The Imbecile Brigade

As hard as it may seem to those of us who are in Christ and who respect His authority, this was not always the case. In Matthew 21:23-27, Matthew records what I like to refer to as Jesus' encounter with the "imbecile brigade":

23. And when He entered the Temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?"

24. Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you a question; and if you tell Me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25. The baptism of John, whence was it? From Heaven or from men?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From Heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 26. But if we say, 'From men,' we are afraid of the multitude; for all hold that John was a prophet." 27. So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The above question from the chief priests and the elders asking Jesus by what authority was He doing the things He was doing was utter foolishness. These were the religious leaders of their day. It would have been one thing to query Jesus thusly if He had just walked into the Temple at the beginning of His ministry that very moment, but it was the third year of His service among the people on the Earth when this question was asked of Jesus, and He had not been hiding in a corner. It would have taken a complete imbecile to be ignorant as to the Source of Jesus’ authority. Jesus had performed many works of His Father during these three years that spoke directly as to Who was the Source of His power and authority. He had healed all manner of diseases, He had miraculously fed thousands upon thousands in the countryside, He had made the blind to see and the lame from birth to rise up and walk, and He had recalled from death itself several individuals.

God the Father has all power and He gave that power to Jesus. Jesus has the authority to rule, He has the authority to judge, He has the authority to teach, He has the authority to forgive, and He has the authority to do much, much more. The Scriptures teach quite clearly and unequivocally that Jesus is the Son of God. He is superior to the angels and He is heir to all things (Hebrews 1:2). He is the One Who made the universe (Colossians 1:16), and only He exhibits the radiant magnificence of God's glory, the exact representation of the Father's splendor. Not only is He the Creator of the universe, it is He Who sustains all things by His powerful word (Hebrews 1:3). It is His sacrifice that bought about our purification from sin (Hebrews 9:25-26), and the Father has raised Him to where He is now sitting at the right hand of God in Heaven, angels and authorities and powers all subject to Him (1 Peter 3:22). He truly is Immanuel, God with us.

Owned By Christ

In Matthew 16:24 Jesus said, “If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” These words applied to the disciples and to all who would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus through the teaching of His chosen Apostles. Jesus invites every person to follow, but from the words of Jesus it is paramount that those who desire to follow Him must have three distinctive characteristics or attitudes: a willingness to deny themselves, a willingness to take up his or her own cross, and a willingness to follow Jesus, wherever that will take them.

The first thing that we are supposed to learn when we become Christians is that we are now "owned" by Jesus Christ. We are not in charge of our lives any longer. "Self" is no longer at the helm; God is. 16. Know you not, that to whom you present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants you are whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17. But thanks be to God, that, whereas you were servants of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto you were delivered; 18. and being made free from sin, you became servants of righteousness. (Romans 6:16-18)

We have been bought with a price. As the Apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 19. Or know you not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit Which is in you, which you have from God? And you are not your own; 20. for you were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in your body. That price which paid for our salvation was a great one, indeed, for it cost Jesus His very own life-giving blood: “ . . . you were redeemed . . . with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, even the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

The Lord said in Matthew 16:26, “For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his life?” Jesus is telling us here, if we are but willing to listen, that there is nothing this world has to offer that is more important, or more precious, than our eternal life. He wants us to choose to follow Him rather than to lead a life controlled by selfish desires and carnal gratification that ultimately will lead to destruction. When we give up our desires, ambitions, possessions, calculation, and even our very life itself in service to Christ, we discover the true purpose of living. The Preacher summed it up thusly: “This is the end of the matter; all has been heard: fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). To be willing to put personal desires and one’s own entire being itself into God's hands means we understand that there is nothing that we can gain on our own in our lives in this world can compare to what we gain with Christ. So, we have to ask ourselves honestly, "Who is the boss in my life?" It is my prayer that you can answer honestly, “It is the Lord!”

May the Lord bless you and yours!

God Knows Us

In the opening chapter of the Gospel of John, John gives a vivid picture detailing just how much God knows us. John recounts a story of how Jesus surprised and amazed a man named Nathanael who did not understand why his friends thought Jesus was so special. It was Nathanael’s good friend, Philip, who called Nathanael to Jesus. Nathanael had been a disciple of John the Baptizer, and Nathanael was among the throng who had witnessed John pointing out Jesus as the “Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

The message, "We have found Him of Whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote" (John 1:45), seemed to Nathanael a direct answer to his prayer. But Nathanael still had yet a trembling faith. He asked, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46). But when Nathanael finally met Jesus, Jesus told Nathanael He had seen what Nathanael was doing and knew Nathanael before they had even met. Jesus could see what Nathanael was doing, even when Nathanael was nowhere in His immediate line of sight. As you can imagine, Nathanael began to understand why Jesus was so special!

Just as Jesus knew about Nathanael, God knows all about us. He knew all about us before you were even born, and He knows all about us now. God has known us, and loved us, from even before the beginning of time. Let us thank God for loving us and knowing us so well.

1. O Lord, You have searched me and known me! 2. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. 3. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. (Psalm 139:1-3)

God loves us so much that He learned all about us, even prior to our birth. In fact, it can be said truly that God loved us before the foundation of the world was laid, for it was even at that long ago point prior to physical time that God through His amazing and infinite love had already created the Gospel plan of salvation, specifically designed for the purpose of saving each and every one of us from our sins. As Jesus tells us in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” The Apostle Paul writes of God’s eternal love for us in Ephesians 1:3-8:

3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4. even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. 5. He destined us in love to be His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, 6. to the praise of His glorious grace which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8. which He lavished upon us.

The Hall of Faith

In the book of Psalms, the psalmist wrote, "Our fathers trusted in You: They trusted, and You delivered them." (Psalm 22:4) In other words, they had faith in what God said He would do for them.

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews has well been called the "great gallery of gallant Christian faith," or as others have said, "The Hall of Fame of Faith" chapter of the Bible. Just reading it can send chills down one’s back. It is a thrilling and fascinating account of spiritual giants, both men and women, and all of them willing to give their all, including their lives, in defense of their faith in God. There have been literally millions of martyrs of the Christian faith in every century since this record was first written in what has become known as the New Testament. Some writers and historians have estimated that at least fifty million individuals have died a martyr's death since the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, beginning with Stephen. Even today, in what we deem is our civilized culture, there are many who suffer and die because of their faith and profession of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

The Hebrews writer wrote, "Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the Author and Perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2) We have a hymn we sometimes sing called Faith of Our Fathers, written by Frederick W. Faber. No doubt the hearing and singing of the hymn Faith of Our Fathers conjures in many minds various scenes from the great "cloud of witnesses" referred to in Hebrews 12:1. These individuals, their voices long ago silenced, still speak to us, encouraging us to "run with patience the race that is set before us." There are too many in the world today who wish to laugh at and scoff at those who profess Christ as our Savior. It is good, then, for us to be reminded, and reminded often, that the history of the Christian faith is a rich heritage of countless numbers whose faith in God was counted even more dear than their life itself.

Much more could be written about those first century Christians and their persecution at the hands of the Jews first, and then later on by the Roman Empire, or even the religious persecution to our own forefathers resulting in their quest for a new land where they could enjoy religious freedom, resulting in the founding of the United States of America. It is quite humbling to ponder the great sacrifices that have been made by so many countless others who have passed over before us, whose sacrifice has made it possible for us to know and love the Lord, and have that same hope of spending an eternity with our Creator that they had and enjoyed. Ponder the words of this hymn, and hearken back to those who have inspired it.

Faith of our fathers living still in spite of dungeon, fire and sword:
O how our hearts beat high with joy whene’er we hear that glorious word!

Our fathers, chained in prisons dark, were still in heart and conscience free:
How sweet would be their children’s fate, if they, like them, could die for Thee!

Faith of our fathers we will love. Both friend and foe in all our strife:
And preach Thee, too, as love knows how, by kindly words and virtuous life.

Faith of our fathers, holy faith! We will be true to Thee till death!

The Significance of the Baptism of Jesus

In Matthew 3:13-17 (Simple English), the baptism of Jesus by John is recorded as follows:

13. Then Jesus traveled from the land of Galilee to the Jordan River where John was, so that John could immerse Him, 14. but John was trying to stop Him. John said, "I need You to immerse me, yet You are coming to me?''

15. Jesus answered him, "Allow this for now, because this is the proper way for us to fulfill all righteousness.'' Then John did so.

16. After Jesus was immersed, He came up from the water immediately. Suddenly, the sky was opened for Him. He saw the Spirit of God coming down on Him like a dove. 17. Suddenly, a Voice came from Heaven and said, "This is My Son, and I love Him, I am very pleased with Him!''

The baptism of Jesus was a very public one and it was recorded for all posterity, all future generations, to know about and understand, and it is important for several reasons. First of all, as Jesus said, He was baptized “to fulfill all righteousness.” Additionally, the baptism of Jesus Christ is symbolic of the Lord’s own death and resurrection to come. Paul tells us in Romans 6:3-5 (RSV) that our own baptism represents the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which he also describes as the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15. So when we are baptized (immersed) into Christ we proclaim His Gospel.

3. Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4. We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.

There are several key points that Paul makes in these three verses that must not be overlooked or lightly brushed aside and discarded. If we are not baptized, then we have not shared in His death. If we have not shared in His death, then we have not shared in His burial. If we have not shared in His death and burial, then neither are we raised to walk in newness of life, but we continue to walk rebelliously, still lost in our sins. If we do not walk in newness of life, then we are not united with Christ in His death. And if we are not united with Christ, then we will have no part in His glorious resurrection. And if we do not share in His glorious resurrection, then we will stand condemned before God on the Day of Judgment (Romans 8:1; 2 Peter 2:9; 2 Peter 3:7). Therefore, how can any supposed disciple of Jesus Christ argue against the efficacy of baptism in the Gospel plan of salvation based upon what the Apostle Paul wrote in the Book of Romans?

The Suffering Servant

Virtually all of us at one time or other have asked the question, “Is God fair?” I am only guessing, but maybe it is just part of our human nature to ask this question. But it would seem to me that any fair-minded individual would conclude that this question was answered conclusively once and for all time some 2,000 years ago through the ministry of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. God came to this lowly plain of existence in human flesh and suffered the most unfair treatment throughout all of history. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, was not allowed to enjoy peace Himself. Jesus Christ, Who had existed for eternity in the lavishness and glory of Heaven, lived His life on Earth as a homeless, itinerant wanderer Who was denied wealth and possessions, even saying at one point “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matthew 8:2). The Lord and Creator of the universe lived a relatively short period of time as a Man Whose life was well acquainted with grief and full of sorrows, a Man Who was ultimately cruelly and ignominiously murdered by a jealous mob stirred up into a blood-thirsty frenzy by religious leaders who were envious of His popularity among the common people.

There are those who teach a false gospel that proclaims that God will grant an individual wealth and prosperity in this life if they are but a good person. But the fact of the matter is we are not promised a rose garden in this life. On the contrary, the true disciple of Jesus Christ is demanded to “take up his cross” (Matthew 16:24) and follow the Lord, for the true disciple is promised persecution for the name of Jesus Christ: “Beloved,” writes the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 4:12-14, “do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” This hardly sounds like we are being promised a rose garden . . . it sounds more like a roasted garden to me! So why should we expect to live an unblemished life when we bring the baggage of sin along with us, while Jesus Christ, the only sinless One, had to suffer?

Yes, indeed, the Master of the universe, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, was also the Suffering Servant. Several different spokesmen of God had prophesied his coming literally hundreds of years earlier. The prophet Isaiah said the future Savior would be "a Man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering" in Isaiah 53:3. He was to be the willing Lamb led to the slaughter by His God. Isaiah wrote of Jesus: "it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer" (Isaiah 53:10). Why must this be? Jesus, the promised Messiah, had to suffer in order to pay for human sin and make salvation possible (Isaiah 53:12).

May our Lord’s suffering give us faith and love in God when we find ourselves in our darkest moments. God in the flesh, thank You for coming!

Opportunity Knocks

It has become a tradition around our house to watch It’s A Wonderful Life during the holiday season, and last night, my wife and I finally got around to viewing it. For those of you unfamiliar with this movie, George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart, has the prospect of getting in on the ground floor of a business opportunity with his childhood friend, Sam Wainwright, whose father’s company is going to start producing plastics. Sam wants George to buy stock in the company, knowing that this is a product that is really going to take off in the near future. George declines the offer, and as it turns out, Sam was right. He ended up making a fortune manufacturing plastic hoods for airplanes for the war effort during World War II, and George lost out. Opportunity had knocked for George Bailey, but he had turned it down, as his friend reminded him years later.

There are many times in our own lives that we have opportunities presented to us, and sometimes we do not recognize them as such, or if we do, our human nature tends to make us afraid to take the plunge. I am sure each and every one of us can remember a time or two that we found ourselves in a similar situation as George Bailey found himself in with his plastics opportunity, and just as George did, we, too, for whatever reason, did not open up the door to that opportunity.

In the Bible we have the stories of two men, each of which were given great opportunities to be with the Lord, and each of them took a different route. One of these was a despised, disrespected little man, and the other was a young, rich ruler that the Lord knew had been a good person all of his life. But when push came to shove, it was the despised and disrespected little man, a chief tax collector, nonetheless, named Zacchaeus, who came to the call of Jesus when that opportunity arose, while the good, rich, respected young ruler walked away sadly as he rejected his Lord’s call. Thanks to the wonderful, unfathomable love and grace of God, each and every one of us is given the same opportunity as these two men were given. Will we answer that call, as Zacchaeus did, or will we reject it, and walk away, as did the rich, young ruler? Jesus Christ said in John 10:19, “I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.” (John 10:9) He stands at the door and knocks, but will we let Him enter in? The choice is up to each and every one of us, because no one can make that decision for you. Even right this very moment opportunity knocks. As we are told in Revelation 22:17, “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And he that hears, let him say, ‘Come.’ And he that is athirst, let him come: he that will, let him take the water of life freely.” That water of life is Jesus Christ, the same Rock that watered the children of Israel in the wilderness, that same Bread, that same manna from Heaven, which fed them. And Jesus has told us in John 4:14, “whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life.” Do not let this opportunity that is knocking pass you by!