Monday, April 27, 2015

You Are The Christ

We may not always take the time to reflect on the magnitude of this confession found in Matthew 16, nor the conviction required by Peter and the apostles. For Christians we read this passage with pride to see Peter able to exclaim the truth about Jesus’ deity. But consider all the many people that witnessed all that He did and still didn’t believe. Jesus did amazing miracles and taught unlike any other; however, in the end, there were more skeptics than believers. Why?

Different reasons perhaps. People may have refused to believe in Jesus as the Christ because they didn’t want Him to be the Messiah. The Messiah many people hoped for would be one who destroys their enemies; he would bring instant prosperity to the masses, which would mean that Israel as a nation would once again be a super-power in the world, a nation to be proud of because people respected her. Jesus, in spite of His one-of-a-kind miracles, wasn’t what they were looking for; He didn’t fit the image of a super power king.

For others, it must have been fear that kept them from believing that He was truly the Son of God. In John 9 we read where the man born blind was healed and then after being healed was questioned by the Sanhedrin, simply because of who healed him and when he did it. The council asked the ex-blind man’s parents, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” And they said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” We then see why they had such caution in their answer. John 9:22 says, “His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.” Earlier in John 7:13 we see the Jewish leaders fear tactics weren’t restricted to the synagogue, they were widespread; “no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews.”

While these two reasons help us see why Peter’s confession was such a bold and profound declaration considering the possible consequences for making his declaration, we can see another reason that obviously pleased Jesus to hear him confess. The scriptures revealed it to Peter! Peter was able to see how God had been working through Jesus even if He didn’t fit the image the populace had about the Messiah, and he could even see how people would hate the Messiah because of who He was. This meant Peter paid attention not only to Jesus’ teachings but also the teachings from the Law and the Prophets he received while he was growing up.

When we are convicted to trust in God’s son because we see the evidence in the scriptures, we not only see the description of the Christ prophesied about, but we can read the promises to us. Seeing God’s plan revealed in the Bible helps us to rely on the senses that only those who have the Spirit of God can see and understand. 1 Corinthians 2:6-8, “Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

The proof of His deity still penetrates many people but to believe He is the chosen one mandates that His words and instruction have authority. His words can give us confidence to trust in His existence as the Son of God, the Savior of the world, but that also means we can trust in His words for guidance throughout life.

We don’t have to be afraid of what people say about a choice to declare God’s sovereignty or His power as the Messiah. Trust in His words. It was Jesus who said in John 14:1-3, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also… (6) I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

His words are faithful, so He asks us to make the same confession concerning Christ’s identity. Are you able to make the same statement with confidence in spite of the increasing pressure to ignore or deny Jesus as anyone significant?

Monday, April 13, 2015

Seeking Acceptance

Kids today face unbelievable pressure to “fit in.” That pressure can cause them to do whatever it takes, even if they are afraid of it. For this reason, it’s important to be surrounded by “good” people for a purpose, just as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals.”

But regardless if you or your child has a fantastic spiritual infrastructure established or not, the pressure to not be weird is there. For some that pressure may lead them to talk differently, for others it may lead them to act differently. Sometimes it’s not just odd, it’s out right rebellious and wrong.

When I was in 7th grade, I fell in with some kids that proved to be bad for me. None of us appeared to be thugs or troublemakers, but there was a problem. One kid in our group liked to shoplift from a 7-11 down the street from our neighborhood. It wasn’t because he was poor the best I could tell, but looking back it was a way to prove he wasn’t afraid of the law. If he liked something he’d take it. Although I have always felt that I wasn’t very responsive to peer pressure, I can’t say that about this vice.

If he could steal stuff and get away with it, I could too. I never felt good about it but once I did it, I had been “initiated” into a “man club,” although there was no official club, but that’s how I remember feeling. I was afraid to stop because of how I felt my “friends” might perceive my motives for quitting–fear.

Like many sins, once I began to feel more comfortable doing little things I had a hunger for more things to steal. It got so bad that I would seek out places that would be very difficult not to get caught just to see if I could get away with it. It worked fine until one day a manager caught me as I was trying to teach a younger protégé how to be as good as a thief as I was. Fortunately, he called my dad instead of the law. It saved jail time, but cost me some beatings. 

That event helped me see later on how powerful fear can be. I wasn’t afraid of getting caught; I was afraid of looking like I was afraid. The truth is that it’s not just kids that find themselves in a battle of fear, adults face it just as much. The fear of being looked down upon and considered a failure still ranks as one of the biggest fears people face. Bigger than snakes and heights.

We want so desperately to be accepted that we would jeopardize anything to get it. Some take it farther than others. Just consider Cain and his hunger for God’s acceptance. The fear of rejection caused him to go somewhere that he’d regret for the rest of his life. Sadly, God had told him what he needed to do to find acceptance. It was an issue of his heart. He didn’t need to kill the competition just change his attitude about what he was bringing to God.

Cain wasn’t the last person to seek acceptance from God and others. All throughout scriptures the story repeats itself with almost an identical outcome. Ultimately God wants us to humble ourselves and trust him. God sent his son to earth to show us what a person accepted by God should do, and it wasn’t what the Pharisees were selling. Jesus condemned them for their hypocrisy, which we discover the more we read about them that they were so worried about their reputation that they rejected God’s guidance.

Jesus said in Mark 7:6-8, “this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men. Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” Perhaps we could argue how much of what they practiced was done out of fear verses pride, but there is a connection.

Our own lives can be filled with things we say, or do, or think because we want so badly to fit in. You may be reading this and have felt Satan’s grasp in your life to look a certain way, to think a certain way, or any number of actions that if you’re honest they’ve been done out of fear of looking socially awkward. Remember that God loves you and he has laid out a path before you that leads to eternal acceptance and his blessings, but that path is revealed through Jesus Christ. You are accepted by God; will you answer his plea to simply follow him and forget about what the world thinks about your choice?

Friday, April 3, 2015

The Word is Hope

For some, it isn’t too hard to imagine that scene at the home of Martha and Mary in Bethany after the funeral of their brother. Lazarus’ death came as a big surprise to everyone, especially Martha and Mary. An interesting thing about life is that we don’t know how long we have to live. We make plans assuming that we’ll have plenty of time ahead of us, but then the unexpected happens, and all our dreams come to a screeching halt. There were dreams that Martha and Mary knew Lazarus could never achieve now.

Jesus missed the funeral. He hadn’t been there when those closest to Lazarus felt they needed him. By Martha’s comment in John 11:21, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died,” it seems obvious she was frustrated, maybe disappointed. She also knew that she and Lazarus had become faithful followers of Jesus, and that she needed to trust Him now.

However, for Jesus, this was an opportunity to show them an example of what it would be like when He comes back to earth to bring home those who are faithful to him. Before Jesus and His disciples made it to Bethany, He had said in John 11:4, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” For Jesus, the trip was an exciting demonstration of God’s power. It was obvious they couldn’t see what He saw in their situation. They saw death and mourning; He saw life and promise.

His prayer to God (John 11:41-42) revealed His heart. “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.”

Sure enough, the day that began in sorrow ended with joy unlike they’d ever experienced. What Jesus did for Lazarus was done to help Martha and Mary and their friends. They needed to have the hope that only God can provide: the hope of resurrection from the dead.

When Jesus arose from the dead three days after His crucifixion, hope was once again restored. We have the privilege of reflecting on that sacrifice daily, but formally we do that when we take the Lord’s Supper, of which Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”

This Easter, take time to think about all the hope-filled promises God makes to us. It takes a different perspective to look at all of our circumstances as an opportunity for God’s glory to be seen in what we do. This is what Romans 8:28 says that helps us gain His perspective, “we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

As we follow God, we should hold His words precious, knowing that His words lead us closer to Him. Jesus was the Word in the flesh, according to John 1:1, 14, which means who Jesus was and what He did explain God’s word from cover to cover. Praise God that He sent His son to show us how to trust Him even in the unexpected circumstances.