Month: September 2022

Romans 5:8 ” But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

In I John there are two Scriptures that can help us understand this Verse. The first is I John 3:16, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.”, and a little farther in I John 4:10, “This is love: Not that we loved God, but that He loved us…” Yes, God loves you for you…and Jesus’ self-sacrifice on the Cross was not because of your righteousness but because of your sinfulness. That’s because God sent Jesus to take your place, in order to turn away God’s righteous anger and satisfy His demands of justice. God loves you for you…looking beyond who you are, to who you can become through Him.

Matthew 5:17 ” Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

Across the New Testament we see Jesus bringing to fruition Scripture from the Old Testament….from Jeremiah (Matthew 2:17), to Isaiah (Matthew13:14), to the Prophets (Matthew 26:56). But in doing so He neither altered, replaced, or nullified the former commands…Jesus rather established their true intent & purpose, seen in His teaching and how He accomplished them by His perfectly obedient life here on earth. The Law was the foreteller of Jesus’ actions & sufferings, just as Jesus explained & satisfied fully the requirements of the Law. The Law and the Prophets all pointed to a coming Messiah…and Jesus Christ came to fulfill it.

John 1:35-37 ” The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.”

Traditionally, the students of a Jewish Rabbi walked behind him, and these two men were physically following Jesus…but we know that following Jesus means much, much more. It’s a fellowship of faith, life, & sharing in His sufferings. It’s also a moral & intimate spiritual fellowship as we follow after Him. But following Jesus isn’t always full of excitement…most times it’s ordinary things done in ordinary places, with ordinary people. That’s when it takes training and discipline to follow Jesus…for He has a different way of doing things & we’ll be caught off guard if we lag behind. Getting into stride with God’s stride means nothing less than oneness with Him… and this following Him will take a lifetime, so don’t give up.

John 1:17 ” For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

The Pentateuch, the Books of the Law, were imparted through Moses…a gift of God’s grace that was succeeded by the fuller grace revealed in Jesus Christ. Grace & Truth in this Scripture corresponds to the Old Testament terms for God of steadfast love & faithfulness… fully showing God’s gracious covenant-making & covenant-keeping character. (Psalm 25:10) But as James 1:25 tells us, Jesus gave us the Perfect Law…freeing us from the yoke of ceremonial observances & the slavery of sin.

John 1:12-13 ” Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

To those who follow Jesus, acknowledging His Authority and putting their faith and trust in Him…they have been given the privilege of being called Children of God. Begotten spiritually by the impartation of new life and a new spirit, not by nature but generated in them by the sovereign action of God & the Holy Spirit. It’s called New Birth, Rebirth, to be Born Again, New Beginning, or Regeneration. Peter speaks of this in I Peter 1:23, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God.” As Children of God we have been made new…a necessary condition to see and enter the Kingdom of God as heirs & co-heirs with Christ.

John 1:9 ” The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.”

John the Baptist came as the forerunner, but he himself was not the true light. He only came as a witness to the Coming One, the Messiah. The prophet Isaiah foretold of this coming light in Isaiah 49:6, “I will make You as a light for the nations, that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Jesus Christ came to shine the light of His truth into the darkness for all men…this is called Common Grace which expresses the goodness of God to all. God graciously blesses all men with undeserved things such as rain, sun, health, and happiness…but common grace stops short of saving grace…which all human beings need… the saving work of the Holy Spirit to reconcile themselves to God.

Acts 26:18 ” I am sending you to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”

Here Saul (Paul) is recounting his meeting with the risen Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. Jesus lays out His plan, purpose, and mission for Paul very clearly…almost word for word to the Great Commission He gave His disciples in Matthew 28:19, and the Good News of the Gospel Message we are to be sharing with others. Telling people about Jesus isn’t an option to do when we feel like it, or when we’ve finally got something memorized…it’s simply sharing what God has done in our personal life and how they can have the same. Paul’s conversion on that dusty road was life-changing…but your encounter with Jesus was just as life altering too, and you need to be sharing it with the world.

Matthew 25:21 “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

The composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein was once asked what musical instrument was the most difficult to play…his reply: “Second fiddle.” Think about it, most of Christian service is just that…playing a supportive role, behind the scenes, quietly getting things done. It’s ordinary, un-grandiose things done well in a consistent manner. It’s cleaning the Church, and scrubbing toilets, and rocking babies in the Nursery…all of which aren’t flashy but need to be done by someone. For God sees & knows, and ultimately we’re accountable only to Him to serve others wholeheartedly and in love…whatever our role.

Psalm 86:10-11 “For You are great and do marvelous deeds; You alone are God. Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your Name.”

In his first letter to the Corinthian Church, Paul made it very plain the path we are to follow…remembering that there is no God but one, and that we need to live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord. In other words, we are to be totally united with God, ever seeking His guidance and walking continually in His truth. Psalm 25:4-5 echoes this well, “Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.”

I Samuel 2:22 “Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel…”

Eli was the high priest of the Temple and father to his greedy and unscrupulous sons, Hophni & Phinehas. It tells us that their sin was very great in the Lord’s sight…for they were not following the prescribed practices laid out by God in Leviticus and Deuteronomy for sacrifices…and they were taking advantage of their positions in the Temple to treat the Lord’s offerings with contempt. When Eli confronted them they refused to listen to his rebuke and warning…but neither did Eli take control of the situation…rather turning a blind eye & further enabling them. Eli was then confronted by a unnamed prophet of the Lord who asks, “Why do you honor your sons more than God?” The key word in this question being “honor”. Whatever we value the most, we honor…and we worship what we value. Sadly for Eli, not confronting his wicked sons carried more weight than obeying God’s laws.