Seeking Jesus

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Pete

Two words. Two words that I missed at first. Two words that some ramblings from 2006 caused me to go back and focus on. Two words that grabbed my attention this morning and gave reason to pause and think.

I was reading in John chapter 6. The context? . . . Jesus has been teaching and doing miracles . . . getting people’s attention and interest. In the first part of the chapter Jesus feeds the five thousand and then retreats away from the crowds. That evening His disciples get into a boat and head toward across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum. Jesus catches up with them later . . . by walking on the water! He gets in the boat and they arrive at their destination. And then, check out what happens the next day, back at the shores of where so many had participated in Jesus fish and bread feast . . .

On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but that His disciples had gone away alone. . . . So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.   (John 6:22, 24 ESV)

There they are . . . the two words . . . at the end of verse 24 . . . “seeking Jesus.”

Some were getting it and some weren’t but they were seeking Jesus. Some wanted more of Jesus because they wanted more food to eat, others were in pursuit because they were “tasting” something more, something eternal, something that was intrinsically wrapped up in the Giver of the bread. Some craved an encore performance . . . . others desired the Chef Himself. Some were seeking Jesus for the right reasons, some, not so much. But the “challenge phrase” for me this morning is that they were “seeking Jesus”. They got off their duffs . . . got into the boat . . . they couldn’t call ahead on their cell to know if He was really in Capernaum . . . and they made the effort to seek Jesus.

God desires seekers . . . and promises them discoveries beyond just a bit of food for the belly. The Son says, “Seek, and you will find” (Matt. 7:7). The Father, through Jeremiah the prophet declares, “You will seek Me and find Me. When you seek Me with all your heart.” (Jer. 29:13)

How many got up that morning and, with mild interest and curiosity, hung with the crowd saying, “Hmmm, wonder where He went,” only to lose interest and head home or look for the next free meal. How many stood beside the boats as their friends got in, encouraging them to come too, only to say, “You got to be kidding? Do you know how much of the day that will waste — and we don’t even know for sure, if He’s in Capernaum.” But whether for good motives or bad, for noble reasons or not so noble reasons, the Scriptures record that there were a number who “got into boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

Am I “seeking Jesus” or do I think I’ve already found Him so what more needs to be done? Am I “in search of Jesus” (NIV) or do I think I’ve got enough? Have I tasted and seen that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8) and developed an unquenchable thirst for His living water and an insatiable appetite for the Bread of Life? Am I saying “More!!! More!!!” or “Enough already!?”

Oh, that my awe of who He is would not wane . . . that my appreciation for what He has done would not fade over time . . . that my love for Him, because He first loved me, would not wax cold. Instead, that my desire for Him would increase . . . that I would continue to “get in the boat” . . . and seek Jesus.

By His grace . . . for His glory . . .

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A Grace Thing

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Pete

One of the most surprising things about 1Peter, I think, is that Peter’s answer to suffering is submission. Peter doesn’t offer escape routes . . . doesn’t coach on civil disobedience . . . doesn’t relax the standards of being a royal priesthood in order to fit in better and cause fewer waves. Instead, after painting a picture of the wonder of their salvation in the first part of His letter . . . of fixing their eyes on the prize to come so that they might be encouraged to keep running the race . . . the apostle then focuses on their calling as a “chosen race” and a “holy nation” (2:9-10). As “sojourners and exiles” (2:11) Peter calls them to live in a way that their very conduct will glorify God (2:12). And part of that conduct . . . submitting. How come? It’s a grace thing!

Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.   (1Peter 2:18-20 ESV)

That repeated phrase, “a gracious thing”, jumped off the page at me this morning. A bit unfamiliar to this past NKJV reader where it’s translated “commendable”. So I checked out the Greek behind the word. Sure enough it’s charis . . . the word commonly translated grace.

So Peter says be subject to those over you in the food chain. Here it’s the work food chain . . . but he also speaks of those in government . . . and will go on to speak of those in the family setting . . . and those even in the church. He’s says “be subject” . . . even if they are jerks (PLTV . . . Pete’s Loosely Translated Version). Peter says if you submit even to the unjust . . . if you suffer for doing good . . . if you endure when you are beaten though you’ve done nothing deserving of it . . . then, it’s a grace thing in the sight of God.

And as I noodle on that there seems to be a least a couple of facets to it.

Obviously it’s showing grace to the unjust . . . an undeserved subjection . . . frankly, I don’t know how motivating that might be on it’s own. But there’s also an aspect of which the grace thing is noticed by God, hence the NKJV rendering of “commendable.” When the Father sees His children living in a manner which reflects something of His own compassion and patience it affords Him a joy, pleasure, and delight. As He sees the fruit of the sanctifying work of His Spirit in His people evidenced by “unnatural” reactions to suffering . . . because they know they are suffering for His sake . . . the grace thing touches His heart.

And I guess a third aspect to this grace thing is the manner in which it reflects the Savior.

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly.   (1Peter 2:21-23 ESV)

Jesus is the ultimate example of this grace thing. For the love of a lost people, Jesus endured unjust suffering without retaliation. “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth” (Isa. 53:7). He entrusted Himself to the God of justice. The God who would also be Justifier as He determined to pay the ransom for sinners with the blood of His perfect Son. And, in that their sins have been atoned for, He can show grace . . . and ask that His people do this grace thing, too.

Oh, as a recipient of unfathomable grace . . may I, by His grace, . . . be myself, an example of this grace thing.

For His glory . . .

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A Matter of Glory

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Pete

Jesus has a way of getting to the heart of the matter. I’m reading John 5 where Jesus continues to engage those who were seeking to kill Him because He was a Sabbath breaker . . . the latest evidence being the man whom Jesus healed after being an invalid for 38 years . . . Jesus told him to take up his mat and walk . . . he did . . . but it was Saturday . . . and rather then invoking awe among the religious elite it invoked their anger . . . brother! Anyway, not only are they choked because Jesus is healing people on the Sabbath but they are also starting to get that Jesus is “making Himself equal with God” by “calling God His own Father” (John 5:18). And so they challenge Him . . . and so Jesus responds.

In this last portion of John 5 (vv. 30-47), Jesus offers up the testimony of multiple witnesses. He acknowledges that “If I alone bear witness about Myself, My testimony is not true” (v.31). Just as in the Old Testament a charge against someone had to be established by two or three witnesses, so Jesus is prepared to offer up a line of witnesses who also bear testimony to Jesus being the Son of God.

First, there was John the Baptist (v.33-35) . . . and then, there were also the works that Jesus was doing which testified that He was not just your everyday, average Joe, rabbi from Nazareth (v.36). Beyond that, Jesus declares that the Father Himself has borne witness about His Son. But, says Jesus, these “men of the clothe” had never heard God’s voice . . . they’d never encountered Him in any form . . . and what’s more, they did not have His word abiding in them (v.37). And so he diagnosis the real problem . . . it wasn’t a matter of the body of testimony . . . it was a matter of glory . . .

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life. . . . How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?   (John 5:39, 40, 44 ESV)

It brings to mind the old western movie cliche, “Pardner, this town ain’t big enough for the two of us.” The human soul isn’t big enough to seek the glory that comes from men and also receive the glory that has been offered from the God of all men. Had these religious leaders been seeking the glory of God . . . had they been sincerely searching the Scriptures for life giving understanding . . . then, they would have recognized Messiah. Instead, they had used the Scriptures to build their own kingdoms . . . they leveraged the Book to increase their own fame . . . they distorted the Word to promote their own piety. And Jesus asks, How can you believe when you’re more interested in the applause of men rather then the unimaginable honor of being a child of God . . . even if that means being a servant of all?

So it seems that, at least in part, faith is tied to glory. The ability to believe is severely compromised when our priority is to be a somebody. The degree to which the Scriptures can infiltrate our minds, hearts, and souls is the degree to which we have released the need for the praise of men and seek God’s favor only . . . a favor which is by grace through faith . . . a favor found only in His blessed Son.

It’s a matter of glory . . . whether we seek it from one another or from Him who is above all others.

It’s a matter of glory . . . ours or His.

. . . this town ain’t big enough for both . . . amen?

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The Power to Grow Up

Posted on October 12, 2012 by Pete

I teach a high school Sunday school class. This year we are going to be working our way through Galatians. Before starting though, we spent 4 weeks on asking the question, “What is the Gospel?” Figured it was kind of important to get some re-grounding in the gospel given it’s at the core of why Paul gets so choked at what was happening to those “foolish Galatians.” It’s foundational . . . and if you mess with the foundation . . . if you don’t get the footings right . . . the rest of the building is going to be severely compromised . . . maybe even come crashing down.

And so, in the class, we focused on Romans 1:16 where Paul says the gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” And based on what I read in 1Peter this morning, the gospel is also the power to grow up.

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation–if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.    (1Peter 2:2-3 ESV)

If we think of salvation solely as the event that occurred in the past when I first believed, then I’m thinking we may tend to also think that the gospel was something for our past. But if, as Peter alludes to, salvation is also a process . . . if it is a current dynamic . . . if it is something we are to “grow up” into . . . then isn’t the gospel still the power of God for salvation?

By faith we trusted the good news that Jesus, through a perfect life, a once-for-all atoning sacrifice, and a death-conquering resurrection, has fully paid the price of our redemption and has imputed His righteousness to our account. And in that we were saved. If now, as Peter encourages believes, we to grow up to salvation . . . if we are now in the process of “being saved” . . . then aren’t we to be just as dependent on the person and finished work of Christ on our behalf. We were saved, from the penalty of sin, by the power of the gospel. We are being saved, from the power of sin, and I’m guessing that too will be by the power of the gospel.

The gospel is not just how we begin in Christ, but it is also how we grow in Christ. Someone has said it’s “not just the diving board off of which we jump into the pool of Christianity; it is the pool itself. It’s not just the ABC’s of Christianity; it is the A–Z” (JD Greear).

Peter says you’ve tasted the Lord’s goodness . . . you’ve experienced the grace . . . you’ve known the rest that can be yours through a work finished on your behalf . . . you’ve had encounters with the infused energy of being a new creation because the righteousness of Another was credited to your account . . . you’ve had an inkling of the freedom that can be known because it’s not about who you are or what you can do. Therefore, Peter urges, be like newborn infants . . . don’t let anything keep you from the pure, spiritual milk of the Word that has saved you . . . drink deep of that which you have already tasted. Nurse on the milk of the gospel . . . fill yourself up with the grace of God by the grace of God . . . swim in the pool . . . and then know the reality of “being saved” . . . of growing up into salvation.

The gospel is the power of God for salvation past . . . for the forgiveness of sin . . . for the work of justification. The gospel will be the power of God for salvation future . . . when we are delivered from the presence of sin . . . when we are promoted into the realm of God Himself . . . the work of glorification. And praise God, the gospel is the power of God for salvation present . . . for shedding the chains of sin’s bondage and knowing a functional release from the power of sin . . . His glorious on-going work of sanctification in our lives.

O’ taste and see the Lord is good. Feed deep on the good news of His amazing grace. It really is the power to grow up! Amen?

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I Do!

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Pete

At first it kind of comes across as a really weird question to ask. You gotta be kidding me . . . did He really think there was more than one answer to the question? But then, as I think about it, it’s a bit haunting . . . one of those questions that can penetrate soul and spirit.

Reading in John 5 this morning. Jesus goes up to Jerusalem to participate in one of the feasts of the Jews. By the city’s Sheep Gate there’s a pool . . . apparently a pool with a reputation of being a source of miraculous healing if one can get in the waters after the they have been “stirred up.” So it’s not the celebrities who are hanging out around this pool . . . no lounge chairs with tanned somebodies wearing sunglasses and getting on a tan. No, the people hanging out around this pool are “a multitude of invalids–blind, lame, and paralyzed” . . . aka beggars. These are the outcasts . . . these are those with no means of their own . . . these are those beyond having any capability to stand on their own two feet — some, literally!

And as Jesus comes upon this pool He notices one man. A man who had been an invalid for 38 years. For almost four decades . . . since before Jesus was born . . . if it was today, since 1974 . . . this guy had been ravished by a chronic illness . . . the disease sapping him of all his strength . . . his limbs rendered almost entirely useless . . . so weak that for years he had tried to crawl into the stirred waters but couldn’t move quick enough and was always beaten out by another. And Jesus takes notices of this guy . . . locks on him . . . knows his current, hopeless situation . . . knows everything about his past which brought him to this place . . . and then asks him the question. The weird question . . . the question that you think there can be only one answer to . . . the question that starts to penetrate because the obvious answer has implications.

One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”   (John 5:5-6 ESV)

Really? Do you want to be healed? Do you want to be made well? Do you want to be made whole? That’s the question? Yup, it is.

If you think about it, there’s some implications around being able to stand on your own two feet. For starters, you need to carry your own mat rather than have someone carry it for you . . . and maybe take some flack for doing so (5:9-11). You’ll need to work to feed yourself rather than rely on the labors of others for handouts. Not that the man would be left to do it on his own. Jesus was the one who would heal . . . Jesus was one who would give strength . . . Jesus was the one who would provide direction saying, “Get up and walk” . . . He’s the one who would show the way to long term victory, “Sin no more” (v.14). But still, you can see where it might have been easier for the guy to say, “I’ll pass, thank you . . . I think I’ll stick with my well known status quo.”

And so the question penetrates. Do I want to be made whole? Jesus is wanting to do a work in me . . . to continue the process of healing the scars from the disease of sin . . . to come alongside to strengthen feeble legs as He calls me to walk in a manner worthy of my calling . . . to work from the inside, through the indwelling Spirit, that I might serve Him in resurrection power. Do you want to be made well . . . do you?

I do. I want to know legs made strong by the Savior . . . I’m willing to carry my mat even if it’s not popular . . . I want be what He’s called me to be . . . I want to do what He wants me to do.

But I can only “I do” by His enabling and abiding presence. And so, by His grace and for His glory, I’ll get up and walk . . .

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There’s More to Come!

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Pete

He’s writing to a band of brothers and sisters in Christ who were increasingly experiencing opposition for their faith. The sparks of intolerance were increasingly fanning into flames of out-and-out persecution. Things were getting tougher . . . trials were not only increasing in frequency but in intensity. And so Peter writers to these “elect exiles of the Dispersion” to encourage them to keep on keepin’ on in the face of mounting difficulties.

And he comes out of the corner swinging. Bless God! We’ve been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ! We have an inheritance awaiting us that won’t perish or fade. The story of our salvation is yet to be completed (v. 3-5). And what a salvation it is! The prophets who foretold such salvation were besides themselves trying to understand the grace that was to be yours . . . grace through the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories of His resurrection, His ascension, and His promised return . . . such good news that even angels are preoccupied with trying to fully understand the full breadth and depth of the salvation you’ve been blessed with (v. 10-12).

Throughout these opening verses Peter encourages these beat up believers by reminding them that their current situation needs to be viewed in the context of a complete salvation . . . a salvation which has dealt with the penalty of sin in the past . . . a salvation sufficient to sustain them as they battle the power of sin in the present . . . and a salvation which presents a the solid rock of hope that they will be delivered from the presence of sin in the future. They had found grace . . . they were living by grace . . . but there’s more grace to come . . .

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.   (1Peter 1:13 ESV)

The grace that will be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ. How much more grace can there be?

By faith, I have seen the Son, the blessed, holy, spotless Lamb of God, offer Himself for my sin . . . having paid the price in full on Calvary’s cruel cross for my failure. The debt I could not pay, He has paid in full . . . the life I was incapable of living, He lived . . . the holiness I was incapable of manufacturing He has imputed and is now imparting through the power of His resurrected life. I’ve experienced the unmerited favor of the Father who has not only forgiven my transgressions against Him, but has adopted me as a child and declared me a joint heir with Christ. I’m increasingly recognizing the reality of the undeserved blessing of the Spirit not only leading me into truth but doing so from the inside . . . having taken up residence within me through a spiritual connection that is beyond my feeble comprehension.

But there’s more to come . . . aspects of grace that will be evident when faith gives way to sight.

If I have a sense now of the favor extended by heaven, what will it be like when I’m there? When I am actually before the throne of God . . . when I am surrounded by hosts of angels crying, “Holy, holy, holy!” . . . when I am reunited with legions of believers who have all had their sin-stained garments washed in the blood of the Lamb and, in unison are declaring with all their might, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready” (Rev. 19:6-7)?

There’s more grace to be revealed . . . more blessing to reveled in . . . more fuel for the fires of worship.

Hang in there, saint . . . that’s Peter’s encouragement this morning . . . there’s more to come! Amen?

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Genuine Faith

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Pete

So many people live to die. They strive for noteworthy accomplishment that they might leave a legacy. They get while the getting’s good that they might be eulogized as someone who lived a full life. They lay up treasure in order to leave an inheritance. And this morning I’m reminded by Peter that the ways of the kingdom are so different than the ways of this world.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith–more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire–may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.   (1Peter 1:3-7 ESV)

For the believer the end game is not about dying . . . in fact we’ve been born again to a living hope . . . we live to live to the full. Jesus is the conqueror of death and in Him we set our face on a future founded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For the saint, it’s not about conceding to the reality of an end, it’s about living in the excited anticipation of a beginning . . . not about perishing but about being promoted . . . not about saying goodbye to loved ones but about saying, See ya’ later!

For the believer it’s not about leaving an inheritance, it’s about coming into one . . . an inheritance that is beyond imagination . . . treasure of a type that literally lasts forever . . . having been made heirs of the very riches of heaven. Not an inheritance that I’ve earned . . . but an inheritance that is guaranteed based on the finished work of Another. Not an inheritance that reflects something of my worth . . . but riches that are sourced in grace and guarded through faith . . . to be surely revealed in the last time.

And what can I bring to the table? By God’s grace I can bring a “genuine faith.” Faith that is tested by trial . . . faith that is purified by testing . . . faith that, far from being a crutch, will result in the greatest of all treasures . . . that is, to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” That there might be any measure of praise or glory or honor directed to a sinner saved by grace by the Sovereign Savior is absolutely amazing! That any reward might be given for seeking refuge in the Rock during the storm . . . that any recognition might be directed toward those who have sought the shelter of His wing during trials . . . that sheep running to their Shepherd might be factored into the kingdom’s compensation system . . . is grace beyond grace.

But the value of tested, genuine faith is of great worth to my King.

Oh, that my faith would be the real thing. That, through the enabling power of the Spirit within me, it would stand the test of trials.

That I might live to live. That I might strive for that which demonstrates the eternal legacy of the cross and the empty tomb. That I might live life and live it to the full such that He is glorified and glorified to the max. That I might lay up treasure in heaven so that when I come into my inheritance I would have crowns to lay at His feet.

Genuine faith . . . it’s the way the kingdom.

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Transparency

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Pete

It was the last thing in the world she expected. That He had talked to her at all was amazing . . . that He offered her a type of water which would never leave her thirsty again was intriguing . . . and, after she asked for this water which wells up to eternal, that He would respond with such a request was shocking! . . . Go get your husband . . .

He freely offered her living water . . . but it would cost her . . .

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”  (John 4:16-18 ESV)

Transparency . . . that’s what she was required to ante up. A recognition of her thirst . . . an acknowledgement of her need. That was the price to be paid . . . truth before the Giver of Living Water.

Transparency can be kind of uncomfortable . . . so she tries to steer the conversation to more esoteric matters . . . to matters of a difference of opinion . . . to the dividing debate between Samaritan and Jew, where to worship. But Jesus loves her too much to let her off the hook. Worship isn’t about heritage . . . it’s not about the mountain or Jerusalem . . . it’s not about an on-going debate . . . it’s about God . . . the God who requires transparency and truth . . .

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” — Jesus (John 4:23-24 ESV)

Do I want to take in living water? . . . Do I want to put out authentic worship? . . . then I’m thinking I need to, though it might be uncomfortable, walk onto the ground of transparency and truth with the Giver of Living Water . . . with the Seeker of Real Worshipers.

Honesty before the throne. That’s what my God desires. When I’m spiritually parched I need to be willing to be shown how I’ve contributed to the dryness . . . to own up to perhaps some waywardness . . . or some prideful self-sufficiency which has interrupted the flow of living water. I need not fear transparency . . . in fact, being reminded again of Jesus unconditional love for me despite my performance deficiencies is life giving water in and of itself. To be made aware again that the God who formed me . . . and redeemed me . . . and has begun a work in me . . . knows me inside and out . . . and still is committed to the finishing His work, is rejuvenating. To humble myself and confess my sin, knowing that He is faithful and just to forgive my sin and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness (1John 1:9) . . . that alone will refuel the passion to praise . . . the want to worship.

Transparency . . . truth . . . that’s how I am to open my mouth to receive heaven’s thirst-quenching water . . . that’s how I am to approach the God of matchless grace who seeks worshipers . . .

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
   Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
   and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)

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Anticipating the Harvest

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Pete

If I’m honest with myself, I’m not really a patient person. I don’t think my natural wiring lends itself to “chilling out” and buckling down for the long haul. Certainly this digital age of 140 character sentences, four minute videos, and six paragraph blogs hasn’t helped my tendency to be a bit of a pinball. But this morning James tells me to be patient . . . to establish my heart . . . to stand firm . . . to place my feet firmly on the Rock that is my compassionate and merciful God (James 5:7-12).

As an example, James says, look to the prophets and their patient endurance of suffering as they spoke the word of the Lord (v. 10). Not hard to do as I’ve just finished reading four chapters in Jeremiah. Jeremiah was one patient dude. Talk about your “fruitless ministry” . . . no one’s listening . . . other self-proclaimed prophets are popping up and counter-prophesying, saying that it won’t be as bad as Jeremiah has declared . . . the religious leaders want to kill him. I think I’d be looking for a new calling if I were Jeremiah.

So what keeps someone keep going when there are so little visible results? James provides this perspective . . . anticipate the harvest.

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand . . . behold, the Judge is standing at the door.  
                                                                                    (James 5:7-8, 9b ESV)

The principle of the farmer is simple, do the work you can and plant seed (that’s his responsibility) . . . then wait for the rains (something he doesn’t control) . . . and wait for time to pass (something he can’t rush) . . . and then harvest the crop.

Living for Christ is like that. I need to do my part . . but then I need to wait on God to do His part . . . and to do it in His time . . . knowing that He gives the growth (1Cor. 3:6) . . . reminded that He is the Lord of the harvest.

And three times James reminds me of the surety of the harvest . . . the ultimate bringing in of the sheaves . . . that Jesus is coming soon.

He’s at the door . . . that glorious event is just around the corner. And as I anticipate it . . . as I set my heart on it so much that I can taste it . . . then a steadfastness can be known as I determine to “keep on keepin’ on” as I wait for it.

That’s what keeps the farmer tending his field . . . the expectation that the seeds will grow into a bounty . . . and the anticipation of the jubilation of harvest . That’s how I’m to be . . . it’s all about planting seeds now . . . it’s all about being faithful . . . regardless of the circumstance . . . because I know He is coming.

Until then, I am to be patient . . . to stand fast . . . to believe . . . to look up . . . to discern the signs of the time . . . and, from time to time, turn my face heavenward, close my eyes, and smile . . . smile a deep smile of assurance . . . anticipating the harvest . . .

. . . by His grace . . . for His glory . . .

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The Friend of the Bridegroom

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Pete

Finishing up John 3 this morning (vv. 22-36) . . . and as I reflect on today’s reading and the readings of the past couple of mornings I’m struck by a contrast. You probably couldn’t have encountered two more opposite dudes than Nicodemus and John the Baptizer. One a Pharisee . . . among the elite . . . dressing each morning in finery . . . accustomed to the place of honor and privilege . . . a somebody by anybodies account. The other a . . . ah . . . ah . . . a wild man . . . some (like Erwin McManus) would call him a barbarian . . . anything but civilized . . . dressing in animal skins . . . a stranger to deodorant I imagine . . . accustomed to eating whatever the wilderness would provide . . . a nobody who was all about Somebody else. The one came to Jesus at night . . . the other proclaimed the Lamb of God day after day. And here’s the contrast that really grabs me this morning . . . the one was a man schooled in the law . . . learned . . . a teacher of Israel . . . yet clueless as to the dynamics of the kingdom of God. The other . . . oh, the other! What he knew . . . what he discerned . . . what he understood! What privilege is given to those who are the friend of the Bridegroom.

John’s disciples come to John a bit bent out of shape that John’s ministry is starting to lose steam as the crowds are instead flocking to Jesus. John’s response? “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John had known his was about pointing to another . . . he had been very clear that he was not the “main event” but the preparer of the way. John understood that he was of the earth, but Jesus was from heaven . . . Jesus had come from above . . . and as such Jesus was above all. John understood that Jesus was the Son of God . . . that the Father loves the Son and had given all things into the Son’s hand . . . that Jesus uttered the very words of God . . . that Jesus would give the Spirit without measure . . . and that whoever believed in the Son would have eternal life.

How did John know all this? Did he and cousin Jesus hang out while they were growing up planning the day when the “Jesus Tour” would kick off with the “Wilderness Warning” as the opening act? No record of it. My sense is that John was the recipient of some heavenly sourced illumination . . . the benefit of being the friend of the Bridegroom.

“A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before Him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.” — John the Baptizer (John 3:27-29 ESV)

There’s nothing John knew, regardless of whatever earthy mechanics may have been used, that wasn’t given him from heaven. He was a friend of the Bridegroom who had set his heart to stand with Him and to listen to Him. He had heard the Bridegroom’s voice . . . for years by faith and through the Spirit and now in real time as Jesus revealed the ways of the kingdom. And in hearing that voice, now as always, he rejoiced . . . his joy was complete.

And while I’m no John the Baptizer . . . by the grace of God and through the work of the cross I am a friend of the Bridegroom. He has made a way for me to stand in His presence . . . He has given me His word that I might know His ways . . . He has indwelt me with His Spirit that I might hear His voice . . . the same dynamic of illumination that allowed John to behold the Lamb of God works in me today. It’s the privilege of being a friend of the Bridegroom.

Nicodemus would eventually be brought into the same privilege. The equalizer between a Pharisee and a barbarian being their relationship with the living Christ.

That I would rejoice in such favor . . . that my joy might be made complete . . . not by my smarts but by His grace . . . not for my glory but for His glory alone!

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