storiesofvalue

Jesus is Eternal 

Some things are easier to define than comprehend.  When my wife gave birth to our first child, we had a pretty good idea what to expect.  Although we waited until the birth to find out if we were having a boy or a girl, we had an estimate of the baby’s size, a couple of names in mind, and a baby room full of supplies waiting at home.  I think it is safe to say we knew what it meant to have a child.  But I think it is also safe to say we didn’t know what it meant to have a child.  The first time I held our son Nathan I looked into his face and tried to grasp the profound reality of a fresh new being, entrusted to our care.  It was awesome.  It was frightening.  It was incomprehensible.

The subject of eternity falls into a similar category.  It is easy to define as “having no beginning or end.”  But who can comprehend it?

One word used to reference eternity in the Bible is “everlasting.”  Something that is everlasting can have a beginning, but no end, such as eternal life (1 Timothy 1:16) or eternal judgment (Hebrews 6:2).  But the phrase “everlasting to everlasting” is used to describe God, who has no beginning or end.  In Moses’ psalm we read, “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2).  The idea of an eternal God is arguably the most difficult of all to wrap our brains around, but our own eternal walk with God is a close second.  The Bible also tells us if we reject God’s grace we will experience eternal fire (Jude 1:7).  This possibility challenges our minds in other ways.

As a kid my Sunday School teacher equipped me with a simple apologetic rooted in eternity.  He encouraged me to respect scientists who explore the secrets of the universe, but reminded me to keep asking, “But what happened before that?” This question is at once naïve and incredibly deep.  As an adult I still marvel at creation and the discoveries presented to me by brilliant scientists.  And I still ask, “But what happened before that?”

From everlasting to everlasting is the story line, and we are among its most important characters.  To understand ourselves, we must know the eternal Jesus.  We remember the story of His birth in the gospel narratives.  But what happened before that?

I have chosen ten topics which I propose as things everyone “needs” to know about Jesus.  While believers will certainly be more familiar with each of them, I am convinced their basic truths are critical for anyone seeking the biblical Jesus. In fact, some of them may be the very subjects upon which one’s decision to seek God depends.

The topics are as follows: 1) Jesus is Eternal, 2) Jesus was God in the Flesh, 3) Jesus Loves Sinners, 4) Jesus had One Mission, 5) Jesus Made Truth Practical, 6) Jesus Had Authority over Everything, 7) Jesus Felt the Things We Feel, 8) Jesus Died in our Place, 9) Jesus Is Alive, 10) Jesus Is Coming Back.  I feel certain many who see this list will want to make additions.  If you are one of them I beg your patience as many other truths will be rolled into these major categories.  I also readily admit this list it is incomplete, as will be my exploration of the ten topics I have chosen.  My goal is not to be perfectly comprehensive, but rather to encourage us all to refocus on those traits of Jesus that matter most.  I will be satisfied if I am able to steer only a handful from the self-absorbed mentalities so prevalent in our culture to an attitude that rejoices over God’s provision in His Son.

Ultimately, the things we “want” should be the things we “need”, and not the opposite.  And contrary to what you might be thinking at this point, my desire is that we would all be passionately “wanting” to know Jesus in every way.  The Hebrews writer shares this description: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3).  How could anyone read these words and not want to know more?

What We “Need” to Know

I live in an area of the country with a high concentration of military installations.  One of our standing jokes is, “Don’t tell me!  Then you’ll have to kill me!”  The joke gets old, but the principle doesn’t change.  In the military world, information is given on a “need to know” basis.  Too much information in the wrong hands could come with a high price tag.  I have probably already told you too much.

Certainly God doesn’t withhold knowledge from us as a matter of security, but it is very important to discern what He deems needful.  If nothing else, this will help us escape faddish pursuits that distort the nature of Jesus and fail to address matters of eternity.

We will examine a number of topics in our study, but I am going to risk a simple front-loaded answer to the question of “need.”  What we need most is “to be made right with God.”  The Bible calls this need “righteousness.”  The Apostle Paul calls the process by which we are made righteous “reconciliation”, of which he was made a minister (2 Corinthians 5:18).

There are two basic components to righteousness in the Bible: our unwavering trust in
God, and our acceptance of His grace through His Son Jesus.  Both of these are expressed by faith.  The Hebrews writer provides a long list of Old Testament personalities who trusted God with their lives and their souls and were deemed righteous (Hebrews 11).  These men and women lived by faith without ever seeing the full revelation of God’s promise.  They trusted from a distance and were rewarded.

When Jesus came into the world He called His followers to a righteousness that fulfilled God’s promise.  This righteousness was a matter of the heart, not an empty religious practice.  Jesus wanted us to be made right with His Father, and He gave His life on the cross to make it possible.

The biblical Jesus can be viewed through many lenses, but if we miss the topics found in the shadow of the cross we miss everything.  If, however, we start with the cross and everything related to it, we can overlook some of the outlying portraits of Jesus and still be made right.

What We “Want” to Know

What could be nobler than wanting to know more about Jesus?  New Christians sometimes describe themselves as “sponges”, soaking up as much information as possible about their Savior.  They want to know everything about Him and explore the depths of His truth, love and mercy.

It seems counterintuitive to suggest what we “want” to know could teeter on, even plummet over the perilous cliff of self-righteous religious rhetoric.  And yet, this is exactly where we must be fearlessly honest with ourselves.  While it is true many of the things we want to know about Jesus strengthen our faith, we must make absolutely sure He is the true object of our affection.  Otherwise, our knowledge can “puff up” our egos and become a utility for selfish ambition.

For example, what believer would not want Jesus with him in a serious business venture?  Jesus taught us to be good stewards of the talents we are given and cautioned us against hiding our gifts in the ground.  He taught us how to balance treasure with truth, and what it means to be fair and just in our dealings with others.  Yet, I have met many disillusioned Christians who have suffered through the collapse of a business, thoroughly confused because they believed their efforts had been blessed by Jesus.  I have encountered as many cynical non-Christians who have been burned by believers who slap the name “Jesus” on their product and expect the world to trust them.

As human beings, we want to know Jesus is on our side.  Indeed, He is on our side when it comes to our need for redemption, but He never said he would serve as Chairman of the Board for our personal enterprises.  We must ask ourselves, “Do we want to know Jesus, or do we want to know something about Jesus we can use for our own purposes?”

Perhaps you can think of people in the Bible who erred in this area.  Jesus once had a conversation with a wealthy young ruler who wanted to know the way to eternal life.  He had been faithful in keeping God’s commandments and wanted to know what was lacking.  Then Jesus tossed out an unfathomable challenge: “Go, sell your possessions and give the money to the poor.  Then your treasure will be in heaven and you can follow me” (Luke 18:18-23 paraphrase).  The ruler walked away sadly.  He wanted to know the way to eternal life, but only if it was consistent with his own life strategy.  Jesus wasn’t teaching us we all have to give away everything we own.  But He was asking us to decide who, or what is in control of our future.

You may also remember the account of Simon the Sorcerer.  He heard the message of Jesus and was baptized during the early days of the church (Acts 8:13).  I personally believe Simon’s conversion was sincere, yet when Peter and John showed up to dispense some miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, Simon switched into entrepreneurial mode.  He tried to buy Peter and John’s apostolic authority.  Miraculous gifts plus sorcery offered Simon a clear path to fame and fortune and it was hard for him to see past the dollar signs in his eyes and recognize the hypocrisy in his heart.  I would like to think Simon responded to Peter’s advice to repent and pray.  I am certain God forgave him if he did.  I also empathize with Simon because I know how easy it is for any of us to want something so much we spiritualize ourselves into an ungodly corner.

We should want to know everything possible about Jesus, but our “want” should be grounded in those things we truly “need.”  This is a critical point that must be settled at the beginning of any journey with the Lord.  It is the filter through which everything we discover about Him must pass.  What then, do we need?

How We See Him

As Teacher: Jesus taught with conviction and purpose.  People flocked to hear Him, and some became avid disciples.  He has been called the “Master Teacher” because of His ability to engage every segment of society and drive truth through the thick crust of the hardest heart.  Mainstream corporate leadership books still reference the teaching style of Jesus as a model for mentoring and discipleship.

As Family Man: Jesus was a son and brother.  He likely learned the family trade of carpentry from Joseph, and may have become the chief provider when His father died.  In the gospels we catch glimpses of Jesus’ love for His mother and His family’s concern for His welfare.  The common experience of family is why so many people connect strongly with the narrative of Jesus’ birth.

As Son: Jesus was a member of the “Deity” (Colossians 2:9), including Father, Son and Spirit.  He was sent, forsaken and exalted and remained obedient in everything.  The Father-Son dynamic revealed in scripture helps us understand the depth of love that was poured out on Calvary.

As Savior: Jesus came to seek and save the lost, and His place as Savior of the world touches on almost every major theological theme in the Bible.  The words “atonement”, “redemption” and “reconciliation” are only significant in the shadow of the cross.  The prophets predicted Jesus would come and the angel Gabriel confirmed He was the One.  Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16).

As Politician: It was impossible for Jesus to escape the perception He had come to start a political revolution.  Even His closest disciples seemed to be waiting for the action to begin (John 18:10).  Simon the Zealot was a member of a group committed to anti-Roman sentiment, yet he is perhaps the most obscure of all of the original twelve disciples.  Could it be he was confused by Jesus’ method of transforming the world?  Today, people still use the name of Jesus to validate their political ambitions.

Whims and Trends: It has become commonplace to define Jesus for our own purposes.  He is CEO, Coach, Dietitian, Radical and Revolutionary.  His teaching is aligned with political platforms, government systems and social causes.  I am not suggesting Jesus doesn’t have something to say to these and a variety of others topics.  But we must recognize there is a difference between what we “want” to know about Jesus and what we “need” to know.  If we fail to see the distinction, we might create a Jesus of our own that only vaguely resembles the one revealed in scripture.

Jesus – What You Need to Know

It is getting harder to protect our identity.  Years ago I could shop at a store on a regular basis and the only identification I needed was a phone number where I could be reached if my check bounced.  In a small town in Kentucky, where I served my first church, downtown stores had counter checks.  I just wrote my account number in a box on the check and it was as good as cash.  You say you’ve never heard of a counter check?  You vaguely remember checks?  Stick with me here.

Soon, my driver’s license and social security numbers were required, and in an effort to catch criminals, merchants began installing security cameras to record my transactions.  As I transitioned from paper checks to a plastic card, my data was applied automatically to all of my transactions.  Finally, I entered the world of online shopping and rewards cards, which allowed chain stores to profile my purchasing habits and target me with Internet ads and individualized mailings.

Unfortunately, the stores where I shop are no longer the only ones who want my information.  Identity theft is on the rise, and I am now told my own government can hack my electronic devices to inspect my patriotism.  My world is nothing like the one I used to know when I used those counter checks.

As amazing, and perhaps disheartening as the disintegration of privacy might be, I find it even more astonishing that an ancient culture could leave us with the record of a historic figure more intimate than anything modern technology could craft.  His name was Jesus, and He is the most dissected personality in history.  Is there any lens through which He hasn’t been viewed?

While I am in the process of resetting our morning devotion theme following “100% Jesus”, allow me to offer these special Thanksgiving thoughts for tomorrow’s celebration…

It seems the older I get the bigger my bucket of caveats grows in regards to the spirit of thanksgiving the Bible teaches.  In his letter to the Thessalonian church Paul wrote, “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).  When we hear these words we instinctively feel obligated to acknowledge, “We know this verse is difficult for those who have lost loved ones, experienced a broken relationship, suffered a physical, financial or emotional meltdown, or sinned in a way that has left them depressed or disgraced.”

We certainly need to be sensitive to those who are suffering in these ways.  And we need to understand while we are counting our blessings others might be calculating how much has been taken from them.  However, I think it is important that we not sell others short when it comes to thanksgiving.  I have discovered some of the most thankful people in the world are the very ones I am afraid of hurting with my praise.  In fact, my failure to account for their praise in the midst of dire circumstances does them a disservice.

In the past few days I have experienced the following: 1) a man whose son-in-law just had his leg and hip removed to stop the ravages of cancer, who tells me his son-in-law feels blessed, 2) a young woman who feels so blessed she wants to donate a kidney to a dying man, and 3) a husband who recently lost his wife who wanted me to know how God is working in his life.

Please don’t misunderstand.  The things these individuals have suffered, or are prepared to suffer are not pleasant or easy.  They have faced fear, sorrow, anger, disappointment and uncertainty.  If you are going through an unfortunate trial of your own, don’t feel inadequate in your faith if you can’t fully identify with their thoughts at the moment.

I am merely saying I have a lot to learn from people who have successfully navigated the shadows of trouble and emerged with their eyes wide open to the goodness and mercy of God.  They inspire me.  They shame me.  They convict me.

“Give thanks in all circumstances.”  Paul’s words are more than a mantra to keep our minds focused when life goes wrong.  They reflect a raw trust in an omniscient and omnipotent God whose wisdom and power are greater than our finite perspective.  Giving thanks in all circumstances doesn’t mean we have resolved every conflict and answered every doubt.  Rather, it shows we have learned to look for God’s providential hand in everything.  His work in our lives, especially when we are at our worst, proves he never leaves or forsakes us.

I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving and experience the grace and joy of a Heavenly Father who comforts us with love that transcends the world.  I pray you know Him with an anchor so deep and a tower so high the Deceiver runs for cover.  Give thanks!

Dear Morning Devotion Group – this is the link to some complete copies of “100% Jesus” PDF and full text form.  You can click here or simply go to the “100% Jesus” tab at the top of your www.storiesofvalue.com message screen.  Blessings,  Larry Jones

https://storiesofvalue.wordpress.com/100-jesus-devotion-book/

Dear Morning Devotion Group.  Today’s devotion concluded my 100% Jesus series.  We will begin a new series next week.  Tomorrow I will send you a link for the entire devotion series, unedited, and in sequential form (1-100).  If anyone feels led to edit the devotion book, please do.  I will probably self-publish it at some point in the future.  You can also access the devotion book now  by clicking on the “100% Jesus” tab on my blog site, www.storiesofvalue.  I have left it in simple Word form so you can download it to your electronic device.  Blessings,  Larry

Let them see Jesus!

My barber has a license tag that reads, “ICGSUS”.  Ordinarily, I would only give the tag a passing glance.  It is creative, but not much different from other statements of faith I see as I drive around town.  But there is more to the tag than meets the eye.  My barber has a prayer room where she comes early in the morning and spends hours before the Lord.  Her mother, who is 101 years old, still spends three hours in prayer every day.  Over the years I have watched my barber answer God’s call to reach out in Jesus’ name, in every way possible.  She has visited women in prison and given them hair makeovers, then given them free cuts after they were released and even offered to teach them her trade as a gift.  She has taken trips to third world countries and loved on poor children who need to know they are not forgotten.  I am not sure what my barber has seen, but I have seen Jesus in her.  Through a faithful prayer life, she has successfully guarded her heart against the world’s toxins and remained organic in her love for the Lord.

Before I close, I want to make sure we know developing a walk that centered in the 100% Jesus is not achieved by following a formula.  The Beatitudes are not incantations we repeat to evoke some sort of mystical blessing from God.  The organic Christian life is fundamentally an honest relationship with our Savior.  Our relationship grows as we focus on His Word and journey with Him in prayer.  We must have a passion for the lost, but we don’t live for them.  We live for Jesus, and as a result the lost are able to see Him in us.  This means the most loving thing we can do for people who need Jesus is to love Jesus with all of our being.  The Lord’s heart for the lost will spill over into our relationship with everyone we meet.

Just recently, I unearthed a picture of my Uncle Gene.  Uncle Gene had a serious alcohol problem, and battled other demons that affected his marriage and his relationship with his co-workers on the railroad.  I love the picture because my uncle is sitting on a back porch stair, with a railroad cap on his head and a coffee mug in his hand.  He looks reflective.  The picture makes me think of the things my uncle might have been reflecting on when the picture was taken.  At the time he had turned his life around.  He quit drinking and restored his relationship with my aunt and others.  Most importantly he gave his heart to Jesus.  One of the biggest factors in his decision to accept the Lord was my father, who had a pure interest in seeing his brother saved for eternity.  They say familiarity breeds contempt, and I can’t help but think my father’s love for Jesus and for his brother was so sincere and unwavering, it eventually reached its target.  I doubt my Uncle Gene would have come to the Lord through creative marketing and packaged principles of evangelism.  Instead, he came by way of those in his life who cared more about his soul them themselves.

This is the spirit of the 100% pure Jesus.  He cared more about us than He did about Himself.  He left His home of glory and gave everything for our salvation.  That’s pure.  That’s organic.  That’s the 100% Jesus!  Oh that I would reflect a single percent of His love for me.

Third, are we engaging our world in such a way that allows people to see Jesus as He is revealed in our lives, His Word and circumstances?  It is important to let the Word of God purify our hearts, and we must love those Jesus came to save, but unless we physically reach out to the lost the condition of our hearts is irrelevant to our mission.  This is where the organic nature of our faith makes us most effective.

When I was a young boy I watched college football games on television and attended one in person.  The competition was exciting to watch and we always cheered for our favorite team.  But watching football isn’t how I learned to love the game.  My passion was developed in our front yard where my grandfather and I spent hours tossing a football.  It grew in a nearby field where I met my friends on Saturday morning for a game of tag football.  And it was reinforced when I played one-on-one with my own son.  In fact, I still bear a scar from one of our games when I slipped and my glasses sliced my cheek open.

The purest form of anything is dispensed in person where it is impossible to hide behind the hype.  It is where we share life together and are willing to reveal our inner selves.  This is why, when God wanted to redeem us He came in person, in the form of His Son, Jesus.  In His description of his encounter with Jesus, the Apostle John wrote, “The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.  We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:2-3).  It is difficult to proclaim anything for the purpose of fellowship unless we engage others.  The 100% Jesus is seen best one-on-one.  That is how He came.  That is how He sends us.