A One-Way Trip

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Pete

For the better part of 13 chapters he has contended for their faith. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews addresses those who thought that they had seen in Jesus the prophesied Messiah and had put their hope and trust in Him . . . most likely they had publicly declared their faith through baptism . . . identifying themselves with this new movement that preached a salvation apart from works. The Mosaic law, the temple, the Levitical practices, while all still very important and meaningful had become “the old way of life” . . . no longer viewed as the means of acceptance with God, but now seen as but a shadow of that which was accomplished by Jesus through His death and resurrection. But with this new Way came new troubles. Rejected by family, friends, and the Hebrew community at large, they wavered . . . was Jesus really Messiah? . . . is this truly the way? . . . is it worth the trial and struggle? And so, he contends for their faith.

And as he concludes his letter with a number of final exhortations, one in particular has me thinking . . .

“Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” – Hebrews 13:13

Just as the carcasses of the animal offerings of old, whose blood was shed for temporary atonement, were taken and burned outside the tent city of Moses’ time, so Jesus was taken outside the walls of Jerusalem to suffer and die. He, being the better sacrifice of a better covenant, was taken outside the gates of Jerusalem and there, that He might sanctify the people, He shed His own blood . . . securing once for all atonement . . . opening forever a way into the presence of God and into relationship with God. This way being made available to all who believe . . . apart from works . . . by grace alone. Free . . . but, as these believers were experiencing, not without cost. And thus, says the writer, we need to be prepared to go to outside the camp and bear His reproach.

I guess there are a few camps that I have had to leave in order to pursue this new life in Christ. The camp of the “faith of my fathers” or, in my case, the lack thereof . . . not popular initially, still not understood now, by many of my blood relatives. There was also the camp of the dance band and the world that it had brought me into — a world I was led to leave. And the camp of “normal college activities” which I felt I needed to sit out and take an outsider’s posture toward thus not quite fitting in. And as I think on it, I can probably come up with other camps that I have had to leave or decide to forego participating in because of a Spirit fueled desire to try and follow Jesus . . . to try and walk the talk . . . to be consistent . . . to be obedient. The reproach hasn’t been severe . . . the price doesn’t even compare to what others, in different parts of the world, are suffering for the sake of following Christ. But regardless of the degree of reproach, there was a trip to be taken . . . a one-way trip . . . a trip that I think all believers have to, at some point or another, decide to make . . . a trip to “outside the camp.”

But it’s not going outside just for the sake of being different . . . not just leaving something . . . not just “not doing” something . . . but we “go forth to Him. ” We step out in pursuit of something better . . . Jesus. We go outside because being with Him and living for Him is so superior to staying inside. We exit the gates of that place because “here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come” (Heb. 13:14). It’s not about looking back at what we’ve left, but looking forward to what lies ahead . . . considering “that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).

Oh, that God, through the Spirit living inside believers, would enable us to go outside the camp . . . whatever that might be . . . to leave the constraints of the old man and the old ways . . . to not be trapped by what others might think or not think of us . . . but, to go outside the camp in pursuit of the Giver of Life . . . to fix our eyes on that city to come . . . to set our feet upon pilgrimage to the place where He is the glory and the Light and the All-in-All. That He would lead us on this one-way trip . . . for our blessing . . . and for His glory . . . amen.

Posted in Hebrews | Leave a comment

Solid Ground

Posted on September 17, 2010 by Pete

This morning I was reminded of one my anchors. You know, those truths . . . those people . . . those things that you can count on and be sure of. I really don’t know how people keep on keepin’ on without some solid ground in their life. Sure, riding a roller coaster can be kind of fun and exhilarating (I say in theory, ’cause I don’t get on things), but I’m guessing that after awhile, even if you think you desire to (or are required to) get back on the ride, that it’s kind of nice to stand on solid ground every once in awhile. And it doesn’t do you much good to get off a boat after an extended time in stormy seas and try and get your “land legs” back if you end up walking into an earthquake . . . it’s not just getting back on ground . . . but it’s got to be stable ground. A simple, but profound verse, in Hebrews 13 is such solid ground . . .

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” — Hebrews 13:8

How’s that for an anchor? How’s that for some stability? Looks like some solid ground to me.

It reminds me that Jesus is God. To be the same always . . . or immutable . . . aka unchanging . . . is an attribute owned by God alone. “For I am the LORD, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6) . . . “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17) . . . “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.’ ” (Isaiah 44:6) There is no variation with God . . . Jesus is the same always . . . Jesus is God, very God . . . one with the Father . . . and my solid rock.

And I’m also reminded that this unchanging Jesus lives in me . . . for “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20a). Chew on that one again . . . the same yesterday, today, and forever Jesus lives in me . . . He has taken up residence within this redeemed soul. How, if we believe it and continually remind ourselves of it, does it not provide some stability in what may be for many of us a pretty unstable world? How solid is this simple truth about our Lord?

Throughout this book of Hebrews, the writer has seemed to address a group of Jewish believers who are wavering concerning their faith in Christ . . . the honeymoon’s over and they’re being shaken as the impacts and implications of owning Jesus unsettles their lives. No longer accepted within the community of their heritage . . . perhaps persecuted for following this One rejected by their religious leaders . . . they seem to be having second thoughts. And so Jesus has been presented, again and again, as better . . . a better high priest . . . a better sacrifice . . . a better way into the holy of holies . . . the Mediator of a better covenant. And in presenting Him as such, these rollercoaster riding believers are reminded of those who have gone before them by faith . . . and being surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses they’re encouraged to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of their faith . . . to consider Him . . . to put their suffering in the context of His suffering . . . and, to put their unsuitability in the context of the His unchanging nature.

Sometimes I just need to be reminded that He is my anchor and grab on for dear life. Even when my current situation seems to be stable and solid, I need to be reminded that the only true solid ground is Jesus and Him alone.

Praise God for such an anchor . . .

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; In ev’ry high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the whelming flood; When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay. When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found; Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ the solid Rock I stand — All other ground is sinking sand . . . ” — The Solid Rock, Edward Mote

Posted in Hebrews | Leave a comment

Heart Burn

Posted on September 16, 2010 by Pete

I started feeling it almost immediately this morning . . . came on kind of suddenly . . . but it didn’t take long to diagnose what was happening. It came on as a result of recognizing Him in Isaiah . . . I started feeling it as I heard His voice in this ancient prophet . . . my heart started to burn within me as I read the words which my Savior took for His own when He identified Himself 2,000 years ago to a congregation in a synagogue in Nazareth . . .

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD . . . ” (Isaiah 61:1-2a, Luke 4:18-19).

Jesus told those in the synagogue that Sabbath morning, after He had read this portion of Isaiah, that these words were fulfilled in Him. That’s why, when I started reading in Isaiah 61 this morning, my soul was stirred. And I continued to read of Him and me. I read that He promised “to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” (61:3) . . . and my “condition” got worse . . . or better . . . maybe more acute is a better description. My stirred soul becoming a spirit in awe . . . and filled with gratitude . . . and welling up in praise . . . as I recognized myself as that “planting of the LORD” for His glory. What I was feeling was then expressed later in this passage . . . “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.” (61:10).

I read Isaiah 61 this morning . . . and my “condition” came on suddenly. How come? . . . heart burn.

My “condition” was diagnosed when I read also in Luke 24 this morning. The risen Lord Jesus is walking with a couple of disciples on the road to Emmaus . . . He has veiled Himself such that, though they are interacting with Him face to face, they don’t recognize Him. They tell Him about how their worlds have been rocked by Jesus’ crucifixion because they though that Jesus was the one to redeem Israel . . . they also tell Him that some women found His tomb empty and saw a vision declaring He was alive. They don’t what to think . . . not sure what to believe. And so Jesus, beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, explains to them what the Scriptures teach concerning Himself (I bet you He covered Isaiah 61). (Luke 24:13-27)

Jesus eventually reveals Himself to them as they eat together and He breaks bread for them. He then vanishes. They then verbalize what I am experiencing this morning . . . “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32)

They too experienced heart burn. It was a result of being with Jesus . . . it was brought on by Him opening the Scriptures to them. Could that be what’s happening to me this morning through Isaiah 61? . . . I’m thinkin’!

He who lives within me through His Holy Spirit showed Himself to me through Isaiah 61. I recognized Him almost immediately. As I read these ancient words, I knew that they spoke of Him. I was stirred by seeing Jesus in God’s inspired revelation . . . I was drawn in as I saw Him afresh in the prophet’s words . . . my heart burned within me as He opened the Scriptures . . . I had been with Jesus.

How often do I not recognize these divine encounters? . . . how often do I think it’s me “feelin’ it” rather than Him “revealing it?” This is the dynamic God promises . . . the living and powerful word of God . . . bringing illumination through the ever present Spirit of God . . . that I might encounter the glorious and risen Son of God. And when that happens . . . heart burn! Amen?

Posted in Isaiah, Luke | Leave a comment

Has My Back

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Pete

David, in Psalm 103:2, encourages the listeners of this particular “tune-age” to “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” . . . this morning, I’m finding myself still discovering benefits . . . being blessed by considerations of the wonderful extent of my salvation . . . in awe of another part of the inventory of what I possess as a child of God. This morning, I’m reminded that God has my back . . . for real!!! . . . unreal!!!

Isaiah 58 is an encouragement to God’s people to act like God’s people. God, through Isaiah, addresses those who seek God daily . . . who delight to know His ways . . . who take delight in approaching God (58:2). And in addressing them, He warns them, against showy piety . . . against religious pursuit motivated by an expectation of personal benefit . . . and instead encourages them to pursue practical righteousness. They fasted . . . they afflicted their souls . . . but, so they said, God did not take notice (58:3). Instead, says the Lord, the fasting He’s looking for is to loose the bonds of wickedness . . . to undo the heavy burdens . . . to let the oppressed go free . . . to share your bread with the hungry . . . to bring to your house the poor who are cast out . . . to cover the naked . . . to not retreat into our own little worlds, but to live out His kingdom on this earth (58:6-8). It’s a call to live for God . . . to “honor Him, not doing you own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words” (58:13b).

“Go for it,” says the LORD. Live out your faith . . . be imitators of Me . . . let your actions align with the logical implications of your faith . . . step out . . . take a risk . . . in My name . . . for My kingdom. James would call it “pure and undefiled religion” (James 1:27).

And what does God assure those who take up the challenge . . . who decide to live what they say . . . who perhaps step out of their comfort zone? God says, “Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.” (58:8) Read that underlined part again . . . that’s what caught my eye . . . that’s what touched my heart . . . that’s what caused my soul to exclaim, “Wow!” The glory of the Lord has my back!

It’s the picture of the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night that led Israel out of Egypt . . . the pillar of God’s presence and power that shielded them from the vengeful Egyptian army as they crossed the Red Sea. And, that same glory that was their rear guard is the glory that has my back.

Seems kind of simple (the promises of God usually are) . . . but not easy (living for God often isn’t) . . . if I’ll live for Him . . . letting His Spirit lead where He determines . . . undertaking the work He has prepared in advance for me . . . then He’ll enable . . . and guard . . . and protect . . . and be ever present. “Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am'”. (58:9) Who’s got my back? God!

Sometimes I don’t “go for it” out of fear . . . but “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2Tim. 1:7). When I really get hold of the fact that He wants to leads and that He has promised to provide the rear guard, then I’m thinking the spirit of fear will fade . . . the power will be experienced . . . love will be the great motivator . . . and Holy Spirit controlled sound thinking will be apparent.

How assuring is it to know that God has my back? . . . pretty! Sure, it would be easier if I could see the pillar right there behind me . . . zapping enemies . . . parting seas. But that’s not the walk of faith. For this morning, it’s enough to know that God’s word says it . . . and mine is to believe it . . . and live in light of it . . . and worship Him because of it.

You gotta’ love the promises of God . . . amen?

Posted in Isaiah | Leave a comment

Joanna

Posted on September 14, 2010 by Pete

Don’t ask me why she caught my eye this morning . . . but she did . . . and I just can’t shake her. She kind of appeared out of nowhere . . . though I must have seen her before, I’ve never noticed her. In terms of how much “air time” she’s given, she’s, at best, an extra on the set . . . her “15 minutes of fame” is less than but a few seconds . . . there she was gone. But . . . and that’s the important thing . . . there she was . . . Joanna.

Today I started reading Luke’s account of the resurrection morning (24:1-12) . . . that first day of the week when, very early in the morning, the woman who had followed Jesus’ lifeless body to His burial place, returned to the tomb with spices they had prepared to further anoint His cloth-wrapped body. Instead they found the stone rolled away . . . and they encountered two men who emitted the glory of heaven itself . . . and were asked by them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” . . . and were informed by them, “He is not here, but is risen!” (do I hear a hallelujah on that one, brothers and sisters!). These women then returned from the empty tomb and went to the disciple-filled room where Jesus followers continued to grieve and let them know that Jesus was alive. And, Luke records in verse 10, “It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.”

There she is . . . Joanna. Where did she come from? Ask me who was there that resurrection morning encountering angelic beings and I would have gotten Mary . . . probably that there were two Mary’s there . . . but Joanna? But there she is . . . the detail captured by Dr. Luke through his careful research concerning Christ . . . penned by inspiration of the Holy Spirit . . . God-breathed . . . “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2Tim. 3:16). So . . . nice to meet you, Joanna.

Her name is the female version of John . . . literally her name means “Jehovah is a gracious giver.” Yeah!!! And she knew, firsthand, of what her name spoke. The only other reference to her in the Bible is earlier in Luke’s gospel . . .

“Now it came to pass, afterward, that [Jesus] went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities — Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.” (Luke 8:1-3)

Ok . . . so I blew right past her when I was reading Luke 8 . . . but there she is . . . with Jesus and His disciples . . . one of a group of women who had been healed by Jesus of demon possession and / or some sickness . . . and who were part of a group who determined to meet Jesus’ physical needs from their own pocket books. Though in the background . . . not a “headliner” like Peter but one of the names in small print that scroll quickly by as the credits are run at the end of a move . . . she is called out by God Himself as follower of Christ (He knows all His sheep by name, amen?) . . . a supporter of Christ . . . and as a member of that resurrection morning contingent who loved Jesus beyond death . . . and encountered angels . . . and were the first to process the implications of a risen Savior.

She was the wife of Chuza, a fairly high level manager in Herod’s house . . . so she was probably a woman of some means . . . and her husband worked for “some mean” boss. Not exactly a godly environment . . . nor a Jesus friendly environment . . . but that’s exactly the kind of environment that my Lord reaches into . . . and from which He redeems and rescues . . . the sort of environment that is transformed by grace . . . and into which He sheds light. You gotta wonder what evening conversations were like between Chuza and Joanna . . . him, perhaps complaining of what it was like to work for Herod . . . her, for sure, in wonder describing what it was like to follow Jesus.

She was there that day when Jesus healed her . . . she continued through the days to follow and feed Him . . . and she went back on that first day of the week after His crucifixion . . . and there encountered angels . . . saw the empty tomb . . . and was among the first to know that Jesus is alive. Blessed woman . . . nice to meet you Joanna.

Posted in Luke | Leave a comment

A Living ROI

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Pete

In my business world we talk about ROI . . . Return On Investment. Kind of an important concept . . . basically it’s a measure of “was it worth it?” What did we get for the amount spent? Did we recoup the cost incurred and then some? Did the investment provide a return? Most projects need to be able to show a reasonable expectation of it creating a value that’s greater than the dough dished out to make it happen. As I spent a few minutes this morning hovering over Isaiah 53, I couldn’t help but consider the tremendous price paid by the Father in giving His Son . . . and the ROI it produced . . .

The end of Isaiah 52 repeats the call found in Isaiah 40, “Behold, My Servant” . . . cast your eye toward . . . fix your focus upon . . . look hard at His face . . . for He will act wisely . . . and He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high (52:13). Isn’t that what you’d expect from God’s holy and righteous Servant . . . one to be gazed upon one who is raised and lifted up, and highly exalted. But look closer, says Isaiah, it’s a face that will amaze many because “His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men” (52:14). So introduces the cost component . . . the “investment” part . . . check out . . . and marvel . . . at the price paid . . .

Behold God’s Servant, His Elect One in whom His soul delights (42:1) . . . His beautiful Son . . . humbled in order to enter the human experience, growing up as a root out of dry ground (53:2) . . . no form or majesty, no beauty really, that we should desire Him (53:2) . . . in fact, He was despised and rejected by men . . . becoming a Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief (52:3) . . . He was oppressed, afflicted, and led as a lamb to the slaughter (53:7) . . . cut off from the land of the living (53:8) . . . He poured out His soul unto death and was numbered with the transgressors (53:12). He bore our griefs, He carried our sorrows (53:4) . . . He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities (53:5) . . . the LORD laying on Him the iniquity of us all (53:6). His soul was made an offering for sin (53:10). What a price paid by the high and holy blessed Son of God. What sacrifice from the One who created all things and sustains all things . . . was it worth it?

Yup! . . . or as the NLT puts it, “When He sees all that is accomplished by His anguish, He will be satisfied. And because of His experience, my righteous Servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for He will bear all their sins.” (Isa. 53:11)

He will be satisfied . . . the suffering worth it . . . the humility having paid off . . . the work finished . . . and the ROI incalculable. The return on investment being the redemption of lost souls . . . the justification of sinners with no hope of self-justification. It lies within a people . . . called to Himself . . . the way opened through His shed blood. The return is this people who are called to be holy, as He is holy . . . who are set apart as priests and kings and ambassadors . . . as servants to God’s Holy Servant . . . as those who through their own free will, because of the knowledge of sin forgiven and because they have been made new from the inside out, desire to die to self and live unto Him. The “investment” pays off in the family formed through those who He now calls His brothers and sisters . . . in the living temple made through the Spirit as a habitation for on earth . . . in the bride betrothed to Himself, one day to appear before Him without spot or blemish. He will look on all this, the result of His suffering, and be satisfied. O’ blessed thought!

You can go on and on taking inventory of the result of the sufferings of God’s blessed Servant . . . but oh, we should never overlook or minimize the price paid . . . and should never hold ourselves in any view that we merited it . . . but humbly bow in worship knowing that God thought we were worth it . . . “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God!” (1John 3:1) Oh, that God would give heaven’s best to redeem a sinner such as I . . . that the Son would willingly take upon Himself the humility, the shame, the suffering, and the wrath of His Father in order to purchase me out of sin’s marketplace and claim me for Himself . . . that the Spirit would take up residence in this fumbling “work in progress” that He might form within me the image of Jesus.

I guess I’m a living ROI . . . for the glory of God . . . to the praise of His Son . . . amen?

Posted in Isaiah | 1 Comment

Substance

Posted on September 10, 2010 by Pete

You know, while we have our preferences . . . and while we can be critical of other versions . . . at the end of the day, we should be thankful that God has raised up men and women who have undertaken to translate the Scriptures from the original languages into languages which are accessible to us. You know it can’t be an easy task. I don’t know very much about the Greek language . . . but I have heard repeatedly that it is a complex and very exact language . . . and that trying to map it into English can kind of be like taking a rainbow and trying to represent it with 3 colored pencils . . . you can get close . . . but some nuances will be hard to represent. This morning, the opening verse of Hebrews 11 has me thinking about trying to represent a rainbow . . .

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” — Hebrews 11:1

You slow down over that verse and it can strike you as kind of odd that something as seemingly intangible as faith can be equated to being substance. The ESV and NASB say that “faith is the assurance” . . . the NIV, “faith is being sure” . . . the NLT, “faith is the confidence” . . . I’m not gonna lie to you, I prefer the idea that faith is substance.

The Greek word is hupostasis . . . and my handy-dandy online Greek lexicon takes dozens of words to try and give the meaning of it . . . our translators tried to use one. It’s a compound word . . . hupo means “under” . . . stasis means “to place or set” . . . “to set under” . . . or to support. It has the idea of a substructure . . . a foundation . . . apparently used figuratively to speak of something that is of essence . . . . something that is concrete . . . something that provides assurance and confidence . . . it is the substance and reality of something which, of itself, cannot be seen or handled or measured. So faith is the concrete support structure for the hope which cannot be seen.

So how important is faith? Pretty!

“Without faith,” it says, “it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (11:6)

It was the basis upon which Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice (11:4) . . . the foundation upon which Enoch walked in a way that so pleased God that God directly translated him into heaven apart from death (11:5) . . . the support structure that fueled Noah’s decision to build the ark when it defied all earthly wisdom . . . the basis upon which Abraham ended up “going with knowing” in pursuit of an inheritance God had promised (11:9) . . . the “reality” upon which Sarah received strength to conceive though she was so far past child-bearing years (11:11). This “substance” is the thing that makes the people of God, the people of God.

Faith is the infrastructure upon which we count God faithful to fulfill His promises (11:11) . . . it is the basis on which we embrace those promises and take up a pilgrimage posture and press on toward a city God has said He has prepared for us (11:13-16) . . . it’s what makes this unreal salvation so real.

Faith is the substance of heaven itself . . . try painting that rainbow with 3 colored pencils . . .

Posted in Hebrews | Leave a comment

A Jesus Encounter

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Pete

It has to be one of the most amazing “Jesus encounters” recorded in the gospels. It provides hope for those who appear to be beyond hope . . . it illustrates the degree to which we are saved by grace (totally) and not of anything we can do (nada, zip, zero, double-doughnut holes) . . . it demonstrates the sole focus of the Son of Man to seek and save the lost . . . and it places the prize firmly before us. And all this is done in a two sentence, twenty-two word conversation between two men on the brink of death.

“Then [one of the criminals crucified with Jesus] said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.'” (Luke 23:43)

So . . . what do you think about that? Hover over it for a bit . . . try and take in what just happened there . . . start running through the implications of all that is illustrated through that brief “death-bed” interaction between a sinner and the Savior.

What does it say about grace? It’s not like this hoodlum had been “interested in Christianity for some time” . . . not like he tried to “live by the good book” . . . not like he’d been seeking . . . in fact, both Matthew and Mark record that “even the robbers crucified with Him reviled Him” (Matt. 27:44, Mark 15:32). There this punk was . . . nailed to a tree . . . guilty for crimes he knew he had committed . . . hanging with his buddy on a cross . . . with Jesus in the middle . . . and, at least at first, he joins with the crowd . . . those staring up at the three but focused on Jesus . . . and he adds his voice to their blasphemous mockery . . . “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross! . . . He saved others, Himself He cannot save . . . descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” (Mark 15:29-32)

Imagine it . . . blaspheming Jesus one moment and then, only a couple of hours later, believing Jesus . . . really? Spitting, as it were, upon the Holy Name of Jesus in one breath and then, as he nears his last breath, addressing the Holy One as Lord . . . can it truly happen like that? Yeah . . . it can . . . that’s grace . . . the ushering into Paradise those who do not merit Paradise . . . and none of us merit Paradise.

That the thief went from reviling Jesus to revering Him . . . from attacking Jesus to defending Him . . . from trusting in himself to believing that the middle man on the cross was the Lord . . . and would be coming into a kingdom . . . a life beyond this life . . . and that Lord Jesus might “remember” and have a place for a vile sinner in His kingdom . . . all of it was a sovereign act of grace by the Father, through the Spirit, resulting in the Son winning one last disciple before death . . . one more follower . . . one who would follow Him into Paradise itself. And in that act . . . and through that conversation . . . grace is defined . . . the amount of faith needed is measured . . . the extent of hope is presented.

But as I was taught years ago by a wise preacher, one criminal was saved at that eleventh hour so that none may despair . . . but only one, that none may presume.

Oh, the grace of God . . . able to save the chief of sinners . . . willing to save, even at the last minute, all those who come to Him in faith . . . delighting in saving, even to sharing His Paradise as our inheritance . . . desiring to save, that we might be with Him . . . and have our own face to face “Jesus encounter” . . . and our own conversation . . . “Lord, thank You for a place in Your kingdom . . . to You be all glory . . . amen!”

Posted in Luke | Leave a comment

What a Return Policy!

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Pete

For anyone who knows my wife, they know that she is a Costco shopper. Started out of necessity . . . what, with 5 kids of our own . . . and the associated “gaggle” of friends they bring . . . and then foster kids . . . it was the right store that sold the right portions at the right price. And it continues to be the store of choice although, as the nest has emptied (though it has a way filling up again . . . but that’s another story) she’s finding she doesn’t need to buy food in such portions. But beyond the food, it tends to be the first place she goes for other stuff, as well. And, in addition to ease of access and quality of product, one of the main reasons she continues to shop there is because of their no hassle return policy. If it isn’t quite what we wanted, she takes it back . . . if it doesn’t work quite right, she take it back . . . if the person who asked her to buy it for them changes their mind . . . back it goes . . . no sweat. You gotta love a good return policy. I encountered another one in Isaiah this morning . . .

“I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isa. 44:22)

I own the God of Israel’s words to Jacob this morning as my own. His is a return policy like no other . . . I have blotted out your sin . . . I have redeemed you . . . return to me.

The basis for the “policy” came through loud and clear in my reading in Hebrews 10 this morning . . . “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (10:10) . . . this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God (10:12) . . . For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified (10:14) . . . ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,’ then He adds, ‘Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more’ (10:16-17)”.

Talk about your “no hassle” return policy! Not that it wasn’t without cost . . . not that it can be exercised carelessly or thoughtlessly . . . but, for those who wish to return, the way has been prepared. For those who hear His voice . . . acknowledge their sin . . . recognize they’re headed in the wrong direction . . . the Lord’s invitation awaits, “Return to Me.” And while this is true of the sinner who has never known salvation, I’m reminded this morning it’s also so true for believers like me who, from time to time, get a bit off course and find too the need to return.

There’s something about knowing there’s a way back . . . it’s not the basis for presumption and license and playing loose with the call of God on my life, but it is the assurance that, should I find myself in need of a return . . . should I have tripped up in a fault . . . should I have misaligned my internal GPS with other priorities . . . should I have edged Him off the throne of my life . . . that there is an open, unrestricted way of return. Kept open by the God who desires to love me to the uttermost . . . mediated through the work of His Son, my faithful High Priest . . . . . . accessible through the agency of the Spirit within me who prays on my behalf even when I don’t know the words to pray. You gotta love a good return policy!

It was secured by the One who endured the shame, pain, and penalty of my sin upon a cruel cross . He being the once for all sacrifice for sin. His, the once for all shedding of blood that opened the way into the Holy of Holies . . . the once for all act of love that points to the way back. Mine is not to take it lightly . . . or to take it for granted . . . but to know it is available if and when needed . . . that there is always a way of return . . . that He ever calls out to the wayward, “Return to Me.”

What a return policy! Praise God! . . . amen?

Posted in Hebrews, Isaiah | Leave a comment

Behold My Servant!

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Pete

“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, my Elect One in whom My soul delights!” (Isa. 42:1) So began my readings this morning . . . such was the tone set for my encounter with God’s Son through God’s Holy Word . . . not a bad way to start the day.

He is God’s Elect . . . the Father’s blessed Son come as His faithful Servant. He is the gentle Jesus . . . not crying out in the street . . . “a bruised reed He will not break . . . and smoking flax He will not quench” (42:3). Jehovah God had called Him forth in righteousness and sent Him in service to a hostile “mission field” with the promise that God would “hold His hand” and would uphold Him through the work He was to accomplish . . . determined that He would present His servant as a “covenant to the people” (42:6).

He has sent His Servant that I might know my God . . . and believe in and understand the nature of the Almighty . . . knowing that apart from God, and His blessed Servant, there is no savior (43:10-11). That He is my Lord, my Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel (43:14) . . . that He is the Lord, the Holy One, the Creator of Israel, my King (43:15) . . . that it is He, who by grace and through the Servant’s work, has provided the means by which He can blot out my transgressions for His own sake, determining to not remember my sins anymore (43:25).

And, after beholding the Servant through the writings of the ancient prophet, I then read in the letter to the Hebrews and there continue to behold His Servant . . .

The One who, with His own blood, “entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12) . . . “who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God” in order to purify not just the outside but to cleanse my conscience — my inner man . . . the very essence of how I am wired and operate — to cleanse me from the inside out in order to serve the living God (9:14). Behold the Servant . . . “He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death . . . that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance (9:15) . . . He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (9:26) . . . “so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many” (9:28a) . . . Behold the Servant . . . Behold your salvation!

Is there a more glorious theme? . . . a more magnificent contemplation? . . . than to heed God’s call to look upon His Son . . . His Servant . . . the Sacrifice . . . the Savior.

And so, I try and pause and reflect . . . I marvel afresh at the Christ . . . I’m humbled anew at the work He completed because of my sin . . . and I whisper, “Thank You, Lord.” Behold the Servant!

And then I read this, “To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” (9:28b)

He will appear a second time . . . and we will again Behold the Servant. But it will not be the lowly Jesus I see . . . it will not be Him who divested Himself of His heavenly glory in order to take on flesh and enter into the struggle of sin and a fallen world. No, this second time He will come in all His glory . . . as King of kings and Lord of lords . . . to complete the work of salvation . . . not through shedding of blood again . . . but through the wielding of a victor’s sword as He puts down the enemy, and sin, and death once and for all. And I shall behold Him.

And who knows, perhaps the “beholding by faith” I enjoy this morning may, by day’s end, be a beholding “face to face.” Am I part of that company that “eagerly wait for Him?” How I desire to be. That His Spirit within me would awaken me to the possibility of His return today . . . that I would live in a constant anticipation of the completion of my salvation . . . that I might have an eye to the sky . . . ready to see the Savior . . . ready to “Behold My Servant!”

Posted in Hebrews, Isaiah | Leave a comment