“God – The Infinite”

 Scripture:   Genesis 1:1-5, 31; 1 John 4:11-16; Revelation 5:9-14

 Today we begin a new series based on two literary volumes called “The Attributes of God”. These are a compilation of sermons and other writings by A. W. Tozer – a CMA pastor, a magazine editor, and a prolific Christian writer.

 His books outline 20 different qualities of God – characteristics that scripture, as well as personal experiences of all who call Jesus Christ Savior, show to be vitally important for our lives.  And while, by faith, we believe that these are true, they are nearly impossible to prove.  After all, how do you prove God?

 When I was growing up, the dinner table was always the place that our family caught up on the day’s happenings.  My brother and I attended college together, and at one evening meal, we made some comments on our calculus class, in which we learned that it could evaluate an infinite series as easily as it could finite numbers.

 Our Mom, after listening to our demonstration of such “great knowledge” (!), offered her own take on the subject with these words - “I just can’t imagine infinity.  Doesn’t everything have to end sometime?”  Either my brother or I replied “Can you imagine an end to space?  What would that look like?”  Mom countered with “I can’t imagine that either!”

 In retrospect, Mom had, in that brief moment, defined the very problem that so many have with understanding God.  They find it difficult to fully trust a being who is less than perfect, who is limited by their own life’s understandings, who came into existence at some definable moment in the past, and who will cease to exist at some predictable moment in the future.  But at the same time, they find it impossible to accept the fact that anyone could be totally understanding of every infinitesimal concept throughout the universe and throughout all time, including that which has yet to be.  They don’t like the idea that a Being could exist before anything did, that anyone could have absolute power and control over everything and everyone that exists, that the word which has been transcribed by humans could be the acceptable word of the LORD, and that God’s way and commands will never allow any exception, variation, or denial.

 And therein is the reason for this series – to reveal the hope and promise that this perfect and absolute Being offers to all who will acknowledge, trust, and to the best of their ability, follow in His word.  Today we begin with consideration of the Infinite Nature of our God – a truth that I believe my Mother, in the new life she now lives with her Lord, finally and fully understands.

 Read Genesis 1:1-5, 31

 In the first verse, of the first chapter, of the first book of the Bible, we discover the first hint of God’s infinite nature – If He created the heavens and the earth, then He must have existed before “the beginning” of all things.  God – the Alpha and the Omega, the One with no beginning and no end - is the “Infinite” of and for our lives.  And in His creation of the heavens and the earth, God’s initial work  established two separate entities – presumably the first to be God’s and the second to be humanity’s - but left them empty and devoid of substance.  The remainder of this chapter, as well as the parallel version in chapter 2, outlines the further development of the earth, but we are left wondering about “the heavens”.  Where do we read about God’s work regarding them?

 Perhaps it isn’t finished yet, and is waiting for the earth’s history to conclude?  We don’t know, and are left wondering why there isn’t more!

 But in the next verse, we discover that God did not create all things in one fell swoop, which, of course, He could have, if that had been His desire.  As we continue to read through this chapter, it becomes apparent that the divine Plan was to put creation together in specific steps, that which scripture calls “days”.   

 We also read that the Spirit of God was “hovering over the waters”, which some believe is not a reference to liquids, but to chaos in this initial step of creation.  And what would it take to convert a chaotic existence into an orderly one?  It would take a Being who had planned it all, understood it all, and who was able to execute the ultimate plan to perfection.

 The last issue that we want to consider is God’s proclamation after each step as it's being “good”, and at the completion of the “sixth day”, He proclaims everything as “very good”.  The LORD is saying that all is just as He would have it be at this point.  But what about the word “good” – what does it mean for us?  In Matthew 19:16-17, we read of Jesus’ conversation with the rich young man, who had come to get advice from Jesus.  He refers to Christ as “Good Teacher”, and Jesus replies that only God is “good”, with the implication that only God, as well as the things of God, can ever be seen as “good”, and that nothing else ever can.

 God’s plan for this existence is “perfect”, at least in His sense, as evidenced by His pronouncing these efforts as “good” and “very good”.  And we are to see God’s created goodness as the best for this life.

 Read 1 John 4:11-16

 The love of God is also eternal, and John is reminding us that we have been invited to share in and with that same love.  And the love that lives within us by faith in Jesus Christ, is also the LORD’s promise of eternity. 

Why did Jesus leave glory, to come to live with us?  It was because God greatly desired that we should experience His love. 

Why did Jesus share so much of the truth of God with us, whether we understood and accepted it or not?  It was because the love of God wanted us to appreciate His truth. 

Why did Jesus surrender His humanity at Calvary, and rise to eternal life on the third day?  So that we, by faith and trust in Him, might share in that precious and eternal love and life!

 This entire passage is God’s promise that His eternity can also be ours, simply by acknowledging that “Jesus is the Son of God”.  Interestingly, God isn’t requiring that we love Him in the same way that He loves us (which would be impossible!), or even that we must love Him at all.  We are expected to claim that Jesus is God, and that He is our Savior, and by implication, that there is no other, and that will be our love for Him and His word.

 Life comes from God.  It began at creation, it continues through our human birth, and it will finally be evidenced in salvation.  But between the time of creation, and the time of eternity, humanity has been given responsibility for faithful living.  And because human life is ours to care for, it falls far short of Godliness.  But God in Christ understands this, and has made a way for us, in spite of our inability to acquire His life and love on our own. 

 Since God is eternal, we have His promise, as both Creator and Savior, that by faith in Jesus, and by the presence of His Spirit in our life, His life can be ours.

 Read Revelation 5:9-14

 This passage contains a hint of the Passover story - that time when the blood of a sacrificed lamb became the means of identifying the people of God, which allowed them to escape condemnation when the angel of death passed over Egypt.   But now, a new Lamb is being proclaimed as Savior, not only for Israel, but for people of “every tribe and language and people and nation”.  And these people have been “purchased” by the Blood of this new Lamb for the expressed purpose that we might be the servants (priests?) of the Living God.  The Lamb is the only One who is worthy to reveal and bestow the ultimate and eternal plan of God, that is given for the people of God.

 My friends, we are those people, saved by the eternal, unchanging, excessive, indescribable, sacrificial, and exceptional grace and love of our One and Almighty God.  In 1 Peter 2:4-10, we read in verse 9 that “⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;“ 

 And this is God’s promise and call on us that will be kept for eternity.

 

“Jesus – The Life”

Scripture:   John6:35, Matthew 19:16-30

Remember John14:6?  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father but through me.”  We have already considered the significance of Jesus being the Way and the Truth for our world.  Today we look to the Life that He brings to all who believe in Him.

 We all know that at first glance, Jesus’ words weren’t always easy to understand.  Nicodemus struggled when the LORD told him that he had to be born again. (John 3:3-4)  The Samaritan woman who met the LORD at Jacob’s well didn’t understand what the living water of Jesus could do that the water from the well couldn’t do (John 4:7-14).  And in Matthew 10:39, we read “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”   These words of faith have been a problem for many people throughout the ages.

 But the fact remains that Jesus will always be who He always has been, and His words will always be the hope that the people of earth seek.  And the life that He offers to humanity is the same life that He has lived since the beginning, and now lives in great anticipation of our joining Him.

 Read John 6:35

 [Entire story - John 6:25-40]

Some folks who had come to Jesus following His Sermon on the Mount were having a discussion with the LORD regarding food, and it was turning out to be very similar to the conversation that Jesus had with the Samaritan woman regarding the “living water” that He was offering to her.

 Jesus had been questioning their motives in seeking Him out.  Was it for the worldly food that would sustain them for a day, or the eternal nourishment that would bring the perfect life?  And of course, they didn’t quite understand.  Or was it that they chose not to understand?  They were being told that the food that they had always depended upon was perishable, and would be their downfall, but that the “food” that Jesus offered for their lives would be for eternity, that it would be the source of everlasting life. 

 Then He reveals the truth behind His teaching, that He is that eternal source, that He is this unique nourishment, that He is the “bread of life” and makes the connection that He is also the “living water” that eliminates all thirst.  For many, this analogy is a real problem, as we considered this past September through one of our troubling passages (“Feast on Me”).  The life that Jesus offers has little in common with our humanity, and, everything to do with the life that comes after human death.

 Read Matthew16:16-19

 A rich young man comes to Jesus, apparently wondering if he has been doing all that salvation requires.  The LORD reminds him of what the commandments have called us to do, but interestingly, he only lists the final 6, with a minor variation to the 10^th command.  But in doing this, He strangely omits the first 4.  The 6 that the young man has been adhering to reflect the command to love your neighbor (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:36-40), but the 4 which were not mentioned are those regarding our relationship with Almighty God – put no other gods before the LORD; make no idols; do not misuse the name of God; and keep the sabbath holy.

 But even though the commands regarding God weren’t specifically mentioned, Jesus cares for them with two options –

the first,  sell everything you have and give the proceeds to the poor – letting go of worldly influence and dependency, Jesus says, will make your life perfect, which would satisfy our striving for salvation, but it would be a way which no one can ever do!  And the second?

 Read Matthew16:20-22

 The second, “follow me”, implies the same thing – denounce the things of earth, and put your hope for eternal life in God, except in this, it is faith in Jesus that meets the requirement for perfection.  The point is that while we can’t, Jesus can!

 But the world had too great a hold on the young man.  His wealth was still intact even though he had been serving humanity, and in his way of thinking, that should be enough.  But Jesus tells the man that a life in Him is the only sufficiency that can ever be trusted.

And it was just too much.  And as he walked away from Jesus, he realizes what he had just given up.

 But this is the same problem that the Church is experiencing today.  Many feel that a dedicated service to humanity, as evidenced by their acceptance of worldliness, is all that they need to give.  But surrendering their dependence on the ways and wealth of earth, so that they might pick up their cross and follow the fullness of Jesus (Luke9:23-26), has never been part of their agenda.  They believe that a half-hearted faith is enough to give, but Jesus tells us that half is no better than none.  Without including Him and His ways, there is no life.

 Read Matthew16:23-27

 Now Jesus turns to His faithful, and explains the lesson to them.  In John 20:21-24,  Jesus is asked why He reveals so much to His disciples instead of to the world, and He replies that only those who love Him will understand and obey Him, and those who do not love Him and His ways will not obey His commands.

 So what is the LORD’s lesson for His disciples?  That dependency on the wealth of earth is a certain guarantee that life will come to an end, and that there will be no other options available.  Those who think that they can determine, plan, and execute their own salvation will, one day, discover that it was all one big mistake, and that they, like the rich young man, will know great sorrow for what they no longer have.

 The lesson that they will have missed is summed up in these last two verses, that humanity can never create a way to eternal life, and all their efforts to redesign God’s plan will leave them far short of the goal.  Eternal life is God’s gift, and will be granted to only those who accept His invitation to live in faith and obedience to Jesus Christ.

 Read Matthew 16:28-30

 The question “Who, then can be saved?” gives Jesus the opportunity to open their hearts to the day of His glorious return.  He reinforces His previous teaching, that those who have followed His way will know eternal life, and those who reject the honors and rewards and wealth of earth will be rewarded beyond their greatest imagination.  But the arrogant, the conceited, the judgmental ones of earth will quickly discover that they have lost everything, including the very hope that they had always thought was theirs. And the ones they had oppressed and denied and ridiculed and persecuted will receive the glory that only the followers of Jesus can ever inherit.

 It will be a day of “renewal” – a day of putting all things right.  The old will be gone, and only the new will exist (Revelation21:1-5).  It will be a day of great rejoicing – not over what the faithful have received, but that God’s victory will be complete, and His enemies will no longer have any say.

 On the day of Christ’s return, life will be made new, and will be granted only to those who have followed the way of Jesus Christ, to those who claimed His truth by faith, to those who hoped for resurrection and renewal solely in the life of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus. 

 His way and His truth are the only ways to His life, and that will never change.

 Amen.

          

“Jesus – The Truth”

 Scripture:   John1:9-14, John 3:16-21, John 4:21-24

 This is our second week of considering the attributes of God, beginning with Jesus’ statement, that he is the only Way, and the only Truth, and the only Life (John 14:6), that He is the only One who can bring us to the glory of God the Father.  The way to any earthly destination can take us in any number of different directions – some will be shorter in distance, and some will take less time than others, but each can, eventually, get us to our goal.

 But the way to heaven doesn’t give us a range of options – we don’t get to choose between the most interesting, or the one with great scenery, or even the one is most popular.  And since heaven is the LORD’s gift for faithfulness, and the place of Godly Life, He also gets to designate the way to get there. 

 Even though the word that God has given to the world is very specific, many still believe that they can pick the way that suits their own interests and desires.  But even at that, one day, they will come to know the truth.  Unfortunately, for many, it will be too late, and the true Way will be closed to them.

 Today, we examine the depth of God’s Truth, and why our ways lead us so far astray from the victory of God.

 Read John 1:9-14

 John’s gospel begins by establishing Jesus as the word of God.  We read “¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  ²He was with God in the beginning.” (John 1:1-2)  In the gospels attributed to Matthew and Luke, they begin with Jesus’ birth, while in Mark’s gospel, he begins with John the Baptist!  Only John begins with Jesus existence and God’s plan for His presence, even before creation is ever initiated. 

 From the beginning of this book, John offers a combination of both Jesus’ divinity, as well as His humanity - this concept is that important to the writer, and has become the greatest stumbling block to the world since the beginning of time.  God’s intimacy with His creation seems to be inconceivable and incredible, to the point that it must be the dream of some highly inventive mind!  But the truth is that this doesn’t come from a creative human imagination, but rather from the perfect and divine love that God desires to share with creation itself!

 John begins this discussion of Divine Love with three thoughts regarding Jesus – He has been since before the beginning of time, He would be coming to us as the word and truth of God, and even more so, He comes as God.  And as God and the Eternal Word, He is revealing of all that is – both that which honors God, as well as all that denies and defies God.

 But the most unbelievable aspect of Jesus is that in His Godliness, He willingly and intentionally became part of the very creation that He was involved in establishing, and therein lies the greatest problem that unbelievers have with Jesus.  Why would a Being, who is sufficiently powerful and inciteful to create and order the entire universe, that which is known to us, as well as that which is unknown, also be willing to actually become part of that creation, and to even submit to their ways?  It just doesn’t make any sense!

 And even though He would be the revealing of the Truth and Light of God, few would ever believe that He is who He is.  For much of humanity, truth has become a relative term, and can be whatever each and every individual wants it to be.  It would seem that folks have been confused by the terms “truth” and “opinion”, and in their interchanging of the two, they refuse to accept the fact that anyone could possibly have truth that must apply to everyone.

 The LORD knew that objections to His way would rise up, so He chose the people Israel to be His example to the rest of the world, but even they rebelled against God’s Truth and His Word.  So the plan continued for the entire world, and more and more began to come to His Way and Truth through faith in His Divine Presence Jesus. 

 Read John 3:16-21

 There would be times in Jesus’ ministry when He revealed His Self and His purpose to individuals who exhibited an openness for His Truth.  The first for us today is a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who came to the Lord Jesus one dark night.  When Jesus tells him that no one comes to the Father unless they are born again, the man’s worldly understanding of what birth is all about replaces the truth that he had just been given. (John3:3-4)

 And Jesus reveals the eternal plan that God had prepared before time began – that it would be His love that would make the difference for all who accepted the Truth of His presence.  By faith, we become new creatures in Christ, and by faith, the truth of God will fill us and enable us to become the ones who are “reborn” to spread His true word to the people of this world.

 And then John brings up the issue of condemnation, when God sets the record straight in that Jesus brings with Him acceptance and love, instead of rejection and death. He tells us that it is humanity who condemns themselves, when they refuse to believe in God through Jesus.  The point is that God doesn’t have to condemn us – He has set a perfectly understandable means to escape our sentence for sin, and one that is, finally, the means to come to God’s truth.  And we get to choose which way we will follow.

 And we are given the most plausible reason that so many refuse to submit to the complete teaching of Jesus.  We are comfortable with the ways of earth, and we are afraid to admit that our ways go against everything that the LORD stands for, and that we live in evil, not in goodness.

 No one will ever be comfortable in admitting that we have been wrong all of our life, and that we have to change to God’s better way!  Darkness hides, Light exposes.  The world deceives, Jesus is Truth.  Evil condemns, faithfulness forgives.

 And by the end of this gospel, Nicodemus comes to the truth of Christ, and against all that he had ever known, he steps out in faith to give honor to his LORD. (John 19:38-42)  And his condemnation is overturned by salvation through faith in Jesus.

 Read John 4:21-24

 There are many other people in scripture who are touched by the truth of Jesus, but I have chosen one of the most unusual – the Woman of Samaria.  As we read of Jesus’ encounter with this outcast (John 4:1-42), we discover first, that she has been married many times, and that she isn’t married to the man who she is currently living with.  Her neighbors have shunned her, the Jews hate her for her mixed nationality, her misplaced faith had condemned her, and society dictates that, as a woman, she is unworthy of any hope.

 They had begun talking about the water she would get from Jacob’s well, compared to the “living water” that Jesus offers to her.  Then Jesus reveals the truth about her relationships with men, and she freely acknowledges that he must be a prophet.  And from this, they begin to talk about faith, and the differences they have when it comes to worship styles.

 But the differences between them is even greater than their means of worship.  By society’s standards, a man, and especially a Jewish rabbi, would NEVER talk to an unfamiliar woman in public, and any Jew would NEVER associate with a Samaritan.  And yet, Jesus always seems to have a way of setting cultural convention aside.

 Jesus always sees everyone as worthy of His truth and love!  And while the woman is thinking about the way that their life’s differences create a great divide between them, Jesus turns it into the truth of unity for future days.  That’s another issue that plagues us – we seem to put the issues of yesterday, today, and tomorrow into separate categories with separate concerns for each.

 But God isn’t bound by the differences that time can bring.  He sees all days as the opportunity for His truth to abound within our lives, and He tells the woman that they should be worshiping the True God in unity, not searching out for their own, separate understandings.  And He says that the time has come to accept the truth of God, and he adds that this requires worshipping God in Spirit.

 This means that worship has taken on a whole new meaning for us, that it is no longer an internal concept with human overtones, but is now based solely in the character and Spirit of God.  Where once worship was focused on the place and style of worship as designated by “religion”, it has now been freed to be offered up at any time, in any place, for any reason that has come to be apparent in a single, heart-felt moment.  This is what Jesus has brought to our lives – freedom to truly and fully love God!

 This is a freedom to hear and receive His truth; a freedom to worship in God’s way, and not by ritualized structure; a freedom to share our life in Christ with anyone, regardless of who the world allows or rejects; a freedom to celebrate the Way and Truth of salvation, and to be freed from the condemnation that comes in the lies and denial that the world ascribes to; a freedom to know and rejoice in the love of God that comes simply by faith in God Incarnate – our Lord Jesus Christ.

 Know the Truth that He brings, and rejoice in the freedom that He holds out for all by faith.

 

“Jesus – The Way”

Scripture:   John 14:5-27

One of the troubling issues that is plaguing the church today isn’t all that different from that in years past.  We hear all kinds of conflicting statements about who God is, and did He really say all these strange things, and if He did, does He really expect us to do them?  And even beyond that, many believe that scripture is so out of touch with what our societal norm is about that it is about time that we updated the Bible to reflect what we want it to mean!

 And these are people who claim to be Christians!  To my way of thinking, they have lost touch with who God really is, and who He is for each of us.  So this week, we begin a new series that will carry us up to Lent, which I also pray will prepare us to fully appreciate and rejoice in our LORD’s gift of personal sacrifice on our behalf.  Our series will be focusing on who God is and what He is like by taking a look at a number of His qualities.

 Our series will, for the most part, focus on two books by A. W. Tozer – “The Attributes of God, Vol. 1 & 2”.  These compilations are from sermons and other writings that this pastor developed over many years of service to the LORD.  Today, we begin with 3 weeks that focus on, first of all, Jesus, and the 6^th of His 7 “I Am” statements – that He, and He alone is “the way, the truth, and the life” for this world.

 Read John 14:5-9

 These words that Jesus has so lovingly offered to us occur at the Last Supper.  John’s gospel is the only one of the four that gives such a detailed account of the teaching that was given before the LORD began taking those long, arduous steps toward Calvary.  These words were initially presented to His followers, but through the years since then, they have been an inspiration and encouragement to countless millions of the faithful, and a stumbling block to even more who struggle over, and try to deny, the truth of God for their lives.

 In the initial few verses of this chapter (John14:1-4), Jesus tells his disciples that very soon, He will be leaving to “prepare a place for you”, and He finishes with the thought that these faithful know the way to this new and glorious home.  But they are confused.  They are thinking in a worldly way, and interpret Jesus’ words to mean a road, a path, the earthly version of what a “way” is, and completely miss the point that a relationship with Him is the “Way’ that will lead us all to an eternal relationship in Almighty God.

 This has always been a problem for people of the world – they want to force God in general, and Jesus specifically, into a context that fits with their understanding, instead of allowing themselves to be molded into God’s!  What folks seem to be missing is that the LORD’s way is the right size for everyone, while our ways tend to only fit ourselves, and to force-fit God into our vision will eliminate so much of the Divine Being that only a twisted human version will remain.

 Thomas, in his misconception of what the way of Jesus was all about, wound up leaving faith dangling in the shadows.  And Phillip, in his failure to accept the fact that the Father and Jesus were one, damaged his understanding of the relationship that not only God has within His Trinitarian existence, but it also ignored the relationship that the Father wanted to have with him. 

 It wasn’t that both of these men were new to Jesus and his way – they had been with the LORD for several years already, and they were about to inherit the ministry that Jesus had initiated!  What was it going to take for them to realize that Jesus had just spent 3 years introducing them to the Father?  What would it take for them to begin to appreciate the fact that faith in Jesus and all that he stood for would be the basis for their walk in the Way of God?

 Read John 14:10-14

 Throughout Jesus’ ministry, we read over and over that Jesus, whenever he preformed a miracle, or revealed some new truth to His disciples, He would tell them to keep what they had just experienced to themselves.  Now we discover that He is telling His closest friends just who He truly is.

 Jesus is the great “I Am”.  And his 7 sayings explained it all.  “Bread of Life” (John 6:32-40)– He is the nourishment and sustenance for all who truly believe.  “Light of the World” (John 8:12-19)– He reveals the truth of God, as well as the lies of the world, if only we will learn from His lesson.  “The Gate” (John 10:7-10) – He is the door through which all must pass before they can know God and His will for our lives.  “Good Shepherd” (John 10:11-18)– He cares for us, He leads us to God’s goodness, He keeps us safe.  “Resurrection and Life” (John 11:21-27)– without Him, death is our only option when this life is concluded, but in Jesus, physical death is not an end – it will be overcome through His resurrection, and it will continue in the life of the LORD.  And the final saying – “the True Vine” (John 15:1-8) – means that in Him, we will know the fruitfulness that brings glory to the Father.

 Israel had been waiting for Messiah for centuries – not that this one would be God, but that he would reveal God, and bring God’s glory and honor to the nation.  He would be the “anointed one” of God, while still being a man who would be in the lineage of David.  And when he came, all things would be set right for Israel, and no one would be able to stand against his strength.

 Jesus didn’t quite fit this description, therefore his connection to the Father was in doubt.  So Jesus offers one more thought for the people – in verse 11 He tells us “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.”  There had been plenty of evidence of who Jesus was, and He wanted these men to all reflect on what they had heard and seen during their time with the LORD.  Of course, the ultimate evidence would be coming in just a few more days, and they would then believe that Jesus is truly who He is. 

 Believing without evidence is difficult at best, and believing without surrender to the truth will always be impossible.  And they receive a promise that when they believe in Jesus as LORD, nothing will ever be impossible again.

 Read John 14:21-24

 And the age-old question is raised up by the other Judas – “why don’t you show the fullness of Yourself to everyone, instead of just to us”?  And the answer is as simple as it possibly could be – the truth of Jesus is available to every single person on the face of the earth, and it can be theirs if they just love Him and believe Him.  If we love Jesus, the Father will love us in return. 

 This is what Israel had been searching for all their lives.  And yet, the Messiah, the Savior, the “Way of God”, didn’t look and act in a way that they thought He should!  And because they, and people for the past two millennia, couldn’t let go of their way and accept the Way of Jesus, they would never be able to see Jesus for who He is.  Interestingly, first there must be love for Jesus simply for who He says He is, then faith must come for all that He is without evidence, and it will only be then that the truth of Jesus will become evident.

 But Jesus interjects one more issue into the discussion – love for Jesus will bring obedience to the completeness of His teaching.  This is the evidence of our faith.  And Jesus confirms the contrasting situation – when we don’t love, and believe, and obey Jesus, love and relationship with the Father will be absent from our lives.  And the LORD goes even one step further when He confirms that this thought is not His, but is that of His Father, so if you don’t believe the words He has spoken, then you aren’t believing the Father either!

 Read John 14:25-27

 And here is what will be ours by faith in Jesus - in addition to finding the Way to God, in addition to discovering the Way of redemption, in addition to gaining access to the Way of salvation – we will come to know the power and blessing and peace that comes to all through the love of Jesus Christ, which is revealed by the coming of the Holy Spirit, who will be sent to reinforce and remind and enable us in all that Jesus said and meant through the life He gave for each one of us.

 What an incredible gift from God!  But there is a caveat!  It only comes when we love the Way that Jesus is, and when we obey all that Jesus has taught.  And in Luke 12:8-10, we read that anyone who denies Jesus can be forgiven, but if we blaspheme, or reject, the Holy Spirit, there is no forgiveness.  That includes times when words are invented that supposedly have come from the Spirit, or if there is denial that the Holy Spirit comes to only the faithful, or when there is no love for the LORD within us and we depend upon a spirit of our own making while claiming that it is of God.

 This attitude that seems to be so prevalent in the lives of the world, is the reason that Jesus’ Way will never be theirs.  And their loss will be the greatest that we will ever know. 

But in Jesus, His Way will be higher than our greatest imagination, and beyond our greatest hope.  That’s how much our Almighty God loves to bless those who love Him and His Way!

 Live in His Way today!

          Amen.

“God For the World”

 Scripture:   Matthew2:1-12, 16

  When Jesus was born into this world, it caused more abrupt change than just in the ministry that would begin in another 30 years.  The elite of Israel had always seen themselves as God’s favorites, and that the poor, the handicapped, the Gentiles were despised and rejected by the Lord because they had so little to give, and whatever they did have would have been undesirable by the standards that the upper class had established.

 But at Christmas, we saw that the only ones who received the angels glorious message were the shepherds – dirty, smelly, and unclean – the very example of what “spiritually bereft” was all about.  Why did they receive the “glad tidings”?  Because they would listen and rejoice!  It wasn’t King Herod, Hebrew leader of the nation; it wasn’t the Pharisees, the educated and intellectually best of Israel; it wasn’t the priests or  Levites; it wasn’t anyone who would be expected to know of the coming of Messiah.  It was given to the least, the unworthy, the sinful, the worst of the entire nation.

 Last Sunday, we read that another who was granted discovery of the infant Son of God, was a man named Simeon.  He was a man without any standing, without any prestige, without any apparent education, but what he had that brought honor to the LORD was great faith.  He had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would never die before he came face to face with his Savior, and when the time was right, he was also told when he should go to temple to meet him.

 Today, we hear of another group of men who were led to Jesus’ side.  They were Persians who would never have been expected to even desire to meet Messiah.  They were a group of astrologers from the east – those we call “Magi”.  

 Read Matthew 2:1-6

 These wise men, these astrologers, watched the heavens for signs in the stars.  I don’t know how they did this exactly, but apparently in the case of Jesus’ birth, they all saw something that told them a great King had been born in Israel.  And as intelligentsia in their nations, possibly even priests, but probably not royalty, they had the curiosity and eagerness and resources to go and pay their respects to this new king. 

 It was one of those prophetic stars that began to lead them eastward, toward the land of the new royal Personage.  But when they got to Israel, the star stopped being as directional as it had been, and as they began to ask where they might find this future king, no one seemed to know anything about him.  We have no indication as to how long it took them to get to Israel, or how long it was before word of their search reached the ears of Herod.  But when it did, the king was obviously concerned over this rumored birth.

 The child wasn’t part of his family, so it had to be someone who would, one day, challenge his, or his sons’, authority, and that was not a good thing.  His heart began to fill with a blend of hatred, anxiety, fear, and conspiracy, and he sent word to his most trusted advisors - first, to see if they had heard anything about this threatening birth, and second, to hear if they knew of any prophecy regarding him.

 Herod was a typical ruler of that time.  Intrigue was a routine, everyday matter in the royal court, and there would have been threats to his monarchy all the time.  And when they were exposed, they would be put down in the most violent, tyrannical manner possible.  And that would be his plan for this upstart pretender to his throne.

 But his advisors were little help to him – they had no idea who it might be, who his family might be, and the only help they could give was through the prophecy of Micah (Micah 5:2-4).  Many centuries before, the prophet had proclaimed that a future king would come from Bethlehem, this ruler’s royal line would be long, and would be anchored even in “ancient times”.  He would rule as a shepherd over his sheep, and would have a power and majesty that was based in the “name of the LORD his God”.

 Herod just had to find this upstart, and put an end to the threat that he held toward the throne.

 Read Matthew 2:7-12

 Since Herod’s trusted men couldn’t give him any more than the probable town of Jesus’ birth, he resorted to summoning the gentile visitors to his court.  After questioning them to get additional information, he sent them, not his guards or priests, to find the child, and then to let him know where he was.

 Of course, he had no intention whatsoever of worshiping the baby – his only plan was to eliminate him!  These gentile newcomers didn’t really know Herod, and they would have done as he requested, IF that is, God hadn’t intervened.

 The star had been leading these wise men for many months, and it wasn’t in a random way.  First, it intentionally took them to Jerusalem, not Bethlehem, and it waited there until Herod had learned all that God wanted him to know.  And it was only then that the star took them to the place where Jesus was – not to his birthplace, but to the house where he was living at the time!  And they brought appropriate gifts for this Special Child – gold was a royal gift for a King, and while the other two gifts were also royal in nature, incense would also be used by a priest in his temple duties (Hebrews 4:14-16), and myrrh was an agent for embalming.

 Now God was working through gentiles, just as powerfully as He had with the “unclean” shepherds who had come to offer their praises, and then through a man whose only qualification to receive the LORD’s blessing was his faithfulness.  The high and mighty of Israel, the priests, the Pharisees, and even the nation’s king, had also received the word of Jesus’ birth, but refused to give him anything – not praise, not gifts, not honor – only their hatred for the Son of God would spew from their dark hearts.

 

Is the Lord working through you?  Or are you receiving his word, and letting it end there?

 Read Matthew 2:16

 Herod had a plan to rid himself of this nuisance, but God had a far greater plan at work – one in which many would be freed from the condemnation of sin and death!  Herod’s plan was one of hatred, while God’s was founded in eternal love.  Herod’s plan was one of death and destruction, while God’s plan was one of life through forgiveness.  Herod’s plan would fail, but God’s plan can never fail. 

 Did you know that the LORD has plans for all of us?  And did you know that the world has a totally different set of plans for our lives?  Can you imagine the radical difference between these two?  The difference is pretty much the same as the difference between God’s and Herod’s!

 But there is one problem that existed in Herod’s day that no longer exists for us.  For those people, Jehovah was only for Israel, and the Jews protected that privilege jealously.  But with the coming of Jesus, Jehovah had become the God of all the earth!  And the LORD has protected that privilege even more jealously.  He has come for the poor, the sinner, the outcast, and the foreigner.  He has come for the hated and the oppressed.  He has come for the lost and the seeker.  He has cleared the way for all who will believe in his holy way, and while our gift to Him is faith, His gift to all who believe is forgiveness and eternal life.

 Do you know Him today?  Are you serving Him today?  Are you praising Him today?  Are you following and obeying Him today?

 Jesus has come to us in both Flesh and Spirit, that the world might know God in truth and hope and love.  

Won't you love Him in return?