Life on Earth - A Drop in the Ocean

How can you compare a drop of water to the entire ocean?  People have no idea, actually our finite minds can't fathom, how long eternity is.  How much more overwhelming is the thought when we consider eternal judgment!

Amazingly, Jesus describes it like this.  "This is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."  Notice, His definition is not duration that it lasts forever, but rather a quality of life that comes only from knowing God.  So eternal judgment is this life's final exam, that is answered by whether one knows God and Jesus Christ whom He sent. 

When I was a dumb, little kid, I wrestled with the idea of how could we live forever, and what would we do, and how could I stand it.  So I thought it might be easier to just go to hell, burn up, and have it all over with, sort of like the mistaken idea some people have about suicide.  Then someone told me that hell is forever too.  Wow!  My unthinkable concept changed immediately!

There is a truth about God that is hard for us to handle.  Absolutely Just.  We somewhat grasp the concept of mercy, that God forgives the worst sinner, which Paul considered himself to be.  However, what do we know about Him being perfectly just?  Every sin will get perfect retribution.  It will be paid in full.  God is not mocked, what is sown shall be reaped.

There is a hint of this in the well-known John 3:16 verse, "For God so loved the world that He gave HIs only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  Notice the contrast, either perish or have eternal life.  Then in verse 18, this truth is brought home stronger, "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."  Sin deserves death.  Man, who is sinful, is condemned already, and rightly deserve death.  

So God, in His perfect mercy and love for us, sent Jesus to pay the "condemnation" penalty because He wants us to be free and live with Him forever.  Ephesians 1:5 reveals that His eternal plan is that we would be "holy and blameless before Him."  That is why receiving what Jesus did on the cross and His resurrection is so crucial.  Either you accept that Jesus, God's Son, paid the supreme price and eternal consequences for your sin, or that incredibly serious debt still remains.  You are rightly condemned for not only your sin but also for rejecting God's love in the person of Jesus who took your punishment.

Why is eternal judgment in the foundational doctrines of Hebrews 6 that needs to be settled if we are going to mature?  Eternal judgment is an awesome reality that makes the whole issue of being saved absolutely the most important step anyone and everyone must personally take.  Understanding God's justice, and then His beautiful mercy in paying everything for us, will produce a heart of gratefulness and a strong foundation upon which our life always rests.  We belong to Him and are secure forever because of what Jesus has done.  Secondly, this need for everyone to receive Jesus changes evangelism  from a nice thing to an absolutely necessary reality.  This truth sets us free from our self-consciousness of how we feel or what others think, to being unashamed as God's representative to bring this good news to all men.  We are His instrument to share and be a witness of HIs love for each one. 

No one can know their purpose in life unless they understanding how eternal judgment is the climax of sowing and reaping.  God is not mocked, what one sows he will reap.  Standing before God is the most crucial appointment we will ever have with the most awesome possibilities: everlasting joy in the Father's presence or eternal separation from all that is good.  We need to see this life as an opportunity to be a light for Him, with eternal rewards.  No one will even give a drink of cold water to a child without reaping a reward, how much more sharing Jesus with a sinner who otherwise would be lost forever.  The time on earth may be only a drop in a bucket compared to eternity, but this life is the proving ground where God is revealing who He is, and empowering us to will and work for His pleasure.  So live today with the realization that every choice will have eternal ramifications, for good reward or evil consequences.  Your choice.   

All Rise!

 He is risen!  He is risen indeed!  The early church would celebrate the resurrection of Jesus by declaring this powerful truth and the response in agreement.  One Easter morning I was sharing the Word and encouraged my audience to respond in like manner, shouting, "He is Risen!" and they would respond "He is Risen indeed!"  Unknown to me, there was present a lady who had pneumonia but was allowed to leave the hospital to attend Easter services.  As she was leaving the church, she stopped to say there was a strange warmth and presence in her chest as we declared He is Risen, and that all of a sudden she could breathe normally.  Later doctors confirmed that she was healed.

There is power in the resurrection.  Jesus Christ "was declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead. (Romans 1:4).  The resurrection also establishes Jesus's complete victory over death, sin and sickness.  After the resurrection Jesus announced to His disciples "all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."  No wonder then, that the Word (Acts 4:33) records that the apostles "with great power gave witness to the resurrection from the dead."  

This overcoming power and authority is available to all who believe Jesus Christ is God's Son who died and rose for them.  Romans 6:5 assures us, "If we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall in the likeness of His resurrection."  Paul, even after all his preaching and miracles, had one overwhelming request, "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection."  The person of the Holy Spirit makes this reality a part of our daily experience, as the Word says in Romans 8:11, "the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."    

God's eternal plan for man is past, present, and future.  The resurrection of Jesus 2000 years ago settles the fact of Jesus' love and victory for all men.  Through the Holy Spirit this released power equips us today to walk in overcoming faith and victory.  However, 1 Peter 1:3 blesses God who "according to His abundant mercy, has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."  This living hope is a sure future promise to rise with Him and be with Him forever.

Therefore, this foundation doctrine of the resurrection provides eternal assurance that Jesus' "It is finished" statement from the cross is confirmed.  Man sinned and lost his dominion authority over the earth to Satan.  Jesus destroyed the works of the devil, brought man back to God, and paid the supreme price to re-establish man in the righteousness and authority of God Himself.  We are now called to rise up and walk in the triumphant, overcoming power of the living God.  Believers in Jesus Christ and His resurrection have passed from death to life.  We are now to reckon ourselves dead to sin (and its consequences) and alive to God.  All rise, and give glory to God by walking in His resurrection power.      

My Cup Runneth Over!

 Dead Sea or Jordan River?  You have a choice.  The Dead Sea contains a treasure chest of rich deposits of valuable minerals that are just sitting there.  The Jordan River is where spiritual life flows, John was God's voice in the wilderness and baptized there; Jesus preached the kingdom of God has come there; Elisha sent the Syrian king to be healed there.  God paid the supreme price for your sin, raised you from the dead with Him, gave you the power of God in the person of the Holy Spirit. and gave you a great commission to go and do likewise what Jesus did.  To be a couch potato with all He has given you is an insult to what He has made you and all His great work in you.

Jesus instructed us to "Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Luke 6:38.  1 Peter 3:9 reaffirms this principle, saying you are called to bless that you may receive the blessing.  That is essentially why the fourth Hebrews 6 foundational doctrine is laying on of hands, or in other words, give what you have got.  That is why in Psalm 23 David declares He fills your cup to overflowing, so that it can run over to those who need a drink of His goodness.

Let's take this one step further.  Jesus loves you and gave His life for you.  The  greatest love anyone can give, according to Jesus, is to lay down your life for someone else.  And to make the case even stronger, Jesus commanded us to love our neighbor as He loves us.  So by giving what you have, your talents, your resources, your time, you follow the pattern of lifestyle set by Jesus, to lay His life down freely to bless us.  Part of the foundation of moving on to maturity, to becoming the kind of Christian that God intended you to be, is to have the mindset that the purpose of your life is to love God by willingly doing whatever it takes to bless.  God loves and honors a cheerful giver.   

We are blessed exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think, so lay up treasures in heaven for eternity by sharing the good news in word and deed.  Jim Elliot, missionary to the Quechua Indians of Ecuador, succinctly explained and applied this principle. "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."

Holy Spirit, give me the power to overcome my flesh and help me choose to touch with your love the lives you have put in my life, in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

So Much More!

Hate evil and love righteousness.  Fear not, only believe.  Out of darkness, into the light.  God is the master at removing the bad and releasing the good.  He doesn't just forgive sin and its consequences; He transforms us into the very righteousness of God. The Lord's plan is beyond what we could think or ask.  Jesus' death and resurrection took care of all sin, sickness, and death; sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in us allowed the very life of God to fill "all in all."  No wonder the Word declares "You are the light of the world!" 

Consider this truth in the Hebrews 6 foundation "doctrine of baptisms."  Water baptism shuts the door on the old man who is buried with Christ, and gives us the momentum as we rise out of the water to have new life toward God.  Now this new life is also powered by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus told his believing disciples to wait for the promise of the Father, knowing the power of God will fill them when "you will be baptized in the Spirit."

Sometimes Christians tend to argue "I already have the Spirit when I accepted Jesus Christ." based on Scriptures like Romans 8:9.  However, did you notice that the apostles who were filled with the Spirit in Acts 2, openly prayed for the Holy Spirit in Acts 4 to give them boldness to speak Your Word and for signs and wonders to be done.  Likewise, Ephesians 5:17-18 declares that the will of the Lord is to be filled with the Spirit.  This Greek verb is a present participle, meaning "constantly be being filled with the Spirit."  This foundation truth is that man can do nothing for the Kingdom of God without the power of the Spirit.  Maybe a better question than do you have the Spirit, is the reverse, "Does the Spirit have you?"  

We were never meant to walk as Christians without the power of the Spirit.  We know that the victorious life requires overcoming the flesh and our human thinking, which Romans 8:13 strongly suggests only happens by the Spirit's power, "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."  Even Jesus relied on the Spirit to do the Father's will, "Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God." Hebrews 9:14.  You will never walk in victory over sin and the flesh without the power of the Spirit.  

However, God not only wants you to win over sin, He wants you to be His witnesses and move in His power showing His infinite love.  Jesus said we would do the works He did and greater ones!  Our lives are to be a testimony to the world that Jesus Christ is alive, that He has defeated the powers of darkness, that His name is above every name, and that He has overcome all and reigns forever.   

In Luke 11 after Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray, what we call the Lord's prayer, He reminds us that a father, even with fallen nature, will give his son bread, not a stone, fish, not a scorpion, when he asks.  "How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"  God is a perfect gentleman, He does not force us, but waits for us to desire and ask.  The normal way of receiving the Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles, after the day of Pentecost, was to lay hands and invite Him in.  However, God is not servant to any method, but rather looks upon the heart. 

Jesus promised He would not leave us orphans, but would send the Holy Spirit to "teach us all things, bring to our remembrance all things He has said to us, to testify and bear witness of Jesus, guide you into all truth, and tell you things to come."  In other words, you are meant to be led by the Spirit, and the baptism of the Spirit is simply the decision to invite Him in and let Him have your heart.  God waits to be gracious to you.  A Spirit-filled life not only glorifies the Father, but also is the abundant life Jesus promised His followers would have.  

Therefore, take the steps outlined in the foundation doctrines of Hebrews 6.  Repent, believe, be water baptized, and receive the baptism of the Spirit so you can press on to maturity. 

That Settles It!

 

It is time to settle it.

A physical act is a way to show what we really mean inside.  A hug, a kiss, a gentle touch, a smile.  That is the way God made us.  Even with worship, every single time that worship is expressed in the Bible, it is shown with a physical act such as bowing down, lifting hands, kneeling down, or openly singing praise.  Similarly, partaking of bread and the cup expresses our communion with God, our literal being in Him and He being in us. God has created or given us physical acts to express and verify our inner choices. 

So it follows that in opening our heart to repent and believe, there would be physical steps to both express this decision and to be a reminder that it is settled.  It is called baptism.  The Greek word "baptizo" means to be physical dipped into something, such a dyeing a piece of clothing.  The person is immersed or brought into this new reality and is permanently changed.

Romans 6 gives us a description of what happens to a believer through baptism: "we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."  It continues with a reassuring step of faith, "For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection."  The physical act of going under the water shows we have "died and are buried" with Him by faith, and as we come up out of the water, we identify that the Spirit of God has raised us up to new life.  It is a reference point that helps us settle this truth of being united with what Jesus has done.  From this point on we are told (Rom 6:11) to reckon or consider yourselves to be "dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Jesus instructed us to "believe and be baptized."  It is a command, which each person has to choose to obey; no one can do it for you.  You may have been dedicated to God as a baby, but when you come of age you are called on to obey the command of your own free choice.  The Word of God is always addressed to your will, such as choose life.  In 1 Peter 3:21 baptism is defined "not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."  Just as Jesus was baptized by John to fulfill righteousness, we also fulfill righteousness or simply become right with God, when we choose to obey what God has asked and are baptized.

Many people, even after accepting Jesus as savior, still have struggles giving in to the desires of the flesh.  This foundation step of baptism is not just a religious act, it is a concrete act that settles in our hearts this truth of being united with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection to new life.  Anytime we obey God, there is a release of new life, because God gives grace to the humble, to those who receive the Word with meekness and obey.  

If you are "trying" to make a choice, but easily are overcome by the same fleshly thought or temptation, it is time to settle the foundation.  You need the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as your foundation stone, and your choice to obey the command to be baptized, releases the power of God to make that victory real in your experience.  Baptism, or obeying God in a physical act, allows your heart and mind to know it is done, and you can always depend on that truth to overcome the lies of the flesh and the devil.  So settle it and walk on to maturity in victory! 

Will Jesus Find Faith on the Earth?

 What an amazing question Jesus asks in the Luke 18 parable of the lady persistently coming to the judge for justice, "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?   Obviously, God wants His people to walk by faith, not by sight or by our senses.  Yet, the implication is that faith may be rare in the last days.  My heart says, "Holy Spirit, keep me strong and increasing in faith, so that I can be like Stephen (Acts 6), a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, in these last days."  

Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would come to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6) Most of us believe He is, but our challenge is to believe He responds to our "faith" when we seek Him.  The goal of this second foundation doctrine is to establish this truth as bed rock, so we can move on to maturity.  Let's look at how to let God settle this once and for all.   

In the previous post, we discussed that in our hearts we can embrace the truth and love He declared because Jesus is trustworthy.  Let's establish another unshakeable fact.  Everything that can and will be done for fallen man has already been done through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Sin, sickness, death are paid for and completely defeated.  Faith is receiving what has already been done.

The greatest truth the world could ever hear, that God Himself paid the supreme price so we could be free, is done.  It sounds too good to be true.  Our unrenewed mind wants to doubt and fear that God may not really be so good.  Yet, truly everything due to the sin of man, (guilt, sickness, lack, death) has not only been removed, but replaced by the new creation made in the righteousness of God.  Those who come to Christ are a new creation, the old is gone.  The point is, we are NOT trying to believe and get God to do something, but rather God has done it all and as we know this truth, we believe it is already given.

None of us would say to the sinner, Jesus is going to die for you.  No!  We share the good news, Jesus has died for you.  It is finished.  All has been accomplished.  Notice how the Bible declares this same truth by using the past tense we "have been redeemed," and "by His stripes you were healed,"  Likewise, in 2 Peter 1:3-4 "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him."  

Did you see the key in that last verse?  Through the knowledge of Him.  The prophet Hosea said it well, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge "  Jesus (John 8) said if we continue in the Word, we will know the truth, which will set us free.  Many of us lack faith because we have not renewed our minds to know the truth.  Colossians 3:10 instructs us to put on the new man renewed in the knowledge of God.

Renewing the mind is a process.  Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the Word of Christ.  Isaiah points out that truth is, "line upon line, line upon line, line upon line, precept upon precept, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little."  Jesus explained it through the illustration of a seed becoming a fruitful plant, "For the earth yields crops by itself, first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head." (Mark 4:28)  The Word or faith seed grows by itself as "we receive the Word with meekness" allowing God's truth to replace our fallen nature thinking.  As a man thinks, so is he.  Paul left the Ephesian church with this word, "I commend you to God and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified."

Make the choice to live by the Word of God.  Take thoughts captive to obey Christ.  The foundation stone, faith toward God, declares we have rejected living for and thinking by selfish desires, and have chosen to let God and His Word be the direction of our lives.  The Holy Spirit, the sanctifier, has been sent to lead you and guide you into all truth so you can always stand on this Rock. 

Overcome-the-World Faith - How to Believe

Sure Hebrews 6 Foundation doctrines: Repentance from dead works and faith toward God.

Change the channel.  I was going to the library and I repented and went to the store.  Repentance is a change in the mind that changes our outward direction.  If the first foundation stone is repentance,  turning away from dead works, what is the new direction, the new channel to which we turn?  Hebrews 6:1 says "Faith toward God."  What does this entail and how do we get this? 

Faith or belief is a heart matter.  Romans 10 points out that "we believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead" and are justified.  A simple definition is a play on words: just-as-if-I'd-never sinned.  You believe that the resurrection of Jesus proves He paid it all for you and you are free.  But in the natural, you have to know something about a person's character, expertise, and wisdom before you believe  in your heart what the person says is true.  Good news:: you can trust Jesus.  Jesus  never lied (He is the truth,),  He created all things so He knows every detail, and He is love and because of His perfect love He willingly laid His life down for you. The central truth that your heart needs to embrace is that God loves you so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die for you, in your place since your sin deserved death.  Believe  that through His death and resurrection He completely overcame all the consequences of sin, not just in a general way, but personally in your life.  You are free of all sin's consequences such as guilt, sickness, and death.  Even though it sounds too good to be true, that He would care so much for you, you can trust Jesus and believe what He has done for you in your heart.  Will you receive His love right now, not because you deserve it, but because He is so good and merciful? 

There is a second part of faith.  Romans 10 states that we believe in our heart and are justified, we confess with our lips and are saved.  Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Faith is spoken,, "I believed and therefore I spoke." (2 Corinthians 4:13)  Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Speak life.

In the world our natural man says "when I see it I will believe it." This is false believing or faith.  True faith is believing before you see it.  Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).   How important is knowing and applying this truth about faith? Hebrews 11:6 points out "without faith it is impossible to please God."  Likewise, in Galatians 3:11, it states that "the just live by faith."  On the other hand, in Romans 14:23, the Word states that "whatever is not from faith is sin."  Therefore, faith is essential.  Our whole life, everything we do, is to be built on faith.  The good news is that according to 1 John 5:4 "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.?  Through faith we walk in victory.

Sometimes we know God is good and His Word is true, but we admit that we just don't have faith, or enough faith.  Let me share an illustration that I do with my high school students. First, I have one of my weight-lifting boys stand up and flex his muscles.  Then I stand up and flex my "mighty" muscles, and ask who has more muscles.  They laugh, of course.  However, I point out that we have the same number of muscles, just that his are more developed.  Transitioning this  to understanding faith, Romans 12:3 declares that "God has dealt to each one a measure of faith." (May I suggest even stronger that it is a measure of the God faith - a study beyond this post.)  We all have the same measure of faith. 

Two truths about growing in faith, or what Scripture calls "ever increasing faith." 1) Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the Word of Christ.   Since faith "comes" it is up to us to do what is necessary to get it, namely, read, meditate, hear the Word of God. 2) Faith grows as we are faithful in using what we have, faith begets faith, as mature believers have their faculties "trained by practice" (Hebrews 5:14).  Recently I heard the testimony of a lady diagnosed with lymph cancer.  Her friends encouraged her to research the subject and learn all the details about this disease.  She decided instead, to research what the Word of God says about healing.  She began a verse by verse study of what God declares about being the God who heals, about the stripes of Jesus, and studied the examples in the Word where people were healed.  Faith came and she began to declare whatever the Word said whenever the symptoms surfaced, and just like Abraham, glorified and thanked God that He was faithful to do what He said.  Today she is cancer free.  Her faith overcame the world. 

One more caution, that actually is a blessing, to consider.  Faith will be tested.  However, don't let the testing frighten you, because God's ultimate purpose is to make us complete, lacking nothing.  Notice this truth in James 1:3-4, "knowing that the testing of your faith produces [patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect  and complete, lacking nothing."   Not only will this testing cause us to mature, but the standing strong in faith during trials glorifies God, "that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:7)  God receives praise, glory, and honor as you stand in faith and let God overcome in you. Compare this with Jesus' words in John 15:7-8, "If you abide in Me, and My Word abides in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  By this My father is glorified...   So be of good cheer, Jesus has overcome the world, and by faith, you are able to overcome. through His victory.  Therefore, just as Jesus told the man with the sick (and dying) daughter, "Fear not, only believe.", we are also instructed to stand firm on this foundation stone, faith toward God, which honors God for who He is and all He has done for us.  

Holy Spirit, strengthen my inner man with might so that I know that Christ dwells in my heart, and I am unashamed to believe in my heart and declare with my lips who He is and what He has done for me, to the glory of God. .As I dwell on Your Word, cause faith to come and be the foundation of all I am and do.