Category Archives: Jesus

What Good News Can Do For You!

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-The Gospel Is An “Announcement”

The word “Gospel” literally means “good news.” In the original Greek language it’s often translated “Herald” or “Evangelist.” When a Greek king won a battle, he would send a “Gospel Herald” all over the kingdom to announce the “good news” of his victory! So, in it’s purest sense, the Gospel is an “announcement”—the Biblical writers used the word “Gospel” to announce that Jesus has won the battle for our salvation by His atoning death on the cross! The Gospel is the good news, about God’s forgiveness, by Christ’s substitutionary work in our place— “…He became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” 2 Cor. 5:21.

-We’re Saved From Good Works

Once we’ve heard & accepted the good news—about Jesus’ payment for sin—we’re commissioned, by Him, to announce the good news everywhere & to make disciples of Christ from all nations! When we get Jesus’ Gospel right, it’s a message that saves us from our “good works”—“For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast” Eph 2:8,9.  From my earliest recollections of myself, as a young boy, I remember trying to impress God with my good deeds. But, Scripture clearly says here that salvation “…is NOT from YOURSELVES…”; it’s “…NOT from works…” We can never change enough to sway God! We can never justify ourselves before Him! We’re DEAD in our SIN! That’s why Jesus went to the cross—to pay the price we should have paid! It’s the “good news” of the Gospel that saves us from thinking that our good deeds can save us.

-We’re Saved From Guilt

When we get Jesus’ Gospel right, it’s a message that saves us from our “guilt”—“And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins” God says in Hebrews 8:12.  The Psalmist wrote, “…then I confessed my sins to you and didn’t hide my guilt. I said, ‘I will confess my sins to the Lord,’ and You forgave my guilt.” Psalm 32:1-5.  The same Gospel that saves us from our good works, saves us from our guilt—when guilt is our motivator, we can never do enough! That’s the unbearable burden of a “performance-driven faith”—when have you done enough? But the Gospel, of Christ, says we’re saved by GRACE!

-The Gospel Saves Us To Do Good Works

 

The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write: “For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them” Eph. 2:10.  Did you see that? Paul says, “…we are HIS creation”; and, it’s in our conversion to Christ that we are “…created…FOR good works”; and, God prepares us for those good works! They don’t save us! They’re the RESULT of our salvation—the RESULT of God’s sanctifying work IN US! When we truly see the beauty & glory of God’s grace in our lives, we will want to do good works that reflect well on Jesus!

When Good Things Become Bad Things!

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-Is There Passion For God & Man?

I appreciate believers that are “free thinkers”; who, think outside the box; who, challenge the way things have always been done! Not with a spirit of rebellion; but, brothers & sisters, in Christ, that are just passionate for God; and, passionate for the souls of men! And, they’re always questioning whether there’s a better way to do God’s work more successfully—men & women given to prayer; who, are begging God for wisdom to do His work His way! Followers, of Jesus, that are not trapped by the traditions of men; even, traditions of the church that can be elevated to a place of idolatry & prominence above the Word of God, if not viewed carefully!

-It’s Time To Look In The Mirror, Church!

It’s time to look at ourselves through the mirror of God’s Word, Church! It’s time to ask ourselves the tough questions; to, investigate whether we’ve gotten off course; if, we’ve settled for something less than the best of God’s plans for us! Because all the good things we do can become bad things when our motive isn’t pure and holy!  The Apostle Paul called out the Church of Corinth for using their gifts, for ministry, only when they could be seen prominently!  The praise of men can be intoxicating! Jesus noted that many religious leaders, of His day, prayed when they could be heard in public; and, fasted only to be seen of men; and, gave money if honored for it! We all have to guard against false motives when doing our ministry! Are there certain things that are “beneath us” because no one would see us?

-The Church’s Sole Purpose For Existence!

The Apostle John, in 1 John 3:16-18, says that our ministry is properly focused when it’s motivated by a love for Christ; and, a love for others! Jesus’ ministry was others-focused—“love” for the Father; and, “love” for a humanity crushed by sin! Good things also become bad things, for the Church, when they are given priority over Jesus’ mandate to “…make disciples…” That is our sole purpose for existence! That has to be the grid through which we make all our decisions, Church! If that’s not how we do ministry, the “tyranny of good things” will rule instead! We can do a lot of “good things” disobediently!

-Are We Living Like A Pharisee?

It’s always been man’s way, since “the Fall”, to form our own rules; and, ask God to bless them! Like the Pharisees, in Jesus’ day, we wanna play god! We’ve organized our churches as if God exists to meet our needs & cater to our comforts! Our discussions often revolve around what we want rather than what He wills! It’s time to repent; and, come home to the Father, Church! It’s time to admit how prone we are to exalt our work over God’s will; and, our dreams over God’s desires; and, our plans over God’s priorities! God’s blessing only comes to His Church when we live to make Him known among the nations!

 

Don’t Expose My Idols!

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-Jesus Said Some Hard Things

Jesus earned quite the reputation for crazy, difficult, and hard sayings during His 3 1/2 year ministry on this planet. He said things like “…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you”; and, “…it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”; and, “…let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God”; and, perhaps the craziest, “…if anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

-Does This Offend You?

At one point, the Apostle John says the crowd, that followed Jesus, could take it no longer and said: “…this is a hard saying; who can understand it?” At that point Jesus turned to them & asked them, “Does this offend you?…there are some of you who do not believe.” (John 6:60ff) In that statement, we gain some insight into the reason for Jesus’ hard sayings—His intent was to flush out the unbelievers, in the crowd, so they might acknowledge their unbelieving heart & come to genuine faith; that, they might trust Christ for salvation.

-Don’t Sanitize Jesus’ Message!

Unfortunately, I’ve read more than one commentary try and explain away what Jesus said….trying to soften the blow of His message by making it more palatable and politically correct! But, when you try and “sanitize” His message it loses the impact of the Gospel. Jesus fully intended to be offensive to His self-righteous audience; and, to shake up the religious leaders that taught a works-based, performance-driven salvation—“If your righteousness does not exceed that of the Pharisees,” He said, “you’ll never see heaven.” To the rich man, He said: “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” In all His “hard sayings,” Jesus was putting a spotlight on the false gods and idols in people’s lives. These were the things that people valued more than Creator God; and, Jesus exposed their idolatry!

-But, Aren’t Idols Bad Things?

That’s what we think; so, we try to re-interpret what Jesus said because He just couldn’t be calling all those good things we love—like family, career, our standing in the public eye—as idols, could He? We want to believe that idols are bad things; but, that’s rarely the case! Tim Keller, in his excellent book Counterfeit Gods, says, “…the greater the ‘good’, the more likely we are to expect that it can satisfy our deepest needs and hopes. Anything can serve as a counterfeit god, especially the very best things in life.”  Jesus came to set things in order—God’s in charge; He is King; He is Lord; and, He alone is to be worshipped! He has all authority over my life; and, He is to be valued as the ONLY treasure, above all His creation!

 

 

Worship God Or Save Souls?

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-What’s The Church’s Highest Purpose?

What is the highest purpose of the Church? Let me break it down for you— “Soteriology” is “the study of the doctrine of salvation in Jesus Christ”; and, “Doxology” is “the study of the doctrine of worship and praise.” The debate is over which is the highest purpose of the Church:  The salvation of souls; or, the worship, praise, and glory of God?

-Answering That Question With Another Question

Let me answer that question with another question—the question that Jesus was asked by one of the Pharisees, “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” And, Jesus responded:  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command.  The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself” Matthew 22:36-39. NOTHING is to be placed above our love, loyalty & worship of God! NOTHING! For those, of you, fearful that I’m kicking evangelism and disciple-making to the curb, your fear is unfounded! Here’s why—we cannot worship God with all our heart, soul, and mind without actively discipling the lost because that is the Commission Jesus has given the Church; and, “If you love me,” He said, “You will keep my commandments.”

-Clarifying The Argument

So, the argument is not whether we disciple the lost or not! We have no option—if we love & worship God we will evangelize and disciple the lost! The debate is over “priorities”—if we give higher preference to winning the lost than we do to love, loyalty, and the worship of God, we’re guilty of IDOLATRY! We’ve become “man-centered” rather than “God-centered.” If God placed the salvation of souls above the worship of God, He would be guilty of IDOLATRY! When the worship of God is revived in the hearts of His people, God sends a “revival”—God sends revival when we worship Him with humble, repentant hearts; and, when we stand in awe of HIS beauty & great worth! John, the baptizer, had it right:  “He (Jesus) must increase & I must decrease.” The word “vive” means “to be alive”; so, “revive” means “to make alive again.”  Like the doctor who “revives” a clinically dead patient, God “revives” the believer who has flat-lined spiritually!

-The Holy Spirit Does The Resuscitating

Has your walk with the Lord become dormant or stagnant? Have you been lazy about your faith? Has it trickled down to your attitude toward the lost? When was the last time you gave testimony of your faith; or, been in a disciple-making relationship with someone? Pray for personal revival—when God “revives” you, you’ll be engaged, once again, in worshipping Him; and, loving the lost that Jesus came to save! God is so good to start over with us! Let Him make your heart sensitive and broken once again! Let Him remove the leanness that has overrun your soul! Let Him make you painfully aware of your sin!

 

Jesus: The Glory Of The Father!

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-Going To Church For The Wrong Reasons!

For most of my life, as a Disciple of Jesus, I went to church for all the wrong reasons. I went to be seen—so everyone would know that I was a faithful, born again believer! I went to see people—my friends at church! I also went out of duty or obligation—fearing punishment, from God, if I didn’t go! But, all those things left my faith experience empty. There had to be more to church than impressing people & fearing punishment!

-No More “Checklist Christianity”!

It’s been a spiritual work in progress for me—I had to move away from “checklist Christianity” or “cultural Christianity” where I did things, like church, so I could check them off my spiritual “to do list” & be accepted in the church culture; and, move toward God! I had to pursue Him! Church became a whole new experience when I began to pursue God—when I began to come to meet HIM; to worship HIM; to experience the glory of His work in HIS church! Here’s what I’m saying: “Church Is About God!” It’s not about US! Oh, we have to show up; but, we come to make much of HIM! We worship Him together as a community of faith; to praise Him & bring Him glory! And, if HE doesn’t show up, there’s something wrong with our worship! It’s misplaced; or, it’s misguided, isn’t it?

-The Glory Of God In Jesus!

And, God reveals His glory through His Son, Jesus. The Apostle John said that when they looked upon Jesus, they “…beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father…” John 1:14. They beheld God’s glory IN JESUS! And, the Father calls for His Son’s praise: “The Father,…has given all judgment to the Son, so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” John 5:22-23.  The Father is offended when we fail to make much of Jesus! HE is glorified when Jesus is worshipped & praised: “So that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” Philippians 2:10-11. If the Father makes much of Jesus, the Son, than certainly so should we! God honors the church that makes much of Jesus—the church that worships Him; praises Him & glorifies Him.

-Jesus: The Exact Expression!

In Hebrews 1:3, the writer says that Jesus was “…the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature…” In other words, to “see Jesus is to see the Father.” He said that, by the way, when they asked him to show them the Father! In Colossians 1:15, the Apostle Paul said, Jesus “…is the image of the invisible God.” You wanna see what God is like? Look at Jesus! You want God to speak to you? Listen to Jesus! He is the radiance of God’s glory! Like the radiance of the sun is inseparable from the sun, you can’t have the Father without the Son! The glory of the Trinity! Don’t ask me to explain it!