Month: September 2016

On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. (Rev 19:16)

Therefore God has exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Ph 2:9-11)

But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.” (Heb 1:8)

Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way …” (Ps 2:11-12a)

Lord Jesus, You sit on the throne at the right hand of the Father. Forever You are king, and forever You shall reign over all other kings, for in Your presence, they are not kings at all. I bow my soul to the king of kings.

One day the President of the United States will be forgotten, the Premier of China will have no power, and the Prime Minister of England will be dust. One day these rulers will meet their king. When that happens, they will bow to Jesus of Nazareth — the king of kings.

The Bible is plain that Jesus outranks all other authorities. He is the ultimate commander in chief. He rules over all, and He is king because of who He is. He was not elected to His position, and He does not answer to the people. He did not attain His status through a coup or a war. He has always been the king of kings, and He shall always be the king of kings. He rules over every authority as God (Heb 1:8). He reigns over Earth because He made it (Jn 1:2; Col 1:16). He has authority to forgive all sins (Mk 2:1-12). He is the final judge of the human race, and all people must honor Him just as they honor the Father (Jn 5:22-23). He has life in himself (Jn 5:21). He is the resurrection and the life (Jn 11:25). All who believe in Him will never die (v. 26). He is the way, the truth, and the life (Jn 14:6). He is the unique Son of God and the glorious Son of Man. He receives worship (Mt 2:11; 14:33; 28:9). He is higher than the angels (Heb 1:1-6). He existed before Abraham (Jn 8:58).

The follower of Jesus must come to grips with this aspect of Jesus. Christ is not just a babe in a manger or a tragic victim of Roman oppression. He is the author of the whole story, the exalted ruler of heaven and earth. Deny this, and you deny God Himself. Embrace this, and God radically changes your life.  Acknowledging the rightful king is part of being a citizen of the kingdom of God.

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: (I Cor 1:2)

And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption… (I Cor 1:30)

Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (I Cor 6:9b-11)

…even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. (Eph 1:4)

And by that will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Heb 10:10)

Praise you, Father, for you have placed me in Christ and in doing so have made me holy. I am yours because in Christ you have set me apart for yourself.

Martin Luther hammered 95 theses on the church door at Wittenberg and ignited the Reformation. This event is what most people think of when they think of Luther. Luther, however, did so much more than begin the Reformation. He pastored churches, shepherded leaders, taught theology, and wrote voluminously on both theological and practical matters.

David Robinson played basketball for the San Antonio Spurs. He won two NBA titles and a Most Valuable Player award on the way to a Hall of Fame career. These facts are what most people think of when they think of David Robinson. Robinson, however, did so much more than play basketball. He provided college scholarships to at-risk kids, founded a private school for low-income students, proclaimed Christ to San Antonio youth, and much more.

When we think of famous people, we tend to think only of the famous stuff. I suppose that’s natural, but it can be limiting, especially when we come to Jesus.

Most people who know anything about Jesus know that He died to save us from our sins, that His death on the Cross was the punishment for our sins, bringing forgiveness and salvation. Jesus, however, did so much more than bring salvation. He conquered death; He defeated Satan, and He sanctified us through and through. Now “sanctify” is a Bible word that means something like “to make holy, righteous, pure; to set apart for God.” This means that Jesus did more than the famous stuff — more than bring salvation.  Jesus came to make us new, clean, holy, blameless.

The holiness of God that is in Christ is given to all who are also in Christ. This means that the foundation for holy living is not in our attempts at moral behavior. It is not in our good deeds or our repentance. It is not in anything we do. The foundation for holy living is Jesus.

In Him, we are holy. The writer to the Hebrews tells us that “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb 10:10). It is a past event and it is once for all. Paul writes to the church in Corinth and addresses “those who were sanctified in Christ Jesus” (I Cor 1:2). He sees sanctification as a completed deed in Christ.

Holiness is not something we manufacture. It is a gift of God that we already have in Christ just as salvation is a gift of God that we have in Christ. Holiness is not something we strive for apart from Christ. It is something we rest in when we are in Christ. We are called to live a holy life (I Pet 1:15-16) because we have been made a holy people. Holiness is part of our identity in Christ. It’s who we are.

We are holy because our old self has been crucified with Christ (Rm 6:1-11). We have died with Him (Gal 2:20; Col 3:3). God punished our sin through the shedding of the blood on the Cross. Consequently, the just punishment has been served, and we have access to forgiveness. But God also eliminated the source of our sin through the death of our old self on the Cross. In Christ, the sinful you is dead. You have a new you. This is part of the work of Christ. He has made a new race, and He Himself is the head (I Cor 15:20-23; 45-49).

Of course, we are to live out the new life God has given us, and that “living out” involves practical things like telling the truth, fighting greed, remaining sexually pure, and controlling our temper.  Sometimes people think of these practices as sanctification, and in one sense they are correct.  But in another sense, sanctification in Christ precedes the practices.  The practices are the consequence of what Christ has done.  We remain sexually pure because we are holy.  Trying to live a holy life is no good unless it is first grounded in the real sanctification that we already have in Christ. If we try to live a holy life apart from Christ, it is like trying to spend a million dollars when we have only five hundred in the bank. But if we rest in Christ and in the finished holiness He has procured for us through the Cross and Resurrection, suddenly we find that we have billions of dollars in the account. Holiness is ultimately not a work of ours but a work of grace. We were saved by grace, and so we are to live our daily life by grace as well. “Having begun by the Spirit, are [we] now being perfected by the flesh?” (Gal 3:3) The entire life of the follower of Jesus is a gift of grace that we access through faith in the finished work of Christ. Salvation comes that way, but so does sanctification. A holy, righteous life comes from Jesus. It does not come from us.

It is important for us to acknowledge this aspect of the work of Christ, for it is woefully neglected in the common preaching and writing of the contemporary church. Jesus is not just our Savior. He is also our Sanctifier. He does not just forgive sins. He frees us from sin itself — from its power, its grip. We can live a new life because He has made us a new creature. Or to put it another way, we can live a new life because we are in Him. He has made us holy in the sight of God. That is simply who we are.

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt 16:16-17)

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” (Mk 14:61-2)

[Jesus] said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (Lk 24:25-6)

The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” (Jn 4:25-26)

Father, you have sent your Son, foretold through the prophets, to be the long-awaited Messiah of the Jewish people, and thus, to be their king and mine.

Jesus was a Jew. Peter was a Jew. Paul was a Jew. James, John, Thomas, Phillip and Silas were all Jews. Almost all of Jesus’ first followers were Jews. Jesus came to the Jewish people with a distinctly Jewish message, and the entire New Testament oozes Judaism. There can be no question that faith in Jesus is Jewish.

I know. It sounds weird. Some people think I am contradicting myself — trying to pass off some religious version of a round square. But they do not understand Jesus. The babe in Bethlehem is not chapter one of the story. It is the continuation of a story that had been going on for thousands of years. And that story is distinctly Jewish. Even the very word “Christ” is merely the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah” or Anointed One, the long-awaited Hebrew king. Whenever you say that so-and-so is a Christian, what you are really saying is that she is part of something distinctly Jewish.

Jesus was a Jew who came to the Jews. He gave them a completely Jewish message and claimed for Himself a uniquely Jewish identity. When He did so, He divided His own people. Some loved Him and gave their lives to follow Him; some bitterly opposed Him. Many came to see a miracle; many came to hear Him teach; but some came to trap Him. Few who heard Him were neutral. He inspired adoration and anger. A Jew living in Galilee or Judea in AD 30 had an opinion one way or the other about the rabbi Yeshua.

To the Jewish people, certainly the central question surrounding the identity of this new rabbi was this: “Is he the promised Messiah?” The squabble over that question was an entirely internal Jewish affair. It was like a great big family disagreement. Have you ever seen family argue?

“Sam, why did you stay home when I needed you to come? You don’t love me.”

“Of course I love you, Mandy. That’s why I didn’t come. My presence would not have helped you. It’s time to grow up.”

The family may argue over whether Sam loves Mandy, but much of the argument centers on this question: “How do you define love?” Sam and Mandy disagree on that definition, but it is the key to whether or not Sam shows love to his sister. Something like this is going on between Jesus and the Jewish people of his day. On the surface, the question looks like “Is he the Messiah?” In reality, the question is “What defines Messiah?”

To the Jewish people, Messiah could mean different things, but perhaps the most popular concept of Messiah in Jesus’ day was that of a conquering political or military leader who would deliver his people from the oppression of pagan nations. He would be a king, the son of David.

Any plain reading of the gospels shows that this rabbi Jesus considered Himself to be Messiah. But his concept of Messiah was bigger than the popular concept. To Jesus, Messiah had to suffer. This idea was foreign to the popular notion and understandably so. Conquering kings are not generally portrayed as suffering and dying. But to Jesus, the idea of a suffering Messiah came from the Jewish Scriptures. Isaiah 53 speaks of a suffering servant who brings peace and healing to Israel through his suffering, a man who bears the sorrows and sins of the people and who is crushed as a guilt offering. Though he is rejected, he will be called great. To Jesus, this man is Messianic. To Jesus, this suffering does not negate the fact that the Messiah is a conquering king. To Jesus, Messiah is big enough to encompass both categories. That is why he can call himself Messiah and still say that he will die.

To many first century Jews, Jesus’ crucifixion was evidence enough that he could not have been Messiah. No Messiah would ever die such a death. To Jesus and his followers, however, the crucifixion was part of the evidence that he was Messiah. Through His death He delivered his people from a bondage greater than that of Rome. And his Resurrection from the dead conquers a foe much stronger and more significant than any king could ever imagine. Jesus went through death in order to vanquish it. This is not the popular Jewish concept of Messiah. It is much more surprising. It is also greater.

But the suffering that Jesus said Messiah would endure is not the only problem that many Jews had with him. To Jesus and his followers, Messiah was also the Son of God (Mt 16:16). At one level, this claim is more compatible with common Jewish ideas, for many Jews believed that Messiah would have supernatural origins. In fact, Psalm 2 expressly identifies Messiah as God’s Son.   But the Jewish people did not imagine anything like Jesus’ claim to be God in the flesh. That idea would have been foreign to most Jewish thinking. In this sense, Messiah is more exalted than the popular Jewish notions.

Thus, the picture that Jesus paints of Messiah is of a servant who suffers and dies (Mt 16:13-23) and of a glorious figure coming on the clouds of heaven (Mk 14:61-2). To Jesus, Messiah is at the same time lower and higher than the most popular Jewish notions of him. Jesus took the idea of Messiah to a new level, or perhaps I should say to multiple levels. But he certainly did not fit the box. In fact, when certain Jews tried to make him king by force, he rejected the attempt (Jn 6:15). He was not that type of king.

Indeed, even his followers did not fully understand. They saw his miracles, heard his teachings and believed on that basis, but that did not mean that they comprehended what they believed. The claim of the New Testament is that the real Messiah transcended all human expectations of him. Jesus was much more humble and glorious than anyone ever thought Messiah could be.

Thus, Christianity is Jewish. But it is more than Jewish. It is for the world. The promised Messiah was to be a light to the Gentiles (Is 49:6). The God that the Jews worshipped has revealed himself to all peoples, but he has done so in a distinctly Jewish way. We bow before the king of the Jews.

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Mt 1:21)

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (Jn 3:17)

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. (I Jn 4:14)

I was dead but now I live. And I live because of my Savior. Hallelujah!

When a two-year-old girl falls into a river, she is in trouble. Unless someone saves her, she has just a few minutes to live. When a man is trapped on the tenth floor of a burning building, he is in trouble. He has no power to put the fire out, and he dies if he jumps. Someone needs to help him, or he is gone.

The Scriptures plainly teach that our plight is much like that of the two-year-old girl and the man in the burning building. We are in grave trouble, and unless someone saves us, we have no hope. The reason we are in grave trouble is that we have often disobeyed God, and we cannot escape His judgment. But the Scriptures also teach that we do have a person to save us.

Jesus is that person, and the term His followers use to describe this aspect of Him is “Savior.” A savior is simply a person who saves someone. The man who rescues the girl from the river is her savior in a real way, and the fire department that rescues the man from the building is his savior because it saved him from certain destruction.

Now when Jesus saves us, He does not save us from the river or the burning building. He does not save us from an oncoming army or a pestilence or a thief or environmental destruction. To be sure, these things are real, but as serious as these problems might be, you and I have a deeper problem still. When Jesus saves us, He saves us from our sin.

The reality is that, apart from Jesus, you and I stand before a holy and righteous God, and we do so with sin on our hands and in our hearts. When seen from the perspective of eternity, the consequences of that sin are more dire than the consequences of the river or the fire. The river can kill the body but cannot harm the soul. A just God, however, can destroy both body and soul in hell. Our sin is a disease we cannot overcome and a disease that brings a calamity such as earth has never seen nor ever will see.

But we don’t see it. We make light of it. We sleep as we live. The two-year-old girl doesn’t understand the danger she is in. Sometimes that’s how she got in the water in the first place. She doesn’t know that she needs a savior. She doesn’t see that her life is about to end. But it is. Whether she sees it or not. Unless someone rescues her.  So it is with so many who never see the seriousness of their sin.  They will perish even if they never see their danger.

Jesus is our rescuer, our savior. He became our savior through the Cross. Sometimes a government will send special forces behind enemy lines to rescue citizens who have been kidnapped and are being held prisoner. We are those prisoners, held captive by our sin. Jesus is God’s one-man SEAL team, and the Cross is the rescue plan. The Cross wipes away sin. It crushes its power. Those who come under the Cross are rescued. They are saved.

Our savior, by virtue of the Cross, brings us to God. He allows us to fulfill the purpose for which we were made. He makes us clean. And free.  And whole. And full of life.

The proper response to a savior is joy. You were lost but now are found. You were blind but now you see. You were dead but now you live. This is why God’s people sing. They have been rescued from the pit. They have seen the ugliness of their sin, but they have also seen the beauty of their salvation. God’s people rejoice in their savior Jesus Christ. They do so because they see.

A second proper response to a savior is gratitude. We would think ill of the man rescued from the burning building if he felt no gratitude toward his rescuers. We would think his heart calloused. The follower of Jesus owes Him a great debt. Consequently, God’s people feel the significance of what Jesus has done for them and are grateful from the heart.