting when one stumbles, and making a practice of sin, and doing so without any remorse. Only a child of the devil practices sin, and the practice of sin is also evidence that one has no love for one’s brother (1 John 3:10).

Besides there being a principle that directs what believers practice, there is also a power at work in the children of God—the power of the risen Lord to destroy the works of the devil in all who are born again in Jesus. The reason for the Son’s appearing, and for his rising from the grave, is to disarm the devil and destroy all his works in us (1 John 3:8b). the children of God are those who are able to practice righteousness because Jesus has broken the power of sin and death (the works of the devil) in them. To claim to be a believer, a child of God, while continuing to practice sin is to deny the power and the victory of Christ. Rather, the presence of Christ shows in the lives of believers because the Lord is alive in them—Jesus shows because Jesus is. As God’s children, practice righteousness, and show love for one another, that’s what Jesus did to prove he is the Son of God.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Showed Up So that Sin Could Be given Up

2012-01-03T12:12:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

You know that he appeared to take away sin.
I John 3:5

Patient (Moving painfully): “Gee, doctor, it always hurts when I do this. What do you think?”

Doctor (Sighing out of frustration): “I think you should stop doing that.”

If we are told that our recurring headaches result from caffeine intake, maybe we should try cutting out the coffee and the cokes, you think? If our practice of jogging five miles every day leaves our knees so sore we can hardly walk afterwards, it might be time to substitute swimming in our exercise routine. If we wonder why God seems so far away from us, the reason is almost certainly sin. Might it be possible that sin is getting in the way between us and a relationship with the Father? Hmmm.

It’s like this, the Father hates sin, cannot abide the presence of sin. His moral code (the Law) is absolutely opposed to sin; sin is, in a word, lawlessness (1 John 3:4). Fortunately, Jesus showed up so that sin could be given up. Don’t get me wrong, there hasn’t been a single Christian, nor will there ever be one, other than the Lord himself, who never sins. The question is, what do we do with the reality of our sin? Do we deny it? That’s not going to fool anyone, least of all God. Do we struggle to overcome it on our own? Epic fail ahead! Or do we just go ahead and keep on sinning, while pointing to the Cross and saying, “See, I’ve been forgiven”? It is impossible to do this while claiming to truly know the Lord.

If we truly know Jesus, know the reason why he came into the world, know of his perfect obedience to the Law and of his love for the Father, and know the brutal facts of why and how he died, then our sin should be absolutely repugnant to us. If we truly know Jesus, then we realize that for each of our sins a drop of his precious blood was shed for us on the cross. How could we just go on doing that which we know hurts the One who loved us so much that he died in our place? John spells it out plainly enough, “No one who abides in Jesus keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Jesus or known Jesus.” (1 John 3:6) Again, it’s not that Christians don’t sin, it’s that Christians are forgiven. And, knowing the price of our forgiveness, we bring the sin in our life, which we now hate for love of Jesus, regardless of how much pleasure our sin may give us for a season, to the Cross, where we give it to the Lord.

In writing to the Church, John was/is addressing those who know, or who should know, better than to think that a relationship with Jesus is possible while continuing to sin, to disobey the Law of God. The Church in John’s time had fallen prey to false teachers who so spiritualized the work of Christ that they argued that sin didn’t matter any more. We must remember that Jesus died to free us from sin, not to free us to sin. If we are truly a part of God’s family, are the Father’s children, and abide now and forever in a relationship with the Father and the Son, than our lives should become more and more a reflection of the Father’s righteousness in and through the Son, and less and less the evidence of our unrighteousness apart from Jesus.

In just a couple of days (January 6) the Church celebrates the Epiphany of the Lord (epiphany means “appearing”). What better time could there be to give our sins to Jesus, who “appeared to take away sins”?

Christian (Confessing painfully): “Gee, Lord, it always hurts [you], when I sin. What do you think?”

Jesus (Sobbing out of compassion): “I think you should give your sins to me.”

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Provided Purification for Everyone Whose Hope is in Him

2012-01-02T16:53:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

Everyone who hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
1 John 3:3

While the pot may find pleasure in calling the kettle “black,” the truth is, pot or kettle, neither vessel can do anything to clean itself up. The only hope of dirty pots and pans is in the dishwasher. Because of sin, Christians are like blackened pots and kettles in that there is nothing we can do to make ourselves clean and pure. So where does a believer’s security and hope come from? First of all, every believer needs to know that, here and now, we are children of God (1 John 3:2a). THAT is eternal security. Every believer should also know that, though it is not now entirely clear what we will be, when Christ returns we shall be like him (1 John 3:2b). THAT is eternal hope. Both our security and our hope are based on the relationship that we have with the Father through the Son.

In the present, our hope motivates us to follow Jesus, and to follow him as closely as we can, desiring to become more and more like him in every way, including his purity. The net effect of our desiring is the day in day out process of purifying ourselves. This is not to say that any of us can purify ourselves by trying. But we can certainly see to it that we remain totally impure by not trying. Though it is not by force of will or dint of effort that we are purified, as our hope in Jesus motivates us, and as our desire to know the Lord and to live more and more by his example grows, sin, and all other lifestyles grow less and less appealing. The Christian life, or, I should say the life of Christ, becomes more attractive to us, even as we come to understand that it is a life of humility, obedience, and sacrifice. By the action of the Holy Spirit within us, by our becoming a little bit more like Jesus every day, a believer becomes a little more pure each day. Is it our personal piety and purity? No, it is, now and forever, Christ’s own purity, his love for and obedience to the Father’s law, that is imparted to us by grace through faith, through our hope, in him.

A Christian whose chief occupation is finding fault with, and pointing out the sins of, other believers, is like a soot stained and blackened pot that not only ridicules its neighbor the kettle, but gets blacker and blacker doing so, and never recognizes its own need to be cleaned. This is hardly the kind of life together in Jesus that John imagined for the Body of Christ. And so John wrote to the Church to encourage her (us) to abide in the love of God, even as we come to learn more of the life Jesus, the Son, who lived completely in the love of the Father.

A lot of people are making a lot of “New Year’s Resolutions” right about now. If we are believers, our chief resolution this, and every year, ought to be to be more pure by the end of next December, by clinging to Christ our hope, and trying in the Holy Spirit to be more like Jesus, even as we encourage and help all our brother “pots” and sister “kettles.”

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Turned Heads and Hearts!

2011-12-30T11:05:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 4:17

Before she left for work this morning my wife informed me that she had decided on two New Year’s Resolutions for us. I suspect that we are not the only ones considering some changes for 2012. Of course, if I could somehow arrange to collect just a nickel from every American who makes and then fails to follow through on New Year’s Resolutions, I would be a wealthy man. It is good for us to examine our lives, and to resolve to make changes where needed. But if our heart is not committed to change, it doesn’t matter how much our head tries to keep us on track, especially if we are talking about a serious about face. If, however, the call to change, to make a 180 degree turnabout, comes from the Lord, we can be confident of success, because when Jesus turns lives around, he turns heads and hearts!

Matthew introduces the public ministry of Jesus with a summation of the Lord’s preaching (4:17). The message is a call to make a “180,” to turn one’s life in the totally opposite direction from that in which it is headed (This is the literal meaning of “repent”), and be reoriented away from the world and toward the kingdom of heaven. Trouble is, who among us is capable of so abruptly and so sharply turning our life around? Considering how many far less ambitious resolutions fall by the wayside every year, I daresay that none of us is capable of repenting, of so radically reorienting our lives on our own. We can resolve in our mind that change is necessary, but if our heart isn’t in it our head can only move us so far. In fact, if our heart doesn’t lead the way, our will head not long stay the course of turning towards the kingdom. Thankfully, Jesus turns heads and hearts.

Think about the calling of the first disciples, as Matthew reports it in 4:18-22. Two sets of brothers, all fishermen of Galilee, dropped their nets the instant Jesus called them to “Follow me.” There was no making up of the mind for Simon, Andrew, James, or John. Christ called to their hearts, and immediately their hearts responded, and they left all they had been doing, all that they had known, and followed the Lord. Considering what following Jesus would soon enough require of the disciples, they would have quickly fallen away if their heads alone considered the consequences. But when Jesus comes and calls, he turns heads and hearts.

With a little more than a day left until 2012 gets underway, many of us may well have a resolution or two in mind. Rather than a lot of us starting well, and failing fast, in making any changes or course corrections our minds may tell us are important, may I suggest that we first bring our hearts to the Lord, and ask him to begin there to make the changes in us that he desires, most especially to orient us more surely towards the kingdom of heaven in the new year? If Jesus turns our heart, then our mind will surely come about. With heads and hearts turned, and following Jesus wherever he leads us throughout the coming twelve months, we will assuredly head in a different direction, and arrive at a different place next December, from where any of our best intentioned resolutions can bring us, even if we could manage to stick to them. The plain truth is, lives change radically when Jesus turns heads and hearts.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Designed and Made All That the Father Willed and Spoke

2011-12-29T11:03:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

All things were made through him,
and without him was not anything made that was made.
John 1:3

There are those who conceive, who desire, who dream, who give expression to vision. And then there are those who take others’ conceptions, desires, dreams, and visions, and then craft, design, and make them a reality. God the Father is one who, by the infinite creativity and wisdom of his mind and the unceasing love in his heart, expresses his conception, his desire, his dream for all that has existed, exists now, or ever will exist. Everything that was, is, or ever will be, results from the Father willing and saying, “Let there…” And, as I intimated above, there has always been another who has taken the Father’s concepts, desires, and dreams, and crafted, designed, and made them, well, “be.” The Bible makes it quite clear that it is the Son, Jesus, who designs and makes all that the Father willed and spoke, all that the Father wills and speaks, and all that the Father ever, well, will ever will and speak. For the Son, Jesus, is the Word, and the Word “was God” from the beginning (John 1:1).

Think about what happened in the beginning, when the Son, the Word, was with God, the Father (John 1:2). In the midst of utter, pervasive darkness, the Father said “Let there be light.” Light? What was light? All was darkness (Genesis 1:2). Yet, in an instant, “there was light.” How? The only possible explanation is that the Son, Jesus, heard what the Father willed and spoke, and so perfectly understood the heart and mind of the Father, that he crafted light. And the Father, upon seeing the light, immediately pronounced what the Son had made, “good” (Genesis 1:4). I won’t take the time here to review all of the first chapter of Genesis, but encourage you to do so at your leisure, picturing, if you can, the relationship between the Father and his conception and desire for what should be, and the Son and his crafting and making of all that is (John 1:3).

Then, later today, certainly by tomorrow, I hope you may have some time to head outdoors and look around. Gaze at some distant mountains, walk along a babbling stream, listen to the twittering of some birds, contemplate the stars in the night sky, knowing that each one of them was made by the Son precisely according to the Father’s conception. All exists, mountain, stream, bird song, star, in and through the Son exactly as the Father desires. If you will, conceiving and dreaming, crafting and making, is God’s family business. If there was a sign hung above the universe, which contains all that is, it would say: The Cosmos—Father, Son, AND Holy Spirit, Proprietors. Though I have not yet made mention of him, I must add that the Holy Spirit is, intimately and essentially, a part of God’s desiring and designing, of the Father’s conceiving and the Son’s making, of all things.

Two points I want to make about the creative work of the Trinity. One is that, it came about, in the fullness of time, according to his own desire, that the Father said, “Let there be ______” (fill in the blank with your name), even as, sometime in June of 1952, he said, “Let there be Jim,” and, in March, 1953 I, well, was. For, if nothing has ever been made except what the Son has made in response to the will of the Father, then you and I exist very much according to the desire and design of God, we are his workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). And, while in and of ourselves none of us may claim to be “good,” the truth is that, by the desiring of the Father, the redeeming of the Son, and the imparting of the Holy Spirit, we are, “very good.”

The second point is that, having been “created in Christ Jesus,” we should understand ourselves, as daughters and sons, to be part of God’s family business. Even as Jesus, the Son, designed and made all that the Father willed and spoke, so we are to walk in and do the good works which God conceived, dreamed, and prepared beforehand, for us (Again, Ephesians 2:10). As Jesus, the Father’s Son, did, so we, the Father’s daughters and sons in and through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, are to do. Asking “What did Jesus do?" is no mere exercise in rhetoric, but rather the only way for us to know and do the Father’s will according to his Word.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Waded Into War

2011-12-28T10:21:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized.
Matthew 3:13

If baptism is about, at least in part, cleansing from sin, then the Jordan had to have been a pretty dirty river during the time when John was doing a brisk business washing repentant sinners. Just think about how polluted with unrighteousness that water must have been! Then along came the Lord to “clean it up,” so to speak, for John and Jesus would be fulfilling all righteousness in and through Christ’s baptism (Matthew 3:15). Little did John suspect, I’m sure, that when Jesus stepped down into the river, he waded into war.

Think about it, immediately after his baptism Jesus was led off to forty days of real wilderness survival boot camp (Matthew 4:1), at the end of which time came the first skirmish between Jesus and the devil (Matthew 4:3-11). After being stopped cold, Satan pulled back, while Jesus took the offensive, taking “ground” for the Father’s Kingdom soul by soul. It was war, war to the death, the death of Jesus on the cross. But by the Lord’s death, which, like his baptism, fulfilled all righteousness, came life everlasting.

I doubt many of us think of war when we see a baby being presented for baptism. Or, if your tradition is “believer’s baptism,” I suspect that you do not look upon the baptistery as an “induction center” for new recruits preparing for battle. But there should be no doubt that Jesus knew, the moment he stepped into the Jordan if not before, that he was in for a fight. Even so, Jesus was no “G.I. Joe.”

Christ’s armor was unconventional (see Ephesians 6:13-18). His humble, peaceful, obedient spirit was not that of your typical warrior. And his tactics were, well, different. From the moment Jesus surprised John by asking to be baptized, it was clear that Jesus would keep everyone, Satan most of all, off balance. His family thought he was mad. The priests believed he was possessed by a demon. Jesus’ radical ways alternately frightened and puzzled his own disciples. And it would ultimately be by surrendering himself into the hands of those who would take his life that Jesus would achieve victory.

As the United States government rapidly bankrupts the nation in order to fight the wrong wars the wrong way, I believe it might well be time for those of us who have been baptized to get serious about being the Lord’s Army, to mobilize and start to follow Christ’s example, and seek to advance the Kingdom as the Lord did, by fulfilling all righteousness, and wading into war.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
Ps 37.4

Jesus Provided the Tipping Point of Time When He Came in Time to Redeem Time (Along with the lives of those who, in and through Him, would receive ado

2011-12-27T13:34:00.006-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son…to redeem.
Galatians 4:4-5

It being again time to make a New Year’s Resolution, I believe the time is long overdue for me to resolve to follow the exhortation of Paul to the church in Ephesus to, “make the best use of the time.” (Ephesians 5:16) In a couple of months I’ll celebrate the 30th anniversary of my 29th birthday, and, anyway you measure it, 59 years offer considerable opportunities for one to make the best use of one’s time, or not. I fear I must confess I fall far short of having made the best use of the time God has thus far so graciously granted to me. In this I am not unlike the world itself, which had misspent year after year, century after century, until, "when the fullness of time had come," the Father resolved that the ultimate of Kairos moments had arrived, and sent forth his Son…to redeem, not just those who were to receive adoption, but the whole of creation that had been waiting to be set free from its bondage to corruption. (Romans 8:21) The groaning of the whole of creation had reached the ears of the Father, and he acted in grace and mercy to relieve the groaning by sending Jesus, Jesus who provided the tipping point of time, from bondage to corruption to the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

For centuries, the pivotal place of Jesus Christ in the history of the entire world has been acknowledged in the way that the world has measured all time. All time up to the birth of Jesus, the time of the whole creation’s groaning, if you will, of the universal condition of bondage to corruption, was identified by the suffix “BC” (“Before Christ”). With the coming of the Lord, who had been sent by the Father to redeem from corruption, all time was henceforward prefixed with “AD” (“In the year of our Lord”; from the Latin, “Anno Domini”). For some 1500 years the BC-AD reckoning of time served quite well, until, in the closing decades of the 20th Century, secularizing publishers and revisionist academics began to popularize BCE-CE (“Before the Common Era”-“Common Era”), as the acceptable means of reckoning time, and effectively removed any acknowledgement that the life of Jesus was of any significance in the history of the world. What the growing use and popularity of BCE-CE reveals is this—much of the world remains in bondage to corruption, and continues to reject the One whom the Father sent two thousand years ago to redeem and to set free.

Here’s the question I ask myself, and share with you should you care to wrestle with it: “What does it mean, Jesus having been sent by the Father in the fullness of time to redeem my life and even time itself, for me to live in the freedom which Christ has obtained for me, if not but that I should make the best use of, “redeem,” the time I have in this world?” To do otherwise would be both careless and foolish, not to mention ungrateful, of me. (Ephesians 5:15) The task, as I believe and understand it, is to live redemptively, as befitting one who has been redeemed. And the only possible way to live redemptively is to live in, for, and with the Redeemer day in and day out, week by week, month after month, all the years of my life, in this world and in the world to come. You see, Jesus isn’t merely “The Reason for the (Christmas) Season,” he is The Man for ALL Seasons, the New Man, the Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), apart from whom the world, life, time itself, remain in bondage to corruption (read “sin and death”).

Years ago an orange juice company tried to convince us that “a day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine.” I believe it is infinitely more important for us to know and to believe the certain truth that a day without Jesus is a day lived in absolute bondage to corruption. Not caring what the BCE-CE crowd has to say, not daring put if off another day, much less another year, I have to agree with the Chambers Brothers, “Time Has Come!”

What do you say to our resolving to live today, and throughout the coming year, as those for whom time, even life itself, has been tipped from bondage to freedom by Jesus?

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Kept CHRISTmas Every Day

2011-12-26T12:17:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
Luke 2:52

O.K. it is December 26th, and an awful lot of Christmas Trees have already been kicked to the curb! I suppose it shouldn’t be all that surprising, considering that many of those trees have been drying out in family rooms and living rooms for 5-6 weeks now. I wonder…All right, raise your hand if you have ever bemoaned the commercialization of Christmas, and how retailers have kept advancing the season until the line between Labor and Christmas has become blurred. Come on now, raise your hand (I just raised mine, trust me. You couldn’t see it because my computer is too old to have a webcam.).

I believe I saw quite a few of your hands raised. Hmm. This creates something of a tension for a lot of us, doesn’t it? I mean, here we all are, complaining about Christmas being thrust in our face by merchandisers for a couple of months, while, at the same time, many of us probably heard one or more messages in church recently about keeping Christmas every day throughout the year. Well, rather than take our own counsel, which really shouldn’t be trusted, I believe we ought to take a look at what Jesus did. Don’t you?

The simple truth is, Jesus kept Christmas every day of his life because, well, he was/is Christmas. In short, Jesus went about the business of being himself each and every day of his life. What was the result of Jesus keeping Christmas, of being himself, every day? Luke tells us at the end of the second chapter of his Gospel, “Jesus increased (daily) in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” You know, I believe that’s what we’re supposed to do as Christians, isn’t it? Increase, grow, daily in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. The only way I can imagine that we can so increase is by doing what Jesus did. Not by being ourselves, but, by the Holy Spirit, being our reborn selves in Him.

Another way to put it is that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. And the main thing is Jesus, or, as I like to put it, “Christ IS All!” There is more than one way to do this, but I’ve been thinking that, somehow, we might keep Jesus both front and center (“center” as in the core, the heart of who we are) in our lives every day if we would seriously keep Christmas every day, just as Jesus did.

So, here’s a proposal for you/me. Let’s all take the “Keep CHRISTmas every day” Pledge! I’m going to create a new facebook group. I know, I know, you’re probably thinking, “Ugh! Not another facebook group. Aren’t there enough of them already?” Well, like churches, as long as there are people who aren’t being reached with the Good News of Jesus Christ, there is room for more places/ways to get the Word out. I see it working out like this. Once the facebook group is created, and I will be doing it shortly after I send out this WDJD, you can look it up and ask to join, or you can ask to join by replying to this email. But, in joining, each of us will pledge to keep CHRISTmas every day. That means every day we wish someone a “Merry CHRISTmas!” Or, we update our status every day with something that keeps CHRISTmas in front of all our facebook families/friend. Or we give someone a gift of love every day, just as the Father gave us the Son for CHRISTmas. What I’m thinking is, we outflank the merchandisers and all who would make Christmas just an excuse for hawking stuff for fully a third of the year and more, by taking CHRISTmas back and living it EVERY day of the year! What would happen if keeping CHRISTmas every day went “viral,” if hundreds, thousands, even millions of people committed to doing in and through the Holy Spirit what Jesus did by being himself, every day?

Guess this all sounds a little crazy. But, hey, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve made a nutty proposal to honor Jesus and glorify the Father. So, here goes, I know Christmas was yesterday, but I am proclaiming today CHRISTmas, and I want to be the first to wish you a “Merry CHRISTmas!”

Now, to go to facebook and create “Keeping CHRISTmas Every Day.” Hope I see you there soon!

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Made the Father's Word Appear in the Flesh (Christmas Day, 2011)

2011-12-25T17:01:00.003-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
the just decrees of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Psalm 19:7-10

Do you know the first person to spend so much on Christmas that, after giving his gift, he had nothing at all left? God, the Father. Think about what the Father gave the world on Christmas. I believe that if someone had come to the Father the next day and asked him for something, the Father would have had to say, “I’m sorry, I just gave all I had to my beloved ones. I’ve got nothing left to give.” So, though I don’t recommend it, and know firsthand the pitfalls of overspending for Christmas, I believe that there is divine precedent for going “all out” to bless those we love by giving to the max at Christmas.

But, before we empty our bank accounts, and run up all our credit cards, we need to think about the gift that the Father gave. You see, for his gift to us God didn’t go to a mall, or order anything over the internet, which may be another divine precedent for Christmas which we should pay close attention to. When we take a careful, close look at what the Father gave the world at Christmas, we see that it was his Word, his Word come to life, made flesh so that the Word should come and dwell among us in order we might be blessed by all its grace and truth. (John 1:14)

Of course, years before Christmas, the Father had already spoken his Word, “at many times and in many ways” (Hebrews 1:1), to patriarchs, prophets, and psalmists. As the author of Psalm 19 beautifully expressed it long before the Word became flesh, the Word of the LORD is “perfect… sure… right… pure… clean… true” (Psalm 19:7-9)—to borrow from the folks at Master Card, God’s Word is “priceless”—more desirable than gold, sweeter than honey (Psalm 19:10). Yet, as matchless and wonderful as the Word of the Father was, his children didn’t truly get it, because they didn’t truly get him. So, the Father appointed the day when his Word would leap off the pages of Scripture and literally come alive!

The Word of God would no longer merely speak to us. From the moment that Mary delivered her firstborn son, the Word would forever reach out and touch us. The Word would touch our blind eyes so that we should truly see (John 9:6). The Word would touch our deaf ears so that we should truly hear (Mark 7:33). The Word would command all evil afflictions to leave us, and take us by the hand and lift us up so that we should be truly free (Mark 9:27). The Word would multiply what little we have so that many should be truly filled (Matthew 14:13-21). The Word would give eternal life to those doomed to die; the Word would be eternal life, to all who truly know him (John 6:68; John 17:3). The Word would truly be the way for all who are lost, the truth for all who are deceived, and the life for all who are perishing (John 14:6).

So, the Father having granted us all another Christmas to celebrate, there is one gift we can and must proclaim and give to the world today, and throughout the entire year: the matchless and sublime “Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing”—Jesus Christ the Lord. If we would truly bless others, truly lavish love upon them, there is really only one possible gift to give. Share the gift of the Father’s only Son, Jesus, who made the Father’s Word come to life.

May the Father bless you and all those whom you love in and through Jesus; may the Father highly favor you in and through the knowledge and love of Christ; may the Father position you to prosper in and through the gift of his Word made Flesh.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Ignored Santa's List (Saturday, Week 4 of Advent 2011--Christmas Eve)

2011-12-24T08:45:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

“We all once lived in the passions of our flesh,
carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath,
like the rest of mankind.
Ephesians 2:3

If Jesus used Santa’s famous “Naughty and Nice” List, the best any of us could every hope for on Christmas would be coal in our stockings. The worst, which, apart from Jesus, we all could be certain of, is that we would end up no better than coal ourselves, fuel for the flames of Hell. Thankfully, Jesus ignored Santa’s list!

Think about it, Paul was right on target in Ephesians 2:3. At one time all of us have lived, and many of continue to live, not the Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous, but the Lifestyle of the Disobedient and Sinful. We are all, by nature, children of wrath. Fortunately, there’s something greater than nature at work in the world—“God’s great love for us, even when we were dead in our trespasses.” (Ephesians 2:4) So, according to his great love, the Father chose, before the foundations of the earth itself were laid, those who names would be on a very different list than Santa’s. On the Father’s list, which he wrote down even before “In the beginning,” are the names of all he will ever adopt as daughters and sons in and through the Son, Jesus Christ.

Where Santa gives gifts according to our deserving, nice gifts if we’ve been nice, coal if we’ve been naughty, the Father is motivated by grace alone, which is to say that he is pleased, according to the counsel of his own will, to give his love to those who definitely don’t deserve it. That’s what grace is all about, our getting what we don’t deserve for Christmas, because, for Christmas the Father gave us the Son, Jesus. And Jesus is careful and thorough to make certain that everyone who is on the Father’s list receives adoption, and that no one ever loses this greatest gift. (John 17:12)

You know, if we loved our children as much as God loves us, we would spare them the exquisite torture of worrying about whether they made it onto Santa’s Nice list, or will find coal in their stockings Christmas morning because they’ve been naughty. If we really loved our children, we would talk a lot less about Santa and his Naughty and Nice List, and a lot more about the Father’s Grace List, and his great gift of Jesus. Wouldn’t it be a truly joyful Christmas if the whole family celebrated and shared Jesus? Let’s try ignoring Santa’s list this year, and give the gift of grace to those we love , that’s what Jesus did.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Dressed Up for Christmas (Friday, Week 4 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-23T10:01:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

For God has done what the law could not do…
by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin.
Romans 8:3

If you read yesterday’s “What Did Jesus Do?” (WDJD for 12/22/11) you’re probably saying, “Can’t you make up your mind? First you tell us that Jesus “dressed down” for Christmas, now you’re telling us he dressed up! Which is it?” Well, I meant what I said yesterday about Jesus humbling himself to take on our flesh. But Christ became one of us in order that he should one day be the sin offering that would free us from the condemnation of the law of sin and death, to live in and through him by the law of the Spirit of life. (Romans 8:2) The thing is, sin offerings, well they have to be perfect, unblemished, as fine as fine can be. I mean, you simply cannot present any old thing to God as a sin offering. So, naturally, Jesus had to be “dressed up” for Christmas in order to become the acceptable and perfect offering for our sins years later on the cross.

Of course, Jesus really could not get dressed up, could he? He is, after all, God. His beauty, his glory, his majesty, well, that’s as dressed up as you can get! So, what do I mean when I say that Jesus “dressed up” for Christmas. Well, it is the other side of the coin of dressing down.

You see, Jesus “dressed down” his divinity, “made himself nothing” (Philippians 2:7), when he was born of Mary. But in putting on our flesh he dressed it “up,” don’t you see? By our fallen natures all of us have terribly blemished, sin-stained, downright ugg-leeeeee flesh. Flesh fit only for condemnation and death, death under God’s righteous Law.

Let me be clear. When I say that Jesus “dressed up” I don’t mean the kind of thing I used to do as a kid when I would slap a hat on my head, pull on some boots, and pick up my Fanner 50 cap gun and pretend I was a cowboy. Jesus was not pretending to be human. One of the earliest groups to fall away from the truth of Christian faith were the Docetists, so called because they believed that Jesus did not really take on human form, but only appeared or seemed to do so. Make no mistake, you and I would still be justly condemned by God’s Law if Jesus had only masqueraded as a man. If you point to “likeness” in Romans 8:3 and say that it suggests Jesus only put on something like our flesh, approximating human form without completely and truly becoming human, you are mistaken. The only difference between the humanity of Jesus and our humanity is that, where we all sin due to our fallen nature, Jesus, though tempted as we are because, after all, he was human, did not sin (Hebrews 4:15), because in him our human nature was perfected, dressed up, fitted for life in and of the Spirit.

This Christmas, when we come to the manger and behold the precious, and very human, son of Mary, we would do well to recall that he is also the very Son of God, as divine as divine can be, and that Jesus came to save us by becoming the sin offering which fulfilled the requirement of the law and set us free. Free from sin, free from sin’s condemnation. Now, that’s something to make us all “joyful and triumphant!”

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Dressed Down for Christmas (Thursday, Week 4 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-22T08:52:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant.
Philippians 2:6-7

How many times has this been heard in your house, “Okay, time to get ready for church”? Most every Sunday, right? And most of us dutifully head to our closet and put on, if not our “Sunday best,” then at least something better than what we’ve been wearing while we’ve hung around the house. I’m not entirely sure where this tradition of dressing up to go to church comes from. I mean, it wasn’t exactly what Jesus did. In fact, when Jesus left his home to attend the first ever Christmas Eve service, he “dressed down” to take on the role of being a servant, and a mighty humble servant at that.

Funny, isn’t it? While I suspect it might not be the case in most of the rest of the world, here in the U.S.A. the majority of people who attend church regularly are much more into dressing up as if they were masters, rather than dressing down to be servants. And there’s more of pride in evidence than humility in many churches. Again, I’m not sure where this all comes from. Well, that’s not true, I believe I have a pretty good idea what’s been going on. Sin.

Oops! Did I just suggest that there is an abundance of sin wrapped up in the attitudes and traditions of much of the Body of Christ in this nation? I think I did. What a thing to say! But hey, the Word tells us that we should have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5), and I just can’t seem to find anything to indicate that the mind of Jesus ever entertained proud thoughts, or that he even once sought to play the part of someone who should be served, rather than devote himself completely to being the servant of all. (Mark 10:45)

Now, I have to say that I don’t believe the Father cares all that much about our raiment. Whether we’re dressed in homespun, or haute couture, I am fairly certain that God is much more interested in how our hearts and minds are adorned. (See 1 Samuel 16:7) Picking something out of our closet, and then admiring ourselves in the mirror doesn’t seem to me to be the best way to “get ready for church.” I certainly don’t believe that’s what Jesus did on Christmas Eve.

I’m not saying we should grab some rags, or roll around in the mud, before we head to church Christmas Eve, or any other time. But it may well be worth pausing to read from the second chapter of Philippians what Jesus did, and check and see if we have more of pride, or of humility, showing. When we consider the attitude of Jesus, who set aside his exalted place of equality with the Father, and came down to Bethlehem, to be born in the most humble of circumstances so that, one day, we should through him be exalted, well, I tell you, it humbles me. And, I believe that, whatever we’re wearing, we’ll all be perfectly attired if we come humbly to the manger to worship the newborn King.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Spoke The Father's Last Words (Wednesday, Week 4 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-21T09:39:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

…But in these last days God has spoken to us by his Son.
Hebrews 1:2

Last words are important. A great deal of solemnity attends to one’s last words. There are Shakespeare’s “Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow.” (Romeo and Juliet Act 2, Scene2), Lou Gehrig’s “Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” (Yankee Stadium’s farewell to Gehrig, July 4, 1939), and Douglass MacArthur’s last address to the Corps of Cadets, “Today marks my final roll call with you. But I want you to know that when I cross the river, my last conscious thoughts will be of the Corps, and the Corps, and the Corps. I bid you farewell.” (West Point, May 12, 1962). There’s even Groucho Marx’s “Hello, I must be going.” (Animal Crackers, 1930), of which no one but Groucho can be sure whether it was a greeting or a farewell! And, of course, one’s Last Will and Testament is typically opened and read with perhaps greater interest than anything else we say or write during our lifetime. Last words are important. After long years, and at many times and in many ways (Hebrews 1:1), the day arrived when God spoke his last words. While the prophets had well served God’s earlier purpose, the Father spoke his last words through the Son. Actually, it isn’t so much that Jesus spoke the Father’s last words, the truth of it is that Jesus IS the Father’s last word, spoken to the world in the last days. As such, I believe there are a couple of things we would do well to consider from Hebrews 1:1-4 over these last days of Advent 2011.

First of all, there’s no sense for anyone to be looking for God to send some new word of revelation. God has said all he is going to say to us. There will be no latter day prophets with anything to say by way of adding to, taking away, or changing in any way what the Father has already spoken to us in and through the Son. If anyone ever tries to convince you that they have a new word from God, stop your ears and run! While, long ago, prophet succeeded prophet, each one adding to God’s word, no one will ever succeed the Son. The imprisoned John the Baptist, having heard about the deeds done by the Lord, sent disciples to inquire, “Are you the one…or shall we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3) Jesus sent John’s disciples back with instructions to report the testimony of their own ears and eyes—this was indeed the Christ (Matthew 11:4-6), do not look for another.

Another point to understand about the Father’s last word in the Son, is his superiority. No prophet who ever lived bore the exact imprint of God’s nature, but that is exactly who the Son is. While the face of Moses glowed with the reflection of God’s glory after each of his meetings with Yahweh, the Son was no reflection but the very radiance of the glory of God himself. (Hebrews 1:3) And, though even the greatest prophets were inferior to God’s divine messengers, the angels, the Son is as much superior to angels as his inherited name, I Am, is more excellent than theirs. (Hebrews 1:4)

Finally, this Christmas, as we ponder the birth of the Savior, his life, his death, and his resurrection, let us ask ourselves, “What more?” What more could the Father say to show his great love for us? What more could we possibly want to hear the Father say beyond what he has spoken to us through the Son—words of forgiveness, words of grace, words of life, words of love?

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Bore the Fullness of the Father's Grace and Truth (Tuesday, Week 4 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-20T10:49:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
Colossians 1:19

Scientists like to fantasize that there was a time when all the energy and matter of the universe was packed into an unbelievably tiny little speck of, well, who knows what to call this imagined speck? Then, something went “bang,” and the rest, as they say, is “history.” History of an extremely fictionalized sort. I suppose I really shouldn’t be so critical of scientists, they are, as their investment in the so-called “Big Bang Theory” makes clear, men and women of faith. Think about it, it takes whopping faith to believe in the Big Bang Theory when there is no empirical evidence whatsoever to support it. I too, am a man of faith. But my faith does not subscribe to science fiction, excuse me, theoretical science. Rather, my faith rests upon Scriptural and historical evidence.

The Big Bang is a big deal for some, but my hope and faith is rest in something far greater. You see, there was a time when something, actually someone, far bigger and greater than all the universe, packed all the fullness of his being into a tiny little baby. Seriously, think about it. God, who is so huge that the entire cosmos can fit easily in the palm of one of his hands, poured all of who he is into the flesh and blood of an infant who was born to a young woman who lived in Palestine two thousand years ago. All of the Father was pleased to dwell in the Son, who dwelt with us, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) And this was not in some unimaginably distant past of which there is no record, but well within the confines of documented history.

Science offers no reason or purpose for the Big Bang, it simply proclaims that it just happened, and that everything else has been just happening as purposelessly ever since. In stark contrast, my faith is in One who created all things in, through, and for himself, according to his own design and desire. (Colossians 1:16) And, far from being for no fathomable purpose, like the Big Bang and its accidental and random universe, there was a definite and stated purpose for the Incarnation (The fancy theological word for the dwelling of the fullness of God among us). Peace. God came, and took on our flesh and blood, so that in and through the Son he would reconcile all things to himself, and make peace. (Colossians 1:20)

This work of reconciliation was very costly for the Father. It was purchased by nothing less than the blood of the Son shed on the cross. But the peace thereby secured is absolute and everlasting, and freely offered to any and all who will receive it by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son in whom the fullness of the Father dwelt. Anything less than the fullness of God’s grace and truth could not have accomplished the reconciliation of alienated and hostile people, who perpetually stain ourselves with the evil of our deeds. (Colossians 1:21) Nothing but the offering of Christ’s body on the cross could transform sin-stained human beings into people holy and blameless, who can stand before God, above any and all reproach. (Colossians 1:22)

At one time, peace with God, which Christ achieved through his sacrificial work of reconciling all things in and through himself, was what the observance and celebration of Christmas was all about. Nowadays there are many who have not a clue what Christmas is truly about, and they can hardly be blamed, as it is getting harder to find places where the unadulterated truth of Christmas is proclaimed. Why, it has gotten so bad that it has all but become an act of civil disobedience to even wish one another a “Merry Christmas.”

With just four days left until Christmas many are scrambling to get it “right.” Folks desperately do their last minute shopping hoping to be able to put the “right” gifts under the Christmas Tree. People load up carts at the grocery store in hopes of being able to set out the “right” kind of rich and resplendent holiday banquets. Wine and spirits flow freely this time of year, as many believe it would simply be “wrong” to observe Christmas without many potent toasts to the Season. Merchandisers and sellers of pretty much everything under the sun will hold sales right through Christmas Eve, and beyond, in order to help us “do” Christmas “right.”

My hope is that we would use the four remaining days of Advent to rightly understand what it meant for the fullness of God to come and dwell in the baby who lay in the manger in Bethlehem all those years ago. Only if we get this “right,” can we celebrate and share the true meaning of Christmas with family and friends, and with the world. For this Christmas to truly be merry for us all, I pray that it will be filled with all the grace and truth of the Father, which dwelt in Jesus, the Son, that there would be peace forevermore.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Stayed Home, But Not Alone (Monday, Week 4 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-19T13:16:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

All who heard Jesus were amazed…and his parents were astonished,
but Jesus said to them, “Did you not know that I had to attend to my Father’s business?”
Luke 2:48-49

“Home Alone” is the totally far-fetched tale of a boy, Kevin, who, for very selfish reasons, stays behind when his family goes off for a Christmas holiday in Paris. While Kevin is left to fend for himself against a couple of nincompoop bandits, Kevin’s mom desperately makes her way back from France to Chicago. The film closes with the family amazed at what Kevin has been up to during the time he has been alone, while Kevin ends up mighty pleased with himself. In the second chapter of Luke we read of a holiday when Joseph and Mary frantically had to rush back to Jerusalem after they discovered that Jesus was not with them on the road to Nazareth.

Like Kevin’s family, Joseph and Mary were amazed to learn that Jesus had “stayed home,” but not alone. Instead of hapless burglers, Jesus contended with teachers of the Law, who were confounded by his amazing answers and precocious understanding of Scripture. As it turned out, Jesus stayed home, not for selfish reasons, but to be about his Father’s business.

Christmas is, or should be, the time when we recall and celebrate the coming into the world of Jesus, God’s Son, for the work of redeeming us and securing our adoption as children of the Father by grace, through our faith in the Lord. Like Jesus, our home is with the Father, now and forever. Like Jesus, we are also to be about our Father’s business, now and forever. The birth of Jesus was and is the Father’s way of saying that our home is with him, even as he has, through the Son, made his home with us.

One of the saddest realities about holidays is how desperately, painfully alone so many people feel. Want to astonish and bless someone this Christmas? Invite a family member, a friend, a co-worker, or a neighbor to come with you, in and through Jesus, to the Father. They’ll never again be home alone.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Grew Up in the Middle of Nowhere, Which Turned Out to be the Center of the Father's Will

2011-12-19T10:58:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

But when Joseph heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod,
he was afraid to go there,
and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee.
Matthew 2:22

There is an old saying, “You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy.” Joseph had literally taken the infant Jesus out of the country, fleeing from Israel and the wrath of Herod to Egypt. (Matthew 2:14) But Jesus was not about to grow up to become in effect an Egyptian. The Father had sent the Son to be born of Mary, that he should grow up to become “the King of the Jews.” (Matthew 2:2) So, when Herod died, an angel of the Lord gave Joseph the “green light” to return to Israel. (Matthew 2:19) Actually, it was more of a yellow light, because Joseph needed to exercise caution on the return trip. Achelaus, the son of Herod, ruled in Jerusalem, and the city, along with the region of Judea, undoubtedly teemed with those who were still on the lookout for the child whom the wise men had once traveled afar to worship. So Joseph went on past Judea, up to the country, into rural Galilee.

Why Galilee? Well it was off the Jerusalem radar. Galilee was nowhere. And, if Galilee was nowhere, then Nazareth, nestled pretty much in the center of the district, was the “middle of nowhere.” Nazareth was the perfect place for Joseph and Mary to raise their son in total obscurity. Jesus, thank God, was a country boy. That the Christ would call Nazareth his home was also part of the prophetic word concerning the Messiah. (Matthew 2:23)

I am not about to launch into a sermon on the virtues of rural life versus the vices of urban existence. But it is clear that the Father desired that the Son should grow up far from Israel’s center of political and religious power. The Christ would be raised outside the influence of court intrigues, and far apart from the scheming of politicians and the posturing of Pharisees. Jesus grew up humbly, in the midst of God’s people, as one of God’s people. As far as anyone knew, Jesus was “the neighbor’s kid,” Joseph and Mary’s little boy. Funny thing, though. While, for all intents and purposes, it may have seemed as if Jesus grew up in the middle of nowhere, he was, in fact, precisely in the center of his Father’s will. The truth of the matter is, the Father would have all of his children grow up in the very same place as the Son. No, not in Nazareth, but in the center of his will for us.

And the center of the Father’s will for his daughters and sons is—Jesus. It doesn’t matter to the Father if we live in a tiny apartment downtown, or a spacious penthouse uptown. If we reside on a rundown ramshackle farm, or a prosperous sprawling ranch is of little significance to the Father. It is the Father’s desire, wherever we may be, whatever our circumstance, that we should live in, with, and for the Son. The Father went to great trouble to ensure that Jesus would grow up in the true midst of his people—Emmanuel—so that his people should live in the knowledge and power and presence of the Son, who is the center of the Father’s will.

As Advent is now nearly over, and with Christmas just a few days away, where are we? Whether we find ourselves where the action is, or in the middle of nowhere, the critical question is in truth where is Jesus in our life? Is Jesus at the center of our life? Or is he out on the periphery somewhere? Or, perhaps, looking at our life, must we acknowledge that we’ve really made no place at all for Jesus? As the story of the return to Nazareth shows, the Father cares very much where Jesus is, and where his daughters and sons are in relation to Christ. Advent is when we consider the meaning of Jesus coming to us. Christmas is when, the Father having made sure that the Son’s place is with us, we can discover, or rediscover, just how close Jesus is, and come to him.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Sojourned for the Sake of Salvation (Friday, Week 3 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-17T12:14:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt.
Matthew 2:14

Traveling seems to have a way of cementing memories in the mind. For example, I can recall lying in the back seat of my parents’ car, in what must have been the middle of the night because is was dark as pitch, as our family headed off for a vacation at Lake George. That trip was more than fifty years ago, but I can still smell the skunk who perfumed the New York Thruway that night. What did I have for supper last night? Sorry, can’t tell you, I don’t remember. But travel makes for vivid memories.

Now, some travel, like our family vacation long ago, is for pleasure. Sometimes a trip is strictly business. And, in extreme situations, it might be a matter of life and death that prompts a father to pack up the family in the car, or on the back of the donkey, and head quickly out of town under cover of darkness. Such was the case when Joseph, at the urging of one of God’s angels, hustled his wife and infant son out of Bethlehem to Egypt; Jesus sojourned for the sake of salvation—both ours and his own!

The flight to Egypt was not leisurely. The rest stops were few and far between. There were no day-trips to take to see the sites along the way. And no one back in Nazareth, Joseph and Mary’s hometown, received a postcard of the pyramids from them saying, “Having a wonderful time, wish you were here!” Salvation demanded secrecy. For, you see, Herod did not at all like the idea of a regime change in Israel. He was in charge of the kingdom, at least as in charge as he could be given the fact of the Roman occupation of Palestine, and, though it would be wrong to say he enjoyed ruling his people because he was so fearful of an assassination plot or coup to ever sit comfortably on his throne, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

When word reached him that a new King of the Jews had been born, Herod instantly begin to plan for the elimination of the would-be usurper. (Matthew 2:3) But someone was looking out for the child and his family. The true ruler of Israel was not about to permit his Son to fall into the hands of a megalomaniac such as Herod. Israel’s God had long planned for the salvation of Israel, and for the Gentiles as well. And a sojourn for the sake of salvation wasn’t unheard of. More than a thousand years earlier the LORD had orchestrated the flight of Jacob and his family from famine and death in the land of promise. Though innocent infants fell victim to Herod’s insane rage, the voice of Rachel, weeping for her children, was heard. Salvation was coming, and would arrive from, of all places, Egypt. Yet, for the sake of salvation, the Savior had to sojourn, had to escape from death to life (It would not be the last time that he would do so!), had to fulfill the word’s Hosea prophesied, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” (Hosea 11:1)

It remains true that, for the sake of salvation, sojourning is necessary. No one who simply stays put in this life can avoid sin and death. Our “escape route” does not require flight to Egypt. In fact, it is not a place at all, but a person, whom we must flee to. Sadly, many search about vainly for a lifetime, and never come to the One who alone can save. But, the truth is, for the ones who are in fact being saved, the Lord himself undertakes to come to us. You see, the trip from Israel to Egypt was but one small step along the way for him who traveled from heaven to earth for the sake of salvation.

One of the best things about Advent is the opportunity it gives us to consider just where we are with respect to the matter of salvation. With barely a week remaining until Christmas, there is still time for us to fly from the one who seeks our destruction, and come to the One who sojourned for our salvation. Jesus sojourned an almost inconceivable distance for us. Christmas is a great time, if we have never before taken the step, to come to Jesus. For those of us who have already come to the Savior, this is the perfect time to ready ourselves for his return, for Jesus has yet one more trip to make from heaven to earth, and we would do well to be prepared to rise and go with him on the most memorable journey of all!

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenminitries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Prompted Joy and Worship (Thursday, Week 3 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-15T13:23:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

Behold, the star went before them to the place where the child was.
When they saw the star they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
Matthew 2:9-10

Travelers approaching the border of North and South Carolina on Interstate 95 follow garishly colored South of the Border billboards for seemingly hundreds of miles, whether we like it or not. I suppose the signs build up no little anticipation and excitement in those of us who actually want to stop off at Fort Pedro to pick up some fireworks. After all those miles, and all those ridiculous billboards, there is joy, or, at the very least, relief, to at last see the sign saying “South of the Border—NEXT Exit!” The overall effect of the countless signs is to jump-start the whole South of the Border experience even before we arrive. For the wise Men who followed a star to Jerusalem, there were no billboards telling them “Only 50 miles to go!” But the celestial sign which directed them to where Jesus, he who was born King of the Jews, was to be found, contributed to the build-up of their joy and worship even before they actually arrived at Bethlehem and saw the Christ Child.

Advent, the time of anticipation and preparation before Christmas, can and should prompt our joy and worship. Four weeks of Advent devotions point us in the direction of Bethlehem. The lighting of Advent Candles symbolically provides increasing light along our way to the manger. Worship each Lord’s Day during Advent reminds us that Jesus, and not Early-bird or Midnight Madness Sales, is the reason for the season, helping us to keep Christ in our Christmas. And the example of the Wise Men themselves, of giving gifts, impels us to seek opportunities to give more at this time of year, even as we rejoice with more and more exceedingly great joy as we get closer to Christmas. But there would be no devotions, no candles, certainly no worship for the Lord’s Day, and probably little giving now or ever, without Jesus to prompt it all.

Many of us do a lot of running around during the days and weeks leading up to Christmas. It can be difficult to determine to what good end all the rushing about lead us. Quite a few people wind up depressed and disappointed, rather than filled with joy, when Christmas finally arrives, and this is truly a shame. I believe the example of the Wise Men, who followed the star, who kept going mile after difficult and dusty mile, can help all of us, who can be easily distracted or discouraged along the way, to keep going, to follow in the direction the many Advent disciplines, practices, and traditions point us, to Jesus, who, now and forever, prompts joy and worship.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Disturbed the Worldly But Drew the Wise (Wednesday, Week 3 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-14T12:34:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

Behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is his who has been born king of the Jews?”
When Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Matthew 2:2-3

If you don’t know who “Coach K” is, you have absolutely no interest whatsoever in college basketball, and you are obviously not from Tobacco Road. Down here in the Old North State everyone knows Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, even if they don’t all like him. When Mad Dog Radio held a special live broadcast with Coach K on Sirius XM Radio, fans no doubt listened in from afar. But, just a few miles from Durham, in Chapel Hill, home of Duke’s bitter rival, the University of North Carolina, news of the Coach K show probably disturbed people more than it drew them to tune in. Long ago, and far away from Tobacco Road, news of the birth of Jesus disturbed the worldly who lived just a few miles up the road from Bethlehem, but drew the wise from afar.

Kings of the world, like Herod, and people invested and all wrapped up in the kingdoms of the world, such as most of the people who lived in Jerusalem long ago, typically find news of a new, rival king, and the establishment of a new, and rival kingdom, disturbing, even frightening. Since kingdoms usually have but one throne, the presence of more than one king presents, well, a problem for those who like the throne, and who have no intention whatsoever of sharing it with, much less vacating it for, another.

So it was that, when the news of the birth of a rival reached Herod, who was about as despicably and destructively worldly a king as we could ever imagine, it upset him something terrible, and pretty much all of his capital city of Jerusalem along with him. Herod was one upon whose brow the crown did not rest easy. Paranoid to the extreme, Herod suspected coups and conspiracies all around him throughout his long and bloody reign. No one was safe from the sword when even the slightest rumor, or hint of a rumor, of a rival for the throne, reached the ears of Herod, as Herod’s wife and sons could attest. Well they could have attested, except that Herod had them executed because he feared they planned to remove him from the throne and take his place as ruler of Israel. The extermination of even imagined rivals was almost an everyday occurrence when Herod was king. With all the bloodshed and violence around him, it is no small wonder that all of Jerusalem was disturbed at the news of another rival to Herod, for, surely, the sword would once again be unsheathed against any and all who dared to threaten Herod’s rule.

Of course, the news of the royal birth of a rival might not have reached and disturbed Herod at all, if not for the arrival at his court of some wise men from the distant east. (Matthew 2:1) Drawn by a celestial sign which announced that a new and great king was born to the Jews, the wise men had been irresistibly drawn west until they came to Jerusalem, and to Herod. For, who better to know of the birth of a future king than the one who currently occupied the throne? But, when the wise men inquired as to where the new-born king could be found, it was news, disturbing, fearful news, to Herod.

The worldly and the wise still have different reactions to news of the birth of Jesus. Just today, I read on the internet about atheists in California who are so disturbed by the celebration of the birth of Jesus that they have gone to great lengths to try and stamp out Christmas. (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/12/13/atheist-messages-displace-california-park-nativity-scenes/?test=latestnews) But those atheists will be no more successful in killing the true celebration of Christmas than Herod was in killing the new-born King whose birth is what Christmas is truly all about.

Here, in the middle of the third week of Advent 2011, is the perfect place for all of us to contemplate what the news of the birth of the King of the Jews means to us. Are we disturbed to know of the One who was born to save us from our sins, or are we drawn to him? Regardless of how far we might imagine ourselves from the Lord, true wisdom is still found in seeking him.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Triggered Thanks to God (Tuesday, Week 3 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-14T10:24:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

“She began to give thanks to God and to speak of Jesus to all
who were waiting of the redemption of Jerusalem.”
Luke 2:38

Waiting is all about the future, of course. Yesterday is come and gone. Today has arrived, no need to wait for it, it’s already here. But the future, well, anxiously or patiently, eagerly or with trepidation, we’ll just have to wait for it to get here, won’t we? Advent is a time when we, anxiously or patiently, eagerly or with trepidation, wait for Christmas to come. Two thousand years ago there were many in Israel who had been waiting, who had been looking to the future, for quite some time. One long-cherished hope was that, with the coming of the Christ, Jerusalem might be set free from the yoke of foreign occupation and oppression, that she would be redeemed. For Anna, the birth of Jesus, and his presentation in the Temple according to the custom of the Law (Luke 2:27), triggered thanks to God because in Jesus the aged prophetess perceived that the time for Jerusalem’s redemption had come.

With twelve days remaining before Christmas 2011, what are we waiting for, hoping for, praying for? Do our future hopes, both short-term and long, have more to do with what might or might not be unwrapped this Christmas morning, or with the gift wrapped in swaddling cloths which Father gave the world on the first Christmas? If our hopes are tied to the former, we may well hold our thanks until the 25th gets here. But, if our hope is directly connected to the child who was born in a stable in Bethlehem and laid in a manger, then we have every reason to join with Anna this very hour, and give thanks to God for Jerusalem’s redemption, and ours! We can, and should, give thanks today, and all the remaining days of this Advent season, because our celebration of Christmas is not about a redemption we must yet wait for, but rather the redemption which Christ has already accomplished on the cross. The greatest thing about our celebration of Christmas is that it is with the knowledge that Jesus has completed the work which Anna and the world had to yet await, for it remained in their future.

But our Christmases are richer still, because we do not simply recall the birth of Jesus, we look forward to his return. Our Advent should involve our preparing to celebrate the birth of the Lord who has come, and who is coming again. You see, Anna celebrated when she encountered Jesus, even though Israel’s past was a long and bitter one, even though Jerusalem’s present was far from happy and free, because it had been revealed to her that in Jesus was the assurance of all the hopes of God’s people—Anna’s thanks to God was all about faith. Regardless of how bad our yesterday may have been, and over and above any and all adversity and affliction which may befall us today, it is faith, faith in Jesus that triggers our thanks to God on Christmas, and every day.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Delivered All That The Father Promised (Monday, Week 3 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-12T10:53:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your promise.”
Luke 2:29

I think the most heartsick fans in all of Major League Baseball call Wrigley Field home. The Red Sox having finally overcome the Curse of the Bambino, I can’t think of anyone who’s been waiting longer for a World Series win than Cubs fans. Others, I’m thinking of Cleveland, Seattle, Washington, might be disappointed, frustrated, even resigned. But long deferred hope in Chicago has broken countless hearts for over a century now, with no end in sight. And, you know, there have been many, what have always turned out to be, empty promises, made to Cub World. Managers, players, and owners have assured fans time and again that the fortunes of their favorite team were about to be turned around. Yep, hope deferred makes the heart sick (Proverbs 13:12), and few hopes have been deferred longer than the World Series hopes of the Chicago Cubs. Unlike the Cubs perpetual failure to fulfill hopes and expectations, Jesus delivered all that the Father promised, and to a man whose hopes had been deferred for a lifetime it was worth waiting for.

The man was Simeon, and he had spent his entire life waiting for, as Luke put it, “the consolation of Israel.” (Luke 2:25) But a lifetime of deferred hope had not made Simeon angry, bitter, frustrated, or resigned to disappointment. No, throughout his long life Simeon had remained righteous and devout. What kept the heart of Simeon faithful and strong was a promise, a promise that death would not come for him before he would see with his own eyes the Messiah. Many generations had come and gone in Israel, while their Messianic hope remained deferred. But the promise to Simeon meant that either he would become as old as Methuselah, or the fulfillment of the promise, the coming of the Christ, was imminent.

The promise of the Christ was no small thing, for it represented, so to speak, “the hopes and fears of all the years.” Everything the Father had covenanted, had promised, from Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Moses, to David, was to be fulfilled in and through the Son, the Messiah. So it was that, when he took the baby Jesus up in his arms, Simeon blessed and thanked God, not just for keeping the promise to him, but for all the Father’s promises kept—the advent of peace, the coming of salvation, for the light given to the Gentiles, and the glory given to Israel. (Luke 2:29-32) The answer to Cubs fans, and to all of us who are heartsick from hopes deferred, is Jesus Christ. In Jesus, the Son, is truly a tree of life, the fulfillment of every desire, if we would but receive him with joy as Simeon did.

With two weeks left in Advent there is still time to prepare our hearts for Christmas. Many will continue to hang their heart’s hopes on what they expect, or a least wish, they will find underneath the Christmas Tree on the 25th. But the stuff found in gaily wrapped boxes, or sitting in a driveway with a big red bow on top, or tucked inside a stocking hung by a fire, can never fulfill all our desires. The sun won’t even set on Christmas Day before many will be longing for something more, perhaps even planning major Day-after-Christmas expeditions to the malls in search of bargains. Yet, if we would but take the time over the next thirteen days to put all our hopes in the promise of the Christ, I can guarantee that our desires will be as completely satisfied as those of Simeon were when Jesus delivered to him all that the Father promised.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Magnified the Place of the Marginalized (Saturday, Week 2 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-10T12:48:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

All who heard it were amazed by what the shepherds told them
concerning the newborn Christ child.
Luke 2:18

Quite a few years ago a Wall Street firm that liked to think of itself as sagacious tried to convince the rest of us of its wisdom by telling us that, when “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen.” I have not interviewed any of Hutton’s clients, but I cannot but wonder if some of them might be wishing they hadn’t listened, given the current state of their portfolios. The intent of Hutton’s advertising was to get the public to believe that Hutton’s financial advice was reliable and sound, worth paying attention to. Hutton was conservative and mainstream, holding a fairly central place in the world of financial advising and investment counseling. So it really wasn’t difficult for them to attract an audience. If we were to go back to First Century Palestine, and change the topic from financial advice to spiritual, we might imagine the Pharisees as the E. F. Huttons of the day. I mean, if someone, God for instance, wanted to speak and get people to listen, the Pharisees would have been the obvious choice. But God didn’t see it that way at all, and instead kicked off Christian evangelism, which is now in its third millennium, in a totally unexpected way. Rather than utilize the prominent and powerful Pharisees, Jesus magnified the place of the marginalized by employing lowly shepherds to first share the good news of his birth. And the people who heard it were amazed. (Luke 2:18)

Think about it. Shepherds were just about as low as you could go on the socio-economic ladder of ancient Israel. Shepherds were at best one small step above beggars. And, considering that shepherds had a reputation for being less than honest and trustworthy, one might have put more stock in what a beggar had to say. Shepherds were stuck out in their pastures with their flocks, beyond the boundaries of villages and towns, pretty much out of sight, and all but out of mind. Marginalized. What was God thinking? Who would listen, much less give credence to, anything a shepherd had to say? But shepherds were the ones God chose to first receive, and immediately begin to spread, the news of the Savior’s birth. And, almost incredibly, people listened, and were amazed at what the shepherds said.

Oh, no doubt there were plenty who ignored the shepherds, as, no doubt, the Father knew there would be. But we know that some listened to, and believed, the words of the shepherds, and in turn took up and spread the word. In fact, much the same amazing, unbelievable good news about the Savior has been reported and repeated for two thousand years now. Why, there are still some who will celebrate the good news of that birth, rather than all the Black Friday bargains and other stuff under the tree, when Christmas comes. And, a few will even take up the shepherd’s role, and make known the saying that has been told them concerning this child. (Luke 2:17)

Each of us still have the opportunity to decide what we are going to do with what we’ve heard, if not from the first shepherds, than from those “shepherds” who have shared the good news with us. Will we believe it? Will we share it ? Will we celebrate it this Christmas, glorifying and praising God, as the shepherds did? One thing I believe is certain for those who follow the example of the evangelist-shepherds, Jesus will magnify our place, guaranteeing that when we speak about Him, there will always be people who will listen.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Gave Praise Teams Their Big Break (Friday, Week 2 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-09T10:25:00.005-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host PRAISING God.
Luke 2:13

Most folks point to the charismatic movement in the 1960s as the time when the first praise teams (Or, if you prefer, praise band, worship band, worship team, worship group, music group) appeared. In the last fifty years mainline churches, along with their choirs and organs, have been in serious decline, while praise teams, and the charismatic and neo-liturgical churches that employ them, have been springing up like mushrooms in most communities. But it would be a big mistake to say that praise music is a phenomena of the latter part of the 20th Century. Praise music has in fact been part of Christian worship from, well, the beginning of Christian worship, when, on the day he was born, Jesus gave praise teams their big break.

There was nothing historical or traditional about the chorus that filled the sky above Bethlehem, it was music just about as contemporary as contemporary can get! The words expressed timeless theology in a totally fresh and new way:

“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace…”
Luke 2:14

And, it wasn’t “one and done” with the refrain. The angelic host that made up the first praise team undoubtedly repeated the chorus many times, until the congregation, which was made up of a group of shepherds, took ownership of the worship and itself started glorifying and praising God. (Luke 2:20) It was worship unlike anything anyone had ever heard or seen before.

Funny, but what we consider contemporary and new is actually the oldest and most traditional of Christian worship styles. Choirs and organs were much later additions to the worship scene than “contemporary” praise music. But, it really doesn’t matter which came first, the traditional which we call contemporary, or the contemporary which we call traditional. And it certainly should never be a source of acrimonious debate, much less division (to the extent that it is sometime referred to as worship wars). If the music and the words express heartfelt praise to the Father and glory to the Son, it doesn’t matter if the sounds come from an organ or an electric guitar, or the words are sung by a robed choir or a less formally attired team. What it comes down to is not right or wrong styles, but right or wrong identity.

If the music, whatever its style, is inspired by knowledge of the Son, born in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, and by faith in him that we are the Father’s family by grace, now and forever, then it is the sound of Christian worship. Whether it is a Gregorian Chant, one of Isaac Watts’ hymns, or the latest from tobyMac, I believe all glory and praise to God in the highest got its big break thanks to Jesus, who inspired the first praise team, better known as the heavenly host.

Advent is a season for preparing, and, since our eternal vocation will consist exclusively in glorifying and praising God, and enjoying him forever, this is the perfect time to start rehearsing our joy and our songs of praise to God and his Savior!

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Filled Up the Breadbox for Us (Thursday, Week 2 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-08T17:12:00.003-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and laid him in a manger.
Luke 2.7

Bread is just about as basic and essential a food as you can find. Think about it. When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray he instructed them to ask the Father for daily bread. Not milk, or wine, or even water. Not fruit, or nuts, or vegetables. Not cheese, or fish, or meat. Daily bread. When the breadbox is empty we have a real problem. And what are we supposed to do when we have a problem? Bring it to the Father in prayer. In response to prayers from those who hungered, hungered for food, for justice, for righteousness, for peace, and for just about every human need we can think of, the Father sent the Son, Jesus, to fill up the “breadbox” for us. Literally.

You see, that’s what a manger is, a breadbox shared by all who come to it to feed. And that’s just what Jesus came to do, to feed the world, or at least feed all who believe and who come to him. Jesus was, and is, the Bread of Life. (See John 6:35-40) And where else would we go to look for bread but the breadbox? It may not have been a very likely place to expect to find a newborn king, but it was the only fitting place for the One who promised that whoever came to him would never be hungry, and whoever believed in him would never be thirsty. (John 6:35)

If we had a map of ancient Israel in front of us, where is the one place we would be confident to find a full manger? Why, Bethlehem, of course! You see, Bethlehem is from the Hebrew beth lehem, which mean “house of bread.” The manger that held the Bread of Life which would feed not only Israel, but the world, had to be found in beth lehem, the “house of bread.” For the manger to have been located anywhere else not only would not have made any sense, it would not have fulfilled the prophecy about the One who filled up the breadbox. (Micah 5:2)

For most people Christmastime involves a lot of hurrying around. So many places we have to be, so much we have to do. For many of us, several of our destinations will likely involve gobbling down more rich food and drink than is good for us, certainly more than our body needs. Here’s the thing, we could all pack on quite a few holiday pounds by the end of December, and yet end up hungrier than when we tasted our first bite of Christmastime fare. If all our packed Christmas itineraries omit a visit to Bethlehem, the “house of bread,” and a trip to the manger, the breadbox filled with the Bread of Life, we can’t help but be malnourished, no matter how much other food we eat.

So, this Second Week of Advent, while there’s still time before Christmas, why don’t we all make plans to get ourselves, and our families and friends, to the manger, there to greet and to worship the Son, Jesus, whom the Father sent to fill up the breadbox for us.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Spurred Spontaneous Reactions of Joy (Wednesday, Week 2 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-07T16:06:00.004-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

…the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth exclaimed,
“Blessed are you among women!”
Luke 1:41-42

We can anticipate that women will get all excited and giddy over the news that a friend or relative is expecting. I’m pretty sure that God made them that way. But when have you ever heard of an unborn child kicking up his heals in the womb at the news that he was going to have a cousin? I can only think of one, when Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth to share the news about her pregnancy, and Elizabeth’s child John began to cavort inside her. The truth is, Jesus always has, and always will, spur reactions of spontaneous joy when the Holy Spirit fills those who hear the Good News!

We should hardly be surprised at the reactions of Elizabeth and the unborn John the Baptist, Israel had only been anxiously awaiting the news of the Advent of the Messiah for the better part of a thousand years. Now, here they were, the first (not counting Mary or Joseph) to know that the Christ would be born in just a few short months, a mere matter of weeks. How could anyone expect the reaction to be anything but unrestrained joy?

Think of how many times we still sing of joy at Christmastime. Jesus is the joy of every longing heart. Captive Israel rejoices to learn that Emmanuel is come to ransom her. All ye faithful come, joyfully and triumphantly, to adore the new born King of angels. We proclaim joy to the world because the Lord has come. An angel brought shepherds watching their flocks glad tidings of great joy. And those shepherds would not shut up, their joyous strains were loud and prolonged. To this day good Christian men, and women and children too, rejoice with heart and soul and voice at the news, the news! All nations arise joyful as they harken to what the Herald angels sing. With a thrill of hope, the weary world rejoiced the holy night when Christ was born, and the Holy Spirit still fills with joy all who call Jesus their Savior and Lord.

Most of us can think of a time, if we have been fortunate many times, when we have reacted with spontaneous joy to some good news for ourselves or someone we love. Here’s a way we can experience special joy this Christmas—we can use this time of Advent to pray for God to prepare the heart of someone to accept the gift of Jesus this year, and then ask God to work in and through us to bring the gift to a neighbor, friend, or relative, even as Mary bore the gift, first to Elizabeth and John, and then to and for the world. We can be sure that Jesus will spur a reaction of spontaneous joy again this Christmas in all who receive him.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Gave Seekers All They Ever Sought

2011-12-07T09:05:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

…and they shall call his name Immanuel.
Matthew 1:23

How would you complete this sentence, “All I want for Christmas is _____________”? The children’s song says “my two front teeth,” but what do you say? Do the internet ads from Land’s End, Verizon Wireless, and Wal-Mart, or other retailers supply your answer? Or, perhaps, it’s on the television, where it’s Lexus, or Zales, or some other purveyor of high-end merchandise who has what you want to fill out your Christmas list? If it came down to one thing, and one thing only, that you could have for Christmas, what would it be? Just over two thousand years ago, on the first Christmas, God gave himself to the world in the person of the Son, Jesus Christ the Lord. Sadly, the gift wasn’t what many people wanted, even though it was what they needed. But, for a few, for those seekers who sought God with all their heart, Jesus was the perfect gift—Immanuel, God in the midst of us, God with us.

Here’s the real question, and the answer is only found in our heart, “Is God, and God alone, enough for us?” If that’s hard for us to deal with, perhaps we could work our way up to this most important question. Let’s start with something else shall we? How about this, “Husbands, is your wife enough for you?” Not your wife’s cooking. Not her housekeeping. Not her looks. “Husbands, do you simply delight in and love your wife?” Now, ladies, “Wives, is your husband enough?” Not your husband’s career. Not his strength. Not his BMW. “Wives, do you simply delight in and love your husband?” And children, it’s your turn. “Boys and girls, are your parents enough for you?" Not the designer clothes they give you. Not the video game system they buy you. Not the allowance they put in your wallet. “Children, do you delight in and love your parents?” Ok, maybe we’re ready now. Everyone, “Is God enough for us? Do we delight in and love God? Or is it the gifts that we truly desire, and not the giver?”

You see, all the shepherds found when they got to Bethlehem was a baby. Same thing for the wise men who had traveled many miles following a star. No fine palace. No stately king. No sign whatsoever of any material wealth or power. Just a baby. But for wholehearted seekers of God, that baby, Immanuel, was everything they had ever sought.

The question for us remains, in 2011, what one thing, or person, fills in the blank in that sentence? What, or who, is all we want for Christmas? Is God, in the person of Jesus, enough for us? In Jesus, in Immanuel, the Father has given his children all we need, now and forever. But each of us must search our own heart to determine whether or not Jesus is all we want. If it is truly God alone whom we desire, then the gift of the Son is enough. If not, then it is certain that, regardless of whatever else we may ever get for Christmas, it will never be enough for us, we will never be satisfied, we will always want more.

It is beyond all doubt that, if we seek God with all our heart, the Father will lead us to Immanuel, and we will discover, in Jesus, all we’ve ever sought.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Supplied His Own Birth Announcement (Tuesday, Week 2 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-06T15:34:00.003-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

Jesus Supplied His Own Birth Announcement
(Tuesday, Week 2 of Advent 2011)

And the angel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary…
behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall call his name Jesus.”
Luke 1:30-31

Our youngest turned twenty-five last month, which tells you a couple of things about us. First, it’s been a long time since we’ve sent out a birth announcement. The second thing you can tell about us is that we are way too old to have had the opportunity to use email, social media, and other cool electronic “bells and whistles” to send out word about the birth of our children. I confess that I have not actually researched this, but I believe the earliest birth announcements can be found in Scripture.

There was the announcement to Abraham, you know the one that made Sarah laugh. (Genesis 18:9-15) How about Hannah, who, in the anxiety and fervor of her prayers acted as one intoxicated (At least that’s what Eli thought.)? The announcement made to her started off in the form of an old-fashioned scolding. (1 Samuel 1.12-18) Then, of course, there was Zechariah. When he received the announcement that he would have a son Zechariah cried out, “Why, shut my mouth!” or he would have cried out if that angel hadn’t already silenced him. (Luke 1:8-25) Did you notice something about all these birth announcements? They were made to the fathers and/or mothers to be. We think of the announcements sent out by parents, but God’s ways are not our ways. Now, the most important birth announcement ever was the one made to Mary, the angel Gabriel. Angels being in the exclusive employ of God we can actually say that Jesus supplied his own birth announcement. Actually, I guess I should say that the Lord supplied his own birth announcer.

How did these folks respond to the news? Sarah, some 90 years old, laughed. Hannah, the target of Peninnah’s mockery and scorn, and, who had gone about for years her face downcast because she had no children, went away beaming. Zechariah was, as I said, speechless, while his wife Elizabeth felt quietly vindicated. What of Mary?

Well, the poor girl was terrified at first, then confused, and, finally, resigned, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Eventually, Mary’s resignation would be transformed into a hymn of praise and rejoicing in God her Savior. (The Magnificat; Luke 1.46-55)

The Father, not the fathers, knew, and knows, his plan and purpose for every life. So it was that, the announcements of these births could reveal that Isaac would be the Promise, Samuel was the Prophet, John was the Herald, and Jesus was, just as his name proclaimed, the Savior. While all of us dream and wonder about who and what are children will become, we can be sure that, whatever else may be part of God’s plan and purpose for us and for our children, Christmas affirms just how important to the Father is our identity and life in Christ, because he sent the Son to us as a gift.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Supplied His

2011-12-06T15:34:00.000-05:00

Jesus Lavished the Love of the Father Upon the Church

2011-12-06T09:25:00.003-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

See what kind of love the Father has given to us…
1 John 3.1

Marie Antoinette is popularly believed to have said, “Let them eat cake” when informed that French peasants were rioting over a lack of bread due to famine. Though she in fact probably never uttered such words—biographers and historians in fact note that Marie was quite concerned about and sensitive to the needs of the poor—she and the words are often offered together as examples of the often callous and oblivious attitudes of “haves” towards “have nots”. How uncompassionate for someone who “has it all” (Or at least a lot) to exhort another, who has little or nothing, to live on what he or she is even less likely to have. John wrote the first of his canonical letters to exhort and instruct the Church, which receives little love from the world, as to how we are to live—John tells us that we are to live in the love of God (See WDJD for 11/19/11). Was John callous or oblivious? Does he exhort the Church to live with what she lacks? By no means! John knew firsthand that Jesus lavished the love of the Father upon the Church.

John’s beloved little children, the term of endearment John frequently employed to address the Church (1 John 2:1, 2:12, 2:13, 2:18, 2:28), were and are the objects of the Father’s almost indescribable love. Note, I said "almost" indescribable. Actually, John had a powerful and true way to describe the Father’s love for us—the Father loves us in such a manner that we are to be called his children (1 John 3:1) Children of God perfectly describes our relationship to the Father through Jesus. This truth, that we should be called the children of God, is not at all indescribable, but it is absolutely incredible! And, even as it expresses what is essential about who we are, it also tells us how we are essentially to live—in the love which the Father has lavished upon us in and through the Son.

At the time John wrote, and to this very day, the world didn’t get it. The world doesn’t get who we are, because the world doesn’t get whose we are, because the world doesn’t get him to whom we belong. (1 John 3:1b) Regardless of the world’s cluelessness, Christians are God’s children. And it’s not just that we are to be called children of God now, while having to wait until some time when we will in fact be his children, the truth is we are his children right now, though what we will ultimately become has not yet been revealed. (1 John 3:2) However, we do know that when the risen and glorified Jesus returns to this world, we shall behold him as he truly is right now, though we cannot see him at this moment while he remains in heaven and we are yet earthbound. In that day, we, who are here and now the Father’s children, will be something different, something more. We will be perfected. We, that is the Church, will all become exactly like the Son himself.

All this, who we are and who we shall become, is the result of one thing, and one thing only. When the Church, which is full of truly needy people, as in needing forgiveness, salvation, and a whole lot more, cries out because the world has no love for us, John’s compassionate, not callous, reply is, “Let them live in the love of the Father.” In and through the Son the Father supplys all we need: the forgiveness, salvation, and a whole lot more. The fact is, Jesus himself is the love of the Father lavished upon us.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Followed John, His Herald (Monday, Week 2 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-05T10:37:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

“He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,
and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah.”
Luke 1:16-17

Have you ever met someone who knew, even as a young child, what they would grow up to be? Perhaps you may even be one of those favored few who had a precocious perception of your life’s work. But, if we are going to talk about precocity with respect to one’s vocation, no one can top John the Baptist. John started his labors before his mother Elizabeth ever went in to labor! You see, John was the one chosen to go before the Lord, he messenger who would prepare the way for the coming king. For, of course, kings and queens never go about unannounced, there’s always someone who goes ahead crying out, “The king is coming! Prepare yourselves; make way for the king!” So, when Jesus arrived, he followed John, his Herald.

Now, the first person John prepared to receive the King was his own mother, Elizabeth. For John, quickened by the Spirit, started leaping about for joy in Elizabeth’s womb when he sensed the approach of Jesus, who was himself yet in the womb of Mary. (Luke 1.44) As noted above, John wasted no time in taking up his life’s work!

Some of us might envy John, especially those of us who spend years searching about for our calling. But, the truth is, whatever our vocation, each one of us can take up John’s work, and there’s no need for us to wait. You see, there are yet many who have not encountered Christ. There are dozens, if not hundreds, likely even thousands, of people all around us, who have never met Jesus. But we can be certain that the Father still desires that many would come to know the Son as their Lord and Savior. There’s still a need for heralds to go about calling people to prepare to receive the King. For the throne our King would ascend is the heart.

Evangelist Luis Palau has said that it is always necessary for us to talk with God concerning our neighbor before we go and talk with our neighbor about God. In other words, we need to pray about, and for, those whose hearts the Father would use us to turn in order to prepare a way for the Son, because Jesus still follows those who are his heralds. Advent is a great time for the Lord’s heralds to be busy. Over the next three weeks ask God whose heart he would have you prepare to receive Jesus. Just imagine how the herald angels will sing out on Christmas day, over those who turn to the Lord their God!

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus, Being Conceived in Mary's Womb, Joined Spirit to Flesh (Saturday, Week 1 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-04T15:15:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

“…that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.”
Matthew 1:20-21

“Oil and water don’t mix.” This may be the first chemistry lesson most of us learn. It is about as basic an example of insolubility, of the inability of one substance to bind/merge with, or dissolve into, another, as we can find. There was a time when it seemed as if our flesh and God’s Spirit were quite as incompatible as oil and water. The Lord himself said about as much when he told Nicodemus, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6) No one had ever known of anyone having been born of the flesh and the spirit. But the truth, which the Lord came to reveal, and which Nicodemus struggled to grasp, is that Jesus, being conceived in Mary’s womb, joined Spirit to flesh.

Of course, Nicodemus wasn’t the first person to struggle to understand this lesson in “divine chemistry.” Mary herself, when the angel Gabriel appeared to her to foretell the birth of the Lord, couldn’t help but respond with a “How will this be?” (Luke 1:34) And when Joseph, Mary’s betrothed husband, learned that she was pregnant, he assumed the worst, never once imagining the truth about the child conceived in Mary’s womb, until an angel also spoke to him. (Matthew 1:20) We can hardly fault Nicodemus, or Mary, or Joseph. It would have been absurd for anyone to suggest that they were going to join their flesh to God’s Spirit. But what is impossible for man is possible for God (Luke 18:27), and I suppose there is nothing that would seem more impossible to us than the joining of flesh and Spirit. But that’s exactly what the Father did in sending the Son to earth to be born of woman—joined his Spirit with our flesh!

And we all have good reason to recall this truth, and offer much thanks and praise to God for it, for without it, there would never be any hope whatsoever for lost sinners. You see, it demanded nothing less than the union of God with man, in the person of Jesus born of Mary, to accomplish the work of redeeming fallen humanity. Our flesh is simply too impure, too stained by our sin, to ever offer a fitting sacrifice. Only God, who alone is holy, is so pure. Yet, humanity having rebelled and sinned against God, it was necessary that one who was fully human accept and bear the burden of our sin. In the joining of Spirit and flesh alone is salvation to be found. Only Jesus, born of the Spirit, born of woman, whose very name means He saves, could accomplish the impossible mission.

The Father still desires for his Spirit to be joined to our flesh, and in and through the Son he causes men, women, and children, to be reborn of the Spirit so that they, by believing in Jesus, should have eternal life. Advent is an excellent opportunity for us to think about when the Spirit and flesh became one in Jesus, and, if we are believers, to recall when we were made one with Christ by the Spirit. Others may yet, this Christmas, be led by the Spirit to come to the manger, as it were, for the first time to receive the good news of the Savior’s birth in their very heart, and so be joined to him now and forever, in and of the Spirit.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Came to Redeem and Adopt (Friday, Week 1 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-02T11:10:00.003-05:00

What did Jesus Do?

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son,
to redeem…so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Galatians 4:4-5

You’ve seen those police cars with the slogans written on them, “To Serve and Protect” haven’t you? I have to confess I have thought it kind of silly, or perhaps sad. I mean, the slogans are there either because someone thinks we have no idea what the police department’s mission is, which is silly. Or, because a police department has been so corrupt and scandal riven that someone believes the public needs to be reassured that the police actually know their mission, which is sad (Don’t get me wrong, I have a great appreciation and respect for the men and women who work in law enforcement, I’m just commenting on the slogans which seem to me totally unnecessary.). But I will concede that promoting and publicizing one’s mission might not be a bad idea, especially if the public doesn’t get it. Jesus had a definite mission, a purpose for which he came. And, if he had had a patrol car to drive around in during the time of his earthly ministry I think he might have had “To REDEEM and ADOPT” written on it, for that was his mission, that is why he came.

Now, the Lord’s mission was not initiated at some random time in history. Jesus came at the time chosen by the Father, by divine appointment we might say, the very moment, and not a minute sooner or a minute later, but when the fullness of time had come. It was the supreme Kairos moment. Kairos is one of two words the ancient Greeks had for time, the other being chronos. Chronos is time in its common, quantitative sense of seconds, minutes, days, weeks, and so on. Kairos, on the other hand, considered time in a qualitative sense. A kairos moment represents a unique and special opportunity, the propitious occasion when everything is just right.

So, at the precise moment in the course of time, and of humanity’s progress, or lack thereof, the Father sent the Son to redeem us and to secure our adoption as his daughters and sons. Not the sort of thing we would expect to happen at just any old time. Christ’s coming deserves, demands, to be understood in the qualitative sense of time, because what he accomplished, what he came to do, totally changed the quality of our life and our relationship with God. It is a transformation from a condition of slavery to the status of children. From being under the law and bound to obey the law (God’s law expressed in the Old Testament, a law of “sin and death,” see Romans 8:2 ), to being set free to obey the law (God’s law expressed in the New Testament, a law of “the Spirit of life,” see again Romans 8:2).

The coming of the Son was inarguably the supreme kairos moment, and we still look back and celebrate it every Christmas. But there are other kairos moments, and I believe these are worthy of some of our time and reflection during Advent. Even as Jesus came in the fullness of time to complete the work of redemption and adoption for all the elect, there is a special, personal, kairos moment, when, in the fullness of time in the life of every believer, we are set free by the Spirit to call God “Abba! Father!”

There is also another huge kairos moment in all our futures. For the Lord, who first came in the fullness of time, is coming back. No one but the Father knows when the time will be filled up, and this second, supreme kairos moment will come (Matthew 24:36). But we do know that it is coming, and Advent is as good a time as any for us to be reminded of this truth, and to prepare for this second coming of the Son. For, as surely as Jesus came to redeem and adopt, he is coming back to gather and bring home the ones he redeemed.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Humbly Came to Claim A Kingdom (Thursday, Week 1 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-01T10:46:00.003-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, you king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9

Those destined to wear a crown are typically born in a palace. And, when the time comes, kings and queens proceed to their coronations surrounded with all the trappings of majesty and power, traveling, if not in a resplendent carriage complete with liveried outriders, then at least in a shiny limousine. Who could ever imagine someone riding on a donkey coming humbly to claim a kingdom? But that’s just what Jesus did.

Actually, the coming of Jesus was truly beyond all we could ever ask or imagine from God. But, thankfully, God is the one whose business it is to accomplish far more than we can ask or imagine. (See Ephesians 3:20) In our askings and imaginings we hope for kings and presidents who will exercise their office, rule or lead our nation, in ways that are ultimately finite and material. And, the greater their show of assertiveness and power, the higher our hopes in our kings and presidents.

Jesus, however, put forth his claim of a kingdom, of the kingdom, in sharp and utter contrast to the ways of the world. But this should not surprise us when we consider that his kingdom, while in the world, is so much more than all the world and its kingdoms and nations. Every kingdom, every nation, even the world itself, regardless of how rich, resplendent, and full of resources they may be, will all come to an end and pass away. Not so with Jesus and his kingdom. Of the Lord Jesus, the Savior and King, and of the increase of his government and his peace, there shall be no end! (Isaiah 9.7)

It’s not hard to get carried away with all the hoopla of the Christmas season nowadays. But, it is rather difficult in the midst of all the excess of our present day manner of celebrating what, at its core, is supposed to be the observance of the coming of the everlasting King of kings, to find that which is purely gentle and humble. We spend more than we can afford, we eat more than is good for us, we drink more than we should, and we want our Christmas to be big and bold, forgetting that Christmas is really about the gentle King, who arrived in the world meek and mild, to humbly claimed his kingdom.

So, here’s what I believe we might do this Advent to prepare for coming of our glorious, yet gentle, King: we might do, dare I say it, less. Less rushing around, and more quiet reflection. Less spending of money, and more spending of time with Jesus. Less overfeeding of our body rich delicacies and drink, and more feeding of our spirit upon the priceless Word of God. Less focus on the world and the worldly, and more attention to the Kingdom. The less we strive to make sure we all experience what the world would consider a great Christmas, the more likely that we will all experience the true and simple joy of the King who came ever so humbly to claim his kingdom.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Arrived As Planned, And For A Purpose (Wednesday, Week 1 of Advent 2011)

2011-12-01T02:41:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

Jesus Arrived As Planned, And For A Purpose
(Wednesday, Week 1 of Advent 2011)

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah…from you shall come forth for me
One who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient of days…
And he shall be their peace.
Micah 5:2, 5

“Accidents will happen,” or so we’ve heard. But if we know that they surely will happen, that their occurrence is almost, well, ordained, are they really accidents? Think about it. The term accident of birth is an idiomatic expression suggesting that the circumstances of one’s birth be they propitious or be they regrettable, being entirely beyond one’s control, are purely accident or chance. But no one is ever born by accident. Without going into the details of the mechanics involved, there is some very definite action that must take place for a pregnancy to occur, and I defy anyone to make a case for that action ever to happen without someone intentionally making it happen, regardless of how out of control anyone may claim to have been in the moment. Life, despite what some scientists might try to suggest, is never an accident, there is always a plan for life, always a purpose. Jesus arrived as planned, and for a purpose.

Every detail of Christ’s birth was planned, ordained, established by the will of the Father, and according to his providence. In the book of the prophet Micah we read of both the plan and the purpose of the Lord’s birth. Though some might like to argue that it was only by accident, by virtue of the circumstance of the decree of Caesar, during the time that Quirinius was governor of Syria, that Joseph and Mary happened to travel to Bethlehem at the time Mary was to be delivered of her firstborn child (Luke 2.1-7), the Word of God had, hundreds of years earlier, in fact declared that Bethlehem, small as she was among the clans of Judah, would be the birthplace of the Messiah, and this according to a decision made from ancient days. (Micah 5:2) Believe it, Jesus arrived by no accident, but exactly as planned!

And, having arrived according to the plan, Jesus grew up to fulfill his life’s purpose, which, again, was no accident. For the prophet Micah had also declared that the one who would be born in Bethlehem would rule Israel, that his greatness would extend to the ends of the earth, and that he himself would be the very fullness of shalom (peace). (Micah 5:4-5) Believe it, Jesus arrived not by circumstance, but to fulfill a definite and glorious purpose!

Knowing that Jesus arrived as planned and for a purpose should be a great comfort to us all, because our salvation was at the very center of that purpose. (Matthew 1:20-21) We also need to hear this, and hang on to it—regardless of whatever circumstances we experience, and they may well be difficult, harsh, and painful at times—the Father has a plan and a purpose for our lives, just as surely as he had a plan and purpose for the life of his Son. In fact, we ourselves know, and actively and intentionally live out, God’s plan and purpose for us when Jesus “arrives” in our heart and our mind, there to rule and to reign. And he is our peace.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Provided, So That We Should Abide

2011-11-30T12:51:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—
just as it has taught you, abide in him .
1 John 2:27b

I’m a piano player. Bet you didn’t know that about me. In fact, even my family will be surprised when they read this because they have never seen me actually play the piano. But, I am a piano player, honest. Look here—Got a piano. Have a bunch of music books. I listen and watch other piano players (Chico Marx is my favorite!). And, every once in a great while, I actually plink one or two of the old ivories...What’s the matter? I didn’t say I was much of a piano player, I just said I played.

The truth is, I’ve never taken the time to become a piano player, really, I’ve just very occasionally played around with the piano. One of the things that prompted the apostle John to write to his little children (That is the Church, to all who are Christians) was his fear that some believers would have the same kind of relationship with Jesus that I have with my piano. Just as it takes practice to become good at the piano, so too with our faith—if we don’t practice being a Christian, spend time at it daily, using the gifts Jesus himself has provided us, well, we may still be Christians, but we’d have as hard a time convincing others of our faith as I have convincing people I’m a piano player.

Becoming a Christian involves receiving and believing the truth about who Jesus is and what Jesus did—we accept the objective truths about God revealed in Christ and in the Bible by the Holy Spirit. Christian faith begins when we first hear what the Spirit has to say to us. But well begun is, at best, only half done, and John didn’t want any of his little children going around half-baked, as it were. So John urges, “Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you.” (1 John 2:24) Hearing and receiving the Gospel is absolutely essential for us to become Christians. But, for us to keep going and growing as Christians, what we first hear about the person and work of Jesus (his Sonship, his atoning death, his resurrection), the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit, our sinfulness, the saving grace of the Father, and the promise of glory (eternal life, v. 25) has to remain with us, it has to abide in us, residing in the heart and the mind. This is the only way our relationship with the Father and the Son will deepen, become stronger, more intimate, and, more evident. Christians abide in the Word of Truth we’ve heard from the beginning of our new life in Jesus.

Abiding in the truth we first heard also helps to keep us on track, to resist being led astray by those trying to deceive us. (1 John 2:26) John had already warned his little children about antichrists who sought to supplant the revealed truth of God with what they might have called privileged information, but which John plainly called lies. (1 John 2:18-22; see WDJD for 11/26/11) Christians have no need to listen to self-appointed teachers of any so-called new truths because God has poured out his grace upon us, has anointed us with the Holy Spirit who remains with us, and who teaches us. (1 John 2:27) Christians abide in the Holy Spirit with whom we are anointed from the beginning of our new life in Jesus.

You know, even with shelves full of music books, and even with a gifted teacher, I can never become a real piano player if I don’t spend time with the piano itself. It’s rather the same thing with believers. We can have a Bible on the shelf. We can even go to church and Sunday School, and we can even attend rallies and revivals and listen to excellent preaching, but if we never actually spend time with Jesus, if we don’t abide in him (1 John 2:28), there won’t be any real growth, any real power, any real life in us no matter how much we claim to be Christians. Think of the time of the Lord’s appearing as a grand recital, when the faith of every believer will be revealed, sort of how at a big recital many students get to show off how they have been progressing on the piano. If we haven’t spent much time with Jesus we might very well feel ashamed at his coming, much as a piano student who hasn’t practiced suffers great embarrassment at the recital. But, if we practice our faith, if we meet with, talk with, walk with Jesus, every day—if we abide in him now, we can have certain hope and overflowing confidence as we look forward to his coming. Christians whose faith is alive and growing don’t sit around idly waiting for the Lord to return, we abide in Jesus now, even as when we first met him, and even as we shall forever and ever.

While the deceivers and liars, the antichrists whom John regards in sharp contrast to his little children, try to convince us that we must seek something more, something quite different from the Gospel we first received, John assures the Church we have already been given all that is necessary for faith to take root, then to grow and flourish, if we would simply abide in what Jesus has provided.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Answered the Worlds Worst Want Ad for Our Sake (Tuesday, Week 1 of Advent 2011)

2011-11-29T11:06:00.007-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.
Isaiah 53:3

Times are pretty hard. There are a lot of people out of work, many for so long that they’ve dropped of the radar and are no longer even counted in the government’s unemployment figures. Things are so bad that people are envious of the guy on television who takes on the “Dirty Jobs.” Yet, as bad as things are, were, or ever will be, I believe there’s one job none of us would ever be willing to apply for. Thankfully, though notice of the job opening was communicated in what has to be the world’s worst Want Ad, there was one who answered the ad. As it turned out, he was the only one qualified for the job.

You see, hundreds of years before his birth, Jesus read the posting for a Suffering Servant, a Redeemer, in Isaiah 53:

HELP WANTED—Are you willing to
be despised and rejected by men? Does being a man of sorrows,
and acquainted with grief, sound like something you can handle?
If so, there’s work waiting for you! We need someone who will
accept being wounded for the transgressions of others, and
submit to being crushed for the iniquities of people who will
reject him and scorn him. Please do not apply if you have a
problem with receiving stripes which will break your body while
bringing healing and redemption to those who deserve to be
condemned to death.

The truth is, the Son was fully aware of the job description ever since the Father had shared it with him in eternity past. Jesus had had a long, long time to think about the work he would be required to perform. There was no fine print in his contract, no vague “other duties as required.” The Lord knew exactly what was in store for him, and still he applied for the job of being our Savior.

I know that Advent is the time when we recall the Lord’s birth, and prepare for his coming, but I believe it would help all of us if we took some time to consider Advent from another perspective. Instead of thinking about our preparing for his coming, let’s try and put ourselves in his place, and reflect upon what it must have been like for him to prepare for going. Again, Jesus knew all that awaited him in the world; he himself had provided Isaiah the words for the job description. And still, he answered the Want Ad. Fully informed of what it would take for him to get the job done, the Lord let go of his equality with God and made himself nothing and became not just a servant, but the servant described in Isaiah, the one who alone was qualified and willing to be obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2.6-8)

Meditating on this makes me want to get ready to offer the Lord the highest praise on Christmas, and to give him unending thanks for Christmas, because it makes me shudder to think of where I would be if Jesus hadn’t answered the world’s worst Want Ad for my sake.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Rooted His Father's Peace in His Righteousness, Not Ours! (Monday, Week 1 of Advent 2011)

2011-11-28T13:01:00.003-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

…and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
Isaiah 11:1

Have you ever noticed what bitter fruit grows from the seeds of peace planted by man? With the signing of the Armistice that brought an end to the hostilities of World War I in November 1918, the seeds of World War II were sown. In the Peace Treaty of Versailles the roots of the greatest and most horrible conflict the world has yet known were planted; the deadly fruit of the Peace of Versailles would be bitter indeed for France to swallow, and would threaten to all but destroy the whole earth. So it always is with the peace of men, for we judge and decide by what our eyes see and our ears hear. But, because of our fallen condition in this fallen world, we are blind to true justice and deaf to true righteousness. Our hearts, deceitful (faithless) and self-righteous (which is really unrighteousness), are simply incapable of establishing real and lasting peace. Thanks be to God that Jesus rooted his Father’s peace in his own righteousness and faithfulness and not ours! (Isaiah 11:3)

With conflict, both domestic and international, raging throughout the world again this Advent season, it is frightfully clear that a desire for peace is far from uppermost in our hearts still today. But peace remains the greatest longing in the Father’s heart. The Father desires nothing so much but that this fallen and sin-filled world should be transformed into a garden of peace abiding on the mount of his holiness. (Isaiah 11:6-9) Yet, unless and until we realize that peace can only grow from the root the Father brought forth from the stump of Jesse, which is Jesus Christ the Lord, there cannot and will not be peace on earth. In the perfect faith and righteousness of Jesus alone there is peace.

The good news this Advent is that the Father is eager to plant the seed of true peace in us. What better time to ask for the true gift of Christmas, the gift of peace that is found in Christ alone? This is the season for us to hope for and to seek the personal transformation that comes with the Spirit the Father is so ready and willing to pour out upon us: the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD, the Spirit of joy in his presence now and forever. (Isaiah 11:2-3) In our surrendering to Jesus, never in our demanding another’s surrendering to us, is there peace.

We all need to ask ourselves, what kind of fruit do our lives produce? For peace to be the fruit of our lives, transforming our homes, our places of work, our neighborhoods, and the world, we must be rooted in Jesus, the Son, in whose faith and righteousness the very Shalom (Peace) of the Father is rooted and bears fruit.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Supplied the Crescendo (First Sunday of Advent, 2011)

2011-11-28T10:10:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

In the beginning God did not just dispel darkness, he shattered silence. Verse 3 of Genesis Chapter 1 sounds the opening notes of the divine symphony. That God is a music lover is inescapable, but he’s also the greatest composer ever. All creation is his cantata, his Word set to the music of the spheres (musica universalis—the ancient philosophical concept that perceived the divine hand in establishing the harmony that controls the movement and proportion of the heavenly bodies). Creation is God’s magnum opus which is still being performed. God employed many authors to write the libretto, more commonly known as the Bible. Nearly three thousand years ago the prophet Isaiah was called to contribute his part of the work. It was Isaiah’s task to begin to write down the notes of the crescendo, the climactic buildup of volume that would reach its apex with the sounding of a note that has reverberated for over two millennia now. And it was Jesus who supplied the crescendo.

With the calling of his prophets, God commenced the movement that would grow in its intensity, focus, and volume over several centuries, and reach its ultimate note when a celestial choir sang out the news of the Messiah’s birth (Luke 2:13-14). Isaiah, the first of the so-called Major Prophets, commenced the crescendo, and in the ninth chapter of Isaiah we read four names which, in rapid succession, grow louder and louder, as each one speaks of the person and work of the coming Christ:

Wonderful Counselor.
Mighty God.
Everlasting Father.
PRINCE OF PEACE.

With Advent’s arrival we can once again give ourselves over to the power of the crescendo of God’s Word to prepare our hearts to receive our King. Let the anticipation and intensity of the movement towards the coming of the Messiah build within us over the next four weeks. Then, when the heavenly host of angels again proclaims, with the single loudest note of all time, the birth of the Savior, may we reply, with an equally resounding chorus, our affirmation of the reign of Jesus in justice and righteousness from this time forth and forevermore!

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Exposed the Enemy

2011-11-26T11:51:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

I write to you, not because you do not know the truth,
but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
1 John 2.21

The most dangerous enemy is not the one we can spot a mile away, but the one who we believe to be a friend, a brother; one who can walk right up to us, even embrace us, and then destroy us. One of the reasons John wrote to his beloved little children (2:1, 2:12, 13, 18), was to make sure that they could recognize the enemy. Interestingly, the way to know our deadliest enemy is to know our very best friend—Jesus. Knowing the truth about Jesus reveals the enemy and his lies. To put it simply: Christ=Friend; Antichrist=Enemy. Actually, I should have written Antichrists=Enemy, for, in fact, many antichrists have come (1 John 2.18) So we had better know how to recognize the enemy!

The first thing John tells us (the Church) is that at one time they (the antichrists) were one of us, or, more accurately, were among us. But along the way “they went out from us.” (1 John 2:19) At one time they were with us, among us, in the midst of the fellowship of believers, but then, something happened, and they split. I know that in most congregations people are coming and going all the time, but what John is saying is that the antichrists reveal themselves, not by moving from one congregation to another, but rather by effectively cutting themselves off from the rest of the Body of Christ. True believers remain forever in the Body, antichrists remove and isolate themselves from the Body. While some may argue that you don’t have to be part of a church to be a Christian, without question Christians must be part of the Church, and that means we must be in fellowship with all who hold to the essential and orthodox doctrines of the faith, the very core of which has to do with the person and work of Jesus. What John is telling the Church is, “Watch out for those who reject the fellowship of biblical believers in favor of a more select fellowship of those who claim to know better!” And this brings us to the second identifying mark of the enemy—faulty belief. In particular, faulty belief regarding Jesus.

If Jesus is the Christ, and he most assuredly is, then right belief regarding him is absolutely essential. And here is where the antichrist, or antichrists, expose the truth about himself/themselves—he/they are grounded in lies, in sharp and utter contrast to Jesus who is the Truth. (John 14.6) There is a very simple test, which Jesus himself used, to reveal whether or not one has received from the Father, via the Holy Spirit, the truth about the Christ. One question alone determines the whole issue, and it is this: Who do we say Jesus is? (See Matthew 16:13-19) Only by the Holy Spirit can we know and believe that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Son of the living God, fully divine and fully human. Antichrist/antichrists is/are exposed by rejecting and refuting the truth about Jesus, to believe and propagate lies about him.

John could not have put it more plainly,

“Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is
the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who
denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the
Father also.” 1 John 2:22-23

What moved John to send this warning to his little children was the very real and present danger within the Church of his day of those who rejected the truth about Jesus, and who sought to spread and gain acceptance of lies about him. The sad truth about the Church in our day is that antichrist/antichrists are still in her midst, still seeking to proclaim and gain acceptance of lies about Jesus. Were John here to write to us, his little children, in the 21st Century, he would still exclaim, “Watch out for those who reject any part of what the Bible reveals about Jesus, or who would add to what the Bible says. The Bible is true, and the truths of the Bible are revealed to the Church by Father through the Holy Spirit, who alone teaches us who Jesus is.”

The strategy and tactics of the enemy, of the antichrist, are all darkness and deceit. To know the enemy and overcome him we must know Jesus. Light and truth dispel all darkness and expose all lies. Jesus is the Light and the Truth who exposed the enemy.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Thanked the Father for What He Revealed to His Children

2011-11-24T02:49:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

“I thank you, Father, that you have revealed these things to little children.”
Matthew 11:25

It’s Thanksgiving Day, and, for those who are able to withstand the all but overwhelming cultural current sweeping us towards that most crass and mercantile of all days (That would be Christmas, which has become the one day which we seem to be supposed to spend the other 364 shopping for.), a few moments may be set aside to reflect upon and give thanks to God for the blessings he has graciously given. There will rightfully be many material blessings mentioned by those who will actually offer up sincere prayers of thanks today. But, noting what Jesus thanked the Father for, we might want to be sure to thank the Father most of all for what he’s shown us, rather than for what he’s given us.

The world has always had plenty of people full of wisdom and understanding of worldly ways. In fact, the world loves to reveal itself to those who are anxious to show off just how full of wisdom and understanding they are. And those who are full of wisdom and understanding are not ungrateful; they have been known to offer prayers of thanks for how they are so different from the rest of us (See Luke 18:9-14) But let’s consider a prayer of thanks that Jesus prayed. In his prayer, Jesus thanked the Father for what he kept hidden from those who were full of wisdom and understanding, but chose instead to reveal to little children. Little children is a New Testament term, which John in particular employed, to describe the Church, the body of believers. So, when Jesus offered up thanks to his Father, it was for what the Father had shown to the Church but kept hidden from the world, and the worldly.

The very core of the Father’s revelation to the Church, to the little children, is the knowledge of Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ, the Son of God, who came into the world to bear witness to the truth, and to lay down his life as atonement for our sins. This knowledge will not make us wise and understanding in the world’s eyes. On the contrary, we will come off as fools for believing it. (1 Corinthians 1:18-31) Yet this knowledge, above all else, is what Jesus thanked the Father for revealing to the little children.

God forgive the cynicism in me, but I am afraid there will be few this year who even take the time to offer a prayer of thanksgiving today, what with all the parades, and football games, and, most important of all, the pre-Black Friday sales. But, if you just happen to be one of his little children, may I suggest that you thank the Father most especially for what he has shown you about his Son? I am convinced that if Jesus were to sit down to dinner with us today he would most certainly thank his Father for what he has hidden from the wise but revealed to us.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Warred for the World's Affection

2011-11-19T15:57:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 2:15b

American Greetings and Hallmark probably couldn’t sell many Valentine’s cards depicting war zones. And Russell Stover would likely be broke today if he had sought to market Kevlar body armor for February 14 rather than candy. But, the romantic trappings of Valentine’s Day aside, “Love is a battlefield,” at least according to Pat Benatar back in 1983. Actually, we don’t have to take Benatar’s word for it, all we need to do is read the Bible. Yes, the Bible is a love story, but it’s also the chronicle of a war. The hero of the Bible is, of course, Jesus, who warred for the world’s affection.

Think about it. Jesus came on a mission of love, the Father’s love (John 3:16), but the Son did not come to bring peace (Matthew 10:34). How can this be? Because, love became a battlefield as a result of the Fall. The Tempter had sought to steal the affections of man and woman away from God, and he succeeded. But God was not about to surrender—he would fight, contending against the world, the flesh, and the devil. The Father refused to lose the love of those he had created in his own image.

Now, if you know the Scriptures, you know that the contest raged for generations, with much blood spilled. Yet, ultimately, the blood of the Lamb of God settled the contest once and for all. Yes, the fighting still goes on, but the war has been won. Though defeated, the enemy still seeks to hurt and wound, even kill, as many as he can. Love remains a battlefield.

The good thing is, Satan has never changed his tactics. Yes, he’s a liar, and he’s tricky, but we know how he works. John in fact spelled it out in verse 16 in words of warning to the Church two thousand years ago: 1) Because of the Fall our fleshly desires, our physical appetites, which God himself gave us, grow insatiable, demanding that we indulge them to excess, even if it means breaking God’s law. 2) Our eyes, by which we primarily take in the beauty and good things God created in the world, grow lustful to gaze for selfish sinful pleasure on that upon which we should not look. The eye is also the primary route by which covetousness gets a hold of us. 3) Rather than joy and thankfulness for the many gifts God gives us, we take pride in possessions we ourselves acquire; we’ve seen the silly bumper sticker that says, “He who dies with the most toys, wins.” Our delight is in the material, at the cost of the spiritual.

Jesus came to show us, and to teach us, another way. The Son came to war, and to woo, and to win back our affection, that we would again give it to the Father. The Church, called to live in the love of God, cannot not do so while having an affair with the world. And, like all affairs, that with the world is doomed to end, and end badly. For the world, and all its many desires and sinful pleasures will come to an end, along with all who choose to love it rather than God. (1 John 2:17a) Not so for those who know and love God, and do his will. For, like the Son, they have eternal life by the power of the Father’s love. (1 John 2:17b) Jesus warred, and won the battle for our affection. Following the Lord’s example, and heeding the warning of John, the Church gives its love, now and forever, to the Father.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Lit Up the World (And So Should We!)

2011-11-19T15:30:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

"I AM the light of the world.”
John 8:12

“YOU ARE the light of the world.”
Matthew 5:14

Has this ever happened to you? There’s a severe electric storm going on, and, after one particularly bright flash of lightning your home is plunged into darkness. You go to find the flashlight you stored for just such an emergency, take it out of the cabinet, click the switch and—nothing—the power’s gone! On more than one occasion when I’ve needed it, I’ve reached for a flashlight that had fresh, fully charged batteries in it at one time, but it sat unused for so long that all the power in the batteries had long since drained out. The flashlight, contrary to its purpose, was quite incapable of illuminating anything. So, in the dark I remained. Though they had been filled with power, weeks and months of doing nothing had turned the batteries into nothing more than paperweights.

Many Christians are like those batteries, filled with power that goes unused for long periods of time, so that when, at long last, they try to shed some light in a dark place—nothing—the power’s gone! This is not a good thing for people who are supposed to be the light of the world. The power of faith, it turns out, can, like the power of batteries, be lost through nothing more than lying idle and unused.

Thankfully, faith can, like some batteries, be recharged. The thing is, recharging doesn’t just happen. To keep batteries, and faith, fresh and full, we need to plug in to a source of power. In the case of batteries this involves putting them in a re-charger, and putting the re-charger into an electrical outlet. In the case of faith re-charging involves several things: 1) Regularly meeting with the Lord in prayer, in reading the Scripture, and in worship. 2) Regularly meeting with other believers, who mutually “refresh” one another’s faith. 3) Regularly putting one’s faith to work, letting one’s light shine, so that there is a dis-charge of power—for unused faith in a believer, like energy unused in batteries, diminishes our capacity to receive and hold and use power. In short, allowing faith to remain unused for extended periods leaves us dim-bulbs at best, if not altogether in the dark, when bright and powerful light is needed.

And, make no mistake, when Jesus talked about “the light of the world,” he never meant tiny, weak light incapable of contending with and overcoming darkness. No, “the light of the world” is bright, powerful, and always dispels darkness. What do you think, did God say “Let there be light” in Genesis 1:3, or did he say “Let there be LIGHT!”? Considering what John says about the Light in the fifth verse of Chapter One of his Gospel, I have no doubt that the light of the world is big and bright almost beyond imagining.

This light, which John clearly reveals as none other than the person of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, the very Word of God come into the world (John 1:9), was made for shining, and, incredibly, for sharing! For, even as the Lord proclaimed himself the Light of the World (John 8:12), he also made the same declaration of his disciples (Matthew 5:14). And, pointedly, Jesus charged his followers, who have no little light in them but rather a great big light regardless of what the song says, to let their light shine, not just in emergencies, but at all times, to the glory of the Father. And, the more we let our light shine, the brighter and more powerful it becomes, as the Father continually renews us in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus lit up a world lost in darkness, so that life, true and everlasting life, would come to us. In the same way we are to let our light, our faith, shine, so that others may yet receive Christ’s gift of life.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Planted the Word of Love Deeply in His Disciples

2011-11-11T15:48:00.002-05:00

What did Jesus Do?

I write to you…because the Word of God abides in you.
1 John 2:14

I’m not going to say it’s true for every home, but I would venture to say that in many homes, perhaps even in most homes, you will find a box (often an old shoebox) filled with old letters. They might be Dad’s/Grandpa’s letters to Mom/Grandma. Or they could be Father’s letters to his daughter, or Mother’s letters to her son. Letters, maybe some cards as well, the main thing is that they contain words of advice, words of encouragement, words of love. Words that took deep root in the heart of the one who received the letters, and which have been carefully stored and preserved by families for generations.

The Bible contains many different types of written expression. There is history, poetry, and law. Of course there are those very special sacred biographies which we call the Gospels. There are also letters. Letters lovingly written, and carefully held onto and passed down through the many generations of a family, God’s family. To the family they are words of light, words of life, words of love. Through the letters, no less than any of the other parts of Scripture, Jesus planted the Word deeply in His disciples, who were, and who are, his family.

The apostle John considered the Church his family. And, as part of the first generation of believers, John had a rather paternalistic way of looking at the Church—her members were all his “little children”—John’s beloved and cherished family. So John wrote to his children about core beliefs, formative values, that made the family what it was. Every one of the “little children”, every member of the Church, believed and knew that their sins had been forgiven “for the sake of his name.” (1 John 2:12) “For the sake of” should be understood as “on account of” or “because of” the name of Jesus. Forgiven because of his name, Jesus, which means “God saves.” More specifically than God, “Yah,” as in Yahweh, saves. John wrote to the Church whose members all knew the truth about their salvation. John’s “little children” all knew “the Father” as well as the Son. (1 John 2:13c) The Church knows the “how” of her salvation: through the forgiveness of sin. The Church knows the “by whom” of her salvation: Jesus, the Son. And the Church knows the “for whom” of her salvation: the Father.

John knew his generation was quickly passing away, that the Church would very soon have to look beyond the apostles for direction and leadership. So John also wrote to those he called “fathers,” the elders and overseers who had particular responsibility for the spiritual health, safety, and welfare of the family. (1 John 2: 13a, 14a) The faith of the fathers, was rooted in their knowledge of, and relationship with, “him who is from the beginning.” The fathers operated according to the truth about the eternal living God.

The elders were not alone, of course, in the Church. Close behind them were “young men,” and we can confidently add young women as well, to whom John was also speaking in the family. (1 John 2:13b, 14b) This young and rising generation was victorious and strong because, in Christ, it had overcome the devil (“the evil one”) by the power of the very Word of God planted and growing in them.

The cumulative effect of these verses is to assure the Church that we walk in the light and in love not only because of God’s Law (the old/new commandment mentioned in verses 7-8), not only because of our love for one another (verses 9-11), but also because of the power of what we know and believe in, the power of our Christian faith (verses 12-14). The faith of the Church is found and expressed in the Word, John’s letters included, the Word of Love which Jesus himself plants deeply in his disciples.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Showed His Disciples How to Let the Light of Love Shine

2011-11-11T10:02:00.002-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

Whoever loves his brother abides in the light…
1 John 2.10

If we were spelunkers (That’s a fancy word for folks who like to crawl about in caves), and delved deep enough into places that know nothing but perpetual darkness, we might come upon some curious creatures that have eyes, but do not see because they have not been exposed to any light whatsoever. The optic apparatus in these cave-dwellers is in fact so atrophied that even if they were to come into the light, they would be totally blind. There are some of these sightless creatures that have been in the darkness for so many generations that they have no eyes at all any longer, but only vestigial eye sockets.

But, it doesn’t take generations of being in darkness for our eyes to grow weak, even incapable of seeing. We all know how, after even a modest of time in darkness, coming into light can be so blinding that we literally stumble about for a few moments. And, when we are talking about our spiritual “vision,” even walking for a short time in darkness, deceit, and enmity begins to deteriorate our ability to see the light, to know the truth, and to live in love. The truth is, sightless troglodytes notwithstanding, that most every living thing on earth needs light in order to live. Yet, in this world darkness seems to always be striving against the light. That’s why Jesus showed his disciples how to let the light of love shine.

God is light (1 John 1:5), it is his very nature. God is love (1 John 4:8), love too is his very nature. In God light and love, though not equivalent, are inseparable. There can be no expression or manifestation of God without the presence and power of his light and his love. Thus, God’s Law is an expression of both his light and love. The highest and most complete expression of God’s light and love is in the person of Jesus; in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the light and the love of the Father are completely and perfectly revealed. Any and all who come to Christ come out of darkness into light, and from hatred to love. It was one of the Lord’s goals during his earthly sojourn to show his disciples how to let the light of the Father’s love shine in them and from them, so that the true light of God shines in the love of Christians.

John noted in his day, and, sadly, we may still note, that there are many, too many, who say that they are in the light (Have a personal relationship with Jesus), while evidencing not love, but actual hate, towards fellow believers. What is their true state? They are in darkness (1 John 2:9), quite as lost as if they had never even heard the name of Jesus. The tragic fate of such as these is that they eventually become as those cave-dwelling creatures—they have eyes, yet are blind to light, to love, to truth. (1 John 2:11)

Yes, we can say we stand in the light of Jesus, but if we don’t love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are in darkness, as good as blind. Even as the light and love of God’s nature are inseparable, so too are they inseparable in the believer. And it is every believer’s calling to let the light of the love of Jesus shine. The Lord himself said that the only way the world can come out of darkness, and see the light of God’s truth in disciples, is by the love we exhibit towards one another. (John 13:35) We know neither the light or the love of the Father apart from the Son, which is why Jesus showed his disciples how to let the light of love shine in the world by loving one another.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Became A Curse

2011-11-08T15:15:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

Christ redeemed us by becoming a curse for us.
Galatians 3.13

(Thanks to my friend Richard White, who preached on Galatians 3:10-14 at the Montreat Presbyterian Church, EPC, on November 6, 2011, and planted the seed of this WDJD.)

It’s cliché, that most men have a hard time saying, "I love you.” Personally, I don’t know why women, or men for that matter, put so much stock in hearing those words. After all, talk is cheap. It is one thing to say you love someone, even love them a lot, and quite another to show your love for another. Now, the Father did something extraordinary to show how much love he has for us—he sent his beloved Son to become a curse for us. And, here’s the thing, the Son was willing to become that curse!

Just so we’re on the same page, let’s make sure we are all talking about the same thing. A curse, according to the dictionary, is “the expression of a wish that misfortune, evil, etc., befall another,” or, “the cause of evil, misfortune, or trouble.” Is that what was in the Father’s heart when he sent the Son? By no means! The truth is, the world, every life, has more than enough misfortune, evil, and trouble all on our own. There is no need for God, or anyone, to lay a curse on another. So what was the Father up to, making his Son become a curse?

Well, in his typical, turn-things-upside down, confound all-worldly-logic style, the Father employed the Son to transfer and to transform. The transfer involved taking the curse/penalty that rightfully was laid upon all who sinned (That would be you, me, everybody), and putting it on the One who alone was innocent of any evil/sin deserving of the curse/penalty (That would be Jesus, the spotless and unblemished Lamb of God): “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree so that we should die to sin.” (1 Peter 2:24) Jesus, the servant of the Lord foretold in Isaiah, received all that was meant for us in order that we would receive all that he alone deserves (Isaiah 53). The transformation involved the One who alone was righteous becoming as one who was unrighteous, so that many sinners would be accounted righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). Both the transfer and the transformation were wrought upon the cross/tree whereby Jesus occupied the place of one cursed by God (Deuteronomy 21:23). In other words, Jesus, though he didn’t deserve it, became a curse in order that we could be blessed, though we don’t deserve it.

There is no other way at all that we can obtain the Father’s blessing than simply to believe in the Son, and in what he accomplished on the cross. No striving on our part, no amount of works, no offering or sacrifice can avail to begin to remove the curse our sins deserve, or evoke the slightest blessing, much less the incredible blessing of forgiveness and eternal life. As odd as it sounds, when someone asks when we were saved, the answer is, “When Jesus became a curse.”

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Revealed the Old Truth of the Father's Love in a New Light

2011-11-08T14:34:00.001-05:00

What Did Jesus Do?

…it is a new commandment I am writing to you,
which is true in him and in you.
1 John 2.8a

A lot of folks these days are into things “retro.” NFL teams take the field in 1950s or 1960s style uniforms. Bell bottomed pants again fill the racks at trendy clothing stores. It seems as if half of the programs on television are re-runs or re-makes of shows 10, 20, 30 years-old. Automobile manufacturers have been resurrecting old favorites like Ford’s classic two-seater Thunderbird and Dodge’s well-muscled Challenger. There’s no doubt that modern day retakes on old favorites is big business. In the end, though, retro is nothing more than a look, it’s not the real thing, but just a facsimile. Such was not at all the case with Jesus. His incarnation of the Law, “an old commandment that you had from the beginning,” (1 John 2:7) was in fact the absolute, complete, and true fulfillment of the Father’s original instructions to his children as to how they were to live. Yet, at the same time John wrote of “no new commandment,” he could honestly say to the Church that he was writing about “a new commandment.”

It might be helpful to think of it this way. What are the first words of God recorded in the Bible? “Let there be light.” (Genesis 1:3) Other than God himself, there is nothing older than light. So, when Jesus, the true light (John 1:9), came into the world on that wonderful night when he was born in Bethlehem, it was the new and startling appearance of that which was in fact older than the world itself. That which was all but immeasurably old had been manifest in a radically new, yet absolutely true to the original, way. Starting “in the beginning,” the word of God’s Law was a “lamp to our feet and a light to our path” (Psalm 119:105). Yet, in Jesus, the old light shined in a way it never had before, and it will continue shine in that radically new way until the ending of the age. Though the Son is now seated at the Father’s right hand, the light of the old/new commandment in Jesus still shines in the world because the light is also in his Church (“in you” 1 John 2.8a).

What was so radical and new about the way the light of the Law shone in Jesus? In Christ the light revealed, completely and perfectly, the love of God which is the wellspring of the law of God. The commandment God had given from the beginning was love: love of God (Deuteronomy 6:5), and love of neighbor (Leviticus 19:18), yet, in Jesus, the law of love was so perfectly embodied and fulfilled as to appear new. The light by which God had first dispelled the darkness when he had decreed in the beginning, “Let there be…” was nothing other than his love. And John tells the Church that, since the light of the Father’s love was revealed in a new way in and through the Son, we are to let that same light shine in us by loving as Jesus loved.

As it turns out, the only thing that makes darkness pass away is love. God’s love shining from the words of his Law. The Father’s love shining from the Incarnate Son. The Son’s love shining from his Church. The Church’s love shining from her members as they love one another. John wanted believers, the Church, to know that we are to live in love, and walk in light. We can so live, and so walk, because Jesus revealed the old truth about God’s love in a new light.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Advocated

2011-11-04T10:15:00.001-04:00

What Did Jesus Do?

…we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
1 John 2.1b

The Boy Scouts have this little thing called a Totin’ Chip Card, which all Scouts and leaders are supposed to earn before they can carry and use woods tools (axes, knives, and saws). The intent is to instruct Scouts in the safe and proper handling of these tools so as to ensure no accidents occur and no one gets hurt. But if someone should get hurt, every Scout troop and every Scout camp also have first aid kits and trained responders to deal with the emergency. In reality, the “But if” really means “when,” because sooner or later accidents are bound to happen.

In a similar way, the canonical letters of John are his Totin’ Chip Card to the Church, if you will. By carefully and thoroughly instructing the Body of Christ regarding the message he and the other apostles had heard from Jesus himself (1 John 1.5), John seeks to ensure that the Church will walk in the light; essentially, that her members maintain fellowship with one another and with the Father and Son (1 John 1.3), and that they “may not sin.” (1 John 2.1a) Yet, like the Scouts, John realizes that sins, just like “accidents,” is inevitable, so he too provides for the inevitable “when” by inserting his own “But if…” clause. (1 John 2.1b)

Having made it abundantly clear that it is only the worst sort of self-deception for a believer, or the Church, to say that we have no sin (1 John 1.8-10), John adds “But if anyone does sin,” because he knows everyone, even the Church herself, will sin. The key is that John, and all believers, and the Church at all times in all places, have an answer, a response, first aid in the form of our great First Responder—“Jesus Christ the righteous”—who has, and who continues, to deal with sin. We have in the Son, John tells us, an advocate with the Father.

By advocate (Greek parakletos), we should not think of Jesus as merely some kind of divine defense attorney who goes before the Father to plead on our behalf. Yes, Jesus truly does intercede, pleading for us before God’s mercy seat (Romans 8.34; Hebrews 7.25), but as our advocate Jesus has done something more. A paraklete was one who physically came and stood alongside others, sharing their affliction and burden, even to the point of bearing it. Christ’s advocacy on our behalf must be understood in this way—he came into the world, literally came alongside us, and laid down his sinless life in exchange for our lives full of sin. It was and is the sacrifice of the Righteous One for all the unrighteous that gives us hope when we sin. For it is his own sacrifice, the shedding of his blood which alone cleanses from all sin (1 John 1.7), that the Son lays before the Father on our behalf.

We make no pretense of our perfection (1.8-10), nor do we imagine that sin does not matter since Christ died once and for all to forgive our sins. Forgiven in and through Christ Christians practice advocacy, in that we come alongside and pray for and forgive one another. It is with great thanksgiving that we receive and believe, and as the Church, testify to, the great gift of forgiveness the Father has given us through the Son, Jesus Christ, who was perfectly willing to be our Advocate.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Forgave and Cleansed Sinners, Not Those Who Are "Basically Good"

2011-11-01T12:36:00.002-04:00

What Did Jesus Do?

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1.9

Halloween, a day when, many celebrate darkness, evil, and wickedness in the name of “fun,” has come and gone. Personally, I don’t find anything funny, or comforting, about darkness, evil, and wickedness. And, I don’t know how people who like to believe that they are “basically good,” can honestly celebrate, even in “fun,” darkness, evil, and wickedness.

You know, don’t you, that there are many, way too many actually, who like to both believe and proclaim that people are “basically good.” Right! (As Bill Cosby used to say) That’s why there is so much very real darkness, evil, and wickedness in the world—all those “basically good” people going about being “good.” In fact, the exact opposite is the case. Rather than “basically good” we are all totally depraved. Instead of goodness and light we’re all full of evil, filthy, smelly, darkness. Take a good, honest look inside people—inside yourselves—and you’ll find a reasonable facsimile of a cesspool. Not pleasant to contemplate, but what’s the alternative? To go about complimenting one another on our “basic goodness” while we cheat and steal and rape and murder? We desperately need an extreme makeover from the inside out, to be cleansed, and filled with light. Thankfully, the Father sent Jesus to forgive us and cleanse us.

To claim “basic goodness,” is to deny the reality of the sin nature within each one of us. It is the grossest self-deceit. Oh, we’re all full of something all right, but it’s not goodness, and, as long as we say we are without sin, it is certainly not the truth. There is no greater darkness, than that of a soul that deceives itself into believing in its basic goodness. In short, there is no truth to the claim to “basic goodness,” and those who make and believe that claim are filled with lies. And a lie, no matter how fervently it is believed, can never be the truth. John put it plainly and simply enough, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1.8) No truth, no light, and, ultimately, no life.

But there is great good news for all of us whose interior landscape would otherwise be a land of deep darkness—on us (and in us) light can shine! (Isaiah 9.2) If we would but confess that, rather than “basically good,” we are afflicted with a dark and sinful nature, the God of the Bible is altogether ready to forgive and cleanse us (1 John 1.9). The key is trusting in the faithfulness and justice that are part of the very nature of God. Where we are faithless and fickle, God is absolutely constant and true, completely and perfectly faithful to who he is, and to his promises. When God says that he will forgive the sins we confess to him, we can count on it as a certainty.

Our confession is made to God who is not only faithful, but who is also just. Justice requires that sin must be punished, which would be very bad news for sinners like us, except for the fact that Jesus has already taken the full measure of the punishment for sin upon himself. The penalty for sin has been paid on the cross—justice now dictates that those who formerly were charged with, and guilty of, sin be set free of sin and its curses. Sin’s stain has been thoroughly cleansed by the purging flow of Christ’s blood, our unrighteousness has been washed away, and we now stand, in Jesus, as righteous, which is not just to be “basically good,” but rather radically, totally, and perfectly good, as God is good so far beyond “basically” as to be immeasurably more so.

There’s another aspect of sin that must be confronted and dealt with. As noted above, there is much very real darkness, evil, and wickedness in the world. This is to admit that we are not talking in the abstract about human nature, but in actuality. Sin happens, it is real, and we are, if not its authors, then certainly its perpetrators. Even if we concede that we have a nature that inclines us to sin, but claim that we have somehow overcome our nature and not sinned, then there is great deceit again being practiced (1 John 1.10). In fact, we make God out to be a liar when we claim not to have sinned, for his Word declares that all of us have sinned, and fallen short of his glory. (Romans 3.23)

The glare of headlines may, if we are willing to surrender the false teaching of “basic goodness,” convince us of the reality of sin in the world. But, all of us need to let the light of Christ, the light of God’s Word, illuminate what we would rather remain hidden in the darkness inside us—our own sins—if we would be forgiven, cleansed, and filled with the light and the Word. To confess our sin is painful, but it is not risky, when we understand the faithfulness and justice of the one to whom we confess. Then, we are truly filled through God’s gift of the Holy Spirit with light, with truth, with love, thanks to Jesus, who forgave and cleansed not those who were “basically good,” but sinners.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Mattered

2011-10-28T11:50:00.000-04:00

What Did Jesus Do?

“No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14.6

Did the clean hands save anyone in the First Century? Did circumcision? Did the Law? Did the Prophets? Did sacrifices? Do traditional hymns, or contemporary Christian music, save anyone in the Twenty-first Century? Do stained glass windows and tall steeples? Does the King James Bible? Does dressing up, or dressing down?

If George Barna had been around in the First Century to poll “believers,” what do you think he would have discovered if he had asked them about what mattered to them when it came to “church”? “Clean hands.” “Circumcision.” “The Law.” “The Prophets.” “Sacrifices.”

I believe if we were to go to a typical church parking lot, on a typical Sunday morning, and asked typical church-goers what mattered to them today we’d probably get answers like the following. “The music.” (That is, traditional hymnody or contemporary.) “The stained glass and the steeple.” (That is, a beautiful building and sanctuary.) “The right Bible.” (That is, the “Authorized,” aka King James Version.) “The atmosphere.” (That is, either “High church-Sunday best,” or “Casual.”)

The thing is, First Century, or Twenty-first, I am afraid the majority of church-goers, would very likely overlook the one thing, actually the one person, who matters most—Jesus. You see, if it’s not about Jesus all the rest that we think matters so much doesn’t amount to anything at all. So many people attend, or seek, a church where they get “it” right, when the only thing that really matters turns out not to be a “thing” at all. What matters is that we get Him!

To employ some high-falutin theological language, it is impossible to get our ecclesiology (how we “do” church) right if we don’t first have our Christology (what we know about and, more importantly, how we relate to, Jesus) right. In fact, only by getting our Christology right can we get our missiology (how we as Christians relate to, and meet the needs of, the world as we glorify the Father in and through the Son in the Holy Spirit’s power). It is only when the Body of Christ has its Christology and missiology together that it can get its ecclesiology in order—only then can the Church be the Church. And there is no doubting that the world desperately needs the Church to be the Church, though the world would never say it.

Here’s the thing, at home, at work, at school, in and around our community, and especially at church, we need to start thinking, talking, and acting as if Jesus really matters, matters more than anything and everything else; because if we don’t, we have no business claiming the title of Christian. You see, apart from Jesus, his compassion, his forgiveness, his grace, his love, his mercy, we have nothing to offer the world that it doesn’t have already.

The truth is, the Father would never have sent the Son into the world, and the Son would not have established his Church in the world, unless Jesus, first, last, and always, mattered.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Lit the Way

2011-10-27T15:16:00.001-04:00

What Did Jesus Do?

This is the message we have heard from him…that God is light.
1 John 1.5

There is a big difference between imagery that attempts to convey what God is like, and those few, essential words that describe not merely divine attributes, but capture the very essence, the nature of God. The Son’s message was all about making sure we don’t just know about the Father, but rather enter into an intimate and personal relationship with him. Such intimacy requires truly knowing the person of God, who and what he really is. Such knowledge is not a journey of seeking and discovering, much less imaging or re-creating, God after our own likes and dislikes; it is a walk upon which we are led to encounter and embrace God’s revelation of himself. The Father uses the Holy Spirit to equip us with the necessary spiritual faculties to receive his revelation, and the Father has elected the Son to lead us to him. It is the path from sin to righteousness, from condemnation to redemption, from death to life, from darkness to light. And it is Jesus who lit the way.

The message that John, and all of Christ’s disciples heard from the Son, and the message that they in turn proclaimed, is: God is light. Light—bright and pure—illuminating all truth, exposing all lies, banishing all sin, manifesting all holiness. Light so absolute and essential that there is no darkness, no hint of darkness, in him at all (1 John 1.5). Light totally exclusive to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Yet light which, incredibly, mercifully, graciously, God calls us to walk and in which we have fellowship with him, and with all believers. And all this is true because—Jesus lit the way.

As there is no darkness at all in the Father, so there is no darkness in those who have fellowship with him in and through the Son. No darkness at all, no “gray areas,” where darkness and light contend. It is therefore impossible for anyone to lay claim to fellowship with God while still walking in darkness (abiding in sin). To claim any refuge at all in gray areas is to live a lie (1 John 1.6). It is only by acknowledging the darkness (sin) that is within us, and by coming to Jesus, the Son who is eternally in the light of fellowship with the Father, and receive the light and cast out all darkness, that we walk in the light, partaking of that very fellowship even as we have fellowship with all believers. For it is only the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all sin, eradicates all the darkness that is within us, and fills us with light, the light of God, who is light (1 John 1.7). Christ’s Church, conceived in, and called to live in, the love of God, so lives only as she is filled by and walks in the light of her Lord, Jesus, who lights the way for her.

Yet, even as we walk in the light, we would be foolish, or wicked, to deny the present and persistent reality of sin, of darkness, in our lives. Fortunately, the meaning of cleanses in verse seven describes a present state of being clean, and of ever and again being cleaned, by the blood Christ shed on the cross. The way which Jesus illuminates out of the darkness of sin into the light of fellowship with God, and with other believers, traverses the ground from our heart to Calvary, from Calvary to the grave, from the grave to the resurrection, and from the resurrection to the glory of the very presence of the Father to which the Son has ascended. Hallelujah! Upon those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness light has shined, so that they now have fellowship with God and with one another in and through the Light, even Jesus, who lit the way.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Incarnated The Eternal

2011-10-26T10:10:00.002-04:00

What Did Jesus Do?

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard,
which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked upon and touched with our hands…
1 John 1.1

In his Gospel John sought to explain the all but inexplicable mystery of the Incarnation of the eternal Word. The first of John’s canonical letters opens by mysteriously referencing to having heard, seen, looked upon, and touched “That which was from the beginning” (1 John 1.1)—namely, the life which had eternally been with the Father (1 John 1.2). It was because this life had been made manifest, that is, incarnated, that John and the other apostles had so seen and so heard, that they were enabled and empowered to testify and proclaim the word of life. And they had testified and had proclaimed, to the end that the fellowship the apostles enjoyed with the Father and the Son might be enlarged to include the Church to which the proclamation, and the letter, were addressed. The enlargement of this fellowship would accomplish nothing short of completing the joy the apostles had in Christ (1 John 1.3).

We must make no mistake, the mystery of divine fellowship, of koinonia, of the Church living in the love of God, even as the Son, the eternal word of life, lives in fellowship with the Father, is very much the theme of the epistles of John. The content of the Gospel which John and the other apostles proclaimed was that fellowship, and life, were to be found in none other than Jesus, himself the life (John 14.6).

Therefore, the life of the Church cannot be separated from her faith, and her faith is grounded both in the Scriptures which attest to the truth of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Living Word, and the testimony of eyewitnesses such as John, who had heard, seen, looked upon, and touched the very word of life which had been made manifest. When the Church so lives, and so believes, as to experience genuine fellowship with God, and with all believers, she enters into the matchless and ever increasing joy that is the very love of God.

John knew that the Incarnation did not stop short of the cross, but embraced it, and death, so that the sacrifice of Christ should be understood as solely and completely sufficient for our redemption. It is this knowledge of what Jesus did that ushers us into the surpassing joy of the love of God. And it is by incarnating, by living, this truth, that the Church helps others to receive the truth, enter her fellowship, and ever increase her joy in the Father and the Son.

Jesus came and manifested the joy and love that he knew from his eternal fellowship with the Father, and he invited his disciples into that fellowship. The Church he established, was birthed in that love and joy, and now lives, ministers, and grows incarnationally in the very same eternal fellowship/koinonia.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Transferred Authority and Responsibility to be Incarnational to His Church

2011-10-25T11:06:00.002-04:00

What Did Jesus Do?

“All authority in haven and on earth has been given to me. [You] go therefore,
and make disciples of all nations.”
Matthew 28.18-19

We have taken a good long look at how John answered the question “What did Jesus do?” in his Gospel. Now we prepare to consider what the apostle said to the Church about what Jesus would do in her. A flesh and blood Savior, the Lamb of God, had been required to bear away the sins of the world (John 1.29); thus the Incarnation is the focus of the Fourth Gospel. That Savior established and commissioned a flesh a blood Church, his Body, and not some spiritualized, removed-from-the world convocation of saints, to continue his mission; thus the incarnational ministry of the Church is the focus of John’s letters.

It may seem a bit strange to be quoting the Gospel of Matthew to introduce a series of WDJDs which will look at the New Testament letters of John. Nevertheless, Christ’s transfer of his authority and power to his Church is important for us to keep in mind as we transition from our consideration of what the Fourth Gospel tells us about the Incarnation of the Word (i.e. the life of Jesus Christ), to what the author of that Gospel has to say to us by way of his letters to the Church, whose ministry has always been, and will always be, incarnational.

Even as the Word took on flesh and lived among us (John 1.14), so the Word, though ascended to heaven where he sits at the Father’s right hand (Hebrews 12.2), is still present and active in and through the Church in the world. In this dark and fallen world it has never been easy to live according to the Light and the Truth of God. The Word (Jesus) was opposed, persecuted, and, ultimately, crucified because the world wanted nothing to do with light and truth, preferring darkness and lies. In the same way, the Church has always, and will always, face tribulation; yet her Lord has, through his death and resurrection, overcome the world (John 16.33). And so the Church has, and will, endure and overcome the world’s persecution by the authority and power bestowed upon her by the Word.

The Son fully accepted from the Father the responsibility to be Light and Truth in and to the world. The Church, in receiving her Commission, accepted the responsibility to continue to bear the Light and the Truth in and to the world, faithfully to proclaim the Gospel throughout the ages, until the Son himself returns. The Church has no life, no ministry, other than that which is incarnational. Any other life and ministry is false. And this is the very concern which prompted John to write his letters to the Church. It was imperative that the Church know and distinguish between the Incarnation, and the authentically incarnational, and the false proclamation of the Gnostics which would lead the Church away from living in, and proclaiming the Light and the Truth.

As the Apostle John neared the end of his life, he was more concerned than ever that the Church should understand what it means, and what it requires, incarnationally, to represent the Incarnate Word. John’s letters were written to the Church called to live in the in the love of God. For, in the end, to be incarnational means to so love the world as to both live, and be willing to die, so that the Light and Truth of God will never perish, but rather accomplish all that the Father has desired. This is what the Church is called to do, because that’s what Jesus did.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Did Good

2011-10-24T10:08:00.001-04:00

What Did Jesus Do?

He went about doing good…
Acts 10.38

Jesus came to proclaim the Gospel, call people to repentance, and announce the advent of the kingdom of God (Mark 1.14-15). But Christ’s ministry was more than just preaching the Good Word. As it turns out, James was right, faith without works is dead (James 2.17). The faith Jesus had, the faith which he imparted to his disciples, was definitely a living and active faith that coupled deeds with words. And, when it came to his deeds, Jesus did good.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe James overshot the mark when he asked if faith without works can save (James 2.14). The answer is an unequivocal “Yes!” Works contribute nothing to our salvation, which rests entirely with the grace of the Lord. But in a broken and fallen world oppressed by sin and death, there is a desperate need for faith to be living and active. Salvation is not the end point of our life in Christ, but rather its beginning. There is, as Paul implied in his second letter to Timothy, and as the author of Hebrews exhorts us, a race to be run. This race through life is not a quest to find faith and salvation. Rather it is a marathon we complete empowered by the knowledge of our salvation and the living out of our faith by doing what Jesus did—by doing good.

In case you are not sure we are supposed to be doing good to and for one another, as Jesus did good to and for us, recall these words spoken by the Lord to his disciples, “For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you…If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (John 13.15, 17) We have not been blessed to the end that we cling to our blessings, but rather that we may in turn go and be Christ’s instruments for the blessing of others.

During his time on earth Jesus clearly went about doing good. Yet, even though he is now seated at the right hand of the Father, the Son would still go about and do good, for the world continues to have great need of him. The way Jesus has gone about and done good since his ascension is in and through his followers individually, and corporately, in and through his Church.

Unfortunately, doing good has gotten something of a bad reputation. “Do-Gooders” are often thought of as bleeding hearts, liberals who tell other people what to do with their poverty, or naïve idealists. Some say that doing good is impractical, while others go so far as to say it is just about impossible. And, in this troubled world, cynics even sneer that no good deed goes unpunished. But consider the alternatives.

Those who are saved might choose to rejoice in their salvation, while seeking to effectively distance themselves from the world, to sit out life in the security of salvation while doing essentially nothing with their faith. Others might pursue the good, but on their own terms, in their own power. Alternately, one could, perversely, go about doing evil rather than good. Given these other options, it is clear that doing good is every Christian’s calling.

But, there are some significant qualifiers. All the good the Son did, he did in obedience and submission to the will of the Father, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Believers desiring to do good must likewise obey and submit to the Father’s will, and rely on the Holy Spirit’s power and direction, or the good they seek to do will turn out to be something else entirely. It’s the name of Jesus we lift up as we do good, it’s the Father whom we glorify as we do good, and it is the Holy Spirit in us, and not our flesh, who accomplishes this good.

The call of discipleship, to deny one’s self, and take up one’s cross and follow Jesus, is a call to go about doing good. It is a call to do what Jesus did.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Built His Church

2011-10-17T12:51:00.001-04:00

What Did Jesus Do?

“…I will build my church…”
Matthew 16.18

Much is made, and rightly so, of the confession of Peter in Matthew 16.16, which in turn prompted the Lord’s declaration that the impetuous, and inspired, fisherman was to be the rock upon whom Christ would found and build his church. To me, it seems high time to give some more consideration to what Jesus meant, and means, when he talks about “his church.”

The Greek word employed in the New Testament which is translated as “church” is ekklesia, which means literally, “the called out ones.” I believe much of the Body of Christ today has either forgotten, or perhaps never really known, the nature of her called-outness, to create a novel, but helpful term. By “called out” the Church must grasp the radical nature of her inception and her life. Radical here is to be understood as foundational, fundamental, essential, and intrinsic.

Christ established his Church to be an out of this world organism. By the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Church is to think, speak, and act in direct and utter contrast to the way the world thinks, speaks, and acts. Yet, it was never the Lord’s intention to remove his Church from the world, but rather to have his Church insistently and vigorously encounter and engage the world from her out of the world perspective. Essentially, the Church, both on the level of her individual members, and corporately, was and is to manifest to and for the world a whole new way of life, of being human. The life of the Church is lived by loving the Father with her whole being, completely submitting to the Son’s Lordship, and totally in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is life so different from life lived under the control of the world, the flesh, and the devil as to be, thoroughly alien.

You see, though Jesus established his Church by calling her out of the world, he also gave his Church her singular commission to “go into the world.” (see Matthew 28.18-20 and Acts 1.8) Thus, the Church must understand both the radical nature of her creation, and the missionary nature of her calling. In fact, a church or denomination that fails to understand that it has been radically called out in order to be sent in knows neither its true origin nor its true mission.

Wherever and whenever the Church has been true to her origin and her mission, she has flourished, even in the face of opposition and bitter persecution. But, when the Church loses or compromises her true self she languishes, and recedes into irrelevancy. This is largely the case with the Church in North America at this juncture in the Twenty-first Century. Part of the body of Christ, in touch with the radical called out foundation, stands apart from, and in judgment of, the world. Yet this part of the Body seems to have forgotten the sent in mission, and seeks to avoid encountering and engaging the world. Another part of the Body, embracing the sent in mission, has forgotten, or, in some cases, intentionally abandoned, the radical called out foundation, and become so worldly as to effectively refute the Son’s lordship. Thus, many churches make lost sinners feel unwelcome, while many others welcome lost sinners but leave them as lost in the church as out.

The good news is that there are a growing number of congregations which are coming to a fuller understanding of their radical called out foundation, and their singular sent in mission. These are churches which place a high value on coming together for deep, powerful, and sincere worship on the Lord’s Day, and are committed to going out to fulfill the Great Commission when worship ends. These churches recognize that it is in true worship and mission alone that the Church, the Body of Christ, is built up.

Remember, this is what Jesus did: he came into the world to build his Church.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Did More Than We Can Know, For Now

2011-10-17T12:18:00.002-04:00

What Did Jesus Do?

Now there are also many other things that Jesus did…
John 21.25

John freely admitted that his Gospel was not comprehensive or all-inclusive, yet there was enough in it for readers to come to believe that, “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20.30-31) In other words, John doesn’t tell us all there is to know about Jesus, but he tells us enough to get us to the place where we will be able to hear, as they say, the rest of the story. The plain and simple truth is, Jesus did more than we can know, for now.

Please don’t think John a slacker for not writing a second or third volume to complete the task of telling us all about Jesus. John well understood that the whole story of Jesus is immense. In fact, even if the whole world was turned into a library devoted to subject of Jesus and what he did, it would not be big enough to hold all the books that would have to be written (John 21.25). Considering that the story of the Son of God spans from eternity past all the way through eternity future, it’s obvious, isn’t it, that all of history is not big enough to compass the telling of the tale.

The good news, that is the gospel, is that the Father has gone to great lengths, even to the sacrifice of his Son on the cross, to reveal that part of the story of Jesus sufficient for our salvation, or, as John put it, for us to have life in his name. Yes, the Son did more than we can know for now, but what we can now know is what the Father requires for our salvation: that Jesus is his Son, and that he died for the remission of our sins. This part of the story the Father graciously and freely gives us now.

Like Paul, now we know in part, with the assurance that there is a coming day when we shall know fully (1 Corinthians 13.12). And here’s the thing, as we have now come to the close of John’s Gospel, the rest of the story is still being written and as Christ’s disciples we are part of it! You see, though Jesus is indeed seated this very moment at the Father’s right hand in heaven (see Ephesians 1.20; Matthew 26.64), he is also most certainly present in the world both in his Church, and in each and every believer, by virtue of the work of the Holy Spirit. For the Church is Christ’s Body in the world; none but the Lord Jesus animates and directs her life, her worship, her work. And all believers have been crucified with Christ, so that it is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us (Galatians 2.20).

As I see it, the Father has given us his Word, the Bible, and we are to read that part of the story thus far revealed, so that we may believe and have life in Jesus’ name, and learn from it every day what Jesus, the Son, did. Then, in that belief and that knowledge, we should submit each day to whatever the Lord wills to do in and through us. What better question to ask than, “What did Jesus do?” as we begin the day in the Word? Then, informed by the Word as we prepare to go out into the world, a second question should direct and motivate us, “What WILL Jesus do today, in and through me?” Finally, at the close of each day, we would do well to reflect, asking, “What DID Jesus do today?” For, as the story is still being written, it is certain that Jesus is still doing!

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Took Responsibility for the Life and Death of His Disciples

2011-10-14T22:01:00.002-04:00

What Did Jesus Do?

“If it is my will that he remain…what is that to you? Follow me!”
John 21.22

The Lord, having deconstructed Peter’s denial, restored him to apostleship, charged him with the care of His flock (John 21.15-19; see WDJD for 10/3/11), and warned him about the God glorifying manner of the death that awaited him. Peter’s immediate response, and we all know Peter was always quick to respond, was to express concern for one of Christ’s little lambs—“the disciple whom Jesus loved” (the author of the Fourth Gospel, John, the younger brother of James)—“Lord, what about his man?” (John 21.21) Though the text is not explicit as to Peter’s motive in inquiring about John’s fate, I would credit him with desiring that the youngest of the Twelve should not have to suffer the same awful death that Jesus had just told Peter he would one day face.

Whether or not Peter is deserving of such credit, it is clear that the Lord assumed full responsibility for the life and death of his disciples, “If it is my will that he (John) remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!” Jesus let Peter know that, just as he called Peter, so too had he called John. In the same way, John’s life and death were the Lord’s responsibility. Peter’s sole focus was to be on one thing, and one thing alone: following Jesus.

This is not to say that disciples, whether we are talking about the First Century, or the Twenty-first, should ever ignore one another. Rather, as Christ’s calling of a disciple is a strictly personal matter, the working out of that calling, the manner of an individual disciple’s life, and death, ultimately lie in the hands of Jesus. Certainly, we must so remember our brothers and sisters in prayer that we continually ask that the Lord’s will be done in their lives; but we should never forget that our calling is our calling, and their calling is their calling. And, again, the responsibility for every disciple’s calling, our life and our death, is the Lord’s.

The work of discipling others, then, is not so much a matter of directing their course as it is helping others so to grow in the knowledge and love of Jesus, and of the Scriptures, as to themselves discern and follow the course the Lord alone determines for them. This is the work of feeding and tending the sheep who follow, not us, but Jesus, the Good Shepherd. We may, indeed, we certainly should, share in our common life in Christ. Consider the following New Testament passages which instruct disciples to be involved in “one anothering,”: “love one another” (John 13.34), “instruct one another” (Romans 15.14), “care for one another” (1 Corinthians 12.25), “comfort one another” (2 Corinthians 13.11), “serve one another” (Galatians 5.13), “submit to one another” (Ephesians 5.21), “teach and admonish one another” (Colossians 3.16) “encourage one another” (1 Thessalonians 4.18), “exhort one another” (Hebrews 3.13), “stir one another up to good works” (Hebrews 10.24), “confess to and pray for one another” (James 5.16). Clearly, the Bible urges us to share a mutual concern for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Still, to follow Jesus means that each of us must carry our own cross, walk our own walk, and ultimately stand alone in accountability before the Lord. Yet, we may carry our cross, walk our walk, and persevere to the end of our race (2 Timothy 4.7), in full assurance and hope, knowing that Jesus Christ himself takes responsibility for the life and death, and resurrection to eternal life, of each and every one of his disciples.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Deconstructed Denial

2011-10-03T09:22:00.000-04:00

What Did Jesus Do?

“Do you love me?” and he (Peter) said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”
John 21.17

I have trouble imagining anything to match the strength of Peter’s declaration that, “Even if I must die with you, I will not DENY you” (Matthew 26.35)—other than the vehemence of his thrice repeated denial! (Matthew 26.69-74) Little wonder at the bitterness that swept over the apostle when the realization of what he had done broke upon him with the crowing of the rooster (Matthew 26.75). How could Peter ever shake the stark and convicting reality that, when it mattered most, he was no disciple at all, much less the sure and sturdy rock upon whom Christ would build his Church, but rather a flat-out denier of the Lord?

I’m not sure, but, broken and bitter, filled with self-recrimination as he was, Peter may have been considering simply returning to his old life as a fisherman of Galilee. If he had had such a thought in mind, a night of fruitless fishing might well have caused him to see himself as a failure in his former vocation, as well as in the one Jesus had called him to. To tell you the truth, I feel sorry for the Peter of John 18.27-21.7. But then, on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, Jesus deconstructed Peter’s denial, by giving his disciple three opportunities to affirm his love for the Lord.

The truth is, Jesus is not about to let any of his followers who stumble and fall, or who even desert and deny, to abide forever in bitterness, regret, and sorrow. While the Devil loves to tell Christians that we are no better than our latest moral or spiritual failure, Jesus ever and again comes to his own to both reassure us, and give us opportunities to demonstrate, that we are who he calls us to be, who the Holy Spirit empowers us to be, and who the Father has ordained us to be. This is grace, sweet and powerful enough to deconstruct our most bitter falling and failing, and to build us up anew in faith, hope, and love.

And this is not restricted to individual disciples. The same process of renewal and revitalization can and does restore broken families, foundering congregations and fellowships of faith, and even the Church Catholic (see the Reformation and the Great Awakening for vast restorative and re-constructing movements of the Holy Spirit in the Body of Christ).

There are at least two lessons I believe we need to take from this passage: 1) When we come up short, when we stumble, when we fall away (And we all sin and fall short; see Romans 3.23)), we need to recall the deconstruction of Peter’s denial and his restoration, and be assured that Jesus is not going to reject us or cut us lose. Rather, the Lord has promised to abide with us, and abide with us on our worst days as disciples as well as our best, and to again and again renew, revive, and restore us. 2) Christ expects, actually commands, that we are to love one another, and extend such grace and mercy to each other that, when a brother or sister pulls a “Peter” and denies, defames, or disappoints, we refuse to focus on their fallings, or to allow them to define themselves by their failing, and instead affirm that they remain precious in the Father’s eyes, highly valued by the Son, favored by the Holy Spirit, and that we cherish them as an important and beloved member of the Body of Christ. That’s what Jesus did when he deconstructed Peter’s denial, and directed him to feed and care for the Lord’s flock.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4

Jesus Showed Discouraged Disciples the Right Way to Catch Fish

2011-09-27T15:06:00.001-04:00

What Did Jesus Do?

“Cast the net on the right side of the boat…”
John 21.6

The last thing the boatload of discouraged disciples, who had spent an entire night fruitlessly casting their nets up the water, wanted to hear was some wiseacre on the shore tell them they’d been fishing from the wrong side of the boat! But such was the advice of the figure who called to them out of the grayness of the early morning mists upon the Sea of Tiberias (Galilee). Their muscles already tired, and their hearts discouraged, the seven fishermen had nothing to lose, so they tossed their net over the other side, the right side of the boat. At least they could then go ashore and tell the fool that he knew nothing about fishing. Of course, they were the ones who had nothing to show for their night’s labors, until…

Whoa! Either the net caught on a sunken boat, or there was a whole lot of fish in the lake where there hadn’t been any all night. Heave! Pull! It was no use, the net was simply too heavy to bring aboard because of the quantity of fish it suddenly held. While the others struggled with the load, wondering how the man on the shore had known exactly where the fish were, the apostle John who, along with Peter and Thomas, Nathaniel, and John’s brother James and two other unknown disciples, had had no luck whatsoever fishing all night, realized that it wasn’t just some stranger who happened to be out for an early morning walk along the beach who had showed the right way to catch fish, it was the Lord! Hearing John utter this declaration, Peter did not hesitate, but plunged into the water and quickly swam the hundred yards to shore. The others, clinging to the suddenly bulging net, brought the boat in to the beach.

As it turned out, the nets held 153 fish, which might not sound like a lot to those who today employ huge nets to catch tens of thousands of fish in one haul. But Peter and the others were not in a deep-sea trawler, but a small boat that would probably have foundered and sunk under the wieght of 153 fish being brought aboard. Empty nets also meant empty stomachs, but Jesus had already begun to prepare a breakfast of bread and fish, to which would be added some of the fresh catch. A long, frustrating, discouraging night was turning into a glorious new day, and it was Jesus who had worked the transformation. Just imagine, one of the worst nights of fishing trasformed into the best and most fondly remembered fishinhg trip ever! But that is what happens when we let Jesus show us the way—we are transported from worst to best, discouragement and frustration are transformed to encouragement and success.

Here’s a question for you. How’s the fishing been? I don’t mean how many haddock have you hauled in—what I’m asking is, how have you been making out as a “fisher of men?” Have you been working hard, casting your net, with little or nothing to show for your effort? Have days and nights of discouragement moved you to fold up your net and shove it in a closet and forget about it? Are you thinking that there may be others whom Jesus sends out to “catch” men, women, and children, and bring them in to his kingdom, but he must have some other work for you? The truth is, evangelism, like fishing, isn’t easy. And, again like fishing, if you don’t know what you’re doing, success will be hard to come by.

One of the keys to successful fishing is to know where and when to cast your net. One of the keys to successful evangelism is to continually seek the Lord’s counsel. Jesus knows the right way to catch men. The Lord knows the right places, the right times, and the right words to bring in hundreds of thousands, millions, even billions, to the kingdom. The key is to look for the Lord, and to listen to him before you frustrate yourself casting about in the wrong place, at the wrong time, the wrong way, and wind up as discouraged as the seven disciples were until Jesus showed them the right way to catch fish.

A few short days after their encounter with Jesus on the shore of Tiberias, the apostles saw the Lord lifted up into heaven. In their ears were his parting words of advice, whereupon they remained in Jerusalem for the day of the coming of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1.4-9). On that day, which we know as Pentecost, Peter and the disciples were in the right place, at the right time, and used the power Christ himself gave them through the Spirit, to cast out irresistable words of grace and truth, and “haul in” over three thousand souls. We may never have a catch such as Peter’s on Pentecost, but, with Jesus showing us the way, we will surely succeed in bringing in souls to the kingdom of God.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4