Focusing On Jesus

During a prayer meeting at church last night I was reminded of the lame man by the pool of Bethesda.  John 5 relates how a great number of sickly, blind, lame, and withered who waited for the moving of the water.  These were desperate people who hoped for a miracle, and patience alone was not enough to bring healing.  The great irony of the situation is healing came not only to the alert but the fittest among them.  The first one to enter the pool after being stirred by an angel would be the only one healed of any infirmity.  The blind couldn't see the water move and the lame couldn't move to respond fast enough.  For nearly all who languished hope had been swallowed by despair.

John 5:5-7 says, "Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" ⁷ The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Verse 5 introduces the reader to a lame man who had suffered from an infirmity for almost four decades and long remained at the pool's edge.  Jesus walked up to the man and asked, "Do you want to be made well?"  The man did not answer the question at all.  His response shows a preoccupation with his hopeless situation:  I am alone, I have no help, I am too slow, and others too fast.  In his mind healing could only come one way, and this could not happen in his current circumstances.

Into this pitiable and hopeless situation entered the Son of God, Jesus Christ!  John 5:8-9 says, "Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." ⁹ And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath."  Jesus is the Healer and Saviour who found the man in his time of need, and He comes to you and me today in our time of trouble ready to save.  What I love about this passage is the man had a very limited view of how he might be healed, yet without meeting any of his criteria Jesus spoke and simply overruled!  It is true healing does not always occur immediately and none of us will be without troubles in this life, yet Jesus is able to heal abundantly, exceedingly beyond what we can ask or think when we look to Him.

How the world needs Jesus, and this lame man needs Him more than ever.  What a great and awesome God we have who seeks us out in our time of need.  Who are we to criticise the timing of God who allowed 38 years of infirmity or allowed it in the first place?  The ways of God are past finding out, for without sorrow and despair we could not recognise joy if it looked us in the eye and shook our hand.  There the Prince of Peace stood, and the man poured out his lame complaints.  Jesus knew the man's weakness, his infirmity, and how long it had been since he had been well.  Jesus loved him, came to him, spoke with him, and healed him.  Let us look to Jesus and praise Him rather than focusing on our lameness or circumstances.  This is the true path to life and joy forevermore!

It's Not Too Late!

Sin by nature is insidious, and it always leads to death.  The way which feels so right leads to destruction.  The soul that sins will surely die, and like the presence of fatal disease often produces severe symptoms in the living, sin brings suffering and misery.  God is gracious and merciful to warn of the dangers of sins and instructs us to walk uprightly.

Solomon taught his son to fear the LORD and keep the commands near to his heart because seducers and flatterers who induce us to sin are everywhere.  Read for yourself the consequences one faces when they yield to sin in Proverbs 7:21-23:  "With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, with her flattering lips she seduced him. ²² Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, ²³ till an arrow struck his liver. as a bird hastens to the snare, he did not know it would cost his life."  All these examples share a common theme:  the victim never realised the danger until it was too late.

When baiting a hook to fish, presentation is important.  Care should be taken to conceal the sharp and shiny hook within the appetising bait.  A skilled angler knows good presentation is not enough.  Many of varieties of fish will take the bait and spit it out again.  Tap, tap goes the fish, but don't set the hook too soon:  wait until the fish ingests the bait or begins to carry it away.  That is when the angler pulls strongly on the hook to "set" it, and it isn't long before the fish is exhausted and successfully landed.  Satan presents sin in the manner most pleasing and appetising to the flesh.  There is always a hidden cost to sin which is conveniently left out, like an unscrupulous salesman who is secretly aware but silent concerning a severe mechanical flaw in a car.

The ox did not discern the intent of the one intending his slaughter, and the fool who followed his heart never imagined he would be confined in the stocks.  No fighter could prepare himself to deflect an arrow he never saw coming, and a bird that flies speedily upon a familiar route cannot avoid the hunter's snare.  How much pain, bondage, and suffering we save ourselves when we recognise and repent of our sin!  Here the Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.  The Holy Spirit provides conviction of sin and guides us into all truth.  Praise the LORD He does not only warn us of evil but leads and empowers us to do good.  And glory to God, Jesus Christ is able to forgive all our sins when we repent through His blood shed on Calvary.  We've all been pierced by sorrow from our own sin, and Jesus has been pierced for us.

Compliance or Agreement?

Amos the prophet asked a series of rhetorical questions to illustrate inseparable links in ordinary life with an aim to show judgment was coming from God for their sin.  He asked in Amos 3:3-6, "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? ⁴ Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing? ⁵ Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it? Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all? ⁶ If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the LORD have done it?"  If two people were seen walking along the road together, onlookers would assume they were content to do so.  They may not agree on musical taste, political views, or theology but since they walked at the same pace and direction they were in agreement to walk together.  When a lion roared people would say, "Ah, sounds like the lion has caught his dinner."  A trumpet blown in the city would have an effect on the townsfolk.  These were obvious statement to prove the sins of the people would certainly bring the judgment of a righteous God.

How important it is for us to be in agreement with God!  This is what the phrase "getting right with God" suggests:  our conscience tells us we are in the wrong, we confess our sin and repent, and then we make a conscious choice to walk again in agreement with God and His Word.  If we are in agreement with God it follows our associations and relationships will be affected.  2 Corinthians 6:14-16 says, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? ¹⁵ And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people."  Again, rhetorical questions were employed to emphasise there is no agreement with light and darkness, no association between the Temple of God and idols.  If we are living in agreement with God there must be a separation in our lives and what stands in opposition to God.

The LORD has opened my eyes to a truth which has always been there but I never saw until now:  agreement is more than compliance.  The law demands compliance, but God seeks agreement.  Outward compliance to the law is acceptable, yet God looks upon the heart, thoughts, and motives.  Agreement is suggested by the words Paul used:  being yoked together, fellowship, and communion.  As parents or leaders we can wrongly be content with people being compliant with our demands.  If God was satisfied with attempted compliance to Law, why did He send His Son?  He sent Jesus Christ to save us from our sins, to redeem us, to enable us to be born again by grace through faith so we could once again be in agreement with God physically, spiritually, and eternally.  It requires love and grace to seek agreement when we have the power and authority to demand compliance - or else.  If it is important to God for us to be in agreement with Him, then we ought to walk in agreement with other Christians.  When we see other believers walking in darkness, after we examine our hearts and repent of our sin we are to seek to restore our wandering brother in meekness.  Restoration is only possible when there is agreement of all parties with God, not by compliance to a rule.  This agreement and fellowship can only happen by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

Is it possible you have been compliant with God, your spouse, or fellow brother rather than being in agreement?  A compliant person may even hold the hand of the person they walk with, but if their heart isn't in agreement they have no fellowship.  If we are satisfied with the compliance of others, this suggests we may be content to only be compliant with God instead of in full agreement (inside and out) with Him.  May our hearts, minds, and lives be found to be in agreement with God as we walk with Jesus.  Then we will move beyond compliance to law and discover more fully His refreshing grace and love.

The Divine Habitat

During her talks Corrie ten Boom used to employ a handful of simple object lessons.  One of my favourites is when she illustrated our need to be filled with the Holy Spirit with a flashlight or torch which required two batteries.  The torch didn't work because it only had one battery and the spot where the other battery should have been was filled with rags.  On the rags were written particular sins which kept the second battery from being properly inserted.  Remove the rags - confess sin and repent - and then the Holy Spirit would have the room to fill and shine through our lives.

Another example she used was an empty glove.  On its own the glove had no power to do anything, but when a hand was placed within it became useful.  We are like gloves which alone are useless, but when God fills us we can labour for the LORD.  A glove can also be filled with objects or items which prevent a hand from putting on a glove.  It is in putting on the LORD Jesus Christ through faith which enables us to walk uprightly as Romans 13:13-14:  "Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil its lusts."  The reality is many Christians fail to walk in the victory provided through Christ because they have made provisions for the flesh rather than sowing to the Spirit.  They beg in vain to be filled with the Holy Spirit when they refuse to relinquish their sin.

A.W. Tozer provided great insight concerning the souls of man which are created in the image of God.  Like a glove is designed to fit human hands, the bodies of men are perfectly suited for Him to inhabit.  The Holy Spirit who once dwelt in a tent and Temple behind the veil now dwells in the hearts of believers within a veil of flesh.  Tozer wrote that human beings made in God's image are the natural habitat of God, yet the pollution and defilement of sin has driven him off - just like native birds are driven from their natural habitats due to deforesting or building.  There are specific places breeds of birds are likely to nest and roost.  If we will have the Holy Spirit dwell within us, our hearts and minds need to be an environment free from the noisy machinery and heavy industry of sin.

These examples all have their limitations, but they agree in this body of flesh the problem of sin remains.  It has a way of worming its way into our minds, hearts, and words.  The neglect of repentance is a primary hindrance to the Holy Spirit filling and empowering us.  The Holy Spirit is the clean, pure Spirit who regenerates our souls when we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus.  He is glad to fill us; that is where He desires to dwell.  When we belong to God, He belongs in us.  Let us see there are no hindrances of unbelief within us, no sins which have been permitted entry.  Cultivate worship, prayer, repentance, and adoration like trees and running streams.  Ephesians 5:15-18 shows our conduct matters:  "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, ¹⁶ redeeming the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit..."  It is God's will we would be filled with the Holy Spirit, so let us submit our will to His!