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In previous chapters we have looked at many of the foundations that were laid in the ancient scriptures of the Hebrews, known to Christians as the Old Testament. Jesus declared that the completed bible of His day was unbreakable. Paul His apostle said these writings were “breathed by God” and were profitable, having many things to teach us. (Matthew 5:17-18, John 10:35, 2 Timothy 3:16, Romans 15:4). When one trusts in Christ and receives the Holy Spirit, it is not too difficult to begin to see and understand how powerful these words can become to us. While to some they seem like dead letters on a page, to us they reveal the very heart and will of God for the world!
Scholars from the very first centuries have understood the connections between the old and new testaments. Many of them knew that Jesus actually came and fulfilled many of the promises of the old testament by dying for our sins and overcoming death for our victory. Hundreds of years ago, many of them also saw that God had further plans for His creation. Since then, for various reasons, Christian pastors and teachers have become focused more on the very important issue of personal forgiveness. Today however, more people are becoming concerned about the world around them, and wonder what God intends not only for His people, but also for this very planet that He created. They are finding that the new testament prophecies cannot be fully understood without the context from which they were written, and the backdrop of the old testament.
For as long as I can remember people have started at the last book of the bible, The Revelation, and have tried to predict what will come upon the world in the near future. This approach can stir up much excitement and interest. However, the entire bible has much to say about the future of humanity. Knowing more of the whole bible can give us a better understanding of what this one highly symbolical and figurative book is about. Our approach then is to slow down, and to patiently allow God’s great plan and purpose of the ages to unfold before our eyes! God’s method is “precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:” (Isa 28:10 KJV). We would do well to accept His methods!
If you agree with the content of our last chapter, and desire to fight off the gloom and despair that tries to defeat us, I encourage you to take the promises of the Old Testament seriously. It is in the opening verses of the bible that we learn about why we are here. God created the earth and everything in it. Then at last He created humans to rule over it and to care for it. Have you ever struggled with the fact that we have lost that dominion?
In a 1971 song by the rock band, The Doors, Jim Morrison expressed this sentiment:
Riders on the storm,
Riders on the storm,
Into this house we’re born,
Into this world we’re throne,
Like a dog without a bone,
An actor out on lone,
Riders on the storm.
Could it be that his concept of a helpless, meaningless existence led to the reckless lifestyle that led to his death at 27, shortly after recording this song?
Without a connection with our Creator our existence can seem meaningless. We can easily waste the short time we have seeking pleasure or possessions in an attempt to fill the void that can only be satisfied by Him. Even we as Christians can secumb to feelings of despair and hopelessness — if we give more of our attention to the ideas of unbelieving politicians and entertainers than to the living Word of God!
No, God created us and this universe for His glory, goodness and love. We are not prisoners of our own lusts and slaves to our own instincts. What was lost in the fall was restored to us in Christ! The writer to the Hebrews reminds us this with these words and with a quote from the 8th Psalm of King David:
Hebrews 2:5-12 NASB (Earth Subject to Man)
5 For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. 6 But one has testified somewhere, saying,
“WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM? OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM? 7 “YOU HAVE MADE HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS;YOU HAVE CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR,AND HAVE APPOINTED HIM OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; 8 YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.”
For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.
9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren…”
Yes, Christ is the Second Adam, Who fully is the image of the invisible God. (1 Corinthians 15:47-49, Colossians 1:15, Hebrews 1:1-3). In Adam we all die, but IN CHRIST, we are all made alive! In Him we can be restored to our rightful place of dominion over the earth, to rule and reign with Him. (1 Corinthians 15:22, 2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 20:6) First we must understand that the way up is down. That is, we must follow the example of Christ in His humility and servanthood. Only as He sanctifies, sets us apart unto His pure motives and character can we be trusted with this authority. (Philippians 2:1-13). We are not called to reign in oppression, but to reign in life and blessing! (Romans 5:17)
Certainly much of this is in the future, but we can see already in the Early Church, believers possessing power over demons and diseases. Knowing who we are and our purpose in Christ is the first step toward living the full and abundant life! Believe it!
It is time that we quit embracing our failures and begin to take hold of our victory in Christ! Lord I believe but help me overcome my unbelief! As you consider these promises, I sincerely hope that many of you begin to sense that you were created for more than mere survival, mere existence. You have not been thrown into this universe, you have a destiny to fulfill in Christ! We can barely comprehend that now, but He is calling us all forward, upward and onward into that destiny in Him!
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Have you ever had a moment when you became overwhelmed with a greater awareness of the pure Love of God? It seems clear to me that more than a few hymn writers have experienced this, like Frederick Lehma who penned “The Love of God.” You might remember the chorus:
“O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!ask
It shall forevermore endure
the saint’s and angel’s song.”
He recalled an experience in his youth while growing up in Iowa:
“One glad morning about eleven o’clock while walking up the country lane, skirted by a wild crab-apple grove on the right and an osage fence, with an old white-elm gate in a gap at the left, suddenly Heaven let a cornucopia of glory descend on the eleven-year-old lad. The wild crab-apple grove assumed a heavenly glow and the osage fence an unearthly luster.” This was more than an appreciation of the beauty of creation, for he became so captivated by the presence of God that he was filled with overwhelming joy and praise to Him. The love of God that engulfed him that day is expressed in this beautiful hymn.
Many such stories have been recorded where individuals were struck in a point in time with this sense of the wonderful, all-embracing love of God. We have come across them in songs, poems and personal testimonies. When we hear of the experiences of others, we can even share their joy as they remember and try to describe them. In years past, a portion of time was set aside in many church services for people to tell their personal stories of God’s goodness. How encouraging and uplifting were these times! Fortunately, in our time, many gatherings of small groups can still easily offer opportunities to share these kinds of testimonies.
From the biblical record and from my acquaintances I have learned that these experiences among believers is not all that uncommon. No two stories are identical but each one communicates that the personal presence of God is real to us. The earliest leaders in the church were known to remind their fellow believers of those precious moments in God’s presence. The believers were also urged to continue in His love by prayer, worship, fellowship and meditation on the scriptures. Paul specifically prayed that their awareness of the love of God would continually increase. In view of the wonderful and eternal purpose that God has for His church, Paul wrote these words:
Ephesians 3:14-19:
“14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”
NASB
He also states these facts relating to believers in Christ:
Romans 5:1-5:
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
NASB
At this time there might be some reading this that struggle with doubts and fears. Maybe the love of God seems distant, so distant that you can barely remember the time when He poured His love out upon you and within you. If so, I urge you to believe these words and to reach out to Him for a fresh outpouring of His love through a fresh infilling of His Holy Spirit. All He asks of you is that you humble yourself before Him, confess your sins and failures unto Him and believe Him for healing. Ask another believer to pray for you and with you as well. Draw near unto Him and He will draw near unto you. (James 4:6-9).
Foundational to Christian belief is that we cannot live righteously on our own. Foundational also is the fact that we can through trusting in Him live full, godly and righteous lives in Him! Everything He has taught us about life is summed up in one word: love. We are to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Mark 12:28-31, Luke 10:25-28, Romans 13:9-19, Galatians 5:14). We can only do this because He has put His love into our hearts. This is the New Covenant, where God is working within us to will and to do His good desires. (Ezekiel 36:25-27, Hebrews 8:8-12, Philippians 2:12-13).
For the past several years, peace seems to be getting further and further from us. Strife in general has increased to the point that people cannot even drive on the highway without being overcome with “road rage.” The tension between political and religious views during my lifetime has reached an all time high. I don’t know about you but I find all this very discouraging. Evil is real and cannot be ignored. How do we deal with it in light of the love and grace of God that we know? How do we avoid getting caught up in all the hatred and strife that we see all around us?
This has forced me to remember the importance of real, divine love. John and his brother James were given a nick-name by Jesus. They actually wanted to call fire down from heaven upon their opponents as did the prophet Elijah. Jesus called them the “Sons of Thunder” because of their brashness. He had to remind them that He had come not to destroy lives but to save them! (Luke 9:56). How often do we even forget that He taught to love our enemies, to pray for them and to even do good to them?
The amazing thing about this story is how John would later change. After Herod executed his brother James, one might expect him to become even more revengeful. In fact he would suffer many forms of injustice in his life time. The main difference would come after the ascension of Jesus when John was filled with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8) The love of God was poured out in his heart by the Spirit of God! Now he would be known as the apostle of love.
He later wrote:
“7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8 NIV)
The love that Jesus and His apostles spoke of is not the same love that most people mean today when they speak of love. The ancient Greek language actually had 6 different words for love. In the bible “phileo” is used in reference to friendship, but “agape” is used in the context of God’s pure and unselfish love. In our modern times the Greek word “eros” would best describe the love that people experience when they “fall in” and “fall out” of love for one another. It is an emotion for sure, but it is fleeting and usually more sensual than phileo.
Some people are realizing that agape, this deeper, more unselfish love can be tough. This is the kind of love most found in the bible. God corrects those He loves. God offered His only Son as a sacrifice for sin because He loves the world. This is that love that He has poured out upon us. This is the love that through Him has filled our hearts! Do you believe in the power of God to fill you with love, divine love for everyone? Remember those who sang that old, old song, “Give me that old time religion, it makes me love everybody, it’s good enough for me?” They believed it!
When we allow the love of God that is in our hearts to work, we are challenged to “speak the truth in love.” Yes, there are a great number of voices in the earth eager to “speak the truth” with the wrong motivation. Maybe the goal is to humiliate the opponent. Maybe it is to simply win in the court of public opinion. Sadly, I fear that even in the Christian media there can be a financial motive. The more clever we can be, the greater the audience, the more influence one can gain, and along with it a more comfortable life. But at what cost? The result is often more division and strife in the world. We all lose.
At times love is gentle, and at other times it must be tough and even face rejection. The important thing is a clear conscience toward God that is void of offense toward humanity. If God so loves the world, then that must be our desire. Jesus said that the children of God are to be peacemakers. This requires a costly love, and a willingness to take risks. It comes from a perspective that is higher than my own. It is God’s perspective. It is a love that is rich and rewarding. It can and will be rejected. It can cause me personal pain, but love and service are a reward in themselves.
This is a love that dwells in the Kingdom of God and seeks to advance the righteousness, peace and joy of the Holy Spirit in the earth. It is a love that drives out the fears that bind us, and liberates us to live courageously for Christ. May God continue to reveal His love and express His love through us today!
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