The Value of Being Lost

Luke 9:24
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”

These verses contain a great wealth of truth and richness, but I feel compelled to focus on only one verse today.  Verse 24 states simply that the economy and reality of the Kingdom of Heaven is completely opposite from human expectations and understanding.  In seeking to save one’s life, one loses it, but losing one’s life for Christ sake saves it.

Central to this statement is the word translated “life.”  It is the Greek word – ψυχή psychē – literally breath; thus one’s life, soul.  The word encompasses that which is the essence of one’s person and being.  This word is used predominately in the Gospels and used by Jesus to describe that part of man which exists beyond physical death, thus one’s soul.

In the economy of the Kingdom, only those things done by the King or for Him will last.  All self-effort and personal works done in one’s own strength or for one’s own sake will fail and vanish.  Why is this so hard to see?  I struggle with this daily looking at what I do , what I can do, and what I ought to do as if the doing on my own has some merit or value, when the truth is that I must cast these “doings” into His hands, let Him direct my will, and in obedience to His will, I must spend myself.  That is losing my soul for His sake, and in that loss, He keeps me.

The difficulty lies not in my understanding of the truth of what Jesus said, but in the residual, nagging belief that in my own effort and intelligence, there lies some goodness that makes my ideas of what is best and right equal if not superior to what Jesus has planned for me.  I know this is the oldest lie of the devil, but it still finds a home in my self-will and sinful nature.  Know this, Paul commanded me to daily make myself the sacrifice and burn up that self-will as an offering to Him who alone is True and Good and Worthy.

Coram deo

Where Is Your Faith?

"Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galileee" -
Rembrandt van Rijn

Luke 8:25 But He said to them, “Where is your faith?”
And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”

This incident of Jesus and His disciples in the storm is simple in its setting and details, but it is filled with importance.  The disciples were with Jesus in a boat crossing the Galilee at His instruction, and Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat.  A wind storm came up and the waves began to fill the boat with water.  The disciples realized that the situation was critical, awakened Jesus and said, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”  Jesus got up, rebuked the waves and the wind, and said, “Where is your faith?”

 I need to keep in mind the people involved in this event.  In the boat were at least four professional fishermen who had lived and made their livelihood on this body of water.  Most of the other disciples were from that region and would be familiar with the lake and its potential dangers.  These were not men to panic in adversity, nor would they be unskilled in handling a boat in rough weather.  When the Scripture states that they said they were in jeopardy, these men knew what they were talking about and had accurately evaluated the situation.  When they awakened Jesus and said, “We are perishing,” they fully expected the boat to sink.  This was not just an emotional response, but they gave a warning based on what seemed like a hopeless situation.

I believe that the sternness of Jesus’ rebuke for the disciples was not based on their expectation of disaster, but it was His response to the fact that when the disciples said, “we are perishing (sinking),” they included Jesus in the “we.”  The disciples might be excused because, this occurred before the feeding of the 5000 and Jesus’ walking on the water.  However, they had seen Jesus turn water to wine (John 2) and raise the dead (Luke 7), but the disciples had not yet come to accept that Jesus was the Christ, God come in flesh, regardless of all that Jesus had said and done.  Still they should have known that Jesus was the Anointed One and had power to manage every situation for the glory of God.

To the disciples warning of impending disaster, Jesus replied simply, “Where is your faith?”  I have to stop here in the narrative, because I see too many parallels to the weak faith of the church and among Christians today.  These disciples assessed their situation from their own efforts and experience and found it hopeless.  The spiritual problem was that they saw Jesus as only another victim of their hopelessness.  Now let’s pull this kind of situation forward in time to the 21^st Century.  We work hard to handle the situations and difficulties of life, we know our limitations and failures, and we may even accept responsibility for the problems we are in.  We do all we can to fix the situation with self-help studies and church programs and meeting and rebranding and deeper relationships and committees and transparency and whatever the current church fad may be.  The trouble is that we see Jesus as just another victim of our circumstances not the Creator of all things and Master of the “unchangeable.”  Too many of us have not internalize the “theology” we claim nor do we trust the Lord we say we serve.  Our 21^st Century church with all its programs contains no more faith than that old, leaky boat on the 1^st Century Galilee.  We do not have enough faith to see God eternal having a direct hand in our situation, and we do not trust Him for the outcome.

Coram deo

Are You Family?

Luke 8:19-21
¹⁹ Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd.
 ²⁰ And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” ²¹ But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

On the surface from our smug and secure 21^st Century view this response from Jesus seems a bit odd – even a bit unfeeling.  Jesus’ mother and brothers came to Him were unable to get through the crowd.  When Jesus was told that His family was waiting to see Him, He replied, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

I must first remind myself of the context in which this incident is placed.  Jesus has told the parable of the soils and followed that with another parable to emphasize and illustrate how important it is to be diligent with the specific and personal revelation that Jesus has given to each of us.  Jesus is showing that familial relationships do not transcend directly from nature into spiritual relationships, and that true spiritual relationships with Jesus Christ are based on obedience to His word.

This note from Dr. John MacArthur’s Study Bible with regard to this passage explains what I mean.

“… true Christian discipleship… involves a spiritual relationship that transcends the physical family and is open to all who are empowered by the Spirit of God to come to Christ in repentance and faith and enabled to live a life of obedience to God’s Word.”

Obedience to God’s Word is the mark of our relationship with Jesus Christ, not the cause.  If I am obedient to His Word, it is not to become what I am not but because of what I am.  Being deliberately Christian is not an effort to become Christian but a desire to live up to what I am and profess to be.

Coram deo

Final note - I added a picture of my dad and me from May 2010.  Acorns don't fall far from the tree.

What Are You Not Seeing?

Luke 8:16-18
¹⁶ “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. ¹⁷ For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. ¹⁸ Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”

When I read these three verses this morning, they were a complete puzzle to me.  I have read them before, of course, but I do not remember ever taking the time to consider their meaning in anything more than a superficial way.  I was planning to skip over them again, but something – (the Spirit of Christ?) – drew me back, and I started digging. 

Basically, Jesus followed up his explanation of the parable of the soils with another parable about putting a lamp on a lampstand instead of under a bed.  That seems rather obvious, but Jesus used that parable to illustrate that His purpose was to illuminate his teaching and to reveal hidden things, but the extension of the parable to giving to the ones who have much and taking from those who have little was contradictory to my way of thinking.   Realizing that, I did some more research and read a couple of commentaries.  Some only confused me more, but one by Bob Definbaugh opened it up for me, and the light came on – no pun intended.

I should have looked at the context first.  These three verses conclude the explanation of the parable of the soils and make two broad statements of principle with regard to parables in general and this parable in particular.

1.       The light will not be hidden, but it will be placed on a lampstand.  Jesus meant for His teachings to be illuminating for “those who enter” – for those who come into the radiance of the light of the Truth.  In my own words, Jesus is saying that the parables cast light on His teaching, and they illuminate truth for those who come seeking Jesus.

2.       Those who have light and come seeking more light will be given a greater and deeper knowledge and understanding of Jesus’ teachings.  On the other hand, those who do not have light or are casual in their interest of Jesus’ word will lose what light they think they have.  With regard to the parable of the soils, those who hear the word with a hard, shallow, or materialistic mind will lost the Word that they hear and the Word will not bear fruit in their hearts and lives.  They will lose what little they have.  By contrast, those whose minds receive the Word which bears fruit will receive more seed of the Word to bear even more fruit.

What more can I say than Jesus said, “Therefore take heed how you hear” (v. 18)?  It is obvious to me that to be a deliberate Christian, I must be consumed by a desire for the light of the Word.  May I never come to think I have enough!

Coram deo

The Essential, Inconsequential Sower

Luke 8:4-15 - the Parable of the Soils

The parable of the soils is repeated in all three of the Synoptic Gospels.  In each, Jesus described two of the three elements of the parable, but not the third.  We know that the seed is the Word of God and that the kinds of soil are the kinds of hearts of men on which the Word falls, but we are not told who the sower is.
I believe that from that deliberate omission, Jesus expected us to place ourselves in the role of sower.  This is my supposition, but I believe that this puts the lie to all those hyper-Calvinists who do not “gospelize” – evangelize the gospel – under the excuse that it’s not necessary and to the Arminians who see themselves as essential to the process of “saving” the lost.  The sower is both essential and inconsequential.  He is only obedient.  All the “work” of salvation takes place because of the power in the word and the kind of soil.  The sower has no power or effect on either.

Perhaps this overstates or oversimplifies the case.  I will give more thought to this and invite comment.

“Our duty is not measured by the character of our hearers, but by the Command of God.”
C. H. Spurgeon

Notes added Friday morning, February 17, 2012

I ask myself, "what is the point of this parable of the soils?"

To answer that, I examined the context.  The most obvious point is that Jesus spoke the parable in public, but He only gave the explanation to His disciples in private.  That indicates that Jesus was speaking about the multitude not to the multitude.

A great crowd followed Jesus because of the miracles, but soon that crowd would fall away.  Jesus knew this, but the disciples did not, and they thought that the crows would only continue to grow.  Jesus knew that the "mega church" would not last because not every seed that sprouts will bear fruit.  He wanted to prepare His disciples for that reality.

In the twenty-first century, the principle has not changed.  Though it sounds harsh, not every one who responds to the gospel will bear fruit - those who leave were not genuine to begin with.

Coram deo

Wisdom's Children

The wise approach to the unforeseen path ahead...

Luke 7:35
“But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

This is one of those verses that most of the commentaries dance around and do not address, so it is a good one to test my own methods to explore.  In its immediate context, this statement concludes Jesus’ remarks about John the Baptist in relationship to the lack of response and repentance of the criticizing Pharisees.  John lived in austerity and simplicity, but Jesus lives among the people eating and drinking with them.  The Pharisees criticized both John and Jesus while rejecting their singular message of the Kingdom.

The word translated “wisdom” is the feminine noun σοφία, sophia – which is the usual word for "wisdom.”   No surprises there.

The word translated “justified” is δικαιόω, dikaioō – “to show, to evidence one’s righteousness, or to declare one to be just.”  This verb is used here in the aorist passive tense and voice.  So then wisdom the subject is not the actor, but the action is carried by “all her [wisdom’s] children.”  Who then are the children of the wisdom of John and Jesus?  The children of wisdom are the repentant ones who have believed the message of the Kingdom.

It is important to understand that Jesus is NOT saying that the end justifies the means.  Following the call of Jesus and John to repent proves the righteousness of the wisdom of the gospel which is foolishness with men.

By way of application, the emphasis on personal gratification and the belief in the importance of self image is not new.  The Pharisees codified these principles in their own interpretation of the law.  When life is seen from that perspective, the necessity of results and appearances trumps the necessity of personal righteousness.  The pragmatic, end-justifies-means world view keeps those who believe and practice it from the wisdom of repentance and entry into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Here is the difference between “wisdom is justified by her children” and “the end justifies the means.”

·         The premise behind “end justifies the means” is that in anticipation of a “beneficial” result any means are justified, even actions that in themselves may be unrighteous.

·         The premise behind “wisdom justified by her children” is that the wisdom of doing right will be proven by the results of that choice even when those results cannot be foreseen or anticipated at the time.

Though I know by faith I am one of wisdom’s children, I still face this choice constantly – to live by faith and obedience to the gospel or to live my own wits expecting somehow it will turn out right.  Part of being deliberate in my Christianity is overcoming the pressure of the immediate ends and making choices based on faith leaving the results to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Coram deo

True Greatness

Luke 7:28
“I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

Jesus declared of John the Baptist that no greater prophet had ever lived.  There was not prophet greater than John the Baptist, but the even the least in the Kingdom – the Kingdom that both John and Jesus came preaching – the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John.  How can this be?  I have known many great Christians, but I have not known any that I believe carried the stature of John the Baptist.

The answer to my question lies in what Jesus used as the measure of greatness.  Obviously Jesus is not speaking of personal dedication or service to the Lord.  According to Dr. John MacArthur, the answer to this comparative measure of greatness is the reality of the Kingdom, specifically the risen Christ, Lord of the Kingdom.  John and the prophets looked ahead to the Messiah, but none of them saw or even fully foresaw the resurrection of Jesus.  John, the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, did see Jesus, but the Kingdom was not complete until Jesus rose from the dead as King of kings and Lord of lords.  The least in the Kingdom would be privileged to see what John would not.

This comes back to the original issue of true measure of greatness.  Jesus measures greatness in this context by the fullness of the revelation of Himself.  The least of the Kingdom have by faith seen and believed in the risen Jesus the Messiah.  We have experienced the completion John’s mission and message.

The tragedy of my experience in today’s church and worship, so called, is the lightness with which we take this great privilege of knowing and serving the risen, eternal, and soon coming King Jesus Christ.

Coram deo