The Pastor’s Pen

Lincoln writes to encourage and build up God’s people with God’s Word.

Christ – the greatest treasure – Part 3

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

As Christians reading God’s Word, we are in awe of the many and varied expressions of the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel accounts expose us to the incredible ways in which Christ manifested His divinity through His restricted humanity. The apostle John concluded that there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written (John 21:25). However, these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:31).
While Jesus’ earthly ministry was astounding, so His ongoing heavenly ministry continues to be astounding with significant earthly impact. Christ is the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest… (Hebrews 5:9-10). Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25). Jesus never takes time off. There are no holidays or rests from His ministry of intercession on our behalf. What’s more, He never does a half-hearted job. He completely saves sinners, He completely secures those saved sinners, He sanctifies those He justifies, and He shall completely glorify redeemed sinners to heaven (Romans 8:29-30).

With this in mind, let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:15-16). Christ does not save us to then abandon us. He does not justify us then leave us to our own resources to struggle through life. No, He saves us only to continue His priestly ministry on our behalf at the throne of God, ensuring our every need is meet, and that our future arrival in heaven is fulfilled. Noting is left to chance. Nothing is left depending upon us.

Hebrews 10:14 sums up in 1 line the absolute sufficiency of what Christ has done, what Christ is doing, and what Christ shall do for believers. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. While we may struggle with living through the process of daily sanctification, we are assured that Christ will perfect our sanctification for eternity without being dependent upon our abilities to get things right.

Since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith (Hebrews 10:21-22). Realising our unimaginable security in Christ, we are able to push to one side any fears or challenges knowing that Christ has, is, and shall continue to save and secure us. Our great priest never faulters or fails at the task before Him. Unlike us, who are plagued with inconsistencies and struggles, the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3:3). Even during those dark times in life, if we are faithless, he remains faithful (2 Timothy 2:13).

Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonian Christians sums this up perfectly. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). Because he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).



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Christ – the greatest treasure – Part 2

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

When Christ resurrected and then ascended, the Father seated Him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church (Ephesians 1:20-22). This answers the question; why do Christian’s emphasis Jesus so much? Because He is supreme over all others and beyond compare in every way. Therefore, it is the Christian’s pleasure to explore Christ’s being, His character, His position, His purposes, His works, and His reign.
Making much of Christ is as natural to a believer as breathing. We seek to glorify Christ not because we must, not because we have been instructed to, and certainly not because we have been coerced, but because we desire to. This desire compels the Christian to employ all they have; their intellects, their abilities, skills, energies, gifts, and their possessions, in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 4:11). A believer should never need to be instructed to consider Jesus (Heb 3:1), they can’t help but think of Jesus because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus (Php 3:8).

Just as Christ is superior to angels (Heb 1:4), so He is also superior to mankind, even though He came to this world in the form of a humble human servant (Php 2:6-8). God temporarily placed Jesus in a position lower than the angels (Heb 2:7) for the purpose of going to the cross. There, Jesus willingly suffered execution so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone, making propitiation for the sins of the people (Hebrews 2:9, 17). It is through Christ’s death in our place that He was able to appease God’s wrath for our sin, making peace with God possible (Romans 5:1). By believing this, sinners are justified and declared innocent by God. Therefore, God has elevated Christ to the highest place, having crowned him with glory and honour, putting everything in subjection under his feet (Hebrews 2:7-8).

Even though Christ is exalted above everything and everyone in heaven and on earth, He is still able to sympathize with our weaknesses, as one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Christ lives as our high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens, interceding for those He sacrificed His life for (Hebrews 7:25-26). It’s no wonder then, that though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:8-9).

So, when considering Christian living, it goes without saying that the obvious evidence of faith is the happy pursuit of Christlike character expressed through actions. Christians are not those who profess to know God but deny him by their works (Titus 1:16). Believers welcome the world’s observation as an opportunity to give testimony to Jesus through their lives. Conduct that communicates Christ should never be considered a burden, rather, it is the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s fruit that the Lord Jesus Christ lives within (Galatians 5:22-23).

With these brief thoughts in our minds, we can agree with Paul in his closing benediction of Romans 16:27, to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

To be continued…

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Christ, the greatest treasure! – Part 1

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

The Bible rightly gives much attention to Jesus Christ. For although the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). As the revealer of truth, Jesus does what no one else could, He accurately makes God known to humanity (John 1:18). The exposure of God which comes through Jesus is unparalleled by anything or anyone in all creation. This is because Jesus Christ is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrews 1:3). Therefore, it is right for Christians to proclaim the excellencies of Christ (1 Peter 2:9).

More than anything else, over the past two years we have learned how easy it is for God’s people to become completely distracted from Christ. With the many loud and passionate voices demanding prominence, we are to take care with one another not to speak or do things which could develop an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God (Hebrews 3:12). We, like the authors of Scripture, know how easy it is to become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb 3:13) which leads our affections away from Christ. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end (Heb 3:14).

To refine and strengthen our faith we consider Jesus (Heb 3:1); giving our thoughts, our songs, our time, and our desires to knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. As the apostle Paul testified, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Philippians 3:8). Instead of allowing worldly thoughts and attitudes to dominate, we give ourselves to being transformed by the renewal of our minds (Rom 12:2) to knowing Christ.

As those called to belong to Jesus Christ (Rom 1:6), we Christians elevate Christ to the highest place in our hearts and lives. We resonate with God’s testimony of Jesus, declaring; “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions” (Hebrews 1:8-9). Jesus is qualified to reveal the Father to us because Jesus is one with the Father, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped (Philippians 2:6). Only Jesus could truthfully say, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Jesus, who is God over all, blessed forever (Romans 9:5), is the Sovereign we yield our affections to.

While God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world (Hebrews 1:1-2). In centering our thoughts on Jesus, we see that He is the source of our being, He is our creator. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life… (John 1:3-4). As the One who is life in himself (John 5:26), He speaks living creatures into being. All created things are the expression of Christ’s creative power and sovereign will.

May we be truly Christ centred, Christ focused in the routines of life. May the name of our Lord Jesus be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:12).

To be continued…

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Easter – there’s only one!

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

As a nation, we celebrate Easter once every year. And at best, it’s an atheistic celebration. But as believers in Jesus Christ, we celebrate Easter every time we partake in communion. It’s our pleasure during Communion, and at Easter time, to proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). While thinking about this, my thoughts have been drawn into the apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 11:23, the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was being betrayed took bread. There’s a great deal unfolding throughout these events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, as humanity abandons Christ the Messiah.

I’m sure most of the key players in the events of Easter thought they had it under control. Not realising the significance of what was playing out before them, they were all looking out for themselves, and dominated by self-interest.

  • The disciples, well, a dispute arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest (Luke 22:24). So, they didn’t notice the intensity of the Passover Jesus was leading or the predictions Jesus was making of His death.
  • The Pharisees only wanted to be rid of Jesus as He kept on publicly exposing their self-righteous scandals. Matthew 26:3-4 tells it plainly, the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.
  • Small-minded Judas thought he was going to make an easy 30 pieces of silver with minimal fuss (Mat 26:15), all he had to do was deliver Jesus to the chief priests and Romans.
  • Pilot was only interested in maintaining his political position over the Jews within the Roman government (Mk 15:15).
  • The Roman soldiers suffered their usual irritation from dealing with anything Jewish, let alone another blood thirsty crucifixion. Meanwhile Herod with his soldiers treated him (Jesus) with contempt and mocked him (Luke 23:11).
  • Murderous Barabbas must have been elated when Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas (Mark 15:15) in a political exchange for Jesus’ life.
  • The crowds, stirred on by the chief priests, shouted all the more, “Crucify him” (Mark 15:14).
  • The 2 criminals crucified either side of Jesus, hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” (Lk 23:33, 39). Initially, they only wanted rescuing from the death penalty. But then, one of them repented.

What a terrible mess humanity had made of this. But none of these selfish traits were true of Jesus! He was the ONLY ONE not consumed by self-preservation or self-advancement. Jesus’ primary interest was doing the will of His Father (Mat 26:42; Jn 6:38), which meant going to the Cross. Secondly, Jesus knew He was about to suffer on the Cross, once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18). Therefore, Jesus humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8) becoming the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10). Consequently, we believers have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). The victory of Jesus’ Cross is affirmed in that He has risen (Luke 24:6). Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us (Romans 8:34).

In response to these Easter mercies of God, we present our bodies (lives) as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship (Romans 12:1).

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Pains of the heart – Part 5 (Final)

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

King David knew better than most about prolonged pains of the heart, and he realised that bodies often heal easier and faster than hearts and minds. While there are occasions when the Lord brings immediate and total recovery, for the most part, the Lord heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3) progressively. Today I want to speak of some practical application which Christians sometimes fail at in the recovery process due to an unwillingness or inability to put God’s Word into practice.
Typically, the Lord’s recovery comes in synchromesh with a believer’s actioned faith. Depending on the causes, medication and counselling may play an important part, but it is consistency of applied biblical instruction that brings biblical truth to reality in a believer’s life.

Following are some practical suggestions, in no particular order, which can assist recovery.

  • Try not to obsess over pain. Seek help and accept help when offered to you. Do not believe the lie that says, “there is no help.” Share life with others who will help you shift your focus towards recovery.
  • Daily read, meditate upon, and memorise God’s Word. Even in small doses, God’s Word is soul food.
  • Pray. This is simply talking with the Lord with a watchful attitude. Speak to Him with gratitude about all the things of life, not only your problems but also of the blessings.
  • Seek forgiveness from both the Lord and people you may have hurt with either actions or words. This will clear your conscience and alleviate crippling guilt.
  • Forgive those who have hurt you. And every time you recall their offence, forgive them again.
  • Fellowship. This may be with just one other believer. Even if unable to meet them in person, use technology to have discussions and prayer time with them regularly.
  • Worship, whether in private, with a prayer partner, or at church with your spiritual family.
  • Physically exercise in a place where you can praise God for the things you see and feel in creation.
  • Do NOT isolate. Loneliness only feeds deeper loneliness. And do NOT assist others to isolate from the body of Christ. Isolation from church, from God’s people, only ever brings certain disaster sooner or later.
  • Be open with your church leaders about what is happening in your life. This may simply mean sharing that you are experiencing great pain or difficulty, enough information so they can be supportive, praying for you, and offer assistance.
  • Seek help with accountability from a stronger Christian over compulsive and repetitive sin in your life.
  • If needed, change your friends should they be predominately negative, complaining, and unforgiving of others. If they are typically critical, rebellious, and demeaning of others, they will drag you into despair.
  • Reach out to serve someone else, not as an authority, but as a calming friend. Bless someone else with the kind of Christian friendship you appreciate having. Treat them as you would like to be treated. Look for friends who you can lift up, who you can refresh, who you can encourage.
  • Be extremely careful with your time on the internet. Social media and web sites which are negatively focused and conspiracy promoting should be avoided. Stay far away from all forms of pornography and sexually wrong relationships. Purity is critical for healthy spiritual recovery.
  • And finally, be patient with yourself, with God, and with others.

I conclude this mini-series with wise words from the apostle Peter. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-8).

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