Tag: Sovereignty

Devotional 101: He Sent Me

Jesus is not ‘cool’ with things the Father isn’t.

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John 8:42-45

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.

I heard of a painting where the Father and Son are looking at the world, and they see the people are lost, and Jesus says, “Let me go to them.” That is a very moving, powerful, thought, but it isn’t true, and this was not Jesus’ first time saying He was sent.

Paul reminds us in Philippians 2:8  8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus was obedient to the Father’s command to go and preach His will for repentance, and came at the Father’s command to offer Himself as the focal point for salvation and the redemption of our souls from eternal separation and ultimate destruction, which is why He was conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit, and not the seed of man.

Jesus also tells us (John 8:51)  51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”

The reason he is able to say this is because it is not, in fact, His word:  (John 12:49)

49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.

and again, when He admonishes Philip:

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

There is a modern notion that Jesus somehow separated from the Old Testament G-d of judgment who seemed to constantly be smiting and hating His own creation, but we who are called know that G-d hates sin, not us, and that He grieved and flooded the world while He still had one righteous man to start over, because the world loved sin.

As Satan captured Eve’s imagination through her senses so that she disobeyed G-d and Adam surrendered the world’s dominion to G-d’s enemy, so too, does he do so now. We are told that we’re happy when our wants are satisfied, not just our needs met, and this puts us in the path of temptation, making us prone to not only sin, but backslide. And sometimes even turn away.

Christ calls us out of the world to a greater reward, a greater comfort, and indeed not only to a better life, but an eternal one. In the delay of that gratification, we are told that we have to suffer with Him first, and crucify the lust of the flesh on the daily, pray and stay faithful, and remember that this is not our home.

We have the Word of G-d to keep us on the narrow path. We speak of Jesus’ miracles, but we forget that G-d also raised the dead, healed, calmed storms and made them, cast out demons, delivered in miraculous fashion, appeared to His servants, called a select few His friend, and performed signs in the heavens, even stopping the earth so the sun could shine as Israel finished fighting (Joshua 10:13). 

Jesus tells us that His own miracles were of the Father’s power (John 9:4)

4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

There is also the modern notion that Jesus would ‘be cool’ with things the Father is not. Again, we who have been called realize that we are under grace, but grace does not give us a sin license, and to call good that which G-d calls evil. In our pride, we gainsay G-d and say He is at best outdated, and at worst, dead.

But He is eternal, and therefore can be neither, and there will be a judgment day.

In that we would be well to remember the one thing Jesus said that reminds us they are inseparable concerning the Father’s will and our eternal souls:

John 10:22-30

The Shepherd Knows His Sheep

22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”

Yes, we have been given to Jesus (John 6:44)

44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

G-d has done all He is going to do to redeem us, because he loves us. The rest is up to us, and the choice is ours to make.

Therefore I pray:

King Jesus, 

As long as we dwell here to preach and live out the Gospel, let us call to mind Your own words that point back to the Father’s sovereignty in all things, at all times, concerning every aspect of our lives. 

You tell us to let our lights shine so that men may see our works and glorify the Father.

When the Apostles continued Your work, glory was given to the Father. (Acts 3:6-8)

Thank You for being obedient, that we might be saved, reconciled, and redeemed, dwelling with You in the kingdom by faith instead of being eternally punished for our faithlessness and pride.

Thank You for being obedient in understanding that while we are frail, hard of heart, doubting, ungrateful, and yet sinful, You must set the Father’s standards before us before the Day of the Lord comes. 

And thank You, Father, for revealing the Son to us that we might be called Your sons and daughters, given the privileges and rights of the King’s children. We thank You for the ears to hear.

It is a dark world for shining a light of faith, but we have the Light of the World on our side, obedient, loving, and compassionate, but reminding us that the Harvest comes with a dread and ultimate purpose: the purging of the tares, the burning of the unfruitful, the separation of the unfaithful and lawless, who are cut off without remedy, and misunderstand our Savior’s meekness, and that if He is for us, none can stand against us.

Let us call to mind that He will not return as the Lamb of G-d, but the Lion of Judah, in all of Your glory, His angels with Him, in an instant. 

Father, let my soul be among those raised in the last day. Help me to endure to the end, that I might be saved, praising You always, living on the New Earth, as Your Son reigns over us, in eternal obedience to Your guiding hand.

May it be done to me as You have said.

Amen.

 

 

Devotional 83: Appointed to Eternal Life

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Acts 13:44-48

44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. 45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us:

‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles,
That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’”[a]

48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

Paul’s missionary journeys ran the the gamut from natural, spiritual, and physical threats no matter where he went, and he indeed suffered for the Lord’s Name. He found in his own ministries patterns that were similar to those of Christ’s when confronting the religious leaders: the size of the crowds equaled the effectiveness of their ministry, and the number of converts added to their coffers, which for them reflected the favor of G-d, though they weren’t concerned with Heavenly things.

Like Christ, Paul taught with authority, but guided by Christ, Paul spoke to their spiritual needs and drove them into rages by his ability to prove, consistently, that Christ was the Promised One from the original scriptures they so loved to use to control the masses under the Law. (Acts 9:22)

22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

As Peter serves us as an example of our spiritual volatility, Paul serves as an example of what it can be in its constancy. He even challenged Peter when Peter began to compromise with those who weren’t willing to let grace be sufficient. (Galatians 2:18 – 21)

11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?

In this particular instance in the Book of Acts, we are told that as Paul ministered in Antioch, those who were appointed to eternal life believed. As was with the multitudes that followed Christ, not all were converted to faith, but those on the fringes of the crowd who dared to hope that G-d might yet find something in them worth redeeming would come closer as words of  G-d’s love, redemption and grace drew them in.

The King, in his sovereignty, gets to decide who is part of his kingdom, and when his messengers go out, they don’t pass its borders. Yet we have a High King, who loved us before the foundation of the world. We have an Overlord, who takes care of us, for the lord of the land was to see to it that all under his rule had bread.

And He is the Bread of Life.

As we celebrate the coming season of our Risen Lord, let us give thanks that we have been marked as a divine appointment to be part of the Kingdom of G-d. We are the chosen of Christ, grafted in with the Chosen of Israel, our calling and election assured and sealed by the Holy Spirit through our faith in His redemptive work at Calvary.

The appointment is over. Where we go and what we do next is no less subject to His will.

It may not be as dramatic as building churches around the world, but it has no less impact if it is the center of His will, and part of His eternal plan for our eternal lives.

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus, 

I approach the throne today not in a spirit of boldness, but reverent fear that You deem one such as me, in my wretched, unclean state, to be sanctified and cleansed, rendering me guiltless before Him who is able to cast my soul and body into hell.

Paul told those who countered him with contradictions and blasphemies, who denied the Truth in their lust for earthly comfort and the praises of men, that they marked themselves as unworthy to receive the gift.

Let it not be so with me, Lord, for You tell us all who come to You will not be turned away. When I speak of You, let those who stand on the fringes of the crowd come close, that they too may be appointed for the work You will begin and complete in their lives.

Let me not take on undue burdens, that I may compromise the Father’s Word, and deny You before men. You’ve appointed me as an ambassador for You, and anointed me with talents and gifts to be used for Your glory, according to the those things You have spoken over my life.

I pray for integrity in all things, and strength in the face of the trials and persecutions You tell us are the price of obedience and ministry. Send appointments across my path, that I may sow and pray, rejoicing with them that You have called them to life everlasting in Your kingdom.

May it be done to me as You have said. 

Amen.