light of the world

24
Dec
2011

The Light of the World – Lest we forget

 

 

“For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” (2Co 4:6-7 nasb)

 

 

Journal,

The apostle Paul said that all believers in Jesus Christ have ‘surpassing [divine] power’ in their hearts, and that we must learn to live by that power and not by our own soulish self powers. Each apostle tell us the same thing,

John says, “Greater is He who is in you and he who is in the world.”

The apostle Peter said, “[We] are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Living With a Glow for Jesus… 

But before I go further I want to give a better perspective on why Paul called attention to the opening of Genesis, where God said, “Let there be Light.” Paul is saying that it is this ‘in the beginning’ Light that is now shining in the heart of a believer.

Paul is drawing on an ancient belief among God’s people that the original Light of creation that shown forth was the light that creation was to live by. The ancients called this Light, ‘the Light of Life’. Jesus Christ by AshraFekry.

The Hebrew people said that ‘Light‘ is one of the names of Messiah, that God Himself is called ‘the Light of the world.’ Even the term ‘sun‘ was sometimes metaphorically used to speak of God and His Messiah.

You hear a bit of this from the Prophet Malachi:

“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.” (Mal 4:2)

Notice where God speaks through Isaiah concerning His Messiah:

 

“I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.” (Isa 42:6-7)

And so we have…

 

The Light that Shines in the Darkness

Jesus Christ by AshraFekry.

When Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world,” His words did not fall on unknowing ears. Many of the Jewish leaders knew exactly what Jesus was drawing from, and they did not like it.

But many in Israel believed that Jesus was God’s Messiah. These believing ones would become partakers of God’s new creation in Christ. Jesus called His kingdom, ‘a kingdom not of this world.’

This new life world would begin in this present life and culminate in the life to come. This is why the apostolic writer said that true believers are partaking of the powers of the age to come. Paul said that we have this treasure in earthen vessels.

Listen carefully to the apostle John:

“The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. …

“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (Cf. John 1:5-14 NASB)

This brings us to…

 

Our Redemption in the Light

When the Light of Jesus enters the human heart, the believing one receives a new Christ-like spiritual nature.

Jesus Christ by AshraFekry.There is a burst of new life. There is joy! There is peace! There is wonderment! Grace flows like a river. But the new believer does not forfit his human nature. There will be trials and temptations to deal with.

Paul said that when these temptations begin to cloud the mind, the believer must learn to draw on that ‘surpassing power’ that is part of our inheritance in Christ. The believer is to look to Christ rather than to himself.

And this is why it is so important to understand this principle of ‘Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.’ The power of new life does not disappear because we had a failure or a hundred failures. It is a truth is to be realized in each believer’s walk with the Lord.

The Old Testament writer said:

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.” (Pro 4:18)

It is the Spirit of God who births us, seals us, tutors us, educates us, places us where we need to be, refreshes us, turns our trials, temptations, and failures into victories, helps us escape bad teachings, keeps the glory of Jesus before us and in us, and many such things. Our final presentation in heaven is a thing of the Spirit.

 

The Redeemed Person is a Son and Daughter of God

Our relationship with the heavenly Father is not that of a servant. We are sons and daughters of the living God. Angels know the Spirit’s seal upon God’s children. The seal says, ‘Sealed for the day of redemption.’ (Eph4:30)

The Holy Spirit’s work is to present us safely before the throne of God. This work of the Spirit is so powerful, that He can take every situation of our life, and turn it into part of our reshaping in Christ. This is why the apostle said,

“And we know that God causes all things to work  together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Paul explains God’s purpose as our final glorification together with Christ.” Rom8:28-30

Paul also says,

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image (inward spiritual likeness) from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2Co3:18

 

Reaching Across History

Every believer’s name was recorded in the Lamb’s book before the foundation of the world.

So when God said, ‘Let there be Light,’ that statement reached across prophetic history and, at the right moment, that Light entered into your heart. And inside you were given a shining heart.

Now, can you let your soul relax in the knowledge that Jesus is going to see you through? Can you let go of bitterness? Can you lay your past failures and mistakes where they belong? In the sea of forgetfulness.

Can you be quiet in His rest?

Can you take to heart what David said in this ascending Psalm? Listen:

“O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me. O Israel [Christian], hope in the LORD from this time forth and forever.” (Psa 131:1-3)

 

Perhaps a good question to ask would be, ‘Who is lighting up your world during this season?’

Take time for this song.

In Christ always,
Buddy

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01
Aug
2011

The Homeless Heart and Soul

“And Jesus cried out and said, ‘He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.’” (Joh 12:44-46)

 

Journal,

The questions go somewhat like this –

“If God is real why does He allow so much evil, and war, and destruction, and heartache, and murder, and famines, and disease, and rape, and plunder, and all else in the world that destroys life? Why does life have to be so empty of meaning? Is this all there is? Why does my heart seem so empty?”

Here is another question. Answer this second question and you have your answer to the first question –

“Why is there so much darkness in my heart?” (Relatively speaking. Not for those who know the answer.)

It is all about the heart. Until the human heart can discover its true connection with life, all else about life will be dismay and darkness and self-deception.

When I was a young preacher [1969] I recall a song by Peggy Lee, titled, ‘Is That All There Is?’ I will never forget the melodrama of that song. I often used it as a backdrop for my evangelist ministry.

What made the song so sad is how well I remembered a point in my life when Peggy’s lyrics were pretty much my lyrics. Before I met Jesus Christ, I had become disheartened of life to the point of saying I was an atheist. Of course being an atheist is merely a charade for the aching heart. But that was before the Lord sought me out.

See if this song speaks of anything in your life –

 

 

The Curse of Darkness

There is none more deceived that those who will not see.

The atheist in his philosophical high-mindedness, the college professor in his anti-God, anti-morality, and the free-spirited libertarian, each are hiding themselves behind charades of self-justifying about life. When they talk about our guarantee to the ‘pursuit of happiness’, whose happiness are they talking about? They speak of their own self-serving happiness regardless of who else may get trampled in the interim.

The millionaire and the billionaire soon find that their massive abundant wealth has no answer to the deepest need of the empty heart. The movie star, the sports idols, and all the famous people in this world are left with emptiness of life, that is, until they find the true answer to life.

Even the religious world can live in a deception about life. Jesus addressed this with regard to those who rejected His fulfillment as the Messiah of God.

“In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’” (Mat 13:14-15)

Here is the strange one. Did you know that the most honest description of the lostness of man in the corruption and decay in this world can often be found with the hard-rock musician.

"A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice." Isaiah 42:3

Listen to these lyrics and you will see an honest tribute to the dark life –

 

Welcome to My Life

[MTV Hard Rock Version].

Do you ever feel like breaking down?
Do you ever feel out of place?
Like somehow you just don’t belong
And no one understands you

Do you ever wanna run away?
Do you lock yourself in your room?
With the radio on turned up so loud
And no one hears you screaming

"The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned." Matthew 4:16

No you don’t know what it’s like

When nothing feels all right
You don’t know what it’s like to be like me

To be hurt
To feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked
When you’re down
To feel like you’ve been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
When no one’s there to save you
No you don’t know what it’s like

Welcome to my life

 

Finding Your Home With Christ

Jesus came into our world to be the Savior of all who will call on Him. Heaven’s message to the earth is the message of God’s love. Yes, there are those who reject Jesus because they love the darkness. These will continue on the path of darkness. It only goes one direction.

But for all who will look to Jesus, the message is simple. Jesus said,

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” (Joh 14:1-3)

If you think it is hard to find Jesus, it isn’t. All you need to do is accept heaven’s message that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, that He came into our world for salvation to all

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." John 14:6

who call upon Him. Jesus died on the cross, was buried, resurrected from the grave, ascended into heaven, and will return to the earth at the Father’s appointed time.

Here is salvation –

“But what does it say?

“THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”–that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

“… for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

“For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” (Rom 10:8-13)

And here is the question that needs an answer –

What will happen to me when I receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior.

What will happen is that the darkness and emptiness in your heart will disappear. In the place of darkness there will be the light and life of Jesus. He has promised to give you a new heart. You will find new thinking and a new life of discovery in Christ.

The presence of the Lord will be with you, always. He will always be as close as your heart. Just a simple prayer is all you need, at any time.

Listen to this song just for you –

“In Christ Alone”

 

 

In Christ Always,

Buddy

 

 

 

 

 

 

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19
Jun
2010

The Pilgrim’s Journey …

“… having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. … they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” (Heb 11:13-16 NASB)

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Readers,

In writing to Timothy, Paul instructed him to flee from worldly attractions, especially that of a love for money. He must always pursue those things that to do with our heavenly life. He then said to Timothy,

“Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (Cf, 1Tim6:11,12)

Two things stand out. First is ‘the’ confession. Did you know that the early Christians were also called ‘the people of the great confession.’ This is because new covenant salvation is based on the Lordship of Jesus Christ. And a confession made from the heart concerning Jesus as Lord is what introduces us to the kingdom of God’s beloved son. Listen to the background:

“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.” (Mat10:2)

“And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God.” (Luke 12:8)

“For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God … for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (Cf. Rom10:1-11)

The second thing that stands out in what Paul said to Timothy, has to do with the fight of faith.

There are things we must always remember. First of all we are not of this world. We are pilgrims on a journey. But we must also learn to fix our eyes on Jesus. He is the author and the finisher of our faith.

So, let’s talk about ‘the Pilgrim’s Journey.’

The best place to begin is with…


The struggle of temptation

Satan’s primary battle plan against believers is to disquiet their walk with the Lord. He does this by searching for something in our life that he can provide a temptation against.

Satan knows well how to stir our earthly passions with worldly allurements. His attacks are generally towards the mind, but he also uses our senses. (This is why we have to train our own senses to discern good and evil. Cf. Heb5:14)

For a temptation to work it has to be something that is quite alluring to our senses and to our thought life. Otherwise it would not be a temptation.

James says it this way:

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone [with evil.]. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed [baited] by his own lusts [desires].” (James 1:13,14)

— The Bible language for temptation carries two thoughts, a solicitation to evil, or a testing from the Lord with a purpose of strengthened our faith, such as was the case of Abraham;

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his own begotten son.” (Heb 11:17. Relates to Gen22)

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A temptation can be powerful

A temptation is quite real and can be overpowering, especially when the temptation is towards something that we desire. The point is that Satan is using something of our own desire to bait us. This is why Jesus said to the disciples,

“Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; for the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mat26:41)

There you have the key. The flesh is weak. This means that most temptations will center on our own human nature and as an attraction to our fleshly life.

But a temptation is also very subtle. This is the reason God’s people need to be cautious when it comes to modern-day prosperity teachings. Most prosperity teachings are earthly focused and worldly minded, and yet are well wrapped in Bible language.

Does this mean that God is against prosperity? Quite the contrary. David had this to say:

“Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication; and let them say continually, ‘The Lord be magnified, who delights in the prosperity of His servant.’” (Ps35:27)

Satan’s prosperity message will always have a worldly attachment to it. True Biblical prosperity is an outflow of a heart relationship with the Lord.

Listen to these promises:

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Ps37:3,4)

— I would encourage every believer to meditate on the whole of Psalm 37. It explains God’s philosophy of life.  Philosophy means a love of wisdom.

Then we have this from the Lord:

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt6:33)

Seeking God’s kingdom was a Hebrew way of saying, ‘Seek the direct rule of God in your life.’ Seeking His righteousness speaks of seeking His way of doing things.

Also keep this in mind – A temptation by its very nature should alert a believer that he is under attack. The enemy is checking to see how far he can get with attracting the believer into an area of failure.

Wow, this sounds like we have little defense. This is not the case at all. We have a number of defenses. Here is one in particular:

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide a way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (1Co10:13)

Paul’s point is that the Lord will never stop providing means and ways for you to overcome Satan’s attempts to draw you away from the Lord Himself. The Lord never stops overseeing our life in this world.

Now let’s talk about…


The Realness of Life

Christians who struggle the most are always those who live compromised lives; sort of one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom. (As if such a thing were possible.)

Jesus came to give us real life! To enjoy true life we have to become single-focused. No more double-mindedness.

James said,

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (Jas 1:5-8 NASB)

Double-mindedness is the number one cause of spiritual instability in a believer’s life. Jesus adds to this in saying,

“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Mat 6:22-24 NASB)

Where Jesus said the ‘eye is bad,’ this was a Hebraism for ‘an evil eye,’ that is, an eye fixed on greed. You cannot be worldly and spiritual at the same time. When our eyes become fixed on worldly pursuits and pleasures of the world, the result will always be darkness in our lives. We are called to live as children of the light.

Jesus said,

“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12)

The point is that all true blessings come from our walk with Jesus. These are directed blessings. And this is why David said,

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake … Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Cf. Psalm 23)

— Lovingkindness is a covenant expression that speaks of God’s very character, that is, His faithfulness to those in covenant relationship with Him. It speaks a reality that God’s love and kindness are eternal. Paul drew on this word when he said, Nothing would ever be able to separate is from the love of God that is found in Christ Jesus. —

Now for a closer look at…


The Path of Separation

We are instructed by the apostles to see our life in this present world as a a pilgrimage. Where the world lives in a cycle of birth to death, believers are to live as a people of destiny. We must never lose this focus.

This means in part that every trial we will ever face has a single goal in mind. The purpose of the trial is to keep us moving on the highway of sanctification (separation to God) and in the keeping power of God’s love.

We need to understand that we have been forever sanctified to Jesus through the blood of the eternal covenant. (This is a once-for-all eternal sanctification. To sanctify means to make holy. It speaks of anything that solely belongs to God.) The path of sanctification has to do with learning to live in our separation to the Lord.

The path of our separation to God will have struggles and temptations. But its greater spiritual feeling of the heart will be found in its joy. Why is this? It is because someone greater is walking with us every step of the way. His presence in our lives is a constant reminder that we belong to Him.

Jesus adds to this:

“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy have be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” (John 15:11)

“Until now you have asked for  nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.” (John 16:24)

The joyful heart is a hallmark of our walk with the Lord. We know Him. We love Him. He is our joy of life.

There is so much more to be said about our pilgrim life. I hope what I have written here will bless you.

As a final thought, always keep before you that we believers are saved by grace. Here is a song I pray will minister to your heart.

It is titled, ‘A Sinner Saved by Grace.’

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Be encouraged. It won’t be long before our journey is completed.

Love always in Christ,

Buddy

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