Sunday School Lesson for April 1, 2012: Jesus Testifies to the Truth (John 18:28-38)

Wayne’s two cents worth







Deuteronomy 21:22-23
[ Various Laws ] If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, 23 you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse.





           

            As far as they were concerned, He was a threat. He was a serious threat. Just a few short days earlier, thousands had followed Him into Jerusalem, declaring His majesty, rejoicing in His triumphal entry. Each day He remained, He remained a threat to their ‘religious system’, their livelihood. He had to be dealt with…permanently. But why crucify Him? Why not just stone Him? After all, they were accusing Him of blasphemy, were they not? There was no graver sin against God. What they were accusing Him of was the pinnacle rebellion. Worthy of death, why not simply stone Him, as they intended to stone the woman caught in adultery.

        In their minds, stoning was sufficient. It would only accomplish their immediate purpose; ridding themselves of Jesus, but what of His followers? There were thousands of them, from near and far. Many had come from great distances to see Jesus. No, stoning wouldn’t stop a movement, but crucifixion would. It was imperative that they not only stop Him, but that they stop; absolutely stop the movement that He began. Crucifixion served that purpose. According to Scripture, anyone hung on a pole was accursed of God. Surely if He were crucified, it would demonstrate that God of Heaven had deemed Him accursed. That would destroy the movement. His followers would have to resign themselves to their authority, lest they too fall under the ‘curse’ of God.





Galatians 3:13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” 





            We can rejoice in the fact that ‘God is in control’. No matter how dire the circumstances, God is in control. Truly Jesus was hung on a cross, and in so doing, became accursed….for us. By allowing Himself to endure the shame of the cross, he redeemed us from sin and took away our shame. That was God’s intent all along: to make a way where there was none. On this dark evening in Pilate’s courtyard, the die was cast in Eternity. In spite of the lies, the scheming, the manipulation, God’s will was about to be accomplished. That’s good news beloved. If God be for you, who can be against you? This may sound odd, but Jesus left Pilate’s courtyard that evening in victory. From this meeting, He was on a direct path to the cross and to the joy that His Father had set before him before the beginning of time. 





John 18:33
Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”





        Surely Pilate was familiar with the Jewish prophecies concerning a ‘Messiah’. He had to be. It was his job. So tonight it was his job to determine whether or not Jesus presented a threat to his authority and to Rome’s. Was he the king of the Jews? It’s interesting that after a brief exchange of words with Christ, Pilate exclaims that indeed; Jesus is a king. That’s remarkable. What ever there is about Jesus’ bearing and demeanor, Pilate recognizes him as someone of authority, much as the centurion had (Matt. 8). In one brief moment Pilate acknowledges Jesus as a King, a ruler and he takes Christ at his word that he has no intent of overthrowing roman governance.. I would argue that what Pilate beheld in Christ was absolute Purity; purity of character, heart and purpose. Pilate found himself standing in the presence of someone who was at perfect peace, or rather, someone who exemplified the very meaning of peace. Peace. It’s why Jesus’ next words are so important:





John 18:37b
... Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”





        This is where the rubber met the road…for Pilate. Each of us experiences a certain truth based on our circumstances and understanding. Pilate’s truth was different from the Pharisee’s truth, which was different from the truth of the common Jewish citizen of that day. There is Truth that is higher that any other. Jesus is that Truth. To know Him as Savior is to know no greater Love. To acknowledge Him as Lord is to know no greater Truth. Pilate suddenly found himself questioning his own understanding truth. That’s how it works for everyone to whom the Holy Spirit presents the Gospel; the Truth. As it turns out, the words trust, true, and truth are related and they are related… related to the word …. Faith. When you find something to be true, you put your faith in it, you trust it. When challenged by a greater truth, you must exchange the truth you previously trusted for that which is greater. The alternative is to settle for something less than the greater truth you’ve been offered. Beloved, in Christ we are presented with ultimate Truth, are you willing to forego all that you’ve know before to accept what He offers? Paul’s words below perfectly express how we ought to choose. Selah: (Pause, think, meditate on this!)





.wb





Philippians 3:8
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,





Philippians 3:12
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Sunday School Lesson for March 25, 2012: Nicodemus Learns of New Birth (John 3:1-25; Numbers 21:4-9)

A word to my friends: You’ve all been a great encouragement to me during this dry spell. My pen dried up for a minute. No one to blame but myself. Time to get back to my first love. Thanks for your prayers and encouragement. I can see Jesus in you.


 John 3:13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.


 John 3:15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”


 John 3:19a This is the verdict: Light has come into the world..


While there are many great lessons in the Gospel of John and several significant truths in this third chapter, the intent of writers of this set of Sunday School lessons is to introduce you and to have you focus on the person of Jesus. Who is He? Where did He come from? What is His purpose? What uniquely qualifies Him for this purpose? In essence, the focus is not on the full message of the Gospel, but rather the most significant message of the Gospel. To quote the old hymn, “Everybody ought to know… who Jesus is”. The beauty of this passage is that Jesus declares Himself to Nicodemus and to us. He provides the record. According to His Word, He came from Heaven. That was different. Many before Him declared that they were called by God, but Jesus declared that He came from God. That He is God, literally One with God. The truth is: only He can make that claim. If you’re going to get to know Him, you’re going to have to get to know Him as God, not anyone else. Very God is how theologians have defined Him. Messiah was the expectation, nothing less. He is the Desire of the ages. Careful study and interpretation of the Scriptures, strict adherence to the traditions of old planted and nurtured within the culture of the Jews an unquenchable Hope for One who would deliver them. He had been typified in their history by the great patriarchs and heroes of their past, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Samson, and on and on. The people of Israel were clearly awaiting His appearance.

With His words and the miracles that He performed, He filled the requirement. They marveled at His words; He spoke as one in authority. They knew His earthly heritage, but His wisdom was greater than any they had ever encountered. There where never any questions from Him, except rhetorical ones. Never did he utter any doubt. He knew whereof He spoke. It was evident. That authority extended into the unseen realm, where even the devils trembled at the sound of His voice.

As far as the miracles were concerned, never had the miraculous come so close, become so personal. He opened blind eyes, He healed the lame, the sick.. He personally fed thousands. These were all miracles of deliverance. Miracles from a Savior; a personal Savior. A savior who can know you so intimately that He can then minister to you personally, individually. With the ability to speak to your deepest need, He is able to save you, to change you, to redeem you personally…to the uttermost. The beauty of the gift that Jesus offers is that He’ll save you from destruction, then change you at your very core, so as to present you spotless and perfect before His Father in eternity. Isn’t that good news?

The conclusion of the matter is clear: Jesus is the Light of all creation, the express image of the Father throughout. That great Light, from which all things were created, has come to us to heal. We are only required to believe. Have faith Beloved. God has not left us alone. Messiah has come. He told us so …Himself.


 Shalom, .


wb


John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Sunday School Lesson for March 18, 2012: Water Turned to Wine (John 2:1-12)

John 2:4
Jesus saith to her, `What -- to me and to thee, woman? Not yet is mine hour come.'







Genesis 23:15
“Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”







“On the third day” – John 2:1. I could write a volume about all of the truth that I see in this lesson. Time doesn’t allow it in this venue. Another time perhaps. Allow me to focus my attention primarily to the interaction between Jesus and His mother, Mary. John 2:4 is a difficult passage to comprehend. What’s really going on there? First of all, a couple of observations: (1) Would Jesus rebuke or disrespect His mother in any way? Short answer: no. (2) What are the circumstances surrounding this exchange between Jesus and Mary? Jesus and His disciples are guests at a wedding in Cana. This was probably a family affair of some kind, possibly a near relative of Jesus was either the bride or groom. Mary was obviously acting as one in authority in this event. Had she assisted a brother, sister or cousin in the planning and carrying out of the marriage ceremony of one of their children? Probably something like that. If so, this was an important event to Mary. She had a strong desire to see the ceremony ‘go off without a hitch”. Isn’t that just like a mother? Yes. So, at a point when the ceremony isn’t nearly over, it comes to Mary’s attention that the wine is gone. There is no more. For the mothers who were hosting this event, this could have been quite embarrassing, for the family as well as for the young bride and groom. It is with this backdrop that Mary approaches her son, Jesus.

There’s an air of urgency in her statement, “They have no more wine.” Can’t you feel it? This is important to her. No eternal consequences here, just the concern of a mother, someone who has children of her own and can empathize on the deepest level with the family of the groom. Jesus will encounter people throughout His ministry who have a personal need that seems almost inconsequential in the eternal scheme of things but, in the moment, seemed overwhelming to the person with whom He was dealing. Here comes the good part. Listen to Jesus’ response. I’m going to carefully paraphrase Jesus’ words, so as to bring His heart into focus. Listen:… , “Dear woman, what is that between you and I?”, or, “Dear woman, such a small request. What is that between me and thee?”, or maybe, “Dear woman, why wouldn’t I? Such a small thing between us.” Did you catch it? Jesus is more than happy to honor such a small request from His mother. Wouldn’t you be? This speaks to the relationship that Jesus had with His mom. Beloved, because of what Jesus did at the cross, we do not approach the throne of our Father, God as strangers but, as children. We literally come before the throne with a blood tie to the King of Glory. As a teenager, I got my first job at a chemical company where my dad had worked for a number of years and where he still maintained many vital relationships. How many of you have had a similar experience?

“My hour has not yet come.” Jesus made statements like this often, mostly referring to the fact that the cross was the big, upcoming event in His future. How does that apply here? I think Jesus is simply telling Mary, “OK mom, but I don’t want to draw a lot of attention to myself.” or, “ I don’t want to make a big deal out of this.”

Why this interpretation? For me this offers a good bit of insight into the heart of the Lord. When we hear “Jesus loves you”, we can take that personally. Jesus loves us and cares about us. He cares about our ‘care abouts’. That’s why we can go to Him in prayer about our children, our money, our health, and our circumstances. None of these things have ‘eternal’ consequences, but scripture teaches us, that when we line our lives up according to His precepts (His Word), He will give us the desires of our heart Relationship. When a toddler comes to mom or dad, they come with arms waving above their head. The arm waving helps them to stay balanced as they waddle toward their parent. The arms up and waving also indicate that the child his coming to the parent with expectation. They are coming with the expectation that that the parent will lift them up and take them into their arms and bring them up close where they and give and receive one of those ‘big slobbery kisses’. You know the ones I’m talking about? Relationship. Faith works by Love. Of course you can come to Jesus, arms waving high above your head, as you try to maintain your balance. I can see Peter, walking on water, half believing what’s transpiring all around him in that moment. What does water feel like beneath your feet? About the closest thing I could compare it to would be walking on a waterbed. Wouldn’t that cause a little arm waving trying to maintain you balance? I can see Peter becoming a little overwhelmed by it all, you know: that sinking feeling. “What a mess I’ve gotten myself into.” Can you relate? I can hear Peter cry out, “Lord, save me.” Isn’t that where the prayer of necessity comes from: from someplace deep within our desperation?

What was Jesus response? Before He said something, He did something: He reached out His hand and caught Peter. Isn’t that good news? He saved Peter from drowning, He healed Jairus’ daughter, He raised Lazarus from the dead, He healed the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter. He opened blind eyes, He caused the lame to walk, the dumb to speak and deaf to hear. And it all began right here, at a wedding in Cana, where He turned water into wine at His mother’s request. Relationship. A few weeks ago, we discussed the Fruit of the Spirit. Love, Joy, Peace. Patience, Kindness, Goodness. Relationship. Faith works by, miracles come out of, healing comes out of … relationship. Selah.





.wb





Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.





Matthew 14:30
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”





Matthew 14:31
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him…





Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.





1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Sunday School Lesson for March 11, 2012: The Word Became Flesh (John 1:1-18)

Allow me a moment to thank everyone who gave to ‘Baby Lyra’ over the last two weeks. We collected $380.00, which I will send to Lee Ross next week via Western Union. Pedro’s trip to Clark was delayed and he wanted to have the money be available to Lee Ross and his family as soon as possible. I have to get the logistics pinned down and I’ll get it sent. Allow me this observation. I witnessed the ‘blessing’ of giving in this effort. I observed in the faces and demeanor of some of you the very real God like quality of ‘joy in giving’. It’s as though the gift was in the gift. It’s difficult to explain, but I hope you understand what I’m trying to say. May God richly bless you. I’m honored to call you ‘friends’.



………………………………





Strong’s number: 3056 - Lo/gov



Translated word: Logos





1. its use as respect to the MIND alone

a. reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating

b. account, i.e. regard, consideration

c. account, i.e. reckoning, score

d. account, i.e. answer or explanation in reference to judgment

e. relation, i.e. with whom as judge we stand in relation

1. reason would

f. reason, cause, ground

2. In John, denotes the essential Word of God, Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom and power in union with God, his minister in creation and government of the universe, the cause of all the world's life both physical and ethical, which for the procurement of man's salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead, and shone forth conspicuously from His words and deeds.



A Greek philosopher named Heraclitus first used the term Logos around 600 B.C. to designate the divine reason or plan which coordinates a changing universe. This word was well suited to John's purpose in John 1





John 1:1 (Amplified)
IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Logos ( Christ), and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God Himself.





I was blessed by last week’s lesson. Last week, Lady Wisdom offered an eyewitness account of the miracle of Creation. She peeled back the veil and revealed to us the person of Christ and his direct involvement in bringing about all that we can see and comprehend, as well as all that we cannot. This week John, the Revelator does the same. In this brief opening verse, John introduces his readers to the Messiah. John is writing to Gentiles of Greek and Roman heritage who were steeped in a culture of reason and philosophy. Their culture had begun to evolve away from polytheism of one sort or another toward a concept of reason as the force of order in nature. They correctly concluded that there must be some overarching all powerful law of order, thus the term: Logic. John, in one deft statement, introduces Christ, the Messiah of Judaism, as the Logos: the very personification of the source of all that is. He proclaims that Christ is the author of order and reason, that he (Christ) is the source of ultimate truth, thus the title: The Logos.

The very elements for the preaching of the Good News reside in these few verses. ‘In the beginning’ points to Christ’s deity and absolute authority. The terms light and life identify Christ as the singular source for life and truth. The reference to darkness and mankind’s love for it identifies our predicament without Christ: We were born in sin and shaped in iniquity, hopelessly separated from right standing with God and hopelessly adrift in a never ending search for meaning.

But the Logos came in the flesh in the person of Jesus and dwelt among us. He provided a path whereby all might be saved. The requirement: believe in Him. Then He did one more thing: He sent a preacher. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Logos. But how will we hear without a preacher. God chose to save the world through the foolishness of preaching the Gospel.

Why does this matter to you? Beloved, God loves us. He loves us so much that He devised a plan to save us that was so absolute that it would take His Son to carry it out. Jesus left the pinnacle of Heaven to come here and redeem us unto Himself. That’s love. No matter what we’ve done, how low we’ve fallen, Jesus can reach us. No matter our hurt, our problems, our unanswered questions, Jesus is the answer. He is the life. He is the light (truth). That He is identified as the Logos means He is absolutely capable of meeting our every need, no matter how dire. It also means, remarkably, that He cares so deeply for us that He wants to. His great desire is that all might come to Him and be saved. Welcome to the Gospel of John.



.wb





John 6:29
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”





John 6:68
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.





Hebrews 7:25
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them

Sunday School Lesson for March 4, 2012: Wisdom’s Origin (Proverbs 8:22-35)

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.





Ephesians 1:17
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know

him better.





Proverbs 3:19
With Lady Wisdom, God formed Earth; with Madame Insight, he raised Heaven. They knew when to signal rivers and springs to the surface, and dew to descend from the night skies.







I’ve always had trouble teaching Proverbs 8 mainly because it deals with the personification of what we would deem a ‘character’ trait: Wisdom. Furthermore, rather than being personified as a ‘man’, Wisdom is personified as a woman in these passages. This created something of a dilemma for me, in that, I’m always looking for ‘Christ’ in Scripture. At first glance, this passage seemed to be the perfect compliment to John 1:1-2 where Jesus is identified as the Eternal Word: The Logos of God. It didn’t seem to line up. Why would God refer to yet to be revealed ‘Christ’ in the feminine person here in Proverbs? He didn’t. Not on the way you think. It’s OK. I didn’t get it for a long time either. Allow me just a few observations. First of all, in the time of the writing of the Proverbs, the worship of male and female deities was quite common. Baal and Asheroth, Ra and Isis: major deity ‘pairs’ that were worshipped in the countries surrounding Israel. Yet, uniquely, the God of Israel revealed Himself consistently as ‘One God’; singular and supreme. From the beginning he represented Himself as the singular source of all creation. However, throughout the Old Testament He provided glimpses of His Triune nature: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, both three and one. The Trinity stands as the great revealed ‘mystery’ of Scripture. You have to take the concept by faith.

So when ‘Lady Wisdom’ makes her appearance here in Proverbs, God is revealing something of His ‘nurture’ (play on words). After all, in creation, both male and female came from Him. Beloved, Eve came out of Adam. What might Adam have ‘looked’ like in the Spirit before that happened? In Genesis 17, when God cut covenant with Abraham, He revealed Himself to Abraham as ‘God Almighty’, in the Hebrew: ‘El Shaddai”, which some have given to mean literally: ‘Father Mother God’.

So, back to Jesus; I’m still trying to find Him in here. If you will allow me a little ‘sanctified liberty’, I think I found Him. What if God, enthroned in Heaven, remained so during the very creation? What would the implications be? One postulate might be that… When ‘Lady Wisdom’ references the ‘’Lord’ in the latter parts, the reference may have been to our Lord, Jesus: The Living Word. The Logos : the very Power of the Living God. Might ‘Wisdom’ have been revealing Jesus to us? I believe so, the same as John does in the very beginning of his Gospel. I’m just saying. It would make some sense, in that the Spirit of God, or the ‘Holy Spirit’ was hovering over the waters in Genesis 1:1 and did not act creatively until the Logos came forth, “Let there be light!’. So then, might ‘Lady Wisdom’ be revealed then as the Holy Spirit; the third person of the ‘Godhead’? If so, it would absolutely establish the Holy Spirit of God as the origin source of heavenly wisdom and the provider of it. The primary role of the Holy Spirit in the Church is to magnify Jesus.

Subsequently, those who find ‘Wisdom’ find life. They find ‘Blessing’. Those who follow after her, who practice her ‘way’ become reflections of her, or rather ‘Them’, or rather, Him (Christ). Beloved, in the same way that ‘Lady Wisdom’ reveals the majesty and preeminence of the Lord here in Proverbs, may the Holy Spirit manifest the Glory and Power, Grace and Mercy of our Lord Jesus, the Christ, in your hearts. May you grow in the knowledge of Him and find Favor and Blessing under the shadow of the Almighty. May He cause His face to shine upon you!





Blessings,



.wb



p.s. Thanks Eric! J (giving honor to whom honor is due).





John 1:1-2
[ The Eternal Word ] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.







1 Corinthians 1:30
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.





Proverbs 14:33
Lady Wisdom is at home in an understanding heart

Sunday School Lesson for Feb. 26, 2012: Bearing the Fruit of Redemption (Galatians 5:2–6:18)

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.







I’ve never seen this until today. Never heard it taught until I saw it below in the lesson summary by Dr. Stone. Allow me to state, and then expand the thought. Dr. Stone observes that there are three groups of fruit of the Spirit. I have never heard this taught, but it is clearly in line with scripture. The nine gifts of the Spirit break out into three groups of three: They see, something, say something and do something. In the case of the fruit of the Spirit, there appears to be a similar pattern: three groups of three. Let’s take a closer look.





Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,





Romans 5:1
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ





Luke 7:47
Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”





The fruit of redemption:





Love, Joy, Peace: these first three are literally first fruit. When you are freed from the bondage and torment of sin, these three are most likely to be the result: the love of God is shed abroad in our heart, peace and joy begin to redefine our character. In essence, they show something. They reveal images of the Kingdom in you and through you.





Ephesians 4:2
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love





Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.





Galatians 5:13
For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another





Fruit of service:



The next group of three does something: they minister. Patience, kindness, goodness; these all come to fore as we reach out to others, first, our brothers and sisters in Christ, then to the lost who would have no hope unless someone showed them the way. This group will be important, in that without them, who would put up with you? Spiritual gifts not tempered with spiritual fruit is like sounding brass or tinkling cymbals.







Romans 8:15
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.





Luke 7:47
Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”





The fruit of worship:





The third group emphasizes this point: Faithfulness, gentleness, self control exemplify someone who is walking in the shadow of the Almighty. They exemplify the growth of worship in the heart of the believer; fruit borne out of an attitude of gratitude and reverence. As we come to a place of worship, our spirits are renewed and we find more love, joy and peace flowing from our hearts, kind of a never ending cycle. To worship is to enter into the very splendor and glory that is the throne room of Heaven.





John 15:5
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.





Jeremiah 17:7-8
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.





May you be fruitful!



Selah



.wb

Sunday School Lesson for Feb. 19, 2012: Inheriting Abraham’s Promise (Galatians 3:15–5:1)

Romans 7:7
[ The Law and Sin ] What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”





I have a close friend who also teaches Sunday school. He contacted me after the last lesson and told me, “Brother Wayne. You need to more clearly delineate the difference between the law and grace, between legalism and faith.” You see, he’d encountered a couple of people in this past week who, even though they were reading and teaching the same lesson he was (Galatians), were demonstrating in their review of the lesson particulars that they just weren’t getting it. He was frustrated and a little exasperated by what he was hearing. In a very gentle way, he entreated me to come a little harder, to press the point a little more firmly. Personally, I thought I was doing OK but, here goes.



The verse above points to the fact the purpose of the law was to be a mirror. A mirror to the human soul and nothing more. Righteousness cannot come by a mirror. Rather, a mirror should bring condemnation. It does for me anyway. After fifty something years, I don’t find much of what I see in the mirror very flattering. That’s the point. The Old Testament law was a mirror to the nation of Israel and to us that reveals the most unflattering things about us. Things God already knows. What’s God’s purpose in giving us this mirror? He wants us to come into agreement with Him about our need for Him. That’s it. I can’t state it any more simply. The law existed in two tiers. One tier was the do’s and don’ts, the laws and rules by which the nation was to be governed corporately and individually. The second tier was the ceremonial system that brought you to before God at various times for the purpose of sacrifice and repentance or for celebratory purposes. In the law of governance, God exposed our sin and our iniquities. In the ceremonial law, He provided the path toward temporary redemption.





Psalm 50:13
Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?





Hebrews 10:4
It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.





It was called ‘The Day of Atonement’. Once a year, all the people were gathered together. The high priest would go before the lord with a sacrificial offering to make atonement for the sins of the nation…for the previous year. It did not justify or make righteous. It’s effectiveness before God only lasted for the duration of the ceremony. No longer. After all, the ‘atonement’ part of the process, the part where god wiped away your sin was secondary in God’s eyes. The primary purpose of this ceremony and every other ceremony in this system was to reveal the pre-incarnate personage of Christ. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. God wanted us to know that. Repeatedly, through His word, His law, His ceremonies, He presented to the nation of Israel the Promise. The Promise of a Savior, a Messiah who would come to repair the breach that sin had wrought





Matthew 5:17
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.





Matthew 5:20
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.





Matthew 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.





Jesus’ words above cause me to stop and, like Peter, wonder aloud, “Lord, how can I do this? How can I be ‘perfect’? Who can be saved?” The key comes in Jesus’ words to the rich young ruler…





Matthew 19:21
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”





In this one statement Jesus puts forth not one, but two distinct spiritual principles. The first is the law of sowing and reaping. Sell all you have and give to the poor and store up for yourself treasure in Heaven. The second: follow Him. The first principle, applied singularly, has been practiced by philanthropists through out history. There is a blessing associated with giving. It is preached and practiced in every culture, religion and at every level of the economic strata. However, in and of itself, giving has no redemptive power. The second principle: following Christ is unique to and a unique privilege of the Redeemed. This is the focal point for how justification by faith is arrived at. The patriarchs of the Old Testament: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, Joshua, Isaiah, Daniel, David, Enoch, Noah and many others who make up that great cloud of witnesses mentioned in Hebrews were able to see, by faith, the coming of the Day of the Lord: The Messiah. A day when God would forever remove our guilt and shame, write His law upon our heats and make us one with Him. A day when we could look up at the cross and live. A day where we would be able to behold Jesus, full of grace and truth: the very personification of Love.





Numbers 21:9
So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.





Is it really this simple? Look up and live? It’s absolutely that simple. If you can simply accept that when Jesus died on the cross, that was enough to make you completely righteous before God, you will be saved. God simply asks that we hold on to that singular ‘belief’ and not add the burden of a performance based system that takes the focus off of His ‘gift’ and puts the focus on us and what we’re doing to earn His favor. Paul warned the Galatians that to do so would be the equivalent of being ‘bewitched’; Paul’s words, not mine’s. In The Book of Hebrews, the writer warns that to rely on performance rather than Jesus alone was to descend into ‘unbelief’. Beloved, Christ alone: our hope of Glory.



One last thing:





1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.





I misunderstood this verse for a good part of my Christian journey. Most Christians have. Most of us believe, at some level, that when we sin, each time we sin, we somehow fall from Grace.. and that we must, before time runs out, get before God and say, “I’m sorry.” To extend this thought to it’s illogical conclusion and to hasten the argument, in essence, we’re only as ‘good’ as our last, “I’m sorry.” Did you catch that? This takes us back to the principle of atonement’ and it’s inevitable insufficiency.

Beloved, this verse is me standing in the mirror and coming to agreement with God about my insufficiency, my ineptness, my shortcomings, my missing the mark. This is me standing in the mirror and agreeing with God (looking over my shoulder in the person of the Holy Spirit) about my need for a Savior: Jesus. When I stand before Him and confess that I am a sinner in need of a Savior, I acknowledge that Jesus was, Is and always will be the single reason why I can stand in the Presence of a Holy God. One word: “Jesus”. That’s my confession. Without Jesus, I am nothing. With Him, I live. While there is a place for the acknowledgement and confession in individual sins, God’s righteousness does not come and go with my ups and downs. He cleansed me when I accepted His Son. That cleansing is both continual and everlasting. And it is constant, just like God. He gives His gifts without repentance. He’s not looking to take it back. Blessed be the Name of the Lord: Jesus.





Blessings,



.wb



(I hope this was clear enough :) )





Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.





Romans 10:10
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.





Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.