Freedom is Good News Part 120

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of (faithful) witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes upon Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

How strong was the faith of Jesus Christ?  To be slightly glib, I would say that on a scale of 1 to 10, He was at a 12!!  He came down from heaven (from the heavenly throne room of the Father) and became flesh.  Paul, in his letter to the Philippians 2:5-8, says this, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Our Savior went to the cross for us.  As He hung there, losing every drop of blood unto death, He had to have profound faith that He would be brought up unto resurrection from the grave by the mighty hand of the Father.  And then we read in the book of Hebrews, quoted above, that He is “the founder and perfecter of our faith”.

If you have faith in what the Heavenly Father has done; if you have faith in what your Savior, Jesus Christ, has done; and if you have faith in the understanding that you are walking in the path of righteousness with your Father and His Son, then you can rejoice that your faith has been founded in Jesus Christ and will be perfected in Him.  In his letter to the Galatians 2:20 Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Wow!! This is heavy stuff!!  But whoever said the bible was light?  These words of Paul are not things to be read over and forgotten – they are the truth of God and they are facts.

The good news here is that our Heavenly Father and His Son love us so much that “We have been given everything we need for life and godliness.” (2 Peter 1:3)  Paul says as much in his letter to the Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” 

But you must take the next step.  You must ponder, you must meditate upon whether you have received this calling (yes this calling, right here in the words of this article) and that you have prepared the soil of your heart so as to receive the seeds of the Gospel and to become one of the chosen ones of God.  In Acts 2:38, Peter told us what to do, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  Do you have the faith to take this step?  “And with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.”

Freedom is Good News Part 117

As we have peered into the topic of “good news” these past few articles, we have been considering an interesting scripture in the book of Revelation 17:14:  “And they will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.”  We have talked about how it would be a good thing to be with our Savior at this point in time and so perhaps we should understand these 3 terms from a biblical standpoint.   We have seen how we may be called by God and we have seen how the choosing takes place, but what about the third category, “faithful”?  And then there is that fourth word, “followers”.  Let’s take a look at these last two words; shall we?

So let’s say you have been called by God (and I believe that if you have been reading these articles, you have been); and let’s assume you have prepared the soil for the scattered seeds that are being sown, and are being chosen by God; now you must pursue faithfulness!

In Romans 4 Paul gives us the ultimate example of a man of faith.  4:1 “What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?  For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.  For what does the Scripture say?  ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness….  ”.  Later, in the book of Hebrews chapter 11, often called the “Hall of Fame of the Faithful”, we read about Abraham in verse 8, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land… By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son.”

Abraham had faith in God when he was told that even in his old age he would have a son.  Abraham had faith in God when he was told to leave the land of his fathers and move to a new land.  Abraham had faith when God told him to sacrifice this very son that God had promised to him.  And then Jesus says in John 8:39, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works Abraham did.”  Wow, did I just read the word “works”?  I thought we were talking about faith.  Abraham is the father of the faithful – what is this about his works?  

The letter of James has something to say about this:  James 2:14, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?  So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead … You have faith that there is one God.  Good!  But even the demons believe that and shudder.”

We shall, God willing, look further into this subject the next time.  But isn’t this exciting – we have, in this study, gone from the book of Romans to Hebrews to John and finally to James.  The bible is a unified book and a treasure trove of knowledge!!

Freedom is Good News Part 116

“He is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.”  Who are the called, who are the chosen and who are the faithful? 

We saw, in our last installment, that the bible tells us, “Many are called but few are chosen.”  And yes, that call goes out in many ways.  For me, it was a conversation I had with a co-worker who told me of the truth of God.  I listened to him and realized that God was calling to me; God wanted me, a sinner, to be a part of His family.  Wow!  Imagine that, the God who created all things wanted me, this “nobody”; this blue collar welder, working in the oil fields of Wyoming, to be His child!

But I was hard headed and I balked.  It took two years of inner struggle with my old ways to finally realize that I could no longer ignore God.  The great God of the universe wanted my heart.  And I finally gave it to Him!

The call goes out in many ways.  Some might read something on the internet; some will read a tract or booklet left lying around.  Some might turn on a TV program that opens their eyes to the truth of God and still some might read an article written in a small town give away newspaper called the Danish Villages News.  Has God called you?  Does God want you to become one of His precious children?  Does the creator of all things want you to open up your heart to all that He has for you?  Only you can answer these questions.  But answer them you will; either with an emphatic yes, or a destructive no; for “Many are called but few are chosen”.

As we saw in the previous article, the seed of God’s calling will only produce fruit in the right type of soil:  “But some fell on good fertile soil and grew, producing a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”  In that parable of Matthew 13, three quarters of the seed scattered did not produce any fruit – there was no “choosing” by God in those cases.  But God is truly looking for those few who will open up their hearts to Him.

When did God call you?  Do you remember His gentle hand leading you into the sheep fold?  Wait a minute Bill, you are mixing metaphors here – our ninth grade English teachers would be appalled – you started off talking about agriculture and now shifted to animal husbandry! 

Hmmm!!  God uses many metaphors to teach and to call.  Sometimes He uses fishing and other times He uses building construction.  God wants all of His children to “get” what He is saying and does not limit Himself to only one avenue. 

Are you being called now?  Do you have the good soil that will produce a hungry heart for God?  I hope you do.  We are not playing games here with God – He wants sons and daughters to love Him so that He might teach and bless.  Next time (God willing) we will talk about the third aspect of this topic – the faithful!

Freedom is Good News Part 115

In the past couple of articles, we have seen that although the good news of the Gospel consists of the life, death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it does not end there.  In fact, the resurrection of Christ begins for us (upon whom the ends of the age have come) the realization of the good news that was prophesied in the Old Testament.  But this good news, in all actuality, never ends!  For it finds its fulfillment in the eternal life that is promised to God’s called, chosen and faithful followers.

Are you there yet?  Have you been called by God?  If called, then have you been chosen?  And so, if called and chosen, are you faithful?

These three categories, called, chosen and faithful, are found in the book of Revelation 17:14:  “And they will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.”

To be with our Lord and King at that time, is news of such great joy that it is really inexpressible!  But you must be called, chosen and faithful!!

In Matthew 22:14, just after Jesus telling of the parable of the wedding supper, we read, “For many are called, but few are chosen.”  Does that concern you?  Do you wonder, sometimes; perhaps you have been called of God but for some reason haven’t been chosen of God?  I mean, why would God call someone and not chose him?

There are many ways in which God may call an individual.  Paul addresses this when he says in 1Cor. 3:6, “I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but it is only God who makes it grow.”  I must figure that everyone who is reading these articles are familiar with their bibles.  Perhaps many of you attend a worship service, at least from time to time.  Within the pages of the bible are many potential seeds that may be planted in the heart of the reader.  Within the words of a sermon or bible study are also many potential seeds.  And so it is within these articles, potential seeds abound. 

I mention that they are “potential seeds” because although they enter your brain through your reading or your hearing, those who are chosen of God are the ones that allow them to be planted within their hearts.  Remember the parable in Matthew 13 concerning the “Sower and the Seed”.  Some seed fell on the path to be eaten by the passing birds; some fell on rocky places but because of shallow soil the new shoots quickly withered; some fell  among the thorns and were choked out and died; but some fell on good fertile soil and grew, producing a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

So, receiving the seeds means you have been called.  But what kind of soil are you?  I believe God makes it clear that we must be good soil if we are to be found chosen.  God does the calling and the choosing but we must prepare the soil!!

Perhaps we should look at this some more next time.