Tag Archives: perfect love

JESUS, THE GOD-MAN – 9

Bible Study, ,

THE GOD-MAN – THE PRISON

Escape from prison! That must surely be uppermost in the mind of every prisoner. They devise the most detailed and daring plans to escape from their incarceration, only to be caught and caged again, in another set of walls. Their so-called “freedom” is now bondage to fear, the fear of being apprehended again.

This mirrors people’s attitudes in life! Whether their prison is of their own making… the consequences of foolishness… or the imprisonment others force on them, their passion is the same. They want to be free!

Some think the way to freedom is to cancel the rules. Others try to dodge the rules or to outrun their consequences. None of these “solutions” work.

People don’t understand that their bondage is not in circumstances. Changing circumstances, even moving to another country, doesn’t equal freedom. It only changes the environment of one’s imprisonment. No matter where you go or what you do, your prison walls are still around you and will go with you.

What, then, is the real nature of our imprisonment?

I have discovered, in the pages of Scripture, that the terrible and inescapable chain that binds us is fear. It’s the prison we live in because of who we are and what we have done.

Fear has two faces, the fear of death and the fear of punishment. Fear is written into the DNA of our fallen humanity…

Adam himself voiced his reason for hiding from God.

Genesis 3:8-10 NLT
[8] “When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. [9] Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” [10] He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

We are God’s creation. Despite evolution’s lie, His ownership, in His moral law, is written into our conscience. We know what is right and wrong from our earliest years. His ownership demands obedience and accountability, both of which are out of reach for all humanity because of the sin nature and the sin in us. So, we live with fear. Fear is the accuser that we either deny or we try to escape in ways that drive us deeper into sin’s clutches.

Fear has two arms that grip us and enslave us every day of our existence, and colour our opinion of our Creator. We run from Him as our Judge, not to Him as our Saviour.

One arm is the fear of death.

Those who don’t know Him hate Him because they know that He exists and that He is a just God. They know that death will get them, and after death, judgment. They try by every means to escape Him, even denying His existence in the face of undeniable evidence, as if cancelling Him will disconnect us from Him.

Romans 1:18-20 NIV
[18] “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, [19] since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. [20] For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

The Bible says that atheists deny that God exists because they love their sin. They have one passion, to live as they please without accountability.

Psalms 14:1 NIV
[1] “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.”

Atheists know that judgment is coming but do all they can to dodge it.

Psalms 50:17, 21-22 NIV
[17] “You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you…
[21] When you did these things and I kept silent, you thought I was exactly like you. But I now arraign you and set my accusations before you. [22] “Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you…”

The other arm is the fear of punishment.

Punishment is the inevitable outcome of justice. God has not chosen rehabilitation. He knows this is not only impossible but nonsense because of our sin nature. His holiness demands just retribution for rebellion against His sovereignty.

Although these two arms, fear of death and fear of punishment, are not expressly explained in Scripture, we have, by the way they are mentioned, the powerful truth that it was Jesus, in His atoning sacrifice, that brought the antidote to fear.

How did Jesus deal with the fear of death?

Hebrews 2:14-15 NIV
[14] “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— [15] and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

As the God-man, He took death on the chin for us. It’s as simple as that. The God-man died in our place. He could do that precisely because He was an honest-to-goodness, true-blue human just like us. He was not born of a sinless virgin, as some believe, but neither was He born a sinner. He was the last Adam, born with the nature of the first Adam as God had created him.

Jesus died the death of a sinner, but rose from death as the conqueror of sin and death. He was the first of the harvest of all mankind to rise from the grave, some to glory and some to everlasting shame and darkness.

1 Corinthians 15:20, 22-23 NIV
[20] “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
[22] For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. [23] But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.”

Even now, Jesus reigns in glory until He overcomes all His opposition…

1 Corinthians 15:25-26 NIV
[25] “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. [26] The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

This glorious truth prompted the Apostle Paul to write…

1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 55-57 NIV
[51] “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— [52] in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed…
[55] “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” [56] The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

God Himself confirmed this victory cry!

Revelation 21:4 NIV
[4]” ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Death to death and the fear of death! It is this truth that frees us from the fear of death.

And what of the fear of punishment?

Jesus has equally, effectively, destroyed the fear of punishment. Truth, again, dispels that fear.

Romans 5:1 NIV
[1] “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…”

Peace with God replaces fear.

Romans 8:1-4 NIV
[1] “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, [2] because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, [4] in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Did you get that?

Jesus died in our place to cancel our debt and to silence the voice of the condemnation our sin deserved. No punishment for us because justice has been served!

So, what of the fear of punishment that still lurks in our hearts? Like a stalker who trails another in secret, fear is a stalker that needs to be exposed.

God has provided, with one stroke of His pen, the glorious antidote to the fear of punishment.

1 John 4:18 NIV
[18] “There is no fear in love. But PERFECT LOVE DRIVES OUT FEAR, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

What is this love that evicts fear from our hearts?

Jesus tells us the answer.

John 15:9 NIV
[9] “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love….”

…and asked the Father to make it happen.

John 17:20-21, 23, 26 NIV
[20] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me…
[23] I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me…
[26] I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

It’s our faith in the unconditional, indestructible love that God has for us that will deal the final death-blow to fear. Since nothing in heaven, on earth, or even in hell, can separate us from that love, we are safe, secure, and unconquerable in this life through that love that glues us like superglue, to God Himself.

Romans 8:31, 35, 38-39 NIV
[31] “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
[35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
[38] For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, [39] neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

To be continued…

LIVING WITHOUT FEAR

Christian Life, ,

1 John 4:18 NIV
[18] “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

In this world as it is now, is the possibility of living without fear only a pipe-dream? Is it possible to face each new day with such confidence that fear has NO place in our responses to the stuff that happens?

I recently read the story of Anna to an elderly friend in a nearby frail care facility. Anna’s short life, encapsulated in a masterfully crafted book called, “Mr God, This is Anna”, by Fynn, is the true story of a five-year-old runaway child, discovered late at night in a street in pre-war London. Her benefactor, a teenage boy, took her to his home from where, for three years, he learned to travel with her on her journeys of discovery in the magical world of people, creatures, words, and numbers.

Anna was an adventurer. Her goal was Mr God. Every question, every experiment, every discovery, every conclusion led her straight to the heart of “Mr God” who was both her pride and her joy.

Anna’s relationship with Mr God was simple. As Fynn, the author, described… whatever Anna’s circumstances, she hurled herself at Mr God in a free fall of absolute trust, into His arms. Her constant refrain was these three little words, “I ain’t afraid!”

Anna’s short life came to an abrupt end when she fell from a tree in an attempt to rescue a stranded kitten. She was skewered on an iron railing and, without the aid of antibiotics, succumbed to infection. Her last murmured words were, “Fynn, I bet Mr God lets me into heaven for this!”

I believe that this is what real life, the abundant life, is all about…living without fear. We can never escape life’s unpredictability because we will always be a part of this world with all its evils but…what we do with what happens will make all the difference between an adventure and a nightmare.

Fear! Fear stalks everywhere. Its ghostly fingers clutch at our hearts around every dark corner but… fear is a phantom, a “what if” that invades our hearts, clouds our minds, and paralyses our responses if we allow its clammy fingers to squeeze out faith.

Why is fear such a persistent intrusion into our thoughts? The Apostle John said, “Fear has to do with punishment.” Is it possible that fear gets its energy from the subtle idea that every bad experience is God’s way of cracking the whip at us for every real or perceived wrongdoing, and every good experience God’s way of manipulating us with some unknown but sinister intention?

Unlike Anna, we humans are patholigically suspicious of “Mr God”. From where does this suspicion come? From our implacable enemy, the devil, of course. Fear is one of the most potent weapons in his arsenal. Whatever happens, both good and bad, fear intrudes to colour our perceptions of God. If good happens, is it real, how long will it last, why is God being good to me? If bad things happen, what have I done to displease Him?

The Bible is crowded with instructions not to fear. “Do not fear!” or its equivalent, occurs about 330 times in God’s Word, once for almost every day of the year. So, every day should begin with the resolution, “I will not be afraid.”

With this determination, “What if…” can undergo a change. “What if…” becomes “Even if…” when we choose to change our perspective. What can make the change?

God’s love for us, His reassuring antidote to fear, is written indelibly on every page of the Bible. Love and fear can never live together. One cancels the other. God’s love for us rotten sinners is written in blood…the blood of His own son.

John 3:16 NIV
[16] “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Did you get that? Let’s say it again!

1 John 4:10 NIV
[10] “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

Just for good measure, let the Bible say it a third time…

Romans 8:32 NIV
[32] “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

Is this not enough to convince us of a love so great that this God, who loves us with a love that gave all and withholds nothing for our good, still loves and will always love us beyond imagination?

John said, “God is love!”, not just “God loves us.” His essence is pure love. That means that He is who He is…LOVE.

Even David, before the cross, embraced this love so big that the universe itself was not big enough to contain or explain it.

Psalms 36:5 NIV
[5]”Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.”

Psalms 103:11 NIV
[11] “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him…”

Should we, then, not permanently banish fear and embrace the love God has for us in every situation, good or bad. Why? Is it not because life has a lesson to teach us about God’s love so great that it will alter every circumstance we endure from threat to opportunity?

We can only embrace a different response to the “stuff” that happens if we understand God’s purpose and the way He achieves it. If life, for us, is only a set of random happenstances, we will have no reason to expect a good outcome. Like a ball in a football game, we will feel like we are being kicked around by two rival teams, both intent on the winning the game.

What if, instead, we know where God is taking us and can work with Him in gaining His objective? What if we can cancel fear by embracing God’s love? What if we are learning that every adverse happenstance is peeling off another layer of suspicion and mistrust in the perfect love of the Father? What if God’s plan is so to refine our faith in His love that we can turn every “what if” into a resounding “even if”? What if we can grow a trust in God like that of the three Hebrew men who declared, at the threat of the fire,

Daniel 3:16-18 NIV
[16] Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. [17] If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. [18] But EVEN IF he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

No fear!

God’s purpose, in all things, is to restore in us the image of His Son. He desires a family of sons and daughters who perfectly resemble Jesus, His blueprint. Testing is His method. Only testing us can expose the flaws that foul our faith in Him. Every circumstance is a test. Good things and bad things arouse suspicion. Every suspicion calls in question God’s trustworthiness. Every time we say, “even if”, our trust in His infallible love is strengthened and takes us a step nearer to likeness to Jesus.
Every lesson learned means one less test, until, as Paul declared…

Romans 8:37 NIV
[37] “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Is it possible to live without fear, unmoved from our unwavering confidence in God’s perfect love? A resounding “Yes!”, if we choose to change from “What if?” to “Even if!”

Romans 8:28-29 NIV
[28]”And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
[29] For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

Armed with this conviction, we can do and be what Paul prescribes…

1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV
[58]”Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. LET NOTHING MOVE YOU. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Relax – Respond – Rest (Part Three)

Christian Life, , , ,

RELAX – RESPOND – REST (PART THREE)

Today we get to the third and final phase of our exploration of holiness.

We have learned so far that, although holiness is a non-negotiable requirement of the Father if we are to enjoy fellowship with Him and the Son through the Holy Spirit, it is impossible for us to meet the requirement on our own. As with salvation, so also holiness is a work of God. The Holy Spirit in us makes us holy according to God’s promise.

Many Scriptures confirm that, from God’s perspective, we are already holy through the finished work of Jesus on the cross. However, from our point of view, we are still on the journey to becoming holy. God calls us to respond in faith and obedience to His work in us. He uses His Word, and our response to His Word to cleanse our hearts from the false notions about Him, about us and about His attitude towards us that we have gathered over the years. He calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can both know and do the will of God.

God also allows us to experience hardships in order to train us to live in His righteousness. As we go through the ups and downs of life, He uses our struggles to bring to the surface those areas of doubt or unbelief in the Father’s perfect love that rob us of His peace. He wants us to reach the point in our trust in His love that we are not moved by any adversity, no matter how tough or devastating it might be. He calls us to a rest of faith that lives in His supernatural peace in the midst of any storm.

Jesus calls us to take His yoke and learn from Him so that we will find rest for our souls. His way of living is absolute confidence in the perfect love of the Father, without the fear of punishment because our debt of sin has been fully paid once-for-all. Doing the right thing in every circumstance according to God’s Word, acting in mercy towards all people, loving others as we love ourselves, brings us the rest of a conscience free of guilt.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matt. 11:28-30).

God’s rest also includes the rest of faith in the finished work of Jesus. Even as believers, we are strongly inclined to think that we still owe God something. Despite the reassurances of His Word that He has accepted us in Jesus and that there is nothing for us to do except believe His Word, we still try to earn points with God by doing “good works” in the hopes that we will please Him.

There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his works just as God did from His (Heb. 4:9-10).

How subtle is the enemy’s lie! From God’s perspective, anything we do to earn “Brownie points” that is not of Him, He regards as “filthy rags”. It is impossible for us to “work” for Jesus. He has done all the work the Father needed to make us acceptable Him. As much as we are to rest from our labour to try to save ourselves from the penalty of our sin, so we must rest from our work of trying to make ourselves clean from the sins that still cling to us. Our role is to separate ourselves from the filth of the world, to fill our minds with God’s Word and to live in the love God through the Holy Spirit moment by moment.

However, there is something even more wonderful beyond being holy for the sake of being holy. God has a twofold purpose for His children. He desires fellowship with us. He is passionately devoted to His children. He has included us in the intimate circle of fellowship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. He desires that we be one with Him just as the Trinity is one, in perfect submission, harmony and love.

He has a reason for His passion for oneness with us. He gave His original pair the mandate to subdue the earth and manage it for Him. However, Adam rebelled and changed allegiance from God to Satan through Satan’s deception. Man still tries to manage the earth but has failed miserably without the wisdom of God and obedience to Him to guide him.

Jesus is the perfect example of a son who lived in close fellowship with the Father so that the Father could impregnate His spirit with His Word. Jesus only said and did what the Father told Him. God’s Word in His spirit bore the fruit of perfect obedience even to death on the cross.

The Father’s desire is to plant His Word in our hearts as we live in fellowship with and obedience to Him so that He can fulfil His purposes for His world through us. Just as the intimate union between a husband and wife produces the fruit of that  union, so our union with the Father and the Son through the Spirit produces the fruit of spiritual offspring and the fulfilment of God’s will

Can you now see how futile it is to try to make ourselves holy by our own efforts? Holiness is the work of God’s Spirit in us, completing in us what is already complete. However, the Spirit’s work in us is only effective as we respond in faith to His promptings. He wants us to live in union with Him, set free from our sinful ways and our doubts and fears to live in such close union with God that He is able to impregnate our spiritual “womb” with His Word to produce the offspring of our union, His plans being fulfilled on our “world” through us.

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.

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