What Did Jesus Do?
And the Word became flesh, and we have seen his glory, full of grace and truth.
John 1.14
We have noted that words can be hurtful and devastatingly destructive (See WDJD for 12/21/10). It would be hard to calculate how much harm has been done by even careless and thoughtful words, to say nothing of hateful and mean-spirited speech. My wife's grandmother, who used to teach us in Sunday School when we were kids, would tell us, “If you are going to say something bad, bite your tongue first!” Sad to say, I have often ignored her sage advice (Of course, had I heeded it I probably would have chewed my tongue to bits years ago).
Given the abysmal level to which we have sunk as a culture, and the incivility of most conversation these days, I believe emergency rooms would be overflowing with patients with bleeding tongues if everyone were to follow Granny Woodruff's counsel. What pours forth from many mouths today is an all but constant stream of foul, nasty, and wicked words that could blister paint off a battleship.
The Father well understood long ago the awful tendency of humans to assault, insult, murder, and wage war with words. The Father also knew the matchless power of words, specifically the Word, to heal, mend, give life, and establish perfect peace. In answer to the wicked words of the world, the Father made the Word become flesh; and so the Son was born, and dwelt among us, full of irresistible grace and incontrovertible truth. If we could somehow get past the glitz and glitter of the secular, and sadly much of the religious, celebration of Christmas, we might get back to what the day is all about—the birth of the Savior in the person of the Word made flesh.
When we are talking the Word made flesh, words can become powerfully restorative and transformational. When we are talking the Word made flesh, words can become truly liberating and enlightening. When we are talking the Word made flesh, words can become illuminating and life-giving. When we are talking the Word made flesh, words can become redeeming and forgiving. When we are talking the Word made flesh, words can become help-full and hope-filled. When we are talking the Word made flesh, the constructs of grace and truth become incarnate and eternally material.
If all human speech would be seasoned by the grace and truth of the Word made flesh, the world would quickly become a radically different place that it is today. In fact, the Father announced the commencement of the re-creation of the world when he commanded his angel to proclaim what Louis Giglio calls “The Twelve Words of Christmas,”
“A Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.”
Luke 2.11
Just imagine what conversations would be like if their content was to be informed by these twelve words. For that matter, why don't we try memorizing and meditating on “The Twelve Words of Christmas” every morning, and pray and ask the Father that the Son, the Word made flesh, might fill our speech? How might the conversations in our homes be changed? What might be the impact in our schools? Could workplaces become something different, something more, than places to go and earn a living?
Jesus, the Word made flesh, blessed with grace and truth; should we not likewise bless by taking the Word upon our lips and proclaiming it to all, every where, every day?
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Jesus Received Gifts
What Did Jesus Do?
Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts...
Matthew 2.11
Christmas is all about gifting, isn't it? I mean, how would the wise men have felt if they had arrived in Bethlehem empty handed, pretty embarrassed to say the least. I wonder, how did they choose what gifts to bring? All of us have wrestled at one time another with the ages old question, “What do you get the man (Or woman, or, in this case, the child) who has everything?” The fact is, Jesus truly does have everything! (See Colossians 1.16) I suppose the gifts the wise men chose to bring were ones they truly believed any king would appreciate, but then this was a king like no other.
While I am sure that Joseph and Mary appreciated the treasures given to their new-born son, I suspect that Jesus would have elected a different gift. When everything has been created through you and for you, well, there can't be to much on your “Christmas list.” Please don't think me silly for thinking about this, because, well, it is Christmas, and (hopefully) many will be going to church today or tomorrow or Sunday, and we don't want to go empty handed anymore than the wise men did. And, I am sure, most of us would like to bring the right gift to Jesus. But, again, what would the Lord of all truly desire from us?
I think there has only ever been one thing Jesus has ever wanted from us. Can you guess? It's us! Jesus, who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, doesn't need clothes, or food, or CDs or DVDs, but, he truly desires our lives and souls. Clothes, come on, Jesus is clothed in the finest raiment. As for food, well the Lord himself said that his food is to do the will of the Father (John 4.34). And, as far as entertainment goes, Jesus has an eternal front row seat for the never ending performance of the host of heaven, do we really thing he needs a CD?
Our lives, however, are something that the Lord has a real use for. With our lives Jesus can glorify the Father. With our lives the Lord can build his Kingdom. With our lives Christ can send the Good News to the ends of the earth. You know, there is a value that can be attached to all treasures. We could figure out just how much the gold, frankincense, and myrrh of the wise men was worth in the day, and in 2010 dollars. Clothing, food, and electronic goodies all come with a price tag on them. But a life, why, I am sure that Jesus would tell us that each one of us is priceless.
While many of us can't afford to go out and buy expensive clothes, or rich foods, or the latest CDs and DVDs as gifts, each of us has a life to spend. Christmas is the prefect time to ask ourselves what or who we will spend our life on. I guarantee, Jesus will be thrilled with the gift of us! And, even if we don't make it to church the next couple of days, there is nothing stopping any of us from saying to Jesus right now, “Lord, from the tips of my toes to the hair on my head; from my skin to the deepest part of my heart; for today, tomorrow, and forever—I'm yours” Imagine, with those simple words we can give Jesus the gift beyond measure, the one thing he wants more than anything in all of creation.
Christmas is all about gifting. On the first Christmas Jesus received gifts. What would Jesus like to do this Christmas? Receive the gift of us.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts...
Matthew 2.11
Christmas is all about gifting, isn't it? I mean, how would the wise men have felt if they had arrived in Bethlehem empty handed, pretty embarrassed to say the least. I wonder, how did they choose what gifts to bring? All of us have wrestled at one time another with the ages old question, “What do you get the man (Or woman, or, in this case, the child) who has everything?” The fact is, Jesus truly does have everything! (See Colossians 1.16) I suppose the gifts the wise men chose to bring were ones they truly believed any king would appreciate, but then this was a king like no other.
While I am sure that Joseph and Mary appreciated the treasures given to their new-born son, I suspect that Jesus would have elected a different gift. When everything has been created through you and for you, well, there can't be to much on your “Christmas list.” Please don't think me silly for thinking about this, because, well, it is Christmas, and (hopefully) many will be going to church today or tomorrow or Sunday, and we don't want to go empty handed anymore than the wise men did. And, I am sure, most of us would like to bring the right gift to Jesus. But, again, what would the Lord of all truly desire from us?
I think there has only ever been one thing Jesus has ever wanted from us. Can you guess? It's us! Jesus, who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, doesn't need clothes, or food, or CDs or DVDs, but, he truly desires our lives and souls. Clothes, come on, Jesus is clothed in the finest raiment. As for food, well the Lord himself said that his food is to do the will of the Father (John 4.34). And, as far as entertainment goes, Jesus has an eternal front row seat for the never ending performance of the host of heaven, do we really thing he needs a CD?
Our lives, however, are something that the Lord has a real use for. With our lives Jesus can glorify the Father. With our lives the Lord can build his Kingdom. With our lives Christ can send the Good News to the ends of the earth. You know, there is a value that can be attached to all treasures. We could figure out just how much the gold, frankincense, and myrrh of the wise men was worth in the day, and in 2010 dollars. Clothing, food, and electronic goodies all come with a price tag on them. But a life, why, I am sure that Jesus would tell us that each one of us is priceless.
While many of us can't afford to go out and buy expensive clothes, or rich foods, or the latest CDs and DVDs as gifts, each of us has a life to spend. Christmas is the prefect time to ask ourselves what or who we will spend our life on. I guarantee, Jesus will be thrilled with the gift of us! And, even if we don't make it to church the next couple of days, there is nothing stopping any of us from saying to Jesus right now, “Lord, from the tips of my toes to the hair on my head; from my skin to the deepest part of my heart; for today, tomorrow, and forever—I'm yours” Imagine, with those simple words we can give Jesus the gift beyond measure, the one thing he wants more than anything in all of creation.
Christmas is all about gifting. On the first Christmas Jesus received gifts. What would Jesus like to do this Christmas? Receive the gift of us.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Jesus Set People Searching
What Did Jesus Do?
Wise men from the east came asking, “Where is the One...”
Herod, assembling the priests and scribes, inquired where the Christ was to be born.
Matthew 2.1-4
The birth of Jesus launched what was nearly a global manhunt, or, more accurately, an infant hunt. From the east, likely Persia, wise men, or Magi (Astrologers), were compelled to follow a star. Guided by his priests' knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures Herod followed a prophecy. Both the wise men and Herod sought Jesus, but with very different motives. And, motives matter.
The wise men were responding to a deep sense of reverence and awe inspired by a celestial sign—there was a new king. And, though the infant had been born to be “king of the Jews,” the Magi recognized someone greater had come into the world. For his part Herod was responding to a deep sense of insecurity, and fear for his throne--Jerusalem wasn't big enough for two kings to rule the Jews, and Herod was not about to abdicate!
When talking about motives for seeking Jesus I believe it boils down to the two just mentioned. Either we acknowledge in Jesus' complete lordship over all things, including our lives, or we have no place for him because the throne of our life is already occupied by someone or something else.
Christmas is a particularly good time to consider what motivates us to seek Jesus. While many people are devoted to the Lord, and genuinely seek him every day, and worship him passionately and sincerely throughout the year, there are others who go “looking” for Jesus perhaps only at Christmas and Easter because he adds something to their experience of the holidays. These folks don't seek a Savior and Lord so much as an accessory to a life ruled by anyone but Jesus.
This is not to say that everyone who regularly attends Sunday worship throughout the year is necessarily motivated by a desire to adore and glorify and praise their king. Some seek a certain cultural approval that comes from being identified as a “church goer.” Some find it a social time to catch up with friends they don't see during the week. Some go because the church gives them opportunities to do community service and help others, not a bad thing at all, but hardly the worship of the king. There are “idols” that people bring into church every week, and just like ancient Jerusalem, no one's life is big enough for both an idol and Jesus to rule.
The thing about searching after anyone or anything other than Jesus is that, even if we find what we seek, we will sooner or later be disappointed. Not so with those who seek and find Jesus, for Christ never disappoints.
There's a bumper sticker that says, “Wise men still seek Him.” It's true enough, I suppose, but all kinds of people still seek Jesus, just as the Magi sought the newborn king to worship him, while Herod sought after a feared rival whom he wanted to murder. Jesus still sets people searching for him, what we need to do is examine our motives. If not today, Christmas Eve might be a good time to start. Will we be going to worship because we like the candlelight? Will it be the chance to sing some familiar carols? Maybe it will be nostalgia that draws us, as we try to recapture memories from when our parents used to bring us to church once or twice a year. Perhaps we'll go to try and create some memories for our own children. But unless we go to exalt the king, not only of the Jews, but of your life, and affirm that he alone occupies the throne of your heart, we would do well to question our motives.
Jesus set people searching long ago. If he is not yet our king, today would be a great day to seek him; we will find that he has in fact been seeking us!
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wise men from the east came asking, “Where is the One...”
Herod, assembling the priests and scribes, inquired where the Christ was to be born.
Matthew 2.1-4
The birth of Jesus launched what was nearly a global manhunt, or, more accurately, an infant hunt. From the east, likely Persia, wise men, or Magi (Astrologers), were compelled to follow a star. Guided by his priests' knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures Herod followed a prophecy. Both the wise men and Herod sought Jesus, but with very different motives. And, motives matter.
The wise men were responding to a deep sense of reverence and awe inspired by a celestial sign—there was a new king. And, though the infant had been born to be “king of the Jews,” the Magi recognized someone greater had come into the world. For his part Herod was responding to a deep sense of insecurity, and fear for his throne--Jerusalem wasn't big enough for two kings to rule the Jews, and Herod was not about to abdicate!
When talking about motives for seeking Jesus I believe it boils down to the two just mentioned. Either we acknowledge in Jesus' complete lordship over all things, including our lives, or we have no place for him because the throne of our life is already occupied by someone or something else.
Christmas is a particularly good time to consider what motivates us to seek Jesus. While many people are devoted to the Lord, and genuinely seek him every day, and worship him passionately and sincerely throughout the year, there are others who go “looking” for Jesus perhaps only at Christmas and Easter because he adds something to their experience of the holidays. These folks don't seek a Savior and Lord so much as an accessory to a life ruled by anyone but Jesus.
This is not to say that everyone who regularly attends Sunday worship throughout the year is necessarily motivated by a desire to adore and glorify and praise their king. Some seek a certain cultural approval that comes from being identified as a “church goer.” Some find it a social time to catch up with friends they don't see during the week. Some go because the church gives them opportunities to do community service and help others, not a bad thing at all, but hardly the worship of the king. There are “idols” that people bring into church every week, and just like ancient Jerusalem, no one's life is big enough for both an idol and Jesus to rule.
The thing about searching after anyone or anything other than Jesus is that, even if we find what we seek, we will sooner or later be disappointed. Not so with those who seek and find Jesus, for Christ never disappoints.
There's a bumper sticker that says, “Wise men still seek Him.” It's true enough, I suppose, but all kinds of people still seek Jesus, just as the Magi sought the newborn king to worship him, while Herod sought after a feared rival whom he wanted to murder. Jesus still sets people searching for him, what we need to do is examine our motives. If not today, Christmas Eve might be a good time to start. Will we be going to worship because we like the candlelight? Will it be the chance to sing some familiar carols? Maybe it will be nostalgia that draws us, as we try to recapture memories from when our parents used to bring us to church once or twice a year. Perhaps we'll go to try and create some memories for our own children. But unless we go to exalt the king, not only of the Jews, but of your life, and affirm that he alone occupies the throne of your heart, we would do well to question our motives.
Jesus set people searching long ago. If he is not yet our king, today would be a great day to seek him; we will find that he has in fact been seeking us!
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Jesus Divided and Divined
What Did Jesus Do?
“Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many...
and for a sign that is opposed,
so that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Luke 2.34-35
Everyone has a destiny, an appointed future. This is not fatalism, rather it is the providence of God, the working out of the divine will for all of creation, including our lives. Even though we all have a personal destiny, there was One who played a determining role in the destinies of all of humanity. You see, it was appointed by the Father that the Son would be responsible for the appointed futures of all of us. Aged Simeon recognized this in the baby Jesus, as he revealed to Mary and Joseph the destiny of their child.
It's like this, all of humanity has been predestined to be part of one of two groups: the elect, or the reprobate. Salvation or destruction await all of us. The sole factor in sorting out which future awaits us is Jesus Christ, he will divide and separate forever the wheat from the chaff, as it were, when God gathers in the final harvest of creation.
The dividing of humanity will not be at all arbitrary, there will be a definite and distinct measure. For, there is no middle ground when it comes to Jesus. One either receives Christ as Savior and Lord, or one opposes him. The “receivers” will celebrate in God's eternal end zone, if you catch my meaning; while the “opposers”, well, darkness, weeping, and the gnashing of teeth, and much worse will fill their eternity.
And, just in case some believe they can get by masquerading as Christ's own, Simeon pointed out that the thoughts of all hearts will revealed. Outward appearances and lip service count for nothing when it comes to our destiny. The most secret thoughts of our hearts will reveal which future is appointed for us.
If, by any chance, you are somehow yet unsure of whether or not you are a “receiver” or an “opposer” as you read this, it would be a good thing to take some time for your heart to be divined today. We don't need an appointment to meet with the One who has appointed all futures, the Great Cardiologist, so to speak, is ready to see us whenever we ask. And it is important to ask, because it is foolish to leave the divining of our heart's deepest thoughts to ourselves. We wouldn't perform a heart transplant on our ourselves, would we? And, the truth of the matter is, a new heart is exactly what we need. The good news is, God is eager and ready to perform “surgery” on everyone who comes to him admitting their old heart is no good, and asking for a new one. There is but one diagnostic test to be performed—either Jesus is in our heart, or he is not. If he is—fantastic! If he is not we have two choices: 1) We reject him, leaving our hearts just as they are (And in so doing confirm our reservation for eternity's “smoking section.”), or 2) We confess to the Father our desperate need for the Son, and ask him to send the Holy Spirit to put Jesus right were he needs to be in our lives (Confirming our destiny with God in and through Jesus, the Son.).
You want to know something, Christmas, the birth of Christ, may very well not have been December 25. But, today can be Christmas for you, or someone you know, by making this the day to receive the Father's gift of the Son. The truth is, some celebrated their Christmases yesterday, and others will be celebrating their Christmases today, and still others will be celebrating their Christmases tomorrow. That's what Jesus does every day when he divides and divines hearts that belong to him.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many...
and for a sign that is opposed,
so that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Luke 2.34-35
Everyone has a destiny, an appointed future. This is not fatalism, rather it is the providence of God, the working out of the divine will for all of creation, including our lives. Even though we all have a personal destiny, there was One who played a determining role in the destinies of all of humanity. You see, it was appointed by the Father that the Son would be responsible for the appointed futures of all of us. Aged Simeon recognized this in the baby Jesus, as he revealed to Mary and Joseph the destiny of their child.
It's like this, all of humanity has been predestined to be part of one of two groups: the elect, or the reprobate. Salvation or destruction await all of us. The sole factor in sorting out which future awaits us is Jesus Christ, he will divide and separate forever the wheat from the chaff, as it were, when God gathers in the final harvest of creation.
The dividing of humanity will not be at all arbitrary, there will be a definite and distinct measure. For, there is no middle ground when it comes to Jesus. One either receives Christ as Savior and Lord, or one opposes him. The “receivers” will celebrate in God's eternal end zone, if you catch my meaning; while the “opposers”, well, darkness, weeping, and the gnashing of teeth, and much worse will fill their eternity.
And, just in case some believe they can get by masquerading as Christ's own, Simeon pointed out that the thoughts of all hearts will revealed. Outward appearances and lip service count for nothing when it comes to our destiny. The most secret thoughts of our hearts will reveal which future is appointed for us.
If, by any chance, you are somehow yet unsure of whether or not you are a “receiver” or an “opposer” as you read this, it would be a good thing to take some time for your heart to be divined today. We don't need an appointment to meet with the One who has appointed all futures, the Great Cardiologist, so to speak, is ready to see us whenever we ask. And it is important to ask, because it is foolish to leave the divining of our heart's deepest thoughts to ourselves. We wouldn't perform a heart transplant on our ourselves, would we? And, the truth of the matter is, a new heart is exactly what we need. The good news is, God is eager and ready to perform “surgery” on everyone who comes to him admitting their old heart is no good, and asking for a new one. There is but one diagnostic test to be performed—either Jesus is in our heart, or he is not. If he is—fantastic! If he is not we have two choices: 1) We reject him, leaving our hearts just as they are (And in so doing confirm our reservation for eternity's “smoking section.”), or 2) We confess to the Father our desperate need for the Son, and ask him to send the Holy Spirit to put Jesus right were he needs to be in our lives (Confirming our destiny with God in and through Jesus, the Son.).
You want to know something, Christmas, the birth of Christ, may very well not have been December 25. But, today can be Christmas for you, or someone you know, by making this the day to receive the Father's gift of the Son. The truth is, some celebrated their Christmases yesterday, and others will be celebrating their Christmases today, and still others will be celebrating their Christmases tomorrow. That's what Jesus does every day when he divides and divines hearts that belong to him.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Jesus Kept God's Promises
What Did Jesus Do?
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word.”
Luke 2.29
“Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me!” Remember that playground retort to name-calling? Of course, even as we said it, we knew it wasn't true, the taunting words of classmates did hurt us, or we wouldn't have needed to say anything. Mean spirited words are hurtful, no doubt about it, but there are words which, I believe, are even more destructive. Think about the following.
Your boss promises you a promotion, then gives it to someone else. Tell me that doesn't hurt. Mom or dad promise you that they'll take you to the movies on Saturday, but when Saturday comes, they're “too busy.” Ouch! A candidate for office promises, “No new taxes,” but when elected signs a bill loading a bunch more of taxes on your back. THAT's painful! Your spouse, who made vows of life-long fidelity on the day you were married breaks them. Feel betrayed? I'm not sure that there are any words that hurt worse than words of a broken promise. And, they are costly words too. Consider, if “A man (woman) is as good as his (her) word,” what can we say about someone whose “word” is worthless?
I cannot write these thoughts without confessing that I have broken a promise or two...alright, more than a couple! There is nothing I am more ashamed of than promises I've broken. But, be honest, have you always kept every promise you've ever made? If you have, congratulations, for you are in rare company! Oaths, promises, and vows should never be uttered without much thought, for the cost in breaking them is steep, more than we can pay. I believe that is why Jesus cautioned that it is better not to take an oath at all (See Matthew 5.33-37).
Speaking of Jesus, and you knew I would sooner or later, he is THE Promise Keeper when can all trust (With no disrespect to Coach McCartney). In fact, I might suggest that the only promises we really should ever rely on 100% are the promise made by the Father and fulfilled by the Son. We could be here a long time if I were to try and enumerate all the promises of God that are fulfilled in Christ, so let me just take one example that seems particularly appropriate at this time of year when we remember and celebrate the Savior's birth.
You see, for us Christ's birth is something we look back upon with great joy and thanksgiving to God. But there was a time when the coming of the Christ was looked forward to with an anticipation and longing hard for us to imagine. Luke tells about Simeon, who had awaited the coming of the Messiah his whole long life. Through all his years Simeon clung to a promise God had made to him—he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ (Luke 2.26). When Joseph and Mary brought their newborn son to the Temple to dedicate him Simeon immediately recognized in the child the very fulfillment of God's promise to him—his eyes beheld the salvation of God! And Simeon burst into a spontaneous song of praise, for God graciously granted the faithful old man to “depart in peace.”
If you will, the sum of all the Father's promises to his people add up to this—the Son was born to die in great affliction, that all we should, like Simeon, depart this life in perfect peace, knowing that in and through Christ we shall yet live forever in God's eternal kingdom of glory. These words, the Father's promises fulfilled in Christ Jesus the Son, don't hurt, they heal all hurts. Christmas this side of the cross should inspire the voices of millions of “Simeons” to bless the Father for the salvation he has revealed to us in the Son, who kept all the Father's promises.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word.”
Luke 2.29
“Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me!” Remember that playground retort to name-calling? Of course, even as we said it, we knew it wasn't true, the taunting words of classmates did hurt us, or we wouldn't have needed to say anything. Mean spirited words are hurtful, no doubt about it, but there are words which, I believe, are even more destructive. Think about the following.
Your boss promises you a promotion, then gives it to someone else. Tell me that doesn't hurt. Mom or dad promise you that they'll take you to the movies on Saturday, but when Saturday comes, they're “too busy.” Ouch! A candidate for office promises, “No new taxes,” but when elected signs a bill loading a bunch more of taxes on your back. THAT's painful! Your spouse, who made vows of life-long fidelity on the day you were married breaks them. Feel betrayed? I'm not sure that there are any words that hurt worse than words of a broken promise. And, they are costly words too. Consider, if “A man (woman) is as good as his (her) word,” what can we say about someone whose “word” is worthless?
I cannot write these thoughts without confessing that I have broken a promise or two...alright, more than a couple! There is nothing I am more ashamed of than promises I've broken. But, be honest, have you always kept every promise you've ever made? If you have, congratulations, for you are in rare company! Oaths, promises, and vows should never be uttered without much thought, for the cost in breaking them is steep, more than we can pay. I believe that is why Jesus cautioned that it is better not to take an oath at all (See Matthew 5.33-37).
Speaking of Jesus, and you knew I would sooner or later, he is THE Promise Keeper when can all trust (With no disrespect to Coach McCartney). In fact, I might suggest that the only promises we really should ever rely on 100% are the promise made by the Father and fulfilled by the Son. We could be here a long time if I were to try and enumerate all the promises of God that are fulfilled in Christ, so let me just take one example that seems particularly appropriate at this time of year when we remember and celebrate the Savior's birth.
You see, for us Christ's birth is something we look back upon with great joy and thanksgiving to God. But there was a time when the coming of the Christ was looked forward to with an anticipation and longing hard for us to imagine. Luke tells about Simeon, who had awaited the coming of the Messiah his whole long life. Through all his years Simeon clung to a promise God had made to him—he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ (Luke 2.26). When Joseph and Mary brought their newborn son to the Temple to dedicate him Simeon immediately recognized in the child the very fulfillment of God's promise to him—his eyes beheld the salvation of God! And Simeon burst into a spontaneous song of praise, for God graciously granted the faithful old man to “depart in peace.”
If you will, the sum of all the Father's promises to his people add up to this—the Son was born to die in great affliction, that all we should, like Simeon, depart this life in perfect peace, knowing that in and through Christ we shall yet live forever in God's eternal kingdom of glory. These words, the Father's promises fulfilled in Christ Jesus the Son, don't hurt, they heal all hurts. Christmas this side of the cross should inspire the voices of millions of “Simeons” to bless the Father for the salvation he has revealed to us in the Son, who kept all the Father's promises.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
Monday, December 20, 2010
Jesus Amazed Many
What did Jesus Do?
...and all who heard were amazed at what the shepherds said.
Luke 2.18
The world's first evangelists were not professional theologians. In fact, they probably hadn't ever been to school at all. It's doubtful they could read or write. But they had the one thing absolutely essential for successful evangelism—faith. You just can't proclaim Good News if you don't first believe it yourself. Unbelieving shepherds would have calmed and quieted their flocks, and returned to their vigil.
The Bible tells us that the shepherds went “with haste” to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger (Luke 2.16). Everything was just as the angel had said, and so the shepherds immediately started to fill everyone in on what had occurred that night. Evangelism, the spreading of the Good News of Jesus Christ, literally began just moments after the Savior's birth. The first to hear the Gospel were amazed at the shepherd's testimony. And, to this day, true evangelists continue to amaze the world with their witness.
Perhaps the most amazing, and tragic, thing about evangelism is that so many people continue to be unimpressed by it. While God still calls the elect through the tool of evangelism, the reprobate remain as unmoved, as un-amazed, by the Good News as ever. Yet, we have no direct way of knowing who's who; it isn't possible to look at someone and tell if their name is recorded in the Father's Book of Life or not. So, like the first evangelists, the shepherds, we too need to tell everyone what we know about Christ, the Lord. That's how evangelism has always worked—those who know tell those who don't.
And, just in case we think we lack the necessary qualifications to evangelize because we haven't a seminary degree, remember, the shepherds had no special training, all they had was the Good News and their faith. The Good News of Jesus Christ still amazes men, women, and children, all it takes is the telling.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
...and all who heard were amazed at what the shepherds said.
Luke 2.18
The world's first evangelists were not professional theologians. In fact, they probably hadn't ever been to school at all. It's doubtful they could read or write. But they had the one thing absolutely essential for successful evangelism—faith. You just can't proclaim Good News if you don't first believe it yourself. Unbelieving shepherds would have calmed and quieted their flocks, and returned to their vigil.
The Bible tells us that the shepherds went “with haste” to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger (Luke 2.16). Everything was just as the angel had said, and so the shepherds immediately started to fill everyone in on what had occurred that night. Evangelism, the spreading of the Good News of Jesus Christ, literally began just moments after the Savior's birth. The first to hear the Gospel were amazed at the shepherd's testimony. And, to this day, true evangelists continue to amaze the world with their witness.
Perhaps the most amazing, and tragic, thing about evangelism is that so many people continue to be unimpressed by it. While God still calls the elect through the tool of evangelism, the reprobate remain as unmoved, as un-amazed, by the Good News as ever. Yet, we have no direct way of knowing who's who; it isn't possible to look at someone and tell if their name is recorded in the Father's Book of Life or not. So, like the first evangelists, the shepherds, we too need to tell everyone what we know about Christ, the Lord. That's how evangelism has always worked—those who know tell those who don't.
And, just in case we think we lack the necessary qualifications to evangelize because we haven't a seminary degree, remember, the shepherds had no special training, all they had was the Good News and their faith. The Good News of Jesus Christ still amazes men, women, and children, all it takes is the telling.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Saturday, December 18, 2010
An Angel Appeared, Shepherds Quaked, and Jesus Upheld
What Did Jesus Do?
...and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
Luke 2.9
Shepherds, at least good shepherds, were not the sort to frighten easily. Armed with nothing more than a staff, and maybe a slingshot, shepherds routinely ran off thieves, faced down ravenous wolves, and generally stood their ground boldly in defense of their flocks. Shepherds were pretty tough guys. I certainly wouldn't want to tangle with them. Yet an entire band of shepherds was nearly routed one winter's night on a plain just below the little sleeping village of Bethlehem. It wasn't that the shepherds were a little nervous, they were scared to death! What could have so filled them with awe and terror? Glory.
I don't know about you, but I have been kind of looking forward to beholding the glory of God. But upon reading Luke 2.9 again, I'm not so sure. Don't get me wrong, I desperately long for the day when I will be with the Lord. But there's a reason Jude 24 talks of one who is able to keep us from falling “before the presence of his glory”—like the shepherds outside of Bethlehem, our first impulse when we are confronted with Glory will be to collapse in fear. And rightly so. I mean, the blinding brilliance of the Sun is barely a nightlight compared to the Glory of God.
Nothing so reveals the thoroughgoing depravity and corruption of fallen human beings as the Glory of God. In the presence of the Glory there is no place to run, no place to hide; just and inescapable doom about to consume us, what else could we do but quake in fear; were it not for the One who is able. And so it was that the angel dispelled the fear of the shepherds with “good news of great joy,” and the announcement that the One who could and would keep them from stumbling, and present them without blemish before the presence of Glory, was born that very night in Bethlehem.
Now, most of us spare little time for contemplating the Glory, much less fearing it. Most of us have more than enough fears in the here and now, so that we give little thought to the hereafter. Most people, though they're likely not to admit it, go through life afraid of all sorts of things. Schoolchildren fear their teacher won't approve of their work. Adolescents fear not being noticed (And then do everything they can to look like everyone else!). Workers are afraid of losing their jobs. Owners are afraid of losing their businesses. Everyone worries about losing their health. Many are plagued throughout life with a fear of death. So, as I said, few spend much time dwelling on the Glory.
But, here's the thing, Jesus, the One who is able to keep us from falling, is the One who can and will uphold us no matter what we face. And, best of all, he will be with us at that most critical moment, just when we go weak in the knees and start to drop in the presence of the Glory, to support us, even to present us spotless with great rejoicing! We all need to hear the angel's words this Christmas, and believe them every day, “fear not...for unto you is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” For the perfect love of the Father, come to us in and through the Son, alone casts out all fears, that we should go through life unafraid, and, on the day of the Lord, stand and not fall.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
...and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
Luke 2.9
Shepherds, at least good shepherds, were not the sort to frighten easily. Armed with nothing more than a staff, and maybe a slingshot, shepherds routinely ran off thieves, faced down ravenous wolves, and generally stood their ground boldly in defense of their flocks. Shepherds were pretty tough guys. I certainly wouldn't want to tangle with them. Yet an entire band of shepherds was nearly routed one winter's night on a plain just below the little sleeping village of Bethlehem. It wasn't that the shepherds were a little nervous, they were scared to death! What could have so filled them with awe and terror? Glory.
I don't know about you, but I have been kind of looking forward to beholding the glory of God. But upon reading Luke 2.9 again, I'm not so sure. Don't get me wrong, I desperately long for the day when I will be with the Lord. But there's a reason Jude 24 talks of one who is able to keep us from falling “before the presence of his glory”—like the shepherds outside of Bethlehem, our first impulse when we are confronted with Glory will be to collapse in fear. And rightly so. I mean, the blinding brilliance of the Sun is barely a nightlight compared to the Glory of God.
Nothing so reveals the thoroughgoing depravity and corruption of fallen human beings as the Glory of God. In the presence of the Glory there is no place to run, no place to hide; just and inescapable doom about to consume us, what else could we do but quake in fear; were it not for the One who is able. And so it was that the angel dispelled the fear of the shepherds with “good news of great joy,” and the announcement that the One who could and would keep them from stumbling, and present them without blemish before the presence of Glory, was born that very night in Bethlehem.
Now, most of us spare little time for contemplating the Glory, much less fearing it. Most of us have more than enough fears in the here and now, so that we give little thought to the hereafter. Most people, though they're likely not to admit it, go through life afraid of all sorts of things. Schoolchildren fear their teacher won't approve of their work. Adolescents fear not being noticed (And then do everything they can to look like everyone else!). Workers are afraid of losing their jobs. Owners are afraid of losing their businesses. Everyone worries about losing their health. Many are plagued throughout life with a fear of death. So, as I said, few spend much time dwelling on the Glory.
But, here's the thing, Jesus, the One who is able to keep us from falling, is the One who can and will uphold us no matter what we face. And, best of all, he will be with us at that most critical moment, just when we go weak in the knees and start to drop in the presence of the Glory, to support us, even to present us spotless with great rejoicing! We all need to hear the angel's words this Christmas, and believe them every day, “fear not...for unto you is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” For the perfect love of the Father, come to us in and through the Son, alone casts out all fears, that we should go through life unafraid, and, on the day of the Lord, stand and not fall.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Jesus Inspired Great Rejoicing
What Did Jesus Do?
“For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears,
the baby in my womb leaped for joy!”
Luke 1.44
The most unrestrained and wildest expressions of joy I have ever witnessed have erupted over such things as Super Bowl victories and World Series triumphs. Considering that there is absolutely no real consequence, other than fleeting fame, for winning what comes down to children's games, I wonder what kind of joy might be manifest if people were to experience something of transcendent worth? What kind of reaction would be inspired by the manifestation of something of transforming and eternal value? If people go nuts over a silly game, how might they respond to something that really matters? And don't think I am pretending to be immune to the silliness, I admit to being pretty excited a couple of years ago when the Giants upset the Patriots in the Super Bowl, but I've experienced far greater joy than that.
I can't speak with complete authority for my wife, but I the greatest joy we have ever felt is shared between two moments, and both had to do with babies—specifically, the births of our two children. There is nothing on this earth, that will ever compare to the moments when we first heard the cries of our new born son and daughter. Face it, if the birth of a child doesn't inspire great rejoicing, what can? A game? Don't be ridiculous.
Many years ago two women experienced a joy that I struggle to describe. While nothing on earth could compare with the birth of my children, the two women, Elizabeth and her young cousin Mary, experienced an incomparable joy that joined heaven and earth in matchless celebration. It was joy so great that the baby in Elizabeth's womb was leaping and dancing! This joy was not over a birth, but the anticipation of a birth—the birth of the Messiah. At the time, the celebration was limited to the two mothers-to-be, and Elizabeth's son who was still three months short of his own birthday. Nevertheless, I believe that, if I were asked to come up with a “Top Ten List” of all-time celebrations in the world, I would probably rank the rejoicing of Elizabeth and Mary number one.
The only reason I don't rank the birth of Jesus itself as number one is because that celebration was out of this world (If you recall the singing of the heavenly host.). And, even though there was more reason to rejoice on Easter morning when Christ rose from the grave, I have to rank the rejoicing that day number two on my list because there was a considerable mix of anxiety, confusion, fear, and doubt mixed in. In time, the words, “He is risen!” would be the greatest reason to rejoice, but on the day when Mary visited Elizabeth, there had never been such an occasion for joy.
It's like this, Jesus inspires joys. Always has, always will. In Christ the weak can say, “I am strong,” the poor can say, “I am rich,” the despairing can say, “I have hope,” the broken can say, “I am whole,” the condemned can say, “I am free,” those doomed to die can say, “I have eternal life in Christ Jesus!”
Advent is the perfect time to experience joy in the Lord, just as the anticipation of his birth inspired great joy in Elizabeth and the baby inside her, and moved Mary to rejoice, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior...” (Luke 1.46-47). Christmas is a time to rejoice and give thanks for the Savior's birth in Bethlehem two thousand years ago, and to look forward with joyous anticipation to Christ's coming again.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears,
the baby in my womb leaped for joy!”
Luke 1.44
The most unrestrained and wildest expressions of joy I have ever witnessed have erupted over such things as Super Bowl victories and World Series triumphs. Considering that there is absolutely no real consequence, other than fleeting fame, for winning what comes down to children's games, I wonder what kind of joy might be manifest if people were to experience something of transcendent worth? What kind of reaction would be inspired by the manifestation of something of transforming and eternal value? If people go nuts over a silly game, how might they respond to something that really matters? And don't think I am pretending to be immune to the silliness, I admit to being pretty excited a couple of years ago when the Giants upset the Patriots in the Super Bowl, but I've experienced far greater joy than that.
I can't speak with complete authority for my wife, but I the greatest joy we have ever felt is shared between two moments, and both had to do with babies—specifically, the births of our two children. There is nothing on this earth, that will ever compare to the moments when we first heard the cries of our new born son and daughter. Face it, if the birth of a child doesn't inspire great rejoicing, what can? A game? Don't be ridiculous.
Many years ago two women experienced a joy that I struggle to describe. While nothing on earth could compare with the birth of my children, the two women, Elizabeth and her young cousin Mary, experienced an incomparable joy that joined heaven and earth in matchless celebration. It was joy so great that the baby in Elizabeth's womb was leaping and dancing! This joy was not over a birth, but the anticipation of a birth—the birth of the Messiah. At the time, the celebration was limited to the two mothers-to-be, and Elizabeth's son who was still three months short of his own birthday. Nevertheless, I believe that, if I were asked to come up with a “Top Ten List” of all-time celebrations in the world, I would probably rank the rejoicing of Elizabeth and Mary number one.
The only reason I don't rank the birth of Jesus itself as number one is because that celebration was out of this world (If you recall the singing of the heavenly host.). And, even though there was more reason to rejoice on Easter morning when Christ rose from the grave, I have to rank the rejoicing that day number two on my list because there was a considerable mix of anxiety, confusion, fear, and doubt mixed in. In time, the words, “He is risen!” would be the greatest reason to rejoice, but on the day when Mary visited Elizabeth, there had never been such an occasion for joy.
It's like this, Jesus inspires joys. Always has, always will. In Christ the weak can say, “I am strong,” the poor can say, “I am rich,” the despairing can say, “I have hope,” the broken can say, “I am whole,” the condemned can say, “I am free,” those doomed to die can say, “I have eternal life in Christ Jesus!”
Advent is the perfect time to experience joy in the Lord, just as the anticipation of his birth inspired great joy in Elizabeth and the baby inside her, and moved Mary to rejoice, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior...” (Luke 1.46-47). Christmas is a time to rejoice and give thanks for the Savior's birth in Bethlehem two thousand years ago, and to look forward with joyous anticipation to Christ's coming again.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Mary Demurred, Then Obeyed
What Did Mary Do?
“How will this be, since I am a virgin...Behold, I am the servant of the Lord;
let it be to me according to your word.”
Luke 1.34, 38
I know I am supposed to be talking about what Jesus did, but it just seemed right at this time of year to consider Mary as we prepare to again celebrate the birth of her son. While I wouldn't say that Mary is the Queen of Heaven, there is no arguing that she was chosen by the Father to be the mother of our Lord.
Of course, it was most startling to be greeted by an angel sent by God. Not that Mary didn't believe in angels; she knew that God employed the divine beings as messengers. But the last thing Mary would have said, if asked what she expected that day, would have been, “I'm going to be visited by Gabriel!” Things like that just didn't happen to folks from Nazareth, and they certainly did not happen to inconsequential young women.
Yet there the angel was, greeting her directly, and not with a message of condemnation or warning, but to tell her that she, of all people, had “found favor with God.” Poor Mary, she couldn't even say, “Who, me?” because the angel spoke to her by name. And the angel's message, well, it was incredible. Sure, Mary had hoped, as had all Israel, for the Messiah; never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that the Messiah would be her son!
Not yet married, how it could be that she could give birth to anybody's son, much less the Son of the Most High? It wasn't so much that Mary had any objections, she just wasn't sure how she could have a baby, never having been with a man, not even Joseph her betrothed. While we might imagine the incredulity of most teens, Mary was more than satisfied with the explanation that the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High would come upon her, so that the child she would conceive would be—the Son of God. In an instant Mary's demur, “How can this be?” was transformed into the humbly obedient, “let it be to me according to your word.” And, rightfully, Mary has ever since been known as the most blessed among women.
Not that her life as the mother of the Lord was easy, or free from terrible sacrifice and pain. How many mothers do you know who could quietly look on as their beloved son was crucified for the sins of others? How she surely must have longed for a legion of angels, foe even one angel, to come and deliver her son from the cross. But then Jesus wasn't merely Mary's son, he was also the Son of the Father. And, more than anything, Mary was committed to the Father's will, even when it meant her son had to die on a cross. Mary's faith was rewarded, as no other mother's when, along with the other women and the disciples, she learned on the first day of the week that Jesus was not dead, but had risen from the grave, just as he said he would!
Here's why I think it is a good thing for us to remember Mary. First of all, we have permission to wonder, even to question, when God call upon us. Mary was quite startled and overwhelmed at first, and God knows we will likely be as well when he calls upon us. But, like Mary, our faith needs to lead us to obey, even beyond our questioning. You see, a servant, as Mary understood herself to be, can have doubts and questions as long as obedience is the final disposition of the heart. Even prayers containing questions and expressing doubts can be faithful, when spoken from an obedient heart.
We can trust the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and bring us more and more into conformity with the person of Jesus; but we might also ask the Spirit to help us to trust and obey as the Lord's mother did. After all, we could hardly have a Christmas if not for Mary, who demurred, then obeyed.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“How will this be, since I am a virgin...Behold, I am the servant of the Lord;
let it be to me according to your word.”
Luke 1.34, 38
I know I am supposed to be talking about what Jesus did, but it just seemed right at this time of year to consider Mary as we prepare to again celebrate the birth of her son. While I wouldn't say that Mary is the Queen of Heaven, there is no arguing that she was chosen by the Father to be the mother of our Lord.
Of course, it was most startling to be greeted by an angel sent by God. Not that Mary didn't believe in angels; she knew that God employed the divine beings as messengers. But the last thing Mary would have said, if asked what she expected that day, would have been, “I'm going to be visited by Gabriel!” Things like that just didn't happen to folks from Nazareth, and they certainly did not happen to inconsequential young women.
Yet there the angel was, greeting her directly, and not with a message of condemnation or warning, but to tell her that she, of all people, had “found favor with God.” Poor Mary, she couldn't even say, “Who, me?” because the angel spoke to her by name. And the angel's message, well, it was incredible. Sure, Mary had hoped, as had all Israel, for the Messiah; never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that the Messiah would be her son!
Not yet married, how it could be that she could give birth to anybody's son, much less the Son of the Most High? It wasn't so much that Mary had any objections, she just wasn't sure how she could have a baby, never having been with a man, not even Joseph her betrothed. While we might imagine the incredulity of most teens, Mary was more than satisfied with the explanation that the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High would come upon her, so that the child she would conceive would be—the Son of God. In an instant Mary's demur, “How can this be?” was transformed into the humbly obedient, “let it be to me according to your word.” And, rightfully, Mary has ever since been known as the most blessed among women.
Not that her life as the mother of the Lord was easy, or free from terrible sacrifice and pain. How many mothers do you know who could quietly look on as their beloved son was crucified for the sins of others? How she surely must have longed for a legion of angels, foe even one angel, to come and deliver her son from the cross. But then Jesus wasn't merely Mary's son, he was also the Son of the Father. And, more than anything, Mary was committed to the Father's will, even when it meant her son had to die on a cross. Mary's faith was rewarded, as no other mother's when, along with the other women and the disciples, she learned on the first day of the week that Jesus was not dead, but had risen from the grave, just as he said he would!
Here's why I think it is a good thing for us to remember Mary. First of all, we have permission to wonder, even to question, when God call upon us. Mary was quite startled and overwhelmed at first, and God knows we will likely be as well when he calls upon us. But, like Mary, our faith needs to lead us to obey, even beyond our questioning. You see, a servant, as Mary understood herself to be, can have doubts and questions as long as obedience is the final disposition of the heart. Even prayers containing questions and expressing doubts can be faithful, when spoken from an obedient heart.
We can trust the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and bring us more and more into conformity with the person of Jesus; but we might also ask the Spirit to help us to trust and obey as the Lord's mother did. After all, we could hardly have a Christmas if not for Mary, who demurred, then obeyed.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Jesus Followed John
What Did Jesus Do?
“...and he will go before him...to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
Luke 1.17
We don't often think of Jesus as a follower, do we? It's Jesus whom we follow. While not exactly treading in another's footsteps, the Lord definitely went along a way made ready by John, his cousin. Considering how many rejected Christ even after John had prepared a way I can't imagine what kind of reception Jesus might have had if there had not been John to follow.
Sadly, tragically, many of the hearts that were discomforted by the message of John (And, make no mistake about it, John's preaching was intended to strike hearts to the quick.) still did not receive the Lord when he came along after John. But, thankfully, just as the angel Gabriel had foretold of John, the Baptist's proclamation, “Prepare the way of the Lord,” did in fact reach and turn the hearts of those whom the Father was preparing to receive the Son. A people would be made ready to hear and respond eagerly to the Good News which Jesus would announce.
In a way, there needs to be a little of John the Baptist in every believer because, well, people still need to prepare for his coming. There remain many people in the world who yet need to hear and respond to the Gospel. And, just as in the time of John and Jesus, the hearts of the lost need to be made ready, to be prepared. Now, unlike the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is full of winsome grace, John's message was a convicting hammer blow, “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees!” In other words, “Repent, or get ready to be chopped up into fuel for the fires of Satan!” It wasn't that John was making threats, he was just bluntly stating hard facts which everyone needed to hear. People still need to know the facts—there are but two possible eternal destinations for all human beings: 1) Apart from Jesus, the flames and torments of Hell, or 2) In Christ, the joy and peace of Heaven. It takes the stark reality of the fate awaiting all of us because of our sins to turn our hearts to Jesus and run to him for forgiveness and new birth.
Pleas don't misunderstand me, I am not suggesting that we go about trying to frighten people into turning to the Lord. I don't believe screaming and threats are effective tools for evangelism. Nonetheless, we believers do have an obligation to be straight with the lost—without Christ they are doomed to an unspeakably painful eternity of suffering. Even if we only succeed in getting someone to begin to concede the possibility of Hell, we will have begun to prepare their heart to turn to Jesus. Though it is deeply troubling to know that many will yet ignore or reject the Lord, we need to be encouraged by the fact that every day the number of those who are being saved grows, and we have a part to play in that growth of the kingdom.
John would be the first to tell us that he never saved anyone, he knew that the work of salvation awaited one who was mightier than he who would follow him. Like John, none of us can save anyone, that's still and will always be the work of Jesus. But, again like John, we can and we must do our part to turn hearts, to prepare and make people ready for Christ to come into their lives. For Jesus still follows where the faithful prepare a way for him.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“...and he will go before him...to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
Luke 1.17
We don't often think of Jesus as a follower, do we? It's Jesus whom we follow. While not exactly treading in another's footsteps, the Lord definitely went along a way made ready by John, his cousin. Considering how many rejected Christ even after John had prepared a way I can't imagine what kind of reception Jesus might have had if there had not been John to follow.
Sadly, tragically, many of the hearts that were discomforted by the message of John (And, make no mistake about it, John's preaching was intended to strike hearts to the quick.) still did not receive the Lord when he came along after John. But, thankfully, just as the angel Gabriel had foretold of John, the Baptist's proclamation, “Prepare the way of the Lord,” did in fact reach and turn the hearts of those whom the Father was preparing to receive the Son. A people would be made ready to hear and respond eagerly to the Good News which Jesus would announce.
In a way, there needs to be a little of John the Baptist in every believer because, well, people still need to prepare for his coming. There remain many people in the world who yet need to hear and respond to the Gospel. And, just as in the time of John and Jesus, the hearts of the lost need to be made ready, to be prepared. Now, unlike the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is full of winsome grace, John's message was a convicting hammer blow, “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees!” In other words, “Repent, or get ready to be chopped up into fuel for the fires of Satan!” It wasn't that John was making threats, he was just bluntly stating hard facts which everyone needed to hear. People still need to know the facts—there are but two possible eternal destinations for all human beings: 1) Apart from Jesus, the flames and torments of Hell, or 2) In Christ, the joy and peace of Heaven. It takes the stark reality of the fate awaiting all of us because of our sins to turn our hearts to Jesus and run to him for forgiveness and new birth.
Pleas don't misunderstand me, I am not suggesting that we go about trying to frighten people into turning to the Lord. I don't believe screaming and threats are effective tools for evangelism. Nonetheless, we believers do have an obligation to be straight with the lost—without Christ they are doomed to an unspeakably painful eternity of suffering. Even if we only succeed in getting someone to begin to concede the possibility of Hell, we will have begun to prepare their heart to turn to Jesus. Though it is deeply troubling to know that many will yet ignore or reject the Lord, we need to be encouraged by the fact that every day the number of those who are being saved grows, and we have a part to play in that growth of the kingdom.
John would be the first to tell us that he never saved anyone, he knew that the work of salvation awaited one who was mightier than he who would follow him. Like John, none of us can save anyone, that's still and will always be the work of Jesus. But, again like John, we can and we must do our part to turn hearts, to prepare and make people ready for Christ to come into their lives. For Jesus still follows where the faithful prepare a way for him.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Monday, December 13, 2010
Jesus Entered Hearts in the Fullness of Time
What Did Jesus Do?
“But when the fullness of time had come...God has sent the Spirit of
his Son into our hearts”
Galatians 4.4, 6
As discussed in an earlier WDJD (See “Jesus Arrived on Schedule” 12/13/10), the Father's will determined the birthplace of the Son, along with the precise date of his arrival. Timing is important to God, and all time is subject to God's sovereign authority. In God's will nothing happens too soon or too late, but at the perfect Kairos moment, which is to say, “in the fullness of time.”
The Father planned the timing of the Son's coming into the world according to his sovereign will for the world's salvation. But salvation isn't really something that happens globally. Jesus came into the world, yes, but he came into the world that he might enter the hearts of men and women and children. And the timing of Christ's entering into our heart is established just as precisely by the Father as the day of Jesus's birth. The Father has ordained a moment, in the fullness of time, when each and every member of his elect will be ready to personally receive the Son into their heart. For some it is during childhood, for others it happens during adolescence. Time might not be “full” for us until we are adults, or even quite aged. But whatever the timing, it is completely according to the Father's plan for us. We become heirs in the very moment the Father has appointed, and God's “appointment” book was completed before he even laid down the foundations of the earth.
God appoints the time, and then he prepares the heart. The preparation may be relatively simple and easy, or it may be long and hard. Some of us welcome Jesus when we are quite young, others of us avoid and resist for years. Too many of us “put on” Christ, making a pretense of being Christian, without actually receiving the Spirit of Christ in our heart. No matter, in the fullness of time God uncovers our masquerade, and lays bare our heart, that we might see how barren our heart is without Jesus.
I believe that perhaps the greatest thing about celebrating Christmas every year is that it reminds us of how the Father works in the fullness of time. And it gives us the opportunity to tell others, regardless of their past, or of their present circumstances, that today, tomorrow, sometime next year, or in years to come, there's a fullness of time moment waiting for them, when the Father will send the Spirit of the Son into their heart. And, who's to say, why can't this Christmas, why can't today, be the day to become an heir to the Father's kingdom through the Son?
While “Joy to the World” only makes the play list of many churches at Christmas time, it really is an everyday hymn because it is all about fullness of time moments coming for hearts every day. We proclaim and repeat the Good News over and over because every second of every minute of every day can be the “fullness of time” for someone the Father saves through the Son. Christmas may come but once a year, but Christ comes day by day and enters the hearts of those who are being saved, in the fullness of time. That's what Jesus did, and he's still doing it!
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“But when the fullness of time had come...God has sent the Spirit of
his Son into our hearts”
Galatians 4.4, 6
As discussed in an earlier WDJD (See “Jesus Arrived on Schedule” 12/13/10), the Father's will determined the birthplace of the Son, along with the precise date of his arrival. Timing is important to God, and all time is subject to God's sovereign authority. In God's will nothing happens too soon or too late, but at the perfect Kairos moment, which is to say, “in the fullness of time.”
The Father planned the timing of the Son's coming into the world according to his sovereign will for the world's salvation. But salvation isn't really something that happens globally. Jesus came into the world, yes, but he came into the world that he might enter the hearts of men and women and children. And the timing of Christ's entering into our heart is established just as precisely by the Father as the day of Jesus's birth. The Father has ordained a moment, in the fullness of time, when each and every member of his elect will be ready to personally receive the Son into their heart. For some it is during childhood, for others it happens during adolescence. Time might not be “full” for us until we are adults, or even quite aged. But whatever the timing, it is completely according to the Father's plan for us. We become heirs in the very moment the Father has appointed, and God's “appointment” book was completed before he even laid down the foundations of the earth.
God appoints the time, and then he prepares the heart. The preparation may be relatively simple and easy, or it may be long and hard. Some of us welcome Jesus when we are quite young, others of us avoid and resist for years. Too many of us “put on” Christ, making a pretense of being Christian, without actually receiving the Spirit of Christ in our heart. No matter, in the fullness of time God uncovers our masquerade, and lays bare our heart, that we might see how barren our heart is without Jesus.
I believe that perhaps the greatest thing about celebrating Christmas every year is that it reminds us of how the Father works in the fullness of time. And it gives us the opportunity to tell others, regardless of their past, or of their present circumstances, that today, tomorrow, sometime next year, or in years to come, there's a fullness of time moment waiting for them, when the Father will send the Spirit of the Son into their heart. And, who's to say, why can't this Christmas, why can't today, be the day to become an heir to the Father's kingdom through the Son?
While “Joy to the World” only makes the play list of many churches at Christmas time, it really is an everyday hymn because it is all about fullness of time moments coming for hearts every day. We proclaim and repeat the Good News over and over because every second of every minute of every day can be the “fullness of time” for someone the Father saves through the Son. Christmas may come but once a year, but Christ comes day by day and enters the hearts of those who are being saved, in the fullness of time. That's what Jesus did, and he's still doing it!
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Jesus Arrived on Schedule
What Did Jesus Do?
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 days.
Micah 5.2
Please don't take this the wrong way, but God is the founder of planned parenthood. No, not the organization which seems more interested getting people to terminate their unplanned or inconvenient pregnancy, than it does in actually helping anyone become a parent (When your chief services are abortion and birth control how many babies are you really planning for?). What I mean is that the Father is the one who planned with precision “from of old” (Which means even from before “In the beginning...”) every single detail of the birth of the Son.
While December 25 may not be the actual day that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the Bible is adamantly clear that the Savior's birth occurred the very day, hour, and minute that God had ordained, and in the one place in all the world where it had to happen. O sure, some may argue that Christ was born in Bethlehem because of an edict of Caesar that there should be a census, which resulted in Joseph and Mary being in Bethlehem when she went into labor and delivered her firstborn son. But the emperor of Rome only played his part, like an actor, in the divine drama scripted by God.
It wasn't that Nazareth, Joseph and Mary's home, wasn't a suitable place to give birth, Nazareth was a nice little village, the perfect place for Jesus to grow up in. But when your life is all about fulfilling the foretold (See WDJD 12/2/10), the words of Micah (Which in reality were the Word of God) are determinative as regards the place and time of your arrival.
Before you are tempted to dismiss the fact of the foretelling of the birth of the Savior as irrelevant, please consider the following two points. First and foremost, God is sovereign. His plans, or we might say his Will, is absolute and irresistible, nothing can stop it. What God says, goes. If, according to the Father's will, the Savior was to be born in Bethlehem, what do you think the chances were that he might have been born in Hoboken, or even in Nazareth? ZERO! This sovereignty of God's will is no small thing, because it means we can put complete trust in every promise contained in the Bible. THAT is security!
Secondly, knowing that God has a plan, and that everything he plans happens, know that he also has a plan for our life. While Micah and the prophets might never have said word one about your birth or mine, there are are no “accidental” births, regardless of what Planned Parenthood has to say on the matter. The date and place of our arrival is just as deliberate as that of the Savior. Who our parents are, where we are raised, are part of the Father's will for us. In fact, it is not just that God has a plan for our lives, the Father has a perfect plan for us. And the key to knowing and following the Father's perfect plan is knowing and obeying the Son.
You see, the one whose birth in Bethlehem had been foretold is the one who, against all the powers and principalities of the world, against even Satan, stood and shepherded his flock in the strength of the LORD. (Micah 5.4) In this, again, we can live secure, for Christ's greatness shall be to the ends, and to the end, of the earth.
One final thought about the relevance of all this to our lives. Everyone experiences anxiety, despair, depression, even desperation, at times in our lives when things seem to happen, or not happen, at the wrong time. Hope can be hard to hold on to when we have a pile of overdue bills in front of us and no money in our checking account, when recovery from an illness is taking a long, long time to come, when we look forward to having a child and the child never arrives. When our life, and our plans, are just a big mess, we need to remember that for us the Son was born in Bethlehem, right on schedule according to the Father's plans, and, in his time, the Father's perfect plans for our lives in Christ shall also surely be fulfilled.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
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 days.
Micah 5.2
Please don't take this the wrong way, but God is the founder of planned parenthood. No, not the organization which seems more interested getting people to terminate their unplanned or inconvenient pregnancy, than it does in actually helping anyone become a parent (When your chief services are abortion and birth control how many babies are you really planning for?). What I mean is that the Father is the one who planned with precision “from of old” (Which means even from before “In the beginning...”) every single detail of the birth of the Son.
While December 25 may not be the actual day that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the Bible is adamantly clear that the Savior's birth occurred the very day, hour, and minute that God had ordained, and in the one place in all the world where it had to happen. O sure, some may argue that Christ was born in Bethlehem because of an edict of Caesar that there should be a census, which resulted in Joseph and Mary being in Bethlehem when she went into labor and delivered her firstborn son. But the emperor of Rome only played his part, like an actor, in the divine drama scripted by God.
It wasn't that Nazareth, Joseph and Mary's home, wasn't a suitable place to give birth, Nazareth was a nice little village, the perfect place for Jesus to grow up in. But when your life is all about fulfilling the foretold (See WDJD 12/2/10), the words of Micah (Which in reality were the Word of God) are determinative as regards the place and time of your arrival.
Before you are tempted to dismiss the fact of the foretelling of the birth of the Savior as irrelevant, please consider the following two points. First and foremost, God is sovereign. His plans, or we might say his Will, is absolute and irresistible, nothing can stop it. What God says, goes. If, according to the Father's will, the Savior was to be born in Bethlehem, what do you think the chances were that he might have been born in Hoboken, or even in Nazareth? ZERO! This sovereignty of God's will is no small thing, because it means we can put complete trust in every promise contained in the Bible. THAT is security!
Secondly, knowing that God has a plan, and that everything he plans happens, know that he also has a plan for our life. While Micah and the prophets might never have said word one about your birth or mine, there are are no “accidental” births, regardless of what Planned Parenthood has to say on the matter. The date and place of our arrival is just as deliberate as that of the Savior. Who our parents are, where we are raised, are part of the Father's will for us. In fact, it is not just that God has a plan for our lives, the Father has a perfect plan for us. And the key to knowing and following the Father's perfect plan is knowing and obeying the Son.
You see, the one whose birth in Bethlehem had been foretold is the one who, against all the powers and principalities of the world, against even Satan, stood and shepherded his flock in the strength of the LORD. (Micah 5.4) In this, again, we can live secure, for Christ's greatness shall be to the ends, and to the end, of the earth.
One final thought about the relevance of all this to our lives. Everyone experiences anxiety, despair, depression, even desperation, at times in our lives when things seem to happen, or not happen, at the wrong time. Hope can be hard to hold on to when we have a pile of overdue bills in front of us and no money in our checking account, when recovery from an illness is taking a long, long time to come, when we look forward to having a child and the child never arrives. When our life, and our plans, are just a big mess, we need to remember that for us the Son was born in Bethlehem, right on schedule according to the Father's plans, and, in his time, the Father's perfect plans for our lives in Christ shall also surely be fulfilled.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Jesus Fulfilled the Shalom of God
What Did Jesus Do?
They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11.9
How sad that the Prince of Peace had to confess that he had not come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword. (Matthew 10.34) Well, Jesus did explain that the peace he was giving to his followers was not of the same order as the “peace” the world gives. But a sword? In truth, the Lord never directed his disciples to strap on a blade, in fact just the opposite. (See Matthew 26.52) But Christ did “arm” his people with the Sword of the Spirit—the Word of God. Tragically, the world rages against the Word, thus battle must be joined in order to establish peace, the Shalom of God.
When the prophet Isaiah foretold the peace which would be established by the “Root of Jesse,” he spoke of the “rod of his mouth” and the “breath of his lips” which would overcome the world (Isaiah 11.4). Again, the Sword of the Spirit, sharper than any blade, would be the instrument by which peace would be won.
For peace is not a matter of conquering kingdoms and subduing people with bombs and guns and swords, that is the world's way of establishing peace. And to this day we can see how fragile and incomplete has been the peace won by the sword. Tragically, the world is doomed to fight war after war, with peace no more lasting than any of humanity's other vanities.
The thing is, the followers of Christ do not have the luxury of being non-combatants. We have a part to play in the struggle for peace. The Root of Jesse is our banner, the Word of God is our weapon, and the goal is to spread knowledge. This knowledge, like the peace of Christ, is qualitatively different from worldly knowledge. One of the chief accomplishments of worldly knowledge is the “advancement” from swords to nuclear bombs and chemical weapons that only destroy. Rather, the knowledge that brings peace, the true Shalom of God, is the knowledge of the LORD (Isaiah 11.9).
The hurting and destruction that is the world's way of making peace will only come to an end when the Knowledge of the LORD fills the earth. And the only way this knowledge can move forward is for those who know to tell those who don't.
Now, don't think for a moment that everyone with whom we share this knowledge will receive it gratefully. Some will laugh at us. Many will take offense at the Word. The world plainly will reject the true way to peace. Nevertheless, we continue to take up the Sword of the Spirit, and share the knowledge of the LORD which alone brings lasting peace, true Shalom. The only way we can share it, of course, is if we first have it ourselves.
Again, we have the great advantage of this season of Advent to prepare our hearts to receive all that Christ came to give us. As they say, “No Christ—no peace; Know Christ—know peace!” Only Jesus fulfills the foretold Shalom of God.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11.9
How sad that the Prince of Peace had to confess that he had not come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword. (Matthew 10.34) Well, Jesus did explain that the peace he was giving to his followers was not of the same order as the “peace” the world gives. But a sword? In truth, the Lord never directed his disciples to strap on a blade, in fact just the opposite. (See Matthew 26.52) But Christ did “arm” his people with the Sword of the Spirit—the Word of God. Tragically, the world rages against the Word, thus battle must be joined in order to establish peace, the Shalom of God.
When the prophet Isaiah foretold the peace which would be established by the “Root of Jesse,” he spoke of the “rod of his mouth” and the “breath of his lips” which would overcome the world (Isaiah 11.4). Again, the Sword of the Spirit, sharper than any blade, would be the instrument by which peace would be won.
For peace is not a matter of conquering kingdoms and subduing people with bombs and guns and swords, that is the world's way of establishing peace. And to this day we can see how fragile and incomplete has been the peace won by the sword. Tragically, the world is doomed to fight war after war, with peace no more lasting than any of humanity's other vanities.
The thing is, the followers of Christ do not have the luxury of being non-combatants. We have a part to play in the struggle for peace. The Root of Jesse is our banner, the Word of God is our weapon, and the goal is to spread knowledge. This knowledge, like the peace of Christ, is qualitatively different from worldly knowledge. One of the chief accomplishments of worldly knowledge is the “advancement” from swords to nuclear bombs and chemical weapons that only destroy. Rather, the knowledge that brings peace, the true Shalom of God, is the knowledge of the LORD (Isaiah 11.9).
The hurting and destruction that is the world's way of making peace will only come to an end when the Knowledge of the LORD fills the earth. And the only way this knowledge can move forward is for those who know to tell those who don't.
Now, don't think for a moment that everyone with whom we share this knowledge will receive it gratefully. Some will laugh at us. Many will take offense at the Word. The world plainly will reject the true way to peace. Nevertheless, we continue to take up the Sword of the Spirit, and share the knowledge of the LORD which alone brings lasting peace, true Shalom. The only way we can share it, of course, is if we first have it ourselves.
Again, we have the great advantage of this season of Advent to prepare our hearts to receive all that Christ came to give us. As they say, “No Christ—no peace; Know Christ—know peace!” Only Jesus fulfills the foretold Shalom of God.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Jesus Fulfilled the Foretold
What Did Jesus Do?
“I have not come to abolish...but to fulfill.”
Matthew 5.17
There was a time when marketers used to remind us how many “shopping days” were left until Christmas. “Shopping days” is of course an archaic term, now that every day, 24/7, is a shopping day. In what is day by day becoming the more and more remote past, businesses used to close on Sundays, and some on Saturdays as well, thus creating a distinction between days when one could “shop,” and days when one was supposed to devote one's self to other pursuits.
Similarly, there was a time when, in most churches, the season of Advent was distinguishable from Christmas. Mercantilism swallowed up every day of the week, with Christmas season so expanding as to all but obliterate Thanksgiving in its own right (Turkey Day is now little more than a green flag for an all-out spending bacchanal that consumes just about every second of every day right up until the last online shopper clicks one final “submit order” button on Christmas Eve.). Similarly, celebrations of Christmas occupy most of the time and energy of congregations throughout the weeks of what once was Advent, so that there is little or no preparing of hearts and minds to receive Jesus at the observance of his birth. Not unlike merchants, many churches simply want to make the “sale,” to get people to “buy” Jesus, even before they truly get to know who and what they are being offered.
So, as you may have surmised by now, I for one am still a fan of Advent, though I am hardly slavish about the liturgical calendar. I believe there is much to recommend a season of preparation to receive the Lord and Savior. And I believe the Father also felt a considerable time of preparation was necessary before he sent the Son into the world. Otherwise, why would there have been more than a millennium of waiting and anticipation on the part of the Jews for the Messiah to come?
Ironically, many were critical of, even violently opposed to, Jesus because they were convinced that he was determined to abolish what they had long held on to as the foundations of their faith—the Law and the Prophets. But Jesus was quite clear that his mission was just the opposite, not the abolishment of the Law and the Prophets, but their fulfillment. What did Jesus do? Jesus fulfilled what had been foretold. And one of the best things about Advent is that it intentionally provides the Church a season of preparation, a time to study and ponder the foretelling, that we might better celebrate the birth of, the Fulfiller.
Consider this: While some anticipated that the Messiah would suddenly appear as a man, a powerful liberating king, it had in fact been foretold that he would come as a baby. There was a child to be born, a son, actually, The Son would be given. (See Isaiah 9.6) And Israel had been privileged to have had centuries of advance knowledge of the coming of the One who would fulfill the words of Isaiah and the rest of the prophets, that she might be ready to receive him when, in the fullness of time, he was born. Sadly, foreknowledge does little good when it is either ignored, or twisted to suit personal or political agendas. Rightfully, faithfully, looking forward to the Messiah's coming, Israel envisioned what will be the Second Advent. They did not understand that the Messiah first had to die for their sins (And ours!), liberation from sin and death had to come before any political deliverance. And so, Pharisees and Sadducees and priests largely condemned Christ as the abolisher, rather than the fulfiller, of all that God had promised. And God had promised a lot!
Just think, for a moment, on a few of the names given to the Fulfiller. The names tell us much about who he is, and what he did/does: Wonderful Counselor—far better than any analyst or psychologist Jesus knows the hearts and minds of men and women, and has a comforting, compassionate, and healing word for all who are troubled; Mighty God—all dominion, majesty and power belong to Jesus, our shield and defender, who is able to accomplish what we need, which is even greater than all we could ask or imagine; Everlasting Father—the Son and the Father are one, through Jesus we have seen the Father, and know him personally.
In stark contrast those who in the ancient world, and the modern, who make outrageously bold and grandiose claims for themselves, Jesus comes to us humbly to point to the words which he has fulfilled. One of the great things about Advent is that it gives every heart an opportunity to prepare Him room, which is to say that unlike children who wonder what Santa might bring them, we can know, through the foretold word, all that the Father has given us in and through the Son. How? Because Jesus fulfilled the foretold.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“I have not come to abolish...but to fulfill.”
Matthew 5.17
There was a time when marketers used to remind us how many “shopping days” were left until Christmas. “Shopping days” is of course an archaic term, now that every day, 24/7, is a shopping day. In what is day by day becoming the more and more remote past, businesses used to close on Sundays, and some on Saturdays as well, thus creating a distinction between days when one could “shop,” and days when one was supposed to devote one's self to other pursuits.
Similarly, there was a time when, in most churches, the season of Advent was distinguishable from Christmas. Mercantilism swallowed up every day of the week, with Christmas season so expanding as to all but obliterate Thanksgiving in its own right (Turkey Day is now little more than a green flag for an all-out spending bacchanal that consumes just about every second of every day right up until the last online shopper clicks one final “submit order” button on Christmas Eve.). Similarly, celebrations of Christmas occupy most of the time and energy of congregations throughout the weeks of what once was Advent, so that there is little or no preparing of hearts and minds to receive Jesus at the observance of his birth. Not unlike merchants, many churches simply want to make the “sale,” to get people to “buy” Jesus, even before they truly get to know who and what they are being offered.
So, as you may have surmised by now, I for one am still a fan of Advent, though I am hardly slavish about the liturgical calendar. I believe there is much to recommend a season of preparation to receive the Lord and Savior. And I believe the Father also felt a considerable time of preparation was necessary before he sent the Son into the world. Otherwise, why would there have been more than a millennium of waiting and anticipation on the part of the Jews for the Messiah to come?
Ironically, many were critical of, even violently opposed to, Jesus because they were convinced that he was determined to abolish what they had long held on to as the foundations of their faith—the Law and the Prophets. But Jesus was quite clear that his mission was just the opposite, not the abolishment of the Law and the Prophets, but their fulfillment. What did Jesus do? Jesus fulfilled what had been foretold. And one of the best things about Advent is that it intentionally provides the Church a season of preparation, a time to study and ponder the foretelling, that we might better celebrate the birth of, the Fulfiller.
Consider this: While some anticipated that the Messiah would suddenly appear as a man, a powerful liberating king, it had in fact been foretold that he would come as a baby. There was a child to be born, a son, actually, The Son would be given. (See Isaiah 9.6) And Israel had been privileged to have had centuries of advance knowledge of the coming of the One who would fulfill the words of Isaiah and the rest of the prophets, that she might be ready to receive him when, in the fullness of time, he was born. Sadly, foreknowledge does little good when it is either ignored, or twisted to suit personal or political agendas. Rightfully, faithfully, looking forward to the Messiah's coming, Israel envisioned what will be the Second Advent. They did not understand that the Messiah first had to die for their sins (And ours!), liberation from sin and death had to come before any political deliverance. And so, Pharisees and Sadducees and priests largely condemned Christ as the abolisher, rather than the fulfiller, of all that God had promised. And God had promised a lot!
Just think, for a moment, on a few of the names given to the Fulfiller. The names tell us much about who he is, and what he did/does: Wonderful Counselor—far better than any analyst or psychologist Jesus knows the hearts and minds of men and women, and has a comforting, compassionate, and healing word for all who are troubled; Mighty God—all dominion, majesty and power belong to Jesus, our shield and defender, who is able to accomplish what we need, which is even greater than all we could ask or imagine; Everlasting Father—the Son and the Father are one, through Jesus we have seen the Father, and know him personally.
In stark contrast those who in the ancient world, and the modern, who make outrageously bold and grandiose claims for themselves, Jesus comes to us humbly to point to the words which he has fulfilled. One of the great things about Advent is that it gives every heart an opportunity to prepare Him room, which is to say that unlike children who wonder what Santa might bring them, we can know, through the foretold word, all that the Father has given us in and through the Son. How? Because Jesus fulfilled the foretold.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Jesus Trusted The Father
What Did Jesus Do?
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3.5-6
My friend Philip preached about thanksgiving last Sunday, a timely message certainly. But Phil's focus was not so much on thanksgiving, but rather on what gets in the way of our being thankful, not just on the fourth Thursday of November, but every day. Philip rightly made the point that people who are not content find it hard to be truly faithful.
When we're not content our hearts are always troubled by wanting. Perhaps we feel life has served us too small a portion of success, or wealth, or prestige. Or, conversely, we may be convinced that life has unfairly dealt us far more than our share of troubles, suffering, and sorrows. It might just be that we want, not so much more or less of something, we just want something different. We've got a beautiful spacious home, but for some reason we just have to get an addition built. Or we tool around in a fine set of late model wheels, but can't get a decent night's rest until we get the newer, more powerful ride parked in our garage. All this manner of all but endless and insatiable wanting sooner or later makes us anxious (As in the aforementioned sleepless nights pining over a new car.). The effect of anxiety is to wear down and worry the heart (See Proverbs 12.25), making thanksgiving all but impossible.
Contentment is simply essential to thanksgiving. Discontent, on the other hand, is the chief ingredient in disaster. As Paul advised his protege Timothy, “Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment...But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” (1Timothy 6.6,9) Now, I believe that perhaps the biggest reason we all suffer from discontent at some time or another, and why some of us are plagued to death by discontent, is a matter of trust, or more accurately, a pernicious distrust of God.
You see, if we are always second guessing God, are always convinced that we know better than the Father, that lack of trust will inevitably cause us to grow anxious. We will either become impatient with what we convince ourselves is God's slowness, or fretful that he either doesn't know all the facts or, worse, that somehow he doesn't really care about us. I think you can see how this kind of distrustful attitude towards the Father can lead to our becoming less than thankful children.
What is the real cause of thanklessness? Our faith. What do we really believe about God? That his steadfast love never ceases? That his mercies never come to an end, and that he offers them to us fresh and new each morning? That his faithfulness is great (As in unending!)? When the Lord is our portion it is he, and he alone whom we hope in. (See Lamentations 3.22-24) If this isn't what we believe about him, our beliefs are faulty. And faulty beliefs will mess us up sooner or later.
Whether we have a job, or are unemployed; whether we live in a mansion, or a homeless shelter; whether we have a million in the bank, or our account balance is zero; whether we are as healthy as or horse, or the “ol' gray mare” is broken down by illness and infirmity, is, ultimately, immaterial to our thankfulness. The Father looks after us 24/7, and has through the Son made us eternally secure. Surely this is reason enough for us to be eternally grateful.
All that the Son did, he did with complete faith in the Father. You don't think Jesus went to the cross wondering what was going to happen to him, did you? No, he trusted the Father with his life, and with his death.
I am not saying it is always easy to be thankful, or that the way of faith is an easy or always pleasant path to tread. Jesus asked the Father in the garden of Gesthemane if there might be another way. And, yes, even the Lord cried out in anguish and despair from the cross. Yet it was into the Father's hands he committed his spirit because Jesus trusted the Father.
While I certainly hope you have a comfortable home, a healthy family, a secure job, and financial resources to give thanks for this year, I pray even more that you have trust in the Father so that you will give him thanks. That's what Jesus did.
Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3.5-6
My friend Philip preached about thanksgiving last Sunday, a timely message certainly. But Phil's focus was not so much on thanksgiving, but rather on what gets in the way of our being thankful, not just on the fourth Thursday of November, but every day. Philip rightly made the point that people who are not content find it hard to be truly faithful.
When we're not content our hearts are always troubled by wanting. Perhaps we feel life has served us too small a portion of success, or wealth, or prestige. Or, conversely, we may be convinced that life has unfairly dealt us far more than our share of troubles, suffering, and sorrows. It might just be that we want, not so much more or less of something, we just want something different. We've got a beautiful spacious home, but for some reason we just have to get an addition built. Or we tool around in a fine set of late model wheels, but can't get a decent night's rest until we get the newer, more powerful ride parked in our garage. All this manner of all but endless and insatiable wanting sooner or later makes us anxious (As in the aforementioned sleepless nights pining over a new car.). The effect of anxiety is to wear down and worry the heart (See Proverbs 12.25), making thanksgiving all but impossible.
Contentment is simply essential to thanksgiving. Discontent, on the other hand, is the chief ingredient in disaster. As Paul advised his protege Timothy, “Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment...But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” (1Timothy 6.6,9) Now, I believe that perhaps the biggest reason we all suffer from discontent at some time or another, and why some of us are plagued to death by discontent, is a matter of trust, or more accurately, a pernicious distrust of God.
You see, if we are always second guessing God, are always convinced that we know better than the Father, that lack of trust will inevitably cause us to grow anxious. We will either become impatient with what we convince ourselves is God's slowness, or fretful that he either doesn't know all the facts or, worse, that somehow he doesn't really care about us. I think you can see how this kind of distrustful attitude towards the Father can lead to our becoming less than thankful children.
What is the real cause of thanklessness? Our faith. What do we really believe about God? That his steadfast love never ceases? That his mercies never come to an end, and that he offers them to us fresh and new each morning? That his faithfulness is great (As in unending!)? When the Lord is our portion it is he, and he alone whom we hope in. (See Lamentations 3.22-24) If this isn't what we believe about him, our beliefs are faulty. And faulty beliefs will mess us up sooner or later.
Whether we have a job, or are unemployed; whether we live in a mansion, or a homeless shelter; whether we have a million in the bank, or our account balance is zero; whether we are as healthy as or horse, or the “ol' gray mare” is broken down by illness and infirmity, is, ultimately, immaterial to our thankfulness. The Father looks after us 24/7, and has through the Son made us eternally secure. Surely this is reason enough for us to be eternally grateful.
All that the Son did, he did with complete faith in the Father. You don't think Jesus went to the cross wondering what was going to happen to him, did you? No, he trusted the Father with his life, and with his death.
I am not saying it is always easy to be thankful, or that the way of faith is an easy or always pleasant path to tread. Jesus asked the Father in the garden of Gesthemane if there might be another way. And, yes, even the Lord cried out in anguish and despair from the cross. Yet it was into the Father's hands he committed his spirit because Jesus trusted the Father.
While I certainly hope you have a comfortable home, a healthy family, a secure job, and financial resources to give thanks for this year, I pray even more that you have trust in the Father so that you will give him thanks. That's what Jesus did.
Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Friday, November 19, 2010
Jesus Changed Landscapes
What Did Jesus Do?
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
2Corinthians 5.17
I think the folks who produce television shows, especially so-called “reality” shows, are far too impressed with themselves. They build someone a new house and call it an “extreme makeover.” Please, moving into new digs doesn't mean much more in the long run than winning the lottery; and there are many tales of woe associated with lottery winners whose lives are no better, and oftentimes worse, after their windfall. I guess there is nothing wrong with new clothes, new hairdo, new car, new home: it keeps tailors and barbers and car makers and carpenters in business. But none of these things really changes a person, does it? If we want to talk about extreme makeovers we need to accept that the work must progress from the inside out. Literally, it means being made into a new creation. And, ahhh, you guessed it, that's what Jesus did.
While John the Baptist proclaimed a coming transformation of the exterior landscapes of the world, with valleys being filled and mountains and hills being made low, with crooked paths being straightened and rough places being smoothed over (See Luke 3.4-6), John's cousin dealt with a very different and more stubborn landscape: the hearts and minds of men and women. You see, Jesus' specialty was the re-creation of interior landscapes. There was divine genius in this. Change the person from the inside out, and the exterior landscapes of their life, their direction, their relationships, and their worldview will be transformed.
The fallen world, corrupt and passing away, truly needed an “extreme makeover,” otherwise the whole mess was going straight to he _ _ ! But, while creation wasn't responsible, the guilt, if you will, lay with man, for it was man who first sinned. It didn't matter how many valleys were filled, how many mountains brought low, how many rough places smoothed, if the heart of men and women were unchanged the entire world would remain under the curse. The Father was not about to let this happen, so he sent the Son to go to work on our hearts. Give people a new heart, change their interior landscape, and the whole world could be saved. For Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3.17).
Most fundamentally, with their hearts changed, women and men would be reoriented 180 degrees. No longer would they be turned from God, but longingly, lovingly be directed towards God. With a new heart people would no longer have any reason to run and hide from God (See Genesis 3.8), but those who had had no relationship with God, who had never known him, would come to desire nothing more than to run towards him (See Isaiah 55.5). And, with a wholly new relationship with God, people would relate to their neighbors in a totally new way as well. Barriers and distinctions of gender, ethnicity, and social class would disappear (See Galatians 3.28; Colossians 3.11). Our worldview, how we perceive and understand everything, would also be transformed. Truth would banish the lies and illusions that for so long impaired our vision. Strongholds would be torn down, and remarkable new landscapes would be revealed and realized.
But the extreme makeover of humanity also required that men and women should die; actually, what was required was that people should be put to death for their sins. And here is where the Son did his best work. What good a new heart for men and women if all must die for their sins? And so the Son willingly offered his life for ours. Christ died and rose again so that we might both receive a new heart and the promise of new and eternal life.
The landscapes of this world change when people change. And the change is not a matter of new clothes or new car or new home, but a new heart which makes totally new creatures of us. Change even one heart, and you begin to change a family, a classroom, an office, even a congregation! Change a family, a classroom, an office, a congregation, and you begin to change a neighborhood, a school, a company, even the Church! Change these, and the landscapes of the world will begin to change. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
2Corinthians 5.17
I think the folks who produce television shows, especially so-called “reality” shows, are far too impressed with themselves. They build someone a new house and call it an “extreme makeover.” Please, moving into new digs doesn't mean much more in the long run than winning the lottery; and there are many tales of woe associated with lottery winners whose lives are no better, and oftentimes worse, after their windfall. I guess there is nothing wrong with new clothes, new hairdo, new car, new home: it keeps tailors and barbers and car makers and carpenters in business. But none of these things really changes a person, does it? If we want to talk about extreme makeovers we need to accept that the work must progress from the inside out. Literally, it means being made into a new creation. And, ahhh, you guessed it, that's what Jesus did.
While John the Baptist proclaimed a coming transformation of the exterior landscapes of the world, with valleys being filled and mountains and hills being made low, with crooked paths being straightened and rough places being smoothed over (See Luke 3.4-6), John's cousin dealt with a very different and more stubborn landscape: the hearts and minds of men and women. You see, Jesus' specialty was the re-creation of interior landscapes. There was divine genius in this. Change the person from the inside out, and the exterior landscapes of their life, their direction, their relationships, and their worldview will be transformed.
The fallen world, corrupt and passing away, truly needed an “extreme makeover,” otherwise the whole mess was going straight to he _ _ ! But, while creation wasn't responsible, the guilt, if you will, lay with man, for it was man who first sinned. It didn't matter how many valleys were filled, how many mountains brought low, how many rough places smoothed, if the heart of men and women were unchanged the entire world would remain under the curse. The Father was not about to let this happen, so he sent the Son to go to work on our hearts. Give people a new heart, change their interior landscape, and the whole world could be saved. For Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3.17).
Most fundamentally, with their hearts changed, women and men would be reoriented 180 degrees. No longer would they be turned from God, but longingly, lovingly be directed towards God. With a new heart people would no longer have any reason to run and hide from God (See Genesis 3.8), but those who had had no relationship with God, who had never known him, would come to desire nothing more than to run towards him (See Isaiah 55.5). And, with a wholly new relationship with God, people would relate to their neighbors in a totally new way as well. Barriers and distinctions of gender, ethnicity, and social class would disappear (See Galatians 3.28; Colossians 3.11). Our worldview, how we perceive and understand everything, would also be transformed. Truth would banish the lies and illusions that for so long impaired our vision. Strongholds would be torn down, and remarkable new landscapes would be revealed and realized.
But the extreme makeover of humanity also required that men and women should die; actually, what was required was that people should be put to death for their sins. And here is where the Son did his best work. What good a new heart for men and women if all must die for their sins? And so the Son willingly offered his life for ours. Christ died and rose again so that we might both receive a new heart and the promise of new and eternal life.
The landscapes of this world change when people change. And the change is not a matter of new clothes or new car or new home, but a new heart which makes totally new creatures of us. Change even one heart, and you begin to change a family, a classroom, an office, even a congregation! Change a family, a classroom, an office, a congregation, and you begin to change a neighborhood, a school, a company, even the Church! Change these, and the landscapes of the world will begin to change. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Jesus Sent Help
What Did Jesus Do?
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,
to be with you forever.”
John 14.16
When I wrote about my personal salvation I described how, for a long time, I had believed the Lord to be far away from me at the Father's right hand, but that when I had my first real conversation with Jesus he explained that he had in fact always been with me (See WDJD for 11/8/10). It occurred to me that some further clarification is appropriate, because someone might think that in saying he had been with me always the Lord could not have been in heaven with the Father.
The fact is, Jesus is present with all believers, even when, like me, they may go for years quite insensitive to his presence. And, at the very same time that he is present with us, the Lord is also attendant upon the right hand of the Father. This is possible because Christ's presence with, actually within, every believer, is through the agency of the “Helper.”
You see, Jesus was painfully aware of the approach of his crucifixion, and anxious that his disciples should not feel abandoned and alone in a world where persecution was certain. They were all going to need help, and the Lord knew just what help to ask for from the Father. The help the Son would request, and the Father would send, was the Holy Spirit. And, by the promise of Jesus himself, we can believe and know that the Spirit is with us forever (John 14.16b).
Now, the Spirit is no free agent, but the real presence of the Father and the Son, from whom he issues. The Son came that we should know the Father, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14.9); and the Father sends the Holy Spirit at the request of the Son so that both Father and Son should abide with believers forever, “...and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14.23). It is only in the Holy Spirit that Father and Son come and make their home with us. To slightly expand John 14.9—Whoever has seen the Son has seen the Father, and anyone who sees Father and Son also sees the Holy Spirit, for God the Three in One is inseparable.
In the Book of Revelation the Apostle John was shown a vision of a new heaven and a new earth which will succeed to the place of the first heaven and first earth, which shall pass away (Revelation 21.1). A voice accompanied John's vision, and declared that, “the dwelling place of God is with man” (Revelation 21.3). Though the vision was of an event which lay in the future, it in fact proclaimed a present spiritual reality for the Church, for believers, which is—God already dwells with the Body of Christ, with every believer in every place and every time, until time itself passes away and eternity future opens up. Thus it is that the Church does not put off the celebration and worship that will be the defining characteristics of the new Jerusalem, but experiences them even now. For, again, it is the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who makes manifest the presence of the Triune God, and who transforms the Church into the new Jerusalem even now.
If we need help today, help is here. If others need help, well, we are here. For, even as the Father sent the Son, and the Father and Son have sent the Spirit, so in the Spirit we must be willing to be sent—to go and be helpers. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,
to be with you forever.”
John 14.16
When I wrote about my personal salvation I described how, for a long time, I had believed the Lord to be far away from me at the Father's right hand, but that when I had my first real conversation with Jesus he explained that he had in fact always been with me (See WDJD for 11/8/10). It occurred to me that some further clarification is appropriate, because someone might think that in saying he had been with me always the Lord could not have been in heaven with the Father.
The fact is, Jesus is present with all believers, even when, like me, they may go for years quite insensitive to his presence. And, at the very same time that he is present with us, the Lord is also attendant upon the right hand of the Father. This is possible because Christ's presence with, actually within, every believer, is through the agency of the “Helper.”
You see, Jesus was painfully aware of the approach of his crucifixion, and anxious that his disciples should not feel abandoned and alone in a world where persecution was certain. They were all going to need help, and the Lord knew just what help to ask for from the Father. The help the Son would request, and the Father would send, was the Holy Spirit. And, by the promise of Jesus himself, we can believe and know that the Spirit is with us forever (John 14.16b).
Now, the Spirit is no free agent, but the real presence of the Father and the Son, from whom he issues. The Son came that we should know the Father, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14.9); and the Father sends the Holy Spirit at the request of the Son so that both Father and Son should abide with believers forever, “...and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14.23). It is only in the Holy Spirit that Father and Son come and make their home with us. To slightly expand John 14.9—Whoever has seen the Son has seen the Father, and anyone who sees Father and Son also sees the Holy Spirit, for God the Three in One is inseparable.
In the Book of Revelation the Apostle John was shown a vision of a new heaven and a new earth which will succeed to the place of the first heaven and first earth, which shall pass away (Revelation 21.1). A voice accompanied John's vision, and declared that, “the dwelling place of God is with man” (Revelation 21.3). Though the vision was of an event which lay in the future, it in fact proclaimed a present spiritual reality for the Church, for believers, which is—God already dwells with the Body of Christ, with every believer in every place and every time, until time itself passes away and eternity future opens up. Thus it is that the Church does not put off the celebration and worship that will be the defining characteristics of the new Jerusalem, but experiences them even now. For, again, it is the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who makes manifest the presence of the Triune God, and who transforms the Church into the new Jerusalem even now.
If we need help today, help is here. If others need help, well, we are here. For, even as the Father sent the Son, and the Father and Son have sent the Spirit, so in the Spirit we must be willing to be sent—to go and be helpers. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Monday, November 8, 2010
Jesus Secured Our Adoption
What Did Jesus Do?
In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1.5
Has anyone ever asked you, “When were you saved?” If we move about in evangelical circles long enough we are sure to be asked that question, and most of us have probably been asked many times about our salvation “experience.” And most of us have probably heard many stories from people eager to tell us about the time they “got saved.” There is no small difference of opinion on the whole matter of salvation. Here, for your consideration, is my understanding of “my” salvation.
In a very real sense I was “saved” the moment in eternity past when the Father chose to include me among the number of those he predestined for adoption through his Son (See the above captioned verse). Once my adoption was settled in the will of God there was nothing that could touch it. Oh, I'm not suggesting that predestination is all there is to salvation, but our eternal security in and through the Son is just that, eternal, from eternity past, through all the temporal ages, to eternity future. Those who have been chosen/elected/predestined in Christ are safe and secure in him by the sovereign authority of the Father's will.
But my salvation, secure in the Father's will, had to be paid for. It is the Father's free gift to the elect, but it came at a very high price. So, in a somewhat different sense, I was “saved” on a day nearly two thousand years ago now, on a hill called Golgotha, which stood just outside the walls of Jerusalem. There, on a cross erected atop that hill, my Savior died for me, paying the penalty for all my sins. The penalty having been paid for sinners, the victory over sin and death was announced three days after the Crucifixion with the words, “He is risen!” And so, for me, and for all who are adopted by the Father through the Son, death holds no terror because we have been promised eternal life. And the proof, the guarantee of that promise, is the Risen Savior. All this pertaining to my salvation is as absolutely true as the very words of Scripture which describe it. But there is more. For there was also a time when all this truth became true to me, and you might say that the occasion of my calling was when I was “saved.”
For me, the calling was not a singular episode that occurred in an instant. When I was fourteen I was baptized in the Reformed Church, and I made a public profession of my faith. While it was a very sincere action on my part, I must confess that I did not actually have a personal relationship with the Lord at that time. There was a lot of knowledge of Jesus in my head, and I believed all that was in my head, though it still needed some sorting out. But, even with a head full of Jesus, if you will, I still lacked something very important. My heart had not really received him. Did this mean I wasn't “saved?” By no means! It did mean, however, that I possessed a far from complete understanding of salvation at that time, and, far worse, I could not really live out the reality of my salvation in any meaningful way. It was as if I had received a gift, but never unwrapped it. The gift was mine, and all its benefits. I simply missed out on the matchless joy of the gift. That remained for another occasion.
The occasion came when I was in a hotel room alone, well not alone, as I discovered, and got on my knees and had my first real conversation with Jesus. Oh, I had prayed many prayers over the years, but they were more like telegrams, sometimes urgent, generally pleading, but certainly not the stuff of an intimate personal relationship. My prayers were up to that point dispatched to, so I thought, a distant Savior and Lord sitting at God the Father's right hand in heaven. But there, in that dark hotel room, I became aware that I was not alone at all, he was there with me! In fact, he made it clear that he had always been with me, patiently attending me in all my willfulness, all my waywardness, all my sinfulness. He had patiently waited for that very moment, when I confessed, from my heart and not my head, my desperate longing and need for him. Jesus had been real to me for a long time, but now that my heart was open and not just my head, he was real and present in a way I had never experienced. That encounter in the hotel room, what some would call my “conversion,” could also be said to be the time I “got saved.”
So, when was I “saved?” You may have your own opinion on the matter of my salvation. All I can tell you is that the Father decided it before even the foundations of the world were established; the Son secured it on the cross nearly two thousand years ago; I acknowledged it when I was baptized and made my first public profession of faith; but its real fruits began to blossom the night Jesus burst my heart open. All of this was Jesus' doing; it was all a matter of his securing my adoption by the Father. That's what Jesus did, for me.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1.5
Has anyone ever asked you, “When were you saved?” If we move about in evangelical circles long enough we are sure to be asked that question, and most of us have probably been asked many times about our salvation “experience.” And most of us have probably heard many stories from people eager to tell us about the time they “got saved.” There is no small difference of opinion on the whole matter of salvation. Here, for your consideration, is my understanding of “my” salvation.
In a very real sense I was “saved” the moment in eternity past when the Father chose to include me among the number of those he predestined for adoption through his Son (See the above captioned verse). Once my adoption was settled in the will of God there was nothing that could touch it. Oh, I'm not suggesting that predestination is all there is to salvation, but our eternal security in and through the Son is just that, eternal, from eternity past, through all the temporal ages, to eternity future. Those who have been chosen/elected/predestined in Christ are safe and secure in him by the sovereign authority of the Father's will.
But my salvation, secure in the Father's will, had to be paid for. It is the Father's free gift to the elect, but it came at a very high price. So, in a somewhat different sense, I was “saved” on a day nearly two thousand years ago now, on a hill called Golgotha, which stood just outside the walls of Jerusalem. There, on a cross erected atop that hill, my Savior died for me, paying the penalty for all my sins. The penalty having been paid for sinners, the victory over sin and death was announced three days after the Crucifixion with the words, “He is risen!” And so, for me, and for all who are adopted by the Father through the Son, death holds no terror because we have been promised eternal life. And the proof, the guarantee of that promise, is the Risen Savior. All this pertaining to my salvation is as absolutely true as the very words of Scripture which describe it. But there is more. For there was also a time when all this truth became true to me, and you might say that the occasion of my calling was when I was “saved.”
For me, the calling was not a singular episode that occurred in an instant. When I was fourteen I was baptized in the Reformed Church, and I made a public profession of my faith. While it was a very sincere action on my part, I must confess that I did not actually have a personal relationship with the Lord at that time. There was a lot of knowledge of Jesus in my head, and I believed all that was in my head, though it still needed some sorting out. But, even with a head full of Jesus, if you will, I still lacked something very important. My heart had not really received him. Did this mean I wasn't “saved?” By no means! It did mean, however, that I possessed a far from complete understanding of salvation at that time, and, far worse, I could not really live out the reality of my salvation in any meaningful way. It was as if I had received a gift, but never unwrapped it. The gift was mine, and all its benefits. I simply missed out on the matchless joy of the gift. That remained for another occasion.
The occasion came when I was in a hotel room alone, well not alone, as I discovered, and got on my knees and had my first real conversation with Jesus. Oh, I had prayed many prayers over the years, but they were more like telegrams, sometimes urgent, generally pleading, but certainly not the stuff of an intimate personal relationship. My prayers were up to that point dispatched to, so I thought, a distant Savior and Lord sitting at God the Father's right hand in heaven. But there, in that dark hotel room, I became aware that I was not alone at all, he was there with me! In fact, he made it clear that he had always been with me, patiently attending me in all my willfulness, all my waywardness, all my sinfulness. He had patiently waited for that very moment, when I confessed, from my heart and not my head, my desperate longing and need for him. Jesus had been real to me for a long time, but now that my heart was open and not just my head, he was real and present in a way I had never experienced. That encounter in the hotel room, what some would call my “conversion,” could also be said to be the time I “got saved.”
So, when was I “saved?” You may have your own opinion on the matter of my salvation. All I can tell you is that the Father decided it before even the foundations of the world were established; the Son secured it on the cross nearly two thousand years ago; I acknowledged it when I was baptized and made my first public profession of faith; but its real fruits began to blossom the night Jesus burst my heart open. All of this was Jesus' doing; it was all a matter of his securing my adoption by the Father. That's what Jesus did, for me.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
God's Motivation or Why Jesus Did What He Did
I was thinking over why he does what he does, you know, what is his motivation. Everyone needs motivation, even God. Why create Creation? Why make a covenant? Why go to all the trouble of redeeming lost sinners? Well, I believe there are two clear and omnipresent motivators for all that God does: 1) His glory, and 2) Our good. It would require God to be untrue to his nature to do anything that did not contribute to his greater glory and our good. And God cannot be untrue to his nature and remain God.
Consider, all that God created (See Genesis Chapter 1), his handiwork proclaims his glory (Psalm19.1). And all this work of God's hands (More accurately, the work of his Word by which he called all things into being), God declared, “Good.” Not just good in his eyes, but good for the sake of what he created. Linus surveyed his pumpkin patch and saw nothing but “sincerity;” God looked over all that he had made and saw nothing but “good.”
Tragically, Satan had to insinuate evil in the midst of all the good God had created, and our ancestors made the awful choice of the “not good” over the “good,” and unleashed all kinds of misery, suffering, and death. Yet God would obtain even greater glory, and we would be the recipients of greater good, through the work of redemption ordained by the Father through the Son,
“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
John 17.1-3
Glory and goodness, it's hard to top motivators like these, so why even try? Rather, we would do well to commit ourselves to follow the Son's example and do everything to the glory of the Father, and for the good of all whom the Father loves in and through the Son. In fact, we should question any other motives we might have. Glory and goodness, that's why Jesus did what he did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Consider, all that God created (See Genesis Chapter 1), his handiwork proclaims his glory (Psalm19.1). And all this work of God's hands (More accurately, the work of his Word by which he called all things into being), God declared, “Good.” Not just good in his eyes, but good for the sake of what he created. Linus surveyed his pumpkin patch and saw nothing but “sincerity;” God looked over all that he had made and saw nothing but “good.”
Tragically, Satan had to insinuate evil in the midst of all the good God had created, and our ancestors made the awful choice of the “not good” over the “good,” and unleashed all kinds of misery, suffering, and death. Yet God would obtain even greater glory, and we would be the recipients of greater good, through the work of redemption ordained by the Father through the Son,
“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
John 17.1-3
Glory and goodness, it's hard to top motivators like these, so why even try? Rather, we would do well to commit ourselves to follow the Son's example and do everything to the glory of the Father, and for the good of all whom the Father loves in and through the Son. In fact, we should question any other motives we might have. Glory and goodness, that's why Jesus did what he did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Jesus Did The Father's Works
What Did Jesus Do?
“...even though you do not believe me, believe the works...”
John 10.38
Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10.17), and so the Word of God must be proclaimed. But many are not willing to give the Word a hearing. So how do we create an audience for the Word? We pray, for the Holy Spirit must open ears, and hearts. And we work, because sometimes what the eyes see can open the ears. Not to gainsay Scripture, but there is some truth to the old adage, “Seeing is believing.”
The Church can open its doors to the public every Sunday, but if the public never sees the Church out and about in the community being the Church, few hearts are likely to be led to enter our sanctuaries, and fewer ears will be open to receive the Words of life. Jesus did not spend the majority of his time in synagogues waiting for the Sabbath to arrive each week. Day by day he was out and about on the paths and road which crisscrossed the land, and he was continually moving through the villages and towns where the people were. True, after a time more and more people began to seek him out, even enduring desolate places without food for a chance to see the Lord and hear his words. But first Jesus knew he had to go into all the towns (Mark 1.38).
Here's the thing for the Church, we have to start where the people are, and the sad truth is, they aren't in the pews. So we have to go out and be the Church where they are. We have to be the salt and the light Jesus charge his disciples to be in the world, not sequestered behind stained glass. We have to go and work at being the Church where people are. In classrooms and in sick rooms. In homeless shelters and in clinics. At executive lunches and at soup kitchens.
While no one is saved by works, the works of the saved can lead others to come to know the Lord. And this need not be accompanied by any fanfare. Light doesn't go around announcing to the darkness that it is about to illuminate things. Salt doesn't proclaim that it is going to counter corruption and work to preserve. Light and salt simply do their jobs, and people recognize and appreciate what the salt and the light accomplish.
Yes, there were many who heard the words of Christ, and who witnessed the works he did, and yet refused to believe. But that did not discourage the Son from doing the works the Father had given to him to accomplish. The Lord persevered in the face of rejection and opposition until all his work was done. Though the Church still encounters rejection and opposition it must persevere in doing the works that incarnate the Gospel in order that the Gospel should have a hearing among the people. Every good work is like a thousand word portrait of the Gospel.
Seeing may not really be believing, but seeing can enable hearing which leads to believing. Good works are to be seen, that people will give glory to the Father (Matthew 5.16). Good works proclaim the Word. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“...even though you do not believe me, believe the works...”
John 10.38
Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10.17), and so the Word of God must be proclaimed. But many are not willing to give the Word a hearing. So how do we create an audience for the Word? We pray, for the Holy Spirit must open ears, and hearts. And we work, because sometimes what the eyes see can open the ears. Not to gainsay Scripture, but there is some truth to the old adage, “Seeing is believing.”
The Church can open its doors to the public every Sunday, but if the public never sees the Church out and about in the community being the Church, few hearts are likely to be led to enter our sanctuaries, and fewer ears will be open to receive the Words of life. Jesus did not spend the majority of his time in synagogues waiting for the Sabbath to arrive each week. Day by day he was out and about on the paths and road which crisscrossed the land, and he was continually moving through the villages and towns where the people were. True, after a time more and more people began to seek him out, even enduring desolate places without food for a chance to see the Lord and hear his words. But first Jesus knew he had to go into all the towns (Mark 1.38).
Here's the thing for the Church, we have to start where the people are, and the sad truth is, they aren't in the pews. So we have to go out and be the Church where they are. We have to be the salt and the light Jesus charge his disciples to be in the world, not sequestered behind stained glass. We have to go and work at being the Church where people are. In classrooms and in sick rooms. In homeless shelters and in clinics. At executive lunches and at soup kitchens.
While no one is saved by works, the works of the saved can lead others to come to know the Lord. And this need not be accompanied by any fanfare. Light doesn't go around announcing to the darkness that it is about to illuminate things. Salt doesn't proclaim that it is going to counter corruption and work to preserve. Light and salt simply do their jobs, and people recognize and appreciate what the salt and the light accomplish.
Yes, there were many who heard the words of Christ, and who witnessed the works he did, and yet refused to believe. But that did not discourage the Son from doing the works the Father had given to him to accomplish. The Lord persevered in the face of rejection and opposition until all his work was done. Though the Church still encounters rejection and opposition it must persevere in doing the works that incarnate the Gospel in order that the Gospel should have a hearing among the people. Every good work is like a thousand word portrait of the Gospel.
Seeing may not really be believing, but seeing can enable hearing which leads to believing. Good works are to be seen, that people will give glory to the Father (Matthew 5.16). Good works proclaim the Word. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Jesus Freely Gifted
What Did Jesus Do?
For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6.23
I was troubled when, at a worship service for the Lord's Day, I heard someone proclaim that on the Day of Judgment, when we all shall have to give an account, God is going to judge us on 1) whether or not we chose to receive Christ as our Savior and Lord, and 2) whether or not our lives produced fruit for the Kingdom of God. It troubled me enough that I had to ask the speaker if this account was going to be the basis of our salvation, and, if so, if we could lose our salvation. His answer was “Yes.” I was so grateful to God that, at the end of the service, I had the opportunity to pray aloud and thank the Father for the eternal security of our salvation in the Son, established before even the foundations of the earth were set down. I hated to think that someone might have gone home unsure about their salvation. It is Election Day today in the United States, but the issue of our salvation, our election in Jesus Christ the Son, was settled in the Father's heart a long time ago. The salvation equation, if you will, is not Jesus + anything, but Christ alone.
We need to have this matter settled in our heart as well, or we will subject ourselves to all manner of anxious worry, and subject others to no little judgment, in a Pharisaical sort of way, when, in our eyes, they don't measure up. Let me ask you, is salvation obtained, or is it received? Do we quest after our salvation, as Jason sought for the Golden Fleece? If someone has convinced you that salvation is something you can ever attain to by dint of effort, you have been fleeced! Here's another question for you. Is salvation a reward, or is it a free gift? (Hint, if you are unsure, check the verse cited above.). Again, if you have been led, by whatever means, to believe that there is something, anything, which you can do to qualify for salvation, you have been misled.
If the Bible is true, and of course it is, when it says,
None is righteous, no, not one...
All have turned aside...no one does good,
not even one. (Romans 3.10-12; see Psalms 14.1-3; 53.1-3)
then there is absolutely no possibility of any of us contributing anything at all, even a decision, to our salvation. All have sinned, all fall short; our justification is by God's grace alone, a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3.23-24). To suggest that God, having chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, predestining us for adoption as his children, would tear up the “adoption papers” because we sinned, because we didn't “freely choose” Christ, because we did not produce sufficient fruit in our lives to evidence true regeneration, is to say that Christ died for nothing. For, if all these things mattered in the question of our salvation, then Christ's death on the cross is not sufficient in and of itself to deliver us from sin and death.
Should there be even the slightest thing is us that we on our own could count upon for salvation, then there was no need for the Son to die on the cross for us. None of us can claim credit for claiming Jesus as Lord and Savior, for even this most basic and essential confession is beyond us without the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in us (1Corinthians 12.3).
Now, if we believe that our salvation is a matter of our choosing to be saved, we can see how the corollary to this belief would be that we could somehow unmake that choice, and lose, or throw away what we had once obtained. I have heard it argued that Hebrews 6.4-6 supports such a position. The problem with using this text in this manner is that it is in fact misusing it. Hebrews 6 is not discussing regeneration and salvation, but growth and sanctification. The author of Hebrews is exhorting his congregation to keep going and growing in faith. In Hebrews 6.1 we are encouraged to “move on” from the basic and elementary doctrines, which form, as it were, the foundation of our faith, to build up our faith. What is “impossible” in verse 6, is re-regeneration, re-baptism, and re-rebirth. All believers stumble and fall, but this doesn't mean that they must go back and repeat the process of their justification again as if it had never happened.
This passage is also talking about something worse than stumbling and falling, it speaks of a forceful and outright rejection of Christ. Well, such a thing is not actually possible for those who have truly received him. Yes, we can fall away, distance ourselves from the fellowship of other believers, and embrace sin. All this is a manifestation of our persistent human frailty and sin nature, which continually wars with the Holy Spirit within us (Galatians 5.17). To reject Christ would require that the Holy Spirit be evicted from within us, which would be to say that our sin nature is stronger than the Spirit. If this were possible then God's grace, by which we are saved, could no longer be said to be either irresistible or sufficient. And faith built on anything other than the foundation of God's grace is faith built on sand rather than rock, it is counterfeit faith from the beginning, really not faith at all.
Jesus came to give us the free gift of salvation. This is not to deny the terrible cost Christ paid so that we should be forgiven our sins and receive eternal life. If we are going to be Christ's disciples, and participate in the Gospel ministry, let us have none of this business of demanding anything of those who desperately need redemption, but rather offer it freely. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimiwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6.23
I was troubled when, at a worship service for the Lord's Day, I heard someone proclaim that on the Day of Judgment, when we all shall have to give an account, God is going to judge us on 1) whether or not we chose to receive Christ as our Savior and Lord, and 2) whether or not our lives produced fruit for the Kingdom of God. It troubled me enough that I had to ask the speaker if this account was going to be the basis of our salvation, and, if so, if we could lose our salvation. His answer was “Yes.” I was so grateful to God that, at the end of the service, I had the opportunity to pray aloud and thank the Father for the eternal security of our salvation in the Son, established before even the foundations of the earth were set down. I hated to think that someone might have gone home unsure about their salvation. It is Election Day today in the United States, but the issue of our salvation, our election in Jesus Christ the Son, was settled in the Father's heart a long time ago. The salvation equation, if you will, is not Jesus + anything, but Christ alone.
We need to have this matter settled in our heart as well, or we will subject ourselves to all manner of anxious worry, and subject others to no little judgment, in a Pharisaical sort of way, when, in our eyes, they don't measure up. Let me ask you, is salvation obtained, or is it received? Do we quest after our salvation, as Jason sought for the Golden Fleece? If someone has convinced you that salvation is something you can ever attain to by dint of effort, you have been fleeced! Here's another question for you. Is salvation a reward, or is it a free gift? (Hint, if you are unsure, check the verse cited above.). Again, if you have been led, by whatever means, to believe that there is something, anything, which you can do to qualify for salvation, you have been misled.
If the Bible is true, and of course it is, when it says,
None is righteous, no, not one...
All have turned aside...no one does good,
not even one. (Romans 3.10-12; see Psalms 14.1-3; 53.1-3)
then there is absolutely no possibility of any of us contributing anything at all, even a decision, to our salvation. All have sinned, all fall short; our justification is by God's grace alone, a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3.23-24). To suggest that God, having chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, predestining us for adoption as his children, would tear up the “adoption papers” because we sinned, because we didn't “freely choose” Christ, because we did not produce sufficient fruit in our lives to evidence true regeneration, is to say that Christ died for nothing. For, if all these things mattered in the question of our salvation, then Christ's death on the cross is not sufficient in and of itself to deliver us from sin and death.
Should there be even the slightest thing is us that we on our own could count upon for salvation, then there was no need for the Son to die on the cross for us. None of us can claim credit for claiming Jesus as Lord and Savior, for even this most basic and essential confession is beyond us without the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in us (1Corinthians 12.3).
Now, if we believe that our salvation is a matter of our choosing to be saved, we can see how the corollary to this belief would be that we could somehow unmake that choice, and lose, or throw away what we had once obtained. I have heard it argued that Hebrews 6.4-6 supports such a position. The problem with using this text in this manner is that it is in fact misusing it. Hebrews 6 is not discussing regeneration and salvation, but growth and sanctification. The author of Hebrews is exhorting his congregation to keep going and growing in faith. In Hebrews 6.1 we are encouraged to “move on” from the basic and elementary doctrines, which form, as it were, the foundation of our faith, to build up our faith. What is “impossible” in verse 6, is re-regeneration, re-baptism, and re-rebirth. All believers stumble and fall, but this doesn't mean that they must go back and repeat the process of their justification again as if it had never happened.
This passage is also talking about something worse than stumbling and falling, it speaks of a forceful and outright rejection of Christ. Well, such a thing is not actually possible for those who have truly received him. Yes, we can fall away, distance ourselves from the fellowship of other believers, and embrace sin. All this is a manifestation of our persistent human frailty and sin nature, which continually wars with the Holy Spirit within us (Galatians 5.17). To reject Christ would require that the Holy Spirit be evicted from within us, which would be to say that our sin nature is stronger than the Spirit. If this were possible then God's grace, by which we are saved, could no longer be said to be either irresistible or sufficient. And faith built on anything other than the foundation of God's grace is faith built on sand rather than rock, it is counterfeit faith from the beginning, really not faith at all.
Jesus came to give us the free gift of salvation. This is not to deny the terrible cost Christ paid so that we should be forgiven our sins and receive eternal life. If we are going to be Christ's disciples, and participate in the Gospel ministry, let us have none of this business of demanding anything of those who desperately need redemption, but rather offer it freely. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimiwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Jesus Paved the Golden Way
What Did Jesus Do?
...and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.
Revelation 21.21
With the birth of Christ the Father established a permanent lodgement, a beach head, if you will, whereby the Son planted and expanded the Kingdom of God on earth. God had tabernacled with Israel for more than a thousand years, had declared that Zion would be his “resting place forever.” (Psalm 132.14) But when the Son came, the foundations of a New Jerusalem, one not built by hands, were laid down. For nearly two millennia now the Church has been building on that foundation. Every soul saved represents territory annexed by the Kingdom, every place where believers tread extends the street of the holy city, so to speak, the golden street.
The New Jerusalem is embodied in the Son, manifest by the Holy Spirit, and present wherever and whenever believers gather. The light of God's glory, the brilliant transparency of the golden street, is born by the faithful when they stride the halls of a palace and address kings and emperors, and when they humbly enter a hovel and speak to the lowliest subjects. Glorifying God is not reserved for any particular people, class, or tongue; neither is God's glorification to be put off until the Day of the Lord. The Son came to glorify the Father, and that is what Christ's Church is to be about until he returns.
It matters not if we travel along the mean streets of a city, or a rutted rural dirt road, or a remote and narrow footpath, every highway and byway can and should be as the street of gold of the New Jerusalem. Thus, wherever we travel in this world as servants of Christ, the journey is a joyous one, even if the way should be difficult, disagreeable, or even dangerous. Grace and light illuminate this pilgrim way, evil and darkness are banished from it.
The sometimes bare, sometimes sandaled, feet of Jesus trod the dusty roads of Canaan, and everywhere he went those feet paved, as it were, the street of pure gold. As Christ's disciples our journey may take us just about anywhere in the world, yet everywhere we place our feet we travel but one road, the golden street of the city of God, paving the way for the lost to come to the Father through the Son. Paving the way for the lost to come to the Father. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
...and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass.
Revelation 21.21
With the birth of Christ the Father established a permanent lodgement, a beach head, if you will, whereby the Son planted and expanded the Kingdom of God on earth. God had tabernacled with Israel for more than a thousand years, had declared that Zion would be his “resting place forever.” (Psalm 132.14) But when the Son came, the foundations of a New Jerusalem, one not built by hands, were laid down. For nearly two millennia now the Church has been building on that foundation. Every soul saved represents territory annexed by the Kingdom, every place where believers tread extends the street of the holy city, so to speak, the golden street.
The New Jerusalem is embodied in the Son, manifest by the Holy Spirit, and present wherever and whenever believers gather. The light of God's glory, the brilliant transparency of the golden street, is born by the faithful when they stride the halls of a palace and address kings and emperors, and when they humbly enter a hovel and speak to the lowliest subjects. Glorifying God is not reserved for any particular people, class, or tongue; neither is God's glorification to be put off until the Day of the Lord. The Son came to glorify the Father, and that is what Christ's Church is to be about until he returns.
It matters not if we travel along the mean streets of a city, or a rutted rural dirt road, or a remote and narrow footpath, every highway and byway can and should be as the street of gold of the New Jerusalem. Thus, wherever we travel in this world as servants of Christ, the journey is a joyous one, even if the way should be difficult, disagreeable, or even dangerous. Grace and light illuminate this pilgrim way, evil and darkness are banished from it.
The sometimes bare, sometimes sandaled, feet of Jesus trod the dusty roads of Canaan, and everywhere he went those feet paved, as it were, the street of pure gold. As Christ's disciples our journey may take us just about anywhere in the world, yet everywhere we place our feet we travel but one road, the golden street of the city of God, paving the way for the lost to come to the Father through the Son. Paving the way for the lost to come to the Father. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Jesus Equalized
What Did Jesus Do?
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,
there is no male and female, for you are all
one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3.28
Not to sound like Yoda, but God created a balance to all things. Light and dark. An expanse under the waters and an expanse above the waters. Sky and seas. Humanity both male and female. Just about the only imbalance in creation was between God himself and his creation. God was definitely over and above all that he had made. At least he was until the serpent tried to insinuate that there was supposed to be a balance between God and man, “you will be like God...” (Genesis 2.5). So man tried to equalize himself with his Maker, and in so doing threw the whole of creation out of balance. Now evil contended with good for supremacy (It had been no contest up to that point.), the partnership between man and woman became full of contention and mistrust, there was a tragic disequilibrium. Inequality and discord seized the place of equality and harmony.
It took the work of the Son to equalize what the serpent had upset, and to restore the quite proper inequity between the Father and his children. All men may be created equal, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims; but man was not created equal with God. With man's proper relationship to his Creator restored, equality of man's relationship to his fellow man (and to woman) was also recovered.
So it was that Paul could write to the church in Galatia about the absolute equality and balance of the Body of Christ. This was, and is, quite distinct in a world where gross inequality, as initiated and fostered by the lies of Satan, still reigns in many places, in many hearts. Exploitation, oppression, and strife abide where there is patent inequity. The last place where one should find inequity today is the Church, yet, sadly, it does not take long to recognize that the Body of Christ often perpetuates inequality based on economic status, ethnicity, and gender. This is a scandal.
Yes, there are differences, but these are not to be the basis for division in the Church, but, by virtue of the spiritual equality of all who are in Christ, a means by which the world can see the great restorative work of the Son, who makes children of God out of Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female. Do you wish to do the Father's will? Then treat every man and woman as your equal. That's what Jesus, though fully God, did in becoming fully man and dying for our sins.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,
there is no male and female, for you are all
one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3.28
Not to sound like Yoda, but God created a balance to all things. Light and dark. An expanse under the waters and an expanse above the waters. Sky and seas. Humanity both male and female. Just about the only imbalance in creation was between God himself and his creation. God was definitely over and above all that he had made. At least he was until the serpent tried to insinuate that there was supposed to be a balance between God and man, “you will be like God...” (Genesis 2.5). So man tried to equalize himself with his Maker, and in so doing threw the whole of creation out of balance. Now evil contended with good for supremacy (It had been no contest up to that point.), the partnership between man and woman became full of contention and mistrust, there was a tragic disequilibrium. Inequality and discord seized the place of equality and harmony.
It took the work of the Son to equalize what the serpent had upset, and to restore the quite proper inequity between the Father and his children. All men may be created equal, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims; but man was not created equal with God. With man's proper relationship to his Creator restored, equality of man's relationship to his fellow man (and to woman) was also recovered.
So it was that Paul could write to the church in Galatia about the absolute equality and balance of the Body of Christ. This was, and is, quite distinct in a world where gross inequality, as initiated and fostered by the lies of Satan, still reigns in many places, in many hearts. Exploitation, oppression, and strife abide where there is patent inequity. The last place where one should find inequity today is the Church, yet, sadly, it does not take long to recognize that the Body of Christ often perpetuates inequality based on economic status, ethnicity, and gender. This is a scandal.
Yes, there are differences, but these are not to be the basis for division in the Church, but, by virtue of the spiritual equality of all who are in Christ, a means by which the world can see the great restorative work of the Son, who makes children of God out of Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female. Do you wish to do the Father's will? Then treat every man and woman as your equal. That's what Jesus, though fully God, did in becoming fully man and dying for our sins.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Jesus Forgave Extravagantly
What Did Jesus Do?
“Lord, how often will my brother sin...and I forgive him?
As many as seven times”Jesus said to him,
“I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”
Matthew 18.21-22
Jesus did not die for the righteous, but for sinners. Not one person has ever deserved God's forgiveness (See WDJD for 10/16/10). The realization of this, the “amazing grace” of God, is powerfully transformative. Among other things, it should make us exceedingly forgiving. When we consider how much God has forgiven us, it should encourage us to use a generous measure when we forgive others. Think about this:
“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.”
Luke 12.48
The Father has forgiven us beyond all reckoning, and the chief sign that we have fully grasped this truth is how we handle the matter of our forgiving those who we deem “undeserving.” If we, having been forgiven, still carry around the weight of unforgiveness towards our “debtors,” we weigh down our lives, we undermine our witness, we, if you will allow, scandalize Christ. How can we go around saying we are faithful followers of the One who forgave the undeserving while we go around forever indicting, convicting, and endlessly seeking to punish, those who have sinned against us? I'm not saying let murderers go free, or allow bank robbers to enjoy their ill-gotten gains. But, I believe, there are few of us who could not go out this day, and go up to a brother or sister who has hurt us and simply say to them, no matter how sure we are that they don't deserve it, “I forgive you.” I daresay, there are many of us who should make plans today to do this very thing.
God is an extravagant forgiver. One way we liken after the image of our Creator is to be extravagant in our forgiving. So it was, that when Peter, imagining himself to be pretty generous in the matter of forgiving those who had offended him, asked the Lord if seven times would be enough forgiveness to give to a brother or sister who was a “repeat offender,” Jesus's answer revealed how miserly such an attitude was. Then the Lord went on to tell a Kingdom Tale about a ruler whose extravagant forgiveness was not mirrored by an unforgiving servant (Matthew 18.23-35).
Is it hard to do? Certainly. You don't think it was easy for Jesus, do you? He had to endure the cross so that the undeserving should be forgiven. Whatever it might take for us to forgive, could it ever approach the price paid by the Lord? And, the thing is, the forgiveness we are talking about does not come from a decision in the mind to forgive, but from an irresistible desire in the heart. The Father's forgiveness was the very outpouring of his heart in the person of his Son. The Son's forgiveness is equally an expression of the heart, of the great love he has for us. And so Jesus warned his followers that they would experience the wrath of his Father if they did not forgive one another “from the heart.” (Matthew 18.35)
The thing is, the Father knows our hearts are not capable of sustaining any such extravagant forgiveness, so he gives us a new heart. By the agency of the Holy Spirit we can say that the heart of Jesus beats within our breast, and that heart forgives and forgives, even “seventy times seven,” and more. We don't need to think about whether or not we should forgive someone, and try and decide if they “deserve” it. Rather, we should examine our heart, and, if we find unforgiveness, there, we need to pray, as the Psalmist, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51.10) We'll be amazed at the rivers of forgiveness that flow from such a clean and new heart!
Now, the Body of Christ, that is the Church, also has a heart. I would imagine that no few congregations would quickly experience a fresh and powerful anointing of the Holy Spirit if some extravagant forgiveness took place among their members. The name of Jesus will one day be exalted above all names, and most deservedly so, because he forgave the undeserving. Maybe his Church might start looking more like his spotless bride if it too started practicing the extravagant forgiveness of the undeserving. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
“Lord, how often will my brother sin...and I forgive him?
As many as seven times”Jesus said to him,
“I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”
Matthew 18.21-22
Jesus did not die for the righteous, but for sinners. Not one person has ever deserved God's forgiveness (See WDJD for 10/16/10). The realization of this, the “amazing grace” of God, is powerfully transformative. Among other things, it should make us exceedingly forgiving. When we consider how much God has forgiven us, it should encourage us to use a generous measure when we forgive others. Think about this:
“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.”
Luke 12.48
The Father has forgiven us beyond all reckoning, and the chief sign that we have fully grasped this truth is how we handle the matter of our forgiving those who we deem “undeserving.” If we, having been forgiven, still carry around the weight of unforgiveness towards our “debtors,” we weigh down our lives, we undermine our witness, we, if you will allow, scandalize Christ. How can we go around saying we are faithful followers of the One who forgave the undeserving while we go around forever indicting, convicting, and endlessly seeking to punish, those who have sinned against us? I'm not saying let murderers go free, or allow bank robbers to enjoy their ill-gotten gains. But, I believe, there are few of us who could not go out this day, and go up to a brother or sister who has hurt us and simply say to them, no matter how sure we are that they don't deserve it, “I forgive you.” I daresay, there are many of us who should make plans today to do this very thing.
God is an extravagant forgiver. One way we liken after the image of our Creator is to be extravagant in our forgiving. So it was, that when Peter, imagining himself to be pretty generous in the matter of forgiving those who had offended him, asked the Lord if seven times would be enough forgiveness to give to a brother or sister who was a “repeat offender,” Jesus's answer revealed how miserly such an attitude was. Then the Lord went on to tell a Kingdom Tale about a ruler whose extravagant forgiveness was not mirrored by an unforgiving servant (Matthew 18.23-35).
Is it hard to do? Certainly. You don't think it was easy for Jesus, do you? He had to endure the cross so that the undeserving should be forgiven. Whatever it might take for us to forgive, could it ever approach the price paid by the Lord? And, the thing is, the forgiveness we are talking about does not come from a decision in the mind to forgive, but from an irresistible desire in the heart. The Father's forgiveness was the very outpouring of his heart in the person of his Son. The Son's forgiveness is equally an expression of the heart, of the great love he has for us. And so Jesus warned his followers that they would experience the wrath of his Father if they did not forgive one another “from the heart.” (Matthew 18.35)
The thing is, the Father knows our hearts are not capable of sustaining any such extravagant forgiveness, so he gives us a new heart. By the agency of the Holy Spirit we can say that the heart of Jesus beats within our breast, and that heart forgives and forgives, even “seventy times seven,” and more. We don't need to think about whether or not we should forgive someone, and try and decide if they “deserve” it. Rather, we should examine our heart, and, if we find unforgiveness, there, we need to pray, as the Psalmist, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51.10) We'll be amazed at the rivers of forgiveness that flow from such a clean and new heart!
Now, the Body of Christ, that is the Church, also has a heart. I would imagine that no few congregations would quickly experience a fresh and powerful anointing of the Holy Spirit if some extravagant forgiveness took place among their members. The name of Jesus will one day be exalted above all names, and most deservedly so, because he forgave the undeserving. Maybe his Church might start looking more like his spotless bride if it too started practicing the extravagant forgiveness of the undeserving. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Jesus Shined The Light
What Did Jesus Do?
The true light...was coming into the world.
John 1.9
I visited a church a couple of weeks ago and heard the pastor and the choir proclaim in word and in song that the congregation was like a lighthouse. In fact, the pastor challenged the building committee to figure out a way to put a light in the church steeple, the better to resemble a lighthouse. I remember thinking that this was all well and good, but light up in a steeple doesn't do any more good than light that stays in the lighthouse. The important thing for light is to shine out, to go into the midst of deep darkness and bring its illumination. From out of heaven with all its light and majesty, the Father sent the Son, the true light, into the world with all its darkness and sin.
What the church that thought of itself as a lighthouse needs to do, actually, what every church needs to do, is not set up a beacon and wait for people to come, but send out the light to those who dwell in deep darkness, and let it shine! (Isaiah 9.2) And do you know how a church shines the light of Jesus out into the world? It sends its members out to be the light, which is exactly what Jesus charged his followers to do (See Matthew 5.14-16). People walking in darkness, who see a far off light, may very well never make it to the light, after all, there is a lot of dangerous, even deadly, stuff, in all the darkness that lies between those who are lost and the source of the light.
It is not enough to keep your lighthouse all ship shape, the lamp oiled, the light burning. You have to shine the light, send it out, project it over dark, rocky, and stormy seas so that it reaches the sailors. If a church isn't intentional about sending out all of its members in mission, to be the light of Christ in their homes, schools, offices, neighborhood, community, there is little reason to celebrate being a lighthouse, because the dwellers of the dark will never receive the life-saving light.
Think about it. Just how many of us do you think would be saved if the Father had not sent the light of the Son into the world? Come on, just take a guess! That's right—ZERO. Zippidee-do-dah. Not one. All of us would remain lost, dead in our sin, with no hope whatsoever. But, praise God, the True Light has come. And the Holy Spirit has given us eyes to see the True Light. And ears to hear the True Word of God. And new hearts to receive and respond to the Light and the Word. It remains for us to do what we were told to do, be the light, shine the light, bear the light out into the darkness, which might be a son or daughter's room just down the hall, or a neighbor's house across the street, or the desk next to ours in school, or the office water cooler. Sad to say, the darkness is deep and pervasive. But, take heart, the light overcomes. Always. So be bold, turn up your candle-power, and let the light shine! That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
The true light...was coming into the world.
John 1.9
I visited a church a couple of weeks ago and heard the pastor and the choir proclaim in word and in song that the congregation was like a lighthouse. In fact, the pastor challenged the building committee to figure out a way to put a light in the church steeple, the better to resemble a lighthouse. I remember thinking that this was all well and good, but light up in a steeple doesn't do any more good than light that stays in the lighthouse. The important thing for light is to shine out, to go into the midst of deep darkness and bring its illumination. From out of heaven with all its light and majesty, the Father sent the Son, the true light, into the world with all its darkness and sin.
What the church that thought of itself as a lighthouse needs to do, actually, what every church needs to do, is not set up a beacon and wait for people to come, but send out the light to those who dwell in deep darkness, and let it shine! (Isaiah 9.2) And do you know how a church shines the light of Jesus out into the world? It sends its members out to be the light, which is exactly what Jesus charged his followers to do (See Matthew 5.14-16). People walking in darkness, who see a far off light, may very well never make it to the light, after all, there is a lot of dangerous, even deadly, stuff, in all the darkness that lies between those who are lost and the source of the light.
It is not enough to keep your lighthouse all ship shape, the lamp oiled, the light burning. You have to shine the light, send it out, project it over dark, rocky, and stormy seas so that it reaches the sailors. If a church isn't intentional about sending out all of its members in mission, to be the light of Christ in their homes, schools, offices, neighborhood, community, there is little reason to celebrate being a lighthouse, because the dwellers of the dark will never receive the life-saving light.
Think about it. Just how many of us do you think would be saved if the Father had not sent the light of the Son into the world? Come on, just take a guess! That's right—ZERO. Zippidee-do-dah. Not one. All of us would remain lost, dead in our sin, with no hope whatsoever. But, praise God, the True Light has come. And the Holy Spirit has given us eyes to see the True Light. And ears to hear the True Word of God. And new hearts to receive and respond to the Light and the Word. It remains for us to do what we were told to do, be the light, shine the light, bear the light out into the darkness, which might be a son or daughter's room just down the hall, or a neighbor's house across the street, or the desk next to ours in school, or the office water cooler. Sad to say, the darkness is deep and pervasive. But, take heart, the light overcomes. Always. So be bold, turn up your candle-power, and let the light shine! That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Jesus Forgave The Undeserving
What Did Jesus Do?
And he said to her (A woman “of the city, who was sinner”),
“Your sins are forgiven.”
Luke 7.48
The Lord's forgiving of a woman with a bad reputation did not sit well with Simon, the Pharisee, in whose home the incident took place, because, well, she was so undeserving of forgiveness. Of course, Simon and the other guests thought it rather impudent for anyone other than God himself to presume to forgive sins. But then, they never really got Jesus. When we get Jesus, we realize that his forgiveness has nothing to do with anyone's deserving it, which should make us personally eternally grateful if we are honest with ourselves about how richly we don't deserve to be forgiven.
Just yesterday my latest copy of Sports Illustrated arrived, and it had a column debating whether or not Tony Dungy, a former NFL player and coach, and current football analyst (It's a ball, of rather unique shape that variously gets carried thrown, and kicked around. What's to analyze?), deserves to be castigated as a self-righteous wag (SI's verdict was “No.”). Perhaps the trouble with Dungy is, SI wondered, that his virtue (Which he doesn't go around shoving in anyone's face) makes others uneasy. I don't want to digress too far into Tony Dungy, but there was a line in the column that asked “Does Michael Vick deserve forgiveness?” Dungy's answer was “Yes.” But I don't agree. Vick doesn't deserve forgiveness. I don't mean to sound like old Simon, because I am probably a worse sinner than Michael Vick (I know he's a much better football player than I ever was), but, the thing is, no one deserves forgiveness.
You see, I don't believe it really is forgiveness if we deserve it, earn it, or should in anyway expect to be forgiven, or demand forgiveness. Understand this, if any of us truly deserve to be forgiven, than we would have no need whatsoever for a Savior, and his death on the cross would be for naught. Think about it, where's the grace in the salvation of the deserving? Do I “deserve” to be forgiven? Absolutely not! Am I forgiven? Praise God, I am!
I hope you can accept this teaching, because if you have any sense at all that you must do something, anything, to deserve forgiveness, you are carrying around awful, and totally unnecessary, burden that you will never be able to unload. In Christ God has, as it says in Psalm 103 verse 12, removed our sins as far away as east is from west. If the Father has, through the Son, so far cast away our sins, what are we doing trying to hang onto them. It is as if, having someone unlock our shackles, we lock them back up and continue to shuffle along through life.
You see, understanding that we are forgiven by the grace of the Father through faith in the Son by the working of the Holy Spirit in us should be the most transforming truth we can ever learn. Think of it this way: You are on “Death Row.” You know you are guilty, and deserve to die for your crimes. The State knows it too, which is why you have been convicted, sentenced, and now wait for your execution. Then one morning a man walks up to your cell, unlocks it, opens the door, tells you that you have been forgiven, “Go, and sin no more.” And, when you step out of that cell on Death Row, you are not the same person you were. The transformation is complete—from guilty sinner to forgiven saint! I remember when it happened to me. Overnight, acquaintances said, “You're not the same person I met yesterday.” My own children asked my wife what had happened to Dad, he wasn't the same. When the undeserving receive forgiveness it changes them completely from the inside out.
Hoping that you have already experienced this, I have a request to make; and know that I ask nothing of you that I do not ask of myself. It is not a big thing, yet it is huge. It is not hard, yet it is perhaps the most challenging thing we could ever do. I make this request in the name of Jesus because, well, it is what he desires from his disciples. In fact, it is implicit in the prayer the Lord taught his followers to pray, “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.” (Matthew 6.12) Think of someone who has hurt you, cheated you, lied to or about you. Now, undeserving though they are, forgive them. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
And he said to her (A woman “of the city, who was sinner”),
“Your sins are forgiven.”
Luke 7.48
The Lord's forgiving of a woman with a bad reputation did not sit well with Simon, the Pharisee, in whose home the incident took place, because, well, she was so undeserving of forgiveness. Of course, Simon and the other guests thought it rather impudent for anyone other than God himself to presume to forgive sins. But then, they never really got Jesus. When we get Jesus, we realize that his forgiveness has nothing to do with anyone's deserving it, which should make us personally eternally grateful if we are honest with ourselves about how richly we don't deserve to be forgiven.
Just yesterday my latest copy of Sports Illustrated arrived, and it had a column debating whether or not Tony Dungy, a former NFL player and coach, and current football analyst (It's a ball, of rather unique shape that variously gets carried thrown, and kicked around. What's to analyze?), deserves to be castigated as a self-righteous wag (SI's verdict was “No.”). Perhaps the trouble with Dungy is, SI wondered, that his virtue (Which he doesn't go around shoving in anyone's face) makes others uneasy. I don't want to digress too far into Tony Dungy, but there was a line in the column that asked “Does Michael Vick deserve forgiveness?” Dungy's answer was “Yes.” But I don't agree. Vick doesn't deserve forgiveness. I don't mean to sound like old Simon, because I am probably a worse sinner than Michael Vick (I know he's a much better football player than I ever was), but, the thing is, no one deserves forgiveness.
You see, I don't believe it really is forgiveness if we deserve it, earn it, or should in anyway expect to be forgiven, or demand forgiveness. Understand this, if any of us truly deserve to be forgiven, than we would have no need whatsoever for a Savior, and his death on the cross would be for naught. Think about it, where's the grace in the salvation of the deserving? Do I “deserve” to be forgiven? Absolutely not! Am I forgiven? Praise God, I am!
I hope you can accept this teaching, because if you have any sense at all that you must do something, anything, to deserve forgiveness, you are carrying around awful, and totally unnecessary, burden that you will never be able to unload. In Christ God has, as it says in Psalm 103 verse 12, removed our sins as far away as east is from west. If the Father has, through the Son, so far cast away our sins, what are we doing trying to hang onto them. It is as if, having someone unlock our shackles, we lock them back up and continue to shuffle along through life.
You see, understanding that we are forgiven by the grace of the Father through faith in the Son by the working of the Holy Spirit in us should be the most transforming truth we can ever learn. Think of it this way: You are on “Death Row.” You know you are guilty, and deserve to die for your crimes. The State knows it too, which is why you have been convicted, sentenced, and now wait for your execution. Then one morning a man walks up to your cell, unlocks it, opens the door, tells you that you have been forgiven, “Go, and sin no more.” And, when you step out of that cell on Death Row, you are not the same person you were. The transformation is complete—from guilty sinner to forgiven saint! I remember when it happened to me. Overnight, acquaintances said, “You're not the same person I met yesterday.” My own children asked my wife what had happened to Dad, he wasn't the same. When the undeserving receive forgiveness it changes them completely from the inside out.
Hoping that you have already experienced this, I have a request to make; and know that I ask nothing of you that I do not ask of myself. It is not a big thing, yet it is huge. It is not hard, yet it is perhaps the most challenging thing we could ever do. I make this request in the name of Jesus because, well, it is what he desires from his disciples. In fact, it is implicit in the prayer the Lord taught his followers to pray, “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.” (Matthew 6.12) Think of someone who has hurt you, cheated you, lied to or about you. Now, undeserving though they are, forgive them. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
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