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Tag: Jesus Christ

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Identifying Our Enemies – Consider the Heart

““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43–48)

Who is my enemy? That is the question of the day right; or is it? For people, identifying our enemy is simple as evaluating a person’s intentions toward us. If a person is running toward you with a gun or knife, he is your enemy right? Well, maybe; their intent depends on how they are holding the weapon and what they are saying too. They may be running past you and away from an attacking enemy; on the other hand, they may be pointing the gun or knife at you as they are running toward you – usually, it’s not hard to ascertain their intent. An invading army is a more obvious enemy while a sinister group of leaders may veil their true intent to harm you with deceptive words and promises. If they intend to harm our peace, our families, our livelihoods or our future we usually deem them to be enemies.

But are they really?

In the quoted section of His sermon on the mount, Jesus pointed the listener to a problem not in the scriptures but in the way the listener interprets them. When we read the Bible context is important, often people pull verses out of the context into which they’ve been nested and develop a doctrine, belief or principal which is not biblical; but the local context is not always the only one to consider. For example, Jesus begins this teaching with a quote from (Lev.19:18), “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord;” and contrasts it with another quote from Moses in (Deut. 23:3-6) where the Israelites were commanded to never seek the peace or prosperity of the Ammonites or Moabites because of the way they treated them as they journeyed through the wilderness away from Egypt and towards the land of promise. The people apparently interpreted those commands to mean love those who agree with you or are like you in terms of national and religious identity and hate or despise those who do not. In (v.46-47) Jesus makes it clear to His audience (then and now) that it is no great act of love to love those who love you rather, to truly offer neighborly love, love those who curse, hate, use, persecute and despise you.

That’s what Jesus did!

Lately, I have been struggling with the question of how to handle my perceived enemies maybe you have been struggling similarly. To be honest, my eyes and ears inform me that I live in a world void of justice, sense, decency, morality – void of everything but hope in Jesus. The world seems to have declared the right to be wrong and the wrong to be right or, put another way – good to be evil and evil to be good. Trust me, I could list my grievances here and chances are that many of you would see it the same as I do but to do so would only fan the flame without arriving at an answer to my question: who is my (our) enemy?

The best way to get to the answer is to consider the question from Jesus’ perspective and to get that, I would direct your attention to the words He spoke just before He was persecuted and killed – “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”” (John 12:31–32) Satan, is the one Jesus called “the ruler of this world.”

Satan is the great deceiver who darkens the minds of people like Judas which betrayed the Lord for worthless coin. Through His Son, God has “delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” (Colossians 1:13) As the apostle Paul made clear in (Ephesians 6:12): “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Taken with what we read in (Romans 5:10) “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life;” we get an understanding that the enemy of Christ was and is the prince of darkness.

Unpacking (Romans 5:10) we see that when we were literally hateful adversaries of Jesus Christ and captive servants of Satan (John 8:43-44) Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). Jesus died for people conducting themselves as His enemies. Why? Because He did not perceive people to be the enemy to be defeated rather, His war was against the enemy within us – the darkness of the deceiver and knowing that Jesus came to set the captive free should change the way we see those who are adversarial, hateful and worse to us.

The answer to a world full of people who seem to hate God, His word, His people and His church is to love them anyway – not to agree with their foibles or join them in those activities which oppose God; nor to compromise for the sake of our own peace or shrink back from our mission of preaching the gospel and discipling the believer. In order to be effective in evangelizing we must do what God did when He chose David to be king of Israel – “look upon the(ir) hearts.” (1 Sam. 16:7) It’s a common saying but we need to remember that every person is someone for whom Christ Jesus died and if we can see them for their need rather than for what they’ve done we have a chance of reaching them. Above all, we have a chance of sidestepping the bitterness which will no doubt fill our hearts if we let the iniquity abounding in the world today cause our hearts to grow cold (Matt. 24:12).

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The Amazing Resurrection of Jesus Christ

“Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.”  [Luke 24:1–9]

     It was the third day since Jesus had been among His followers; the third day since His arrest at Gethsemane, the third day since His suffering on our part had begun – where were His disciples and those women who loved Him dearly?  They were in Jerusalem mourning His death.  Had they forgotten the words of their Master spoken just days earlier? Had they forgotten that He said, “On the third day I WILL rise again?” Had they forgotten or did they just fail to believe what He said?

To be fair to His followers, what Jesus said about His suffering and death was unconscionable – unthinkable, unreasonable and unacceptable; they could not bear the thought of their Teacher and friend being treated in the ways that Jesus had described He would be; but it was after all Jesus who told them – shouldn’t they have believed? 

The Proof of the Resurrection of Christ…

The fact that Christ’s closest followers were still in Jerusalem is an important one for this reason – had they believed that He would rise again they should have been well on their way back to Galilee. It was on their way to Gethsemane Matthew writes, where Jesus spoke the following words [Matthew 26:30–32]:

“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ [Zech. 13:7]

But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.””

Jesus did not command them to go to Galilee but He suggested to them that they’d find Him there.  A point that the angel confirmed to Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome “and certain other women with them” in the gospel of Mark [16:7]:

“But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.””

If you had believed the words of Christ concerning His resurrection where would you have been?

I say this to you for a reason this morning.  You see, from that time till now there have been those who suggested that Jesus’ own disciples and followers had taken His body and hidden it so as to create the illusion of His resurrection.  Had they believed – perhaps; but seeing as they did not yet believe – that they didn’t even understand the point (see John 20:9) concerning Christ’s resurrection; seeing as the women were coming to complete the burial process begun two days earlier – seeing as they came to the tomb that day to anoint a corpse and not to see a risen Savior it can then be safely ruled out that the resurrection of Jesus was a hoax.

And just where were the men while the women went to anoint the body of the Lord? They were where the risen Lord would soon meet them – in the same secret place wherein they shared the last supper with Him in fear of the Jews, behind locked doors (John 20:19)

Jesus’ followers were in Jerusalem and He did not scold them for their lack of faith – He met them where they were.

The Witnesses of the Resurrected Christ…

     There were many witnesses of the resurrection and the resurrected; among them the angels and the empty tomb, these bore witness to both the resurrection and the resurrected.  The Apostle Matthew wrote [28:2] “And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it.” The angel opened the tomb and heralded the message of the resurrection to all who came to look in (Luke 24:6; Matt 28:6):

“He is not here, but is risen, as He said!”

The empty tomb, the folded grave clothes these became evidence supporting the announcement of the heralding angel’s – the same who had announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds 33 years earlier were now announcing that He who had been killed and who was dead, was now alive!  Good news – Christ is alive! The Angel rolled the stone away for one reason – so that we could look in and see the evidence of the resurrection.

Consider this as well – Jesus died before a crowd but He rose before no one. No one bears witness to His walking out of the tomb, through (not past) the boulder that sealed it back into the land of the living. Perhaps the guards who had been stationed at the tomb since just after the Lord’s body was placed in it (Matt. 27:62-65) saw the actual resurrection; they no doubt saw something (Matt. 28:4), something which overwhelmed their senses, something which was so significant that the chief priests and elders felt it necessary to bribe the guards to tell a lie, [Matt. 28:13]: ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’

“We operate every day with the principle that truth may be established on the testimony of eyewitnesses. We punish criminals even when we did not see the crime being committed, precisely because the evidence gives away the truth of the matter“[i] – in the case of the risen Savior there are many witnesses both to the empty tomb AND the risen Savior:

  1. He appeared to the women who had come to anoint His body for burial [Matt. 28:5-10]:

“But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.””

  • He appeared to Mary alone at the tomb [Mark 16:9]:

“Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.” (see John 20:11-18)

  • He appeared to Cleopas and another disciple whom I suspect was his wife Mary on the road to Emmaus [Luke 24:15-16]:

“So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” [for the larger context see Luke 24:13-35]

  • He appeared to Peter [Luke 24:33-34]:

“So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!””  This is not the appearance at the sea of Galilee recorded in John 21 but another otherwise unmentioned meeting.

  • He appeared to the remaining apostles [John 20:19-20]:

“Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.”

The Bible says that later Thomas (John 20:26-28) and a number of others adding up to over 500 more witnesses spoken of in [1 Cor. 15:5-6]:

“…and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.”

Why mention all of these witnesses? Because the Bible states that a case is substantiated by the witness of two or more people (Deut. 19:15); in the account of Christ’s resurrection there were many more than 2 or 3 who saw Him alive AFTER His death, burial and resurrection.

The Attitudes concerning the Resurrection of Christ…

 There were many emotions and attitudes at work during the period of Christ’s suffering, death burial and resurrection as you might imagine – there was fear, then grief and heartbreak at His suffering and death.  Then hopelessness as expressed by the two on the Emmaus road [Luke 24:21]:

“But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.”

These two represent the disappointment and hopelessness felt by all who totally misunderstood why Christ came; in their understanding of the old testament scriptures they “saw the glory but not the suffering, the crown but not the cross”[ii] they didn’t fully understand until Jesus explained it to them on the road home (v.27; 32). Let me tell you that Jesus meets people at the point of their despair and hopelessness [v31] says,

“Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.”

When Thomas later handled Jesus his hopelessness and doubt was also changed and He exclaimed [John 20:28]:

 “My Lord and my God!””

The Bible says that after their eyes had been opened the two from Emmaus rushed back to Jerusalem over 7 miles away to tell the others the good news – they had seen and spoken with the Savior but before they could tell them that the disciples also had news that Peter had seen the Savior – Unbelief was turned to joy unspeakable when the disciples saw for themselves the risen Lord in the upper room – hope fulfilled has a way of doing that. [Luke 24:41] tells us that “they still did not believe for joy;” but that is the “I can’t believe it’s you!” kind of joy that comes when one is coming to terms with something amazing!

There aren’t many places more heartbreaking than a children’s hospital cancer ward; there, children who ought to be out playing and enjoying life are isolated, medicated and otherwise treated for their menacing life-threatening illness.  David Jeremiah told the story recently of a woman who with her Christian drama team went into such a place to put on a show for the kids – the drama was to be a musical reenactment of C.S.Lewis’ classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The children piled in and kept coming in wheel chairs, crutches one even on a gurney; there were so many kids that portions of the set had to be removed to accommodate them all; still the kids were nearly right next to the actors.

In one scene the Witch of Narnia kills the lion Aslan.  The children were silent except for their soft weeping – many of the children were crying.  You see, Aslan is in the story is symbolic of Jesus Christ – kind, loving, strong, brave and the lion was dying to save the life of another.

The tears and weeping of the children brought the activity director alongside the representative of the troupe and she was furious exclaiming that the children were already suffering enough without such a thing. The troupe director calmed her down and the scene continued to unfold –two girls, sisters singing and weeping in front of the body of their dead friend Aslan who at that same moment was rising up again alive!  The excitement and joy of that moment was electric as the children celebrated even poking their neighbor’s young and old alike saying “did you see!!!????He is alive!!” The director said that at that moment it was as if she were present at the very resurrection of Christ Himself – expressing that she imagined this is how it was when Christ arose victoriously over death and the grave.

Unbelief gave way to unspeakable joy the day Christ arose.

The Reason for the Resurrection…

What is the reason for the resurrection? Joy? Believability? No Jesus didn’t give His life and take it back again so that you’d necessarily be happy – that’s a benefit. Neither did He lay His life down and take it up again just to prove the point that He could.  No, the reason for Jesus’ death burial and resurrection is much more profound:

All mankind was “dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1).”

All mankind needs the forgiveness of God because all have sinned against Him (Rom. 3:23) and anyone, if they will live for God need new life.

You see, Jesus’ death is the key to the forgiveness of God. 

The Bible says in [Hebrews 9:22] “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” “It is the blood” says God in [Lev.17:11] that makes atonement for the soul.”

According to the word of God it is Christ’s blood that paid the price to rescue, save, deliver, ransom, and forgive us [1 Peter 1:18–19]: “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” He laid His life down as [Heb. 2:9] says “…that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.”

If Jesus’ death and specifically, His shed blood is the key to God’s forgiveness then His resurrection is the key to our new and eternal life.

[1 Corinthians 15:20–23]: “But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.”

The scripture declares [Eph. 2:4-7]: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus died so that we might be forgiven and rose so that the life we have from Him we can share with Him forever.

Earlier I said that Jesus met His followers where they were.

Today, he is meeting you where you are.

Today he is meeting with the skeptic, the addict, the cynic and the sinner – He is saying, “Come awake, come awake, come and rise up from the grave” of your sin or your addiction and your doubt. He came to rescue and save not to judge and condemn (John 3:16-17) but that time is coming.

Jesus’ empty tomb proves that death does not have the last word.

The Lord said in [John 11:25]:

 “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

Adding in (v.26)

“Do you believe this?”

That is the question of all questions on this day. Your unbelief does not change the truth that Jesus is Risen but your belief in the risen Son of God will change your life…. Do you believe?

The women who came to anoint the body of Jesus had to believe the angels report; the disciples who heard the women’s account had to believe the women; and we who have heard today and you who would have eternal life must believe the report of the disciples in the Word of God – Christ IS risen; risen indeed!!!

[i] Campbell, I. D. (2008). Opening up Matthew (p. 173). Leominster: Day One Publications.

[ii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Lk 24:13). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

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The Day In-between

In Israel, it was a day like no other – the celebration of Passover had begun.

The remembrance of God’s mighty deliverance of their ancestors from bondage in Egypt involved a perfect lamb (one per household), unleavened bread, bitter herbs and covering blood. Each element is significant as God instructed Moses in (Exodus 12) and the people of God, who upon the first Passover did as He had instructed concerning the blood of the lamb, were passed over by the death angel who was to execute judgment on the first born of Egypt.

As they observed the solemn occasion, the Lamb which God had prepared for them, already killed, His blood already shed for their deliverance had been placed in a newly hewn grave near the place where He had been crucified. (John 19:38-42) Meanwhile, the celebration continued; but I wonder what those days were like for those who had followed their friend Jesus for a little over 3 years.

In considering the question, I thought about my greatest human loss to this date – the death and burial of my mother. I remember watching (as it were) the world passing by outside the windows of the chapel where we were remembering her life asking myself, “Don’t you know what is happening here? My mom is gone and you’re all carrying on as if it doesn’t matter!” My world had stopped turning. Grief skewed my mind from seeing anything but my loss. I am sure that it was a similar grief which consumed Jesus’ closest followers the day after He had been brutally killed.

The day in-between is only known to we who have the benefit of hindsight – we know how it turned out but His followers, though they had believed in Him, were not so sure that He would rise on the third day as He had promised (Matt. 17:22-23, Mark 10: 33-34, Luke 18:31-33). For them it was their first full day without Him and their grief was profound. You and I have never longed for Him as they who had seen and experienced Him face to face were longing for Him on the day in-between.

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Not Soon Shaken

“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1–4)

Last Sunday morning, about an hour before church it was announced by a major news outlet that Russia had placed their nuclear forces on high alert. The scenario which has been the subject of many movies rose up to be a clear and present danger to the future of the world – at least to those reporting the announcement who stated to their audience that “today would be a good day to go to church.” Many things went through my mind as I considered the implications for the world and I reviewed the scriptures which assure us that whatever mankind may do to destroy itself, those things do not affect the time line and plan of God for the events which will culminate in the end of the world as we know it and the beginning of the new heaven and new earth prophesied by (Revelation 21:1).  I’d like to spend a little time with you, reviewing these passages so that you may find strength in God for the times of trouble which we find ourselves in now and for future times of trouble.

I’d begin with the following statement:

The followers of Christ should be anchor points in our world, people who are found to be strong and at peace while others around them are panicking and shaken by the events and circumstances unfolding before our eyes.

Why?

First, we are to be so strong because our hope is tethered to heaven itself (Heb. 6:19-20):

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6:19–20)

Not only does Jesus secure our eternal inheritance so that no matter what may happen on earth below we are eternally connected to God in heaven but we also have God’s promise and faithfulness to keep it and all His promises reinforcing our hope (or confident expectation) of our final salvation in Christ Jesus.

Secondly, we have God’s word which tells us what to expect in the days leading up to the end of all things and the new beginning promised in Revelation. To begin with we have this word found in (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18):

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

We have a promise from the scripture that those who believe in Jesus will not see the wrath which is to come upon the whole earth (Thessalonians 1:8b–10): “For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”  Instead, and before His wrath begins to be vented upon the people of the world through the Great Tribulation spoken of in Revelation, “we who are alive and remain shall be caught up…” or “raptured” literally taken out of this world like Enoch (see Gen. 5:24). This event could happen at any time but until it does, no matter what threats to human existence may arise, the wrath of God upon mankind leading to God’s great reset of all things will not occur.

In addition, the text we began with also offers us a few “conditions” which will have to be fulfilled as well before those days come to pass:

  • Apostasy – (v.3a) “the falling away.” This falling away is not a reference to moral decline of the world but rather to the moral and spiritual decline of the church. It is literally a departure from the faith and the word of God (1 Tim. 4:1):

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons…”

             This “departure” is already occurring as professing Christians willfully ignore and or turn away from Biblical truth and toward the false teachers and teachings which are flourishing today:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2 Timothy 4:3–4)

  • The appearance of Anti-Christ – (v.3b) “the man of sin is revealed.” Possessing the qualities of the “son of perdition” which is a reference to the other great betrayer of Jesus Christ – Judas (see John 17:12) who worked deceitfully against the plan of God in Christ Jesus; anti-Christ will “oppose God” and like Satan before him, “exalt himself…above God.” In the Old Testament, the description found here is used of Antiochus Epiphanes (Daniel 11:36–37):

“Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all.”

 While the “spirit of anti-Christ” (1 John 4:2-3) has been present since the days during which Jesus did His work among men for their redemption, Anti-Christ has not yet been revealed nor has  the temple been rebuilt in which he will sit pretending to be God.

  • That which is restraining must be taken away (2 Timothy 4:5-8): “Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.”  Many suggestions have been made as to who or what the restrainer of anti-Christ is and the lack of anything more than Paul’s words in (v.6) “you know what is restraining” makes it impossible for us to be dogmatic about the point.  

I believe that the Holy Spirit is the restrainer; I also believe that when the church is raptured, the Holy Spirit who works through the church, the proclamation of the Gospel and specifically through every Christian to counter and restrain both the spirit of anti-Christ as well as the Anti-Christ himself will be depart. Whatever the case, it is clear that God is in control of the one who restrains as well as his removal. After His departure, lawlessness will abound and the man of lawlessness will be revealed and because “those who are perishing” did not “receive a love of the truth that they might be saved,” (vv.9-10) “God will send them strong delusion (v.11) that they should believe the lie.” The lie being that the Anti-Christ is God.

We also have a series of events which Jesus identified in (Matt. 24) as things which will happen (v.14) “before the end will come.” False teachers, (v.5), “wars and rumors of wars” (v.6), international conflict (v.7), “famines, pestilences (plagues), and earthquakes (v.7) are all “the beginning of sorrows” (v.8). Next, the severe and extensive persecution of Christ followers (v. 10), more false teachers (deceivers) (v.11) and lawlessness leading to Christian lovelessness (v.12), along with the global proclamation of the gospel (v13) will take place before the end will come.

If we believe these words, we will be unshakable in the face of such events because of the promises of God to we who believe.

But what about the timing of these events?

Consider the words of Jesus in (Matt. 24:32-44):

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Much can be said of this, suffice it to say that we live in times like the days of Noah – days characterized by weddings, celebrations and the routine of regular living along with a willful ignoring of God, His Son, His Spirit, His preacher and the proclamations found in His word. If we see (v.40-41) from the lens of Noah’s flood then we understand that those taken are taken in death (or judgment) and those who are left remain safe in Jesus Christ. The simple fact is that while we get hints of the nearness of the end of all things and the beginning of a new heaven and new earth upon which all who believe in Jesus Christ will dwell forever with God – we do not know when He is coming and the best we can be is (v.44) “ready.” Only after we are ready can we help others to be ready as well.

As I thought about these things last Sunday, I entertained another thought; I wondered whether or not, given their current situation, and life threatening circumstances Ukrainian Christians would scoff at, doubt , deny or discount the truths we are considering. Would fear control them or would faith in Jesus keep them strong? Would their response to these words be different than ours as we discuss them in comfort and safety?

I doubt that believers, tethered to heaven by faith in Christ Jesus would discount or deny these truths – I believe they would be rather, strengthened by them. But they did not come to be so resolved either for their God or their nation over night.

It occurs to me that readiness for the return of Christ and the patience to endure whatever hardship while waiting for His coming is not to be a last-minute consideration and that being resolved to cling to the “anchor of our souls” so that we would “not be soon shaken” by the things happening around us needs to be decided BEFORE those days come!

“For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2–10)

Are you ready?

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Who is Jesus? The Objective Truth

In a search for cover art for my thoughts today I came across many which , instead of a statement asked, “Who is Jesus to you?” At first blush, I wanted to dismiss this question out of hand; I mean, is the identity of Jesus Christ really just a subjective summation of a person determined by our own suppositions, preclusions and pre-conceived notions?

There is objective truth to answer the question of who Jesus is but in order to get to it a person has to accept that there is also only one authority on the subject – the Bible. “But wait,” some would object, “after all wasn’t the Bible written by men? What makes their opinion the end all to the question?” The Bible itself answers even that question – can you accept it? The answer is found in (2 Timothy 3:16-17):

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

That the words are inspired require an instigator of inspiration and that instigator is the Holy Spirit of God (see 2 Peter 1:20-21). Everything given to us to know about Jesus Christ is found in the Bible, a book written by God through the hand of prophets, priests, tax collectors, fishermen, and even an ex-Pharisee. Some of these men were also eye-witnesses of the ministry of Jesus Christ as well as of His death burial and resurrection but the Holy Spirit, who provided the inspiration and is co-author of every word in the Bible, as eternal and intrinsically connected to both the Father and the Son is eyewitness to everything pertaining to Jesus from eternity past to this very moment. In essence, God Himself testifies in the Bible, declaring who Jesus is.

Did you know that not every self-declared Christian agrees with the Bible, let alone with each other about Jesus? Jehovah Witnesses for instance, believe that Jesus is inferior to or less than God having been created by God rather than being co-heir, co-creator and co-eternal with God. It is really this point about Jesus that I would like to address: Is Jesus God?

What do the scriptures say?

In prophetic literature we read of the coming of Jesus Christ in books like (Micah 5:2):

““But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”“

Here we see God the Father declaring the eternality of the One (a reference to Jesus His Son) coming forth to Him from Bethlehem. What does Isaiah the prophet Isaiah say about the Son of God then yet to be born in Bethlehem?

“For unto us a Child is born,Unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. and His name will be called: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

Again, in Isaiah 7:9 the Bible says:

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

Allowing the Bible to teach the Bible, what does the name Immanuel mean? ““Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”” (Matthew 1:23) In the New Testament we also read in (Hebrews 1:1-12):

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. for to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You”? And again:“ I will be to Him a Father,And He shall be to Me a Son”? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” And of the angels He says:“ Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.” But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” And: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail.””

Was Jesus a good man as some have said? Yes. Was He a great man? Yes. Was He a good teacher? A Rabbi? Or as eventhe Muslims say, a prophet? Yes, yes and yes. Was and is He MORE than those things? Without a doubt!!! Jesus said, “He who has seen Me, has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) Jesus said, “I and My Father are One.” (John 10:30) Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am;” (John 8:58) this also being a reference to the unique name of God: YHWH also speaking to the eternality of Jesus. Beyond that we read in (John 1:1-3):

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

Can the Creator create Himself? Yet the Bible declares not only His eternal equality with God but also that Jesus at creation made all things. Passages like (Philippians 2:5-11 and Colossians 1:15-18) likewise point to Jesus’ deity.

Jesus is God – He has a divine nature, so says the Bible but is that ALL that Jesus is? God’s don’t die and Jesus, as we have learned is eternal – He is as His Father is: from everlasting to everlasting (Psalm 90:2). In order to “reveal God to men” as Ryrie wrote and to “provide us with an example for godly living” as well as to be the sacrfice for sin (see John 1:18. 1 Peter 2:21 and Hebrews 10:1-10) Jesus was also 100% man. In other words, Jesus had two natures: he was all man as well as all God. To be our Savior he set aside His rights as God rather then ceasing to be God (see Phil. 2:5-11) He was in the “form of God” but for our sakes He took on ” the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men.”

Regardless of our personal beliefs, descriptions, preconceived notions or understandings there is ONE OBJECTIVE TRUTH concerning who Jesus is; this truth is foundational to the Christian faith and a failure to believe that truth or a rejection of that truth about Jesus is to build a faith on a faulty foundation. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17) – the word of God declares who Jesus is and what He has done for your sake and mine; hear that word and believe. Does it matter if you believe that Jesus was less than God, a created being, a mere man or rather that He is equal with God, co-heir, co-creator and co-eternal with God? It matters as much (in that it as distinctly different) as day or night, darkness or light and life or death.

What you believe about the objective truth concerning Jesus Christ does not change it but your belief holds profound implications for you. Think about it…..

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God’s Best Gift

Satisfied with less…

Does that describe the hearts of people during a season which I’ve come to call the season of discontent – are they satisfied with less?

Are you?

I call it a season of discontent because when asked, rather than an “I have everything I need”” people young and old readily state what they want for Christmas. In reality, discontent rather than contentment is a problem for many people and the materialism of the season feeds that felt need for more or better.

This isn’t a rant on that but it is meant to challenge you to consider your desires. You see, I believe that the desire which God has for your life is far greater and better than what you want for and from it. I Believe that most people are simply satisfied with less than what God in Christ wants for them.

Those outside of faith in Jesus Christ are perfectly content to be in the condition I just described and that fact makes clear to me that while some people are never truly content with the things they possess – more are simply content with less.

Jesus Christ promised abundant life (John 10:10) to those who trust in Him – abundant life now and forever more but so many people are satisfied with less than that.

So many are satisfied with less because they can’t imagine a better life, a fuller life or a happier life than the one they have – they are satisfied with less because they don’t know or believe that there is more or better than what they have now or that they can have it.

God sent His Son to usher in better things – whether you know it or not, more than anything else, you really have need of those better things – of grace, mercy, forgiveness, eternal life and an eternal relationship with the Lord.

In Christ, those better things have been provided and are yours for the asking.

Click the link to listen to the full message on today’s subject. https://www.thetextmessages.org/sermons/gods-best-gift/

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Jew, Christian or Other – The Spiritual Identity of Christ

Was Jesus a Jew, a Christian or something else? Take a minute before reading on to think about the question. Seriously, take a minute…

Virtually everyone knows the name Jesus Christ; some people use that name as an expression of frustration, anger and or surprise while others recognize it as the name given to the Son of God. The name Jesus Christ is not the first and last name of God’s Son, rather they are two names given by God which describe the mission of His Son: Jesus meaning Savior (Jehovah-saved) (see Matt. 1:21) and Christ meaning anointed (see Matt. 1:16) taken together we have anointed savior or messiah.

When anti-theistic or other-theistic people want to argue with Christians about religion they will often make the statement that Jesus was a Jew; implying with that statement that the deity in whom Christians have placed their faith was not sent for them. I recently heard someone say something that I just took for granted, that Jesus was also NOT a Christian.

Let’s take a few moments to consider these arguments; first, was He a Christian or a Jew?

Jesus was born to a Jewish virgin who had never been with a man. He was raised by faithful Jewish parents who made sure that, as a child He was circumcised on the eighth day and the sacrifice for a first-born son was made according to the law (Lev.12:1-8, Luke 2:21, 22-24). As He matured, Jesus kept the feast days of Judaism – the Passover, the day of Unleavened bread and the feast of Tabernacles being specifically mentioned (Luke 2:42, Luke 22, Matthew 26:18-29, John 7:1-14), nevertheless because of the statement He made in (Matt. 5:17-18), that He would fulfill ALL the law of God given to the Jews, there can be no doubt that He kept every feast day ordained by His Father. To the previous point, the book of Hebrews makes the following statement about Jesus:

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

Had He not fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the law of God, including observing the high holy days of Judaism, Jesus could NEVER have saved His people from their sins.

But does having kept all the laws of Judaism imply that Jesus was a Jew? Before I answer that question we should also consider, was Jesus a Christian?

God had made it clear in (Jeremiah 31:31-33) that He would establish a “new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah;” through His blood and by His death and resurrection Jesus is the “mediator of that new covenant (Heb. 9:15). God was doing a new thing and “the church” – the ĕkklēsia or assembly of believers (see Matt. 16:16-18) would be established upon who Jesus is and what Jesus did.

Jesus did not establish Christianity, He established “the way” as it was called in (Acts 9:2), to God. Jesus made disciples and good disciples strive to be like their teacher thus when some of the disciples came before the religious leaders of the Sanhedrin in (Acts 4:1-22) and spoke, those leaders KNEW that Peter and John had been with Jesus because they spoke as He did. It was later, in Antioch (see Acts 11:26) that the disciples were first called Christian or little Christs but the term was given by wicked people to mock the followers of Christ even then. What I want you to see is that the term Christian was not a thing even as Jesus ascended back into heaven after rising again from the dead and not only that, but also that in the entire new testament, the term has only been used three times. The world has called the church which Jesus established, the Christian church and, whether a taunt or not, being a Christian is a claim of belief and a testimony of allegiance to the One who died to make the church which consists of people from every nation, tribe, people and tongue (see Rev. 7:9-10) a living thing.

But was He a Christian? Was Jesus a Jew? Listen, Jesus Christ has ONE spiritual identity – He is the SON of the LIVING God! As such He is King of Kings and Lord of lords; He is Redeemer, Savior and Messiah. He died for the sins of all who will call upon His name (Romans 10:13)! There is no other God like Him! None who has the power to save, to forgive, to heal, to reconcile and NONE who can call the Creator of all things His Father!!! He was not merely a prophet, teacher or ‘good’ man – He IS the ONLY hope for the redemption of your soul.

Who is He to you?

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Remembering the Unforgettable

    

It takes a special person to be a soldier – they leave everything behind to fight for others…they risk their very lives for the cause of freedom, hope and ultimately peace.  Memorial Day commemorates those who fought and fell paying the greatest price for freedom that anyone will ever pay – on this day we remember the sacrifice, we remember the blood.  We remember the faces and the lives of people who were not only prepared to give all for their country but who also did give all.

You know, when I think about it, those who paid the ultimate price for the freedom we enjoy as Americans are in certain ways much like Christ.  They left their homes like Jesus did, for a strange place. They traded their normal attire for a uniform – Jesus traded heavenly perfection for a human body. They gave their lives for a just cause: the deliverance of those in bondage – our troops delivered men from the bondage of men; Jesus delivered men from the bondage of sin; both paid the price of freedom with their lives. 

Y’all forgive me but Memorial Day commemorates the death of those who died to obtain and preserve the life, liberty and happiness of others.  It is honestly hard for me to say “Happy Memorial Day” because the joy that we now experience came at such a great price and it is the price that we must remember today.  Look at what is emphasized on Memorial Day weekend: great deals on new cars, building supplies, barbeque pits – great deals on all the makings of a great family picnic; we focus on summer vacation, graduation, some even focus on inebriation but in our celebration we forgot to remember who we have to thank for our liberation both as Americans and as Christians – fields of uniform monuments in our national cemeteries mark one group the other is marked by a single cross on a high hill just outside of Jerusalem called Golgotha and a single tomb no longer shut but wide open to reveal that it is empty;  the hero that it contained lives again and forevermore. 

Having said that, I’d like to spend some time considering the importance of milestones in our lives.

“And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying: “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’ ” Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe; and Joshua said to them: “Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever. ” (Joshua 4:1-7)

[v.6] “What do these Stones Mean to You…?”

     Forty years of wandering; forty years from the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea; forty years from their deliverance from the strong hand of bondage that they had been held by in Egypt by an even stronger hand; forty years of wandering until all those who were of a generation of doubt concerning God and His goodness had died; forty years to get to this moment in time.  And now, the people of God, a new generation, and a generation that had not doubted Him stood on the banks of the Jordan River standing for the first time in the land of promise.  The people had crossed over; [v.1] says “And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua” – the people did not cross over in boats, they did not cross over on a bridge; and they did not wade across the river as it was well out of its banks [see Josh.3:15-17] – the Bible says that they crossed on the river bottom:

“Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.”  (Joshua 3:17)

The moment the feet of the  priests bearing the ark of the covenant touched the flood swollen river it stopped flowing, piling up in a heap – God miraculously lead Israel into the land of promise on dry ground.  To commemorate the occasion God commanded that a representative of each of the twelve tribes of Israel return to the place where the priests stood, each was to take a stone from there which would be used to memorialize the event.  The memorial was to be a lasting reminder to future generations of their crossing of the Jordan into the Promised Land on dry ground. 

What did those stones mean? 

  1. The stones were a reminder that God is faithful.  The stones memorialized the faithfulness of God to keep His promises.  [Num. 14:28-31] “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised.
  2. The stones were a reminder that God had been and would be present.
  3. The stones were a reminder that God is mighty [see Josh. 4:24].
  4. The stones would be a source of encouragement to all people.  Set up in the next camp in which the people stayed; the camp at Gilgal [Josh. 4:20], the stones would serve as a source of hope during the difficult days ahead.  How?  Biblical history bears out that the Israelites faced many challenges during their journey – even in the context of topography, until now the people had wandered largely in the valleys of wilderness and in the desert, but now, after having crossed the flood swollen Jordan all that they could see past the plains of Jericho were the mountains of Canaan.  Their journey would be difficult but the memorial and others like erected throughout the land would serve to remind them during times of doubt and fear that, as David later wrote in [psl.60:12], “Through God we shall do valiantly.”  The monument would serve to remind them that [Rom.8:31] “If God is for us, who can be (who can stand) against us.” 

But there is something else to which these stones point not so much contextually, but rather by application; the Bible says that not only did the twelve men of Israel take up stones for the camp, but Joshua also returned to the place where the priests stood and there he erected a memorial [Josh. 4:9] which upon the final steps of the priests from the river would again be covered by the waters leaving them only evident to God; this he did before all of the people. 

What do those stones point to?

  1. Those stones marked the end of one journey…The stones in the river point to and mark not only the place where God met them and provided for the people; but it also marked the place where their old way of life ended – their life of wilderness wandering ended with that river crossing.
  2. …and the beginning of another journey.  The stones on the west side of the river, in the land of Promise, erected in Gilgal pointed to new life – a resurrection of sorts.
  3. Together these memorials point to what happens in a person’s life when they come to faith in Jesus, as illustrated by believers baptism: [Rom.6:3-8].  By the working of God through the blood of His Son and the power of His Spirit, the old sinful, carnal man dies and the new man in Christ lives.

A greater than these…What does the cross of Christ mean to you?

There is a greater memorial than the twelve stones in the Jordan and at Gilgal, and that memorial is the cross of Jesus Christ.  When a believer looks at the cross they should remember the place from which they were taken and the destiny they were bound to because of their sinful ways before they believed.  When a believer looks upon the cross he or she should remember all of the miracles of God that went into their redemption – the virgin birth of Christ, the terrible suffering of Christ, and again, the blood of Jesus.  Remember what God said in [Exod. 12:13], “When I see the blood…” today as then, the blood of Jesus reminds God of His promise to forgive.  The empty cross, not an occupied crucifix, but the plain, empty cross along with a totally vacant tomb remind us that Jesus is not dead – we serve a risen Savior! 

To me, the two strongest and most striking memorial icons on earth are the tomb stone and the cross of Jesus Christ… – one points to the expected end of every human ever born and the other to the only hope of eternal life with God:

  1. The tomb stone reminds each one of us that every one of us will eventually taste death [Heb. 9:27]; it reminds us of the brevity of life [James 4:14].
  2. The cross reminds us that death doesn’t have to have the last laugh. 
  3. It reminds us of the life given so that we might have everlasting life [John 3:16].
  4. It reminds us that our freedom and forgiveness came at a great cost [1 Cor. 6:20].
  5. It reminds us that even when times are their worst – the one who believes in the risen Savior is never without hope [John 16:33].
  6. [v.7] And like the stones at Gilgal, the cross stands as “a memorial to the children of Israel (and to the world) forever” – a testimony to the love of God, to the mercy of God, to the forgiveness of God, to the hope found in Jesus Christ, to God’s great grace; to the seriousness of sin and the price paid to redeem us from it.

The stones of memorial in our lives point to what God has done.

Finally, the stones of memorial in our lives point to what God has done.  God had led Israel through the wilderness and across both sea and river on dry ground; He had looked after their every need to get them where they were, and He has done the same for us – the cross being the greatest reminder of that fact in our lives and in our world today.  But not all stones of remembrance are made of rock:

  1. They may take the form of the Bible of a loved one, now gone on to be with the Lord – the lasting reminder of their love and faith toward God; holding it brings you added peace.
  2. It may take the form of a picture of your kids or spouse as they were or as they are.
  3. Your stone of remembrance might be the very child you hold in your arms.

Whatever your stone, it should remind you of the goodness of God, the grace of God, the mercy of God and of the faithfulness of God . It should remind you of the love of God and the extreme lengths that He went to in order to make redemption, forgiveness and eternal life possible for sinners like you and me.

The memorial stones of Joshua’s day were to remind the people of certain qualities of God, memorializing a great day of deliverance in their nations history; likewise the memorials to our fallen heroes are to remind us of the sacrifice of people who gave their lives, over a million strong from the beginning of our nation’s history till now, memorializing their commitment to God, country and family – remembering their sacrifice for the freedoms we hold dear. Above all, the most common memorial to Christ: His cross, reminds us that we are loved and that Christ went to great lengths to prove it, that there is hope for tomorrow, and life everlasting for all who will trust in His name. 

What do these stones mean to you?

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Grappling with the Hard Questions (Part 2) A Biblical Answer

Finally, lets address the question of whether God either exists or is good in the light of the fact that evil exists from the standpoint of what God has done to deal with it. The supposition of the skeptic is that God was taken by surprise by the rebellion of the first man and woman in the garden of Eden and is either unwilling or unable to deal with the evil their sinful choice ushered into the world but what does the Bible say?

Was the Lord surprised by the rebellion of Adam and Eve in the garden? No; that in and of itself is an amazing and astounding truth – God knew and still God made man. God KNEW that Adam and Eve would go against His will and disobey the only command He had given them. He KNEW that the “intent of the thoughts” of the hearts of men would be, as Genesis 6:5 says “only evil continuously.” He KNEW that He would have to intervene at great cost to Himself to rescue mankind from the consequences of their rebellion. 

First off, God was not surprised by the rebellion of men, the Bible makes it clear that “from the foundation of the world…names were written in the Book of Life” (Revelation 17:8) and that judgment would fall upon those whose names were not written in it (see Revelation 3:5, 20:12-15, 21:27). The Bible also makes clear that God’s answer to the problem of evil was not an after-thought. (John 3:16) declares that God “gave His only begotten Son” (to die for our sins Matthew 1:21, John 1:29) but (Revelation 13:8) indicates that “from the foundation of the world” literally from the dawn of creation, “the Lamb” (God’s only begotten Son) was also “slain.”

It was the sinful choice of Adam and Eve which ushered death and decay (Genesis 3:17, 21, 4:8) into our world. Evil, suffering, physical death (Genesis 3:19) and a spiritual relational separation from our Creator (Genesis 3:22-24, Ephesians 4:18) all have their beginning in the moment of mans first rebellion. Creation itself even now groans under the weighty consequences of the fall (Romans 8:20-22) but God has done great things to overcome the problem of evil.

For one thing, God condemned the instigator of man’s rebellion. Consider (Ezekiel 28:11-19), this passage, addressed to the king of Tyre is clearly speaking to someone besides the king. In fact, with references to the recipient being the “anointed” and “covering cherub” (vs’s 14,16) and to the fact that he was both “in Eden” (v.13) and “perfect in all his ways from the day he was created” (v.15) the recipient is clearly none other than Satan aka Lucifer himself. Consider that Satan was cast down the Bible says in (Ezekiel 28:16-17) and condemned for his evil (Isaiah 14:12-15), and that one day, the deceiver who corrupted Adam and Eve and countless others over all time will be cast first into a pit for a thousand years (Revelation 20:3). After that, Satan will be released for a short time only to lead a final rebellion which God crushes swiftly finally, eternally casting Satan into the lake of fire burning with fire and brimstone forever (Revelation 20:10). Satan was condemned for His prideful rebellion and the evil he helped usher into the world will be condemned with him on that day.

Even more important than the condemnation of Satan is the atonement God made available to every man, woman and child through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The Bible says in (Romans 5:8,10) “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us….For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Jesus Christ has done more than He ought to have done, more than we deserved, to deal with the evil and sinfulness in our lives (1 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21). He dealt with the problem of evil (sin) from His cross, dying to free us from our bondage to evil (sin) and freeing us from guilt to live a life pleasing to God (Hebrews 9:14). He granted every believer an eternal future where evil will no longer exist. After His resurrection and ascension or return to His Father in Heaven, Jesus, through His Spirit continues to deal with the problem of sin and evil in our lives through His Holy Spirit – warning, convicting and giving us power to overcome sin and live a life which brings glory to God.

Honestly, the only answer I can offer – the only answer that the word of God gives to the problem of evil is this: the shed blood of the risen Savior (Revelation 12:11), faith in Jesus Christ (John 16:33) and the new life faith in Him produces (1 John 5:4-5) overcomes it . Not because faith in Jesus eradicated evil in the world around us but because faith in Jesus deals with the evil within us, and will continue to do so, as the Apostle Paul said in (Philippians 1:3-6) “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…”

Apart from God there is no answer to the problem of evil, but by His grace one day every believer will be free of it forever!

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The Demand of Freedom

Arlington is full of memorials reminding us all of the cost of freedom; they also remind us of the demand of it.

Those headstones remind us of the more than one million Americans who have given to the last full measure. – over 100,000 in World War I; over 400,000 in World War II; almost 40,000 in Korea; over 58,000 in Vietnam and over 5,000 have been killed in action since 9/11.

I was impressed by the comments made by a recent Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff speaking a few years ago at a Memorial Day Wreath Laying ceremony at Arlington. Rather than leading the people to consider how they died General Dunsford said of those man and women who are remembered there:

“It’s how these men and women lived that is important. It is how they lived that makes us remember them. In life, these individuals chose to be something bigger than themselves. They chose to accept hardship and great personal risk. They were people who truly embodied the most important values and traditions of our nation.”

The general concluded by challenging those in attendance to leave “with the resolve to strengthen their commitment to our nation and the values for which it stands.”

Today we not only remember those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom as a nation but we also remember the One who died to liberate all men from a tyranny even more sinister than that of a Hitler, Stalin or a Bin-Laden.

When we look upon His cross we think not only about the way He died but about the way He lived, the truths He taught and the purpose in His coming. Even more, we remember that the grave DID NOT have the last word but Jesus rose again and will one day, as promised, return for those who trust in Him.

I mentioned earlier that there was a demand of freedom upon those who enjoy it; that demand of freedom is (in my mind) loyalty to the One who has provided it and sustained it. It is a loyalty that will not shrink back or compromise but will stand fast and refuse to allow anything to steal away that which was gained at such a great cost.

Considering the life of the Lord today, I challenge you as General Dunsford challenged those in attendance at Arlington to strengthen your commitment to the Lord and to the freedom that He procured at the cost of His life for you.

Our gratitude today is to those who fought for our nation and paid the ultimate price for freedom with their life blood and to Him who fought for our souls, paying the ultimate price for our eternal freedom with His blood.

Never forget…

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