Lincoln

Living Sacrifices

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

The apostle Paul concludes Romans chapter 11 by reminding us that from Him (God) and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever (Rom 11:36). God deserves our recognition and worship in everything. He is worthy! And it is the believer’s privilege to voluntarily direct glory to Him in every way possible.

Romans 12:1 then begins with the word “therefore,” which connects glorifying God with the following specific components of what that is to look like in our lives. Paul writes, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

The Lord’s mercy is the only foundation available to mankind on which we can do anything that would be acceptable. There is no self-righteousness here. Humility is the place from where we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. You see, the death of Jesus Christ on the cross was the final sacrifice demanding death that God required, believers are set free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death (Rom 8:2). Instead of repeatedly sacrificing animals to God, as under the old covenant, God now desires each of us to continually offer a single living human life, which is ourselves, as glorifying to Him (cf. Hebrews 13:15).

Similarly, just as the old covenant required animals without defect or disease to be offered, so God now desires holy lives of Christians, that are not dominated by sin. So, by faith, we are to present our lives with 2 levels of holiness. First, we present our lives with the righteousness of Jesus Christ having been credited to us (cf. Romans 3:22). Again, by God’s mercy, we are now acceptable to God because of Jesus.

Second, we offer our lives as living people who have been and continue to be transformed as new creations in Christ. Now, God understands that we are inconsistent and faulty in this. So, the Holy Spirit perseveres in us, to make us more and more like him (Jesus) as we are changed into his glorious image (2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT). God’s mercy activates the ongoing process in which our hearts and behavior are being developed and matured to become more like Jesus Christ, which is acceptable and pleasing to God. We call this lifelong process “sanctification,” growing more and more, little by little, to be more holy as Jesus is holy.

God’s mercy means that the Holy Spirit has committed to this lifelong process, and just as He patiently works at it, so should we as our spiritual worship. This is why we persevere with determination; it’s part of our worship. This is why we invest great effort into our Christian living, so we may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10). In fact, this is love for God: to keep His commands. And His commands are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). You see, Jesus is our ultimate perfection which makes us acceptable to God in the heavenlies. But here on earth, it’s our Holy Spirit energised sanctification that forms a significant and pleasing part of our worship to God.

May we live every day, with lifestyles of spiritual worship, pleasing and glorifying to God as evidence of being in Christ.

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Hosea – betrayed yet faithful

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

The Old Testament prophet Hosea, written around 755 to 710 B.C. may not make for calm bedtime reading, but His life was significant for all the right reasons. Hosea’s ministry extended about forty-five years, covering the reigns of seven kings in Israel and four kings in Judah. He was a contemporary of both Isaiah and Micah.

During Hosea’s era in Israel’s history, the nation experienced political stability and material prosperity. It was a golden age that brought with it the greatest challenge possible, although not considered to be a problem by most people.

Hosea’s prophetic ministry began towards the end of the reign of King Jeroboam II. Humanly speaking the nation was doing well, but with material blessing came spiritual apostacy and moral decay. Following King Jeroboam’s death, society declined into chaos and disorder, which ultimately led to them being overthrown and exiled by Assyria.

Hosea, therefore, became one of the few mouthpieces for the God of Israel during some of the most chaotic times. His messages for the nation warned of coming judgement if they refused to turn away from their sin and live according to the covenant relationship Yahweh had established with them.

The thing that often stands out to us, is God’s instruction for Hosea to marry a prostitute as a picture of the nation’s unfaithfulness to the Lord. But more than that, Hosea’s peculiar marriage vividly pictured Yahweh’s faithfulness to His unfaithful covenant people. Israel had failed miserably, but their God would not fail them. Throughout the book of Hosea, we repeatedly hear the words of a heartbroken God over the people of His determined love (cf. Romans 11:1-2).

No doubt Hosea came under considerable criticism for obeying the Lord’s strange instruction; “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the LORD and worshiping other gods” (Hosea 1:2 NLT). Well, just as the Lord predicted, Hosea’s wife Gomer, was unfaithful, and refused to abandon her promiscuous lifestyle. Gomer perfectly depicted Israel’s unwillingness to abandon idolatry.

Things got really messed up with Gomer, and she eventually found herself trapped in slavery at a slave auction. Following the Lord’s instructions, Hosea bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver and five bushels of barley and a measure of wine (Hosea 3:2). What a horrendous yet gracious thing for a husband to do, to buy his own unfaithful wife out of slavery.

You see, because Hosea’s marriage was divinely appointed to illustrate the broken relationship between Yahweh and Israel, mercy had to be put on display through Hosea. So, the Lord told Hosea,  “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the LORD still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them” (Hosea 3:1 NLT).

Despite all the complexities in Hosea having to pay to be reconciled to His wife, He was faithful to Gomer. But more importantly, He was faithful to God, which pictured God’s faithfulness to Israel.

This perfectly pictures the Lord Jesus Christ and His love for us! The apostle Paul explains in Colossians 1:22 NIV, He (God) has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation. Jesus bought us out of sin’s idolatry and slavery through His death and resurrection. May the life of Hosea enrich our love for our heavenly Father and the salvation He provides through the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Jesus’ gospel of salvation

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

In an age when technology transmits information at blistering speeds, it can be difficult to discern the source or truthfulness of what’s received. Sometimes such great effort is made in presenting misinformation that it really does look and sound like the truth, but it’s not. However, this is not a new phenomenon in the spiritual realm of life. Whether we are Christian or not, we should be discerning of the things we take notice of.

The apostle Paul often exhorted his readers in this matter, with one such caution being found in Colossians 2:4. Here, following an amazing explanation of who Jesus Christ is, Jesus’ gospel, and how believers are connected to Him (Colossians 1:1-2:3), Paul gives a short yet powerful warning. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. Today, as it was two thousand years ago, some construct such appealing lines of reasoning, that error about Jesus Christ may appear attractive.

However, truth remains the best defense against error, and Paul new this, which is why He wrote using precise terminology. Colossians 1:15-19 explains, Jesus is the image of the invisible God… By Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth… all things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. In Jesus all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell…

Jesus is unequalled in every way! After all, He is the son of God in human flesh. Plus, He came to earth to save people who are alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds against God (Col 1:21). For everyone who believes in, and receives Jesus, He has reconciled you to God through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before God without a single fault (Col 1:22 NLT).

It’s worth noting that people who are alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, usually don’t want anything to do with God. They are happy being separated from Him, which is why many falsely claim there is no God. It is also why some people are happy to spread misinformation about God and His Son Jesus. Yet, it was for these very people, the hostile ones, that Jesus came to make reconciliation with God possible. Jesus made a peaceful path available for such people to come and be connected to God.

You see, the truth of Jesus liberates people trapped in wrong thinking about God and their sin. Jesus death on the cross was Him taking the judgement for our sin. In fact, Jesus willingly remained on the cross until God had exhausted the entirety of His wrath on Jesus for our hostility and evil deeds against God. This is how God can be at peace with everyone who believes Jesus did this for them. The Bible calls this “propitiation.” Jesus took God’s wrath against sinners, so that believing sinners can live with God being at peace with them.

This belief brings transformation from spiritual death to life, from alienation to adoption into God’s family, and from loving sin to hating it. The Bible calls this transformation “the gospel, or salvation.” The truth of Jesus Christ is infinitely better than the deception of spiritual misinformation. I encourage you to ensure that you belief in Jesus Christ as your Saviour and your Lord.

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Forgiveness larger than our sin

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

One of the many unique blessings of Christianity is that we have a Saviour, Jesus Christ, who forgives all sin in those who believe in Him. We did not, and cannot, contribute anything towards this, or even assist Jesus in His forgiveness of those who receive Him. Nor can we add anything to our faith relationship with Jesus that can enhance or extend His forgiveness to those who confess Him as Lord (Romans 10:9-10).

Forgiveness is central to the gospel of Jesus, which is one reason why the gospel is “good news.” Colossians 1:14 tells us that in Christ we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (cf. 1 John 2:12). Redemption includes total cleansing before God, so the Lord views us as pure, with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Christians need to remind themselves often  of this life changing cleansing (2 Peter 1:9). Through faith in Jesus’ substitutional death and resurrection, there is no sin; past, present, or future, that is not pardoned for those who repent and love Jesus (Mark 1:15; Luke 7:47).

As forgiven children of God, we are able to present the world with many types of evidence, proving Jesus’ forgiveness to be active in our lives. Worship, commitment to God’s Word, obedience, effort in pure living, perseverance, faithfulness, selfless service, Christlike love for others, forgiveness of those who offend and hurt us etc. These are some of the real-world expressions of the gospel having been effective in our lives.

To the deceived sorcerer named Simon, who claimed to believe, was baptised, followed Philip, then tried to buy the gift of God with money, Peter corrected with this invitation. Simon, your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin (Acts 8:21-23 NIV). No matter how evil, or opposed to God a sinner may be, forgiveness is readily available upon repentance. Repentance is intentional belief that changes your  thinking about God, about Jesus, about judgement for our sin, about the cross of Jesus, and about how we should respond to Jesus’ forgiveness.

Put bluntly, our response to Jesus’ forgiveness tells the world how genuine our belief is. Being convinced of Jesus’ full forgiveness inspires us to live wholeheartedly for Him. Christ’s forgiveness should never be presumed upon as motivation for bad behaviour, thinking that we are forgiven so we can do whatever we want.

When the Lord pardons us, we are set free from God’s judgement, from guilt before God, and from the lies of God’s enemies about having to earn God’s grace. King David understood his dependency upon grace when he confessed his sin to the Lord. David prayed, have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin (Psalm 51:1-2 NLT). God’s forgiveness, made available to us through Jesus, is comprehensive and not just theoretical. It deals with the whole person and rejuvenates every aspect of the human heart and life (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17). In other words, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

I encourage you to ensure that you are both forgiven and living a life that presents evidence of Christ’s cleansing. May the continual grace of God continue to transform our lives as forgiven sinners.

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God’s Friendship

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Often, we don’t appreciate friendship until a good one gets damaged or we lose it. Typically, quality friendships are desired by most of us, and the same is true of God. James 2:23 tells us that Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness – and he was called a friend of God (cf. 2 Chronicles 20:7). In fact, in Isaiah 41:8, God calls Abraham, my friend. What an amazing privilege, especially when we understand that Abraham was far from perfect, and his contribution to friendship with God was faulty and inconsistent at best.

But here we see God’s grace in Abraham’s life, just as it is in ours. James points out the disproportionate gift from God in response to Abraham’s belief in Him. God credited a right standing, transferring  righteousness to Abraham far greater than could ever be earned. God assigned a new and permanent status, one that would never get downgraded when Abraham failed to live out his belief as He should have. And it was God’s gifted righteousness which qualified Abraham to be called a friend of God.

While the pattern of Abraham’s life was obedience flowing out of his belief in God, there were periods of time when his belief was weak and misplaced for selfish reasons. Abraham struggled with consistently prioritising the Lord over self. Yet, the Lord never walked away from him, He didn’t ignore him, nor did He transfer the righteousness and friendship to anyone else.

We see the same grace shown to the 12 disciples by Jesus when He said to them, No longer do I call you servants… but I have called you friends (John 15:15). At best, these 12 disciples had faltering belief. They were inconsistent, doubting, fearful at times resulting in them walking away when needed the most. Jesus even included Judas Iscariot in His declaration of friendship, which is astounding considering He knew Judas was the betrayer.

For us, like Abraham and the disciples, we are dependant upon the Lord’s grace to operate in our lives to produce belief in God through His Son Jesus. And today, the result of genuine belief in Jesus Christ is that we are credited with righteousness and called a friend of God.

Romans 3:21-25 explains that through belief in Jesus as our substitute taking God’s wrath on our behalf, we are forgiven and placed in a righteous standing of innocence before God. But there’s more. Ephesians 1:5 tells us that this was always God’s plan for us, to adopt us to Himself as His children. This is a massive upgrade from friendship, as wonderful as friendship is. John 1:12-13 (NLT) repeats these truths by saying, all who believed him (Jesus) and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn – not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

For the Christian, adoption by God, with the friendship of Jesus Christ being administered within us by the Holy Spirit transforms our lives (2 Corinthians 3:18). Some days our transformation can barely be recognised, while other days its really obvious. However, it is faithful God who graciously perseveres with us, for the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever… (Psalm 37:28. Cf. Hebrews 13:5). On both the good and difficult days, remember there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24), and this friend loves at all times
(Proverbs 17:17). His name is the Lord Jesus Christ, and I encourage you to walk with Him by faith today.

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