Heirs of the prophets, blessing the nations – Acts 3:24-26 (January 27, 2012)

Scripture:

Acts 3:24-26 “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days.   And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

Observation:

Peter’s brief speech to the witnesses of the healing of the cripple in Acts 3 began with self-deprecation – stating that he and John had NO power in themselves to do what was done.   But it quickly turned into an historical account of the death of Christ with a powerful evangelistic invitation to saving faith.  The greatly venerated pointers – the prophets – during the long history of the nation had given witness to the present events.  The coming of Jesus was the culmination of all the promises given to the people of God.  At once this connected with the people gathered in the holy place where the words of the prophets were recited and honored AND gave those words new life that applied directly to what had been just seen.  Peter then cited the word of God to Abraham concerning the offspring the old man was to father.  It could not have been said about Peter’s and John’s day that the descendents of Israel had been a particular blessing for all peoples of the earth.  If anything, they had either been reclusive enemies or badly degraded sinners, worse than the nations they displaced, as announced by the prophets.  But now it was to be so, that Israel would headquarter and spawn a movement that would reach around the world with blessing.  Peter spoke this before the missionary journeys had begun, but he spoke it with authority.  And the action they were to take?  Repent, turn from sin.  For without that turning they would never be able to even believe, let alone walk in the promised blessing.  This part of the message aligned with the earlier one of John the Baptist, whose wilderness mikvahs (ceremonial Jewish cleansing of sin) were well-known as preparatory to coming of Messiah.  THEN the blessing would come.

Application:

All miracles, starting with the miracle of my faith in Christ, are meant to point to Jesus.  They are neither accomplished in a vacuum nor given to only make someone well or break the laws of nature.  If I get that motivation wrong then I should expect no miracles and be satisfied with a theoretical faith.  Also suspicion is due towards those who accomplish or claim to accomplish great miraculous works apart from Christ and disregarding His purposes.  Peter was quick to point away from himself – so should any person used to perform God’s mighty works.  And the message is not a namby pamby “God loves us all so He does nice things” presentation.  No, the gospel was given for hard sinners.  Healing is performed on those dirtied by their own malice and greed and pride and debauchery, like me.  It is the utter unworthiness of the recipients of grace that makes it so radical.  And it is a mockery to conclude that any person deserves the blessing of God.  Any such statement fails – even obstinately – to understand holiness.  But also miracles are given to include people – God did NOT stop performing miraculous signs though the nation of Israel had crucified Christ.  The death of Christ was not an end, it was a beginning.  It would turn the ingrown people of Israel into a force for worldwide blessing.  It would, in essence, conquer Rome, but not politically and according to neither the schedule of humans nor parties nor armies.  The “offspring of Abraham” would then apply to a very wide group of ethnicities as spiritual progeny where spawned everywhere.  Do I have that same zeal?  Has my faith become ingrown and stale?  Do I shrink back in fear of being found out?  I need to know the blessing I bear and give it copiously and commonly.  For this I was born .. and born again.

Prayer:

Father, it is a great move You have instrumented and orchestrated.  Let me find my place in it with ever more certainty.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Blood over me – Exodus 12:23 (January 26, 2012)

Scripture:

Exodus 12:23 When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.

Observation:

The blood of the sheep or goat painted over the doorframe of every home of the children of Israel was a signal on one hand.  It made the statement “a believing family lives here.”  And the agent of judgment and of wrath, the destroying angel, would not enter such a home.  Also, the blood was that of an animal slain in substitution – its death atoning for the misdeeds of all within the home.  The people of Israel were not necessarily any more holy than the Egyptians, but they did have knowledge of God and enough faith to foster obedience at least to this point.  No doubt there were some among Israel who did NOT apply the blood to their own destruction.  But they had all seen the judgments – the plagues – that had fallen upon Egypt but had bypassed Goshen, their home.  God was redeeming His people and the people knew it.  But this time was to be more dramatic than any plague to date.  For there were neither flies nor frogs nor darkness nor water turned to blood.  Yet through the repeated hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, it had come to this – a threat of sudden death, a move of God so destructive yet so selective that it would both show His power and purpose.  It was not random – it struck the strength of the firstborn AND it stuck only households without the blood on their doorposts.  For God’s judgment did not stop with the stubborn heart of Pharaoh – he was only the leader of the people of obstinacy.  The people of Israel had been discriminated against and abused by the entire nation of Egypt and so this ultimate act of God touched each house among them.

Application:

Do I cover my house with the blood of Jesus?  Do I rely upon His strong redemption, or try in my own strength to struggle against the oppressor?  If so, I should expect to both lose the battle and expose my family to unnecessary peril.  Painting the doorpost seemed a silly thing but the children of Israel had seen enough of God’s hand to pay attention and obey.  When will I see enough of the dysfunction and destruction of this world to know that I have no place to go than Jesus my Savior?  Will I dabble with life decisions that imitate the motives and purposes of this world?  Will I settle for material gain and tribal prestige or give God the glory?  The blood is there, I need only apply it.  Are the judgments of the world going my way?  Today they may be, but that is inconsequential.  Today’s pride is tomorrow’s shame and vice versa; there is no value in the temporal workings of the systems of humankind.  May I learn to let the blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel – the first murdered – speak over me with ever deeper impact.  Let me live the crucified life, not joyless but with sobriety that comes with beholding eternity past and future flowing right through me.  Let me know that the destroyer is coming whether people would believe it, like it or scorn the idea.  Hell is easily seen if I will look.  So is heaven.  The blood makes all the difference.

Prayer:

Father, I want to be truthful – I don’t want this.  But Lord I see that nothing else works.  Let me be washed over and over in the blood till I communicate and walk in its power over me and over the ways of this world.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Listening through harsh times – Exodus 6:9 (January 25, 2012)

Scripture:

Exodus 6:9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.

Observation:

The LORD had spoken powerfully and pointedly to Moses about His intention to set the people of Israel free from the bondage of slavery in Egypt.  His actions were in direct answer to the cries of the people who were being mistreated.  He even indicated the way the liberation was to come – that Pharaoh would harden his heart repeatedly in the process.  And then Moses passed on what he had heard to the people he came to set free.  Their emotional and spiritual state was so low that they could not receive any such encouragement.  The circumstances of their lives had deafened them to any suggestion that things would get better.

Application:

Do I ever become so disconsolate that I cannot receive a good report or a promise even from God?  When (not if) that happens, I disqualify myself for blessing, straight up.  Life has ups and it has downs, but my faith needs to be made to operate on a flat plain.  The harshness of my circumstance mustn’t be allowed to dominate the air waves.  “This too will pass” is even a compromise when God grants deliverance in power and utter victory over my sin and defeat.  It won’t just pass, it will be reversed!!  To project the difficulty of my life onto the face of a god (small g because it’s NOT God) who is just trying to wear me down is to belie the overwhelming force of the Spirit of God active within me.  I MUST see the end from the beginning, or at LEAST know (to quote Rosabeth Moss Canter) – “everything is broken in the middle.”  God doesn’t even need raw materials to do His work, though He often chooses the most raw of them all – me.  Grace works in the slime pit of drudgery.

Prayer:

Father, forgive me for the times I ceased to listen to You in deference to my circumstances.  Grant that I might yet see Your good purpose wherever I have ceased to perceive it.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

God intended it for good – Genesis 50:19-21 (January 20, 2012)

Scripture:

Genesis 50:19-21 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?  You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

Observation:

Jacob had just died.  His other sons (that is, those of Leah), terrified that Joseph would now exact revenge for their earlier treachery, made up a command that Jacob had supposedly given concerning their good treatment going forward.  Joseph needed no such coercion.  With humility learned by approximately 20 years in slavery and imprisonment, he assured them that no harm would befall them.  He gave all power for judgment to God, refusing to act in vengeance because he had long learned God’s ability to judge better than any human.  By no means did this fail to acknowledge the malice in which they acted, but Joseph now had a perspective of those earlier days – seeing his own teenage arrogance and pampered place in the family – and had forgiven their actions a long time ago.  Moreover, he saw God’s good intention even in the midst of their murderous deeds – it was God’s good purpose to have Joseph interpret the dream of Pharaoh and institute the famine-fighting policies which fed the entire nation of Egypt during the brutal years of no rain.   That provision had driven every action in the past and had culminated in the present abundance which had brought his family to Egypt, accomplishing their reunion and reconciliation.   So, given this view, they had nothing to fear from him; he would provide for their needs going forward since he honored them as flesh and blood despite their earlier breaking of that basic bond (it had been reestablished).  Joseph’s kindness reflected the kindness of God and it would mark the family legacy forever.

Application:

The righteousness and mercy of Joseph surpassed that of his grandfather Isaac and his father Jacob.  It had been honed through the hardest of trials – betrayal and abandonment of those closest to him and outright injustice in a land hostile to his faith.  So what trial am I avoiding?  I need to see the end from the beginning – Joseph’s life speaks directly into mine that way.  And what to what offense am I holding others accountable?  What horrible thing has been done to me?  Can I not see God’s good intent?  I never will if I don’t persist in faith.  But if I do – and this takes a certainty of trust – I will surely see the good thing God had in mind.  His provision of all my needs and the needs of my family is also assured.  It is against the harsh elements and the harsh treatment of people that God’s mercy fights and delivers.  Do I have Joseph’s perspective?  For sure it does not appear with the snap of the fingers but only after years of difficulty.  But as the story says “the LORD was with Joseph” – I can know and NEED to know God was with me and is with me now.  If I give up on that knowledge then I cannot hope to gain the long term view of things that was so redemptive in the lives of the children of Jacob.  And when it’s up to me to seek revenge may I forgive and seek none of it for God knew all along the good things that would result even though people sought to invalidate, disqualify, discourage and shame me.

Prayer:

O Lord, I pray for the heart of Joseph.  I need to go through the trial to the end; I know that that though I cringe and go to dark places.  Let me know Your light there and see the light that shines on the culmination – the place of sheer delight where brothers dwell together in unity.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Seeing what I should see – Luke 10:23-24 (January 13, 2012)

Scripture:

Luke 10:23-24: Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Observation:

It is quite clear that the disciples of Christ had little or no idea Who it was that was among them.   The name “Emmanuel”, applied by the prophet Isaiah to the Messiah who was to come, means “God with us” but the followers of Jesus’ earthly ministry would only understand that fully when He ascended to heaven and they were given revelation by the Holy Spirit.  So this announcement would have (or could have) bridged that gap in understanding.  Jesus’ coming was the culmination of the divine plan, one announced for millennia before.  And all those given the vision of hope and fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan only saw in part.  They were given a promise of One who was to come but had nothing vivid to hang their hopes upon.  But to the disciples of Christ and all who came after them, the mystery has been displayed and fog has been lifted; Jesus’ life has been opened and the nature of God made known for the person who has seen Jesus has seen the Father.  “Blessed are the eyes” – that is, happy, fulfilled and chosen are those whose experience in life includes Jesus.  Why? Because so, so many had longed to see Him before but had not.  They had longed to hear His words but could not.  The ancient, historical spiritual lineage of promise through Abraham all reached its goal in that one life.  Those who were born in that age lived their entire lives and passed away with only a pointer to Jesus.  And then He came, and His own people did not recognize Him or follow Him.  How many others were there who paid His visit to planet earth no mind at all?   What they saw or heard made no impression whatsoever though it was the most stunning time in human history.

Application:

If what Jesus said and did was the culmination of all the ages, why do I listen to anything or anyone else?  His Word and His deeds should dominate my consciousness.  I was not an eyewitness to His life on earth; I receive and believe that by faith.  But I have his witness in my life if I will listen to it.  I need to give Him my attention and my best efforts.  I need to stop being so impressed with the accomplishments and sayings of great men, though they build the world’s greatest things and speak with great mental inspiration.   For that acclaim is contagious; it will run my imagination toward its proud fame.  This is Jesus, not a CEO, not a star of the stage or the studio and not even a self-promoter.  He lived a blood and guts life among the shamed and dirty, so if I am hearing what He said and seeing what He did then I will pick up His purposes in and through my life and submit to the working power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish whatever He will.  But to hear and see what the disciples heard and saw means to put away the world, like a shiny plaything that would call out to be held and fondled.  In its place is the cross, and death.  There is sorrow and pain, loss and bereavement in that but vibrant eternal life with overflowing, popping expressions of the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit on the other side.  Of COURSE this is only possible through faith – I must believe that Luke was who the Bible says he was and that did a good job in his investigative reporting and that the people he talked to said what actually happened.  I do believe that and so I agree that my eyes are blessed to see those things by faith and my ears to hear them.

Prayer:

Father, grant me a perspective that sees Jesus for all He is, conquering King of heaven’s armies and Lord and Savior and Servant of the Most High God.  Grant that I could really know that and walk in the truth.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Isn’t this Joseph’s son? – Luke 4:22 (January 4, 2012)

Scripture:

Luke 4:22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

Observation:

This happened immediately after Jesus quoted Isaiah 61:1-2 in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth.  He had said that the prophecy therein applied directly and pointedly to Him and His life.  Now this was the synagogue He no doubt grew up attending, so although some were impressed with this declaration, others tacked on the question of His origin, principally the identity of His father.  It was a point of some confusion when His mother conceived to the point that Joseph needed to be told in a dream NOT to divorce Mary for unfaithfulness.  The question asked by the people above shows their take on His parentage – that Joseph and Mary had engaged in pre-marital relations and, well “we all know where babies come from.”  But in context, this was also to bring Jesus down to earth, to accuse Him of false testimony just immediately prior in the synagogue and to categorically deny anything special about him.  This touched off a fiery set of judgmental words for Jesus Himself, showing both His intent – to heal and deliver the people He loved in perhaps even a more tender and special way than those He did not grow up with – and the impossibility of that because the people would not believe (faith being a one of the ingredients).  This was sad and it was a breaking of relationship; Jesus would never be honored in Nazareth, the place of His human rearing and it was to their shame, not His.

Application:

What attacks are levied against the legitimacy of my spiritual identity?  Is it a phase I went through (or got stuck in because it’s been so long)?  Did it make me no more special than I used to be?  Indeed, one of the marks of a believer’s life is the ordinary made extraordinary by the Spirit, but it’s the latter part that unbelievers tear down.  There can be nothing special about faith because they don’t have it, have not pursued it and therefore I am both deluded and subpar compared to what I would be without the encumbrance of my faith life.  Well Jesus has been the making of me, that’s just fact, and whatever vestiges of sin and the fall are still present in my life – and they are there for the observing – those are the work of the Spirit still to be done.  Despite the efforts of people to compare my life with theirs, that can never be my practice.  I am compared with me yesterday and me ten, twenty and thirty years ago and that is the only progress and comparison I can monitor.  My rebirth into Christ was not a transaction of human origin; I was drawn by the Spirit into eternal life.  That is my identity now and no one can or will take it away.  I am Harold’s son but I am also an adopted son of Yahweh.  This is my story, this is my song.

And what of the attacks still brought against the identity of Jesus?  They haven’t changed in two thousand years.  They are lame and tired, though His word still gives life and health to all who hear and believe.  So who wins?  JESUS, Lord of all.

Prayer:

Father, let me wrestle this to the ground every time it makes its appearance.  Grant me assurance to look upon Your work with awe and certainty, for I have been brought into eternity by Your grace.  I ask this in Jesus name, amen.

Fruit in keeping with repentance – Luke 3:8-9 (January 3, 2012)

Scripture:

Luke 3:8-9 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.  The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Observation:

John the Baptist had begun his ministry in the wilderness.  The people came out to see him and to be baptized by him as a symbolic cleansing from their sins.  This was a mikveh, a cleansing immersion that accompanied conversion to the Jewish faith.  But John’s preaching did not end with that, but invaded the daily lives of his listeners.  It was no longer enough to be once-cleansed, but metanoia – repentance – was called for, a change in one’s moral life.  Like all people, the argument of inherited salvation arose, citing their lineage going back to the righteous patriarch Abraham.  John debunked that, for these were no more the spiritual children of Abraham than the rocks on the ground.  Indeed, John’s ministry was signaling the beginning of the end of the Old Covenant with its reliance upon the Law and its precepts and sacrificial system.  Jesus would soon come on the scene and personally inaugurate the new way to salvation.  So for these people, a reckoning was at hand.  They would either decide that the system wasn’t working for them and allow the deepest touch of God to invade their lives or else fall back into tradition and it unproductive practices.  It’s not that the basis of this inspection was foreign to Jewish tradition (see this verse), but that the personal ramifications of being God’s people had never hit home.  And now the ax was cutting down the tree of dead faith, both for individuals and the nation.

Application:

Do I fall back on my heritage of faith as a way to wiggle out of repentance?  That is a step towards death if so.  I am accountable if I am a believer; it’s that simple.  If I sin then I must turn away from that sin.  If I turn then I must not turn back when the coast is clear.  My legacy means nothing – God has no grandchildren.  Trained under some great pastor?  Prayed for, prophesied over and otherwise spiritually distinguished?  Good, and may those acts resonate inside and going forward.  But they do nothing for me where the rubber meets the road in my own life.  I need to own my pride, my lust and my thievery everywhere it pops up and put it to death by the power of the Holy Spirit.  God can raise up good looking church people, smiley folk with a wink of knowing the Bible.  But He desires much more of me and for me.  If I was baptized – and I was – it stood for both and end of something and the beginning of something else.  Let me never go back on my word, but press on even as Paul did.  Did my old life really end?  Did I really forsake its misguided passions and grubbing acts of self and flesh?  Or did I just think those were not quite as good as holiness, for a season at least?  No, metanoia – repentance – is a radical turning that remakes the person.  It’s God-inspired and –powered or it’s not real.  And I should hold no other view of a future without repentance than that of destruction by fire.  Say I’m God-fearing, it’s all right.  Say I’m God-loving, and you have the heart of things.  Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Him.

Prayer:

Lead me in the way everlasting, O God.  Let me repent in sackcloth and ashes or repent in bright flowing garments of joy, only let me turn to Your way alone.  Grant my heart the knowledge of my sin and grant my will the strength of resolve to turn away.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

The Resented Testimony – John 7:7 – (December 22, 2011)

Scripture:

John 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. 

Observation:

The biological brothers of Jesus – that is, half brothers born to his mother Mary in the normal way – were pressuring him to go to the Passover Festival in Jerusalem.  Their language portrayed a condescending, manipulative spirit that would use peer pressure to subjugate their older brother.  The scripture says they did not believe – yet – that He was God’s Son.  In that state of faith they likely thought their brother was a deluded, self-seeking celebrity and they were playing along, being his pseudo-publicists, say.  But Jesus refused to go to Jerusalem under those auspices, saying that any time for them to go to the Festival was fine but for Him it was not time.  And then He said the words above.  The world – the system of mankind’s conception defining social structure and customs of commerce and human interaction – could not hate these brothers of his, because they were conforming to its skepticism, pressurized manipulation and base sin.  Jesus stood against this – and against them in this – for He spoke out against institutional and individual sin.  No doubt his brothers were tired of hearing that.  But this is another reason why Jesus could not go that day to the Festival.  His enemies were waiting for Him; such a move would be predictable and He would be arrested before his time.  The Architect of His life had plans that no man could control or foresee, but Jesus knew the plans on an hourly basis.   His movements were tightly choreographed by a destiny that overshadowed all lives ever lived on this planet.  His testimony was and is correct – the works of this world are evil, even the “good” ones motivated by self-aggrandizement and the “milk of human kindness” (credits to Chuck Swindoll).  And the world hated and still hates Jesus for saying so.  He would go to the Festival and continue this testimony, but in the most opportune and effective way.

Application:

Am I manipulated?  Who and what would drive my life according to its purposes and schedules?  I have a job and its demands are upon me – unless I freely resign and do something else.  God would have me obey in diligence but always in harmony with His purposes and timing.  Is there someone pushing me towards something I know to be out of order or out of God’s will?  I must hold that this is obvious, although nuances do exist.  If that is happening, I must sidestep like Jesus, even if I alienate him, her or those pressuring me.  Any time is okay for them, but not for the child of God.  And God’s timing is never the rushed, deadline-driven crush the world puts on people.  That may well be a part of my work life; it is not so with Kingdom business.  But likewise when God says “go” or “do” I MUST go and do.  He directs; He will grant the impact and increase.

And what is my testimony of this world?  Do I find it cool? Good, it is cool.  It’s not evil to think of and admire the praiseworthy.  But do I commend good works for good works’ sake?  It may be that I cannot find fault with some of them, but the fault remains if they do not serve the Living God with utter selflessness.  It’s not that I seek to be hated, it’s that being true to Christ will cause the proponents and sustainers of the world system to dislike my message and then me personally for sticking to a life that insists on honoring God.  Jesus is my Lord and if I am His, my testimony will be His as well.  The word “sin” is commonly thought only to be used in pointing out that in others, but it starts with my own life.  My testimony, my confession, starts with my humility and transparency.  There is no other person whose attitudes and actions I can affect like my own.  And the change that repentance does in me serves as a model.  Popularity affects nothing of God’s judgment.  His straight line is not commanded to curve in voting booths or even prayed that way by religionists.  And people will hate that.  Only the truth sets people free; I speak from experience.  So love would go no other way.

Prayer:

Father, grant that I may stay true to the gospel and true to my testimony.  For it’s true that You have broken the chains that held my captive soul; indeed You still break them today.  Let me then testify to Your glory in the face of all hatred and resentment.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Enduring abandonment – John 6:66-69 (December 19, 2011)

Scripture:

John 6:66-69:  From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.  “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.   Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Observation:

Jesus had confronted those who had come to Him only to receive another free meal.  The point of His ministry was not doling out freebies but making disciples.  And lesson one for those disciples was Who He was – God’s one and only Son.  He then taught on the need to receive Him as the bread of life and the covenantal practice of celebrating communion – eating His flesh and drinking His blood.  That was “it” for many of them; they turned away and never followed Him again.  Jesus then turned to those who remained – principally the twelve apostles and asked if this was their signal to abandon Him as well.  There is no indication that they understood His teaching any better than those who left, but in an unquestioning declaration of loyalty, Simon Peter gave an answer that undoubtedly warmed the heart of the Son of God.  There was no other teacher who had spoken as He had spoken, no other prophet who had done the works He had done.  Peter said that the words of Jesus were “words of eternal life” – showing a faith and understanding that could only have developed by continual exposure to not only what Jesus had done, but what He said.  That they had come “to believe and to know” the divine identity of Jesus was a foundation of such solidity that they could embrace Jesus though not understanding a word of a particular discourse or sermon.  They knew from experience it would all be explained to them at some point, and that, with glory and life impact that would transform them further into God’s children.  The core group was intact; Jesus had those who would never turn away.

Application:

What leader has not had those who turned away?  If it happened to Jesus, it could happen to anyone. And not even leaders but just friends of those in a “pre-faith” state also experience a drop-off when points of communication surpass the level of faith of their friends.  The shutting down of relationship is painful; it’s a divorce of sorts and it seems futile after such an investment of time and interpersonal energy.  But it must happen, for God’s Son makes no half-disciples.  Though all His followers grow in faith – and that sometimes in spurts that defy human chronicling -  the sovereignty of human will is never violated.  In that way those who remain must make confessions like that of Peter, even when God is misunderstood.  This is seen as blind faith by those who have decided not to develop theirs but it is a statement of trust that forges past the mind and into the spirit, for the followers of Christ don’t only believe, they KNOW that He is the Holy One of God.

None of this is to soften the blow of abandonment.  Jesus’ words to the twelve who remained (versus the 120 who left?) carried the sentiment of being totally left alone.  Have I been abandoned like this?  Did it push me to futile despair?  If so, I have the company of the Holy One of God.  Truly there was no sentiment with which He was unacquainted.  Let me carry on even has He did, asking for the commitment of those who remain.  Jesus did not NEED the twelve per se, but Peter’s statement provided much needed community when everyone else was walking away.  Let me treasure my Peter’s and their words of hearty love.

Prayer:

Father, grant me to see my vision with such clarity and cling to it with such tenacity that I can endure those who give up on me.  Show me the way O God that leads to my desired haven.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Complete salvation – Hebrews 7:25 (December 13, 2011)

Scripture:

Hebrews 7:25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Observation:

Lost in the English translation is the fact that the words for “completely” and “always” have the same Greek root.  It has the sense of eternity or forever, and carries both the permanence and in practice, repetition with constant effectiveness.  The passage is speaking of the priestly ministry of Jesus Christ, contrasting it – and Him – to that of the priests that served in the Jerusalem temple.  Since they would serve for the duration of their human lives and then pass away, they could not continually perform their duty – principally the reconciliation of people with their God.  In the case of Christ, this intercession is effected by His own body, given for the people and not the blood of goats and lambs.  But the ongoing availability of the intercession accessible through the prayer of faith; Jesus is obviously not physically on hand to administer priestly rites.  But since He has done that once and for all on the cross, He needn’t be.  So coming “to God through him” is to be a prayer protocol or pathway for the believer.  In the mystery of the trinity God the Father is the one to be approached but God the Son is the one through Whom the approach is granted.  And because the Son lives forever, so the approach is always available and admission into God’s presence always granted by grace.  The depth of such mercy can only be imagined; human minds cannot fully comprehend the level of condescension (the good kind) being practiced by the love of the Father towards all His creation.

Application:

Do I relegate the effectiveness of Christ’s blood and the salvation it brought to the point of time of my change, my rebirth into the faith?  Is there anything that I consider unforgiven, outstanding before God and thus, producing death in me?  I need to get all that out and nailed to the cross and walk free.  It was a once-and-for-all moment of turning and my soul knows that full well, but does my soul know full well its ongoing need and the boundless supply of mercy available for the asking?  I need to have a constant flow of grace in my life to counter the constant flow of dissipation and sin that would attempt to accumulate and take over.  And in taking it in, I need to have in my heart of faith the heavenly picture of my Intercessor, seated at the right hand of the Father.  I have a High Priest, do I believe in that High Priest?  Or is this scene classified as “fancy” like an imaginary friend of a lonely grade schooler?  Christ IS in heaven, He IS hearing my prayer and He IS making intercession for me and all others who would ask.  Being God, He has no limitation in hearing a large multiplicity of voices and requests.  I need to know this without doubt and secure its effectiveness without wavering so I can walk free.  The love of God has invaded my life if I would only listen.  The grace has taken hold of me if I would only submit and take out the garbage.  No excuse of not having the time, not feeling like it or not seeing a physical result will hold water before Him.  The picture has been drawn very clearly; I need only to step into it with Him.

Prayer:

Father, it is for freedom that Christ has died for me.  Let me come before You BOTH afresh and anew.  Jesus, intercede for me this day for I ask it in Your name, amen.