Monthly Archives: March 2016

Miracles And The Forgiveness Of Sin

Christian Life, , ,

MIRACLES AND THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN

Early in His ministry, Jesus collided with the Pharisees because He had the audacity to forgive sin. He was in Capernaum, teaching in a house that was crowded to capacity with people clamouring to hear Him. Four men brought a paralysed man on a mat in the hopes that Jesus would heal him. They were so determined to get the man to Him that they took him upstairs and ripped open the roof to let him down on his mat in front of the Master. I guess the people made room for him then, rather than have pieces of the roof fall on their heads.

Jesus saw the faith of the four and recognised that the man’s need for forgiveness was as great as his need for healing. That would follow. Much to the indignation of the religious leaders,

When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, you sins are forgiven.’

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ‘Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’

Immediately Jesus knew in His spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts and He said to them, ‘Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ‘ He said to the paralytic, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’ (Mark 2: 5-12)

Case dismissed. What could His opponents say? The miracle of healing was conclusive of His authority to forgive sin.

Jesus’ miracles were much more than works of compassion or even a demonstration of His power. He was adamant that what He did was not because He was some super human being but because He trusted the Holy Spirit to work through Him. He always worked in perfect harmony with the Father. He came to announce and demonstrate that God’s rule was indeed among His people, and that anyone who believed in Him could be a part of it.

Every miracle of healing and deliverance which Jesus did pointed to the nature of the kingdom of God. Suffering was evidence of Satan’s presence and his harassment of people. They had wandered from God’s path and had become lost in the wilderness of their own choices. Jesus presented Himself as the Good Shepherd who had come to seek the lost sheep and bring them home.

He viewed His people as sons and daughters who had wandered from the path and needed direction to return to the way of Yahweh. His encounter with Zacchaeus brought a lost tax collector back to the Father and back to the way of Yahweh. Zacchaeus was transformed from a greedy and dishonest person into an honest and generous follower of Jesus, a true son of Abraham, drawing from Jesus an exclamation of joy.

Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. (Luke 19:9b-10)

Jesus encountered a woman in the synagogue who was so crippled that she had not been able to walk up straight for eighteen years. His heart went out to her and, in the presence of His opponents whom He knew would attack Him because it was the Sabbath, He laid hands on her and healed her.

To the synagogue ruler who remonstrated with people for wanting to be healed on the Sabbath – and she didn’t even ask for healing – Jesus retorted:

‘You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?’ (Luke 13: 15b-16)

Freedom! The nature of the kingdom of God. Freedom from greed; freedom from physical infirmity; freedom from guilt; freedom from the crippling works of the devil! Jesus did whatever He could to set people free from error; from unbelief and from the effects of Satan’s occupation of their lives and their territory. They were set free to be who they were, the true sons and daughters of Abraham.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3,                                                                              eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or Kindle version, on www.takealot.com  or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Do you like this post? Then buy your own copy of my book, Learning to be a Disciple, which is also available from www.amazon.com or www.takealot.com in South Africa. You can also order a copy directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com

Watch this space!

My latest book, The Heartbeat of Holiness, will also soon be available.

The Threefold Witness

Christian Life, , ,

THE THREEFOLD WITNESS

What was the difference between His Messiahship and His Sonship? As Messiah, Jesus carried the anointing of the Holy Spirit to fulfil His mission. As the Son of God, He was the Father’s personal representative, revealing the nature of the Father because He and the Father are one. According to the requirement of Torah, there had to be two or three witnesses for a claim to be verified. In spite of the refusal of the religious leaders to recognise Him, Jesus appealed to three witnesses to ratify His identity and authenticate His claim:

  1. The testimony of John the Baptist

You have sent to John and He has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. (John 5: 33-35)

In what way did John bear testimony to Jesus as the Son of God?

Then John gave this testimony, ’I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Him. I would not have known Him, except that the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is He who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.’ (John 1: 32-34)

  1. The testimony of the works themselves

Although John’s testimony was valid and acceptable as a witness to Jesus’s identity as the Son of God, Jesus drew attention to an even more powerful witness than John’s.

I have a testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. (John 5: 36)

Did He clarify what He classified as “work”? He said to His disciples in the Upper Room,

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or at least, believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. (John 14:11)

Part of His work was to do the miracles assigned to Him by the Father as proof that He was sent by the Father and that He was “in” the Father and the Father “in” Him.

  1. The testimony of the Father

The greatest testimony of all was the witness of the Father.

And the Father who sent me has Himself testified concerning me. (John 5: 37)

When did the Father bear witness to Jesus as His Son?

When all the people were being baptised, Jesus was baptised too. And as He was praying, heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven; ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’ (Luke 3: 21-22)

Three powerful, independent witnesses, whether the Jews liked it or not, were enough to authenticate Jesus as the Son of God.

No amount of positive witness would convince the religious leaders that Jesus was both Messiah and the Son of God. Whatever He said or did, they rejected as evidence of His identity. They even went as far as accusing Him of casting out demons in the name of Beelzebub. Imagine that! Jesus showed them how ludicrous it was to attribute His power to the devil.

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?’ (Matt. 12: 25-26)

Instead of His miracles giving them a reason to accuse Him of being in league with the devil, Jesus pointed out that they were the very reason to believe that God’s kingdom had come among them.

But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Matt. 12: 28)

What is the point of this testimony for us as believers? It is important that we have the absolute assurance that the one in whom we have put our confidence for time and eternity it reliable and trustworthy because our eternal destiny is at stake. Jesus pointed to His works – His miraculous intervention in the lives of people and in nature, even to raising the dead to life again, to reassure those who believe in Him that He is who He says He is – the Son of God.

We can have the utmost confidence in His promises because He revealed the power of the Holy Spirit through whom He lived, to do in us and through us what He did through Jesus.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3,                                                                              eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or Kindle version, on www.takealot.com  or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Do you like this post? Then buy your own copy of my book, Learning to be a Disciple, which is also available from www.amazon.com or www.takealot.com in South Africa. You can also order a copy directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com

Watch this space!

My latest book, The Heartbeat of Holiness, will also soon be available.

 

Jesus And The Works Of The Kingdom

Christian Life, , , ,

JESUS AND THE WORKS OF THE KINGDOM

Closely related to Jesus’s teaching on the kingdom of God was what He called His “works”. What did He classify as His works? What was the purpose of His works?

Jesus did many miracles during His earthly life; He healed the sick, restored disabled people, raised the dead, drove out demons and did miracles that overruled nature. Was it just for showmanship so that He could draw the crowds; was it out of pure compassion for the suffering or was there a deeper significance to His miracles?

In order to understand the place of works in His mission as Messiah, let’s examine what Jesus had to say about His miracles.

Jesus made it clear that His miracles were closely connected to the kingdom of God. He did not come simply as a miracle-worker. On occasion He escaped from the people who were clamouring for healing because His purpose was much bigger than merely bringing relief to the suffering. He had a message to deliver which took precedence over His healing ministry.

His works authenticated His identity as God’s Messiah.

There are many prophecies in the Old Testament – the Tanakh – that act like Messiah’s “fingerprints”. Just as the police department has a data base of fingerprints which is used to identify criminals, so the Old Testament has a “data base” of Messianic fingerprints to enable people to identify the Messiah. Jesus prophesied that many false messiahs would come, demanding attention and claiming allegiance. How would people be able to distinguish between true and false? Prophecy! All they had to do was to match the prophetic fingerprint with the fulfilment and they would know whether the claim was true or false.

John the Baptist was incarcerated in Herod’s dungeon for daring to indict him for adultery. While John languished in prison, Jesus was out and about preaching, teaching and doing miracles. Perhaps John had hoped that He would intervene and get him out of jail, but Jesus did not show up. Eventually John began to lose heart. Could this one whom he had introduced to his people, really be the Messiah after all?

He sent a representation of his followers to Jesus to ask Him, “Are you really the Messiah or are you just another imposter like the rest? Must we look for someone else?”

Jesus adopted a think-for-yourself approach. He didn’t give John a straight “yes” or “no” answer. How much better for John to look at the evidence and decide for himself!

Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.’ (Matt. 11: 4-6)

In what way did Jesus’s works match the prophetic fingerprint? Isaiah 61 testified to His Messiahship – one anointed by the Holy Spirit to fulfil the Father’s assignment.

When Jesus returned to Nazareth after His baptism, He attended the synagogue on the Sabbath where He was invited to speak.

The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling the scroll, He found the place where it is written:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim freedom for the captives and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. (Isa. 61:1-2a)

Then He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Him, and He began by saying to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’ (Luke 4: 17-21)

Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 35 points to the Messianic age:

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf be unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue shout for joy. (Isa. 35: 5-6a)

When would this happen? When God came in person to reverse the fortunes of His people.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3,                                                                              eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or Kindle version, on www.takealot.com  or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Do you like this post? Then buy your own copy of my book, Learning to be a Disciple, which is also available from www.amazon.com or www.takealot.com in South Africa. You can also order a copy directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com

Watch this space!

My latest book, The Heartbeat of Holiness, will also soon be available.

 

Righteousness And Good Works

Bible Study, , , ,

RIGHTEOUSNESS AND GOOD WORKS

What the Bible teaches is always in balance. Without the righteousness of Jesus which covers and replaces our unrighteousness, we have no standing before God. As our substitute, Jesus died for us as though He were unrighteous, and gave us His righteousness as a gift of mercy. This is the only way to find acceptance with God.

God made Him, who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5: 21)

But there is another side to it. James put it this way:

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2: 14-17)

We may revel in the righteousness which God has given to us as a free gift of His grace and which makes us acceptable to Him but, without responding in gratitude by doing the right thing for others, it means nothing.

The heart of the kingdom then, as far as daily living is concerned, is showing mercy to someone in need whenever and wherever we can because God has shown mercy to us. This is the way God rules in His world.

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be is summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Love does no harm to his neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law. (Rom. 13: 8-10)

God’s kingdom comes whenever and wherever we show mercy to others. It is possible for us to be merciful now because our selfish, greedy selves have been put to death by the death of Jesus. We have been raised with Him to a new life of gratitude and obedience to Him for His mercy and unselfish love for others, shown by our compassion towards them. If not, our faith is empty, useless and invalid – bottom line.

Jesus had something to say to people who claimed to know Him by their so-called “spiritual gifts” but, like the Pharisees, used them for the wrong reasons,

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matt. 7: 21-23)

The kingdom of God is much more than a doctrine to be understood. It is a life to be lived and a reality to be experienced. Of what value is it if we can navigate our way through the intricacies of the kingdom with clarity and accuracy in our understanding but still live as though we are citizens of this world?

Like our rabbi who blazed the trail, the kingdom of God only comes to life among us when we practise its values in the midst of this world’s darkness.  Jesus showed us what God’s kingdom will look like when it is finally ushered in in its fullness. There will be no sickness or sorrow, no demons or dying. All sin will be put away forever and God’s family will live in union with Him and with one another in perfect harmony.

Until then, we experience the kingdom only in part. Ours is the task of being heralds of the kingdom and bearers of the good news, demonstrating what the kingdom is like by reflecting the disposition of our Master and by replicating His love and compassion towards all people, and showing that the kingdom is real and is coming in its fullness when Jesus returns.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3,                                                                              eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or Kindle version, on www.takealot.com  or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Do you like this post? Then buy your own copy of my book, Learning to be a Disciple, which is also available from www.amazon.com or www.takealot.com in South Africa. You can also order a copy directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com

Watch this space!

My latest book, The Heartbeat of Holiness, will also soon be available.