More Than I Asked For

During a recent Sunday morning message, my pastor was speaking on Colossians 3:12 and referenced the account in Matthew 18:23-27 as an illustration of the "heart of compassion" Paul was writing about in the Colossian passage. In the Matthew account Jesus speaks of the "king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves". One of the slaves was said to have "owed him ten thousand talents", an amount that "he did not have the means to repay". We are not told how or why the slave's debt had become so great and I suppose that it doesn't matter. That his debt was great and his ability to repay impossible appear to be the picture presented for us to see.

As the Matthew passage continues, we see that all that the slave possesses is to be used as a debt payment to his master. He is to be sold, along with his wife and children, and all that he has, and the sum of all is to be given to the king. We are not told that this will actually satisfy the entire debt that he owes but that it will be what is required of him. Burdened by this debt he could not pay, the slave falls prostrate before his lord and asks him to have patience with him while he repays him everything. The king's response to the slave was nothing short of incredible and I believe one that the slave would not have imagined or anticipated. He released the slave and forgave him the entire debt owed!

As my pastor continued with the message, I found myself drawn to pondered this parable that the Lord had spoken to His disciples in response to a question posed by Peter. I was struck by what had happened in the account. The slave had received so much more than he had asked for! He had asked for patience but had received mercy. He had asked for the opportunity to pay his debt over time but the debt was forgiven in a moment. It seemed as if I had much in common with this slave. Many years ago the Lord had graciously spoken to my heart and had lovingly made me aware of the debt and burden of sin that was mine. And as He revealed to me that Jesus had died for my sins and that I could find forgiveness in Him, by grace and through faith I believed. A slave to sin, I had asked the King of Kings to forgive me.

As I look back I am convinced, that like that slave, I to have received much more than I had asked for. I had asked the Lord to forgive me of my sins but I received forgiveness on a grander scale than I ever could have imagined. Past, present and future; they were all forgiven. When I had asked for the forgiveness of sin I was made a new creature in Christ, receiving new life and life more abundant. When I had asked for forgiveness of sin I received victory over sin. When I had asked for forgiveness of sin I received peace, hope, joy, the Father's love and all that pertains to life and godliness. When I had asked for forgiveness of sin I received a multitude of promises, for this life and for life eternal. After almost 30 years I am still growing to understand them all. When I had asked for forgiveness I received the ability to have a wonderful relationship with my wife and the ability to experience the true joys that would follow will children and grandchildren. Yes, like the slave in Matthew 18, I received so much more than I had asked for. Praise God! May the Lord Jesus Christ be glorified as we rejoice with thankfulness in all that He provides.

"Vantage Point"

I remember watching a movie several years ago that was called "Vantage Point". The movie was unique in that after a period of time it would start over from the beginning but show the events from another "vantage point" of a different character in the movie. I didn't understand what they were doing at first but it became evident as this scenario repeated itself. I'm reminded of that movie when I read the various Gospel accounts of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As you read and consider the accounts presented by the different authors, you get a sense of the "vantage points"  that the writers had, as well as those that would have been had by a multitude of different persons. The movie "Vantage Point" was just that, a movie with fictional characters. The Resurrection Story that is remembered and retold year after year at Easter is a grand recollection of a most wondrous real life event that occurred two thousand years ago. Although I would like to attempt it someday, I could not begin to speak to each of the "character's" vantage point in this short article. But I would like to take an abbreviated look at just a few of them.

I would like to begin with the vantage point of Pilate. As governor, Pilate had found himself caught up in a matter that he wanted little to do with. He understood Christ's accusers to have handed Him over to the governor out of envy (ill will, jealousy, strife). But his actions demonstrate that he did not comprehend the depth and capacity of the envy and hatred for Christ that was in the hearts of the people. The governor had proclaimed to the people, that after inquiry, he had found no guilt in Jesus. This was no great feat for the governor. He had found none because there was none to be found. We read in John's Gospel that Pilate "made efforts to release" Jesus and it is in these "efforts" that we find his miscalculation into the hearts of men. Simply proclaiming to the people that Jesus was an innocent man was not sufficient to affect His release.

We find in Matthew's Gospel, that Pilate looked to what one might consider a political practice as a means of securing Christ's release. Apparently a tradition had evolved, most likely to appease relationships between the Romans and the Jews, whereby the governor would pardon a Jewish prisoner during the Passover festival. I suppose that in Pilate's mind the choice would be simple. I have often thought that he may have even considered himself clever for proposing the option. Release Jesus or Barabbas?

The contrast between these two men was quite vivid and clear. One had been found innocent of the charges brought against Him; a man declared to have no guilt in Him. We are told the other was a "notorious prisoner"; one who had been imprisoned for robbery, insurrection and murder. But it only took some persuasion from the chief priests and elders for the crowd of people to cry out for Barabbas' release and Jesus' crucifixion. Pilate went on to declare himself innocent of "this Man's blood" as he carried out the wishes of the people, the crucifixion of Christ.

How about the vantage point of this man whose name was Barabbas? The choices he had made in his life, including his involvement in the insurrection and his acts of robbery and murder had caught up with him. I believe it is quite probable that he was scheduled to be crucified on the day of Christ's crucifixion and there is little doubt in my mind that absent the divine will of God, it would have been Barabbas crucified between the two other thieves that day. He had been held in prison and the time had come for him to pay the penalty for his crimes.

I suppose, as any man would have, he had thought much about the approaching day. Perhaps he had reflected on his life, his family and the choices that had brought him to this place. I have no doubt that he was aware of the cruel means by which his life would end in crucifixion. In as much as it was possible for any man to do, apart from reliance on the Divine One, he had attempted to prepare himself for this end. Given his crimes, I can only assume that the thought of a pardon from the Roman governor had not crossed his mind.

In fact, Barabbas may have considered it somewhat of a cruel joke that he would be drug into the debate regarding the release of this man named Jesus. Perhaps it even seemed like further punishment that he would be given some false sense of hope for his freedom. But when he heard the crowd crying out for his freedom and for the crucifixion of Jesus, any false sense of hope must have quickly transitioned to something that was quite real and possible. And then the unexpected happened. Though found to be a robber, murderer and insurrectionist, Pilate ordered Barabbas' release from prison to satisfy the people.

The third person I would like to consider is the Roman Centurion. He would oversee the crucifixion of Jesus and the other two criminals on that most memorable day. It seems most likely that the centurion had presided over other crucifixions before this day. He would carry out the directive to crucify Christ despite any apprehension he may have had to do so. Perhaps there had been other innocent men wrongly condemned to die this death but never one as innocent as Jesus.

It seems that one of the centurion’s duties in this process was to observe the crucifixion and to make a declaration of death of the one crucified upon their death. In Mark 15:39 we read that, “When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” Again, it appears evident that the centurion overseeing Jesus’ crucifixion had observed other men, perhaps many men, breath their last breath. But it was the way Jesus “breathed His last” that caught his attention and prompted him to proclaim that He was truly the Son of God.

What was so remarkably different from the way Jesus had breathed His last breath compared to the other men the centurion had witnessed doing the same? To answer this question, I believe all one needs to do is consider just what or who it was that the centurion was observing first hand. All other men who had breathed their last before him had been sinners at best. Jesus had never committed a single act of sin. All others had died bearing their own sins while Jesus died bearing the sins of the world. And if there is such a thing as the most profound difference, perhaps is was that all other men crucified before the centurion had had their lives taken from them while Jesus had freely given His. I believe it was these profound differences that made Jesus’ last breath unlike any other the centurion had witnessed.

As I conclude this article I would like to look briefly at the vantage point of one other. Mine. My vantage point and that of all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ is one of Divine revelation. It is a gift from God. It is by His doing that I have the vantage point of knowing the truth of the Gospel of grace, the truth regarding Christ’s death, His burial and His resurrection. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers in 1 Corinthians 15:3, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”. Praise the Lord for the vantage point of knowing that which is of first importance!

He Knows us Well

Scripture, like that found in Luke 14, often reminds me of how well God knows us and hence how well He knows how to work in us. Prone to judge even the good deeds of others. Prone to pick out the "good seat" or seek the place of honor. Prone to do good unto those who might return the favor. Prone to make excuses for not being obedient to the ways of the Lord. Prone to not give Him preeminence in our lives. And prone to bristle at and then quicky forget those words, "So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions". Praise the Lord that by His doing we are new creatures in Christ. Praise the Lord for His ability to carry out the work of sanctification in the lives of His children. Praise the Lord for saving and effectual grace!

A Launderer From Heaven

My wife has long had a knack for getting difficult stains out of clothing. She does a great job but on occasion is unable to remove the most stubborn of them. My son works for a tire company that uses a professional laundry service to clean their uniform's. Due to the type of work they perform, and despite the professional service they utilize, no one has a uniform free of stains.

For as long as I can remember there have been products like "Clorox", "Spray 'n Wash", "Shout", "Zout", "OxiClean" and a host of others, all touting their stain removing qualities. In addition to those commercially produced stain removers, there has been an endless supply of "home remedies" for the same. Most will work with some degree of efficacy but none are able to remove all stains.

Many from my home church are reading through the New Testament and we recently finished reading the Gospel of Mark. While reading the 9th chapter of Mark, verses 2-3 had caught my attention in a way I had not previously considered. In these two verses Mark wrote, "Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them."

It seemed that in a moment the Lord was reminding me that in Christ, I had been washed clean as no launderer earth could do. The stain of sin had been washed clean. Like the stubborn stains that ruin some fabrics, my sin stain was seated deep into the very fibers of my being, begging the question posed and in that great hymn, "Nothing but the Blood", "what can wash away my sin?". "Nothing but the Blood of Jesus" the songwriter and scripture proclaims. And nothing means just that, nothing.

Men may attempt to deny the sin problem, look to the commercially produced stain fighting power of their many religions or develop their own individual remedies to battle the stain of sin. But it is only the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all sin. As we read in Jeremiah 2:22, "Although you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your iniquity is before Me," declares the Lord God." Man's attempts to cleanse the stain of his iniquity are futile. Praise the Lord that I have been washed, that I have been sanctified and that I have been justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Launderer  from heaven!

What Drew Me?

I found myself being asked a question today that sort of caught me by surprise. It was being asked of me by a person who professes to be a Christian. The person wanted to know the aspects of Christianity that had drawn me to it. The person suggested answers such as "justice" or other Christian teachings that may have caught my interest and drew me. I felt compelled to tell him the truth. It was not the teachings of Christianity that had drawn me. No such thing had ever entered my mind. There had not been some time in my life that I was considering the various religions of the world and weighing the teachings of one over the other. I had not studied the teachings of Christianity and found that I had taken an interest in them or that they (the teachings) had somehow compelled me to choose Christianity as my religion.

My answer was that I had been powerfully drawn to Christ and made aware of my need for Him and the forgiveness of sin . That I had been the recipient of His calling by grace. That the Father had drawn me to His Son and revealed Him to me. "Christianity" had followed Christ coming into my life. It did not precede Him and apart from the gospel message, it's teachings did not draw me to Him. I will forever glory in and be thankful that I was drawn to Christ by the Father and that I have come to Him through His Son!

The Irrelevancy of the Relevancy Seekers

It was not the first time I had heard of it. Christians making statements regarding their percieved need to make Christ's Church relevant for the day in which they live. To make Christianity relevant for their generation. When they make their self centerd ascertians, they often (I pray unwittingly) make light of those who have been serving faithfully for many years. They fail to recognize the abundant evidence of the Spirit's work in the walk of those whose relevancy they question. And their eyes appear closed to the wealth of ministry that has been accomplished by and through the Holy One in the "irrelevant" churches they make reference to.
I believe the "relevancy seekers" prove themselves irrelevant in their pursuits. You cannot seek to make Christ, His Word or His Church relevant. You cannot make something become that which it already is. Nothing is more relevant today, or any other day, than the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of God is relevant. Christ's Church is relevant. The relevancy that I refer to is not based on what man determines it to be, but on God who is relevant!

And Such We Are!

One of my favorite verses of scripture has grown to be 1 John 3:1, where the beloved Apostle John wrote, "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not now Him." Every time I read this passage I am reminded that we are not just "called" children of God, we really are His children, sons through adoption! These are not just wonderful sounding words but wonderful and forever truths. In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul wrote that "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God". Praise God for this confirmation of truth that He has worked within us.

As His children, scripture reminds us that we are the children of promise; the promise of righteousness by faith. We are called to be imitators of God as beloved children. As His children we are called to be above reproach and to appear as lights in the world as we live in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

And as His children we possess a most glorious hope. In 1 John 3:2 we read, "Now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is." John is speaking of that which Paul said was "very much better", being with Christ. It is the culmination of our faith. It is the hope of  His children. His promised appearance and the awesome privilege to "see Him just as He is". The power of His presence and glory, seeing Him just as He is, will cause us to be like Him. May Jesus Christ be praised for being all sufficient in making us children of God!