The Sacrificial Lamb

 1 Peter  3:18
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit,

The observance of the death of Christ is recognized today, Friday, the end of Passion Week. As Christians, we celebrate this special day with thanksgiving that Jesus came to earth to die for our sins, renting the veil of the temple in half, giving us access to God, closing the chasm between man and God.  The week follows the Jewish Passover, which changes from year to year depending on the full moon after the spring equinox. The Passover occurred when the death angel came and killed all the firstborn in Egypt. The Jews were spared this death if their house had the shed blood of the lamb stricken over the door post of their home. The blood, signifying Jesus’ blood that was shed on Friday of Holy Week, covers our sin and the penalty for sin that we owe. He paid the debt that we could not pay. He was the sacrificial lamb who took on the wages of sin for you and me. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is life eternal because He died on the cross and became the substitutionary lamb of God.  It would appear to be a sad day for those who followed Him, grieved that their Messiah was being nailed to a cross between two thieves. But Christ, who willingly gave His life, said, “It is finished.” The songwriter pens, “It is finished, the battle is over, it is finished, there'll be no more war, it is finished, the end of the conflict, it is finished and Jesus is Lord.” The victory has been won. The good news is that Good Friday is God’s gift to us, and Sunday is coming!

A New Commandment

 John 13:34
A new commandment I give unto you: that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Making His way to the last supper, Jesus had a basin of water ready. He took the basin and went to each of his disciples and started to wash their feet. The Master and Lord of all, the Creator of man, was on His hands and knees at the feet of His followers washing their feet. Peter was horrified that someone as honorable and great as Jesus would stoop down to be a servant and do what the work of the lower class of people in society normally did. I can imagine Peter’s thinking, “Hold on Jesus, this is beneath your dignity, you are the Messiah, the Son of God, I should be washing your feet.” Jesus, who loved His disciples, rebuked Peter, and explained to Peter why it was important that He wash their feet. The washing of feet is not given as a commandment from Jesus, it was done to demonstrate what it looks like to serve and love others. The commandment that Jesus gave was that the disciples were to have a servant’s heart, and love one another. Jesus demonstrated His love for them by washing their feet. To love as Jesus loved is an act of the will, and not a feeling or emotion. Showing love is not always preceded by a feeling and a desire to act. It is motivated by the knowledge that it is the right thing to do. It is the Love of Christ that controls our actions and the things we do. His love that dwells in our heart sets in motion how to act and love in a way that pleases Him. Real love that comes from God is not pretentious, or done grudgingly, it is made possible because the Holy Spirit dwells in our heart, and His Spirit compels us to love.

House of God

 Matt 11:17
’‘My house shall be called for all nations the house of prayer’? But ye have made it a den of thieves.”

It was the practice and conviction of the church I was saved in to keep the house of God sacred. All exchange of money for whatever purpose was to be done outside the church walls. Food was not to be eaten inside the church sanctuary. This included the basement, and any edifice connected to it. The premise of these strict rules is based on this passage of scripture. I do appreciate the reverence and respect that was given to God’s house, even though I think they have taken this scripture beyond the purpose it was intended. We need to keep the place we gather together to meet God special. We have entered into the presence of God, we are on holy ground. The sanctuary is not a playground or the marketplace, it is a place to “take off our shoes”, lift our hearts, and hear the word of God. 
Like the fig tree that Jesus had cursed on its way to the temple, the Jews were not bearing fruit that was pleasing to God. Their hearts were full of greed and selfish living. They did not care about being true worshipers of God, they used their religion and the temple to pad their pockets. Jesus saw the hypocrisy and the fruitlessness of their lives and manifested His wrath against the way they were blaspheming the House of God. Like the fig tree He cursed and withered away, Jesus was demonstrating His displeasure and anger at the sin of His chosen people. They were all about appearing good on the outside, a tree with leaves, but hearts far from true followers of God. The Jews were not bearing the fruit that God intended them to bear. As believers, it is not enough to be called a Christian, but God desires that our lives bear fruit unto righteousness, living our lives to be like Christ.

Foundational Truth

 Matthew 22:29
Jesus answered and said unto them, “Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.

Foundational truth of scripture is critical to have the correct interpretation and application of God’s word. Apologetics, defending the doctrine of Christ, is built on the premises that God is alive and desires a relationship with His creations.  Jesus shined this truth to the Sadducees, they assumed that there was no life after death, and tried to argue their teaching with the God of the universe, the one who laid the foundations of the world, and Himself was the Resurrection of life. If they could only see the futility of their efforts and the err of their ways. The Bible is given to us to show us the way to salvation and guide us in our daily walk with Jesus. The purpose of scripture is to lead us to eternal life everlasting. Understanding scripture for this purpose is essential and must be the foundation on which all other interpretations of scripture are given. In essence, Jesus told the Sadducees, “your premise is built on faulty thinking, you should be focusing on God's power to work in the lives of people, and God’s power to give life everlasting.” It is important that we rightly discern God’s word, for all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Tim 3:16). Jesus is in the Word, and the Word is with us. He has also provided us with His written word that we know the path He desires for us. Let us not get caught up with logistics and philosophical rhetoric to persuade the minds of people, but our focus is on the transformation of lives and showing others the power of God to give new life.

Abstain From Sin

 1 Peter 2:11
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.
Unbelievers of this world judge Christians by the fruit they manifest. They do have high expectations that Christians will live a life that mirrors the life of Christ. Our influence for Christ is demonstrated by how we treat others. Our words of testimony have very little impact on others if our lives are not consistent with the teachings of Jesus. Peter admonishes believers not to give in to temptations to fulfill sinful desires that we may face. If we give in to the flesh, we are no different from the world that lives in their sin. Living for Jesus is a transformational life. The old things of the world have passed away, and all things have become new. Being a follower of Jesus is being a light to the world around us. When the world sees the good works that Christians do, they recognize that Christians are not like others, they are selfless, giving, charitable and kind. If they observe Christians giving in to sinful behavior, they lose respect for those who call themselves Christians. The bumper sticker, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.” can give the impression that Christians are still sinners. Christians have been delivered from sin and are now called to be saints of God.  Christians are not perfect, they are still subject to human shortcomings and mistakes, but the heart can be made perfect before God. This world is not our home, we are only passing through. Like a vapor, we are only here for a short time. What little time we have, may it glorify God in heaven.

Words in Action

  1 John 3:18
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

Actions do speak louder than words. Words can be very effective when used to lift or encourage someone who is going through difficult times. Words do have meaning and are a very powerful way to communicate God’s love to others. But sometimes words can be hollow or insincere. Jesus tells a story of a person who was robbed and left for dead when certain religious men came by, and seemingly felt sorry for the man, but did nothing to help him. But it was the good Samaritan that didn’t speak words of platitude, he put action to his words and provided help for the injured man. John gives us an example of Jesus who not only spoke words of love and kindness, but was willing to die for us. The God of creation laid down His life that we may have deliverance from sin, so it provided a way to connect us back to our creator. Love is hypocritical when one has the means and ability to help, but is not willing to give when the need arises. Scripture makes it clear that salvation is not possible by doing good deeds. Laying down your life for someone else is admirable, but done in the absence of God’s love in the heart, the sacrifice is earthly and without heavenly reward. Work without love is dead, our deeds must be done in truth. We are not able to help or give our means for every cause that crosses our pathway, but God is faithful to show us His good will and pleasure. Let us not shut up our hearts of compassion, but let us open our hearts by putting words to action, to help our brothers in need.

A Strong Tower

Proverb 18:10

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

The attacks of the enemy often happen unexpectedly. Towers were built in ancient times for many reasons, but most often they were a place to stage off attacks by invaders. It was a place of refuge, a place of safety.  A strong tower is fortified and structured to withstand a siege, to stand strong when the enemy attacks with accusations, persecution, temptation, and the trials of life. Jesus, the Name of the Lord, is our strong tower, He is our place of safety. We run to Him when it appears that the problems of life become overwhelming. The tower is a place where the child of God can find refuge when there is nowhere else to turn. A place surrounded by God’s protection and love. A strong tower is fortified to withstand the storm of life that comes crashing off the shores of a troubled sea. The Name of the Lord (Jesus) desires to wrap us in His arms, protect us from harm, carry us to safety. Run to Him. He is all we need. 

Rooted and Grounded

 Eph 3:17
 that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love. 

Like a tree planted close to the river banks, our spiritual roots go deep into the ground of God’s love. Because Christ lives in our hearts, His abiding presence is what allows us to live a life that is surrounded by His love and grace. The dwelling presence of Christ is not made possible by adhering to church sacraments, or intellectually agreeing with the teaching and doctrine of the church. The church plays a vital role in the building up of our faith, but it is our faith and belief in Christ that we have been saved from sin and made right before God. This firm belief is the ground on which we grow and become established in God’s love. Love is the ground that we begin to truly grow healthy in being what God wants us to be. Our roots take up what is good, giving us the strength and power to live each day in Christ. Living a Christian life goes beyond the formality of conforming to a religion. Our religion holds us to Bible doctrine, but it is not the ground on which we are rooted to be like Jesus. To be like Jesus requires that we be saturated in His love and allow the roots of our life to take up His love and be manifest in the way we live our lives.

Refined By Fire

 Job 23:10
But He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 

The separation of gold from ore requires many layers of processing and refining to get to 99% pure gold. Refining by fire is the initial step that is taken to remove the impurity from the ore that is mined. This is the analogy that Job uses to demonstrate that God is in the process of refining him. Job, a man of means, was totally wiped out of his material wealth and his possessions. His family was also the victim of natural disasters as a tornado came through their town, destroying the home that his sons and daughters lived in. Even his wife, who should have been the one standing next to him, told him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God, and die!” Satan was doing all he could to get Job to give up on trusting God. The human reaction is to say, “If God loved me, all this would not be happening to me.” Where is God when life starts falling apart? Lost everything he owned, family gone, his wife forsaking him, the painful suffering of boils over his whole body, what else could go wrong? Job, a man of integrity, a man with an unshakable faith in God, looked beyond the temporal world into the eternal world of the kingdom of God, and said,” I was born into this world with nothing, and I will leave this world with nothing. The Lord blessed me with wealth, and he has chosen now to take it away.” Job knew in his heart that he was living right before God and that God knew his heart. Life is not fair. Not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. We put our trust in the sovereignty of God, who knows what is best. For some, it may mean the refining of the fire, for others it may be going through deep waters. God wants to remove anything that will keep us from fully trusting Him. Sometimes it will require things we love, to bring us to a place where we can be gold in the hands of God. Wholly sanctified, ready to be used by Him, and by Him for whatever He wants to do.