Does God like it when we attempt to bargain with Him?

Recently a friend of mine posed a question to me regarding the outcome of a deal they felt they had struck with God.    

We’ve probably all done it at some time in our life.  In dire circumstances, we try to negotiate with God.

 

“God if you will do this for me, then I will do this other thing for you.”  “God if you’ll get me off the I hook I promise to go to church every Sunday.”  “God if you save me from the enemy I promise I will serve you forever.”  

 

We seem to always choose something to bargain with that we perceive as having significant value to Him because it comes at some great sacrifice on our part . . . or so we think. It’s also interesting that what we offer as a bargaining chip is likely something that God already wants us to do.  

 

Do we actually have the power to negotiate with God?  Is there really anything in our possession or realm of influence that can be used as a bargaining tool?   Is God impressed by our deals?  I’m guessing that God knows our hearts completely and knows we can’t keep those kinds of promises perfectly. 

 

You might say, but didn’t Lot try to bargain with God to delay the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? Lot was not trying to use something of his own to bargain with God, rather he had hopes that he could find enough good men that it would not be necessary to destroy these two cities.

 

Didn’t Jesus try to change His own fate in the garden of Gethsemane? Jesus was submissive to the will of the Father and he was not trying to negotiate anything.  In His humanness He was verbalizing the dread of what He knew lay ahead in the coming hours.  There is no doubt that he was committed to our deliverance.

 

Look here though. Try this one on for size.   Consider the fate of one mighty warrior named Jephthah.  Jephthah lived during the desolate times of the Judges of Israel. You’ll find his story in Judges chapter 11.  He was the son of a prostitute.   His father was Hebrew from the region of Gilead. Jephthah upbringing was not one of the more pleasant times of his life.  His legitimate brothers had made him an outcast.  He was banned from the region.  On his own, he gathered a band of followers and gained a reputation of being a mighty warrior.  Eventually, when those in his homeland found themselves in crisis, he was invited back to be their warrior and leader to fight the Ammonites.

 

There’s nothing in his history up to that point to indicate that he was a mighty man of God.  There is however evidence in the text that he was no stranger to the heritage and history of the nation of Israel since he was half Jewish. Until he became the military leader of the Gileadites, he does not appear to have been one who practiced the Jewish faith. 

 

In verse 29, it all changed.

 

“Then the Spirit of the LORD was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites. And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” So, Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD gave them into his hand. (Judges 11:29-32 ESV)

 

What a great example! Jephthah bargained with the Lord and He and the Israelites won!  Hurray!  The war is over! Everybody gets to go home!

 

Let’s freeze the story for a moment.  Verse 29 tells us that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him.  Most likely that was the anointing needed to win the war.  Yet he made a vow to the Lord, Why?  Just to be doubly sure that the Lord was going to be on his side?  I’m at a loss as to why he thought he needed to do that.

 

So, let’s pick up the story in verse 34 when Jephthah returns home victoriously - spirits running high and so ready to be reunited with his family.  He was probably remembering the vow he made days or weeks earlier and was now looking forward to the great time of worship they would have as he fulfilled his vow and offered a sheep or a goat or a calf as a burnt offering.   “Whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me .  .  . shall be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”    Jephthah was expecting a whatever not a whoever!   Oh . . .  what an absolutely horrible feeling it must have been when he saw his daughter, an only child come running out the door to meet him.

 

We could get into some great theological discussions here about the character and nature of God.  The one thing we must make abundantly clear is that no where did it say that God required a sacrifice to make Jephthah victorious in battle.  It was not God who authored “the deal”.   As you can see from Jephthah’s tragedy, he himself brought calamity to his house by leaving himself open to chance. 

 

When God is the one who offers the conditional “if” we have the opportunity benefit greatly. Because of his loving-kindness, it is the nature of God to offer favorable deals with His people to deliver them from their own curses and consequences as they repent and follow His commands.

 

Do we really want to try bargaining with God?  As I look at the story of Jephthah I am reminded that I may not be smart enough to do myself any good by doing that.  It might be better to simply ask, or beg, or plea, or petition the Most High God of the universe, who knows me by name and holds me in his very hands at every moment and loves me enough to send His own son to die for me.  Isn’t that enough of a relationship that I don’t have to bargain for his favor?

Is God’s love unconditionally unconditional?

You heard it right, you read it right.  Is God’s love unconditionally unconditional?  I know, it sounds repetitively redundant.  How often have I said, “God loves you unconditionally”?   I may be upsetting the apple cart for a lot of folks, but let’s stop and talk about that.  These words that many of us often share can be misleading.

It largely depends on what we put the emphasis on.  His love is unconditional for sure in that anyone, absolutely anyone, who genuinely calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (John 3:16; Romans 10:13).  Further, there is no sin that is unforgiveable other than willfully rejecting God (Matthew 12:31).   Perhaps the blending of these two truths may be where we formulate this phrase/concept, “God loves you unconditionally.”   

That’s not the big picture though.  Sin does have a role in introducing the conditional aspect of His love in that God is demanding one thing of us: He is looking for the truly repentant sinner.  He wants us to come to Him with a broken contrite heart, aware of sin in our life, aware of being hopeless in terms of saving ourselves, and desperately in need of and wanting a cure.  This is clearly exemplified in the parable of the searching father with the prodigal son. (Luke 15)

God does love everyone but his gift of mercy and grace is conditional to our acknowledgement that we have sinned against a most holy God, and we no longer want to be in that state, AND that Jesus is the only cure for that condition.  it’s imperative to understand that we can do nothing on our own to address these shortcomings and that it has been all taken care of by Jesus as He died on the cross for us.

And yet . . . there is also a sense that he loves us unconditionally because He does not require us to change into a holy and perfect person first before we are lavished with His love.  Again, a lesson from Luke 15, the prodigal son was all ready to go through earning His father’s love expecting to spend a lifetime of servitude to achieve reconciliation and restitution.   Instead, the father smothered his son with scandalous love making things right between them.  Why?  Because there had been a change, a change of condition.  The father intuitively knew the state of the son’s heart.  The son was seeking the father’s forgiveness knowing full well he had sinned against him and against God.  The father immediately demonstrated unmerited mercy (forgiveness) and unmerited grace (placement in an undeserved reconciled position of honor).

So, it may seem ambiguous at first, but God’s love is unconditional in some aspects and conditional in others as we view all that is contained in the message of the Gospel. 

Are we the church teaching this today?  Or, are we leading people to a false gospel by painting a picture of God loving them unconditionally without acknowledging that sin is what separates them from God to begin with?

If we ignore sin, it WILL run rampant in the church.  If the church is not teaching what sin is, then the church is also not teaching repentance, therefore, it is not teaching a true gospel.  The grace and mercy of a false gospel conveys an unconditional love that requires no responsibility on the part of the individual.  It teaches that the law does not matter.  It seduces us into believing that there is nothing about us that needs to change.  It ignores the truth of Isaiah 64:6 that even the good that we do is turned into filthy rags by the sinfulness of the rest of our lives.  Moral law ends up having no role in the process of conversion to being a follower of Jesus because it is subtly taken out of the picture.  

This convoluted perception of unconditional love leads to no distinction between the church and the world.  It is the promotion of an individualism that rejects any notion that God wants to see transformation in our hearts.  As long as the church does not teach what sin is, the church has no power to preach about true unconditional love. 

Without awareness, acknowledgement, and acceptance of what God’s word says in regards to what sin is, people within the church turn to accepting what is popular in culture rather than answering the call of scripture to live a holy life.  That lines up well with the entirety of Proverbs 29:18.

To ignore the role that sin plays in the bigger picture of receiving God’s unconditional love (borrowing a phrase I’ve used before), leaves Jesus rotting in a ditch somewhere on the outskirts of Jerusalem. If it continues, eventually no one will understand why He died.

 Know who you are, whose you are, where you have come from and what your destiny is.

Good Enough?

I have a bunch of friends on Facebook who are Roman Catholic.  I love them, they are . . . my friends. Probably because of that, I have had the opportunity to see several times now a video of the current pope addressing the tearful question of a young boy who had the opportunity to ask him if he will ever see his recently deceased dad ever again.  The boy was very aware that his dad was an atheist. 

Long story short, the boy, and most people who watched the video are led to believe that because the father was good to his children, God would not reject him and therefore we are to conclude that the boy will see his father in heaven someday.  So, the pope did not directly say an emphatic yes, but he certainly led everyone to believe it was a resounding yes.

There is one element in the pope’s statement early in the video that I whole heartedly agree with: only God can decide who gets into heaven.  But does God’s word teach that if we are good we will get into heaven?  That God will not reject us because of this?

I feel compelled to address that.  It’s gonna perhaps rile some fur.  I offer this post today so that my Catholic friends and perhaps even Protestant friends can understand why indeed there are theological differences between us.

The Pope was superseding the truth of scripture when he told the boy he would see his dad again.  To say that a person’s good deeds or good-hearted intentions will get them into heaven is a lie.  Further, if and when a person is relying on their own good deeds to get into heaven, there will always be this nagging question.  Have I been good enough?  Did I commit one sin too many?  What if I didn’t get to confess my most recent sins before I die? What if I needed to be perfect to get into heaven?  There is this fear that they might just come up short.  Just yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with someone with a terminal illness who was thinking just that.

Andy Stanley wrote a short book a few years ago. Its title is, “How Good is Good Enough?” (If you live in my locality and would like a copy let me know and I can get you one.)  Great question, isn’t it?  How good IS good enough?  Well I guess we could vote on it, or the pope could decide for us.  Sure, that makes sense, we could depend on human opinion as to whether a person has been good enough to get into heaven.  Personally, I’ve seen that attempted in funeral eulogies many times over the years.  People just don’t want to believe that if a person rejected God all their life they wouldn’t get into heaven and worse yet go to hell. Tell you what, I don’t want to believe it either but I know I must believe it. 

Whether you are Protestant or Catholic, what troubles me most about the whole conversation of thinking we might have been good enough to get into heaven is that it leaves Jesus lying in a ditch rotting somewhere on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

Folks, what was the only reason that Jesus went to the cross?  I thought it was because the whole lot of us weren’t individually or collectively good enough to save ourselves!  If it wasn’t for this reason then pity the poor man named Jesus because he died believing the greatest lie ever: that he died for you and me!

The heart of the issue is that people, Protestants and Catholics, alike don’t want to trust the Bible and accept what it teaches.

I so often hear people say,” I don’t think I can trust the Bible because men wrote it.” Yet, with audacity, we have no problem borrowing from it the whole notion that there is a heaven.  We acknowledge there is such a thing as a good-hearted person but deny that what helps define that element of goodness is from biblical concepts.  When we suffer injustice, we go running to the 10 commandments of the Bible to validate the injustice felt.  We acknowledge there is a God but reject HIs will for us based on the notion that we can’t trust the men who wrote the different components of the Bible.  Well that’s a slap in the face for God, to think He’s not capable of being in 100% control of the whole process! 

Friends, how can we believe, knowing that there is a God who created this whole universe and holds it together in perfect balance, that it would even remotely be an issue for Him to guide the process of pulling the Bible together?  Further why do we struggle so much that it contains truth?

There is a principle of logic, the law of non-contradiction, that becomes a sticking point and creates a crisis of belief for anyone wrestling with accepting the Bible.  It kicks in when determining what truth is.  It assumes that the truth is incapable of contradicting itself.  In other words, when a statement is made, it either is the truth or it isn’t, but it cannot simultaneously be both.  So, does the Bible contain truth or doesn’t it?

I believe the Bible contains the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth and because of that, I boldly respectfully disagree with the Pope.  There is no one except for Jesus Christ himself who was and is perfect enough, good enough, to get into heaven.  He possesses the power to offer His blood sacrifice to cover for our sins so we can acquire eternal life.  We should also remember it is not a universal application.  By that I mean it does not cover anyone and everyone who chooses to reject Jesus. 

So here are some take-aways so that Protestants and Roman Catholics can better understand why we are different.

·         Jesus Christ alone is the head of the church.  No human being has the authority to override scripture nor preach contrary to what is written in scripture. 

 

·         We are saved by the Grace and Mercy of God’s love freely given to anyone who has faith in the saving work of Jesus as he died on the cross for us and rose again to eternal life.  Being good is impossible to perfect.  It cannot earn us the right to be in heaven.  Neither are we loved more or favored more if we maintain a perfect attendance record for the practice of ritual (Protestant or Catholic)

 

·         Nowhere in the Bible does it promote praying to anyone other than the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Toward the end of the video the pope says to the little boy, “Talk to your father pray to your father.” There should be no doubt he was referring to his earthly deceased father. To pray to anyone other than the Trinity is a teaching of the church not the Bible. In fact, the Bible clearly teaches that we are not to do that! 

 

While not touched on in the video, I might as well address a few other areas of contention:

·         The concept of purgatory is a teaching of the church, not the Bible.  There is no purgatory mentioned in the Bible to be purged and punished in.  And we cannot pray, pay, or work to change another person’s eternal destiny. It is set the moment we die.

 

·         No human being has the authority to forgive sin.  Yes, we should confess our sins to each other, but no human is the position to grant forgiveness.  That is God’s domain and not one of his anointed representatives.

 

·         And for Protestant and Catholic friends who get confused, we are not saved by agreeing with the facts about Jesus. (Even Satan’s demons are capable of a confession like that!)   We are saved by believing, trusting, surrendering, and following Jesus.

 

·         As well for Protestants and Catholics alike, we are not saved by or through water baptism. Water Baptism is an ordinance given to us by Jesus intended to be an outward visible testimony of what’s changed (our identity) within our spirit.  Water Baptism has no efficacy in determining a person’s eternal home. To rely on this alone would invalidate Jesus’s death on the cross. So why is infant baptism done?  Mostly superstition.

 

·         As followers of Jesus we are called to acts of love and compassion in response to the gift of forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternal life that was earned for us by Jesus.  These acts cannot earn God’s favor or be a ticket to heaven.

 

I offer all this for the purpose of understanding why we differ in theologies.  It may seem offensive to challenge such theologies.  You might even feel like saying, "Well aren't you riding the high horse today!"  If I'm wrong, please, show me where it says that.  Hopefully challenge leads us all to question our practices and grow in our faith.

Consider these facts about who Jesus Christ is:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

(Joh 1:14 ESV)

and think the same way that Christ Jesus thought: Christ was truly God. But he did not try to remain equal with God. Instead he gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us. Christ was humble. He obeyed God and even died on a cross.

(Php 2:5-8 CEV)

So God did the right thing when he made Jesus perfect by suffering, as Jesus led many of God's children to be saved and to share in his glory. Jesus and the people he makes holy all belong to the same family. That is why he isn't ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.

He even said to God, "I will tell them your name and sing your praises when they come together to worship." He also said, "I will trust God." Then he said, "Here I am with the children God has given me." We are people of flesh and blood. That is why Jesus became one of us. He died to destroy the devil, who had power over death. But he also died to rescue all of us who live each day in fear of dying. Jesus clearly did not come to help angels, but he did come to help Abraham's descendants. He had to be one of us, so that he could serve God as our merciful and faithful high priest and sacrifice himself for the forgiveness of our sins. And now that Jesus has suffered and was tempted, he can help anyone else who is tempted.

(Heb 2:10-18 CEV)

 Most of my recent posts have focused on what we gain in terms of a new identity and character in our relationship with Jesus.  Today I’m shifting the focus slightly to point out Jesus’s initiative to identify with us.  As the scriptures above attest to, He temporarily left His heavenly home to come and be one of us.  

Recently I saw a news report of a famous NFL celebrity from the 1960’s who was visiting the Chicago Cubs.  The video showed him receiving a Cubs jersey and putting it on.  It was as if to say, “You’re one of us now.” 

What I want to point out from the passages above (And OH! There are so many more than this!) is that God came in human form as Jesus the son and put on our jersey to show he cared!

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,”

“Instead he gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us.”

“We are people of flesh and blood. That is why Jesus became one of us.”

He created us and then came to rescue us in our sin.  He became one of us, like one of us, and lived with us.  And that lived with us part, it’s not like he lived in the same town but in the mansion up on the hill.  No, He camped out with us and lived through the human condition of the day, fleas, mosquitos, athlete’s foot and all.

 Even during His temptation in the wilderness, He handles it by using scripture to refute the attacks of Satan.  That’s something that we too can do in our humanness!  In that process He was identify with us by handling it in a way we could handle it

All this demonstrates that God is far from unapproachable.  He comes to us first before we can even begin thinking about ways we can grab His attention and earn His favor.  That’s why grace is what it is: unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor from God.  It comes to us at great cost to Him but at no cost to us.  It is available to anyone who comes to realize that there is an eternity, there is a God, we are sinners, there’s hell to pay, and there is no human way possible to make ourselves look righteous or holy in His presence. 

But He wants us to be presentable before Him.  So Christ the son, humbled himself and became like one of us.  He became a substitution for us in terms of stepping up and taking the punishment for our sins, and then after enduring it, dying for us, turns around and graciously offers us the gift that he paid for on our behalf: eternal life. He bought it, we can choose to receive it.  His loving grace and mercy is available to all who realize their need for redemption though Christ but it does not universally cover all.  Everyone has that choice to make.

Where are you at spiritually today?  What stands in the way of making a decision to be a follower of Jesus, the one who gave His life so that you might live?

Ya wanna talk?  Very few people want to publicly air their issues about why they can’t bring themselves to step over the line and Follow Jesus.  So let me make this offer: private message me or open the conversation on FB, which ever one makes you feel comfortable but please, do it today.

Know who you are, whose you are, where you came from and what your destiny is.

“Dear Bob

Never doubt I know who you are, where you are, and what you are up to.

 I knew you were curious to know more about recumbent bikes.  That’s why unbeknownst to you, I arranged for you to have a “chance encounter” with someone on the trail today.  You can thank me for the test ride.

I knew it was going to rain, that’s why I had you come alongside him just before the shelter. 

I knew you’d have a great time talking to him, that’s why it rained for 90 minutes. 

I knew you would know I arranged all this when you would find out his name is Bob and he’s a pastor.

I knew it would lift your spirits to hear what he’s been through.  

I knew you two could relate to many things you had in common.

And Yes, I know when He prayed for you that there were things he mentioned that you hadn’t.  That’s why I’m God!  I wanted you to know I’ve still got plans for you even though you can’t see any of what that looks like.

Do you have any idea how many “chance encounters” you’ve had over your lifetime that were actually divine appointments?

These are just little details to me.  Remember I am the one who created you and this universe.  I am all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present.  I hold your future in my hands. Nothing happens that I am not aware of.  I gave my Son so that you might live!

BE ViGILANT!  I am always doing something that you can join me in!

Your Heavenly Father, Yahweh”

 

You have looked deep into my heart, LORD, and you know all about me. You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts. You notice everything I do and everywhere I go. Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say, and with your powerful arm you protect me from every side. I can't understand all of this! Such wonderful knowledge is far above me. (Psalm 139:1-6 CEV)

 

Know who you are, whose you are, where you came from, and where you are destined for.

How Would You Reply? 

 

(John 5:1-9 ESV)

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 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?”      Stop! . . .  Stop! Stop! Stop!

Here is a man who has been an invalid of some sort for 38 years.  Jesus us comes up to him as a total stranger and asks the $64,000 question: “Do you want to be healed?”  Now if you had been lying there for 38 years, would you hesitate to say anything but, “Yes!”?  I don’t care how long it had been. Thirty-eight hours, days, months, or years: if it were me I’d say, “I’m all in! Where do I sign?”

So back to the scripture, look at this guy’s response:

Verse 5  The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.”       

Let’s stop again!

We probably need to explain why He was at the pool.  The King James Bible adds verse 4 [for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was made well from whatever disease that person had.]

So, this guy has laid by the pool for 38 years and never been able to get to the pool in time to receive healing.  Can you believe his answer?   “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool . . . “  Major pity party!!!  This guy perceives his situation to be absolutely permanent. He has given up.  He gives us the impression that there is no hope because he thinks the only way out is the one he’s relied on for 38 years.

Have you ever found yourself in that state of mind?   A state of mind where you have convinced yourself that change is just not possible?  Or maybe you’ve even offered help to someone and they prefer to stay right where they are.  Does it remind you of Winne-the-Pooh’s friend Eeyore?  We all can find ourselves trapped in discouragement perhaps even depression because we perceive our circumstances unsurmountable and the pit we are in actually becomes comfortable because we have accepted it as “normal.” Yep, call it the Eeyore Syndrome if you will.

Jesus offers the solution:

Verse 8: Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.”

This presented the crippled man with a crisis of belief.  Either he can believe this man has just given him the power to walk away from his infirmities or he can stay right where he is, waiting to be lucky enough to get placed in the pool just at the right moment.  Maybe,  . . . in another 38 years or so.

We see the man has a change of mind.  Why? Even though he has yet to understand who it is he is talking to it matters not.  He is still having an episodic life changing encounter with Jesus Christ!

Verse 9: And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.  

 

What was required of the crippled man?

Faith in the offer that Jesus made.

Action: the actualization of his faith.  He had to get up! 

Abandon his circumstances: Picking up his bed would signify he was leaving the past behind.

Walking forward into the future.

He was healed because Jesus offered him a solution and he decided to take it to heart.

What’s bothering you today?

What’s been holding you down perhaps even for decades?

What do you want to leave behind? 

What circumstances have held you captive and distorted the truth in your life? 

 

“Do you want to be healed?”  How would you reply?

 

Maybe you don’t know Jesus. He knows you and He offers new life if you follow Him. 

"But . . . "

Moses was struggling with all four of these when God first gave him his call to leadership. He was not very mindful that He was from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he was part of the inheritance of the Abrahamic promise, and therefore one of the chosen race of Israel. He was just not getting it as far as who He was, whose he was, and where He came from.

In Exodus chapters 3 and 4 we find Moses in a conversation with God in which he is learning what he is destined for. He is not very confident of himself and starts to come up with excuses.

Exo 3:11:

 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (ESV)

And again, in Exo 4:10:

 But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” (ESV)

God’s response to these petty objections was simply, “I will be with you . . . “

Often, we find ourselves in uncomfortable situations where we are in a crisis of belief. We clearly see what we are supposed to do but we can’t. We momentarily forget who we are in Christ, whose we are as belonging to Him, where we came from spiritually and where we are in that same sense right now. So, we forget the position that places us in. We forget the empowerment that comes with all that. Like Moses we start to make excuses why we can’t accomplish the challenge before us. But God says, “I will be with you.” God say that he will never leave us or forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

God gives us a new identify when we surrender to Jesus as Lord and Savior. It’s an identity that has clothed us with having the distinctive position as being sons and daughters of the most High God. It’s not for the purpose of being haughty and arrogant. It is for the purpose of being empowered to humbly respond to His calling whether it be to lead a great nation of people, simply sit down and talk to a skeptic about Jesus, anonymously take care of someone else’s needs, or boldly face persecution and possible death for being a follower of Jesus.

Know who you are, whose you are, where you have come from, and what you are destined for so that you can bring glory to the name of Jesus in everything you do. God will be with you! 

It's Christmas - Let's talk about Jesus!

It's Christmas, lets talk about Jesus!

if you've ever wondered what's all the hype about Jesus, what is it that makes Him so sought after by so many, I hope you'll take the time to read this so that Christmas, the true meaning of Christmas makes sense to you!

 

 

The Identity of Christ   Emmanuel - God With Us

 

Let’s look to scripture to gain a grasp of who Jesus Christ is in terms of identity.  One of the best places to start is in the beginning of the Gospel of John.

           John 1:1-3

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 

John 1:14 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.  (ESV)

 

We quickly draw four things about Jesus from this passage. 

·         Jesus is God,

·         the spoken word of God,

·         the creator of all things,

·         and finally, He is the presence of God as He became personified in human flesh. 

 

The Gospel of Matthew, further confirms this concept of Jesus being God when the angel tells Joseph of the future birth of Christ.  He quotes Isaiah 7:14.

 

Mat 1:18- 23

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way.  When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.  And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.  

 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 

 

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 

 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (ESV)

Jesus is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name, Yeshua which means, “God saves.”  Likewise, in the same passage, we are told that he will be called Immanuel, God with us.  (You will notice the double reference to Jesus being conceived by the Holy Spirit is highlighted in this passage.  More on this later in the lesson.)

 

For those who still have doubts about who Jesus is, hear these words spoken at the Baptism of Jesus.

 

Mat 3:16 -17

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (ESV)

 

There are other gospel scriptures that authenticate Jesus as God.  In John chapter 8, Jesus uses the same name to identify himself as was used when God encountered Moses from the burning bush. He calls himself, “I AM.” First, let’s look at Exodus and then see what Jesus says in John.

 

Exodus 3:13-16

Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. (ESV)

 

John 8:56-58 

“. . . Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”  So, the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”  Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (ESV)

 

Also, in chapter 14 of the Gospel of John, Jesus clearly identifies that He and the Father are one.

 

John 14:10-11

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.  (ESV)

 

What we’ve laid before you in this brief survey of scripture is by no means an exhaustive list of all the scripture that affirms Jesus as God.

 

 

The Credentials of Christ - The Lamb of God

 

Many people know of Jesus Christ.  They know what Christ did in terms of going to the cross and dying for us, but when it gets down to knowing why Jesus holds the unique credentials to do what he did for us, they come up short.  Many folks just can’t answer the simple questions, “What makes Jesus work?”  “What is so special about Him that empowers Him to be able to achieve salvation for anyone who calls on His name?”  If you fall into that category of people who can’t answer those questions, this portion of the lesson will serve to build your knowledge and confidence to be able to resolve that issue.

 

First, we need to set the stage for the Lamb of God.  The first use of a lamb as a sacrifice is recorded in Genesis 22.  God tests Abraham’s faith by requiring him to sacrifice his most treasured son, Isaac.  Briefly, what takes place in Genesis 22, is that God demands a sacrifice and then steps in to provide the sacrifice.  That sacrifice is a ram, a male lamb.  What takes place in this scenario is important because it is a symbolic foreshadowing of important events in the development of the of salvation of the Jews and eventually our salvation story as we see these things tie in with Jesus. 

 

A lamb again becomes involved in the activity of God when the Jews were called out of Egypt.  The blood of an unblemished lamb was painted on the doorposts of everyone’s home so that the angel of death would not visit them on the night before the Jews left Egypt (Exodus 12).  Later in their history, a lamb would routinely be offered at the observance of the Jewish holiday known as Passover.  The Paschal lamb was a symbolic sacrifice which annually acknowledged God’s provision of protection from the angel of death. 

 

Sin always requires a sacrifice.  Eventually, as the Jews were given the law and protocol for tabernacle sacrifices, a perfect unblemished lamb would often be the primary animal to be sacrificed for the atonement of sin (Lev. 5:14 -6:7).  A sacrifice of atonement means that payment is made for punishment and restitution.  It is an act of making things right between the transgressor and the Holy One who is transgressed against.

 

To summarize, a lamb appears in Old Testament literature being utilized in three ways:

 

                  ·         A substitution for a required sacrifice used to demonstrate faithfulness.

·         A means of providing atonement for sin.

·         A means of avoiding the penalty of death.

 

Now fast forward to the New Testament times and we see Jesus is referred to in scripture as the Lamb of God.  John the Baptist first identifies Him as such.

 

John 1:29

The next day he (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  (ESV)

 

This label is giving Jesus the status of being set apart to be used in the same manner as a sacrificial lamb for atonement.  It’s important to understand that Jesus, identified as the son of God, was given by God as a sacrifice to redeem us.  We find this verified in John3:16.  Let’s look at just the first phrase of that verse.

 

John 3:16a

God loved the people of this world so much that He gave His only Son, . . . (CEV)

 

“He gave” infers that God the Father offered Jesus as the sacrifice.  The one who demands the sacrifice provided the sacrificial lamb just as in Genesis.  An illustration that is often used to help us understand the significance of this action is found in the anecdote of a Judge pronouncing a sentence on a person who has committed a crime.  Afterwards he steps down from the bench and pays the fee himself on behalf of the defendant.

 

In the temple sacrificial system, the priest was at the altar to represent the people before the righteousness and holiness of God that demands justice.  The sinner likewise, approached the altar bringing a confession of his sin and a sacrifice to make things right.  The blood of the lamb was shed on the altar by the priest as a substitutionary act of paying for the sins committed.  One life given up to redeem the other.

 

Picture Jesus at the altar being capable of representing both parties.  Being the Son of man, Jesus fully represents mankind in His humanity.  Being the Son of God, He becomes the solitary divine sacrifice worthy enough to completely and universally appease God’s demand for justice.  Jesus, therefore, is the unique sacrifice that completely satisfies the requirement of both sides of the altar.  He covers it all! 

 

Hopefully, you can now see that Jesus is the lamb of God and as with the Old Testament uses of the lamb, He does the same for us:

 

·         He becomes the substitution for a required sacrifice demonstrating God’s faithfulness toward us.

·         He is the means of providing atonement for our sin.

·         He is the means by which we avoid the penalty of death.

 

One might still ask, “How did Jesus come into this world being fully divine and fully human?”  It was necessary for Jesus to be conceived by the Holy Spirit and be born of a virgin so that the sin nature of mankind could not be transferred upon Him by an earthly father.  Being conceived by the Holy Spirit (as pointed out in scripture at the beginning of this lesson) made Him perfect and without sin.  Jesus entered into our world as a one of a kind divine and sinless human being.  He was fully God and fully human simultaneously!!    

 

Yes, He is the word of God who became flesh.  Yes, he did become the visible, tangible, manifestation of God capable of speaking directly with us.  But, just as importantly, He became like us so that when He went to the cross, He could be a worthy substitute for all of us! 

 

It was God’s decision to offer a one-time sacrifice.  This was done not because of what we’ve done to deserve it, but because He loves us as His created children.  So, God the Father, chose God the son as a one time, all inclusive, final, and complete payment for all the sins of mankind.  It was Jesus’ Divine nature that qualified Him as the supreme sacrifice, the Lamb of God.  Only Christ could be the one to fulfill the requirement of the law and go to the cross on our behalf.  It’s all summarized in the following passages:

 

Philippians 2:5-11

. . . Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

 

Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  (ESV)

 

2 Corinthians 5:21

Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God.  (CEV)

 

Galatians 3:13

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us . . . (NIV)

 

 

 

The Distinctives of Christ - His Prophetic Fulfillment of Scripture and Other Important Truths

 

There is not much agreement among scholars as to how many prophecies Jesus fulfilled in his brief time with us when the Word became flesh.  Some number it to be between 40 and 100 while others feel they can list 400 or better.  Let’s not get ourselves caught up in the academic community debate.  The debate is not about whether there are enough fulfilled scriptures.  It’s about how many there actually are!  Just know that there are scores of prophecies easily identified and agreed upon that sufficiently place Jesus in the statistical range of probability that is astronomically incomprehensible! 

 

In 1969, two men, Peter W. Stoner and Robert C. Newman, wrote a book called Science Speaks.  In it, they explored the statistical possibilities of a single individual being able to accurately hit just 8 prophecies.  The probability that Jesus could have done this is only 1 in 10 to the 17^th power.  Try to wrap your  mind around this.  That's 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000!   ( https://www.christiananswers.net/q-aiia/jesus-odds.html)  Mind you, that’s just the odds for satisfying 8 prophecies!  

 

In addition to Jesus’ overwhelming authentication through prophecy fulfilment, there are other unique facts that stand out about Him.

 

·         There is no other world religion that contains a narrative of God providing salvation and having an uncalled-for desire to be in relationship with mankind.  Every other world belief system is based on personal works.  In those belief systems, the human has to perform something in order to better their spiritual status or earn something from their god or gods.

 

·         As alluded to already in this lesson, our God humbled himself to save us.  There is no other story of any god that claims this. 

 

He turned the definition of leadership upside down. 

He became the servant King. 

He washed the disciples’ feet. 

He mingled with sinners and social rejects. 

He demanded nothing in terms of being treated like royalty. 

 

·         Jesus makes exclusive claim to be the only way to attain eternal life in John 14:6.

 

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me”.  (ESV)

 

This single statement leaves everyone with a personal decision to make.  Either it’s true or it’s false, but it can’t be both.  Our encounter with this statement from Jesus is a defining moment for anyone who dares to read the scripture or hear the gospel message.

The offer made by Christ is open to anyone but only valid for those who choose to receive it and call on His name.  Specifically, it is only those who know there is nothing they can do to save themselves and know that only Christ is capable of saving them.  Others who make the claim that there are multiple paths to a relationship with God do not understand the exclusive claims of Christ.  His words bring us to a juncture that requires us to decide which path to follow in terms of what truth is.

Ultimately, we are saved exclusively by faith alone, in Christ alone, through His mercy and grace alone.

 

 

The Worthiness of Christ - The Effects of His Gifts of Mercy and Grace

 

Because Christ is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world," (John 1:29), we become recipients of mercy.  Mercy is a compassionate act of someone who has power over us.  It removes the punishment that we deserve as sinners.  What an incredible gift that is for us!  If this were all we received from Christ, we would certainly not have the right to ask for anything more.  His action on the cross puts us in a place where we no longer have criminal status.  Our “sentence” is essentially expunged because Jesus stepped in on our behalf and willingly received our collective punishment.  It removes our status of persona non-grata as we stand in judgement before a righteous God.  We are redeemed and restored because of the love of Jesus!

 

But, that’s only half the package!  

 

God, through His infinite, unmerited, and undeserved love for us, makes it so much sweeter.  Beyond the forgiveness we receive, we are blessed and favored with something we cannot earn and do not deserve.  Through Christ, we become recipients of grace.  God acts with benevolent favoritism by appointing us to be members of His royal family.  Spiritually, we become sons and daughters of the Most Holy One!  

 

·         Through Christ, we are made citizens of the kingdom of heaven. 

·         Through Christ, we receive adoption into the family of God. Our status gets changed to favored ones.

·         Through Christ, we receive the gift of eternal life.

·         Through Christ, we receive the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

All these things we receive in Christ are wonderful, amazing, and out of this world.  Nonetheless, there is still one other fact about Christ that is exclusive and absolutely necessary to validate and empower His Grace and Mercy.  It’s the indisputable fact that he arose from the dead!  This single event is the deal beaker for Christianity.  Without it, Christianity would fall into a melting pot of world religions and probably become obscure.

 

Scripture testifies that there were over 500 eyewitnesses in the presence of Christ after His resurrection and before His ascension (1 Cor. 15:6).   What’s really intriguing is that this is recorded by the Apostle Paul who was originally a persecutor of the church.  His conversion was a result of a personal encounter with Jesus after His ascension.  There was no logical worldly reason for Paul to become a follower of Jesus and a minister of the gospel.  Paul went on to be the most prolific writer and apostle of the first century church.  He lived in poverty and found no financial or political gain through his experience with Christ.  He died as a martyr.      

Jesus Christ’s birth, life, crucifixion, resurrection, post resurrection ministry, ascension, and continued power to change people’s lives remains irrefutable. 

 

 

The Impact of Christ -  Your Relationship with Him

After all that we’ve said, who is Jesus Christ to You?  Is He nothing more than a verified factual historical figure?  Is He a distant God that you feel unable to connect with? 

 

Have you come to an understanding that at this very moment He is the living Christ who sits on His throne in heaven?  Do you understand this is Jesus who transforms lives and who can encounter you in a personal way that verifies beyond doubt that He knows you by name and is willing to have an ongoing relationship with you?

Facts are great, but none of it matters if you haven’t had a personal life-changing encounter with God!  Your life can be changed forever by surrendering to the Holy One, Jesus Christ who came into this world to save YOU!

Contact me if you want to explore more about who Jesus is and what He has waiting for you!

God bless you and Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

References

Science Speaks: Scientific Proof of the Accuracy of Prophecy and the Bible; Peter W. Stoner (Author),‎ Robert C. Newman (Collaborator);1969, MOODY BOOKS PRESS (3rd Revised Edition) PAPERBACK

 

 What are the odds surrounding Jesus Christ? Who was this child really?  Online article at ChristianAnswers.Net https://www.christiananswers.net/q-aiia/jesus-odds.html  Author: Daryl E. Witmer of AIIA Institute. Also published in Areopagus Proclamation, Vol. 4, No. 3.