Jesus' first message to the public in three of the four gospel accounts was,
Matthew 4:17 NIV
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
To repent means to turn around, change direction, change your mind, and move your heart toward God. To repent means to turn away from sinful behaviors to godly ones. Sounds simple enough. It's not. We need help. We need a savior.
The apostle Paul describes the condition of humanity as a result of the fall of Adam from Eden. His sin became an inescapable snare to every human soul, that is until Christ came and broke sin's power over us.
Romans 7:14-25 NIV
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Jesus announced the good news. The kingdom of heaven or kingdom of God is near, close at hand. The kingdom of God is the reign of God, the good governance of the creator. In reference to repentance, this good news means the power of sin is defeated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The same power that gave Jesus the ability to overcome every sinful temptation, is now a power available to you through faith in Christ. The same power God exerted to raise Jesus from the dead is the same power at work in us who believe. The reign of God is near, as near as a breath. The Holy Spirit brings you this power, because the Holy Spirit is God living in you. The Holy Spirit is Christ in you.
So the next time the temptations of sin pull at your head and heart, remember there is grace greater than sin which will make you able to stand against every flaming arrow of the evil one. Christ has given you victory over sin and death! So turn! Turn away from the lesser power of sin and the fear of death, and turn toward the greater power of grace in God's love.
Repent. Believe the good news! The government of God's love is here!
Friday, April 15, 2016
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Matthew 4:1 - Temptation
Matthew 4:1 NIV
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Have you ever noticed that there are three characters mentioned in this one verse that introduces the story of the temptation of Jesus? There's Jesus, of course, and the devil (the tempter), and the Spirit. The Spirit leads the Son of God into the wilderness. We know Jesus is the beloved Son of God because, in the previous chapter, God speaks from heaven, during Jesus' baptism. And the Spirit descends upon Jesus and stays with Him.
Matthew 3:17 NIV
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Therefore, God the Father, the creator of heaven and earth, is another character implied in the story. Through the Spirit, God is leading Jesus into temptation.
Do we not pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Lead us not into temptation"? Some translations render that phrase from the Lord's Prayer, "save us from the time of trial." So this temptation in the wilderness is a test.
This implies yet another character, or multiple characters really, that is Moses and the Israelites. The wilderness is where Moses and the freed Hebrew slaves wandered for 40 years after their deliverance from the tyranny of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. We learn from their experience that God was testing them. Immediately after their deliverance at the Red Sea, the Hebrews were tested first by thirst, then by hunger. In both cases the scriptures alert us to the fact that God is testing them to see if they will follow His instructions. (Exodus 15:25; 16:4)
This is prior to the Israelites receiving the law at Mt. Sinai. The testing in the wilderness is to prepare this people to receive the Holy covenant, and become the people of God who will reveal Him to the nations. They will do so by living in holiness as prescribed by the law given through Moses.
So when the gospel of Matthew uses the term "wilderness", he is pointing to the Old Testament story of the testing the Israelites under the leadership of Moses. We learn from their story that there is purpose in testing. When Moses was reflecting on their 40 year experience in the wilderness he wrote,
"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands." (Deuteronomy 8:2 NIV)
And now Jesus is led by His Father God through the Spirit into the wilderness, much like the Israelites, to be tempted by the devil, to see what is in Jesus' heart. This test is required to prepare Jesus to always be listening for the Spirit's leading. As you read the rest of the story you'll find that in each of the temptations from the devil, the Spirit guides Jesus with the scriptural law, God's commands given to His holy people.
Jesus was very familiar with the scriptures. He was raised in a devout family. At age 12 he astonished the teachers of the law at the temple with His knowledge and understanding. Later in Jesus' ministry, some will address Him as rabbi, which means teacher.
Have you ever felt at times in your life that you are wandering in a wilderness, that you are alone and cut off from comfort and security? Feelings of fear can make us desperate at such times. But remember that there is a holy purpose in wilderness testing. It is to see what is in our hearts.
What will control you in your wilderness moments, fear or faith? Will you remember that God is with you? Didn't Jesus promise His disciples to be with them always, even to the very end? (Matthew 28:20) Will you grumble against God and His church, like the Israelites grumbled against God and His appointed leaders, Moses and Aaron the high priest? Or will you be led by the Spirit to keep God's life giving commands?
I feel like I'm in the wilderness wandering about. I am tempted and tested. I struggle with fear, anger and despair. But I am not alone. Christ is with me in Spirit. I struggle to listen, to hear His voice over the clamour all around me and within me. And by hearing the Spirit, I might thwart the temptations of the devil and emerge from this wilderness a stronger man, prepared for what the Lord has next for me.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Have you ever noticed that there are three characters mentioned in this one verse that introduces the story of the temptation of Jesus? There's Jesus, of course, and the devil (the tempter), and the Spirit. The Spirit leads the Son of God into the wilderness. We know Jesus is the beloved Son of God because, in the previous chapter, God speaks from heaven, during Jesus' baptism. And the Spirit descends upon Jesus and stays with Him.
Matthew 3:17 NIV
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Therefore, God the Father, the creator of heaven and earth, is another character implied in the story. Through the Spirit, God is leading Jesus into temptation.
Do we not pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Lead us not into temptation"? Some translations render that phrase from the Lord's Prayer, "save us from the time of trial." So this temptation in the wilderness is a test.
This implies yet another character, or multiple characters really, that is Moses and the Israelites. The wilderness is where Moses and the freed Hebrew slaves wandered for 40 years after their deliverance from the tyranny of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. We learn from their experience that God was testing them. Immediately after their deliverance at the Red Sea, the Hebrews were tested first by thirst, then by hunger. In both cases the scriptures alert us to the fact that God is testing them to see if they will follow His instructions. (Exodus 15:25; 16:4)
This is prior to the Israelites receiving the law at Mt. Sinai. The testing in the wilderness is to prepare this people to receive the Holy covenant, and become the people of God who will reveal Him to the nations. They will do so by living in holiness as prescribed by the law given through Moses.
So when the gospel of Matthew uses the term "wilderness", he is pointing to the Old Testament story of the testing the Israelites under the leadership of Moses. We learn from their story that there is purpose in testing. When Moses was reflecting on their 40 year experience in the wilderness he wrote,
"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands." (Deuteronomy 8:2 NIV)
And now Jesus is led by His Father God through the Spirit into the wilderness, much like the Israelites, to be tempted by the devil, to see what is in Jesus' heart. This test is required to prepare Jesus to always be listening for the Spirit's leading. As you read the rest of the story you'll find that in each of the temptations from the devil, the Spirit guides Jesus with the scriptural law, God's commands given to His holy people.
Jesus was very familiar with the scriptures. He was raised in a devout family. At age 12 he astonished the teachers of the law at the temple with His knowledge and understanding. Later in Jesus' ministry, some will address Him as rabbi, which means teacher.
Have you ever felt at times in your life that you are wandering in a wilderness, that you are alone and cut off from comfort and security? Feelings of fear can make us desperate at such times. But remember that there is a holy purpose in wilderness testing. It is to see what is in our hearts.
What will control you in your wilderness moments, fear or faith? Will you remember that God is with you? Didn't Jesus promise His disciples to be with them always, even to the very end? (Matthew 28:20) Will you grumble against God and His church, like the Israelites grumbled against God and His appointed leaders, Moses and Aaron the high priest? Or will you be led by the Spirit to keep God's life giving commands?
I feel like I'm in the wilderness wandering about. I am tempted and tested. I struggle with fear, anger and despair. But I am not alone. Christ is with me in Spirit. I struggle to listen, to hear His voice over the clamour all around me and within me. And by hearing the Spirit, I might thwart the temptations of the devil and emerge from this wilderness a stronger man, prepared for what the Lord has next for me.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Matthew 3:11-12
Matthew 3:11-12 NIV
“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
At first, second, or even the hundredth time reading this passage of John the Baptist warning the Sadducees and Pharisees, one might say to themselves, "Ugh! Fire and brimstone"! This morning I had a very different thought. Look at what the Baptist is saying.
John baptized with water as a means of helping people to make a commitment to repent. That means to turn away from sin and turn toward God and obey God's covenant laws given through Moses. It means to stop behaving in unrighteous ways and to pursue righteousness by keeping the law. That is the Jewish calling.
But the Jewish covenant, and that form of righteousness gained by keeping the law, is now surpassed by the new covenant in Christ. Paul says as much in his letter to the Romans.
Romans 3:20-22 NLT
For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
Now I'm getting into theologically heavy stuff. What God did with the two covenants, the law under Moses, and the new covenant in the blood of Christ, is first to expose the power of sin at work in us, then to free us from this same power by the greater power of God's grace through faith in Christ.
Look at the Baptist's words again. He is describing the two covenants. First is the keeping of the law. To repent means to stop breaking God's law and to continually obey it. What Paul reveals in Romans is that no amount of effort on our part will make us righteous as God is righteous. Sin will always be tripping us up. But now through Christ, the righteousness of God is given to us through our faith.
Jesus cleanses us of sin, much like He might clear a threshing floor of chaff with a winnowing fork. The fire language John the Baptist uses could be read as purifying, not torturous. If you've experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit, then you've felt this unquenchable fire. There's a warmth within.
Through faith, Christ takes up residence in our hearts. There's no room for sin when Christ moves in. (Put that on a bumper sticker!) The Holy Spirit drives sin from our hearts. Little by little, the love of God frees us from Sin's grip. We find our motivations shifting from the selfish and fearful to love and compassion.
By keeping the rules, we will always be striving for righteousness, but by yielding to the power of grace at work in you through faith in Christ, God's righteousness is given to us.
Romans 8:3-4 NLT
The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
So while the rhetoric of John the Baptist seems rather offensive and unpleasant, it is pointing to deeper truths about Jesus. For Jesus was baptized by John to "fulfill all righteousness", which means to bring righteousness to completion. God is doing just that in you through your faith in Christ. He's clearing you out of sin and filling you to the full with His love. When you love God and love others with His love, you will always be righteous.
Philippians 1:6 NLT
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished (fulfilled) on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
At first, second, or even the hundredth time reading this passage of John the Baptist warning the Sadducees and Pharisees, one might say to themselves, "Ugh! Fire and brimstone"! This morning I had a very different thought. Look at what the Baptist is saying.
John baptized with water as a means of helping people to make a commitment to repent. That means to turn away from sin and turn toward God and obey God's covenant laws given through Moses. It means to stop behaving in unrighteous ways and to pursue righteousness by keeping the law. That is the Jewish calling.
But the Jewish covenant, and that form of righteousness gained by keeping the law, is now surpassed by the new covenant in Christ. Paul says as much in his letter to the Romans.
Romans 3:20-22 NLT
For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
Now I'm getting into theologically heavy stuff. What God did with the two covenants, the law under Moses, and the new covenant in the blood of Christ, is first to expose the power of sin at work in us, then to free us from this same power by the greater power of God's grace through faith in Christ.
Look at the Baptist's words again. He is describing the two covenants. First is the keeping of the law. To repent means to stop breaking God's law and to continually obey it. What Paul reveals in Romans is that no amount of effort on our part will make us righteous as God is righteous. Sin will always be tripping us up. But now through Christ, the righteousness of God is given to us through our faith.
Jesus cleanses us of sin, much like He might clear a threshing floor of chaff with a winnowing fork. The fire language John the Baptist uses could be read as purifying, not torturous. If you've experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit, then you've felt this unquenchable fire. There's a warmth within.
Through faith, Christ takes up residence in our hearts. There's no room for sin when Christ moves in. (Put that on a bumper sticker!) The Holy Spirit drives sin from our hearts. Little by little, the love of God frees us from Sin's grip. We find our motivations shifting from the selfish and fearful to love and compassion.
By keeping the rules, we will always be striving for righteousness, but by yielding to the power of grace at work in you through faith in Christ, God's righteousness is given to us.
Romans 8:3-4 NLT
The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
So while the rhetoric of John the Baptist seems rather offensive and unpleasant, it is pointing to deeper truths about Jesus. For Jesus was baptized by John to "fulfill all righteousness", which means to bring righteousness to completion. God is doing just that in you through your faith in Christ. He's clearing you out of sin and filling you to the full with His love. When you love God and love others with His love, you will always be righteous.
Philippians 1:6 NLT
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished (fulfilled) on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
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