God reorients life. God makes sense out of life. No matter what happens, if we take the time to recognize it, God makes good come out of seemingly horrible situations. We may get discouraged, depressed, even hopeless, but God is a God of hope and healing and wholeness. He repairs what sin destroys.
Peter’s Mother-in-law healed of a fatal disease, a leper given his life back, a servant able to walk again, a marriage put back together, scars healed, pain relieved, a heart replaced, sin forgiven, guilt removed, hope restored, life reborn.
"Everybody's Got a Story to Tell"
Everybody’s got a story to tell
I’ve got one and so have you
How Jesus rescued us from the brink of hell
And gave us what He came to do
I’ve got life where sin once reigned
I found peace that I didn’t have
I know love like I never knew
He bought peace with His own blood
His life for mine I know it well
Reminded often of the price He paid
When once alive I’ll never die
I now figure in the scheme of things
Jesus bought me back from sin
Jesus saved my wanting soul
Jesus paid the ultimate price
Jesus came to give me life
Raised from death to life one day
Preparing a home so far away
Coming back to bring us there
Eternal pleasures dwelling
Everyone’s got a story to tell
What theme it takes only God knows
My prayer is that you live forever
Receiving what He gives to you
Hope is where the heart is found
Upon the settled, solid ground
Love found there where hate once ruled
Love given by my substitute.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
True Loving Service is Substitution
Tim Keller wrote: "All life-changing love toward people with serious needs is a substitutional sacrifice".
Case in point, the Gospel of the grace of God in Christ - where Jesus, for God's glory and our good, substituted Himself for us, taking our sin (Is. 53:12) and suffering our shame, so that we might live. And while He did it for us, in our place, it is not primarily about us but God. God is glorified and we benefit forever, but it is not first and foremost self-centered but God-centered.
If we do not understand the true gospel story, if we get that part wrong, if we read into it something the Bible does not teach, we will not understand the Christian life as God intends us to (and become very disillusioned when things don't go our way) and we run the risk of basing our relationship with God on Him doing what we want Him to do rather than Him doing what we could never do. We begin to be in charge rather than humbly at His mercy. We begin to see Him as a vending machine who dispenses comfort rather than a holy God who deserves worship. If we see Him as One who simply exists to meet our needs we can become very self-centered rather than Christ-centered. That is the story we will share with the world and we will be in danger of unknowingly preaching another gospel, as a result of making up our own version. So it is crucial that we get the gospel right.
God is a God of love, and as such it does not mean that He never will do something that we disagree with or do not understand - such as the common error of saying that 'God is a God of love, so I cannot see how He would ever do that'. That kind of 'love' really isn't true love, if by 'love' we mean condoning sin by turning a blind eye to it or winking at it. Sin took Him to the Cross, sin demanded our lives. It was due to our sin that He puts Himself in our place. As it truly is, as a God of love God becomes personally involved in suffering the same violence, pain, oppression, grief and shame that we experience.
"Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1
"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:6
"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed." 1 Peter 2:24
As John Stott put it in his book The Cross of Christ, "The essence of sin is we human beings substituting ourselves for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting Himself for us. We…put ourselves where only God deserves to be; God…puts Himself where we deserve to be.”
"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21
So for a Christ follower to say they love to serve it must be based on the grace of God in Christ; as He has served them they in turn serve Him. It must be rooted in the self-sacrificing substitution that Christ entered into on the cross. To love to serve is one thing; to love those whom you serve (or are called to serve) is quite another. You can love to serve and not love those whom you serve – because of what you get out of it, such as a free day at Disneyland if you are a volunteer; or a paycheck if you are an employee – we can do it to gain security or approval or acceptance of the subculture, be it a family, church or community organization expects it – how can you tell the difference?
You will know by the extent to which you are willing to be inconvenienced, misunderstood or hurt for their sakes. To the extent that you are willing to give up your reputation for kindness, your right to comfort, your position of strength to be seen of as weak. To the extent that you are willing to make a personal exchange – your life for theirs. That is the heart of the true story of the Cross, the true gospel story. Substitution. Christ's life for ours.
Case in point, the Gospel of the grace of God in Christ - where Jesus, for God's glory and our good, substituted Himself for us, taking our sin (Is. 53:12) and suffering our shame, so that we might live. And while He did it for us, in our place, it is not primarily about us but God. God is glorified and we benefit forever, but it is not first and foremost self-centered but God-centered.
If we do not understand the true gospel story, if we get that part wrong, if we read into it something the Bible does not teach, we will not understand the Christian life as God intends us to (and become very disillusioned when things don't go our way) and we run the risk of basing our relationship with God on Him doing what we want Him to do rather than Him doing what we could never do. We begin to be in charge rather than humbly at His mercy. We begin to see Him as a vending machine who dispenses comfort rather than a holy God who deserves worship. If we see Him as One who simply exists to meet our needs we can become very self-centered rather than Christ-centered. That is the story we will share with the world and we will be in danger of unknowingly preaching another gospel, as a result of making up our own version. So it is crucial that we get the gospel right.
God is a God of love, and as such it does not mean that He never will do something that we disagree with or do not understand - such as the common error of saying that 'God is a God of love, so I cannot see how He would ever do that'. That kind of 'love' really isn't true love, if by 'love' we mean condoning sin by turning a blind eye to it or winking at it. Sin took Him to the Cross, sin demanded our lives. It was due to our sin that He puts Himself in our place. As it truly is, as a God of love God becomes personally involved in suffering the same violence, pain, oppression, grief and shame that we experience.
"Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1
"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:6
"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed." 1 Peter 2:24
As John Stott put it in his book The Cross of Christ, "The essence of sin is we human beings substituting ourselves for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting Himself for us. We…put ourselves where only God deserves to be; God…puts Himself where we deserve to be.”
"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21
So for a Christ follower to say they love to serve it must be based on the grace of God in Christ; as He has served them they in turn serve Him. It must be rooted in the self-sacrificing substitution that Christ entered into on the cross. To love to serve is one thing; to love those whom you serve (or are called to serve) is quite another. You can love to serve and not love those whom you serve – because of what you get out of it, such as a free day at Disneyland if you are a volunteer; or a paycheck if you are an employee – we can do it to gain security or approval or acceptance of the subculture, be it a family, church or community organization expects it – how can you tell the difference?
You will know by the extent to which you are willing to be inconvenienced, misunderstood or hurt for their sakes. To the extent that you are willing to give up your reputation for kindness, your right to comfort, your position of strength to be seen of as weak. To the extent that you are willing to make a personal exchange – your life for theirs. That is the heart of the true story of the Cross, the true gospel story. Substitution. Christ's life for ours.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Serving God
Serving God is dependent on God. If I ever truly serve God (as opposed to serving myself let's say), then the process, the action, is totally dependent on Him for several reasons. It is based on the 'previousness' of God as well as His greatness, goodness and holiness. He always goes before us. We can have or do nothing that first hasn't been given to us from God - He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. Faith, service, love - the ability all come from Him as gifts. "Whoever serves, let him do so by the strength which God supplies" (1 Peter 4:11).
Psalm 100:2 says "serve the Lord with gladness". Grateful for the opportunity, thankful for the privilege. We are, as 1 Timothy 4:6 says, to desire to be "good servants of Christ Jesus".
In Matthew 8:14-17, Peter’s Mother-in-law is served by Jesus and then gets up and continues to serve Him, as the imperfect tense (diaknei) portrays the ongoing nature of her service. Darrell Bock said “Service is what naturally follows God’s grace”. The recipients of God's grace want to serve Him.
I think of Mary and Martha. Sometimes, like Martha did, we get wrapped up in ourselves as we serve. As a young believer I got very legalistic – narrow – tight – demanding of myself and others. I was much like Martha, little like Mary. I took it upon myself to earnestly seek God but that can so easily become an occasion to work for what was bought with precious blood. I had to learn that while God wants me to follow Him closely the close following is not the basis for any standing with God.
There is blessing in serving God, to be sure, but the fine line between faith and works cannot be blurred. I had to learn the hard way, and I still am, that as I am saved by grace, I live by grace and serve by grace. It is all of grace. All of Him and none of me. As He operates I cooperate. I received benefits, but the glory all goes to God.
As Peter’s Mother-in-law was able to serve Jesus because He first served her need, we see the appropriate order – first, we allow Jesus to serve us (like He did with Peter in John 13 – He washed His feet, then Peter could wash others) and then we turn and serve Him in worship and others in humility.
We can only serve God because He first served us in Christ, on the cross, for our sin, with His blood, making payment and securing our forgiveness.
Psalm 100:2 says "serve the Lord with gladness". Grateful for the opportunity, thankful for the privilege. We are, as 1 Timothy 4:6 says, to desire to be "good servants of Christ Jesus".
In Matthew 8:14-17, Peter’s Mother-in-law is served by Jesus and then gets up and continues to serve Him, as the imperfect tense (diaknei) portrays the ongoing nature of her service. Darrell Bock said “Service is what naturally follows God’s grace”. The recipients of God's grace want to serve Him.
I think of Mary and Martha. Sometimes, like Martha did, we get wrapped up in ourselves as we serve. As a young believer I got very legalistic – narrow – tight – demanding of myself and others. I was much like Martha, little like Mary. I took it upon myself to earnestly seek God but that can so easily become an occasion to work for what was bought with precious blood. I had to learn that while God wants me to follow Him closely the close following is not the basis for any standing with God.
There is blessing in serving God, to be sure, but the fine line between faith and works cannot be blurred. I had to learn the hard way, and I still am, that as I am saved by grace, I live by grace and serve by grace. It is all of grace. All of Him and none of me. As He operates I cooperate. I received benefits, but the glory all goes to God.
As Peter’s Mother-in-law was able to serve Jesus because He first served her need, we see the appropriate order – first, we allow Jesus to serve us (like He did with Peter in John 13 – He washed His feet, then Peter could wash others) and then we turn and serve Him in worship and others in humility.
We can only serve God because He first served us in Christ, on the cross, for our sin, with His blood, making payment and securing our forgiveness.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
God is Always Previous
My mind is both comforted and boggled by the previousness of God. That He is always first, always preeminent is of immense comfort to those of us who slug it out here on earth in such an undeniably awkward fashion. To know that He has gone before us, preparing the way takes so much pressure off.
Of Jesus Christ, Colossians 1:17 (ESV) says, "And He is before all tings, and in Him all things hold together." All I can say is 'Wow!' He is the Previous One, the One who made all things and sustains all things. He is the Author and Perfector (Hebrews 12:2), the picker (Ephesians 1:3-12) and protector (1 Peter 1:3-5), the chooser and provider (2 Peter 1:10-11). He makes us and moves us; saves us and sends us, instigates our faith and inspires and enables action based upon His glorious realities.
Praise to Jesus Christ, the Previous One, from Whom all blessings flow.
Of Jesus Christ, Colossians 1:17 (ESV) says, "And He is before all tings, and in Him all things hold together." All I can say is 'Wow!' He is the Previous One, the One who made all things and sustains all things. He is the Author and Perfector (Hebrews 12:2), the picker (Ephesians 1:3-12) and protector (1 Peter 1:3-5), the chooser and provider (2 Peter 1:10-11). He makes us and moves us; saves us and sends us, instigates our faith and inspires and enables action based upon His glorious realities.
Praise to Jesus Christ, the Previous One, from Whom all blessings flow.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Love in Action, Episode 2
“Soldiers, Servants and Sons”
Matt. 8:5-13 points to 2 things all human beings struggle with: authority and ability. We want to be our own authority in life but we quickly realize we don’t have the ability to do what only God can do. It is not just people like Tiger Woods who find it difficult to humble themselves and admit the need for help. In the story of Jesus healing the Centurion’s servant we see Christ’s authority as Lord and ability as God, which takes the pressure off of us and shows us we are simply called to cooperate with God.
First we see the Soldier. Centurions were in charge of 100 foot soldiers. The Roman army was broken into units: there was the legion comprised of 6000 men (5300 infantry, 700 cavalry); each legion was divided into 10 cohorts of 600; each cohort had 6 centuries, with 100 men each. The Century was the smallest unit of the army, commanded by a Centurion, a long-term professional soldier in charge of discipline in the regiment. They were the backbone of the Roman Army; the glue that held it together. Centurions were men of wealth & power. Promoted through the ranks, they were at times paid as much as 15 times more than regular soldiers. They had better housing than the local population. They were trusted men of integrity. Their word was law. While both extremes of the social structure of that day were represented; the Centurion was an outsider like the leper. Lepers were the classic outsiders, barred from participating in Israel’s worship and social life. Centurions were also classic outsiders, being Gentiles and not Jews. They were provisionally barred from Israel’s inner life. Lepers could not enter Jerusalem at all. Gentiles could, but could go no farther into the temple than the outer court of the Gentiles. Only a leper was considered more unclean than a Gentile.
But there was something significantly different about his man in that he cared for his servant. He was unlike others who treated them with contempt; or like possessions in those days. He had an amazing attitude toward his servant. He was resolute in his aim to do whatever he could for his servant who was sick. He loved his servant. He was a man of faith; He wanted Jesus to help and heal his servant so he made a faith-based request “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly”, not merely a statement but an implied request. Jesus says to him, “I will come and heal him” and the Centurion humbly says “Lord, I am not worthy to have you under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed”. A humble man, he called Jesus Lord, recognized who Jesus was. This soldier was under the authority of the Roman emperor. When he spoke he had the full strength of Rome behind him. When he spoke it was as if the emperor spoke, so great was his power and so solid was the strength of the Roman army and the backing of the Roman Empire. His word was obeyed because of it. But this powerful man who was used to giving orders recognized Jesus’ authority above his own. He understood when Jesus spoke He spoke with God’s authority. When Jesus spoke it was God speaking. He believed Jesus’ words were God’s words. Jesus marveled at his great faith, which He said, was more than He had seen in all Israel, among those who should have shown such faith in Him.
Next we see the Servant. You notice right away something significant about him: he didn’t do anything; someone else acted on his behalf. He received God’s blessing due to the request of his master, appealing to God on his behalf. The servant held a very low place in society. He was not worth much to people. In those days slaves were things, they did not matter. No one cared if they suffered or whether they lived or died. Aristotle said: “There can be no friendship or justice towards inanimate things; indeed, not even towards a horse or an ox, nor yet towards a slave as a slave. For master and slave have nothing in common; a slave is a living tool, just as a tool is an inanimate slave”. A slave was no better to people then than a thing. They had no legal rights, the Roman legal expert Gaius said “We may note that it is universally accepted that the master possesses the power of life and death over the slave”. The only difference in people’s minds between a slave and an animal was that a slave could speak. So it was shocking the Centurion would be so concerned for him. Not the normal attitude of master to slave. He was not treated with contempt or like a possession, but more like a son. He was suffering greatly (some scholars think he had polio by the description) and God healed him. Jesus said to the Centurion, “Go (notice the authoritative order), let it be done for you as you have believed; and the servant was healed that very moment”. Instantaneous, long-distance healing.
We also see the Sons. One group directly referred to, the other implied. With regard to the Centurion’s faith Jesus said “Many will come from east and west and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but the sons of the Kingdom will be thrown into outer darkness, in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. This is a classic description of hell & eternal punishment. No one likes to think about it, but all who do not believe will spend eternity there, away from the presence of God. There are the ‘Sons of the kingdom’, Jews that did not believe, who thought they were favored due to their heritage. They believed when Messiah came there would be a great banquet where all Jews would sit down and feast. They never dreamed any Gentile would be invited. They should have known Is. 25-6-9 which speaks of what God will do for believers from all nations. These are the ‘Sons of Abraham’, those who believe and are justified by faith, sons of God by faith (Rom. 9:30-32. Gal. 2:16; 3:16, 26, 29; 4:4, 7). The Gentile Centurion was not a ‘son of the kingdom’ but seems to be a son of God by faith because he trusted in the Jewish Messiah for this need.
There are lessons for us today in this story.
The 1st is about Humility. The Centurion, as a servant of God, considered himself unworthy, humble before God and man. This man who was over others put himself under Christ; and was able to treat someone considered worthless (his servant) as very valuable. Illustrates the gospel truth that in Christ’s church people get along who would never get along outside. The essence of humility is that you know who God is, you know who you are, and you know the difference (Rom. 12:3; Phil. 2:3). When we are truly humble we have an attitude that says ‘God is God and I am not. I know how I truly am and God knows better than me. I am at His mercy and it is not the other way around. He is so far greater, better and stronger than me – I need Him to live and to do anything that pleases Him. I know that I am unworthy of His love but also that He loves me and considers me of value. We are able to see people through God’s eyes – with compassion, love and grace; gracious towards others because God is gracious with us.
The 2nd lesson has to do with Faith. The Centurion believed that Jesus’ word was sufficient to heal his servant. He believed that when Jesus spoke, God spoke. That His authority is God’s authority and His Word is effective because it is God’s Word. Therefore he acknowledged Christ’s authority as Lord and His ability as God and he trusted Him. The servant was healed because God chose to heal him. What part did the Centurion’s faith play? He trusted in God’s authority and ability to do it. If you do the same what difference should that make in your life? You will see God at work & will consider Him your highest authority. You will count His Word as preeminent among all others. You won’t be able to get enough of it. You will listen to Him, learn from Him, follow Him, obey Him. Believe. You will trust Him; stake your life upon Him. The overriding ‘governor’ of your life will be God’s Word, not your own understanding. It is revealed in common everyday life: in family life, work and business, school and church settings – anywhere people interact and make choices (Heb. 11:6).
Matthew favors a condensed style, so he does not mention every detail. Luke gives us more. In Luke 7:1-10, Jewish leaders say many good things to Jesus on the Centurion’s behalf that they thought made him worthy to be helped by Jesus. ‘He likes us and treats us well’. ‘He built our church for us’. The Centurion knew he wasn’t worthy. Jesus made it clear that faith is the only thing that mattered; His favor cannot be earned or bought; the Scriptures make it very clear salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for God’s glory alone. We are unworthy and unable. God is worthy and able. Without God we are without hope. Faith is a gift from God that makes us humble before Him.
Just like the Centurion’s servant didn’t do anything; someone else acted on his behalf. Jesus acted on our behalf – Jesus, the Son of God, the Suffering Servant (Is. 53), took our sin upon Himself and paid the penalty a holy God required for that sin. Of his own free will the Centurion went out of his way for someone else – someone so far beneath him in that culture – but on the same level in God’s eyes. Jesus, doing the willing of the Father, went out of His way for us who were as good as dead, slaves to sin, sentenced to death, in bondage to decay, destined for eternal damnation – dead in sin. Jesus, in the Gospel, restores what sin destroys; relationships, families, bodies, communities, careers. Jesus restores marred humanity to the image of God. Jesus reclaims what man discards and disowns. God did what we could not, bridging the gap between us and Him caused by our sin. In Christ we are overwhelmed by the fact we are more sinful than we ever dared imagine, but more loved and accepted than we ever dared hope. Christ is able to do what we cannot; and He is worthy of all our praise.
Soli Deo Gloria
Matt. 8:5-13 points to 2 things all human beings struggle with: authority and ability. We want to be our own authority in life but we quickly realize we don’t have the ability to do what only God can do. It is not just people like Tiger Woods who find it difficult to humble themselves and admit the need for help. In the story of Jesus healing the Centurion’s servant we see Christ’s authority as Lord and ability as God, which takes the pressure off of us and shows us we are simply called to cooperate with God.
First we see the Soldier. Centurions were in charge of 100 foot soldiers. The Roman army was broken into units: there was the legion comprised of 6000 men (5300 infantry, 700 cavalry); each legion was divided into 10 cohorts of 600; each cohort had 6 centuries, with 100 men each. The Century was the smallest unit of the army, commanded by a Centurion, a long-term professional soldier in charge of discipline in the regiment. They were the backbone of the Roman Army; the glue that held it together. Centurions were men of wealth & power. Promoted through the ranks, they were at times paid as much as 15 times more than regular soldiers. They had better housing than the local population. They were trusted men of integrity. Their word was law. While both extremes of the social structure of that day were represented; the Centurion was an outsider like the leper. Lepers were the classic outsiders, barred from participating in Israel’s worship and social life. Centurions were also classic outsiders, being Gentiles and not Jews. They were provisionally barred from Israel’s inner life. Lepers could not enter Jerusalem at all. Gentiles could, but could go no farther into the temple than the outer court of the Gentiles. Only a leper was considered more unclean than a Gentile.
But there was something significantly different about his man in that he cared for his servant. He was unlike others who treated them with contempt; or like possessions in those days. He had an amazing attitude toward his servant. He was resolute in his aim to do whatever he could for his servant who was sick. He loved his servant. He was a man of faith; He wanted Jesus to help and heal his servant so he made a faith-based request “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly”, not merely a statement but an implied request. Jesus says to him, “I will come and heal him” and the Centurion humbly says “Lord, I am not worthy to have you under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed”. A humble man, he called Jesus Lord, recognized who Jesus was. This soldier was under the authority of the Roman emperor. When he spoke he had the full strength of Rome behind him. When he spoke it was as if the emperor spoke, so great was his power and so solid was the strength of the Roman army and the backing of the Roman Empire. His word was obeyed because of it. But this powerful man who was used to giving orders recognized Jesus’ authority above his own. He understood when Jesus spoke He spoke with God’s authority. When Jesus spoke it was God speaking. He believed Jesus’ words were God’s words. Jesus marveled at his great faith, which He said, was more than He had seen in all Israel, among those who should have shown such faith in Him.
Next we see the Servant. You notice right away something significant about him: he didn’t do anything; someone else acted on his behalf. He received God’s blessing due to the request of his master, appealing to God on his behalf. The servant held a very low place in society. He was not worth much to people. In those days slaves were things, they did not matter. No one cared if they suffered or whether they lived or died. Aristotle said: “There can be no friendship or justice towards inanimate things; indeed, not even towards a horse or an ox, nor yet towards a slave as a slave. For master and slave have nothing in common; a slave is a living tool, just as a tool is an inanimate slave”. A slave was no better to people then than a thing. They had no legal rights, the Roman legal expert Gaius said “We may note that it is universally accepted that the master possesses the power of life and death over the slave”. The only difference in people’s minds between a slave and an animal was that a slave could speak. So it was shocking the Centurion would be so concerned for him. Not the normal attitude of master to slave. He was not treated with contempt or like a possession, but more like a son. He was suffering greatly (some scholars think he had polio by the description) and God healed him. Jesus said to the Centurion, “Go (notice the authoritative order), let it be done for you as you have believed; and the servant was healed that very moment”. Instantaneous, long-distance healing.
We also see the Sons. One group directly referred to, the other implied. With regard to the Centurion’s faith Jesus said “Many will come from east and west and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but the sons of the Kingdom will be thrown into outer darkness, in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. This is a classic description of hell & eternal punishment. No one likes to think about it, but all who do not believe will spend eternity there, away from the presence of God. There are the ‘Sons of the kingdom’, Jews that did not believe, who thought they were favored due to their heritage. They believed when Messiah came there would be a great banquet where all Jews would sit down and feast. They never dreamed any Gentile would be invited. They should have known Is. 25-6-9 which speaks of what God will do for believers from all nations. These are the ‘Sons of Abraham’, those who believe and are justified by faith, sons of God by faith (Rom. 9:30-32. Gal. 2:16; 3:16, 26, 29; 4:4, 7). The Gentile Centurion was not a ‘son of the kingdom’ but seems to be a son of God by faith because he trusted in the Jewish Messiah for this need.
There are lessons for us today in this story.
The 1st is about Humility. The Centurion, as a servant of God, considered himself unworthy, humble before God and man. This man who was over others put himself under Christ; and was able to treat someone considered worthless (his servant) as very valuable. Illustrates the gospel truth that in Christ’s church people get along who would never get along outside. The essence of humility is that you know who God is, you know who you are, and you know the difference (Rom. 12:3; Phil. 2:3). When we are truly humble we have an attitude that says ‘God is God and I am not. I know how I truly am and God knows better than me. I am at His mercy and it is not the other way around. He is so far greater, better and stronger than me – I need Him to live and to do anything that pleases Him. I know that I am unworthy of His love but also that He loves me and considers me of value. We are able to see people through God’s eyes – with compassion, love and grace; gracious towards others because God is gracious with us.
The 2nd lesson has to do with Faith. The Centurion believed that Jesus’ word was sufficient to heal his servant. He believed that when Jesus spoke, God spoke. That His authority is God’s authority and His Word is effective because it is God’s Word. Therefore he acknowledged Christ’s authority as Lord and His ability as God and he trusted Him. The servant was healed because God chose to heal him. What part did the Centurion’s faith play? He trusted in God’s authority and ability to do it. If you do the same what difference should that make in your life? You will see God at work & will consider Him your highest authority. You will count His Word as preeminent among all others. You won’t be able to get enough of it. You will listen to Him, learn from Him, follow Him, obey Him. Believe. You will trust Him; stake your life upon Him. The overriding ‘governor’ of your life will be God’s Word, not your own understanding. It is revealed in common everyday life: in family life, work and business, school and church settings – anywhere people interact and make choices (Heb. 11:6).
Matthew favors a condensed style, so he does not mention every detail. Luke gives us more. In Luke 7:1-10, Jewish leaders say many good things to Jesus on the Centurion’s behalf that they thought made him worthy to be helped by Jesus. ‘He likes us and treats us well’. ‘He built our church for us’. The Centurion knew he wasn’t worthy. Jesus made it clear that faith is the only thing that mattered; His favor cannot be earned or bought; the Scriptures make it very clear salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for God’s glory alone. We are unworthy and unable. God is worthy and able. Without God we are without hope. Faith is a gift from God that makes us humble before Him.
Just like the Centurion’s servant didn’t do anything; someone else acted on his behalf. Jesus acted on our behalf – Jesus, the Son of God, the Suffering Servant (Is. 53), took our sin upon Himself and paid the penalty a holy God required for that sin. Of his own free will the Centurion went out of his way for someone else – someone so far beneath him in that culture – but on the same level in God’s eyes. Jesus, doing the willing of the Father, went out of His way for us who were as good as dead, slaves to sin, sentenced to death, in bondage to decay, destined for eternal damnation – dead in sin. Jesus, in the Gospel, restores what sin destroys; relationships, families, bodies, communities, careers. Jesus restores marred humanity to the image of God. Jesus reclaims what man discards and disowns. God did what we could not, bridging the gap between us and Him caused by our sin. In Christ we are overwhelmed by the fact we are more sinful than we ever dared imagine, but more loved and accepted than we ever dared hope. Christ is able to do what we cannot; and He is worthy of all our praise.
Soli Deo Gloria
Monday, February 22, 2010
Life is Worship
We are all worshippers. If you are alive you are worshipping. You are giving honor and glory and credence to someone or something. We were made in God's image to worship Him, but if we will not give Him the glory due Him, we will choose something or someone much lower than Him to bow to.
We are so easily distracted. The first official worship recorded in the Bible was interrupted by the first murder (Gen. 4:3-8). See Romans 1:18-25 for the classic downward spiral that idolatry (which is worshipping anything other than God Almighty as revealed in His Holy Word) leads to.
My prayer? 'Lord deliver me from idolatry. Fix my heart to worship You alone. You are great and most worthy of praise (Ps. 48:1).'
Soli Deo Gloria.
We are so easily distracted. The first official worship recorded in the Bible was interrupted by the first murder (Gen. 4:3-8). See Romans 1:18-25 for the classic downward spiral that idolatry (which is worshipping anything other than God Almighty as revealed in His Holy Word) leads to.
My prayer? 'Lord deliver me from idolatry. Fix my heart to worship You alone. You are great and most worthy of praise (Ps. 48:1).'
Soli Deo Gloria.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Love in Action, Episode 1
Too desperate to care
In Matthew 8:1-4 we see Jesus ministering to the marginalized. He reached out to an outcast, one who was shunned. The leper himself was too desperate to care what others thought or said or did. He had no right to be around, no standing, and no worth. He came to Jesus (Mark 1:40-45) and worshipped Him (John 9:38). Leper comes from the Greek word lepros which means scaly. Commonly known as Hansen’s disease, it was the most feared disease in the ancient world. Lepers were outcast, shunned, avoided like the plague. What this man had was the horrible, disfiguring, debilitating disease which was extremely repulsive. It caused pain, numbness, sores, ulcers, foul odor. A person would gradually waste away. Lepers were believed to be under a curse. They were ostracized and quarantined. They were required to have unkempt hair and clothes, to cover the lower part of their face when near people, and cry out ‘unclean, unclean’ in order to keep the community from pollution by getting too close. Of all people in Israel they were the most shunned, the most ostracized. As long as they had the disease they had to stay outside the camp, away from others. They were excluded from all walled cities in Israel, and therefore absolutely kept out of the holy city and its temple of worship. Lepers were the classic outsiders. Lepers were the living dead, dead men walking. Can you imagine the scene? People moving quickly away from him, running, sneering, jeering, maybe throwing rocks to keep him at a distance? But he came boldly, with confidence in Jesus. He knelt before Jesus, the same word used for worship. He came humbly. He said to Jesus, “if you are willing you can make me clean”. His words express some doubt, but not the kind you’d think, He did not doubt that Jesus could heal him; he doubted whether Jesus would want to. He did not doubt Jesus’ power; he doubted His will – why would He want to heal me? Being rejected by everyone else, his insecurity revealed how worthless he felt. Jesus revealed to him how much he was worth to Him.
Willing to Touch the Unclean
Jesus was love in action. He didn’t run from the leper. If you touched a leper you would become ceremonially unclean (Lev. 15:7), but here the leper is healed when Jesus touched him and becomes clean rather than Jesus becoming unclean. Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him. Jesus responded with compassion to the request, sympathetic to the man’s plight, He acted by His own sovereign will; so inappropriate to the establishment, so right in God’s sight. Compassion not revulsion. In Palestine at the time of Jesus as soon as leprosy was diagnosed, the person was absolutely and completely banished from human society. The law identified 61 different contacts that could defile a person; contact with a leper was 2nd worst only to touching a dead person. If a leper put his head in a home, the home became unclean. You had to stay 18” away from a leper. If downwind you had to be 150 feet away. It was illegal to greet a leper in public. Rabbis kept 6 feet away at all times. But Jesus touched the leper. To a Jew there might not have been a more shocking or revolting scene than Jesus stretching out His hand and touching him. Jesus, on the authority of God, did what no one else was willing or able to do. His life-altering, world-changing, paradigm-smashing truth in action. He touched someone no one else would touch; someone who was ostracized, shunned, avoided; an outcast. His healing power flowed to that man and he was restored to health. What a testimony of the power of God. Jesus came to set the prisoners free, to restore sight to the blind, to make the lame walk, to bring the good news that those who were formerly outcast can be lepers no more. Praise Jesus.
A leper no More
The good outcome God brought about was that the leper was a leper no more. He said to him, “I will, be clean”. Immediately his leprosy was cleansed (Luke 4:27). He who was cursed was now cured. He was once as good as dead; now alive. Once ostracized; shunned, avoided, now accepted. Jesus met him at his point of need. He gave life to the as good as dead. The average time a leper would live after contracting the disease was 9 years; the body was affected, then the mind would go, then they’d go into a coma and ultimately death. To the rabbis the cure of a leper was a difficult as raising a person from the dead. The supernatural cleansing of lepers was expected as one of the signs that the Messiah had come (Matt. 11:3-4). Healing a leper was thought to be the equivalent of raising someone from the dead. He would be able to rejoin society (Lev. 14:1-32). Jesus gave him his life back. Jesus restored him to fellowship with God and man.
There are lessons for us here.
Just like the leper, we need to be desperate enough for Jesus not to care what others think. Our need for God must overcome our fear of man. God wants us to approach Him boldly – come boldly to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Heb. 4:16. It affects our devotion to God, home life, friendships, work, and ministry. Do you ever feel like that leper? Are you ever unsure if Jesus wants to do for you what He has said He will do? If you believe that Jesus the only way to be saved and your only hope, then take Him at His word and come to Him, you who are weary and heavy-laden with sin. Come boldly to God in Christ, to His throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. I want to be like the leper who worshipped at the feet of Jesus. Too desperate for Him to care what other's think.
Just as Jesus was willing to touch the unclean, we need to be willing to do what others won’t. Be willing to reach the unclean; the hidden, shunned, rejects, the banished. No one should be excluded from experiencing and hearing of God’s love in Christ. Jesus touched & healed a person no one would come near. Consistent with His other actions while on earth. Jesus lived to please God not man. It is easy to get caught in the web of respectability; thinking no sensible person would reach out to them. Everyone understands why you just don’t go there. But God incarnate did things respectable people never would. We must do likewise if we would walk in His steps. Frederick Dale Bruner said, the church that takes Jesus seriously will not only teach and seek to put into practice Jesus’ great commands; it will also regularly pray and care for the sick. We may be misunderstood due to compassion.
Above all, Just as Jesus met the leper at His point of need, it is about Jesus meeting us at our point of need. Jesus gives life to the dead. It is about us being lepers no more spiritually speaking, no longer excluded from fellowship with God or man. Jesus IS willing to meet you where you are at. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit (Ps. 34:18). He will not leave you to fend for yourself. Jesus gave life to the as good as dead. He still does (Eph. 2:1). In Christ we who were dead in sin are alive. We are alive in Christ, accepted in the Beloved. What did Jesus do for us? Heb. 13:12-16 Jesus went outside the camp for us. Jesus allowed Himself to be an outcast for us, allowed Himself to be shunned to set us free, so that we could be called His friends. He took our revolting sin condition upon Himself so that we might be restored to fellowship with God; changed and reintroduced into society as salt and light; a pure influence for good. What Jesus did that day was a sign of Christ’s love over this fallen, broken world; a foretaste of the ultimate healing and restoration and renewal that shall be brought about one day in heaven for all who believe.
In Matthew 8:1-4 we see Jesus ministering to the marginalized. He reached out to an outcast, one who was shunned. The leper himself was too desperate to care what others thought or said or did. He had no right to be around, no standing, and no worth. He came to Jesus (Mark 1:40-45) and worshipped Him (John 9:38). Leper comes from the Greek word lepros which means scaly. Commonly known as Hansen’s disease, it was the most feared disease in the ancient world. Lepers were outcast, shunned, avoided like the plague. What this man had was the horrible, disfiguring, debilitating disease which was extremely repulsive. It caused pain, numbness, sores, ulcers, foul odor. A person would gradually waste away. Lepers were believed to be under a curse. They were ostracized and quarantined. They were required to have unkempt hair and clothes, to cover the lower part of their face when near people, and cry out ‘unclean, unclean’ in order to keep the community from pollution by getting too close. Of all people in Israel they were the most shunned, the most ostracized. As long as they had the disease they had to stay outside the camp, away from others. They were excluded from all walled cities in Israel, and therefore absolutely kept out of the holy city and its temple of worship. Lepers were the classic outsiders. Lepers were the living dead, dead men walking. Can you imagine the scene? People moving quickly away from him, running, sneering, jeering, maybe throwing rocks to keep him at a distance? But he came boldly, with confidence in Jesus. He knelt before Jesus, the same word used for worship. He came humbly. He said to Jesus, “if you are willing you can make me clean”. His words express some doubt, but not the kind you’d think, He did not doubt that Jesus could heal him; he doubted whether Jesus would want to. He did not doubt Jesus’ power; he doubted His will – why would He want to heal me? Being rejected by everyone else, his insecurity revealed how worthless he felt. Jesus revealed to him how much he was worth to Him.
Willing to Touch the Unclean
Jesus was love in action. He didn’t run from the leper. If you touched a leper you would become ceremonially unclean (Lev. 15:7), but here the leper is healed when Jesus touched him and becomes clean rather than Jesus becoming unclean. Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him. Jesus responded with compassion to the request, sympathetic to the man’s plight, He acted by His own sovereign will; so inappropriate to the establishment, so right in God’s sight. Compassion not revulsion. In Palestine at the time of Jesus as soon as leprosy was diagnosed, the person was absolutely and completely banished from human society. The law identified 61 different contacts that could defile a person; contact with a leper was 2nd worst only to touching a dead person. If a leper put his head in a home, the home became unclean. You had to stay 18” away from a leper. If downwind you had to be 150 feet away. It was illegal to greet a leper in public. Rabbis kept 6 feet away at all times. But Jesus touched the leper. To a Jew there might not have been a more shocking or revolting scene than Jesus stretching out His hand and touching him. Jesus, on the authority of God, did what no one else was willing or able to do. His life-altering, world-changing, paradigm-smashing truth in action. He touched someone no one else would touch; someone who was ostracized, shunned, avoided; an outcast. His healing power flowed to that man and he was restored to health. What a testimony of the power of God. Jesus came to set the prisoners free, to restore sight to the blind, to make the lame walk, to bring the good news that those who were formerly outcast can be lepers no more. Praise Jesus.
A leper no More
The good outcome God brought about was that the leper was a leper no more. He said to him, “I will, be clean”. Immediately his leprosy was cleansed (Luke 4:27). He who was cursed was now cured. He was once as good as dead; now alive. Once ostracized; shunned, avoided, now accepted. Jesus met him at his point of need. He gave life to the as good as dead. The average time a leper would live after contracting the disease was 9 years; the body was affected, then the mind would go, then they’d go into a coma and ultimately death. To the rabbis the cure of a leper was a difficult as raising a person from the dead. The supernatural cleansing of lepers was expected as one of the signs that the Messiah had come (Matt. 11:3-4). Healing a leper was thought to be the equivalent of raising someone from the dead. He would be able to rejoin society (Lev. 14:1-32). Jesus gave him his life back. Jesus restored him to fellowship with God and man.
There are lessons for us here.
Just like the leper, we need to be desperate enough for Jesus not to care what others think. Our need for God must overcome our fear of man. God wants us to approach Him boldly – come boldly to the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Heb. 4:16. It affects our devotion to God, home life, friendships, work, and ministry. Do you ever feel like that leper? Are you ever unsure if Jesus wants to do for you what He has said He will do? If you believe that Jesus the only way to be saved and your only hope, then take Him at His word and come to Him, you who are weary and heavy-laden with sin. Come boldly to God in Christ, to His throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. I want to be like the leper who worshipped at the feet of Jesus. Too desperate for Him to care what other's think.
Just as Jesus was willing to touch the unclean, we need to be willing to do what others won’t. Be willing to reach the unclean; the hidden, shunned, rejects, the banished. No one should be excluded from experiencing and hearing of God’s love in Christ. Jesus touched & healed a person no one would come near. Consistent with His other actions while on earth. Jesus lived to please God not man. It is easy to get caught in the web of respectability; thinking no sensible person would reach out to them. Everyone understands why you just don’t go there. But God incarnate did things respectable people never would. We must do likewise if we would walk in His steps. Frederick Dale Bruner said, the church that takes Jesus seriously will not only teach and seek to put into practice Jesus’ great commands; it will also regularly pray and care for the sick. We may be misunderstood due to compassion.
Above all, Just as Jesus met the leper at His point of need, it is about Jesus meeting us at our point of need. Jesus gives life to the dead. It is about us being lepers no more spiritually speaking, no longer excluded from fellowship with God or man. Jesus IS willing to meet you where you are at. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit (Ps. 34:18). He will not leave you to fend for yourself. Jesus gave life to the as good as dead. He still does (Eph. 2:1). In Christ we who were dead in sin are alive. We are alive in Christ, accepted in the Beloved. What did Jesus do for us? Heb. 13:12-16 Jesus went outside the camp for us. Jesus allowed Himself to be an outcast for us, allowed Himself to be shunned to set us free, so that we could be called His friends. He took our revolting sin condition upon Himself so that we might be restored to fellowship with God; changed and reintroduced into society as salt and light; a pure influence for good. What Jesus did that day was a sign of Christ’s love over this fallen, broken world; a foretaste of the ultimate healing and restoration and renewal that shall be brought about one day in heaven for all who believe.
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