Jesus came to provide all who will trust in Him an abundant life. This does not translated into an excess of material goods or money, for it is Jesus who said, "One's life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses." (Luke 12:15) The abundant life Jesus offers is one only realised through faith in Him and being born again. It is the Holy Spirit who regenerates and dwells inside a follower of Jesus, teaching, guiding, comforting, and helping us to live for God's glory.
It is an unfortunate reality the abundant life Jesus offers is misunderstood or goes unrealised - even by people who profess to be Christians. People thirst for knowledge, spiritual experiences, longing for God's power, and in all their labours miss the sweetness of fellowship God has for those who simply love and obey Him. It is easy to move from the simplicity of the Gospel and become learned Pharisees who polish a clean exterior but nurse a critical and judgmental spirit within. We can neglect to continue to pursue a deepening relationship with our Creator, content with scant knowledge and a compartmentalized Christianity. And the worst thing is, we can think in this sorry condition of calloused familiarity we are actually living the abundant life Jesus offers. It is disgust with our unregenerate life which awakens our understanding and desperation for new life provided by the Gospel, and dissatisfaction over our spiritual poverty after being born again which God uses to open our eyes to draw closer to Jesus Christ in faith and obedience.
Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:13-14: "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
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but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." Jesus provides the Holy Spirit, the spiritual Living Water who brings life, refreshment, and a pure, cleansing influence in and through us. It is a life to be lived and experienced in fullness right now - not just only after our bodies go the way of the earth. When Jesus sits enthroned in our hearts as King, LORD, and Saviour, the living water of the Spirit's presence flows through our lives. The vivid, literal picture painted in Revelation 22:1 applies to Christians today figuratively: "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb."
A beautiful illustration and personal application of this abundant life all can have through Christ is seen in Ezekiel. This is a literal description of a river which will flow during Christ's Millennial reign which will heal the waters of the now Dead Sea. Ezekiel 47:1-5: "Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar.
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He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side.
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And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles.
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Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist.
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Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed." Ezekiel was led along the water which flowed from the temple towards the east, towards the sun's rising. A man measured the depth of the water which flowed from the throne. For a thousand cubits (about 457 metres) the water came up to Ezekiel's ankles. A thousand more cubits and the water came up to his knees. A thousand cubits more and the waters had risen to Ezekiel's waist. One thousand more metres and the water became too deep to walk, "water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed." A small stream grew to be immeasurably deep and wide.
It is impossible for us to plumb the depths of God's love, wisdom, grace, and goodness. The life God has offered us is an abundant, refreshing life, yet we can be content to splash around in ankle deep water. The Living Water is in us, and we feel very good to be in the water when it suits us. But how about going deeper? What do you know of swimming around in the love and power of the Holy Spirit of God? It is a stream of Living Water which cannot be crossed! These waters are meant for swimming, "water in which one must swim!" Jesus calls out to all who will listen today, "Come to me, all who thirst!" The water is more than fine, dear friend, for it is good and glorious. This life-giving, life-sustaining, refreshing flow continually directs us to the Risen Son, the King of Glory. Go deeper! Don't be content with water up to your knees when you could be immersed in the life God has provided for you!
14 June 2015
11 June 2015
Jehovah Nakah: The God Who Strikes
Over coffee this morning a brother shared a wonderful truth out of the Bible. God has revealed His righteous character through various names, like "Jehovah Jireh" ("the LORD will provide" in Genesis 22:14), "Jehovah Shalom" ("the LORD is peace" in Judges 6:24), "Jehovah Nissi" ("the LORD my banner" in Exodus 17:15), and "Jehovah Rapha" (the LORD who heals" in Exodus 15:26 ). People named altars and even a city after attributes of God which provide glimpses into details of His awesome and magnificent ways. My friend turned to Ezekiel 7:9 which reads, "My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will repay you according to your ways,and your abominations will be in your midst. Then you shall know that I am the LORD who strikes." "Jehovah Nakah" - the LORD who strikes or kills - is probably not the first name of God people frame on the wall or include in lists on their bookmarks.
The point my mate made was the same word used for "strike" is used concerning the Messiah mentioned in Isaiah 53:4: "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted." God is the God who smites, yet He is also the God who was smitten and killed for the sins of the world. God is not willing that any should perish, but God still sent Jesus Christ - His only Son - to die so those who repent and trust Him can be partakers of His everlasting life. God said in Deuteronomy 32:39, "Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; nor is there any who can deliver from My hand." Do you see the divine order? God wounds our pride to heal with grace; He was willing to kill His own Son so we might share in His life. It is through dying to self we are raised to newness of life with Christ. Jesus Christ took the punishment sinners deserved upon Himself, so we might be made righteous through faith.
What comfort there is in knowing Jehovah Nakah! He kills but makes alive. He strikes with heavy blows, but provides restoration, wholeness, and eternal life for all who trust in Him.
The point my mate made was the same word used for "strike" is used concerning the Messiah mentioned in Isaiah 53:4: "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted." God is the God who smites, yet He is also the God who was smitten and killed for the sins of the world. God is not willing that any should perish, but God still sent Jesus Christ - His only Son - to die so those who repent and trust Him can be partakers of His everlasting life. God said in Deuteronomy 32:39, "Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; nor is there any who can deliver from My hand." Do you see the divine order? God wounds our pride to heal with grace; He was willing to kill His own Son so we might share in His life. It is through dying to self we are raised to newness of life with Christ. Jesus Christ took the punishment sinners deserved upon Himself, so we might be made righteous through faith.
What comfort there is in knowing Jehovah Nakah! He kills but makes alive. He strikes with heavy blows, but provides restoration, wholeness, and eternal life for all who trust in Him.
10 June 2015
Deceitful and Desperately Wicked
"Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD."
Jeremiah 17:5
It is remarkable how deceitful our hearts of flesh can be. We will cheat at solitaire! If we will cheat whilst playing cards or a board game which is insignificant in eternity's light, what will we do or say under pressure? Christians have been spiritual regenerated by faith in Christ and given a new heart, but deceit continues to lurk in our flesh. Regeneration does not mean perfection. This morning during an early round of golf, I wrote a 4 on my scorecard instead of a 5. I was convicted by my sin and changed the score. C'mon, really? And I was playing all by myself! God, deliver me from the folly and deceit of my own wicked heart!
Faithfulness in the little things matters. How important it is to recognise our sin and repent immediately! It is in yielding in little things which demonstrates a departure from trust in God. As stupid as it is to cheat while playing golf by yourself, it is infinitely more foolish to depart from trusting God and placing our confidence in men. Our hearts depart from the LORD before there is any tangible evidence. That is why it is important we abide in Christ, being filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit. He brings conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He guides us into all truth and provides the comfort and help we desperately need.
Jeremiah 17:9-10 reads, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?
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I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." Only God knows the depths of the wickedness in our hearts. Only He is able to cleanse and wash us of the filth of deceit. On the golf course today God supplied me a test I failed and then passed through repentance, all by the grace of God. God's tests are more humiliating than a four-putt, and far more beneficial. Let us cry out in humility to God, asking Him to see if there be any wicked way in us. Praise the LORD, for He restores our souls.
09 June 2015
The Secular Argument
The truth of the scripture has always been unpopular. One of the results of this is the temptation for Christians to turn to or rely on secular reasoning to promote scriptural principles in the public arena. While on the surface this may seem wise, it is folly. Those who trust God and the scriptures know faith in God's Word is most reasonable, but to substitute human reason for the words of life is most unreasonable. People believe what they want. It is not difficult in our subjective age to find plenty of support for doubt and unbelief. Minds blinded by the god of this world are unable to see the truth, no matter how logical and persuasive our best arguments can be. Withholding the scriptures means we are not sowing seed, and therefore there can be no spiritual fruitfulness in such wranglings.
God is able to redeem even secular arguments for His purposes, but only God is able to change hearts or the way people think. Jesus appealed to reason when He spoke, but He did not withhold the divine truths only received by faith. He spoke with authority of Adam, the first man created by God from the dust of the ground. He spoke of heaven and hell, conscious there were many who did not and would not agree with Him. He spoke with objective certainty of right and wrong in a world where every man naturally does what is right in His own eyes. Jesus did not address men's heads only, but He went straight to the heart. God's Word has the power to accomplish what secular arguments cannot: exposing sinful motives, affections, and poverty of the human soul apart from God (Hebrews 4:12).
Jesus did not debate or squabble with unbelievers, but rather He engaged the world with divine spiritual truth. He did not merely hold forth principles derived from the Word, but in the face of temptation and attack said again and again: "It is written..." Even when beliefs of people have strayed from scripture, why not use the scripture rightly divided as the basis of your belief? Appeals to human reason muzzle the true Word of God to breathe clarity through the subjective fog of current social issues. Just because issues have been hijacked as "political" or "scientific" or "ethical" should not be justification to see the biblical view as irrelevant. Are you more interested in having people believe or agree with you, or is your primary desire to turn people from darkness to God's marvelous light? Should we cite statistics to prop up our arguments when God's Word is a sure foundation? What does it profit a man to engage the world with reason and purposely avoid the means to provide salvation for souls?
Examine your motives in choosing to primarily hold forth secular arguments to challenge minds of others. Be purposeful in hearing God's Word and obeying it first yourself, and without shame or embarrassment hold fast to the everlasting Word God has placed above His own name (Ps. 138:2). If we desire to see spiritual fruit from our efforts, do not neglect sowing the seed of God's Word. It is the scripture applied lovingly through the Holy Spirit - not our emotional appeals or rational arguments - which leads people to everlasting life. A transformed nature through trust in Christ will change hearts, and this produces a new mind receptive to the things of God. Should we lay down the sword in the midst of the battle in exchange for the feather duster of secular arguments? If we choose to parry or defend ourselves from attack with the Word of God, who cares if the enemy shouts, "That's not fair?" Let scoffers scoff, mockers mock, and unbelievers cling to deceit. Tighten your grip on your sword, child of God! To lay down the sword is to admit defeat, even if you manage to sway a few minds for a season.
God is able to redeem even secular arguments for His purposes, but only God is able to change hearts or the way people think. Jesus appealed to reason when He spoke, but He did not withhold the divine truths only received by faith. He spoke with authority of Adam, the first man created by God from the dust of the ground. He spoke of heaven and hell, conscious there were many who did not and would not agree with Him. He spoke with objective certainty of right and wrong in a world where every man naturally does what is right in His own eyes. Jesus did not address men's heads only, but He went straight to the heart. God's Word has the power to accomplish what secular arguments cannot: exposing sinful motives, affections, and poverty of the human soul apart from God (Hebrews 4:12).
Jesus did not debate or squabble with unbelievers, but rather He engaged the world with divine spiritual truth. He did not merely hold forth principles derived from the Word, but in the face of temptation and attack said again and again: "It is written..." Even when beliefs of people have strayed from scripture, why not use the scripture rightly divided as the basis of your belief? Appeals to human reason muzzle the true Word of God to breathe clarity through the subjective fog of current social issues. Just because issues have been hijacked as "political" or "scientific" or "ethical" should not be justification to see the biblical view as irrelevant. Are you more interested in having people believe or agree with you, or is your primary desire to turn people from darkness to God's marvelous light? Should we cite statistics to prop up our arguments when God's Word is a sure foundation? What does it profit a man to engage the world with reason and purposely avoid the means to provide salvation for souls?
Examine your motives in choosing to primarily hold forth secular arguments to challenge minds of others. Be purposeful in hearing God's Word and obeying it first yourself, and without shame or embarrassment hold fast to the everlasting Word God has placed above His own name (Ps. 138:2). If we desire to see spiritual fruit from our efforts, do not neglect sowing the seed of God's Word. It is the scripture applied lovingly through the Holy Spirit - not our emotional appeals or rational arguments - which leads people to everlasting life. A transformed nature through trust in Christ will change hearts, and this produces a new mind receptive to the things of God. Should we lay down the sword in the midst of the battle in exchange for the feather duster of secular arguments? If we choose to parry or defend ourselves from attack with the Word of God, who cares if the enemy shouts, "That's not fair?" Let scoffers scoff, mockers mock, and unbelievers cling to deceit. Tighten your grip on your sword, child of God! To lay down the sword is to admit defeat, even if you manage to sway a few minds for a season.
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