Tag Archives: Abraham

Offended And Exposed

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OFFENDED AND EXPOSED!

“‘Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.’

“‘You are not yet fifty years old,’ they said to Him, ‘and you have seen Abraham!’ ‘Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I AM!’ At this they picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus hid Himself, slipping away from the Temple grounds.” John 8: 56-59 (NIV).

Jesus was either a madman, speaking words that were the height of blasphemy or…

This conversation, which started off with many of the Jews (his name for the religious leaders) believing in Jesus, and ended with these same believers’ attempting to stone Him for blasphemy, was one of those times when Jesus probed to expose what was really in their hearts.

It turns out that their so-called faith was no faith at all because they refused to believe that He was the Son of God. Jesus said things that were either the words of a crazy man or, if they were true, could only point to His identity as God in the flesh.

He claimed to be the fulfilment of the water and light ceremonies which they celebrated every year at the Feast of Tabernacles; He spoke of His unity with the Father; He said that He had been sent by the Father; that the Father was with Him; that He spoke only what He heard the Father saying; that He would set all those free who believed in Him and held to His teaching; that He existed before Abraham was born and that He was the I AM whose name He revealed from the burning bush!

That tipped them over the edge! Their faith in Him was phoney and their wicked hearts were exposed. Just as Jesus had revealed, they were murderers at heart, just like their father, the devil, and their murderous intention broke out into action. They were thwarted in their attempt to kill Him once again because it was not yet time for Him to die and not in the manner they were using at that moment.

It would have been easy for Jesus to slip away through the crowd. It was the final festival of the Jewish calendar and there would have been thousands of people, locals and visitors thronging the temple courts. He did not wait around to give them the satisfaction of carrying out their murderous action. He simple melted into the crowd and left them to lick their wounds and plan the next move.

Why did Jesus egg them on to reveal their true colours? He was not interested in popularity for its own sake. He did not come to gain membership for a cause. He came to reveal the true nature of the Father and to restore those to fellowship with the Father who would recognize who He was and bow to His authority.

The Jewish leaders who had initially believed in Him had shown that they were not interested in anything other than what they believed and desired. They were not willing to repent (change their minds about what they believed and receive the truth from Jesus). He did not fulfil their expectation and so they dismissed Him as a fake and a blasphemer.

We need to look closely at our own attitudes lest we mirror theirs and disqualify ourselves from being Jesus’ disciples. Eugene Peterson captures the sense of Jesus’ words in his interpretation of Matthew 16:24 in “The Message”:

“Then Jesus went to work on His disciples. ’Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way to finding your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?'”

Jesus demands unquestioning obedience to His will and His way. Unless we are prepared to lay aside our own demands and expectations and embrace Him and His way wholeheartedly, we are disqualified from being His disciples no matter what we think.

It’s as simple as that!

Tradition Versus Knowledge

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TRADITION VERSUS KNOWLEDGE 

“At this they exclaimed, ‘Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?’

“Jesus replied, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know Him, I know Him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know Him and obey His word.'” John 8:52-55 (NIV).

Listen to the tone of voice! These men were not out to learn the truth. They were only out to prove that they were right and Jesus was wrong. Their problem was that they were basing their argument on tradition and Jesus was basing His on experiential knowledge. They claimed to know God because they followed in the tradition of their ancestors who had built up an elaborate religious system based on the interpretation (yoke) of the ancient rabbis.

Isn’t this rather like the Roman Catholic system that follows the traditions of the popes who have gone before, claiming to have the authority to interpret the Bible the way they see it and not the way it was intended to be understood? Each one adds his bit until the Bible is so pulled out of shape that it is no longer recognizable as the Word of God.

It is Jesus whom the Father glorified and to whom He gave the highest place and the highest name in the universe and to whom every knee will bow. How do these religious systems fit into Jesus’ simple invitation? ‘Follow me’? To what is Jesus calling us? To live in the light; to be honest with God and our fellow-men and to live generous, merciful lives towards all people.

“With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my first-born for my transgressions, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:6-8 (NIV).

If we take an honest look at the doctrines and practices of many of the streams of the church, we have to ask ourselves the question, “Is this what Jesus came to do?” Let’s take one example. Jesus taught that God’s economic system is based on giving and receiving, sowing and reaping. Giving to others puts our resources into a current which keeps flowing and will come back to us in our time of need. Our Father knows our needs. He wants us to take care of the needs of others because this is His way of taking care of our needs.

Why is it then that many parts of the church operate according to the world’s economic system of buying and selling? Raffles, bazaars and fund-raising functions are the way we get our money, not the simple process of giving. Unfortunately, by propagating that way, God’s people are robbed of their access, through faith, to the resources God has promised us to live godly lives (2 Peter 1:3, 4).

Jesus’ way of life demands the risks of faith. God places great value on our confidence in Him and His word, so great in fact that He puts our faith through the fire to test its genuineness (1 Peter 1:6, 7). It is easier to substitute religion for faith and to deceive ourselves into thinking that God is satisfied with our ritualistic performance rather than trusting and obeying Him. Paul put it bluntly: “…Everything that does not come from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23b).

Faith demands obedience to Jesus’ command, “Love one another as I have loved you,” and that demands self-sacrifice. How much easier to do stuff than to obey God!

Following Jesus means learning to live like sons and daughters of God. Jesus showed us how to be children of God. Submission and obedience is the way and that demands spending time with God and getting to know His ways. Jesus said, ‘I know Him.’

Do you know Him?

 

 

Chips Off The Old Block

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CHIPS OFF THE OLD BLOCK 

“‘Abraham is our father,’ they answered.’If you were Abraham’s children,’ said Jesus, ‘then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man that has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father.’

“‘We are not illegitimate children,’ they protested.’The only father we have is God Himself.'” John 8:39-41 (NIV).

These were men who, a few verses back were said to have believed in Jesus. Yet here they were still scheming to kill Jesus.

They prided themselves on being the descendants of Abraham and they even went as far as claiming God as their Father. But so did Jesus. So who was telling the truth? They could not both be descendants of Abraham since the fruit of their lives was so vastly different.

The Apostle Paul argued that the real children of Abraham are those who did what he did, not those who were his natural descendants. What did Abraham do? “What does Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.'” Romans 4:3 (NIV).

“It was not through the Law that Abraham and his offspring received that promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. Therefore the promise comes by faith so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring — not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.” Romans 4:16 (NIV).

“Understand then that those who have faith are children of Abraham.” Galatians 3:7 (NIV).

It is clear that the argument of these religious leaders held no water because their attitude and the intentions negated their claim to be the descendants of Abraham. Their snide retort, ‘We are not illegitimate children,’ was a backhanded slap in the face of Jesus. Were they insinuating that He was illegitimate because Joseph was not His Father? Once again their assumptions led them into dangerously false allegations.

What of those who claim descent from Abraham but who hate and murder believers in Jesus in the name of their god. Do they not fall into the same category as these men who were contending that they were Abraham’s offspring yet they were planning to kill Jesus?

How important it is that we take the words of Jesus seriously! No matter what claims we may make, they are of no consequence if they are not backed up by fact. Our churches are full of people who believe that they are sons and daughters of God, yet they are no different from the people in the world. Signing a decision card or answering an altar call do not constitute a good enough reason for assuming that we are now children of God.

The real test is: Who do we resemble? The true children of God are those who resemble Him in their attitudes and behaviour. Jesus is God with a face. “He who has seen me has seen the Father,” He told Philip. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word.” Hebrews 1:3 (NIV).

We can sum up the character of Jesus in two words — merciful and generous. The true followers of Jesus are those who obey Him. “If you love me, (you will) keep my commandments.” John 14:15. “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34 (NIV).

These so-called believers in Jesus just didn’t get it. Do you?

Living In Denial

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LIVING IN DENIAL 

“They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’

“Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence and you are doing what you have heard from your father.'” John 8:33-38 (NIV).

These were new believers! John has just informed us that many of the Jews believed in Him, the very same ones who were now protesting against His Word.

These people either had short memories or selective memories! Didn’t they celebrate the Passover every year, a festival to commemorate their deliverance from slavery in Egypt? And what about Purim, another annual feast to remember their deliverance from extermination at the hands of Haman when they were captives in Babylon? And what about the Romans? Weren’t they under Roman occupation at that very moment?

But Jesus was referring to slavery far more sinister and far-reaching than enslavement to another nation. His so-called disciples were oblivious to or in denial of their slavery to a ruthless master — sin. Because of their meticulous observance of rules and ritual, they thought they were okay.

Their protest was hollow even though they prided themselves on being descendants of Abraham. They claimed natural birth as the reason for their confidence that they were acceptable to God. They were Jews by birth and Jews by tradition — after all, weren’t they God’s covenant people? Didn’t they have the mark of the covenant in their bodies?

Many of the people in the church today, who claim to be the children of God, are relying on the same false hopes as these Jews did. They claim natural birth as their reason for being in the family of God. “My father was a minister; a missionary; a Baptist; an Anglican; a Presbyterian or whatever.” Some claim performance as their reason for being a “Christian.” I go to church; I read my Bible; I pray; I pay my tithe; or whatever I rely on to make myself acceptable to God.

Some even try to put God under obligation to them. “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 in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'” Matthew 7:22, 23 (NIV).

But Jesus was not fooled. On another occasion He had taught the Twelve, “You will know them by their fruit.” He was aware that these men who claimed to be His disciples were planning to kill Him because He was too nice, too wise and too straight with them for their comfort. Their claim to being His disciples did not penetrate to the nerve centre of their beings — the driving force of their lives; self.

It was there that they needed deliverance from slavery — from the sin nature that motivated every thought and action. No self-help could free them from the nature they were born with, the drive to be their own boss and to be number one in their lives. Jesus knew that He alone could break that bondage and set them free to become lovers of God and lovers of their neighbour.

What would it take to subdue the old human nature and replace it with a nature “renewed in the image of its Creator”? It would take their choice to destroy the only person who ever lived a perfect human life and then took the rap for every person who did not. It would take the death of one who took the worst that human beings could throw at Him without flinching, protesting or retaliating. Once that debt was paid, every slave to sin could be set free.

No one can ever know the freedom that Jesus offers until they stop living in denial, acknowledge that they are slaves and accept the gift of forgiveness and become reconciled to the Father.

Only Jesus can set you free!