For to me, to live is
Christ and to die is gain. ~ Phil. 1:21 NIV
Wednesday, June 27,
2012, 7:28 a.m. – The Lord woke me this morning with the song “My Sheep” playing in my mind. Speak,
Lord, for your servant is listening. I read John 12-16:4 (NIV 1984).
To the Death
Jesus told his disciples that the time had come for him to
die. He used the illustration of the need of a kernel of wheat to fall into the
ground and die in order for it to produce many seeds. Jesus Christ had to die
so that we could be saved. Yet, the illustration was not for Jesus alone, for
he also applied it to his followers. The one who loves his life of sin and of self-gratification
will lose it for eternity, but the one who hates his life of sin (his worldly
life), and who forsakes it, will keep his life for eternal life with God. If we
want to serve Christ, we must follow him, so that wherever Jesus is, his
servants will also be. To follow Jesus means “to take the same course or go in
the same direction as him; to act in accordance with his life and teachings,
especially with instructions or directions given by him; to imitate or do the
same things as him” (based loosely off definition in Encarta).
Jesus told his disciples that one of them would betray him.
Jesus clearly said it was the one to whom he would give a piece of bread when
he had dipped it in the dish. He gave it to Judas, and as soon as Judas had
taken the bread, he went out to betray Jesus. The other disciples did not
understand what Jesus was saying about Judas. Then he told his disciples that
they would all fall away on account of him, though they said they would not
(see Matt. 26:31). Peter told Jesus he would lay down his life for him, but
Jesus told Peter that before the rooster crows, Peter would disown Jesus three
times, and, as we know, he did just that.
Comfort and Assurance
Jesus’ disciples were surely feeling dismayed and
discouraged at this moment. Jesus was telling them that one of them would
betray him while the rest of them would all fall away, and that Peter (the rock
upon whom Christ would build his church) would deny him 3 times. Even more than
that, he was telling them that he was going to have to die. They were going to
lose their Lord and Master whom they had been following and serving for three
years. I am sure they must have wondered, “What now?” They had left everything
to follow him.
So, Jesus let them know the plan. He was leaving for sure,
but he would not leave them alone. He asked them to trust him. And, then he
told them that when he left this earth that he would go to his Father’s house
where he would prepare a place for them. Not only that, but he promised to come
back and get them so that they could be with him forever! In the meanwhile, he
would send someone to be with them, who was already with them, but who would
now be in them. The Counselor; the Holy Spirit would teach them all things and
would remind them of everything Jesus had said to them, so they were not to be
afraid.
When we invite Jesus Christ into our lives as Lord and
Savior, his Holy Spirit comes within us, makes his home with us, and he
empowers us to die to sin and to live for God.
Thomas wanted to know the way to where Jesus was going, so
Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.” We learned in John 10 that Jesus is the gate into
the sheep pen (the kingdom of heaven; the true church), and that he is the Good
Shepherd of the sheep who leads them and who guides them. We learned that the
only true way into the kingdom of heaven is through the gate (Jesus), so he is
the only way to heaven, to eternal life, to salvation from sin, and to the
Father.
Love and Obey
Jesus said: “If you
love me, you will obey what I command.” “Whoever has my commands and obeys
them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father,
and I too will love him and show myself to him.” “If anyone loves me, he will
obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our
home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.”
Again, Jesus drew the line in the sand. If we say we love
Jesus, we must obey him and his teachings. Then he will show himself to us and
then he will love us and the Father will love us and they (Father, Son &
Holy Spirit) will come into us, in the form of the Holy Spirit, and they will
make their home with us. Obedience to Christ and to his commands is not
optional. It is a requirement for salvation and for a personal relationship
with Jesus Christ, and with the Father. Obviously none of us will do it perfectly,
so it is all in the approach, attitude and objective. Do we think believing in
Jesus Christ just gets us a free ticket to heaven but nothing is required of us
at all? Or do we understand that coming to Jesus Christ means dying to our old
lives of sin and putting on our new lives in Christ and following him and his
ways? Choosing the latter comes with it an understanding that it is Christ in
us and the Holy Spirit within us who does the work of transformation in our
hearts as we cooperate with his work, and it is not something we do for God in
our own flesh to try to gain merit with God.
Remain, Obey, Bear
Fruit
Jesus said we must remain in him and he will remain in us.
We can’t bear fruit for Christ’s eternal kingdom unless we remain in him. He
said: “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing
yourselves to be my disciples.” James said something similar to this when he
said: “…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” “Show me
your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You
believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that —and shudder.”
“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” If we
have true faith in Jesus Christ, it will be evidenced by how we live our lives
in word, thought, attitude and action. And, it won’t be us doing it, i.e. it
will be Christ in us living out his love and life through us as we cooperate
with him and with his work. And, the only way this can happen is if we remain
in him.
So, what does it mean to remain in Christ? And, why is this
essential to bearing fruit? To remain means to ‘stay the course;’ “to continue
in a particular state without changing; to endure” (Encarta); to last, persist,
persevere, keep on, etc. To “stay the course” means to continue on a particular
course in spite of all obstacles or opposition; to maintain constant,
consistent and unaltered persistence in your course. And, what is the course? To
“go in the same direction as Jesus Christ; to act in accordance with his life
and teachings, especially with instructions or directions given by him; and to
imitate or do the same things as him.” And, the reason this is essential to
bearing fruit is that the fruit is not works of the flesh, but works of the
Spirit of God and can only be done through him and only in our lives when we
remain consistent in our walks of obedience with Christ Jesus.
Love and Hate
“As the Father has
loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands,
you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and
remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that
your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved
you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his
friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you
servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I
have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made
known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go
and bear fruit —fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever
you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.” ~ John 15:9-17
NIV 1984
If we obey his commands, we remain in his love. His command
here is that we love each other as he has loved us. So, how did he love us? He
laid his life down for us. Yet, this did not happen merely on the cross. He did
this when he did not consider his equality with God something to hold on to,
but he willingly left his throne in heaven, took on the nature of a servant,
was made in human likeness (became flesh) and became a man (man-God). As a man,
he suffered just like we suffer, was tempted in all the ways in which we are
tempted, yet without sin, and he was hunted down like a criminal, was despised
and rejected of men, mocked, criticized severely, hated, had false accusations
made against him, and was called “crazy” and “of the devil.” And, then he
became obedient to death on a cross.
So, why did they hate him so much? They hated him because he
told them the truth about their sins, i.e. he testified that what the world
does is evil (see John 7:7). That, too, is how he loved us!! Not only that, but
he told them the hard truth about what it means to be a true follower of
Christ. We must die to our old lives of sin, we must be transformed in heart
and mind by the working of the Holy Spirit, and we must follow Jesus Christ
(see definition of “follow” above) in obedience. That, too, is love!
The world, including the worldly church, does not want to
hear that message, though. They want to believe that we can just “believe” in
Jesus without it costing us anything – no repentance, no obedience required.
Hogwash! Jesus said it ain’t so! We have to turn from our lives of sin and we
have to walk in obedience to him if we are to remain in him, if he is to remain
in us, if he is to make his home within us, and if we are to bear much fruit,
showing ourselves to be his true disciples.
And, we will be hated, too, when we teach the same truths
and we love others in the same way Jesus loved us. Jesus said that if the world
hates us that we are to keep in mind that it hated him first. And, then he said
something very telling: “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its
own.”
Ok, so that begs us to ask ourselves the question, “Does the
world hate us?” The world is in the church, too, mind you. This is not speaking
just of those outside the church. Are you hated? Or, does everyone seem to love
you? If you are hated, then why are you hated? I mean, we can be hated because
we are nasty people, though I often find the opposite to be true. I find that
many who treat people rotten are sometimes the most loved. Weird! Or, are you
hated because you do not love the sinful cravings of this world? You don’t do
what everyone else does. In fact, you stand out for Christ, you share the
gospel, you teach what Jesus taught, and that is why the world hates you
because you are a true follower of Christ, and they hated Christ. They hated
Jesus without reason, and they will hate us, too. And, in fact, some of them
will put some of us out of the church, or even kill us, and they will think
they are offering a service to God by getting rid of those “troublemakers.”
Yet, Jesus’ true sheep don’t follow strangers (thieves and
robbers) who teach a false gospel that is friendly to the world, but they have
come out of the world, which is why the world hates them. Yet, we are to be
comforted, because we are being included with Christ in his sufferings,
persecutions and will, perhaps, one day even be called to die for our faith.
My Sheep / An
Original Work / June 24, 2012
Based off John 10:1-18 NIV
My sheep hear me. They
know me.
They listen to my
voice and obey.
I call them and lead
them.
They know my voice, so
they follow me.
They will never follow
strangers.
They will run away
from them.
The voice of a
stranger they know not;
They do not follow
him.
My sheep hear me. They
know me.
They listen to my
voice and obey.
I call them and lead
them.
They know my voice, so
they follow me.
So, I tell you the
truth that
I am the gate, so you
enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness
and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever
enters
Not by the gate; other
way,
He is the thief and a
robber.
Listen not, the sheep
to him.
So, I tell you the
truth that
I am the gate, so you
enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness
and will be saved.
Oh, I am the Good
Shepherd,
Who laid his own life
down for the sheep.
I know them. They know
me.
They will live with me
eternally.
The thief only comes
to steal and
Kill and to destroy
the church.
I have come to give
you life that
You may have it to the
full.
Oh, I am the Good
Shepherd,
Who laid his own life
down for the sheep.
I know them. They know
me.
They will live with me
eternally.
They know my voice, so
they follow me.
No comments:
Post a Comment