God's Sacrificial Love

I John 4:7-11

One major theme of the Apostle John’s first epistle is that of love, of how much the Lord God loves us, and how we are to show our love, not only back to God, but also for other believers.  Today’s Scripture continues the same theme from last week’s passage, and the admonition of believers to show love one for another.

John teaches us here at the opening of this portion of Scripture that love originates from God (vs. 7).  Love is inherent in all that God is and does.  Those who are born again receive God’s nature  Since that nature of God exhibits love as a chief characteristic, God’s children should also reflect that love.  As we are being transformed into His image, we should increasingly reflect Jesus’ loving character in our behavior and attitude.

Perhaps you know someone who professes to be a Christian, but is filled with anger and hatred towards this person or that group, even against fellow believers, not only in his own church, but in others, as well. Someone may profess to be a Christian, but only those who display love like Jesus had, truly possess His divine nature, and are truly saved.

The world’s view of love is contrary to that of God’s.  The world’s view of love is that it is alright to sacrifice moral principles and other’s rights in order to obtain “love”.  It is selfish.  The world says “Love is God”.  The Bible says that “God is love”, and He is holy, just, and perfect.

God’s love is a sacrificial love, and we are to show that type of love to others, as well.  Sometimes we show love to others by doing something special for them, maybe making a favorite meal.  If we deeply love someone we might buy them something expensive, like an expensive piece of jewelry.  Some people have spent a fortune on jewelry for their beloved.  There is an eternal monument of one man’s love for his wife, one that is visited by thousands every year, and that is the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century for his favorite wife.

The world shows love that way, but God’s love is a sacrificial love.  How about dying for the one you love?  Would you be willing to do that?  We might not have a problem in giving them a kidney, or even part of our liver, but to die for them?  That is sacrificial love, and that is what God did for us.  He sent His Son to die for our sins.  As Paul said, we might be willing to die for a dearly beloved one, or some really great person, but Jesus died for us while we were sinners and His enemies (Romans 5:6-8).  God’s sacrificial love for us is an example and pattern we should follow in showing sacrificial love to other believers.

We might think that we can’t show love to this or that particular person because they did this or that to us, that it would be impossible to “feel” any love for them.  However, love is a choice and an action, not just a feeling.  God is the source of our love.  He loved us, even when we were wretched sinners, enough to sacrifice His Son for us.  He is our example of what it means to love.  Our love for others should be very obvious to the world.  It should stick out in a world consumed with hate.

There are some that say and teach that because God is love, that He will never condemn anyone, that He will never judge anyone, that we can live and do what we choose, because God is love, and He will never punish or condemn anyone’s actions.  God is love, but He is also a holy and righteous God.  Nothing sinful or evil can exist in His presence.  He cannot overlook, condone, or excuse sin as though it never happened.  His love does not make Him morally lax.  However, if we trust in Jesus, we will not have to bear the penalty for our sins.  We will be acquitted by His atoning sacrifice.

In closing, remember that God loved us so much that He died for us.  He didn’t save us because of anything good we did, or because of some great quality of ours.  He saved us only because of His all-surpassing love, a love that we are, in turn, to show to our fellow brothers and sisters.

A Sure Hope In Troubled Times

Psalm 33:12-22

Many people would agree that these are very troubling times that we live in.  Wars are being fought in various parts of the globe.  Civil unrest is happening in many major cities around the country.  With a major political election looming in my country towards the end of the year, there is a great political divide, with so much animosity and hostility from both sides.  People are afraid and are looking for something or someone they can turn to and cling to for safety and help.  Our psalm this week gives us the answer of who we can turn to in the times of the dire trouble and turmoil that surrounds us.

We are looking at the second half of Psalm 33, and in this passage the unknown psalmist tells his audience, the people of his country, who alone they can trust to help them.  Since we do not know who the psalmist is, we cannot be certain of the times or the circumstances occurring then, but no matter whether things are going smoothly or not, he lets us know who to turn to.

As we read from our Scripture, the nation or people who have turned to the Lord God, and are worshiping Him, are blessed (vs. 12).  They can look to Him and be protected.  They have His favor and will be happy and be fully satisfied.  The more they turn to and depend upon Him, the more joy they will have.  As we look around the world today, who do we see the nations and peoples worshiping?  In addition to some nations that continue in worship of multitudes of idols and pagan deities, we see other nations worshiping power, worshiping pleasure and perversity, and worshiping money and technology.  None of these will ever bring happiness, joy, or satisfaction in one’s life or the life of the nation as a whole.  When countries turn away from the Lord Jesus, then they begin a downward spiral that will not end well.  Blessings only come when our God is the Lord Jesus.

People may think that they can hide from God, that He can’t see what they are doing.  That is a mistaken notion, as God sees all of us, everyone, and knows what we all are doing (vs. 13-15).  No sin, no attack, no crimes ever go unnoticed by Him.  Some may criticize and say that either there is no God, or else He is heartless, but He takes note, and will one day judge all those who have opposed Him and His Word.

As we continue to observe the nations of the world, both in the present day, and throughout history, who do the people trust in to protect them from their enemies?  Fear of enemy attack has caused many nations to build up their military, amassing weapons, armored tanks, etc., in the hopes of protecting themselves (vs. 16-17).  However, our psalmist reminds us that this is futile.  No matter how big one’s military is, that ultimately will not save them.

In ancient times a war horse was a powerful weapon.  We can think of tanks or highly sophisticated aircraft and drones as equivalent today.  But even if one’s military has the best, we are reminded that they are a vain hope for safety.  They cannot always deliver us.  We need to trust in the Lord God, not a military, not a political figure, nor in amassing great amounts of money and gold.  For sure protection, we must look only to the Lord God (vs. 18-19).

Not only do we face seemingly endless battles and warfare in the world, as believers we also face spiritual battles against Satan and his kingdom of darkness.  In our warfare against Satan and his powers of evil, our own efforts of good works are useless.  Our only hope in this battle is by placing our hope and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Only He can deliver us from sin, death, and Satan.  He, alone, is our help and shield, by putting our faith in His death on the cross.

Sometimes we may feel abandoned and alone in our struggles, whether it is a personal struggle or a national one, whether we feel like our own life is falling apart, or we look around and seem to feel that society is falling apart.  How comforting it is to know that God is, in fact, watching over us all the time.  Even though we can’t see Him, He is there.  Like a loving parent, His eyes and His heart are constantly on us wherever we go.  Don’t look to either man, money, or military for your help.  Instead, put your faith and trust only in the Lord Jesus for your deliverance.

Ascension Day

Acts 1:1-11

Later this week we commemorate Ascension Day, that day, forty days after the Lord’s resurrection, is when the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven.  Let’s take a look at this day on the church calendar that is frequently overlooked.

Our Scripture is from the opening verses of the Book of Acts.  Acts was written by St. Luke, who naturally wrote the Gospel by his name, and Acts was a continuation of the narrative.  It is a telling of the account of the early church, including events from the ministries of both the apostles Peter and Paul.  Both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts are addressed to a gentleman named Theophilus (vs. 1-3).  It is unclear as to who this Theophilus was, or if he was even an actual person.  Luke addresses him as “most excellent” when he begins his Gospel, so he could have been a Roman or Greek magistrate.  Since the name Theophilus means “friend of God”, this could just be a way of Luke subtly addressing both books to all genuine believers, those who consider themselves a friend of God.

As we look into our Scriptures we read how there were many infallible proofs that the Lord Jesus had risen from the dead, and that His dead body wasn’t just stolen and hidden, as some had claimed (vs. 3).  For forty days, He was seen by many people, and they heard Him speak.  Jesus appeared at intervals during this time to the apostles and others, providing convincing evidence of His resurrection, and He gave them confidence to present His message.

On His last day on earth, Jesus took His disciples, and as He gave them some final instructions, brought them to the Mount of Olives, which is immediately east of Jerusalem (Luke 24:51).  There He told them to stay in Jerusalem until they would receive the Holy Spirit, the Promise of the Father (vs. 4-5).  This would occur ten days later on the day of Pentecost.  After the day of Pentecost every believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit from the moment of their salvation (I Corinthians 3:16), and are sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).

As the disciples realized that Jesus was going to be leaving, returning to heaven, they immediately became concerned about when He would restore the kingdom to Israel (vs. 6).  They were still seeking for a Messiah that would kick out all of Israel’s enemies, namely the Romans at this time, and bring back their kingdom.  However, Jesus told them that this was not what they were to be concerning themselves with.  Instead, He said that once the Holy Spirit came upon them they were to go out and be His witnesses.  They were to go and bring the Gospel to the world (vs. 7-8).  Instead of worrying about unimportant matters, they were to be concerned with evangelism and discipleship, just as we are.

God calls all believers to be His witnesses, whether we have multiple theology degrees or not, whether we are smooth-talking eloquent speakers or not, regardless of our job, background, or nationality.  Don’t let Satan trick you into thinking God can’t use you.  He used the disciples, and what were they - fishermen, tax collectors, rough men with rough vocabularies, but they turned the world around.

Jesus promised that when the Holy Spirit would come, they would receive His power to do all that He commanded (vs. 8).  As believers, we have this power, as well, which includes courage, boldness, confidence, insight, ability, and authority.  God has important work for us to do, but we must do it only through the power of the Holy Spirit.  When we witness to others in our own power, our efforts will not be effective, and likely fail.  We are told by Jesus to go forth as His witnesses, but we need to do so in and with the power of the Holy Spirit.

As He finished these instructions to the disciples, Jesus was taken up into the clouds and into heaven (vs. 9-11).  God the Father took Jesus in His resurrection Body from this world to His rightful place at the Father’s right hand.

Now that the Lord Jesus was gone, some there that day might have wondered if He would ever forget them.  Would Jesus ever forget us?  Are we forgotten by Him?  It has been so long that He has been gone, twenty centuries.  Jesus promised, and did send us His Holy Spirit to live in us, and to empower us to handle all persecution that comes our way.  He promised that He was going to prepare a place for us, which He is doing right now (John 14:3).  The angels that appeared at that moment told the disciples that Jesus will one day return to earth in the same way He ascended, with the clouds.  Are you waiting for that moment?  It could be at any time - next week, next year, or it could be today.  Are you ready and waiting?

The Evidence That We Love God

John 14:15-21

When someone loves another person they will generally try to do things that will please the one they love.  That seems fairly obvious.  If a person says they really love another person, but their actions show a complete disregard to the other one’s feelings, happiness, and wishes, then we really must question if they do love the other, or if it is just words.  Our Scripture for today is from the Gospel of John, and comes from part of the discourse that the Lord Jesus gave to the disciples right before the Last Supper.  Here the Lord spoke of what one of the signs are if someone claims to love Him.

As we open our Scripture, Jesus speaks very clearly to us, saying that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (vs. 15).  This is a rather clear statement.  There’s not too much room for misunderstanding or reinterpreting what that means.  If we love the Lord Jesus, we will do what He says.  Jesus isn’t just referring to the Ten Commandments.  Though the Ten Commandments would be a part of this, it is referring to all of God’s Word, the Bible.  The Lord Jesus didn’t say that if we love Him we will keep some of His commandments, that we will keep only those ones that we like, the ones we happen to agree with.  A lot of people who say they love Jesus have fallen into that error, thinking they can just obey certain parts of the Bible and toss out the rest.  Jesus said that those who love Him will keep His commandments, all of them.  He didn’t say we could pick and choose what we want.  God’s Word is not a buffet table, where we pick just what we like, and leave the rest.

As He continued, Jesus gave His promise of sending believers a Helper, the Holy Spirit, which would come on the Day of Pentecost (vs. 16-17).  The more that we keep the commands of Jesus Christ, the fuller and more abundant that our life becomes as our obedience enables His Holy Spirit to guide and direct our thoughts and ways.

The Greek word that was translated as “Helper” is “parakletos”, which means someone who is called alongside of another, one who is called to another’s aid.  It also means someone who pleads another’s cause, an intercessor.  Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit, Who is our Advocate, called alongside for aid in times of trouble.  He promised that the Father would send the Holy Spirit to us.  He is the very presence of God within all believers, helping us to live as God wants, and building His Church.  By faith we can appropriate the Spirit’s power each day.

When Jesus said that He would send “another” (vs. 16) He was referring to Someone like Jesus Himself, who will take His place and do His work.  The Holy Spirit has the same essence of Deity as Jesus, and is perfectly One with Him as He is with the Father.  The Holy Spirit is the source of Truth, and communicates the Truth to His own.  Apart from Him, no one can know God’s truth (vs. 17).  Only born-again believers can understand the Holy Spirit and know Him.

As we close this Scripture passage, we see that if we want to have a blessed life, we need to act and obey the way that Jesus teaches us to in His Word (vs. 21).  It doesn’t matter how often we read through the Bible, or how many verses we memorize, if we don’t follow what is in those passages that we have read and memorized it is meaningless.  What matters is obeying God’s Word.  Obedience honors and pleases God.  Do we truly love God?  If we do, we will do what He says.  We will obey the whole of the Bible, not just picking and choosing those parts we like.

In closing, though we know that Jesus went physically to heaven, He is present with all believers through His Spirit wherever we are, wherever we go, and with every step we take.  We have His promise.  He is always with us!

A Mandate To Love

I John 3:14-24

What is one key characteristic that might come to mind when you think of Christians?  One might think of devoutness, or prayerfulness.  For some it might be enthusiasm.  Some non-believers might think of a few negative characteristics like hypocrisy.  There is one characteristic that God’s Word says should exemplify every Christian, one that if absent might put a question as to the genuineness of one’s faith.  That characteristic is love, love for one’s fellow believer, something that the Apostle John speaks of a lot in his first epistle.  Let’s see what he has to say.

Right from the start of our Scripture passage the Apostle John does not mince any words.  He is quite outspoken in telling us right from the start that if a believer does not love their fellow Christian brothers and sisters, they are abiding in death (vs. 14).  What does he mean by that, abiding in death?  All throughout the New Testament, we learn that once someone accepts the Lord Jesus as Savior, they move from Satan’s kingdom of darkness and death to God’s kingdom of light and life.  If one abides in death, then they are obviously not a part of God’s kingdom.  A lack of love indicates that one is spiritually dead.  Love is a sure test of whether someone has been saved or is still in darkness.  Love for the brethren must characterize the salvation profession.  Otherwise our claims are false.

Next John echoes something that the Lord Jesus Himself said.  Jesus spoke of how the law judges those who have killed another person, and then the Lord went on to say that if we are angry with someone, harboring animosity towards them, we will receive similar judgment from God, as that is the same thing in His eyes (Matthew 5:21-22).  John states very plainly and unequivocally that if we hold a hatred of a brother, then it is just the same as if we have murdered him (vs. 15).  If we hate someone, they may still be walking around, but we have murdered them in our heart.  Hatred is spiritually the same as murder in the eyes of God.  Outwardly we may not have broken the commandment not to kill, but inwardly we have.  Outward compliance is not enough.

In the days of the early church, the pagan and unsaved people took notice of the early Christians, and how they loved each other and cared for and about each other.  That was something unheard of in pagan cultures.  They never cared about the poor and destitute among them.  They cared only for themselves and their family, possibly their close friends, and that was it.  However, those Christians loved others and cared for them, and it was noticed by society.  The Apostle John tells us that if we see a fellow believer have a need, and we have the ability to help them, but don’t, we do not have God’s love in us (vs. 17).

The unsaved are marked by indifference towards others' needs.  Genuine Christian love expresses itself in sacrificial giving to another Christians’ needs.  It is a practical love that helps others.  If a Christian doesn’t show his love to a fellow believer who has a need, by helping them as they are able, then there is a question about whether they genuinely have a saving relationship with the Lord, as their actions, or lack thereof, show that the love of God doesn’t abide in them.

This is very similar to what James said in his epistle, about showing our faith through our love and care for others (James 2:14-17).  Real love is an action, not a feeling.  It produces selfless, sacrificial giving.  The highest proof of love is the sacrifice of that which is most precious.  Jesus is our example in that (vs. 16).  True, genuine Christian love demands action (vs. 18).  Claiming to have love is not enough.  Love is not words.  Instead, it is deeds.

If God’s love is truly present in us, there should be evidence that we have answered prayer in our life, maybe not every single prayer, but consistent evidence of answered prayer (vs. 22).  If our conscience is clear, we can come to God without fear, confident that our requests will be heard.  God knows those who are truly His.

God's Refining Fires

Psalm 66:8-20

When we want something to be at its best, it often has to go through a refining process.  To have the best, the strongest, or the most valuable metals, they often need to be refined by going through intense heat to burn off the impurities.  For the best quality, petroleum or oil needs to be refined.  We even refine flour and sugar so they work better in a recipe.  How about people?  We might not think about that very often, but as we read in our psalm for today, God does refine His people, His chosen ones.  Let’s take a closer look at our Scripture passage and see what that’s all about.

If inanimate objects could talk, and we were to sit down with that bar of precious metal, that barrel of petroleum, or some other objects, they would tell us that they do not like the refining process.  The heat and the pressure is not pleasant, they would tell us.  The grain going through the gristmill to become fine flour is not happy about that, either.  “Get me out of here!  Leave me alone!” they might shout.  But in the end, they are happy with the end result.  That wedge of gold would be much happier now that it is pure and more valuable.

God desires to refine His children, as well.  He wants to get all of the impurities out of us, all the bad thoughts, the sinful habits, anything that stands in the way of our becoming more like His Son, Jesus Christ.  To do that, the process is also similar.  Sometimes the Lord needs to put a believer through the fires of affliction to test, to burn, and to try us in order to make us more like Jesus (vs. 10-12).  God allows us to undergo times of testing to toughen our spirits.  He teaches us to rely on Him, and He purifies us to be holy, so that we become more like Christ.  The Lord tests every believer to reveal the character of their heart, and to lead them into a deeper relationship with Him.

Of course, we may not enjoy or like the trials we are going through.  The refining process is never easy.  Just ask the wedge of silver or gold, that barrel of petroleum, or the sack of grain going through the mill.  However, God does not just leave us in the refining fires.  It does come to an end.  We may have to go through some very difficult and trying times and circumstances, but we will not remain in them.  God will preserve us, and bring us safely through them.   The prophet Isaiah gave us a similar promise from the Lord regarding going through difficulties in Isaiah 43:1-2.

Sometimes when we go through a particularly difficult and trying time we might make a promise or a vow to the Lord.  We might promise Him that if He gets us out of this terrible trouble, we will do this or that, or give a generous donation, or something else.  However, how often is that vow forgotten once the trial is over?  We make bargains with God, but when we recover, the vow is forgotten and we go on our merry way, and nothing is changed.  Our psalmist remembered what he had promised God, and was prepared to carry it out (vs. 13-15).  Vows to God are serious, and believers should neither make them rashly, nor forget to fulfill them when made.  Not only should we keep our promises to the Lord, but when He does deliver us, we need to be sure to proclaim and give testimony to all that He has done (vs. 16).  The greatest witness in the world is a redeemed soul giving a testimony to others, telling what the Lord has done for them.

Our psalmist closes this psalm with a warning about sin and prayer by telling us that if we are harboring any unconfessed, unrepented sin in our hearts the Lord will not hear us (vs. 18-19).  In order for our prayers to be heard and answered, we need to have a right relationship with God’s Son, Jesus Christ by trusting Him as Savior.  There are some people who choose to live in ungodliness, even after salvation.  God does not respond to their prayers, and He is under no obligation or promise to answer the prayers of the lost, no matter how good they are.   This doesn’t mean that we can never make a mistake.  But we must repent of all known sin and avoid continuing in it.

When we refuse to repent, or when we harbor and cherish certain sins, we place a wall between us and God.  When a believer decides to defy God, He puts us in a “time out” to get our attention.  He still loves us, but He stops “listening” until we are ready to give up our rebellion, just like a good parent does to a willful child.  God blesses obedience, not stubbornness!  Turn your hearts to the Lord, and He will hear your prayers.

Just One Person

Acts 8:26-40

How important is one individual person?  Other than to their immediate family and perhaps a few close friends, someone might not seem like much.  Certainly not to any politician or celebrity.  They don’t matter to the business world.  So often to just about everyone we are just one small face in the crowd that isn’t important.  With the multiple billions of people on earth, do we really matter?  We might even wonder if we matter all that much to God.  In our Scripture today from the Book of Acts we will see just how important one person was to God.  Let’s take a look.

As our Scripture passage opens the Apostle Philip was in the middle of conducting a revival in Samaria.  He was preaching, witnessing, and ministering in that location with results (Acts 8:4-8).  Right in the middle of that successful work, the Lord instructed Philip to leave and go head south down the road leaving Jerusalem (vs. 26).  That might not seem to make much sense to Philip.  The revival was going strong, and then right in the middle of that, to get up and leave?  But God had other plans for him right then. Others could continue that ministry. God needed Philip for something else, and he obeyed the Holy Spirit’s leading.  Philip didn’t waste time arguing or debating with God.  He got up and went.  If he had wasted time arguing with God’s instructions, dragging his heels, or waiting just a few days to participate in the ongoing revival some more, Philip would have missed the divine encounter that he was to have with just one man, one person who was important to God.

Philip headed down the road that led south out of Jerusalem, and after a while he was met with a man being driven in a chariot.  This was not the war-type chariot, but more of a vehicle with one driver and room for one or two passengers.  In this chariot was a man, a eunuch from the courts of Queen Candace of Ethiopia, who held a position of authority as treasurer, like the Minister of Finance or Secretary of the Treasury.  This man had a heart that was seeking God (vs. 27-28).  He had come to Jerusalem to worship God, and now on his way back home he was reading out loud from the Book of Isaiah, chapter 53.

The Holy Spirit instructed Philip to come up to the chariot, and he followed His leading and began a discussion from where the man was (vs. 30-35).  The eunuch had questions about Isaiah, and Philip explained how Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecies.  He started where the eunuch’s concerns were focused, and he brought the Gospel to bear on those concerns.  The eunuch had a heart that was hungry for God, and the Holy Spirit used the words of an obedient Philip to bring him to faith in the Lord Jesus.  Some people think that the Old Testament is not relevant today, but Philip led a man to faith in Jesus Christ by using the Old Testament.  Jesus is found in the pages of both the Old and New Testaments.  God’s entire Word is applicable to all people in all ages.

After accepting Jesus as his Savior, the eunuch desired to be baptized, and without any hesitation, without any argument in his mind that this man was a Gentile, Philip immediately agreed that he should be baptized (vs. 36-38).  Baptism does not save anyone, but it is a sign of identification with Jesus Christ, and with the Christian community.  In baptism we identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus, and begin a new way of living in His Name (Romans 6:3-6).

This Ethiopian eunuch was quite possibly the first Gentile to officially be baptized.  Some other Gentiles had believed in Jesus, and were recipients of His miracles, but this fellow was the first recorded Gentile convert to believe and be baptized in the early church.  This would not have happened if Philip hadn’t obeyed the Holy Spirit’s leading.  Philip was available.  He was led by the Spirit, and he was obedient.  After he arrived by this man’s chariot, he waited for a proper opening to begin witnessing.  Philip was tactful and then specific, and then he followed up with baptism.  The Bible never espouses just being a “silent witness”, where one just lives a “good Christian life” and assumes that others will ask them about Jesus if they are interested.  Instead, the Bible says “faith comes from hearing” (Romans 10:17).  Those who want to use the “silent witness” are either timid, lazy, or out and out disobedient to God.  Because Philip didn’t choose to just be a silent witness, but was obedient to God, Ethiopia was opened up to the Gospel.  There has been a Christian community there ever since.

As we see in our Scripture today, God cares about individuals, about even one single person.  He loved and cared about the Ethiopian eunuch so much that He sent Philip so far out of his way to lead him to Jesus.  He was just one man, not a whole big city.  God will always go to any length to save just one person.  Are you that one person that He is seeking to save today?  If so, turn to Jesus.  Or are you someone that the Lord can use to reach that one person today?  Be available and obedient.

The Good Shepherd

John 10:11-16

What is one of your favorite images of the Lord Jesus?  For many Christians it is that of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.  I remember as a young child seeing a picture of the Lord Jesus with a small flock of sheep surrounding Him, as He tenderly holds a little lamb in His arms.  Whenever I think of the Good Shepherd, I think of that painting, especially as I know that I am one of His flock.  Today’s Scripture is from the Apostle John’s Gospel, where Jesus tells us of the beloved title of His.

Just prior to our Scripture Jesus had healed a man who had been born blind.  Now He is speaking, teaching the people of His role as the Good Shepherd of His people.  Let’s see what Jesus has to teach us in this brief passage about the Good Shepherd, what the Good Shepherd does for those who are in His flock.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus spoke of several titles that He called Himself, such as the Bread of Life (John 6:35), the Light of the World (John 8:12), and the Resurrection (John 11:25-26) to name a few.  Here Jesus identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd.  The image of a shepherd would be very familiar to His audience, much more than for most people today.  A shepherd guards, protects, and leads the sheep in his care.  A shepherd doing his job well will make sure that the sheep in his care have plenty of good fields to graze in, along with fresh water to drink.  When they need to move to another field, he will lead them on a safe route to their next grazing place.  The shepherd knows each sheep, and will notice and give medical care to any one who is injured or ill.  Finally, he keeps a careful watch out for any predators, and will chase or fight them off when they approach.

As we look at Jesus, we see that He certainly fits the role of the Good Shepherd to perfection.  He provides us believers, the sheep of His flock, with all we need.  He watches over and cares for us all along our life journey, from one “field” to another.  Jesus protects us from our enemies, especially those in the spiritual realm, and He made the ultimate sacrifice of a good shepherd, and that was by giving His life for us (vs. 11), His substitutionary death on the cross for sinners.

Jesus continues on by comparing the good shepherd with that of a hireling, one who is hired to help watch over the sheep, but who is not the actual shepherd (vs. 12-13).  The hireling does not care about the sheep as the true shepherd does.  He is just there to earn a paycheck, and when danger comes, he flees.  He isn’t going to sacrifice himself for the sheep.  The hireling in this passage represents the religious leaders, both in His day and today, who perform their duty in good times, but who never display sacrificial care for the sheep in times of danger.  This is in contrast to Jesus, who laid down His life for His flock.

A hired hand tends the sheep for money, while the shepherd does it for love.  The shepherd owns the sheep, and is committed to them.  Jesus is not merely doing a job.  He is committed to love us, and even lay down His life for us.  False teachers and leaders do not have this commitment.  True sheep do not belong to false shepherds.  Sheep that do choose to follow a false shepherd will do so to their doom and destruction.

As has been shown many times, sheep can recognize the voice of their shepherd.  And a good shepherd knows each one of his sheep.  To most of us, sheep all look the same, but to the shepherd, he can identify each one.  Jesus knows those who are a part of His flock.  We are not just a part of the crowd to Him.  He knows us each individually (vs. 14-15).  If the Savior knows our name, we are certainly loved!  Life is not meaningless!

Jesus closes this passage by telling His audience that there are other sheep who are not part of this fold.  These sheep must be brought in and become one flock with one Shepherd (vs. 16).  Jesus was referring to the Gentiles, who initially were not part of the fold with the Jews.  However they would also become part of the Church, along with Jewish believers.  Jesus’ death upon the cross was for both Jews and Gentiles.  They both make up one body, the Church.

As we close our look of Jesus as our Shepherd, we see the Good Shepherd dies for the sheep.  The Great Shepherd lives for the sheep (Hebrews 13:20), and the Chief Shepherd comes for the sheep (I Peter 5:4).  Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and because of His loving care, we will have all that we will ever need as a part of His flock.

A Child Of God

I John 3:1-3

Whose child are you?  There are some unfortunate people who cannot name a parent.  Or they have parents that they might wish were not theirs.  As a child they might imagine some kind and loving parent, one that might magically appear and proclaim that they are their son or daughter, and will bring them into their home.  We can’t pick our human, physical parents, and children who are orphans have very little, if any say in who may adopt or foster them.  Having physical parents is good, but it is even more important to know who our spiritual father is.  And here we definitely have a choice.   Let’s look into our Scripture for today.

As we read in the Bible, there are two spiritual fathers in this world.  There is Yahweh, the one true God, and there is Satan.  One or the other is the spiritual father of everyone on earth.  You are either a child of God, or a child of the devil  Only those who have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior and have been born again are a child of God, and can call Him their Father (John 1:12).  Everyone else has Satan as their spiritual father.  People might not like to hear that, as they like to say that everyone is a child of God.  God is certainly the Creator of everyone, and He loves everyone, and wishes that everyone would come to Him for salvation, but only those who come to Him through the shed Blood of Jesus are His children.  Even the Lord Jesus said that people who did not believe in Him were children of the devil (John 8:42-47).  According to God’s Word in our Scripture today, who are we?  If we are saved, we are God’s children.

Some of us have had less than ideal parents, and the word “father” is not one that brings a warm feeling to our hearts.  For some of us, we never knew either a mother or father’s love, and we might not know what to expect from God as our Father.  The Scriptures show us that we have a heavenly Father who is perfect.  Jesus gives us a picture of God as our Father.  He tenderly holds His children in His loving arms, ministering to the sick, showing compassion.  He shows a Father who loves people, listens to prayers, and offers forgiveness.  God, alone, meets our soul’s need to be purely, perfectly, and completely loved (vs. 1).

In many households, children like to imitate their parents.  They want to be just like their mommy or daddy.  A child of God is no different.  As they grow spiritually, reading and studying the Word of God, and allowing the Holy Spirit to be working in their lives, they grow to be more like Jesus.  This is a gradual process, though.  The Christian life is a process of becoming more and more like Jesus.  This process will not be complete until we see Jesus face to face (vs. 2-3).  Knowing that seeing Jesus is our ultimate destiny should motivate us to purify ourselves.  To purify means to keep morally straight, and free from the corruption of sin.  Living in the reality of Jesus’ imminent return should make a difference in a Christian’s behavior. Since Christians will someday be like Him, a desire should grow within us to become more like Him now.

Just because we are not fully like the Lord Jesus right now does not mean that we are any less a child of God right now.  Born again Christians are just as much a child of God now as we will be in heaven.  Knowing that we are His children should encourage us to live as Jesus did.  One day we will exchange our worn out, weak bodies for new ones, patterned after Jesus’ resurrection Body - strong, ageless, and free from sin (I Corinthians 15:42-57).  One day we will see God face to face, and we will be like Him.  Until then, we are “under construction”.

One further item to note from this Scripture passage is that the Apostle John told believers that the world does not know or accept them because they did not know or accept the Lord Jesus (vs. 1).  Many of us have felt, at one time or another, the scorn of unbelievers against us.  We don’t fit in with the world, and definitely feel out of place in many situations because of our faith.  Jesus said, as recorded in John 15:18, that the world hated Him, and it will hate His children, Christians, as well.  Jesus stressed the connection between how the world relates to God and how it will relate to true Christians.

So, whose child are you?  If you cannot answer with full assurance that you are God’s child, do not delay a moment longer and accept Jesus as your personal Savior, and become part of His family!

A Table Prepared For Us

Psalm 23:5

The psalm selection this week from the Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer is the well-beloved Psalm 23.  There is so much one can pull out of this psalm to study and meditate on.  Countless sermons can, and have been written on this psalm.  Rather than just lightly skimming over the psalm, (and surely it is worth more than that), I will focus on just one verse, and pull out some nuggets of thought to ponder on.

Throughout both the Old and New Testaments we often read of Yahweh pictured as a Divine Shepherd, and His people as sheep in His flock.  One of the titles of the Lord Jesus is that of the Good Shepherd.  Not everyone is one of God’s sheep, as only those who have a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus are a part of the flock.  Yahweh is not an uncaring or cruel shepherd, but is a loving One, which we especially see in Psalm 23.  Many people like to say that their favorite verse in this psalm is verse 4, where we read that God goes with us through the valley of the shadow of death, followed by verse 6, where we read of goodness and mercy following us throughout our life.  Nestled in between those two verses is verse 5, which often gets less attention, but which we will look at closer today.

This verse begins with a declaration from David, the author of this psalm, that the Lord prepares a table before him in the presence of his enemies.  Have you ever had an enemy, someone who really hated you, and would have loved to see you brought down?  David had several throughout his life.  One thing in particular about an enemy is that they don’t want to see anything good happen to you.  They would rather see you fall.  They want bad things to happen to you.  They would gloat to see you humiliated.  So how would they feel if they heard you got a special invitation to a dinner at the White House?  Or even more prestigious, an invitation to dinner at Windsor Castle with the king?  That would sure show them!  Greater than the president or the king is the Lord Jesus, God of the whole universe, and as we read, He has prepared a table for us in the presence of our enemies.  His table is filled with the most delectable foods, and He has prepared it for us.  There is no going away hungry from God’s table!  Right now our enemies may feel like they have the upper hand, but there is coming a day when the Lord will show the world just how beloved His children are to Him.

Next we read in this verse how the Lord anoints our head with oil.  What does that mean?  Do I really want to go around with a greasy, oily head?  This is a very symbolic phrase, which would have meant a lot more to someone in Biblical times than today.  As we know, this is a psalm about how the Lord is our Shepherd.  In the days of the Bible a shepherd would pour oil on the heads of the sheep before they would go out to graze.  It would soak into the wool, and it would keep pesky insects away.  Insects would buzz around the sheep’s head, sometimes trying to lay their eggs in their nose and ears.  The oil would protect the sheep from them.  Also, if a sheep would get cut or scratched from thorns, branches or rocks while out grazing, the oil would soothe and cleanse these minor wounds.

In addition, oil was frequently used by the priests and others to pour on someone that they were giving a blessing to.  As God’s children, He anoints and blesses us throughout life.  As believers we have the Holy Spirit, who anoints us with His blessings and power when we walk close to Him in obedience.  God’s anointing gives us blessings and protection throughout life.  In the ancient Middle East it was customary to anoint guests with fragrant oil.  Hosts would also protect their guests at all costs.  God promises to protect us even as enemies surround us.

Verse 5 closes with David’s proclamation that his cup is running over.  His cup isn’t just full, it is running over with abundance.  This pictures God’s abundant blessings upon him, and upon us, as well.  Yahweh is not a stingy God.  He doesn’t just pour a little into our cup, into our lives, and tell us that is it.  He doesn’t give us just a third or a half a cup.  The Lord pours His blessings upon us till the cup overflows.  He is the God of more than enough!  He provides for our every need, even before our need arises.  We will never experience a need that God will not supply.

As we see throughout Psalm 23, and today in verse 5 in particular, Yahweh is our Good Shepherd.  To a good shepherd, the sheep are worth dying for, if necessary.  He will put himself between the sheep and danger without a second thought.  The Lord Jesus, who is the true Good Shepherd, did just that for us when He took our sins upon Himself, and died upon the Cross for our salvation.  Now He has given all those who have accepted Him as Savior a table prepared for them, anointing them with oil, and filling their cup to overflowing with His blessings!

A Boldness To Witness

Acts 4:23-31

Picture yourself, you are doing the job that you were supposed to do, and along comes some enemies, someone who is bigger, stronger, and more powerful than you are.  They grab a hold of you, speak a lot of threats, and then fortunately let you go.  You know that they could really clobber you if they wanted to, but this time they let you go.  Would we do whatever we could to avoid any further trouble?  If they told us to keep our mouth shut, is that what we’d do to avoid a fight?  We remember that they are more powerful, so would we lay low and try to be less conspicuous?  In our Scripture today, which continues the account of the early days of the Apostles, following Jesus’ Ascension and Day of Pentecost, when they first ran into trouble from the Sanhedrin, the Jewish legal authorities.  Let’s continue with this narrative of the very early days of the Apostles and the Church, and see how they responded to some serious threats against them.

Earlier, in chapter 3 of Acts, Peter and James had healed, in the Name of Jesus, a poor man who had been crippled from birth. This miracle had attracted a large crowd, and Peter used the opportunity to speak to the group about Jesus.  However that did not sit well with the religious leaders, who quickly took the two into custody.  There they questioned them, threatened them, and sternly warned them to stop speaking to others about Jesus.  They were then let go with further warnings to not preach in the Name of Jesus.

These weren’t exactly idle threats that the Sanhedrin made to Peter and John.  This was the group that just a couple of months earlier had arrested the Lord Jesus, and convinced the Roman governor Pontius Pilate to have executed.  They were a very powerful group, and the apostles had absolutely no power against them.  This was just the beginning, as opposition against the Lord Jesus and the Church existed right from the very start.  The two returned to their fellow believers, and told them all that had happened, and what the chief priests and elders had said (vs. 23).

The disciples now had a choice to make.  Would they obey the Sanhedrin and just keep quiet about Jesus?  After all, as many say, religion is a personal matter, and they could just let their lives “speak” a message.  They could pack up and leave town, and maybe have better luck in Galilee.  The disciples did the right thing, and that was to get down on their knees and bring this situation before the Lord in prayer (vs. 24-30).

Peter and John’s experience did not frighten or discourage the other disciples, but exhilarated them.  They took confidence in God’s sovereign control of all events, including suffering.  In prayer the disciples first praised God.  Then they told Him their specific problem, asking for His help.  The disciples saw what had just occurred as a fulfillment of Psalm 2:1-2 (vs. 25-26).  They didn’t ask God to remove the problem, but to help them deal with it, which is a model to follow.

This is a prayer that we can learn from when we might face opposition to our work for the Lord.  They did not pray for God to bring destruction on the religious leaders.  We might be tempted to pray something like that against our enemies, those who oppose us or bully us in any manner. However, that’s not how these early Christians prayed.  Nor did they ask God to take them out of their time of trouble.  Instead, they asked God to consider the threats they faced, and for Him to give them boldness to speak out further.  They did not want to hide in fear, keeping their mouths shut, and they did not want to escape out the back door.  The Lord Jesus had given them a commission to go into the world and preach the Gospel, and so they asked Him for more boldness in the face of threats and opposition.  Boldness is not impulsive recklessness.  It is courage to press on through our fears, and to do what we know is right.

When the disciples were through praying, God showed them in a very specific way that He had heard their prayer and would answer it (vs. 31).  He filled them with the Holy Spirit, and also shook the building they were in, like a mini little non-damaging, non-harmful earthquake.  This was reminiscent of what had occurred a few months earlier on the day of Pentecost, and reminded them that the Holy Spirit was present with them (Acts 2:1-4).

The disciples were not afraid, they were not going to run scared, but instead the Holy Spirit gave them boldness to speak the Word of God.  When we face opposition for doing the work of the Lord, for speaking out to others in the Name of Jesus, we can come to Him in prayer, as well, and receive similar boldness and fearlessness.  The disciples knew, as we can know, as well, that God is sovereign and always in control.

Open Your Eyes

Luke 24:36-48

Have you ever looked for something, searched all over, and there it was, right in front of you, right out in the open all along?  That’s happened to a lot of us, I’m sure.  Our eyes were open, but we weren’t really seeing what was right in front of us.   It can cause problems when we don’t see what is right in front of us, and we aren’t paying attention.  When we don’t see the snake in the grass because we aren’t paying attention, we can get bit.  When we aren’t alert when driving we might not make it home alive.  Sometimes when our mind and eyes refuse to see, we end up with spiritual blindness.  That is the sort of condition that the disciples found themselves in our Scripture today.  Let’s see what happened.

As our Scripture passage today opens it is the evening of the day of Resurrection.  Earlier, Jesus had appeared to two disciples who were walking to their home in Emmaus.  Now He came to appear to the eleven apostles.  After hearing the testimony of the women who had gone to the grave and reported the message of the angels there, along with the testimony from the two from Emmaus just moments before, we might think that now when they were seeing Jesus Himself, they would now recognize Him, rejoice, and be at peace.  However, as we read, they were terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost (vs. 36-37).  They were seeing Jesus, but they weren’t really seeing with faith.  They needed to open their spiritual eyes.

Jesus then gave them some more reassurance.  He didn’t harshly chastise them for their lack of faith.  Instead, He asked why they were troubled, showed them the nail prints in His hands and feet (vs. 38-40).  The disciples still had blinders on their eyes and minds, so Jesus went a step further.  He asked for some food to eat in their presence, as they were possibly still believing that He was a ghost (vs. 41-43).  Their eyes were seeing, but their mind was not believing.  One characteristic of a ghost is that it is not solid.  Jesus was solid, flesh and bones.  Also ghosts don’t eat, yet Jesus ate some food with them.  They needed to open their spiritual eyes and see the Lord Jesus standing right in front of them, eating some food.

When the disciples saw Jesus on the evening of His resurrection, they were troubled.  They were distressed, agitated, and anxious.  Being in that state robs us of the peace that we can have in the Savior.  Having our spiritual eyes closed will lead to fear, doubts, discouragement, and despair, and will lead to having a lack of faith.

It took the disciples a little while, but they did come to believe what was right in front of their eyes.  They knew that Jesus had been crucified, had died, and was buried.  And now, just as He had told them earlier, He was risen from the dead and standing in front of them.  They saw the nail prints that He showed them.  This was evidence that it was really Him, and not someone who looked like Him.  Those nail prints were also evidence of the love Jesus has given.  We are engraved as scars on His hands (Isaiah 49:15-16).

Now that they were seeing and believing, Jesus opened their understanding so that they could more readily understand the Scriptures (vs. 44-45).  We need God’s help, which comes through the Holy Spirit, to truly understand the Bible.  That is why sometimes when we are talking to someone who is unsaved, and we quote a Bible verse or two to them, they just stare at us blankly.  They can’t understand.  Their eyes are physically open, but they can’t see, they are spiritually blind.

For us to see and understand Jesus in the Scriptures, we need our eyes opened.  The two disciples on the road to Emmaus needed their eyes opened to see that it was Jesus.  Here, too, the disciples' eyes needed to be opened to see that it was Jesus.  One psalmist even prays that God opens his eyes when reading Scripture (Psalm 119:18).  Without opened eyes, the Bible can seem like a legalistic code.  With eyes opened, God can reveal Himself to us.

Good News For The Sinner

I John 1:8 - 2:2

Today’s message is on a topic that is not a very popular one to discuss, whether among each other, and certainly not from most pulpits.  That topic is sin.  Most people don’t like to hear about sin, especially their own sins.  Many pastors are loath to talk about sin from the pulpits in their sermon messages.  They are afraid to step on anyone’s toes, offend them, or lose their interest, so that they stop attending.  However, that is a message that needs to be told, and it is my topic today.  With the Scripture selection today, there is much good news, so this is not a completely negative topic or message.  Let’s look into God’s Word.

As mentioned, sin is not a favorite topic.  Many people are resistant, and opposed to admitting that they are sinners.  They will say that since they never murdered anyone, or robbed a bank, they aren’t sinners.  And it has become popular today in some groups and with progressive thinkers to say that there is no black and white with regards to sin.  Everything is various shades of gray.  What one person calls a sin, another may say that they don’t consider it a sin, so it is not a sin to them.  Let’s be clear, what the Bible, God’s Word, calls a sin, what it says is wrong, then it is a sin and it’s wrong.  And God has said that everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23).  If we are honest with ourselves, we will readily admit that we all have sinned.  Those who say otherwise are deceiving themselves, trying to deceive others, and are not being truthful (vs. 8).  They are also calling God a liar (vs. 10), as His Word very clearly says that all have sinned, not just some.

All people are sinners by nature and by practice.  The first step in order to be saved is to admit that one is a sinner.  If someone never admits to being a sinner, salvation cannot result.  Do not be deceived.  We all are sinners who need to be saved by grace.  Even after we get saved we still sin and need to confess.  Every day we sin and do things that offend God.  We need to confess them to Him, and receive His forgiveness.   Yes, sin is bad news, it is depressing, and people don’t want to hear it.  However, we have some good news in verse 9, very good news.  God promises us in His Word that if we confess our sins, He will forgive us, and cleanse us from the sin-stains.  We can come to Him every time we do something wrong, every time we mess up, and He has promised to forgive us.  It is best to keep a clean record, and not let unconfessed sins pile up.  Confess and forsake them, and God will cleanse us.  Doing so removes the barrier to fellowship that our sins put up between us and God (Psalm 66:18-19).

When we do something wrong, we have to face the consequences and take the punishment.  Sometimes we might even need to hire an attorney to represent us in court.  When we stand before the Lord God, guilty of all sorts of sins, we have the best possible Attorney, the Lord Jesus Christ (vs. 1).  Jesus is our Advocate, our Defense Attorney.  Satan continually prosecutes believers before the Father, due to our sin.  However, Jesus’ High Priestly ministry guarantees our acquittal (Hebrews 4:14-16).

After becoming a Christian we still retain our sin nature.  We do not have “sinless perfection”.  The person who makes such claims makes God a liar because God’s Word says otherwise.  Nor does confessing sin and receiving forgiveness give us a license to continue to sin casually and indiscriminately.  Our sinful tendencies should be conquered through the power of the Holy Spirit.

As the Apostle John continues, he says that Jesus is the “propitiation” for our sins (vs 2).  That is a big word, one not generally in our vocabulary every day, or usually ever.  It means “appeasement” or “satisfaction”.  The sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross satisfied the demands of God’s holiness for the punishment of sin.  Jesus died for everyone in general, but each person must individually accept Him for themselves.  If they don’t, they are not saved, and will not see heaven.

In closing, there are many churches today that want to put less, or even no emphasis on sin and other “negative” aspects of Christianity.  They say that God loves us all, and that Jesus accepts everyone just the way they are.  They tell us not to judge, and don’t make anyone feel bad by pointing out sin.  Jesus did accept people the way they were, but He didn’t leave them that way.  He told sinners, after He forgave them, to “go and sin no more”.  The good news here is that Jesus is our Defense Attorney.  His death satisfied God’s justice.  When we confess our sins, He promises to forgive.  This isn’t bad news, it is good news!

A New Song Of Praise

Psalm 98

Easter should still be fresh in our memory, as it was just over two weeks ago.  It is a holy day of great rejoicing for Christians, and our psalm for this week is one of great rejoicing, as well.  Believers and followers of the Lord Jesus should be people of joy.  Let’s take a quick, brief look at this short psalm of praise.

As Psalm 98 opens, the author calls on us to sing a new song to the Lord.  There are so many things to praise the Lord for, so many blessings we have received.  There is always something new to praise Him for.  And with so many songs and hymns of praise, whether we prefer traditional or more contemporary worship music, we could sing a different one every day for quite a while!

Our psalmist gives us some reasons for praising the Lord.  One is quite obvious, and that is because God has done marvelous things (vs. 1).  Look around the world, especially with springtime upon us, and we can find so many marvelous things that God has done.  He doesn’t do mediocre things, or sloppy things.  When we look at the workmanship of so many things today, that is frequently what we find - mediocre and even sloppy quality.  But not with what God does, for our God does marvelous things!

When we look back at the events that led up to the crucifixion of Jesus, we know that He was in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, which He did every year.  All faithful Jewish people would try to go to Jerusalem for that celebration.  What was that holy festival, what did it commemorate?  That celebration was to commemorate the last of the ten plagues God had brought on the Egyptians, when God “passed over” the houses marked with the blood of a lamb, but striking down the first born of those who weren’t marked.  Immediately following that, the people of Israel fled Egypt, and the Lord parted the water of the Red Sea for them to cross on dry ground.  God’s right hand and His holy arm got the victory over His enemies (vs. 1).

Again, after Jesus was crucified and buried, His enemies thought that they had succeeded in stopping Him for good.   But on the third day, that Sunday morning, Jesus rose from the dead  His right hand and His holy arm gained Him the victory over Satan and over death!  There are so many instances all throughout both the Old and New Testament where we see that God gets the victory over Satan and His enemies.  As one reads through the final book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, we see very clearly that Jesus gets the final victory!

Another thing to praise God for, quite an important thing, is His salvation, which He has brought to us through the shed Blood of His Son Jesus upon the cross (vs. 2-3).  Salvation wasn’t, and isn’t for just a select few.  It is for all people at all times.  His parting words to the disciples was that they were to go into all the world, telling anyone and everyone the Gospel message of salvation.  God has made it known.  It isn’t kept secret for just a select few.  We can, and should, be a part of that, making salvation through Jesus known to all the ends of the earth, as well.

Next we see the psalmist instruct us to sing God’s praises with all sorts of musical instruments, a whole orchestra full (vs. 4-6).  The people are to shout and sing with music before the Lord, the King.  One favorite subject of mine is studying royalty, particularly the British royalty, from the present day to going all the way back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon kings.  Though not so much today, but there were several periods of time when the monarchs really went all out with pomp and ceremony.  The king would enter a great hall, and the trumpets and horns would ring out, announcing his arrival.  The composer Handel wrote some very celebratory music for both King George I and II, music that was to be played when the former rode his royal barge down the Thames, and when the latter hosted celebratory royal fireworks.  If grand music can accompany earthly royalty, then certainly we should play joyful and triumphant music for the Lord God!

As our psalm closes, the psalmist proclaims that all of nature will rejoice and sing their praises to the Lord (vs. 7-9).  The sea, the rivers, and the hills will all join together with creation to praise the Lord.  He will be coming to judge the earth, and when He enters He deserves an even grander celebratory praise than any earthly king!

No Other Name

Acts 4:5-12

There is a common phrase that many of you might have heard, or some variation of, and that is that there are many pathways that lead to God.  Those who say this believe that it doesn’t matter what way you choose, it doesn’t matter what religion you believe, what religious leader and teachings you follow, because they all lead to God.  Our Scripture today contains a message from Peter, the chief of the Apostles, which exposes this for the lie that it is, a malevolent and damning false teaching.  This isn’t a popular message among many people, but as it is God’s Word, we must listen to it.

Just prior to our Scripture beginning, the apostles Peter and John had prayed and healed a man crippled from birth in the Name of Jesus (Acts 3:1-10).  This caused quite a stir in Jerusalem, and soon came to notice of the religious leaders, who were quite upset.  They had thought that by executing Jesus, His power and influence would also have died, but it hadn’t.  Peter and John were taken into custody and were asked by what power or name they had performed this miracle (vs. 7).  Only a few months earlier Peter had denied knowing Jesus.  Now, filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter boldly stood up for Jesus in front of the entirety of the ruling body of Israel, and gave his answer (vs. 8-12).  The Apostle clearly stated that the miracle was done in the Name of Jesus, and that salvation is only through the Name of Jesus (vs. 12).

Peter said that the Jews had rejected Jesus, but now He has become the Cornerstone of the Church (Psalm 118:22; Mark 12:10; I Peter 2:7).  Without Him there would be no Church, nor salvation.   The Bible unequivocally states that Jesus, alone, holds the key to salvation, and in fact He is salvation.  God, through His Word, says that if one is going to be accepted into heaven, one must be clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Matthew 22:1-14).  That is not an option.  That is an imperative.  Whoever has accepted Jesus as Savior will have eternal life.  If they haven’t, then they do not go to heaven (I John 5:12).  Salvation is found in no other Name.

This truth offends many people, including some who claim to be Christians.  They say that we all need to be “inclusive”, and thus we need to say that any and all beliefs will lead us to God.  However, the Bible, God’s Word, clearly states that every path does not lead to God. It clearly says that Jesus is the only way of salvation, and those who reject Him will not have eternal life (John 10:9-10; John 14:6; I John 2:23).  Jesus said that the world will hate true Christians for believing that He is the Son of God, and the only way of salvation (John 15:18).  Jesus did not say that He was one of the ways to God.  He said that He was the Way (John 14:6).  To say otherwise goes against Scripture, and I will never do that.

There is a black and white, not just shades of gray.  There is a definite right and wrong, a truth and falsehood, not just “what is truth for me.”  The Name of Jesus Christ is the center of contention (vs. 7, 10, 12), and will always be.  Salvation for everyone, both Jew and Gentile alike, is exclusively through the Name of Jesus.

In closing, let me give this example that a former pastor of mine once said.  About 15 miles north of where I live is Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.  It is a very large and busy airport, with about 74 million passengers traveling through each year.  There are four streets that surround the airport grounds, Irving Park Rd on the south, York Rd on the west, Touhy Ave. on the north, and Mannheim Rd. on the east.  Yet there is only one way for passengers to get into the airport, and it is not through any of those roads.  The only way to get into the airport is by I-190, the westernmost leg of the Kennedy Expressway.  You can see the airport quite clearly from the four other streets.  You can watch all the planes take off and land from them, but you have no access to the airport.  You can drive around and around the airport on those roads, but you won’t get in.  If you try to climb the fence you will quickly find yourself, not in the airport, but sitting in a police station.  The same is with heaven.  All those other ways will just take you around and around, but not into heaven.  There is only one way, and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ.  Be sure you are on the right path, the right Way, and that is through Jesus!