Thankful for the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!

I, like most people, am thankful for good things that happen to me and those I care about and thankful when bad things that could happen to us don't happen. However, I also tend to undervalue the eternal  relationship I have to God by His grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Rom. 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  

³⁶ As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NKJV)

When the things I think are good happen and when the things I count as bad occur, I am still blessed beyond measure in Jesus Christ! 

Lord help me to remember!

A very good sermon on particular redemption!

I found this to be thorough and well supported by scripture -

Sermonaudio link

Sometimes a little humor is needed!

Imitate Jesus' miracles or obey Jesus' words?

Many people spend their time looking for Jesus to do more miraculous works. Other people try to copy Jesus' miraculous works themselves. Did Jesus want us to focus on seeking more miracles from Him, or doing miracles like Him, or did He do miracles so we would recognize His authority and obey Him?

Some scripture to ponder -

Matt. 9:1 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. ² Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” ³ And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!” ⁴ But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? ⁵ For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? ⁶ But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” ⁷ And he arose and departed to his house.

Here we see a miracle of physical healing, but why? So we would know that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins!

John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

Nicodemus respected Jesus teaching, because He had been convinced by the "signs" Jesus did, that Jesus was from God. Since Nicodemus is convinced of Jesus' authority, he does not ask for more miracles, but for truth!

John 20:30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Jesus did miracles for what purpose? So we could believe that He is who He says and know we have eternal life in Him!

Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—²³ Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; ²⁴ whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

Peter preaches the gospel at Pentecost and says Jesus' identity has been proven by "miracles, signs and wonders", as well as His resurrection! Later Peter will ask we do what in response to this truth -

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Did Peter tell the people to go and do miracles? Did he tell the people to ask Jesus to do more miracles? No, Peter called them to repent and be baptized, in response to who Jesus has already proven Himself to be!

The concepts in view in the previous passages, Jesus using His miracles to validate His authority to save and to call us to repent and follow Him, sounds very familiar!

Matt. 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Jesus did not say He would do more miracles at our request or that we should focus on doing miracles ourselves! Jesus said He had all authority, proven by His miracles and His resurrection, so do as He says! proclaim the gospel, baptise those who believe and then teach those who do believe to obey His teaching!

We see a reminders and warnings to not disregard these things in God's word -

Heb. 2:1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. ² For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, ³ how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, ⁴ God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?

We should also heed Jesus' words to those who demanded a sign in His time on earth -

Matt. 16:1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. ² He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; ³ and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. ⁴ A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.

Jesus has proven He has all authority! Will you try to copy His miracles, or ask Him for more miracles, or believe upon Him for eternal life, learn what His word says, and seek to obey Him?

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

The priests must spend time examining lepers?

Leviticus 13-14 describes laws concerning leprosy and the priest's role in examining and helping those with this this dreaded and contagious disease. Part of the reason for taking leprosy so serious, was so that the rest of the people could be protected from catching it.

Let's be clear, being given the job of examining/helping lepers is to be put in harms way. It might be nice to think this task is totally irrelevant to anything we deal with in  ministry today!

After all -

As believers, we have Jesus as our High priest. Jesus died on the cross to provide a perfect and final sacrifice for our sins. By believing upon Jesus and His work, our sins are forgiven, we are reconciled to God and all the effects of the fall, including diseases like leprosy, will be removed from us when we leave here to go to Him or He returns to rule and reign! Not only does Jesus fulfill the role of priests today, but leprosy has been eradicated from much of the world today through medical advancements.

So how is the OT priest spending time with lepers relevant today? I am sure there is much that could be said, but I was moved as I read it yesterday and realized how those who were to serve as spiritual leaders for Israel were constantly put in harms way for the sake of the people.

Imagine having to spend your day examining lepers! Would you feel afraid at times? Would you be rejected by others, simply because they new you spent time with lepers and could be contagious? What if you decided the risk was too great? What would the cost be for the individuals and the people as a whole?

To truly do ministry as Jesus calls us to do, is to be put in harms way for the good of the people -

John 15:18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. ²¹ But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. (NKJV)

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

What would you give for your soul? How about their soul?

It is very biblical to consider what we would give for our own soul. Jesus makes this point -

Matt 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (NKJV)

Clearly, to believe what the Bible says about eternal life, either our souls and glorified bodies will experience God's presence forever, because we have been reconciled to God in Christ, or by contrast, if not redeemed, we will spend eternity separated from Him, in a permanent state of spiritual death, separated from God and all goodness. To believe this reality makes the value of our own souls infinitely greater than anything we might possible trade for it.

With this understood, I hope we could answer Jesus' question as to what we would give in exchange for our souls, and our eternal relationship with Him, with a confident NOTHING!

So we would give any earthly cost and suffer any earthly loss for the sake of our eternal life with God in Christ! Amen!

As we finish the a study of the book of James this week another question must be considered, what would we give for the soul of another?

James ends his letter with these words:

James 5:19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. (NKJV)

First a theological disclaimer:

Those who are bought by the blood of Christ and born again of the Spirit, as all true believers are, can't be finally lost and separated from God. This is true because it is God's work that saves and secures us for His glory!

Eph. 1:13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (NKJV)

Heb. 12:1  Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (NKJV)

Phil. 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; (NKJV)

So we can confirm that God is the one who saves and He saves forever! I will assume I have no need to proof text the reality that God uses His word and His Holy Spirit to bring about people's salvation. Yet with all this focus on God's power and salvation being meant to bring Him glory, God still uses human means to bring His word to those He saves.

I believe all who will be saved are predetermined to be so from eternity past, yet these plans of God certainly include the choices we make each day, including the choice to help someone see their sin and come to repentance through sharing God's word with them. Jesus told us to -

Matt. 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (NKJV)

Likewise it makes sense -

Rom. 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? (NKJV)

These passages are aimed at evangelism in general, while James' exhortation that "he who turn a sinner form the error of his way will save a soul from death", seems primarily addressed to those who have lived as believers and have since begun believing error or have fallen into sin. These may be actual saved persons who should repent when we or others take the time to try to turn them back, or they may be people who hung out with the church, but were never saved, and our calling them back to the truth may turn out to be the time of their conversion and salvation!

So, salvation is of the Lord, but He has made it part of His redemptive plan to use us in the salvation process.

So, with that said, what would we give for their soul? 

Would we -

Potentially lose them as a friend?

Make our coworkers or classmates uncomfortable with us?

Spend our time and money in ways that help validate or spread the gospel?

Be seen as unloving by a culture who thinks the only real sin is calling anything sin?

What did those who died so the gospel/Bible would be hear for us, give so our souls could benefit from the gospel?

What did Jesus give for our souls?

I ask again -

What will we give for their souls?

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."