Sunday, May 31, 2015

Romans 8:37

Romans 8:37

In Jesus We Win, Big Time.

Prepared by Dr. John E. Marshall

 

Romans 8:37a (Holman) No, in all these things we are more than

victorious…

 

         "No" answered the question Paul raised in verse 35b. Can troubles we Christians daily face separate us from Christ's love? No. However, on the other hand, troubles are not guaranteed to improve a believer's spiritual life.

         Trials are neutral regarding their consequences. They spiritually help or harm based on how we respond to them. The way we set our spiritual sail determines whether winds of affliction drive us nearer, or farther from, God.

         Our text tells us what God expects of us, and has made possible for us. The difficulties of life are opportunities for God's power to be demonstrated in us. In our toughest times, we can best display Jesus' resurrection-life.

         In our daily struggles, God enables us to do more than barely hold on. Unbelievers can do this much. There would be little to celebrate if believers barely won in life. We are to not only hold our own, but victoriously win.

         Face life confidently. We can be more than "victorious". The word implies war, and bespeaks fighting soldiers who are part of a winning army.

         Do not fear a life filled with afflictions. Face it bravely. March boldly. In our daily conflicts, we are more than victorious, for at least four reasons.

         One, we suffer very little loss in the battle. However fierce the skirmishes become, a believer can never experience everlasting harm.

We can never lose anything essential to our salvation. If faithful in the battle, we ultimately lose only what gold loses in a furnace: dross, impurity.

         Earthly conquerors often win at too high a cost, paying as heavy a price to win as they would have if they lost. At Gettysburg, Pickett's men gained the ridge, the high water mark of the Confederacy, but lost too many lives to hold it. Often a leader is killed winning the victory, like Nelson at Trafalgar, and General Wolfe at the Plains of Abraham near Quebec.

         Earthly victors often win only to be vanquished later by someone else. Persia ruled an Empire, but succumbed to Alexander. Carthage controlled the Mediterranean, but fell to Rome. Rome ruled the world, but the Barbarians ultimately toppled it. The Moors had their Tours, the British had a Saratoga, Napoleon a Waterloo, Lee an Appomattox, Hitler a D-Day.

History paints military and political defeat in this world as inevitable, but this is not true in the spiritual realm. Any who know Jesus can never be completely vanquished. Our losses can never be of an everlasting nature.

         Two, we receive wonderful rewards. Our rewards are far greater than anything won by earthly warriors. Our inheritance never fades; our crown is incorruptible. Soldiers here receive human accolades, but these are nothing compared to hearing Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

         Another reward is; each victory makes us stronger. Exercise reliance. Winning increases our faith, and prepares us for more difficult conquests.

         A faith never tested remains feeble. Arms and legs unused quickly begin to atrophy. Idleness and ease weaken us; conflict strengthens us.

         It takes a war to make servicemen real soldiers. Similarly, overcoming trials develops our spiritual fiber, and makes us true soldiers of the cross.

         Maybe our best reward is; we can so overwhelm our troubles that they become our helpers. Earthly conquerors suppress enemies, but become more than victorious when they turn enemies into allies. We are more than victorious when we let God use adversities to draw us closer to Jesus.

         Not only can afflictions fail to separate us from Christ's love. They can actually be turned into spiritual benefits. Trials rightly borne do not drive us father away from God, but intensify our oneness with Jesus.

         Temptations overcome cause us to feel closer to Jesus in the trial. Scoffing endured increases our sympathy with Jesus in the Judgment Hall. Sorrows withstood let us commune more closely with Jesus in Gethsemane.

         Thomas Browning, jailed in Charles II's terrible persecution, wrote his flock. "The cup of afflictions for the gospel is the sweeter the deeper." He told them he found the strongest consolations near the bottom of the cup.

         As Browning's persecution intensified, his delight became sweeter. He could echo the Psalmist, "It was good for me to be afflicted" (119:71).

         Three, we win though the battle continues to rage. Earthly conquerors are pronounced victors after their battles end. Their conquest is celebrated in ceremonies after the turmoil is over, but for believers the battle never ends. We continually win victory after victory, but not the kind that end conflicts.

         For us, the battle never ceases to rage. Sounds of triumph and alarm are always heard simultaneously. We win victories, though under duress and constantly being wounded. Just before his martyrdom (107 A.D.), Ignatius said, "It is part of a brave combatant to be wounded, and yet to overcome."

         A noble part of our victory is; it comes despite our injuries. Some of our highest USA military decorations are reserved for those who show valor in battle after being wounded. We Christians should also glory in the fact we are more than victorious because we win though the battle continues to rage.

         Four, we win though we are extremely weak. Lest we grow proud and presumptuous, Paul now mentioned the source of our triumph. We win…

 

Romans 8:37b …through Him who loved us.

 

         In ourselves we are feeble, frail creatures having little strength. Our victory is never won by human energy, but always by Jesus' power in us.

The fact we ever win a spiritual conflict is amazing. Had Goliath beat David, the story would not have been newsworthy; David beating Goliath made it immortal. As believers, our victories over Satan are as remarkable.

         Victory is not in Christians themselves, but rather belongs to the Holy Spirit. We conquer only to the degree we let the Holy Spirit fight through us.

         Without Christ, we can do nothing; but we marvel at what God in us can do. The Spirit makes contact with frail spirits, enabling them to achieve feats impossible before. God stations Himself in our weak lives and defies all Satan's hosts to try an assault. Retain no pride in self. Ascribe all glory to God. We conquer, not because we hold him, but rather because He holds us.

         Notice that in our text the word "loved" is past tense. This means the writer was referring to a past event that provides evidence of a huge love.

We believers know the instance Paul referred to was Jesus' dying on Calvary's cross. The Christ who empowers in us is One who suffered for us.

The pains He endured make Him a Companion to all who are weary. He knows what it means to hurt, and helps us bear our load and overcome it.

Our troublesome road is not quite as rough when we remember Jesus' footprints have preceded us. Christ "Himself has drunk to its bitterest dregs the cup which He commends to our lips. He has left a kiss upon its margin, and we need not shrink when He holds it out to us" (Maclaren).

         Our Master was also our Martyr. He taught us by His example in the cross and resurrection to turn weakness incarnate into strength invincible.

         Blandina, who died in 177 A.D., was a frail teenage slave who refused to renounce her faith despite hideous tortures. People had feared she would recant under pressure due to her being young and weak. Her execution was slow and gruesome. She was wrapped in a net and tossed repeatedly on the horns of bulls, and was forced to sit in a red-hot iron chair until she died.

         Seems a waste, doesn't it? Where is victory here? It's easy to see if we look close enough. Though the weight and might of the Roman Empire were thrown against her, a slave remained unsubdued to the end, awing her tormentors. They returned to their ruler and complained, "We are put to shame, for these Christians mock us while they suffer."

         The tormentors were unnerved by the fact they could not vanquish the spirit of what they considered to be weak men and women. As Paul said, "In all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us."

 

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Holiness Truly Matters Most

David learned the hard way that holiness matters most. Before the King sinned with Bathsheba, "The Lord made David victorious wherever he went" (2 SM 8:5,13).

David wrongly thought he had succeeded in hiding his sin. "The Lord considered what David had done to be evil" (2 SM 11:27).

David never fully escaped the consequences of his sin. Nathan accurately predicted of the King, "The sword will never leave your house" (2 SM 12:10).

Holiness matter most. Pleasing God in everything we do must be tenaciously practiced by us through the Holy Spirit working in us.

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Romans 8:35-36

Romans 8:35-36

The Passion of God

Prepared by Dr. John E. Marshall

 

To show we are secure due to God's master plan of salvation (vv. 28-30), Paul used in verses 31b, 32, 33, and 34 four rhetorical questions to state it is impossible to nullify God's power, provision, protection, and pardon.

Paul now drew his fifth conclusion. It is impossible to nullify the passion of God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit love all of us unconditionally.

 

Romans 8:35a (Holman) Who can separate us from the love of Christ?

 

         This rhetorical question requires the obvious answer; "No one can separate us from the love of Christ." This is the climax of Paul's arguments regarding our safety due to being saved by grace. From this mountaintop, the apex in his climb of confidence, he looks down on all our enemies and life-circumstances and sees them as helpless to steal from us our salvation.

         Retain your confidence, fellow believers. Between condemnation and us stands an insurmountable obstacle: the love of Christ. No one can ever separate us from His love. Not only can no "one" separate us; Paul used another question to assure us no "thing" can separate us from Christ's love.

 

Romans 8:35b Can affliction…

 

         Can affliction, the outward troubles we face, separate us from the love of Christ? Of course not. They take away our ease and comfort, but cannot take Christ's love from us. Not even life's severest trials can nullify the love of Jesus for us. Therefore, do not let troubles sway us from our confidence.

 

Romans 8:35c  . . .or anguish . . .

 

         Can anguish, the inward suffering brought on by the pressure of life's difficulties and burdens, separate us from the love of Christ? Absolutely not.

When our minds are distressed, not knowing where to turn, does this mean we have been separated from Jesus' love? Never. We may lose our mental stability and emotional bearings, but we can never lose God's love.

 

Romans 8:35d … or persecution…

 

         The world's persecution may oppress us, and separate us from wives and children, but cannot separate us from Jesus' affection. Discrimination may drive us from churches and houses, but can never separate us from God, our everlasting habitation. Though driven from our cities, we have "the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10).

 

Romans 8:35e . . .or famine.  . .

 

         Can famine separate us from Jesus' love? No. Hunger brought the Prodigal Son to his senses and reminded him of his father's love. We may lose our daily bread, but nothing can ever separate us from the Bread of Life.

 

Romans 8:35f …or nakedness . . .

 

         Christ's love cannot be nullified even by nakedness and deprivation. We may be stripped of our apparel, but we can never be stripped of Christ's affection for us. His love surrounds us as a garment that can never be torn. We are securely clothed in His righteousness.

 

Romans 8:35g  . . .or danger . . .

 

         Can any danger or hazard of life separate us from the love of Christ? No. However dangerous life becomes, we know God is walking with us through the dark valley. Perils may take away our health and wealth, but they cannot take God's love from us.

 

Romans 8:35h  . . .or sword?

 

         Not even the sword, the violent death of martyrdom, can separate us from Christ's love. Our spirits can be separated from our bodies, but our spirits can never be separated from Christ's love.

         Paul's assertion that nothing can separate us from Jesus' love was not mere speculation on his part. The words of our text were written not by a new recruit, but by a seasoned veteran. He knew exactly whereof he spoke.

The Apostle had already endured six of these afflictions himself, and would finally die by the seventh. Paul in his own life had experienced the truth that nothing could separate him from the love of Christ.

 

Romans 8:36a As it is written: Because of You we are being put to death

all day long;…

 

         This quote of Psalm 44:22 proves God's people have long had it rough in this world. Do not be surprised by sufferings: Our Master himself had to bear a cross. It is naïve to expect only ease in the Christian life. Suffering has always been an integral part of being God's people.

Our afflictions are often actually caused by our loyalty to God—we suffer "because of" Him. We must not view troubles as a sign that God's love for us is diminishing.

The Christian life can at times seem like a never-ending warfare. We are often subjected to ridicule and opposition. Even in the USA, where believers enjoy the world's greatest freedom, persons wholly committed to Christ have to endure at times their share of poking and being ostracized, often from people who claim to be Christians. I hate to admit it, but there are situations where I do not want it known I am a Baptist preacher, because I know it could very easily trigger a negative reaction in some.

 

Romans 8:36b … we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.

 

         Those who hate God reckon His people as no more than sheep for the slaughter. Through the centuries, in times of persecution, Christians have been killed with no more qualms than a butcher would have killing a sheep.

Lost people have been known to regard us as inept and delusional, and sometimes even as a hindrance needing to be removed.

         May God grant us all the grace to share Paul's confidence in the unalterable love of Christ. Since we feel unworthy of God's love in the first place, we are very susceptible to letting difficulties make us doubt His love.

         We must realize God's love for us remains ever constant. We do nothing to earn it in the first place; therefore we can do nothing to nullify it.

         If we have many material things and physical blessings, this does not mean God loves us more; if there are troubles and poverty aplenty in our life, this does not mean God loves us less. Do not try to measure the love of Jesus by what is happening at any given moment in our life. Instead, measure it by what happened on our behalf at Calvary long ago.

         The love of Christ for us is not diminished by what we suffer. Rather, it is demonstrated in what He suffered for us. Now and forevermore, the cross is the only proof of God's love we should ever need.

 

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Matthew 24:36

Matthew 24:36

Why Jesus Did Not Know

Prepared by Dr. John E. Marshall

 

Matt. 24:36a  (Holman)  Now concerning that day and hour no one

knows—neither the angels in heaven,. . .

 

It is presumptuous quibbling to say we cannot know the day or hour, but can know the month or year. Jesus' whole intent was to keep us from any speculations on the time of His Coming. Curiosity about end times is okay, but nosiness is wrong. Here's what we know for sure: a day and hour have been set. The Second Coming of Jesus is not only a figure of speech, or poetic imagery. It is an actual event yet to happen; only God knows when.

It is a kindness we don't know the timing of Jesus' coming. Regarding the future, faith and hope are better than foreknowing. If we knew the future, we would constantly try to focus on fun things we could see coming, but at the same time be unable to not obsess over sorrows looming. Today would cease to be today. It would become a crushing avalanche of tomorrows.

It is especially good unbelievers do not know when it will happen. If they knew, they might try to wait till the last day to be saved, but die before it arrived. By not naming any one day, every day becomes holy by our knowing it could be "the" day. One thing is sure for all of us; the end of our lives in this world is coming, for sure by death, in the not too distant future.

 

Matt. 24:36b . . .nor the Son. . .

 

No early believer would have ever invented a statement like this. This text verifies two facts: the truthfulness of the Bible and the humility of Jesus.

These words bring us face to face with the mystery of the Incarnation, of God becoming human. How can Jesus be God, yet not know everything?

Any far-reaching discussion on the Incarnation must include a careful analysis of three passages. One, Genesis 1:26-27. God created us "in His own image". When He breathed His own special life into us, He transferred to us certain traits from His innermost essence that we humans share with Him. In other words, we are in certain ways a compressed likeness of God.

God wills; He makes choices (1 Cor. 1:27-28); we can too. He is not oblivious to world events. He chooses. Reflecting God's freedom to make choices, we have a conscience, and can will to choose right over wrong.

 "God is love" (1 John 4:8b). We reflect His nature when we show emotion; our ability to love and feel loved proves we share in His image.

 God thinks (Romans 11:34). We reflect God's mind, His intellect, when we solve problems, create music, invent, sculpt, paint, write, etc.

"God is spirit" (John 4:24a). Our bodies are dust, but God gave us an immaterial spirit that allows us to know, relate to, and interact with, Him.

"God is King" (Psalm 47:7b): the ultimate Sovereign ruler over all things. He let us share this trait when He gave us dominion over the creation.

Will, emotion, intellect, the ability to have a relationship with God, and the privilege of ruling over the creation—these make us in God's image.

Two, John 1:14. "The Word became flesh." The One in whose image we were made became one of the images. Augustine, having experimented with all the world's major religions, said this was the unique teaching of Christianity. Others believed people became Gods (e.g. Pharaoh in Egypt, Caesar in Rome), but no one believed God became human. The thought was scandalous. We believe the Babe of Bethlehem was, as John 1:1 teaches, One who preceded and transcended time, who was God, and was with God.

Three, Phil. 2:5-8. Paul wrote, "Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death--even to death on a cross."

This is the "kenosis" (Greek for self-emptying) passage. Jesus decided His being equal with God was not something He would use for His own advantage during His earthly life. He chose not to grasp it or to hold on to it.

When Jesus left Heaven at the Incarnation, He voluntarily chose to restrict His use of certain divine traits. He freely left some of them behind.

He did not lose these traits. They were temporarily inactive, awaiting His return to Heaven. He merely momentarily forfeited the use of them.

A human mind cannot know everything; a human body cannot do everything. Thus, for the Incarnation to be real, Jesus had to have a mind that didn't know everything, and a body that could not do everything.

By definition, Incarnation entails humility and reduction. Some things in the God-box do fit in the human-box; some things don't. How much luggage could Jesus bring from Heaven, and still be God, yet also be fully human? This is part of the Incarnation mystery we will never solve.

He voluntarily took on our flesh, and subjected Himself to conditions of our humanity. For instance, He chose to learn as we learn (Luke 2:52).

One piece of knowledge He opted to leave behind was the date of His return. He knew His followers would tend to obsess over trying to figure out when the end would be. Jesus decided to experience with us what we would find to be a painful limitation. Jesus willed to not know when the end would come. Take solace; even Jesus was content not to know the day or hour.

This raises a vital question. If Jesus' knowledge was limited, how can we be sure He never erred? The next phrase in our text helps guide us here.

 

Matt. 24:36c . . .except the Father only.

 

Jesus was not subject to error, though He did not know everything, because He stayed in constant, unbroken communication and communion with the Father. Jesus said, "The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing" (John 5:19-20a). He later added this claim, "I have not spoken on My own, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a command as to what I should say" (John 12:49).

Jesus was successful to the point of being sinless not because He was God, but because He opted to be a human who chose to depend totally on the Father. This is why He can be an example for us. We too can depend on the Father. We can ask Him to show us what He is doing that we might do it too; we can ask the Father to help us say only what He would have us say.

In every situation, the Father granted the Son knowlege to do and say what was right. Thus Jesus infallibly read minds, healed the sick, and raised the dead. He never missed because He was depending totally on the Father. This power is available to us. This gives punch to the prayer of McCheyne, "Lord, make me as holy as a saved sinner can be." Holiness matters most.

Now back to our text. Jesus did not know when He would return. He was willing to let the Father keep the calendar while He the Son was away at work. I keep the calendar in our household. Ruth handles all the money; she gives me $40 a week out of which I pay for food, utilities, and housing costs (not really). Ruth trusts me to keep the calendar for our family. Even so, the Father keeps the calendar of eternity, and Jesus the Son trusts Him to do this. We too should trust the Father's timing.

 

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Jesus' Words

Matthew 24:32-35
Jesus' Words Will Never Pass Away
Prepared by Dr. John E. Marshall

Matt. 24:32-33 (Holman) Now learn this parable from the fig tree: As
soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know
that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these
things, recognize that He is near—at the door!

Fig trees abound in Israel. Jesus may have pointed at one as He spoke. He used a fig tree's budding before the coming of summer to illustrate our need to be ever prepared for His coming. Nature tells us summer is nearing.
"In the same way", distresses described in Matthew 24—wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, false prophets, persecution, abomination, etc.—are physical happenings that should remind us Jesus' coming is always near. He is ever at the threshold, ready to open the door to enter this world.
From our vantage point, it has been a long time since Jesus predicted His coming—2000 years. Peter warned us to beware scoffers in the last days, which will say, "Where is the promise of His coming? Ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation" (2 P 3:4). Staying expectant can be tough, but this is precisely what we must always do. Be ever mindful, His coming is always imminent.

Matt. 24:34 I assure you: This generation will certainly not pass away
until all these things take place.

We understand this better if we remember the 70 A.D. destruction of Jerusalem, the Second Coming, and the difficulties of history between these two, are three mountain peaks lined up one behind another, not side by side.
The destruction of Jerusalem marked the dramatic beginning of seeing Jesus' astonishing predictions in Matthew 24 fulfilled. The distresses seen then foreshadowed what would happen throughout history, and what will happen at the end. Agonies were seen by the 70 A.D. generation, have been seen by all succeeding generations, and will be seen by the last generation.

Matt. 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never
pass away.

Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, said God's holy writ would outlast heaven and earth (Matthew 5:18). In our current text, Jesus put His own words on the same level as the Old Testament. The authority of Jesus' words is no less binding than the very words of the Father's sacred scriptures.
Jesus made a daring comparison. "Heaven and Earth" look permanent. Nature seems substantial, durable, and solid. By contrast, the words of a peasant carpenter spoken outside Jerusalem seemed small and perishable.
Yet Jesus confidently warned us not to be fooled by appearances. When all else has utterly fallen--and it will--His words will remain standing.
If mere mortals had made this claim, their words would have long ago been proven wrong and debunked; this would prove their claims had been presumptuous. Only God can say this, and it prove to be true for 2000 years.
It is impossible for God--Father, Son, or Spirit--to lie (HB 6:18). God can break laws of nature, and work miracles, but cannot break the laws of His Word. If His words failed, His existence would fail; this is an absurdity.
The creation, which looks permanent, had a beginning and will have an end; but its Creator has no beginning and will never end. His words, an extension of His very self, are the only stable thing we have to hold on to.
God's words are fixed forevermore, unchanging, a foundation certain and constant we can build on. For two millennia, His words have remained consistent. This is why we can say belief is a step of faith, not a leap of faith.
Christianity is rooted in recorded, verifiable, facts of history. Put our faith under the microscope. Firsthand witnesses testified they saw Him alive after being dead, and were willing to die for their claim. The New Testament is by far the most scrutinized and most reliable book of antiquity to believe.
History has for 2000 years unfolded as Jesus said it would in Matthew 24. His words still ring with decisive authority. No one and no thing have been able to disprove or stop His message. How much proof do we require?
This is why unbelief is a sin. It is a matter of the will, a purposely choosing to refuse to accept overwhelming evidence. The continued existence of the Bible itself is evidence enough to show God exists.
Add to this proof the continued existence of Israel. Some feel that alone is evidence enough to prove God lives and oversees world history. God said Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob's descendants would remain; they have.
Jesus' assertion about His own words never passing away is amazing. We live in a world constantly changing, in a society where our feet always seem on shifting sand. Forces around us feel out of control; nothing appears unfailing or consistent. We yearn for permanence, stability, and reliability. God meets this need in Jesus' words and in the remainder of the Bible.
"The grass withers, and the flower fails, but the word of the Lord endures forever. And (hallelujah—brace yourself—for this coming truth!) this is the word that was preached as the gospel to you" (1 P 1:24b-25).
What is this? One who walked with Jesus, and knew Him firsthand, said the message we were given, and have access to today, contains the everlasting authority vested in Holy Writ itself. We can depend on the Bible. We can know we hold in our hands God's everlastingly true words.
Having now confirmed this fact, let's return to our current context. In Matthew 24, Jesus said He is coming back. Since His words are reliable, we can count on it occurring. He will return. It will happen. Fulfillment of predictions may seem delayed; circumstances may seem to contradict it, but do not count out the Word of God. In God's good time, all will be fulfilled.
Jesus' Coming is for sure coming. It is the focal point of history, and can no more be avoided than the destruction of Jerusalem could be. It must come. It may seem as far away as the most distant comet, but it is coming.
Are we watching for His return? Are we ready for it? A loss of excitement over the Second Coming is too often one of the casualties of having long been a believer. If you mention the Second Coming to new believers they suddenly have an urge to look up and say, "Where? When?"
Mention the Second Coming to more tenured believers and through a yawn they might say, "Are you pre-, post-, or a- millennial? Are you a pre-trib or mid-trib dispensationalist?" Oh brothers and sisters, live looking up, and lifting up your head, for your redemption is drawing nigh (Luke 21:28).