Who is Jesus? #156

Ten Things Jesus Knows About You

Your Love

To the church in Thyatira (Revelation 2:19) Jesus says, “I know your love.” He rebukes the church in Ephesus (Revelation 2:4) because they had, “forsaken their first love.” How could they? How could we?

Jesus commands His followers to love Him. How do you do that? What if I don’t feel like it? That just might be the root of the problem. In today’s culture love is typically attached to a feeling. If I am not experiencing that feeling I must not love.

The agape of the Bible, the love that Jesus demands of us, really has nothing to do with how we feel. Agape means to want and work for the good of someone else. It looks at others and not self.

Our Lord also told us and the world that His disciples will be known by one strong and outstanding characteristic; love!

John 13:35

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Not only is our love for each other to be shown, but our love for Jesus is expressed in our actions and not just in the words “I love you” that might come flippantly or unthinkingly out of our mouths.

John 14:15

15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

I don’t know if love should come easy or not, but I do know that love is something that can be seen…observed. You might say the proof of the love pudding is in the action.

O.K., we can add come kind of love for ourselves and then we have a nice three point sermon that everyone can say AMEN to and dismiss after a chorus of "My Jesus, I Love Thee." Then again maybe there is more here.

So I guess then it is possible to look like we love each other and we love Jesus without really loving each other or loving Him. Never thought about that. Is it possible that, for some reason, I might want people to think I love Jesus so I am going to act like it? I want people to think I love them so I act like it. Would someone really do that? Would someone really go to the effort to look like they love without really loving? Talk about hypocrisy!

In today's world psychologists have discovered people who are in love with being in love. It goes back to that feeling that goes along with love. I believe there are some of us who love the idea of loving Jesus and have convinced ourselves that we, therefore, do love Him. We are in love with being in love rather than unashamedly loving Him.

Is this were good old impetuous Peter was in his journey (John 21)? "Peter, do you love me?" "Well Jesus, I like the thought of loving you." Feeding Jesus' sheep would be proof and Peter eventually accepted that ministry. He did love Jesus.

Time for a check-up on self here. Am I in love with being in love with Jesus? Do I kind of like the idea of loving Jesus? Do I love Jesus? Let's not confuse one for the other. He knows which is which.

Who is Jesus? #155

Beginning this fall my wife, Aleta, will be teaching a ladies class entitled, "Who is Jesus?" She will create a snapshot of each lesson and post them on Tittletangents as a guest blogger. She has mostly agreed  to do this. First snapshot below.

WHO IS JESUS – MESSIAH

Jesus the Messiah, who was to restore Israel or redeem her, did not come to the Earth born in a palace surrounded by luxury and greatness. We know that he did not come to restore physical Israel to their previous glory, but instead he came to restore or redeem God’s people, all of God’s people to himself. We know how royalty typically arrives! However, when God came to earth in the form of Jesus, he came to an animal shelter and was laid in a feed trough.

Do we, like the Jews, have any misconceptions about the coming of the Messiah? When we think about the birth of the Messiah, God’s Anointed One, what do we stress as the most important parts? Do we spend all our efforts arguing whether to remember this day or on all of the errors in the nativity scene? Have we become the ones who strain at gnats and swallow camels? Are we the ones who are now in danger of missing the Messiah because the world doesn’t act as we think it should?

Just what are we sure we know about the Messiah? The Old Testament gives prophecies of the Messiah, and the gospels show us the fulfillment. But what does it mean to me today?

Let’s not forget that God always seeks us out. He made the first move to reconcile us to him by sending his son into the world. Remember I John 4:19 that tells us “We love because he first loved us.” Were it not for God seeking us out and showing us what love is, we would not be able to love.

Let’s not forget that God is with us. Just as real as his presence was to Mary when she was carrying Jesus in her womb, his presence is to be real to us. When we are convinced that God is with us at all times, it will affect everything we do and every word we say. It will affect our attitude toward others and how we treat them. It will affect our tendencies to give in to depression and anxiety.

When we truly see Jesus as God’s Anointed One, we realize there is no other. There is no need for us to look for a further revelation or continue to seek a messiah. Many people have claimed to be the messiah over the years. Great excitement would rise up, the man died, and nothing happened. We have the Messiah who was so long awaited, and we need no one else.

When Jesus came to this Earth and fulfilled his Father’s will, he provided the only way for us to draw near to God. Jesus is the very center of God’s plan to restore man to himself. Many people want the blessings of God but want to ignore his Son. Jesus is God coming face to face with man, and we cannot ignore him.

When God sent the Messiah to be born of Mary, she was faced with a moment of decision, surrender or denial. There was no middle ground for Mary, and there is no middle ground for us today. If we would meet the Messiah, we must surrender our hearts to him and let him fill every part of our lives. We face the same decision to accept or deny Jesus as the Messiah, the Anointed One who wants to rule over our lives. Will we be able to surrender to his will as Mary did and say, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said!”

Who is Jesus? #154

Ten Things Jesus Knows About You

He Knows Where You Are

In the first chapter of John’s gospel we find Jesus gathering His first followers. In verse 42 Andrew brought his brother Simon to Jesus. Later, verse 47, Philip brings his somewhat skeptical brother, Nathanael, to Jesus. Jesus pegs Nathanael as a truthful guy and in response to Nathanael's question Jesus says, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you, (v. 48)." This convinces Nathanael of Jesus' identity.

Jesus knowledge of where Nathanael was is pretty powerful. The thought I am pondering today is what do we do with the thought that Jesus knows where we are? Jesus knew Nathanael's physical location, and He also knows ours. But does He not also know our spiritual location? Jesus knows where we are spiritually.

He saw where Nicodemus should have been, spiritually, and delivers a rather scathing jab when He says, "You are Israel's teacher, and do you not understand these things? (John 3: 10).” But He also knew where His disciples were spiritually. "Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?" This was after Philip's request to see the Father.

Isn't it true that we are all on a spiritual journey that starts us out as babies? This is a good thing. We start out as babies and begin a life of growth in Him. Jesus knows where we are. So, when I read a verse like I Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it," I take it that in saying this God takes into count just where you and I are. An infant cannot withstand what an adult should be able to endure. He knows if we are babies. He knows if we are mature adults. He knows every stage in between. He also knows if we are experiencing a spiritually weak moment. We all do from time to time. The question regards overall growth.

How does He feel when He knows we are still babies and we should be grown up? The writer of Hebrews alludes to this, "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again, (5:12)."

I think there is both comfort and concern in the reality that Jesus knows where we are along our spiritual journey. Could that be why Jesus taught in parables? (Matthew 13:13), " 'This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.' " For some, their location along the spiritual road would not allow them to understand the truths that Jesus was sharing. For others, whose journey had taken them further down the road, they could absorb the point Jesus was making.

But then, is where I sit on my spiritual walk where I ought to be by now? I have been on this journey all my life. I have been a Christian for 48 years. Where would I find myself on the spiritual roadmap? Is Jesus going treat me as a baby though I should be well on the way to maturity? Or, because of my location, am I missing out on some of the joys and blessings Jesus has in store for those who have matured.

Jesus knows yours and my spiritual location. Is He happy with it? Are we?

Who is Jesus? #153

Ten Things Jesus Knows About You

Your Trials

I suppose that we all have been through struggles of some sort in our lives where we felt like not only nobody cared, but nobody knew. That's sort of the way it is in life these days. We seem to hold our struggles inside for fear, I guess, that someone will think we are less than a person because we have problems. The reality is that all of us have struggles."In this world you will have trouble, (John 16:23)." For Christians, just as real is the fact that Jesus knows our struggles.  We used to sing about it. "Jesus knows all about our struggles. He will guide 'till the day is done."

Have we not figured that out, yet? You've seen movies or heard news stories about people who trek out into the wild by themselves and get in some kind of predicament and there is no one to call to for help - no one knows. That's not us! It seems like what we have figured out is that we have to carry these burdens all by ourselves. How insulting to our Lord! How insulting to your church family! He is, as well as we are, here for you. Why don't we get that? The difference between us and Him is He knows anyway!!

The prophet Isaiah says this. “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering, (53:3)." Of all the wonder of the Messiah that could have been prophesied, and much of it was, the prophet includes He was "familiar with suffering." "...we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are... (Hebrews 4:15)." In some way our struggles bring us into some kind of connection with Jesus. He was/is familiar with trials.

Jesus told the church in Smyrna (Revelation 2:8), "I know your afflictions." He doesn't share with them or us an immediate fix. As a matter of fact He encourages them to "not be afraid" and indicates that more suffering was coming their way (2:10). He then assures them of victory.

I remember Jesus sending His disciples off on a missionary journey and telling them that they would have trials of their own; arrests, beatings, imprisonment. Perhaps we should remember that before we started our journey on this earth Jesus knew we would have struggles. Let's face it, at times life is a struggle. Remember again ."In this world you will have trouble, (John 16:23)."

What do we do? Well, let's not worry in our struggles (Philippians 4:6). Stay close to the One who has expereinced and come through His own trials. Let's lay our struggles at the feet of the one who knows about them in the first place (I Peter 5:7). Go to the throne of grace to find mercy and grace (Hebrews 4:16).

Abraham, Job, Joseph and others can tesitfy to victory after trials. So can we!

He knows your trials.

Who is Jesus? #152

Ten Things Jesus Knows About You

Your Faith

Among other things, Jesus says to the Church at Thyatira, "I know...your faith, (Revelation 2:19)." How could you know, Jesus - my faith, that is? There are times I am not sure myself just what kind of faith I have. I feel that there have been periods in my life where my faith has not been at its best. Even in those times when it has been at its best, I am not sure it was where it needed to be. I am not sure if it even measured up to a mustard seed, (Matthew 17:20).

It appears to me that the number one thing that seemed to displease Jesus the most was a display of faithlessness. It seems that most of this displeasure came from those who were closest to Him. "Where is your faith?" Those disciples in that boat needed to answer that question, (Matthew 8). Just exactly what was it that was drowning Peter? What it the water or his lack of faith, (Matthew 14)? Demons remained because of "little faith, (Matthew 17)." After Jesus death, the disciples had no faith in His return via resurrection, (Mark16).

On the other hand, Jesus seemed to be most pleased when strong faith was demonstrated. Bartimaeus' faith cured his blindness, (Mark 10). It appears that some displays of faith came from some surprising sources. A woman no longer bleeds because she knew all she had to do was touch Jesus, (Mark 5). The faith of four friends brings spiritual and physical healing, (Mark 2). A Canaanite woman, compared to a dog, has enough faith for herself and her demon-possessed daughter, (Matthew 15). A centurion had more faith than Jesus had seen manifested among all the Jews, (Matthew 8).

In both cases, whether it was a lack of faith or a great faith, demonstration was the key. Faith is not something you simply hold inside of you. Although it is influenced by the doctrines and principles that you believe, it is not simply a "set" of things you believe. It is not really something you hide to try to protect. Your faith is something you live out in your everyday life of service to Him. It is what makes you do what you do.

Your faith is what pleases God if it is of the stuff the goes beyond the ordinary, believing God exists, to the extraordinary, believing He rewards seekers for the their diligence, (Heb 11). It means that faith is something that comes alive in the lives of believers.

Could that be how he knows my faith? Oh yes, He can look into my heart and see that I have some level of belief. But, when I let my faith move me to action; seeking Him, serving others in His name, talking about Him to others, etc. That's how He knows. Look in the references above. A lack of faith resulted in inaction and failure. A strong faith resulted in action and success. When Jesus sees inaction, He sees little to no faith. When he observes spiritually diligent activity, He sees faith!

He knows our faith!