FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 8:9

“Though he was rich . . .” Christ was rich in material possessions, rich in the glory of God, rich in the majesty of a King. Isaiah the court prophet, the most adept and cultured of all the prophets of God, wrote:

“I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1).

“Though he was rich . . .” Christ was rich in honor. The Book of Revelation says emphatically:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13).

“Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor.”

The earth gave Him a chilling reception upon His birth, and heaven dispatched an angelic choir to echo through the skies the anthem:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14).

While heaven honored baby Jesus, the earth did not blow a trumpet, wave a flag, or burn a torch in recognition of His birth. Earth receives her princes and presidents amid the shouts of the people and the strains of music, but the best door opened for Jesus was a barn door. The best bed, a litter of straw; the best cradle, a manger. Born in a stable of poverty, rocked in a cradle of poverty, lulled to sleep in the arms of the mother from Nazareth, a city noted for its poverty. Many times the rocks on the mountainsides were His only pillows, and the blue canopy of heaven His only covering. Jesus stated to those who wished to follow Him:

“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20).

To our knowledge Jesus rode only once, and that was on a borrowed beast. The boat on which He taught was a borrowed boat. He wrought a miracle to obtain money to pay His taxes. His grave was a borrowed tomb. Instead of the nectar of heaven, the earth gave Him vinegar to drink, a reed for a scepter, thorns for a crown, and a cross for a throne.

Jesus was poor, plain and simple. Yet I have heard some of my peers state that He wasn’t truly poor, for as a child He was given the riches of the three magi, the three kings from the east. His parents must have invested those riches for Him. However I don’t read that anywhere in my Bible. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor.” Jesus was poor in the eyes of the world. He trod the winepress alone. Hence, the world called Jesus a “sabbath breaker, winebibber, traitor, friend of sinners, and blasphemer.” He who owned everything, owned nothing. He whom heaven honored, was rejected by earth’s inhabitants, dying in shame, forsaken by His disciples, and so heartbroken that one of His seven last words from Calvary’s cross was:

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

A songwriter wrote the lyrics in a song, saying He didn’t have to do it. Well, why did He do it? Was it simply to please the Father? No, He had already done that. At Jesus’ baptism a voice from heaven said:

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

It was not to increase His own glory. He was great enough. He already had supreme power. At His feet rolled seas of glory and on His brow perched the eternal fame of heaven. He was King of kings. To Him gold was sordid dust and jewels were gaudy toys. Yet He truly did what the Word states. Yes, He did become poor that we through His poverty might become rich.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 8:9

In his second letter to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul put heavy emphasis on the word grace. This word is seldom used today. In fact, the only time we hear the word is in the church, or when we meet someone by the name of Grace. What does this mean? How would you explain it to a non-Christian?

John H. Jowett gave an excellent definition of grace:

Grace is divine energy. Grace is divine energy of holiness. Grace is divine energy of holiness issuing in the ministry of love. Grace is divine energy issuing in the ministry of love in quest of the unlovely. Grace is divine energy of love issuing in the ministry of love in quest of the unlovely, and by communication of itself, converting the unlovely into loveliness. Grace is the holy love of God in quest of unlovely man, seeking to woo and win, and transfigure him into the loveliness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I added to Dr. Jowett’s definition the fact that grace is not duty. Duty brings Christians to church because Christians ought to attend. Love brings you to church because you enjoy coming, but grace is love plus the divine pull of Jesus Christ. Grace is love outdoing itself.

What is grace, you ask? I answer, grace is love beyond the bounds of love, love out-loving love, love loving where there is no ground to justify the loving, the infinite coming in touch with the finite; majesty with meekness; and stainless purity coming into contact with the sins of mankind, like the snow of heaven with the mire and slush of the street. This is what Paul meant when he wrote:

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Well, Paul, you might ask, what about “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ?” This is what Paul would be answering:

“That though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor.”

Look at Jesus full of grace and truth. All the way from heaven to earth He stoops, from glory to gloom He leaps, from paradise to persecution, and from life to death He springs. He descends from the highest throne to the crudest cross. He gives up heaven’s riches for earth’s poverty.

“Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor.” Let us for a moment open the curtains of eternity, and gaze on the stupendous wealth of the Christ. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word, is the Maker of the universe. Listen to God’s written Word:

“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 was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3).

All the precious gems and rich metals that ever sparkled are His. He made them. This world, with all its majestic, sun-kissed mountains, broad oceans, winding rivers, babbling brooks, laughing valleys, and sparkling fountains are His.

The cattle on ten thousand hills were created by Jesus Christ, who confuses our intellect and destroys our human logic, causing us to accept Him through faith, since in His eternal nature, He invaded time, as a baby older than His mother. This mysteriously powerful God said in the first chapter of the Book of Genesis, “Let there be,” and creation trickled from His fingers like pearly dewdrops from the rosy fingers of the morning.

In the richness of eternity, the Bible states in Hebrews that:

“He [Jesus Christ] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3).

The Book of Revelation says of Jesus:

“The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters” (Revelation 1:14-15).

No wonder the human Christ, before going to die on the cross, prayed in John’s Gospel:

“And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:5).

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: Romans 3:21-31

The Divine Provision – Continued

Not human achievement, but humble acceptance. A second observation is that going to heaven is not a matter of human achievement, but humble acceptance. In the survey, a woman from the mid-west said that to go to heaven “you have to be a good person.” But, if going to heaven is a matter of human achievement, then we are competitors at best. I compete against you and you against me. Which one of us will win the race? The one, of course, who runs the best and fastest. The mere thought of it is depressing, if not demeaning. God will have no part of it. He is not in the business of setting people at odds with each other by making them competitors who compete for His grace. Yet, there are people who believe your eternal destiny is determined by deeds done here on earth. I heard about a person who said, “My greatest fear in life is that I will be standing behind Mother Teresa and I’ll hear God say to her: ‘You know, Mother Teresa, you should have done more.’ ” What an atrocious idea! It is not only scripturally incorrect, but it makes us all competitors trying to outdo each other and accomplish our own salvation. On the contrary, going to heaven is a matter of humble acceptance. Like the man with a fractured foot, we acknowledge our utter helplessness and humbly turn ourselves over to the One who can truly help us and save us. Karl Barth, the Swiss Reformed theologian, once said that whenever we speak of our virtues and achievements we are mere competitors. When, however, we confess our sins, we are brothers and sisters.

Not a future concern, but a confession today. A final observation is that going to heaven is not a matter of future concern, but confession today. The Bible says, “Now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Far too many people go through life hoping, wishing, and wondering if they will make it to heaven. What kind of freedom is there to live captive to our fear? The issue may be settled today. Your wishes and hopes about heaven can be turned into realities.

You might be asking how? Simply, by praying a prayer similar to the following, sincerely and from the heart:

Lord, I know I am a sinner. I cannot save myself, and I’m tired of trying. From now on, I’m going to trust You to be my Savior and Lord and do in me and through me what I cannot do for myself. Thank You for giving Your life to me. Help me as I begin living my life for You. Draw me closer to You day by day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you have never prayed such a prayer before, do so now, it is certainly not too late. Then, find a local church that teaches the truth of the Bible. Then you will continue to learn as the Holy Spirit within you opens your heart and mind and you will begin living for Christ with the lessons you are learning and the leading of Christ’s Spirit.

So, do you now know what will happen if you pray that prayer and trust your life and future to Jesus Christ? You’ll settle the question of going to heaven once and for all and that assurance will energize your spiritual life and it will make an impact on those around you.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: Romans 3:21-31

The Divine Provision – Continued

Does true righteousness come from trying to live a good life and hoping God will reward our feeble attempts as many in the USA Weekend survey seem to believe? It would if God expected us to be sincere people with good intentions.

Neither approach, however, is acceptable to God. There is only one way to be right with God and settle the question of our eternal destiny. It is the way of faith . . . faith in the Christ who has done for us what we are incapable of doing for ourselves. What does it mean to have faith in Jesus Christ?

As an example, I read of an incident regarding a man who attends a well-thought of church. He was cutting firewood alone in the woods. As he was cutting down a huge tree, an unexpected and tragic event occurred. The tree rebounded off a limb nearby causing the base of the falling tree to swirl off its stump and land on his leg. He suffered a crushing blow to his right foot and ankle so severe that were it not for the leather boot he was wearing, his foot would have been severed at the ankle. Being a strong man, he sought to drag himself nearly a mile to the outskirts of the woods in spite of the difficulty and excruciating pain. It became increasingly apparent to him, however, he was not going to make it. At that point, he called for help. A farmer in a field nearby heard his pleas for help and came to assist him. Soon a rescue team in a helicopter flew him to a hospital where emergency surgery took place. By the time this incident was reported in the media, it stated that he is recovering with the hope that, not only will his foot be saved from amputation, but he will walk again someday without assistance.

When I first read this, I thought that his experience serves as an example of the meaning of faith. Although he may have wanted to be able to get to the hospital on his own, the fact is he had no option but to admit it was an impossible task and trust himself to the rescuers who could do for him what he was incapable of doing for himself. That’s what it means to have faith in Jesus. While we may want to entertain the illusion that our goodness (and our strengths) merits the grace of God, the fact is our goodness is hardly good enough. To trust Jesus means that I admit there is no way to win God’s favor by sincere and optimistic self-effort, but by a grateful acceptance of His Divine assistance.

Having seen, then, what God has done for us in Jesus Christ, we face again the question of the survey. What are your chances of going to heaven? Three observations are in order; the conclusion of which I hope will help you settle the question in your own mind once and for all.

Not chance, but choice. First, going to heaven is not a matter of chance, but choice. The choice is yours as well as mine. We may choose the way of self-effort and be destined to live a frustrated and defeated life. We may choose the way of chance and be destined to live in uncertainty and fearfulness and unfailing doubts. Or, we may choose God’s way which is the way of faith in Jesus Christ and live, not only in this life, but in the life to come. The choice is there. The decision is yours. Jesus stated it this way,

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).

But, you may find it. God’s way is right before you. The issue is, “Will you choose it?”

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.