Tag Archives: A grand entrance

TO REIGN, WE MUST SUFFER – 4

Christian Life, ,

To conclude, then…

Many streams of the church today are looking for and preaching an easy “gospel”. Prosperity, comfort, freedom from pain and suffering, a faith that demands and gets what it wants…these are all on the agenda of many modern preachers. Notice how this kind of preaching panders to the fleshly appetites and desires we are to put to death.

However, God is far more concerned about our holiness than about our ease and comfort. In fact, if it pleased the Lord to cause Jesus to suffer…

Isaiah 53:10 NIV
[10] “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.”

…and, since we are to be like Him in this world…

1 John 4:17 NIV
[17]”This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.”

…it also pleases the Lord when we suffer with Jesus because, although everyone suffers in this life, suffering as Jesus suffered, resisting the temptation to pay back, is His way of restoring the image of Jesus in His children.

Hebrews 12:7 NLT
[7] “As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?”

So serious is the Father that we are to be like His Son that suffering may even cost some of us our lives.

Hebrews 12:4 NIV
[4]”In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”

Didn’t Jesus say that we can only be His disciples if we take up our “cross” daily and follow Him? So serious is God about our holiness that Paul warned…

Romans 8:13 NIV
[13] “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”

Living according to the flesh is just as much about reacting to unjust suffering by becoming angry, resentful, and vengeful and retaliating as it is about indulging the sinful desires that drag us into wicked behaviour.

Indulging in sinful attitudes rather than in the way Jesus dealt with injustices will also cost us a role in God’s kingdom. Again, Paul warned, (and he was writing to believers)…

Galatians 5:19-21 NIV
[19] “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; [20] idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions [21] and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Among the evil deeds of the flesh, Paul included evil attitudes and responses such as anger, dissention, hatred, envy, jealousy, etc.

It seems that those believers who have never gained victory over their wicked responses to suffering will lose everything but their salvation.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 NLT
[11] “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.

[12] Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. [13] But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. [14] If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. [15] But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.”

To suffer as Jesus did, God has given us all the equipment we need.

Romans 5:17 NIV
[17]”For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!”

2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV
[3] “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. [4] Through these he has given us his VERY GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Peter…yes, the Peter who denied that he knew Jesus, AFTER years of learning to walk in the Spirit, discovered the way to escape the corruption caused by evil desires.

2 Peter 1:5-11 NLT
[5] “In view of all this, (all the equipment God has given us to escape corruption) make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, [6] and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, [7] and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. [8] The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. [10] So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. [11] Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Every word in this quote is a signpost to guide us towards our destiny in Christ.

Grace, righteousness, precious promises…what more can God give us to overcome the demands of our flesh.? To crown it all, His Spirit in us calls attention to His provision and gives us His power to apply every part of His equipment so that…

Romans 8:37 NLT
[37]”… Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”

We began this topic by calling attention to the one condition that allows us to share in Christ’s glory.

Romans 8:17 NLT
[17] “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But IF WE ARE TO SHARE HIS GLORY, WE MUST ALSO SHARE HIS SUFFERING.”

We have gathered as much information about the “what” and the “how” of Jesus’ suffering as we can. We have measured our own responses by the way He responded to unjust treatment. We have discovered the way to overwhelming victory when the flesh threatens to overpower us.

Let’s take this warning, this instruction, this process seriously so that we, too, will learn to suffer with Jesus as He did, so that we will…

2 Peter 1:10-11 NLT
[10] “…never fall away. [11] Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

DAILY STOCKTAKING

Christian Life, ,

To determine the value of their stock, shopkeepers must do annual stocktaking. In this way, they can keep an account of what’s on their shelves, the value of their assets, and what losses they have incurred during each year.

The Bible encourages God’s children to do stocktaking as well, not to keep account of material assets but to determine the condition of our eternal benefits. We need to take stock of our lives, not annually but daily, to keep short accounts with God and with our fellow humans, to check our gains and losses and to ensure that we are up-to-date with our daily payments.

A few Scriptures will guide us in this stocktaking exercise.

Romans 13:8 NLT
[8] “Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.”

Paul reminds us that we have only one recurring debt…to love one another. Loving one another in practical ways, i.e., meeting each other’s needs at our own expense, takes care of every requirement in the Old Covenant.

What if we took a few moments each evening to review our interaction with others? What did I do today to benefit another? What did I not do today that I could have done for someone in my circle? Did I show love to another by a friendly smile or a kindly word? Did I forgive another’s debt as Jesus has forgiven mine?

This exercise is not to bring us into bondage but to alert us to the importance of the words we speak or the attitudes we display in our interaction with others.

1 John 3:23 NLT
[23] “And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.”

Our stocktaking must also include our review of the place our Helper occupies in our daily activities. God has graciously provided for us the supreme Teacher, Advocate, and Companion, to be in us as our “paracletos”, a beautiful Greek word meaning, “the one called alongside” to help us carry the load. He is our divine our Helper. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence in us, nearer to us than our breath. He is the perfect Representative of the Father and the Son.

Have I been so aware of the Spirit in me today, that I have consulted Him for help and guidance in every choice and decision I made? Did I live today in the Spirit or in the flesh? Do I need to repent of my independence? Did I offend or grieve the Spirit today by my attitudes, words, or behaviour? Did I tarnish His name today?

If I forget who is Lord in my life, I can easily lose my way and get lost in the wilderness of selfish indulgence and self-preservation. The Holy Spirit is in me to keep my heart focused on Jesus.

John 16:12-14 NLT
[12] “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. [13] When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. [14] He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.”

How imperative it is for us to be “joined at the hip” in spirit to Jesus.

Matthew 16:24-25 NLT
[24″Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [25] If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”

I must take stock of my use of God’s Word. God has entrusted to His church a body of truth, a deposit He has made into our account, to be guarded and kept intact, to be used responsibly and wisely, and to be passed on to the next generation. His Word is the light that guides our feet in our daily walk.

God has provided His “treasure trove” of promises to ensure that we have all the equipment we need to become who we are, sons and daughters of the Father.

2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT
[3] “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. [4] And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

Jesus has underwritten every promise by fulfilling all the requirements of God’s Covenant, including the penalty of death for the debt we owe Him. All His promises are now freely available in Him to ensure that we reach our destination.

2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT
[20] “For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”

God did not give us His Word to get what we want or to manipulate Him to do what we demand. He gave us His promises to guide us on our way to becoming like Jesus.

Of what use did I make of His promises today? Did I believe what He said and act in faith on His Word? Did I experience His grace in difficult moments because I believed His promise for enough grace in my weakness? Did I trust His Word when He warned me against sinning and and glorify Him when He applauded me for doing the right thing? Did I take His Word seriously?

The last area of stocktaking, at least in this short meditation, is an examination of my beliefs, and the way I apply them to my daily life. How important this is because beliefs guide our thoughts and actions but, in themselves, they are empty and meaningless without application.

2 Peter 1:5-11 NLT
[5] “In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, [6] and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, [7] and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. [8] The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. [10] So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. [11] Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Daily stocktaking, reviewing our assets and acknowledging our losses, will go a long way towards enabling us to live lives that are up-to-date with our progress towards God’s goal for us. His intention is clear – likeness to Jesus. His provisions are clear, His Spirit and His Word. He has removed all the obstacles and provided the perfect model and mentor, Jesus.

The rest is up to me. He cannot submit, obey, and trust for me.

I must not carry any losses I made today, into tomorrow. I must assess my assets today, increase and use them to provide what I need for my journey towards eternity. Through God’s grace, He provides everything we need to live godly lives in this world.

Hebrews 3:7 NLT
[7] “That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice…” Today is the day of salvation.”

Before we reach our conclusion relating to spiritual stocktaking, I would warn us all, dear readers, to beware of the notion that we must indulge in self-awareness and self-condemnation. Self-awareness only has value when we know and acknowledge our fallibilty and our need for God’s help. Self-awareness is dangerous territory when we indulge in self-absorption. He has not instructed us to become more self-aware. He wants us to be more Christ-aware.

We must learn to do what David did…invite the Holy Spirit to search us. He alone knows the full extent of who we are in our human fallenness. He alone can shine the light into all the dark corners of our lives.

Psalms 139:23-24 NLT
[23] “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. [24] Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

We can have every reason to be secure in our fellowship with Jesus when we keep short accounts, do our daily stocktaking, correct our errors, and stay close to the heart of our Master.

BE A GOOD FINISHER

Christian Life, ,

Today, on the 28th day of August, 84 years ago, I transitioned from my mother’s womb into the world. I have lived through 84 years of ups and downs, sunshine and storms, building my understanding of life by looking back on experience after experience.

I am nearing the end of my journey. What can I say about my past and my anticipation of the future? How much longer do I have in time before I transition again into the realm of eternity?

I think often about these things since I have no idea whether my end will be abrupt or drawn out. Jesus urged us to be ready. We must not allow our final day to take us by surprise, leaving us no time to prepare for our eternal future.

There is a place and a designation for the elderly. Starting the journey well with Jesus is good but finishing well is better. God wants His oldies to be good finishers. This is the greatest testimony to His grace.

Paul had a triumphant declaration of his life and impending death as a good finisher.

2 Timothy 4:6-8 NLT
[6] “As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. [7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. [8] And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”

He confidently asserted his qualifications for the prize he would earn for his life of faithful service to his Master.

He had a calling which he fulfilled, to take the gospel to the Gentile world. He viewed his mission as a drink offering poured out to God in worship. This calling involved blood, sweat, and tears, but he did it out of love for Jesus.

He had a treasure to guard and to pass on to succeeding generations. The gospel message was not his. Jesus entrusted it to him to deliver, unchanged and intact, to those who heard him and to those who came after them until the end of time.

His source was the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, foretold by the prophets, fulfilled in history, and interpreted by the Holy Spirit in and through him and his fellow apostles. He was not only faithful to his calling but he also urged those who came after him to stick with the truth.

2 Timothy 1:14 NLT
[14] “Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.”

He anticipated his death with joy. There was no “sword of Damocles” hanging over his head. Not even the possibility of martyrdom frightened him. He was on his way to glory and the way it would happen was simply the transition from time to eternity.

For those who anticipate Jesus’ return with joy, the interim is the time to prepare, to put right what needs attention and to endure with patience the trials and tests of the journey.

Peter joined Paul in his joyful anticipation of the future for good finishers.

1 Peter 1:6-9 NLT
[6] “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. [7] These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. [8] You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. [9] The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.”

What of those who ignore or brush aside with contempt the process by which good finishers will enjoy their reward? Some live by the foolish notion that everyone will go to heaven no matter how they finished life on this earth. Others push the notion of death aside and live as though there is no tomorrow.

What a fool’s dream. How can God welcome His enemies into His eternal home?

Romans 5:10 NIV
[10] “For if, while we were God’s ENEMIES…

How can He invite the dead to live with Him forever?

Ephesians 2:1 NIV
[1] “As for you, you were DEAD in your transgressions and sins…”

How can He tolerate sin in His holy presence?

Habakkuk 1:13 NIV
[13] “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?…”

He warns…

Galatians 6:7-8 NLT
[7]”Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. [8] Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.“

The only way to ensure that you will finish well is, first, to start the journey with the right company. Keeping company with the world will aid you on your way to destruction. Jesus is the only way to the Father.

Second, staying on course will keep you moving in the right direction towards your desired destiny. Guard and stay in the truth. Those who endure to the end will be saved.

Third, do the work you were assigned to do. Jesus requires only one way to please Him. Love one another. There are many expressions of love. Follow the directive you have received from the Spirit to express Jesus’ love to one another.

Fourth, anticipate the Lord’s return with joy for there is a great reward for good finishers.

My journey has not yet ended but my heart is moving me towards my destination with the anticipation of a grand welcome into His eternal. Kingdom.

2 Peter 1:10-11 NLT
[10] “So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. [11] Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”