Freedom is Good News Part 20

Here is a word right out of the heading, “good”.  Just what is good?  Do you think of yourself as good?  Do you know anyone of your friends or acquaintances that you might label as good?  How do you define “good”?  What might be the qualities of someone who is good?

In the garden of Eden God told His “first children” that they must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  So, just because God labeled something as good, it didn’t mean that man should desire it.  What God was really saying is that He, the creator, was the one to define what is good and evil.  “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12)  In the account of the garden of

Eden, Eve sees that “the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom”.  I guess this means that everything man sees in this world that seems good, pleasing and desirable is not necessarily so!

One of the things about which we must be careful is labeling ourselves and others as good.  Mark 10:17 has this episode, “As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up to Him and fell on his knees before Him.  ‘Good teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’  ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered.  ‘no one is good except God alone.’”  Hmmmm!  The only human to live a perfectly righteous life took umbrage at being called good!  I guess it might be presumptuous on our part to call anyone here on earth good.

Let’s dig a little deeper.  In the book of Romans, Paul opens up a barrage of scriptures that should set us back on our heels just a little.  Chapter 3:10-18 he quotes from several places in Psalms and Isaiah to let us know that, “There is no one righteous, not even one… there is no one who is good, not even one ….etc.”

While Sally and I were visiting relatives over Thanksgiving, someone gave me a book to read entitled, “Good or God?” by John Bevere.  The premise of the book, as John states, “is one simple question, is good enough?”  He goes on to ask the question, “If good is so obvious, why does Hebrews 5:14 teach that we must have discernment to recognize it?” Hebrews 5:14 says, “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”  I really think that this whole concept of what constitutes “good” must be handled correctly.  Eve thought that if it looked good, smelled good and tasted good; it must be good.  But God sees things differently!  And so, if we really want to understand what “good” is, we must consult the instruction manual of the author of all things “good”.  We know that manual as the bible!  And it tells us about the “good news of the kingdom!!

We’ll talk some more about this next time.

Freedom is Good News Part 19

Last time, I mentioned several scriptures that talked about seeking the face of God.  So I ask the question, what does it mean to seek the face of God?  There are three significant words in this phrase, “seek, face and God”.  The last of these words “God” is, I hope, familiar to all of us.  God is the creator, the sustainer and the one who gives life.  He is life itself.  He says His name is Yahovah, which means, “I am that I am” in other words, “the self-existent one”.  Okay, so far so good!

The next to last word “face” is a very important word.  We know in English (in our society) that located at the front of one’s head is one’s face.  When we meet someone, the first thing we normally look at is their face.  So if you were to ask me “where are you going?” and I answered, “I am going downtown to seek my wife’s face” you would look at me with great curiosity!!  But not so with the ancient Hebrews.  This statement would have been appropriate.

The word “face” or “paniym” (pronounced paw-neem in Hebrew), connotes much more than the front of one’s head.  In many contexts it means the visible portion of a thing; such as in Genesis 1:2, “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters”.  But in the context of a person it most often signifies the person himself.  And this is how we may view the statement, “seek the face of God”.  It is the person of God that we must seek.

The first word in this phrase is very interesting, “seek”.  In the three scriptures I quoted in our last article (1Ch 16:11, 2Ch 7:14, and Ps 105:4), the word “seek” has a very peculiar meaning.  The Hebrew word is “darash” and it means, “to tread or tromp something”.  I’m sure that most of us have walked from here to there in tall grass.  If we travel that path once, we can look back and see where we have disturbed the grass and identify where we have trod.  The next day, however, the wind and sun will have erased our path.  But if we walk from here to there several times a day and do so every day for a month, we have trod down the grass and we will see a well defined path. 

And so it is with our seeking God!  We must travel the path to our God again and again.  We come to God, our provider, and thank Him for our food three times a day.  At the end of the day we thank Him for the provisions of shelter, warmth, clothing, friends etc.  At the start of the day we thank Him for His guidance, help, corrections, love etc.

I believe you get the point.   Ps 105:4, “Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.”  The blessings we receive when in His presence are indeed “good news”.

Until next time….                                                                    

Freedom is Good News Part 18

The last thing I had to say in the previous article was, “Our Father delights to teach those of us who are interested in the things He has to say.”  The one thing I know, unequivocally, about that statement is that our Father really does want to teach us.  The thing I do not know is; are you interested in the things He has to say?

Let’s take a look at something.  In the book of Galatians, Paul seems to suggest that those who belong to Jesus Christ are to be considered as “the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16).  And I would like to take the Apostle Paul at his word. So, I find it acceptable to learn about the nation of Israel, from the Old Testament, and utilize them as an historical lesson.  In other words, I have a template for my life as a Christian in the triumphs and tragedies that the ancient nation of Israel experienced.  I can take the admonitions, the corrections, the training and the blessings from God toward them and have applications for my life.

So far so good!!  Let’s turn back to the book of Deuteronomy 10:12 where we find this written, “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”  God says that doing these things are for my own good!!  So if I do these 5 things, fear God, walk in His ways, love Him, serve Him and observe His laws; good from God will come my way.

Let me ask the above question once again, “are you interested in the things He has to say”?  Are you interested enough to pursue the things He tells us to do?  Do you strive to seek God with all your heart?

In several scriptures in the Old Testament, God admonishes us to seek His face:

1Ch 16:11, Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.

2Ch 7:14, If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Ps 105:4, Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.

In other scriptures He asks us to seek Him with all of our heart:

Ps 119:2, Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with their whole heart.

Ps 119:10, With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

There are many more scriptures, but think on these for now and we’ll talk some more about them next time.

Freedom is Good News Part 17

Last time I mentioned that there are about 1600 pages in my bible.  I commented on how difficult it can be to comprehend all of the thoughts that God has given to us in His word; yes, nigh unto impossible to apprehend them all!  In one sense this is a very good thing and in another it can be quite frustrating.

Frustrating - because it can seem like an overwhelming task to even begin studying this huge body of work.  Have you ever gone into your garage with the mind set of cleaning up the mess and when you open the door and actually see the mess, your mind shuts down and you cannot even think of how to begin such a monumental endeavor?  If I cannot, in one lifetime, come to understand all the bible has to teach, why then should I even begin?

But on the other hand, I mentioned that this difficulty is a good thing.  Why?  There are two reasons.  First:  The joy that comes with this study is never ending.  The scriptures are like unto the ocean.  A small child of 2 or 3 can be filled with joy just sitting on the edge of the water and play in the four or five inches of water that come washing up at regular intervals; and the scientist who is writing his PHD thesis can take a mini-submarine into the murky depths several miles and study things never before seen by man.  In other words there is something for everyone!  Second:  This never ending study, gives us a clue as to the depth of understanding that our Heavenly Father possesses.  It causes us to bow before such an awesome creator and acknowledge how small we truly are.  There is no end to our enjoyment and study of God’s holy word! 

But where do we begin?  Well, when you walk into that garage that needs cleaning, you start with something easy.  The hammer that is lying on the floor?  Just pick it up and hang it on the hook.  When you get to that hook you’ll see that screwdriver on the bench.  Place it in the slot for screw drivers.  Under the screw drivers there are several dirty rags; place them in the trash.  I’m sure you get the point.  (And no I am not coming over to your house to clean the garage!!!)

Start with something simple.  The gospel of Mark is pretty straight forward, easy to read and is the shortest of the gospels.  Start with it.  Then go back and read it again.  This time have a notebook handy and jot down questions that come to your mind as you read.  These questions you might have can be a wonderful spring board to doing a short study of the scriptures.  OH!  One thing I neglected to mention, as you open up your bible, bow your head and ask God to guide you in your reading and your study.  These are His words and He knows all the answers.  Our Father delights to teach those of us who are interested in the things He has to say.

Until next time….

Freedom is Good News Part 16

There are so many ideas and thoughts written into the bible that it can be difficult to comprehend them all.  In my bible there are over 1600 pages filled with the words of our heavenly Father.  He caused His servants, by the power of His Holy Spirit, to record onto parchment all that we have in our bibles.  Moses, David, Isaiah, Samuel, Matthew, Paul, John, etc. were all instruments of God’s desire to give to you and to me His instruction.

I have had many people come up to me and ask how they might break the scriptures into 365 separate sections so as to read the bible in one year.  For your information, there are web sites that perform that task for you.  You can also buy a bible that is structured so that there are 365 portions for reading.  I do recommend that people read the bible in one year.  It is a task that calls for discipline and structure with in a person’s life.  And as I have pointed out in the past, the word discipline has the same root form as the word disciple.  If we are to become disciples of Jesus Christ (and we are called to do just that) we must recognize that discipline is part and parcel of our effort.

Over the past 30 something articles that have appeared in this web page under the title of “YES, THERE IS GOOD NEWS!” we have had a fair amount of interesting topics.  But the most important topic that could ever be covered would have to do with urging you to pick up your bible and read it.  Jesus Himself tells us that these are the “words of life”.  I have more people come up to me and tell me they have never read the bible and yet they claim to be Christian!!!  Really?  That would be like me saying I have a relationship with my wife but I never let her talk to me.  That would be ludicrous.  I have a relationship with my heavenly Father but I never let Him talk to me??? 

God speaks to us through His word.  We can pick up the books written by Moses, David, Isaiah, Samuel, Jeremiah etc. and read the words, “The word of the LORD came to me….” “Thus declares the Sovereign LORD” “Thus declares the LORD whose name is God Almighty”.  In the New Testament we find the authors quoting from the Old Testament saying, “this is what the LORD says through His prophet…” 

All the authors of the New Testament knew exactly what the Old Testament had to say.  How?  They were familiar with it.  They read it.  They desired a deep relationship with God.  They experienced the joy of His closeness. “The wall of the city (the New Jerusalem that will come down out of heaven from God) had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:14)  These are the gentlemen we are to emulate; the twelve apostles.  They knew the words of life as were written by the prophets of old and wrote words of life to expound and teach us about the good news of our Savior who has come and who will come again.  “Behold I am coming soon!  My reward is with me and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” (Revelation 22:12)

Oh, my friends and brethren, there is so much more!

Freedom is Good News Part 15

The scripture says that God “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45)  I guess this is somewhat obvious considering there are many out there who do not believe in God and yet their fields produce crops in abundance.  They have food enough to eat.  Perhaps as humans who inhabit our planet, this might seem somewhat counter intuitive.  But God lets us know that He is not as we are!  “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” declares the LORD.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)  I believe that says it quite nicely!

Having said all that, let’s go back to the opening statement and see just what the context for that comment by Jesus is.  He is talking about love for one’s enemies; “You have heard it said ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven …. Be perfect therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt. 5:43-48)

God is God.  He is perfect.  And so God says to us, “I have set a very high bar for you to attain to.”  It is not so easy to love our enemies and to pray for them.  Be perfect as God is perfect!  God knows what He is talking about.  There is another place where God talks about a person attaining to perfection; it is found in Matt. 19 where a rich young man wanted to know what he must do to attain eternal life.  Jesus, understanding the man and knowing where his heart was, told him to obey the commandments.  The man acknowledged that he had kept them and wished to know what he lacked.  Jesus told him very directly, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor.”  Basically, Jesus told the man to separate himself from all that was important to him.  And so the man went away sad because he had great wealth.

I believe we all know that there really isn’t anything we can do to get eternal life.  Eternal life is the free gift of God to those who believe.  So what was Jesus getting at by saying these things?  In the similar episode in Mark’s gospel, we read that, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” (Mark 10:21) 

I think Jesus was telling the man that he believed in his wealth more than he believed in God.  This man had “good news” staring him in the face, literally; the good news of eternal life.  But all he could see was his fortune.

Is there something sitting before your eyes that keeps you from seeing your Savior?  Could it be a neighbor that you are having a hard time loving?  Or perhaps some wealth that you are having a hard time parting with? 

There is a song I enjoy singing where in the chorus says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the thing of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”  Try doing that and perfection may be just around the corner.  Jesus bids you to come to Him.

Until next time….

Freedom is Good News Part 14

YES, THERE IS GOOD NEWS!

There are some times in these articles that I write about God blessing us and how that is “good news”.  There are other times when I write about how we should bless God.  Just in our previous article I ended by asking the question, “Will you be a blessing to your heavenly Father?”

Can we bless our Heavenly Father?  Will He be blessed by us?  And if we can, will that blessing of ours turn out to be something we might call “good news”?

In Psalm 103 we read, “Bless the LORD O my soul, all that is within me bless His holy name.”  This is how the Psalm begins and it ends with the words, “Bless the LORD, O you, His holy angels …. Bless the LORD all His hosts …. Bless the LORD all His works …. Bless the LORD O my soul.”  So, in answer to my first question, we can bless God!

The word “bless” comes from the Hebrew word “barak” which literally means to “bend the knee, to kneel; and by implication to bless God”.  It is the very same word that is used back in Genesis 1:27-28, “So God created man in His own image … male and female He created them … and God blessed them …”

When God started to work with Abram (later called Abraham) in Genesis 12:2-3, He said, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you … and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you”.  God is the originator of life and so He is the originator of blessings.  But as we saw, these blessings may be reciprocal in that when we are blessed by God, we are to kneel before Him and bless Him with reverence and awe.

Have you ever been blessed by God the creator and sustainer of all life?  The question is really ludicrous.  The answer is an emphatic yes!!  The fact that you have life is the first blessing.  The fact that your life is sustained by oxygen, by water, by food in abundance is a blessing that some of us may take for granted.  But where should we stop in enumerating the many blessings we receive from our Heavenly Father?  We have our 5 senses that connect us with the world around us.  We have a super computer the size of a small melon within our skulls that processes all the information our senses feed it.  But perhaps most of all, we have “the breath of life” from our God within us which enables us to reason.  Yes, of all the creatures on this earth, we are the only ones who can come to truly know this God who created all things.  And in His love for us, He even allows us to try and reason Him away.  He does not crush the non-believer, God feeds all His creation.  He “so loves the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”.

“Bless the LORD O my soul”  Amen.

Until next time….

Freedom is Good News Part 13

We finished the previous article by stating that the things in this life that are valuable and worthwhile are the things we must work for. My friends and brothers, the word of God is valuable, the word of God is worthwhile. There is nothing more beautiful than the things our creator wants to speak to us about. I can think of nothing more exciting than to be reading the scriptures and have my Father in heaven reveal a nugget of truth to me.

Sometimes that piece of truth is pure joy in my innermost being but sometimes I am hurt or cut to the heart by it. But just as a loving father must correct his children in ways that seem to hurt, so the Heavenly Father correct those that are His.

Our God is a faithful God. The scriptures tell us that all His ways are perfect. He alone knows that “big picture” and all His intentions for us are nothing but good. A beautiful description of this is found in the book of Hebrews 12:10, “Our (earthly) fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness.” Yes, God wants us to share in His holiness. Wow!! I believe we would all accept His discipline in order to have His holiness imparted to us.

But where does this “pure joy” or this “correction” come from? Well, as has been said, it comes from our Heavenly Father. And how does He speak to us about these things? Well, in His word. For us, His word is found in the bible. In Paul’s comments to his beloved friend Timothy, he states this, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of … how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correction and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Paul wrote this letter (2 Timothy) around 65 A.D., sometime before he was martyred. At this point in time the only scriptures that Paul could have had in mind were what we call the Old Testament; for none of the New Testament had been written as of yet. But look at what Paul says about these scriptures, they are able to make you wise for salvation. They are useful for teaching, etc. You and I, today, have the amazing ability to purchase a bible with both of these testaments for a very small price. Perhaps you have a couple of copies in your home now. This access to the Word of God today is abundantly easy and inexpensive. This has not always been so. Several centuries ago, many people had to suffered torture and martyrdom so as to insure that future generations (like ours) might have access to the bible. And we don’t take the time to read it??? Shame on us!

There is so much more to be said.

Freedom is Good News Part 12

It was about 7 months ago that these articles got their start. This will be the 29th in this series of articles titled “Yes, There is Good News”. In that time I have had several people mention that they do read what I have written but I suspect that there are many more who are also readers. I consider this opportunity as a blessing for me and also a chance to be a blessing to those who may read. Writing these articles affords me the chance to sit down and think upon God’s word. And for me, that is good news!

Some time ago I made mention of the desire I have to encourage you the reader to pick up God’s word and read it for yourself. More than encourage, I have the desire to urge you to read God’s word. Personally, I find that there is no greater calling in this life than to develop a deeper relationship with my Heavenly Father and there are several things we can do to attain that goal. The top two things on that list are: spend some time in prayer and read what God has to say to you.

When you read the bible you will come to know God. And when you come into the presence of God and open up your heart to Him in prayer, God gets to know you.

What’s that you say? God already knows you. Let’s examine that thought. There are two separate times in scripture wherein God says He never knew someone. The first is found in Matthew 7:15, “Not everyone who says ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you lawless ones!” In other words, if we think that we have something to offer God (prophesying and miracles) and yet we have no knowledge of the will of God and of His law, we have a problem and are going about knowing Him (or shall we say “being known by Him”) in the wrong way!

I can never come to know another person without that person revealing himself to me. I’m sure we have all known someone who is unreachable. They have built a great wall around themselves so as not to let anyone in. God of course can “look over any wall” we may create, but will He? God is a Father and He wants His children to open up to Him. He wants us to get on our knees and tell Him our inner wants and desires, our thoughts and the meditations of our hearts.

Perhaps the inner desire of our heart is to understand the things we read in His word. This is a wonderful place to begin that much needed relationship with Him. I think we all know that there are many places in the word of God that can be challenging to understand. I have heard it said that the things in this life that are valuable and that are worthwhile are the things we must work for.

We’ll visit more on this later.

Freedom is Good News Part 11

Previously I mentioned that there are certain “types” in the scriptures. Abraham’s son Isaac and David’s son Solomon were both types of Jesus Christ. How do we know that these “types” and others are used in the Old Testament? Very simply, the Apostle Paul tells us unequivocally in his letter to the Corinthians, that they are there. In talking about Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea and then traveling in the wilderness for 40 years, Paul says this: “Now these things occurred as types to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were.” Paul admonishes us about idolatry by using the Israelites as an example.” (1 Cor. 10:6) A little later, in the same chapter, Paul says, “These things happened to them as types and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.” We are in the latter days. In fact the “latter days” were ushered in at the time of Jesus crucifixion, death and resurrection. These types in the Old Testament are for us to read and learn from.

A wise man once said, “Anyone can learn from his own mistakes, but it takes a wise man to learn from someone else’s mistakes.” I have tried never to forget that simple lesson. We can learn from the mistakes of those who have gone before us; namely the Israelites. They were God’s chosen people then and we who have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior are God’s people today. And speaking of accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we have come to the heart and core of the Gospel, i.e. “the good news”.

I have heard some people say, “I’m a good person and try to do what God wants me to do”. But let me be quite emphatic here, God does not want a “good” person. God does not want a “better” person. God wants a new person!!! Paul says this in his book to the Romans, “Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:3-4) Do you desire that new life?

We sometimes forget that it is God who is in charge and not we ourselves. We cannot tell God how things should be. Remember that God said it is we who are created in His image but we sometimes want to create God in our image. This will not work. If we think that we have some goodness aside from Jesus Christ we are mistaken. In Isaiah 64:6 it says, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” That’s not saying “some of us”. It is all of us!

So, have you repented of your sins and accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and then, understanding what Paul says is a symbol of death, undergone the immersion of baptism? Yes, the new life we receive at that point is truly good news.

We’ll visit more on this later.

Freedom is Good News Part 10

In my last article we saw that there are “types” in the scriptures. Abraham was told by God to sacrifice his son “his only son whom he loves”. God uses the same words for Isaac that He would later use in describing Jesus – God’s only Son. Some people think that this was a terrible thing for God to do to His servant Abraham. But the reality is that God, who is love itself, was having Abraham set up a type; a symbol of the reality of what was to come some 2080 years in the future. God knew that when Abraham raised the knife to sacrifice Isaac, He would send an angel to stop the action.

I mentioned that this is played out in Genesis 22 and if you have read the chapter this past week (because I piqued your curiosity in the last article) then you know how Isaac asked his father as they walked up the mount “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham’s response is very telling, “God will Himself provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” This answer from a father to his son is “the gospel”, for God our Father did indeed provide the lamb for a sacrifice. It is in the book of John wherein John the Baptist says to his disciples, “behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29 & 36) as he pointed to Jesus.

Now if you’ve been following along you can see how both Matthew and John work hand in hand to reveal information. Matthew said that his book concerned, “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham”. We’ve looked at the son of Abraham and correlated the account in Genesis with John calling Jesus “the Lamb of God”. (I told you this was getting good!!) And if you are paying close attention, you’ve noticed that the opening statement in Matthew says that Jesus was the Son of David.

David’s son was Solomon and he became the king when David died. The name Solomon is derived from the Hebrew word for peace, “shalom”. And we know from Isaiah 9:6 that Jesus is called “Prince of Peace”. This is one of His titles! But more than that, Solomon was to be the one who would build God’s house – God’s temple. This is also a type for us to learn from in the Old Testament because in the book of Hebrews Jesus is referred to as the builder of God’s house (see Heb. 3:1-6).

If we consider these two “types” from the Old Testament, we can see that God wishes to teach us that Jesus, as the Son of Abraham, was sacrificed for us as the Lamb of God and, as the Son of David, He would become the King of kings and reign as king over the house of God. This is pretty special, isn’t it?

Why are these types used in the Old Testament? Because God wants mankind to understand that all of His works have been known from the beginning. When God told Abraham that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you”, He was proclaiming the Gospel to His servant Abraham.

Until next time….

Freedom is Good News Part 9

The first four books of the New Testament are called “the Gospels”. These books are the written words of four eye witnesses of the ministry of Jesus Christ. I think it is interesting to call them “eye witness accounts” because in many ways that is indeed what they are. In the Old Testament, God told the children of Israel that “A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses”. (Deuteronomy 19:15) Jesus even quotes this passage in Matt. 18:16! But in having the witnesses of God’s Son and His ministry be four, it is almost like God saying “make no mistake about this matter!”

There are many historical events that we take as fact even when there are no more than one or two witnesses having written about them. And yet today there are more and more people who discount the validity of the bible or want to change it to suit their own thoughts and ideas which contradict the four witnesses of the events surrounding Jesus’ life and ministry.

Have you read through these four books, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? The first three of these are called the synoptic gospels. The word “synoptic” coming from two Greek words meaning “similar view” (literally: same eye). Matthew, Mark and Luke wrote about very similar things but basically were writing to different audiences. John on the other hand writes of very different episodes in the life of Jesus and only quite rarely touches on the things that the other three take up.

Within these four books of the bible, which are called “the Gospels” (the good news) are tremendous amounts of uplifting stories. The overall theme is of course the story of a very loving God who is willing to sacrifice His Son - “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased” (Matt.3:17) – in order that we, His creation who are sinners, may obtain eternal life through His death.

The book of Matthew begins in 1:1 by stating, “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham”. This statement lays the foundation of all that follows in the gospels and all that is yet to come!! Jesus is indeed the son (or descendant) of Abraham. But the literal son of Abraham is to be a type of the Messiah showing all who would have eyes to see that a savior would come through the lineage of Abraham. The story is found in Genesis. God has already told Abraham that he would have a son in his old age - a miracle birth (Gen. 18:10-15) - and that all peoples on the earth would be blessed through him (Gen. 12:2-3). And then in Gen. 22:2 God says this to Abraham, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love (sound familiar – a type of God the Father and His Son) … sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about. It just so happens that this mountain, Mount Moriah, is the same mountain in Jerusalem where, some 2080 years later, Jesus would undergo a sacrifice for our sins.

This is getting good isn’t it? Stay tuned!!

Freedom is Good News Part 8

Usually on the first Sunday of each month, I have the blessing of conducting worship services at the Salem Lutheran Home Chapel located here in Elk Horn. As I sit to write this article I can’t help but sit here and think of the message I recently gave. It was an important message and one filled with hope, joy and good news. Let me try to express it here in writing.

After singing the hymn, “Near to the Heart of God” with the residents, I mentioned that the author, Cleland McAfee penned this beautiful song after hearing the news that his two nieces had just died from diphtheria in 1901. Mr. McAfee, with a deeply grieving heart, retreated to the comforting words of scripture and to God. He said that he felt the words and music flow from his grieving heart and that on the day of the double funeral, he stood outside the quarantined home of his brother and sang the words as he choked back tears.

“There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God…” Have you ever desired to truly draw near to the heart of God? Have you ever needed a place of quiet rest in your life when things seem to be in turmoil all around you? Does the world ever bring heartaches, trials and troubles to your door? In John 16:33 Jesus says, “…take heart, I have overcome the world.” Jesus promises us peace. In the third stanza of the song it says, “There is a place of joy and peace, near to the heart of God.”

And what about that quiet rest? In Matthew 11:28 we read, “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” The chorus of that song says this, “O Jesus, blessed Redeemer, sent from the heart of God, hold us who wait before thee, near to the heart of God.”

We have talked about the word “heart” in previous articles and so we cay apply the definition of the word to the “heart of God”. His heart is who He is!! Scripture tells us that God is love - this is His heart. It tells us He is compassionate – this is His heart. It tells us He is kind – this is His heart.

But we also know that God will not force us to draw near to Him. In Isaiah 40:11 we read, “Behold … God tends His flock like a Shepherd. He gathers His lambs in His arms. He carries them close to His heart and He gently leads those with young.” He leads and we must follow!! Again, in the gospel of John 10:14, Jesus says, “I am the good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me … My sheep listen to my voice, I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish.” What a beautiful statement from our Savior!

The heart of God is a beautiful place to be; it is a comforting place to be. And as the hymn says, “… a place where all is joy and peace, near to the heart of God.” May we learn to follow?

Until next time.

Freedom is Good News Part 7

In the previous article I mentioned Proverbs 3:5-6 and talked about it in relation to trusting in the LORD and so having our “paths” made smooth, pleasant and straight. But there was one phrase I never dealt with. Verse 5 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” So what is this phrase about not leaning upon one’s own understanding?

I think there are many who believe that they do have a trust in God. If we believe in God and understand that He is the creator and sustainer of the universe, then we have to put our trust in Him. We would be crazy not to! But where do we draw the line in trusting Him and trusting our own understanding? This is a matter of introspection for all of us who desire a deeper relationship with God.

Last time I mentioned that it is with all of our heart that we trust Him. And what did I say the definition of the word “heart” was? In Hebrew, “it includes our motives, feelings, affections, desires, aims, principles and our thoughts”. It encompasses the entirety of our personality. So let me ask again, where do we draw the line in our trust? Then the scripture goes on to say, “lean not on your own understanding”.

We humans will certainly have a problem with this statement. But let me ask you; did you create yourself? Did you somehow understand (before birth) how your DNA was to be configured? Did your parents? Can you bring forth from one seed, the sprout, the stem, the leaves and then the fruit? This reminds me of the questions that God asked Job in chapter 38 of the book with that title, verse 4, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth. Tell me if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!” Job had no answer for these and the other questions God asked him.

And what about our Savior Jesus, surely He leaned upon His own understanding didn’t He? In the book of John 5:19 Jesus said, “Truly, truly I say to you, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” In the same book, chapter 7:16, Jesus said, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from Him who sent me.” In the next chapter verse 28, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am! And that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.” John 12:49, “For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and so to speak.” John 14:10, “…the words I say to you are not just my own. Rather it is the Father abiding in me who is doing His works.” And lastly in 14:24, “He who does not love me will not obey my words. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”

Might I state that the Son of God, on six separate occasions, said that He “leaned not on His own understanding”? So, where should we draw the line?

Until next time, may you trust in the LORD.

Freedom is Good News Part 6

In the last article I mentioned how valuable the book of Proverbs is. In this book wisdom and riches are found beyond measure. One of my favorite scriptures is found in the book of Proverbs, in chapter 3 verse 5 and 6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

It goes on from there with some beautiful instruction but let’s start with just these two verses. “Trust” comes from a Hebrew word that means “to be reliant, to trust, to hasten toward refuge”. And the word for “heart” literally means “the center of something”. To go a little further with this word, we can see that the organ that pumps blood is somewhat at the center of our bodies. But this word also includes the center of who we are. By definition in Hebrew “it includes our motives, feelings, affections, desires, aims, principles and our thoughts”. This is really a huge word. It encompasses the entirety of our personality.

This suggestion that we “trust the LORD with all our heart” looms large in our devotion to the Creator. At what point do we leave His understanding out of our lives? At what point do we not accept His instruction or wisdom? Does He not know all things? Does He not see all things? In Psalm 139:4 it says, “Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD”. If we desire to have a relationship with the Creator and Sustainer of all things and He tells us to “trust in Him with all that we are”, I believe we shall find this to be a good thing. Oh, and by the way, if you find this to be news to you, then lets just call it “good news”.

This is a very powerful statement, my friends and neighbors. Let me say that it takes guts and determination to put all of our trust in God.

So what does the second part of this statement in Proverbs say? “In all your ways acknowledge Him…” The words “all your ways”, is another way of saying “with all your heart”. Once we have put our trust in Him and asked for His advice or guidance, as we come out the other side of that situation, I do believe we must acknowledge His leading and help.

And then what happens? The next part of this scripture states, “and He will make your paths straight.” This word “straight” has the sense of being smooth, pleasant or prosperous.

Doesn’t it seem obvious that we would want our paths to be pleasant or prosperous? Why would we want it any other way? Our God desires good things for those that trust and acknowledge Him. And that is of course “good news”.

There is still more to come.

Freedom is Good News Part 5

Some time ago I began an article by stating that today “I strive to encourage people to pick up God’s word, read it and study it, so as to be comforted, edified and instructed by these words of life.” Why? I suppose this is one of those curious cases where the answer to the question is sort of stated within the question.

If you were the winner of some $100 million lottery, wouldn’t you want to share it at least with the ones you love? Well, I have something worth more than a paltry monetary figure and, of course, I would like to share it with those I love. The second great commandment is to “love your neighbor as yourself”. I find more than “comfort, edification and instruction” in these words of life in the bible; I find joy and I find “the fear of the Lord”. You are my neighbor and I desire to share the fear of the Lord (which is great treasure) with you. How do I do that?

Well let’s piece some things together – Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. OK, so what does the bible say about wisdom? Proverbs 8:11 says, “Wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.” So if I put 2 and 2 together I find that this $100 million jackpot cannot compare with the wisdom I may obtain from fearing the Lord!! And where do I find this wisdom? The scriptures are replete with wisdom. From one end to the other wisdom may be reaped.

Let us take a look at one chapter in the book of Proverbs – chapter 8. Here we find Solomon personifying the idea of Wisdom. Verse 6: ‘…listen for I (Wisdom) have worthy things to say … Council and sound judgment are mine; … I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. My fruit is better than gold and what I yield surpasses silver.’”

I could go on and on, but would you please read this chapter and while you are at it please read chapter one. Chapter one gives us the whole reason for Solomon penning this book of wisdom.

I think that we are all intrigued with the idea of winning the lottery. What could we do with multiple millions of dollars? Yet we all know what the odds are of winning. And we have all read the stories about those who have won and have in some way destroyed their lives. Earthly riches never bring true happiness. Yet God says that we can have great gain! It is more than riches and wealth. We can have a close relationship with the One who created the universe, the One who is life itself and who gives this life to us His creatures. And yet, this physical world is not all He wants to give us. He has more!! And just as any engineer includes a set of instructions with the product he created, God gives us an instruction manual for life – the bible.

Till we meet again, seek wisdom and true riches.

Freedom is Good News Part 4

I guess when I began writing these articles, some time ago, I really had only one goal, one desire, and that was to help you, the reader, to come to a closer relationship with our heavenly Father and with His Son.  I wanted to highlight the joy and the good things that I have felt as I strive to draw near to my God.

I am excited about knowing my God.  I am excited about seeking Him with my whole heart and my whole life and so I wish that others can taste of the good things that God has brought to my life.  It is good sometimes to just speak from the heart, to pour out for all to see, the wonders of His love.  I hope and I pray that my words here on this page will help all to long for a deeper understanding of just how much God wants to be a part of your life.  God’s desire to have you seek Him, to have you come to Him in prayer, to have you spend time with Him in thought and meditation and to have you open up and read His book of love, the bible, really is beyond our comprehension.

A line from a song I enjoy says this, “you’re wanted, you’re precious, you’re the love of His heart and the old rugged cross was for you…”.  I believe that says a lot!  Oh how He wants us to know Him so that He may shower His love upon us whom He has made.  My friends and brethren, do you really know how precious you are in His sight?

And so to pick up on last week’s theme, let me say that our God has desired to give us true freedom.  It is the world, society and Satan that wants to put us in chains of bondage.  The bondage that comes from sin can seem so enticing.  Satan tries to turn things upside down and deceive us into thinking that God’s ways are somehow chains of bondage.  “God doesn’t want us to have any fun” is the broadcast that Satan promotes.  But the truth, that is the truth that sets us free, allows us to experience the depth of joy that only god can provide.  In John 14:27 Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.”  His peace is true peace and His joy is true joy and His love is true love..

I speak here from firsthand experience.  I have known that peace, joy and love.  It is real and it is beyond our measuring by human means.  It is I that slip and fall - not God.  It is I that err and fail - not God.  His ways are perfect.  He is a Father, a parent if you will, like none other.  His love is perfect.  His instruction is perfect.  He is an awesome God.  And He offers us true freedom.

More on this next time.

Freedom is Good News Part 3

Who knew the topic of freedom could be this big?  The answer; I guess God did!!  There are many “threads” that run through the bible weaving a multi-colored tapestry and one of those threads is the concept of freedom.  Last week I mentioned freedom from “the law of sin and death” as Paul stated it in Romans 8:2.  This freedom only comes through choosing Jesus Christ as ones personal Savior.  Oh really! Just what does it mean to have a personal Savior? 

Let me begin to answer by stating that, “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.”  This is probably the most oft quoted scripture.  And many people misread it.  Yes, He gave His Son for the world, but in order to not perish and to have life and thereby to have this freedom we have been talking about, one must do something.  One must believe in this “sacrificial Son of God”.  (A little side note is that this word “perish” comes from a Greek word that means “to destroy fully”.)

You want a personal Savior?  You must believe!  You say you believe in God, good, even the demons believe that and shudder (see James 2:19).  Do we really think we can just pay lip service to the creator of the universe and all will be well with us?  Can we just give a nod and wink of the eye to Him who gives us life itself, who has written the entire DNA code for our bodies and expect life eternal with Him?

No, “belief” as we read it in the bible is much more than that.  The Greek word for belief is “pisteuo” and by definition means, “to be persuaded of; and hence, to place confidence in, to trust; and it signifies reliance upon, not just belief.  It may be translated as ‘commit unto’, or ‘commit unto ones trust’”.

In Romans 4:3 Paul quotes from Genesis 15:6, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness”.  Father Abraham did much more than just believe God existed.  We read in Genesis 22:1 – 19 the most amazing story of how Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son as a sign of his commitment of trust in God.  And James writes about this episode in Genesis with these words, “Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that his faith and his actions were working together and his faith was made complete by what he did.”  This episode about Abraham’s faith is so much more than just an “Old Testament” story.  This is actually a “forerunner” or a “type” of the Heavenly Father giving His Son as a sacrifice for us. 

So, do you have faith in a personal Savior?  Have you really accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?  Are you “persuaded of” Him?  Have you “placed your confidence in” Him?  Have you found “reliance upon” Him?  Have you committed yourself so as to place your trust in Him?  He gave His life for you, have you given back that life to Him for safekeeping?  A lot of questions here to answer in order to get to the good news of that freedom!!

More on this next time.                                           

Freedom is Good News Part 2

Last time we met, we were discussing the topic of freedom.  We swung from our national freedoms won for us 240 years ago to the freedoms won for us almost 2000 years ago by our Redeemer Jesus Christ.  And those freedoms, the latter ones, are immeasurably more important than the former.

The Good News is that if we have personally come to our Savior and have accepted His blood as a sacrifice for our life, then we have a freedom that is far beyond anything any government could ever promise.  The things of this world, this society, this physical life are subject to certain laws of physics that cannot be changed.  Not wanting to get too deep into the natural laws of science, let me just say that all physical things are subject to the concept of entropy.  In the book of Romans 8:21 the Apostle Paul tells us that the creation itself is in bondage to decay and decay is the result of entropy.  There is no way out, we will all die.  The plants and animals die and new growth takes place and then it too grows old and dies.  The scriptures tell us that it is given to all mankind to die.

So what am I saying?  No manmade government has or will last forever.  All of the world’s empires have crumbled.  But there is one government and only one government that is eternal.  “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders.  And He will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Might God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.  The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

And this is why the freedom given to us through and by the Son of God is immeasurably more important than the transitory freedoms granted through the constitution.

In the Gospel of John chapter 8, Jesus said two things concerning this freedom; “If you hold to my word you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” and “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”.  But what is it that we will be set free from?  “Through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)  You see, Jesus did not set us free from keeping the law, for Paul has already said in Romans 7:12 that “the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.”  We still find that stealing and coveting etc. are sin.  John in his first letter confirms this when he defines sin for us by stating, “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact sin is the transgression of the law.”  (1Jn 3:4)  So again, what is this “law of sin and death” that we have been set free from? 

Simply stated, scripture tells us that the penalty for sin is death; we sin, we deserve to die!  But our freedom from this law is that Jesus paid the penalty for our sin and went to the cross for us.  This is a big subject!!

More on this next time.

Freedom is Good News

I do hope that everyone will have a very insightful 4th of July.  Leading up to this day I began to think about the thousands of men and women who shed their blood on the battlefield of the American Revolution some 240 years ago. 

We, today, get caught up in all the celebrations and can forget that this day is a memorial of what our forefathers accomplished in winning freedom from the tyranny of the king of England.  Oh, it is a day to celebrate all right, parades, picnics, cookouts, family reunions and of course the day’s end fireworks celebration.  The victory, of the somewhat rag-tag colonists over the world’s best equipped fighting force, set in motion one of the greatest political experiments on this planet. 

Our nation became a worldwide symbol of freedom and we, today, still stand in the afterglow that made this nation the greatest ever in the history of the world.

I do not believe this to be a circumstantial coincident that somehow just fell into the “laps” of men like, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, etc.  I believe (as did they) that the hand of God was involved.  Excuse me while I quote from the book, “The Thousand Year Leap” by W. Cleon Skousen, “…they (the framers of the constitution) declared that the formation and adoption of our new system of federal government represented a political achievement unprecedented in human history.  They looked upon it, more over, as an event that was actually ‘influenced, guided and governed’ by the hand of God”.  In my words, “it was a blessing of extreme importance.”

Are you with me on this?  What happened 240 years ago was indeed “Good News”.

But you, like I, have seen the sometimes gradual, sometimes precipitous slide this nation has taken.  We have fallen away from these freedoms that were won for us.

So as I pondered these freedoms won for us through the shedding of blood, my mind swung around to another event that took place almost 2000 years ago to grant to all men freedoms that will never fade, never grow old and can never be taken away.  These freedoms were also won by the shedding of blood, not on a physical battlefield, but on a spiritual one.  They were won by the Son of God as He hung on a cross.  Jesus Christ came to earth to set men free.  He came to redeem us from our sins.  He came and died to set us at liberty.

More on this next time.