06.17.10
Posted in Divinity, Logos, Theology, Wisdom at 7:30 am by Anthony
I hope that you’ve already read this post, where I described the role of Wisdom in creation, and how wisdom was woven into the fabric of t he universe. You may remember that Proverbs 8 describes how Lady Wisdom proceeded eternally from God’s very nature, and was the craftsman of creation.
If that sounded familiar, it may have because, while the Hebrews spoke of chokmah (skill or wisdom), the Greeks spoke of the Logos , or “the Word.” The apostle John, who was a Hebrew writing in Greek, merged these two concepts when he wrote in John 1:
In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3)
Here we see the Logos, the Word, doing what Lady Wisdom did in Proverbs. But John goes on to tell us more than the author of the Proverbs could have ever told us. This is simply because, when the Proverbs were compiled it hadn’t happened yet. By the time John lived, however, it had happened and John had seen it with his own eyes.
The Logos became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
God’s Wisdom came into the world in the person of Jesus Christ, so that we don’t have to wonder what a skillfully lived life looks like. He lived life perfectly, to the full – because he is the Creator of Life the Master of it, and he came to give abundant, eternal life.
The good news is that he died, so that we could have that life, too. He rose again and he sent his Spirit, so that our chaotic lives can be built according to the plan that God has for us. And today we can read his Word and listen to his Spirit and we can discern the work that God wants to do so that our lives display his skill craftsmanship.
That’s what it means to experience grace.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
When we begin to do the good works that God has created us in Christ, in the Logos, to do, that is when we become skilled in the art of living—that is when we are living wisely.
Permalink
06.16.10
Posted in Eternity, Fear of the Lord, Wisdom at 7:30 am by Anthony
In the last couple of posts, we’ve looked at the Hebrew concept of chokmah, which means skill, but also means wisdom. Wisdom is the skill of living. Wisdom procedes from the very nature of God, is woven into the fabric of creation, and is the key for bringing order into the chaos of our lives.
So how do we let wisdom do her work in our lives? We’re all under construction, and none of us are yet a completed work. With some people, even though their lives are not yet what they are going to be, it’s obvious that wisdom’s plan is being followed–they’re taking the right shape and becoming what God designed them to be. There are others, however, whose lives aren’t taking shape – they’re becoming more chaotic. How can you make sure that your life is following God’s plan?
According to the wisdom literature of the Bible, the place to start learning skill in the art of living life is by cultivating the fear of the Lord.
Job said in Job 28:28 that [God] said to man,
‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.’ “
The psalmist said in Psalm 86:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.
And in the opening verses of the book of Proverbs (1:7), we read,
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
The New Testament, like the Old, exhorts us to live in the fear of God. Yet John tells us that perfect love casts out fear. We know that we have been given the right to be called children of God; we know that nothing on heaven or earth can separate us from God’s love. So what is this “fear” that Scripture talks about. Well, it’s talking about a particular attitude that we should develop. And while there are probably many different ways that we could talk about it, I’d like to suggest that we recognize two very important contrasts.
First, if we have the fear of the Lord, we will recognize the difference between the Infinite and the finite. We will recognize that God, who created billions of galaxies, is greater than all of them combined. We will recognize that he inhabits all of the future and all of the past and all of the present. We will recognize that he dwells in all places and that no thought is hidden from him. He is clothed in power, glory, and dominion, he reigns over the cosmos in the beauty of holiness.
As for us, on the other hand – well, we’re not in his league. In fact, no one or nothing else is in his league. There is no one that we can compare to God. And that should inspire us to hold Him in awe and to view ourselves with deep humility. I’m not talking about self-loathing, but genuine humility in which we recognize our place in the universe. Wisdom begins with the conscious recognition that all we have and are come from God and that every aspect of our lives must be under his dominion. We will grow in skillful living as we daily cultivate the attitude of awe and humility in our walk with God.
He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
So, to live in the fear of the Lord is to recognize the difference between the Inifinite God and our own finite-ness. And it’s also to recognize the difference between the Temporal and the Eternal. The “temporal” are those things that are “time bound,” that don’t last forever. Eternal things last forever. So it seems obvious that our lives should focus on t hose things that are eternal, and yet we get seduced into giving more attention to temporal things. I’m not sure why that is. Maybe because our own bodies, our own flesh, is temporal, that temporal things appear to be so much more real. The things that we usually consider to be “real world” situations—houses, money, cars, jobs,–those things are real, but they are temporary – so they will not always be real.
We, however, are eternal. We will always be real. Now, we’re not eternal in both directions, like God is, but we will live eternally into the future. So it makes sense that we align our lives with eternal values instead of with things and values that will disappear soon. We should remind ourselves daily that we are ‘aliens and strangers’ (1 Peter 2:11) on earth and that our true citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).
Yet while, we ourselves are eternal, our days in this life are finite. And this knowledge should motivate us to live wisely and skillfully.
Moses prayed in Psalm 90:12,
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
To number our days aright means to recognize that they are limited – and Moses says that recognizing this is the pathway to having a heart of wisdom.
In a previous post, I referred to Kenneth Boa. He says that “The great saints through the ages learned the wisdom of having only two days on t heir calendars: today and that day (the day they would be with the Lord). “ What if we cleared out our refrigerator calendars and our day timers and our iPhone calendars aand lived in light of the only two days that are guaranteed to us – today, and that day.
It is living with this perspective, of distinguishing between the things that last forever, and the things that are temporary, and it is knowing the difference between the Infinite and the Finite – that will help us to live with the fear of the Lord – and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of the skill of living.
Permalink
06.15.10
Posted in Creation, Wisdom at 7:35 am by Anthony
In the last post, we looked at the Hebrew concept of chokmah, which basically means “a practical or artistic skill.” Then we noted that chokmah is also the Hebrew word for wisdom. We defined wisdom as “the skill of living.”
If we want to learn to live life well – if we want to be skillful at life – then we need to ask God for wisdom. The Bible is clear that wisdom does come from God.
If you look at the beginning of Proverbs 8 in your Bible, it may say something like “Wisdom’s Call.” This chapter is a poem in which wisdom is personified – is represented as a person – as a woman to be more precise – and wisdom calls out and urges people to live according to her teachings. In verse 22, Lady Wisdom says, “The Lord brought me out as the first of his works” – wisdom came forth from God before God created anything else. She says in verse 23, “I was appointed from eternity” – Because wisdom comes from God’s very being, she is as eternal as God is eternal. She says that she was present with God throughout creation, and in verses 30-31 she says,
Then I was the craftsman at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind.
Notice the idea of Wisdom being the craftsman of creation, and how she found joy and delight in this process. The nature of Wisdom is built into the very fabric of our universe, and if we want to be successful craftsmen in the skill of living, then we would do well to listen to her words. That’s why she goes on to say,
Blessed is the man who listens to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.
For whoever finds me finds life
and receives favor from the LORD.
But whoever fails to find me harms himself;
all who hate me love death.” (Proverbs 8:34-36)
So Lady Wisdom says, “If you find me, you find life. If you fail, to find me, you harm yourself. If you hate me – if you willfully reject me—then you will find death instead of life.”
God is the source of Wisdom, and he has woven her into his creation. If we want to live successfully in this world, then we must listen to the words of Wisdom.
If you look at Genesis 1, creation is viewed as God taking some raw materials that were in a chaotic state and God fashioned a beautiful world out of them. In Proverbs 8, wisdom says that she was there even before chaos, and she was God’s agent in taking the chaos and was the craftsman who formed this amazing creation.
Right now you may think that the word “chaos” describes your life, that it’s a mess. You may be right. But I believe that God has already assembled all of the raw materials in you that you need to lead a beautiful, skillful life. You are made in God’s image. His blueprint is stamped on you, and Wisdom is the craftsman who can take that blueprint and the raw materials of your life and craft you into the person that god designed you to be!
Permalink
06.14.10
Posted in Lifestyle, Skill, Wisdom at 10:30 am by Anthony
If I’m ever tempted to be envious, it’s usually not of people who possess things that I don’t have, but of those who have skills that I don’t have. There are all kinds of skills that I just don’t have a clue about – whether it’s welding metal or construction or carpentry or plumbing, or auto mechanics or electrical work – I can only do the most basic tasks in any of those areas. I don’t know how to run a business or to come up with new ways of making make money. I can’t do surgery or do accounting. And sometimes when I see people that can do those kinds of things and it seems like it comes so naturally to them, I get a little bit envious.
Now, I’m not trying to put myself down. I do have some skills that not everyone has. I know that, for some of you, standing in a pulpit every week would scare you to death, and I’m thinking – “What’s the big deal?” Which is what you’re thinking when I call you and ask you to help me fix a leak or saw a piece of wood.
We all have certain skills that we have and others that we don’t, but then, there’s at least one skill that we all need to have, and that is the skill of living.
Unfortunately, some are more skilled at living than others. We all know people who are alive, but who aren’t very skilled at life. They are what Dave Ramsey calls “Murphy Magnets.” If something bad is going to happen, it’s going to happen to them. Now, of course, bad things happen to every one. But some people just seemed to be faced with one disaster after another, so much so, that you begin to wonder, “Is some of this self-inflicted?”
Other people manage quite well in some areas, but not in others. Maybe they’re great at running a business, but have no skills with their families. Maybe they can quickly get a vision as to how to remodel a bathroom, but when it comes to renovating a broken relationship, they don’t know where to start.
One resource that I’ve been introduced to recently that has helped me know how to talk about this is a book by Kenneth Boa called, Conformed to His Image (Zondervan, 2001). It carries the subtitle, “Biblical and Practical Approaches to Spiritual Formation.” The things that Boa shares have made an impact on me and my own spiritual growth, so a lot of what I’ll be sharing in these next few posts comes from his book, but I’ve also included a lot of thoughts that I felt God was showing me as I developed this lesson.
The word that the Old Testament uses for “knowing how to do things” is chokmah –and it’s a basic meaning is “skill.” One place it’s used quite often is in talking about all the skills that were needed to build the Tabernacle. This passage is typical:
Exodus 35:30-35
Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship. And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them master craftsmen and designers.
I’m impressed that, at what we think of being under primitive conditions, the people of Israel had a lot of practical skills. Then again, that might not be so surprising when we realized that they had been living in Egypt, which was at that stage the world’s most advanced civilization, for the past 400 years . In order to work as slaves for the Egyptians, they had to acquire their skills.
But this word chokmah has another translation. But I wanted to talk about it’s basic meaning of skill before talking about the main sense in whichI want to use it. Because the word chokmah is also translated as “wisdom.” And when we understand this, we understand better what wisdom is. Wisdom is the skill of living life.
Permalink
11.17.09
Posted in Discipleship, Transformation at 7:00 am by Anthony
Jesus says, “Whoever serves me must follow me” (John 12:26). Where was Jesus going? What direction was he heading? He was heading toward the cross, and if we’re going to be his disciples, we have follow him there.
But where is there, exactly, in our lives today? What does it mean for us today to go to the cross? Well, first, we have to go there in our hearts. We have to, in our heart of hearts, surrender everything to him. We have to make a decision that our lives are no longer about us, about our happiness, about our comfort, about our selves – our lives are about honoring the Father. That was the focus of Jesus’ life, and that’s got to be the focus of our hearts.
If we follow Jesus completely in our hearts, then it will show up in our lives. It will affect our priorities and the choices we make about everything from our daily schedules to our family budgets to how we treat the people we really don’t like.
This doesn’t sound easy, does it? It wasn’t easy for Jesus, either.
27“Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name!” (John 12:27-28a)
Even though Jesus’ heart was troubled, he knew that it was something that he couldn’t avoid. On a much smaller scale, we are all called to act this courageously. I remember this verse coming to mind when I first moved to Africa – I had spent years preparing, but when the time came, I wanted to say, “Father, save me from this hour!” But the only way the Father could be glorified was by me going through with what he had prepared me for.
There are times that we plan and prepare for something, sometimes for years, but when the time comes to go through with it, it’s very scary. Maybe it’s going to college or getting married, or starting a family, or starting a business. Maybe it’s sharing Jesus with someone – someone who’s as different from you as the Greeks were to Philip and Andrew. Maybe it’s that decision that you’re not going to live for yourself anymore, that you are going to be baptized into Christ and die to yourself and live for him. It’s scary, but God has brought you to this point, and now he calls you to act courageously.
And when you do, you make your Father so proud.
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
30Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” 33He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. (John 12:28b-33)
The death that Jesus had to die is both repulsive and attractive. It was certainly repulsive to Satan, to the prince of this world, who was defeated on the cross. It’s repulsive to those who are too proud to admit that they need someone to take their place, to bear the load of their sin. But it’s attractive to those of us who recognize that there is no other way, who are overwhelmed by the love of Jesus that gave him the courage to obey his Father, and who pray that we, too, may live courageously – with the courage to lose our own lives, so that we may find new life in him.
Permalink
11.16.09
Posted in Discipleship, Lifestyle, Transformation at 4:14 pm by Anthony
In these next couple of posts, I’d like to focus on John 12:23-33. The first few verses say,
23Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
Just before Jesus said these words, Philip and Andrew had brought a group of Greeks who had asked to see Jesus, to him. Jesus realized that their arrival signaled that it was time for the gospel to go out to all peoples. But before that cold happen, he would have to be “lifted up.”
Jesus says that, for him, the path to glory must lead through death. The plant cannot grow, bear fruit, and produce more seeds, unless that first seed dies. Jesus’ own life was that first seed, and he knew that he had to die in order for the kingdom to grow. Now that was quite different from what the crowds were expecting from their Messiah. But today, in retrospect, we can accept what he was saying. He was saying that his death was necessary in order to accomplish a greater good.
That’s a harsh reality, but we experience it in other dimensions as well. Last week we celebrated Veterans Day as a way of saying thank you to those who put their lives on the line so that others may have freedom. On Memorial Day we remember those who lost their lives for what they saw as a greater cause. And as horrible as war is, we as a society dare to ask our men and women of the armed forces to be willing to make that sacrifice. We expect it, not just of our soldiers, but of our law enforcement and firemen as well. Wives and children expect it, and rightfully so, of husbands and fathers. We know that, sometimes, some people have to sacrifice their lives so that others can live. And most of us are willing to say, “I don’t want to die, but – if it came right down to it – if the people I love the most, if the country I love or the values that I hold dear were on the line, I’d do it. I hope to avoid that sacrifice, but I’d make it.”
“In the meantime, though, I’m going to get the most I can out of life, I’m going to love my life, I’m going to give myself and my family the most comfortable life I can, we’re going to enjoy ourselves; I’m going for the gusto; I’m going to get everything out of life that I can.”
And Jesus says, “Wait, wait, wait, wait. It doesn’t work that way.” Following me doesn’t just mean being willing to say, “I believe in Jesus” when someone is holding a gun to your head. It’s much more difficult than that. It’s much more difficult to say, “I believe in Jesus,” and to live that way when no one is holding a gun to your head, when you could just as easily not make that confession, when you could just as easily not live that way, as when you’re forced to take a stand one way or the other.
If you really want to live, if you really want to grab life by the horns, you’ve got to give up your right to your own life. Not just be willing to die – really lose your life while you’re still living and breathing.
When Jesus says you have to “lose,” your life – he doesn’t mean “misplace” it, so you can find it later. The word he uses means to destroy it. When he says you have to “hate” your life – he’s not talking about self-loathing, he’s talking about not letting your own life distract you from following him. In Luke 14 he says you have to “hate” your family if you’re going to follow him. What he means is that you don’t let your relationships, you don’t even let your own self, distract you from following him.
You may well be aking, “Doesn’t Jesus care about me—about my life, my problems, my challenges?” Of course he does! He loves you intimately and personally and is ready to carry your burdens. In fact, he is so focused on you, that you don’t have to be; you can be focused on him He is much more capable of dealing with these things than you are, so let him!
Permalink
10.28.09
Posted in Church Life, Discipleship, Lifestyle at 6:30 am by Anthony
In the first post in this series we looked at what it means to authentically say the 23rd Psalm and how, as Christians, we can say it with the Lord Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd, in mind. In the second post we drew three points of application from John 10. To be able to say “The Lord Jesus is my shepherd,” means to be known by him, to listen to his voice, and to follow him. Today, close by looking at two otther implications of following Jesus as our shepherd.
To Be Protected By Him.
Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. (John 10:7-8)
It’s a dangerous world our there; there are lots of wolves, and some of them are in sheep’s clothing. There are thieves and robbers. Satan tries in so many ways to lure us out of the flock, and out of the care of the good shepherd. Think about what how he tries to do it in your own life – maybe you’re overwhelmed with busyness; maybe it’s discouragement that tempts you to wander away from Jesus. Maybe it’s a kind of spiritual loneliness where you feel don’t feel like you have a true friend to walk alongside of you. Maybe you’re listening to the voice of the thieves and robbers, of our society that tells you that something newer or faster or sexier is better than life with the Good Shepherd.
Jesus says that the only place of safety is to enter the sheepfold through him. And once you’re there, he won’t let anyone come and snatch you out.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.(John 10:27-29)
A lot of Christians believe this verse teaches something called “the perserverance of t he saints,” or, as we usually hear it, “once saved always saved.” But you and I have all seen people who have chosen to walk out of the sheepfold . The good shepherd lets them go because his hand is place of safety, not a prison. Sometimes the good shepherd pursues them. Sometimes, like the Father in the parable of the lost son, he waits for their return. Some of them return and some of them don’t. But we should not confuse the possibility of leaving the hand of Jesus with the probability of leaving. Jesus says, “As long as you stick with me, I’ll watch out for you; I’ll protect you – ain’t nobody gonna grab you out of my hands; you can be assured of that.”
Finally, to have the Lord Jesus as your shepherd means
To Be In His Flock.
Now that may sound like a no-brainer, but it’s surprising how many sheep try to survive away from the flock. That’s a dangerous place. In another passage, Jesus talked about a man who left his ninety-nine sheep who were safe to go after the one who had wandered away (Matt. 18:12-13; Luke 15:3-7). Why would he do that? He does that because to be in the flock, to be with other sheep in the presence of the shepherd, is the best place to be protected from the thieves and the robbers that are out there – and they are out there!
I think another reason that the good shepherd wants us with the flock is because the flock is place where he can gather new sheep.
I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. (John 10:16)
In this context, Jesus probably had in mind bringing the Gentiles into a flock that was, at that time, all Jewish. That’s not a big issue for us today, but I think there’s a message for us here. The flock, of course, is the church – we all need the church and we need to be in the church and we need to be with other Christians. But the good shepherd never intended to have a flock that just had the same sheep in it year after year after year. He wants wild sheep – sheep that have never been part of a flock – to come in. And he really doesn’t want a bunch of different flocks. He didn’t want a Jewish flock and a Gentile flock—he wanted to bring them together. And I’m convinced that he still longs for one flock, not a bunch of different flocks wearing different denominational banners. And he sure doesn’t want his sheep butting each other trying to push one another out of the flock!
Jesus really is the good shepherd – he is my shepherd, and I hope that he’s your shepherd. To be his sheep is to be known by him, it is to know him, it is to follow him, to be protected by him, and to be in his flock. All of this is possible because the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.
Permalink
10.27.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 6:00 am by Anthony
Yesterday we looked at the 23rd Psalm and talked about why we are justified in taking what it says about “the LORD,” and thinking of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
We’re back to our question – ““What does it look like to have ‘The Lord is my shepherd’ written—not just on my tombstone—but on my life?” “What does it mean to be the person who can say the 23rd Psalm without hypocrisy?” “What is it like to have the Lord Jesus Christ as my shepherd?”
According to what Jesus teaches in John 10, having the Lord Jesus as my shepherd means …
To Be Known by Him
Tis is what Jesus is saying in John10:3, and again in verse 14.
3The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
14“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—
When Jesus taught this, he knew that his audience would have a whole set of mental images of sheep and shepherds and the relationship between them. These people saw sheep and shepherds every day. They knew what their lifestyle and practices were like. Today, most of us have very little direct knowledge of shepherding even in our own culture – and the images that we do have are probably quite different from those to whom Jesus was talking.
When I think of shepherds and sheep, when I think of the 23rd Psalm, when I think of the good shepherd – I usually think of a scene like this.
In reality, however, we should probably think more of a scene more like this.
This was the kind of life Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived. This is the kind of world the shepherd boy David lived in; and this is the picture that would have come to mind when Jesus talked about sheep and shepherds.
Here in John 10, Jesus draws from a couple of different settings. One comes from the village, where several families live and each has a few sheep. Each morning, the person assigned to watch after the sheep that day – usually a child – David was a shepherd boy – would go to the different family compounds, and the watchman at each compound would open the gate, call the sheep, and they would follow him. At night, they would return to the village, because the shepherd knew each sheep, he would make sure that each one was safely home.
During the warmer months, however, the shepherd and the sheep might not return to the village. They might spend the night in the field. But the sheep didn’t just roam around all night. There was a sheep pen, surrounded by a wall built from rocks that had been gathered from the field. Thorns were placed on top of the rocks to prevent predators from climbing over. There was an opening for going in and o out, but no permanent gate. Instead, the shepherd would sleep in the opening – the shepherd was, himself, the gate. So, you see, when Jesus says, “I am the gate for the sheep” in verse 7, and “I am the good shepherd” in verses 11 & 14, he’s really saying the same thing.
Those shepherds knew each sheep individually. Because the Lord Jesus is my shepherd, I know that he knows me as well. He cares for the whole flock, but he also cares for me. He knows exactly what my life is like, he knows exactly the temptations I face, the knows exactly the encouragement that I need to make it through the day, he knows exactly what spiritual gifts I have and how I can be use them in his kingdom . I am his sheep, and he knows me.
To have the Lord Jesus as my shepherd also means…
To Know His Voice.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.(John 10: 4)
Today is not my first day in the field with this shepherd. We’ve spent some time together, so I know him. I recognize his voice. I know the kinds of things he would say. So, when I hear another voice telling me something that he would never say, I recognize it as a dangerous, deceitful voice.
Of course, I have to make sure that I really know him. I have to know what he has said in Scripture, so that I know what he really would say, and not just what I want him to say or think he should say or that someone else told me he would say. If the Lord Jesus is my shepherd, I know him first through Scripture, and then I know him through my day-to-day experience with him.
To Follow Him
Notice that the good shepherd is out front; he is leading, and the sheep are following where he leads. If the Lord Jesus is my shepherd, then I’m going to walk in his steps, I’m going to follow where he leads. He will lead me, as the 23rd Psalm says, in “paths of righteousness” — this isn’t a goody two shoes kind of self-righteousness, but it’s treating people fairly, and trying to get justice for people who are being cheated out of a fair deal.
Jesus, the good shepherd, will also lead me to love God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength, to love my neighbor as myself, and even to love my enemies. If the Lord Jesus is my shepherd I will follow him; I’ll follow him all the way to the cross where he lay down him his life.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John10:14-15)
Permalink
10.26.09
Posted in Divinity, Lifestyle at 1:36 pm by Anthony
Few passages of Scripture have brought comfort to as many people as the 23rd Psalm. If you memorized it in childhood, take a moment to recall it. If not, here it is. (This is one case where the King James Version is still my favorite.)
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
This passage is read at almost every funeral, and it is inscribed on many tombstones. That is certainly appropriate – it’s appropriate if it reflects the life of those saying it or the one who is being remembered.
Dallas Willard has noted, however, that “’The Lord is my shepherd’ is written on many more tombstones than lives.”
What I want each of us to ask today is, “What does it look like to have ‘The Lord is my shepherd’ written on my life?”
I think we’ll find the answer in John chapter 10. As we’ve been moving through the gospel of John, we’ve been learning a lot about Jesus – who he is as our Lord and our Savior. That’s the primary purpose of John’s gospel – to bring us to greater faith in Jesus, so that we can have life in his name. We’ve talked about how the “I am” statements of Jesus, like “I am the bread of life,” “I am the light of the world,” are all in the context of the great I AM, Yahweh, the God of Scripture – that Jesus is indeed God! (For a fuller explanation of this idea, see my earlier post.) This chapter is no different. We have another one of those “I am” statements. Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd,” in verses 11 and 14.
We confess, “The LORD, Yahweh, is my shepherd.” And now Jesus says that he is the good shepherd.
A passage similar to Psalm 23 is found in the book of Isaiah. Speaking of the “Sovereign LORD,” the prophet says,
“He tends his flock like a shepherd
He gathers the lambs in his arms,
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.” (Isaiah 40-10-11)
So, when Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd,” he is continuing to do what we have seen all along in John’s gospel; he is making a claim that rightfully belongs only to God. So then, we have to decide what we believe about him. Either Jesus is the biggest liar and imposter that the world has ever seen, or he is who he claimed to be, and who the church believes him to be – he is the Son who is one with the Father–he is God.
But we have to remember that, in John’s gospel, faith is not an end in itself. In John 20:31, John says that he is writing, “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
So the real focus of John’s gospel is not faith, but life! In this very chapter, John 10, that’s what Jesus says he has come to offer. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) — You see, it’s all about life! Jesus offers full life, abundant life. But what does that life look like?
That’s where we’ll pick up tomorrow.
Permalink
10.13.09
Posted in Discipleship at 6:58 am by Anthony
For the past couple of days, we’ve been looking at Jesus’ healing of a man born blind, found in John 9. Because Jesus healed the man on a Sabbath, the Pharisees interrogated the man who been healed, and even his parents. In verse 17, the man tells the Pharisees that he believes that Jesus is a prophet. He’s already made progress in his faith. In verse 11 he had just talked about “the man called Jesus.” Now he’s calling him a prophet. Then, after they talk to his parents, we get down to this courageous and rather humourous exchange, starting in verse 24.
A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God, [that means, “tell the truth,” or “’fess up,” we might say] ” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”
The man who had been born blind is messin’ with these Pharisees and they are spittin’ mad. But you see, this man is showing us exactly what it means to be Jesus’ disciple – it means taking a stand for him, and sometimes it means being regarded as a rebel and a troublemaker.
The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. [That expression probably means, “They disfellowshipped him.”]
This man declared himself to be Jesus’ disciple and he was called to pay the price of discipleship. To be thrown out of the synagogue meant to be isolated from the life of the community; it meant to be an outsider. Because of his handicap, this man had alredy lived his life as an outsider. Now he has a chance to blend in, to become just a regular guy, but his gratitude and his commitment to Jesus made that impossible. The cost of discipleship means being different.
This man born blind had started out as viewing Jesus as “a man.” Then he called him “a prophet.” But now he is about to make another leap in his acknowledgment of Jesus.
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
This man called Jesus “Lord” – remember (or read this post) that that’s what a Jew said instead of saying “Yahweh.” Of course, the Greek word can else mean something milder, like “Sir.” What did this man mean? Look at what he did. He worshiped him. There is only one who is worthy of worship, and that is Yahweh. There is only one who is worthy of worship – that is God. The God who said, “Let there be light,” and there was light – brought light, not only to this man’s eyes, but to his heart.
Not everyone received that light.
Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
While John 3:17 is still true– that Jesus came to save, and not to condemn, John 3:18 remains true as well … “whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
The question that this man sarcastically asked the Pharisees, becomes the question that each of us must answer today – “Do you want to become his disciple, too?”
Being his disciple means living our lives in his light, and his light reveals to us the lies of Satan and the seduction of the world, so that, like this man, we are prepared to say, “Lord, I believe,” to fall on our knees in worship, and then rise to take our stand for him.
Permalink
« Previous entries Next Page » Next Page »
