Thursday, July 25, 2013

The Commands Of Jesus

Jesus only had three years to teach us, what he said must of been important.



If you knew that you only had so many days to live you would probably make the most of each day. No doubt that Jesus make the most of his time with us on earth, he only had three years of public ministry so he wouldn't have wasted his time on things that don't matter. Here is what Jesus said about his commands:
“If you love me, obey my commandments. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them. All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them."
This isn't a complete list but if we start putting this many of them into affect in our lives then we will prove to truly be his disciples. Not as a work unto salvation but as an act of obedience out of love.


That's a lot to keep up with but God's grace will cover where we mess up!

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

We Are God's Temple

The temples of this world will fade away but God's temple will last forever.



Ephesians 2:20-22  Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus Himself.  21  We are carefully joined together in Him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.  22  Through Him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by His Spirit.

In the previous post we saw that God has drawn all mankind to himself from every nation, he doesn't have favorites, he never did. The nation of Israel was chosen as a tool to help us get to know God and what his will is for his people but God never gave Israel exclusive access to himself. God made it clear that he came to save us all and he wants us to be a part of his new temple.

God didn't throw away all of the Old Testament doctrine, they were the beginning of the foundation that would be completed with the apostles. The foundation that was laid by the prophets and the apostles was not composed of tradition, philosophy, or man made laws, this rock solid foundation is based on the great truths which God had revealed through the prophets and the apostles.

On this foundation God is building a new temple, that old temple in Jerusalem is gone, the Romans destroyed it. Jesus taught that Judaism was a thing of the past and that that old temple wasn't going to be needed anymore. Makes me wonder if God used the Romans to get rid of the old temple so that his people would quit using it.

The new temple in which God dwells is not a physical building like the old Jewish temple. It is a spiritual dwelling place that is to be purified and just as sacred as the physical temple was back when it was originally built. God's presence filled that first temple and it should fill us as the new temple.
This foundation is solid.
Isaiah 28:16  Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.
This foundation is something that you don't need to worry about, it has been tested and found to be solid, there isn't any reason to doubt and suspect that it isn't stable. The foundation for this new temple is secure and will stand firm through any storm that may come.

When life comes at us like a hurricane there isn't any need to look for an evacuation route. I need to stand firm and put all doubts aside because my foundation has been fully tested and I know it is secure.

Thank you Lord for the assurance that I will weather the storms that this life throws my way. Thank you for making me a part of your temple where you choose to dwell.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

God Doesn't Have Favorites

God chose to use Israel as a tool to reveal himself.



Ephesians 2:11-13  Don't forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called "uncircumcised heathens" by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.  12  In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.  13  But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ.

Deuteronomy 10:16-19  Therefore, change your hearts and stop being stubborn.  17  "For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed.  18  He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing.  19  So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Ever since the original sin people have been very good at putting up barriers, throughout world history you can see the barriers between ourselves and those around us and the boxes that we put each other in, it is a part of our sin nature that affects every relation that we have. Sin creates hate, bitterness, strife, fighting, war, conflict, there's only one thing that ruins the possibility of having a perfect human relationship.

There are so many labels that could be put on a person, labels that were intended to show superiority and human pride, this was a major problem throughout the Bible:

✔ You can hear some pride in King David's voice when he said in 1 Samuel 17:26: "For who is this uncircumcised Philistine?"

✔ You can hear the Gentile contempt for the Jews when you listen to Pilate. "I surely am not a Jew am I?" (John 18:35)

✔ Check out this interaction between Paul and an angry crowd of Jews: "But the Lord said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!'" 22 The crowd listened until Paul said that word. Then they all began to shout, "Away with such a fellow! He isn't fit to live!" 23 They yelled, threw off their coats, and tossed handfuls of dust into the air. (Acts 22:21-23)

The Jews had distorted the fact that God chose them as a tool to reveal himself to the world, instead of showing the world a better way of living and drawing attention to God they decided that they would use God's favor on them to justify elevating themselves over everybody else. They ignored a lot of facts in the Old Testament that showed that God was for everybody:

✔ God said that they would be a blessing to others, not superior and condescending to others (Genesis 12:2)

✔ Abraham went to Melchizedek, the king of Salem, a non-Jew and a priest of God.  Melchizedek made it clear that the Jews didn't have God all to themselves, he feared and worshiped God and since he was a priest he received an offering from Abraham (Genesis 14:17-20)

✔ Why was God concerned that righteous people would perish in Sodom and Gomorrah if he was only the God of the Jews? (Genesis 18:20)

✔ Jethro, Moses' father-in-law and non-Jew was convinced that he knew God (Exodus 18:10-12)

✔ God told his people through the prophet Isaiah that the Jews didn't have a lock on God and God said that his house would be a house of prayer for all nations. (Isaiah 56:3, Isaiah 56:6-8 )

✔ Rahab and Ruth, how about these important non-Jews in Jesus' genealogy?

✔ And don't forget about God's concern for the Assyrians that were living in Nineveh. God loved them but Jonah couldn't stand the idea of going to their city and having a revival.

God never said that salvation belonged only to the Jews. Their special privilege was supposed to be a witness to the nations that would draw everyman to God. Their lifestyle should have made the world take notice and it should have given the Jews an opportunity to explain why they are different. Instead of that it became an excuse for carnal, selfish pride and thoughts of superiority.
Does your life honor God?
Romans 2:23-24  You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.  24  No wonder the Scriptures say, "The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.
The Apostles had an uphill battle convincing the early church that they were all equal and that everybody is and always have been standing on level ground. Imagine all of these different groups of people having to go to worship and having to go to dinner together.

The New Testament teaches that we, the church, are supposed to be different. We are to walk in love, live by the spirit our conversation and our way of life should be totally different from the rest of the world. (Matthew 5:16) Our world should notice the difference that Jesus has made and then we will have opportunities to explain why.

Thank you Lord for giving me a new life. May I never look at the world and fail to have compassion I want them to be drawn to you and wonder why I am different.

Thursday, July 04, 2013

The Work Of The Master

The masterpiece doesn't get to take any credit for what it is.


Ephesians 2:4-10  But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much,  that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!)

For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.  So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

10  For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

A masterpiece doesn't happen by accident, it takes forethought and planning to make it happen, most of the time there is a sketch or a rough draft or in the case of a building project there is a blueprint. The number one artist, designer and creator of all time was no different, he had a plan and a purpose, he didn't create just to pass the time and his creation didn't turn out so awesome by accident.
mas·ter·piece - Noun /ˈmastərˌpēs/  A work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship.
God had a plan for each of us when he created us and he had a plan to provide for our deepest need. God knew that we would not be a beautiful masterpiece for very long he knew that we would need to be restored to the beautiful condition that we were in when we were brand new and still living in the Garden of Eden.

God's plan to help us wasn't forced on us, out of his mercy and love, he put the plan in place and made it available to us but he gives us the choice. I can continue to be a dead man with very limited potential if that's what I want to be or I can have a new birth to a life that has the greatest rewards.
I am his prized possession.
James 1:18  He chose to give birth to us by giving us His true word. And we, out of all creation, became His prized possession.
It was God's choice, undeserved by us, to offer his gracious gift to us and make us his special masterpiece and a prized possession. The masterpiece didn't do anything to become a masterpiece, the artistry of our creator made us what we are, the best that I could do isn't anywhere close to measuring up, God's work in my life is the only way that I have become so valuable.

Who does God say that I am? I am so valuable to God that he calls me his child and his friend (John 1:11, 15:15), he wants me to live life to the max (John 10:10), and my life is a sweet aroma to him  (2 Corinthians 2:15, Ephesians 5:2). His opinion of me is what really matters!

Thank you Lord for making me a valuable masterpiece that you desire to have.

Monday, July 01, 2013

This Dead Man Is Now Alive

Jesus gives life to those that were doomed to die.



Ephesians 2:1-6  Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.  You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil--the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.   

All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else.  But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much,  that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!)   

For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

The best way to describe me before I put my faith in Jesus is that I was dead. Sure I had some life in me, I was walking around and using up oxygen and would probably continue to do so for a little while but even if that life lasted for one hundred years that isn't very much compared to how long I will be dead.

I was just like the rest of the world, living for my own pleasure and making decisions that pleased the devil instead of pleasing God. Ephesians 2:2 is a little bit scary to think about, the thought that I was taking my orders from the devil and doing what pleases him, to consider that I was allowing the "commander of the powers in the unseen world" to be in control of my life is a bit unsettling. I don't like to think that I could be so deceived that I would allow the one that is the source and the leader of all of the wickedness that is in this world and in the unseen world to be my leader as well.

I was doomed in this state of hopelessness because I could not cover the penalty of my sin and I couldn't make better choices and live a better life without God's help. All of us live for self and God has every right to leave us in the dead state that we are in but his mercy and love rose up and made a way for us to avoid his anger and his demand for perfection.
Buried with Christ.
Colossians 2:12-13  For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.  13  You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins.
Since I was already a dead man I needed to be buried but I didn't want to stay there for long. I was buried with Christ when I was baptized and then immediately after the burial I was raised from the dead. That's how it was for Jesus, he didn't stay among the dead for long before God brought him back to life, I will not stay dead for long before I begin my new life in heaven with my Savior.

I will live a new life in heaven but I also should live a new life here on earth, I had to make a change, I have taken the controls away from the "commander of the powers in the unseen world" and given them to God.

Thank you Lord for breaking the power of the "commander of the powers in the unseen world" and for giving me new life!