Month: February 2017

It’s not always about us!

Have you ever been so low in your life, so downtrodden, in the deepest depression that you felt there was no break coming anytime soon? Have you ever been in such a place where hope is absent, help seemed impossible, or that such a despair was so routine you honestly believed sorrow itself is your destiny?

Have you ever been to prison? Sometimes these feelings are exactly what prisoners go through on a daily basis. Consequences for our actions can be harsh. Even if they are deserved, they can still be harsh. People can still feel remorse and suffering even if it is a just consequence. But sometimes, consequences are lodged against the innocent. Let us take Paul as an example of this.

One of the first churches on the European started was the church in Philippi. The church had sent Paul a gift while he was imprisoned in Rome. Paul was in prison, which by the way are nothing like the prisons we have today. Let us remember as we look at the behavior of Paul here that he is living in a dungeon, on dirt floors, in stench, and with little to no light. He had no friends around him, and was most likely being mocked by the Roman Guards. The book of Philippians is the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Philippi thanking them for that gift. And there are five basic themes to the book of Philippians. Humility, self-sacrifice, and Christian living are among those five. But there is a particular verse into particular themes that I read one night before bed. It is this topic has been on my mind ever since, and that is why I share it here.

Chapter 2 starting at first three we read, “2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”

I would like to pay attention, for just a moment, to verse number four. This verse, for some reason, struck me to the point where I would read a couple more verses but I would go back and reread verse four. I did that several times. What does it mean? Here’s a man imprisoned for being a Christian, a follower of Christ, or as it was said in those days a member of “the way”, and his thank you letter is one filled with encouragement and joy. During a time in his life when no one would blame him for being despondent, or sad, or to not take the time to say thank you for the gift at all because of the situation that he finds himself in, Paul maintains his focus on two of the five attributes of this book and they are right Christian living and JOY!

The first eight words of verse four clearly indicate the instruction to pay attention to others. However, the word also indicates that there is a time to measure yourself. Most commentators agree that because God made each of us unique, we should take care to meet our own needs.

I like the way Charles Ellicott comments on verse four, “Yet by the word “also” we see that St. Paul does not, in the spirit of some forms of modern transcendentalism, denounce all self-consciousness and self-love, as in a bad sense “selfish.” For man is individual as well as social; he can subordinate “his own things” to “the things of others,” but cannot ignore them.”

We must remember that the Bible tells us that if we do not take care of ourselves and our home and our family inside of our home then we are worse than an infidel.

John Gill reminds us of this in his commentary on this verse. “Not but that a man should take care of his worldly affairs, and look well unto them, and provide things honest in the sight of all men, for himself and his family, otherwise he would be worse than an infidel;”

But as the case is in nearly everything we do, there is a line between what is righteous and reasonable, and what is excessive and sinful. And here Paul is telling us that, as they have looked in on him by way of messenger and gift, they should be looking in on each other. It’s not always about us! You cannot be a follower of Christ and still live a life that says Me! Me! Me! They should be mindful of the needs and the feelings of the members of their own church. This lesson transcends the walls of the church house to the brethren of the body of Christ. This verse does not intend to refer to just secular needs, but also the spiritual needs. The word “look” in this verse does not infer a light gaze. It’s meaning is not one of surface observance. Paul is not telling us to merely see the needs of others. It has a much deeper and intense meaning. It infers an attentiveness, one that causes observation and consideration. It infers that you are to “beware”. We are told many times throughout the Bible to “beware”. This infers that our eyes to be wide open, for us to be alert. When we are being told to “beware”, the usual reference is that we are to be on guard for the lion who walks to and fro seeking out whom he can devour. To have that understanding of the word look here in verse four, we should then take, with a great deal of seriousness, our Christian duty to beware of the physical and spiritual needs of our brethren in the body of Christ.

I came across the these two short stories that illustrate verse four. I will leave you here with these great examples of how we are to look onto the needs of others.

Sunday Magazine printed this,
Thomas Sampson was a working miner, and worked hard for his bread. The captain of the mine said to him on one occasion, “Thomas, I’ve got an easier berth for you, where there is little comparatively to do, and where you can earn more money. Will you accept it?” What do you think he said? “Captain, there’s our poor brother Tregony. He has a sick body, and he is not able to work as hard as I am. I fear his toil will shorten his useful life. Will you let him have the berth?” The captain, pleased with his generosity, sent for Tregony, and gave him the berth. Thomas was gratified, and added, “I can work a little longer yet.”

 

T.T. Shore tells this short story;
A German countryman went one day with his four sons to the neighbouring town to transact some business. While there, in the market place, he bought five peaches. One of these he kept for his wife, who was at home, and the others he gave to his boys. When they were sitting round the fire the next evening, he thought he would ask each of his sons what he had done with his peach. The eldest said he had eaten his, but had kept the stone to plant in the garden, in hopes that it would grow up and bear some peaches as good as the one he had so much enjoyed. The youngest boy confessed he had eaten his own peach and thrown the stone away, and after his return home had helped his mother to eat half of her peach! The second eldest boy told how he had picked up the stone which his little brother had thrown away, and cracked it, and eaten the kernel. “It was nice and sweet,” he added, “and I sold my own peach for so much money that I have enough to buy several peaches now with what I got for it.” The third son then had to tell his tale. The others had told all theirs at once with no hesitation and no shame, but this little lad blushed as he began his story: “I took my peach to a poor little friend who has been in bed for so long, and suffers so much pain. He refused to take it from me, so I put it on his bed and ran away.” His mother’s kisses, as she heard these words, were far sweeter on his young lips than any fruit.

If you stand in the mirror what will the reflection tell you about yourself, and what are you going to do about it? May the peace of God be abundantly heaped upon you and your house, straight from the cross to the Christian!

 

Jesus became your scapegoat

When Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested and charged with the assassination of President Kennedy, he made the comment that he was just a patsy. I believe that there are people who are imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. I believe there are people who are sitting on death row for crimes they did not commit. I believe that our criminal justice system has put people to death who were innocent of the crimes they were sentenced to die for. Having said that, I am just as certain that, even if it was not as dramatic and tragic as these, so many of us can reflect back to a time where we were actually accused of something we didn’t do. Maybe the police were not involved. Maybe your parents weren’t involved. Maybe the only consequence you suffered was a loss of a friend because they believe a rumor that you did something you really were innocent of.

In the Old Testament the Israelites, in Leviticus chapter 16, are instructed to observe sacrifice ceremony of atonement. Jewish people today celebrate it still. They call it Yom Kippur. The word Yom means “day” in Hebrew. Kippur means “to atone”. In the English language we call it the Day of Atonement. In Leviticus chapter 16 verses 15 through 22 we see instructions to the Israelites on how to proceed with a ceremony for atonement. Today there is fasting and prayer for the entire day. However, I would like to talk about an Old Testament ceremony that I find interesting.

Leviticus 16:15 – 22

15then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: and he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. And there shall be no man in the place until he come out and have made atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. And he shall go out on to the alter that is before the Lord and made an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them up on the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

It is in this chapter and in verse 26 we see this goat called a “scapegoat”. This is where we get our present day use of this word. Upon this goat is laid all of the sins of the Israelites. This goat is permitted to “escape” into the wilderness. Remaining in the Old Testament but moving ahead in time we come to the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah is known as one of the greatest prophets. In the beginning of his prophesying, Isaiah is well respected and very well-liked. But as time goes on, and as Isaiah continues to prophesy the future truthfully, more and more people are offended by his words. Does that sound familiar? It was just as common to revile the truth and hate the truthsayer back then as it is today. There are fewer and fewer men standing in pulpits preaching the truth because there is an increasing number of men and women who are offended by the very same truths that Isaiah prophesied about in the Old Testament. The truth is, Isaiah spoke a lot about the coming Messiah. He prophesied often about Jesus the Christ. In chapter 53, in the book of Isaiah we see the great profit talking about the final sacrifice, the final atonement.

Isaiah 53:2 – 6

2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried out our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

In this chapter, and in these verses, we see a prophet, living in the Old Testament times, take an Old Testament ceremony and combine the two acts required in the ceremony of atonement into one final sacrifice. Upon the cross Jesus Christ was sacrificed. His blood flowed like a river of life from up top of Mount Calvary. Bruised, pierced, flesh cut wide open, and put to death we see Jesus our Lord take the place of the first goat. When darkness came, and Jesus felt the loneliness of the absence of His heavenly Father, as God put upon him the sin of all the world, we heard him cry out “it is finished” and die. With the sin of the world on his shoulders we see him take the place of the second goat. On the Cross, Jesus was executed for crimes he did not commit. On the Cross Jesus became your scapegoat!

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16 is probably one of the most familiar verses of the Bible in the entire world. It is a snapshot of just how much God truly loves his children. It is repeated in ceremonies over and over again. But do we understand fully, the need for that love. Because of the love of God, otherwise known as Agape love, we were given the gift of atonement through the blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This gift was given because of God’s righteous and perfect love. Let us not forget that the Israelites were commanded to participate in the twofold sacrifice procedure on the Day of Atonement because of their sinfulness. Likewise, we needed the final sacrifice, the final and most perfect SCAPEGOAT because of our sinfulness. We need to focus on the fact that our sin is to such a huge degree, that there is nothing that man can do for himself to create an effective scapegoat. I cannot save you, and you cannot save me. That is how doomed we are without the perfect scapegoat. Jesus Christ committed no sin. Yet he took our sin to the cross. He did not try to defend himself. He never said I didn’t do it. He was a willing patsy, he was a willing scapegoat. Upon him was laid the sin of all of us. And if you choose to turn your life over to him, he will take your sin and he will put it in a place where you will never see it again, like the goat that goes to the wilderness where no one lives. God’s love provides us with this avenue to redemption. But we cannot forget there is a reason why he had to do what he did, there is a reason why he had to show us such a great love. And that reason is because we are a fallen creature, filled with sin, driven by a desire to serve our flesh.

The scapegoat has already taken the sin, he has already gone to the cross, he has already provided the cleansing blood that wipes away sin, and he has already died and sacrificed himself for you. Are you willing, on this day, to give him all of your sin? Are you willing to take advantage of the greatest love that anyone man could possibly know, and repent? Are you willing to turn away from the desires of your flesh, and live a life for the scapegoat who died for you on the cross, himself being an innocent man? Are you willing to put all childishness and folly behind you and be a follower of Christ?

If you stand in the mirror what will the reflection tell you about yourself, and what are you going to do about it? May the peace of God be abundantly heaped upon you and your house, straight from the cross to the Christian!