Monday, April 25, 2022

Trusting the Testimony

“Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

(John 20:29 ESV)

 

Many of us, today, struggle with faith. We find it difficult to believe in Jesus. We find it difficult as we are filled with so many questions and doubts.

 

“If only I could see Jesus,” we tell ourselves, “then I could believe.” “If only I could see one of his miracles,” we say, “then it would be easier.” “If only I could hear his voice, like his disciples,” we exclaim, “then I would have no doubts.”

 

In this way, we are a lot like Thomas. You may recall that he was absent when Jesus first appeared to his disciples. And, when they told him what had taken place, he refused to believe.

 

“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” These were the words of Thomas after hearing their testimony. And these are the words to which Jesus referred when he appeared next.

 

One week later, Jesus appeared to his disciples again, this time while Thomas was present. And he invited Thomas to touch his wounds. He invited Thomas to stop doubting, and to believe.

 

At this point, Thomas exclaimed that Jesus was his Lord and his God. At this point, he confessed faith in Jesus. At this point he believed.

 

Jesus then spoke the words seen above. He pointed out that Thomas had believed because he had seen him. But those who believed without seeing, Jesus said, are blessed.

 

Jesus appeared to his followers for a period of forty days following his resurrection. At that point, he ascended into heaven. And, from that point on, the faith of believers was based not on sight. It was based on the testimony of Jesus’ followers.

 

Those who were there shared with others what they had seen. They shared with others what they had heard. And they shared with others what they had experienced.

 

This is what is meant when Jesus called his disciples to be his witnesses. They were called to bear witness to what they had seen. They were called to testify regarding Jesus, and what he had done.

 

Countless people, since, have received this testimony. They have believed this testimony. And this includes those of us today, who believe. It includes us, as the testimony of the apostles is what makes up the New Testament.

 

John alludes to this in the very next verse. In verse 30, of this chapter, he writes: Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but 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.”

 

The reason, then, for John’s testimony is that we might believe. The reason for his testimony is that we might believe Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God. The reason for his testimony is that, by believing, we might have life in his name. And the same, you see, is true of the other apostles, whose writings make up the New Testament.

 

And we, then, are the recipients of the blessing, referred to by Jesus as he spoke to Thomas. We are those who have believed without seeing. We are those who, unlike Thomas, have been brought to faith without having been there.

 

That being said, this reveals to us, also, the importance of Scripture. It reveals to us why we must faithfully make use of God’s Word. It’s in this way that we receive the testimony of the apostles. It’s in this way that we are brought to faith. And it’s in this way that we are blessed.

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

The Fulfillment of Scripture


“After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.”

(John 19:28-29 ESV)

 

Fluids are essential to us. They are essential to our body. We cannot, in fact, live without them.

 

I’m a pastor, and not a doctor or a biologist. And, for this reason, I don’t know the accuracy of this statement. But I’ve always been told that we can live for only a few days without water.

 

This, of course, may depend upon the environment in which we find ourselves. We’ll die faster from dehydration in a desert than we will in a temperature-controlled building. But we all understand that we’ll die faster from dehydration than we will from starvation.

 

For this reason, as Jesus hung on the cross, as he carried out the will of the Father, it’s obvious to us why he would become dehydrated. It’s obvious to us why he would become thirsty. He had been brutally beaten. He had lost a great deal of blood. He was completely exposed. And, hanging on the cross, he had no access to food or water.

 

It’s of little surprise to us, then, that Jesus was thirsty. It’s of little surprise to us that he expressed this need. And there seems to be little, if any, spiritual significance to this statement, made by Jesus from the cross.

 

However, as we read the above passage, something significant stands out. Jesus made this statement, John says, to fulfill the Scripture. Knowing that all was now finished, Jesus made this statement that Scripture might be fulfilled.

 

The term used here, to fulfill Scripture, means to accomplish Scripture or to execute Scripture. It means to complete Scripture, or to make it perfect.

 

Jesus, then, said that he was thirsty to do just that. He said that he was thirsty to complete Scripture. He said that he was thirsty to accomplish what the Scriptures said.

 

Although he does not cite it for us, the Scripture to which John is referring is Psalm 69. In verse 21 of that chapter, we read: “They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.” This was written by King David as he pleaded with God for help, as he pleaded with God for salvation from his enemies.

 

This passage not only shares with us what was going on in the life of David, at that moment in time. It points us forward to Jesus. It points us forward to his suffering at the hands of his enemies. And it points us to his thirst, along with the provision of sour wine, in the face of it.

 

We see, then, that Jesus does this in every way. He accomplishes, he completes, all that Scripture says. Scripture, you see, directs us to Jesus. All of Scripture, both the Old and the New Testaments, point us to Jesus. It’s not merely a book of stories, a book of history, or a book of laws. It’s a book that directs our attention to the Savior of the world that, by believing in him, we might receive salvation.

Monday, April 18, 2022

The Committal

 “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!”

(Luke 23:46 ESV)


Most of us like to maintain control of our life. We like to maintain control of our affairs. And we’re unwilling to turn that control over to others unless it’s absolutely necessary.


There are times in life, when we have to do just that. There are times in life when we have to entrust ourselves into the care of others, allowing them to make decisions that can drastically impact our life. And we have to do so for our own good, as well as the good of others.


This is true of us when we are young, while we are under the care of our parents. It’s true of us when we are ill. It’s true also of us as we age, and as our abilities begin to wane. 


As we see in the verse above, this is exactly what Jesus did as he hung on the cross. We find that this is exactly what he did as his life reached its end. We find that, as he was about to die, having completed the purpose for which he’d been sent, he entrusted himself, he entrusted his soul, he entrusted his life, into the hands of God the Father.


He did so in the words of David, from Psalm 31. In fact, he fulfilled the words of David from this Psalm. As David fled from his enemies, he made an appeal to God for help and for salvation. And he entrusted his well-being, he entrusted his spirit, into the hands of God.


We do this with others during their funeral. We have a service for them, called the Committal.  And what we are doing, in this service, is entrusting them into the care of God.


We commit them into the hand of God knowing that we’re powerless to do anything for them. We commit them into the hands of God knowing that we have no say, that we have no authority, when it comes to their eternal destiny. We entrust them into the hands of God, knowing that he, and he alone, determines their fate. We entrust them into the hands of God, knowing that he, and he alone, can give them life. We entrust them into the hands of God, knowing that he, and he alone, can give them salvation.


And, in the same way, we can entrust ourselves, we can entrust our very soul, into the hands of God. We can do so, knowing that we are safe in his care. We can do so knowing that he wants only our good, that he wants only our blessing.  And we can do so knowing his ability, as well as his promise, to provide just that.


This, in fact, is something that we must do, as Christians. And it’s something that we must do not only as we’re facing death. It’s something that we must do each and every day of our lives.  It’s something we must do every moment of every day. 


It’s something we must do as we’re truly powerless over our life. It’s something we must do, recognizing that this power and control is possessed by God alone.  It’s something we must do, recognizing that, in spite of our sin and the punishment we deserve, he is willing to grant us his blessing.


As we do so, even though we hate to cede control of our life, this fills us with peace.  Even though we hate to give up our sense of independence, it gives us a calmness of spirit.  And even though we hate to acknowledge how powerless we truly are, it provides us a sense of tranquility.


It does so because no longer are we fighting a fruitless battle for control.  It does so because no longer are we engaged in a losing battle for independence. And it does so because no longer are we taking part in a war we cannot win for the fate of our soul.


Friday, April 01, 2022

A New Creation

 “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

(2 Corinthians 5:16–17 ESV)


As believers, we know the desire of God, for the salvation of all people. And we know that, in Jesus, God has provided just that. He’s provided for all people the forgiveness of their sins. He’s provided for all people salvation from death and hell. And he’s provided for all people the blessing of everlasting life.


This blessing must be received by faith. It, however, is available to not only a select few, but to all. There is no distinction.


We, however, are prone to making distinctions. We are prone to judging people based upon their past and their present sins. We are prone to determining, in our own mind, who is deserving of these blessings and who is not.


If someone had a rough past, and once lived a life of sin and rebellion, we deem him unworthy. If someone is struggling with a certain sin, right here and right now, we deem him unworthy. And if someone is not growing in faith and holiness as fast as we believe he should be, we deem him unworthy.


We, then, shy away from such people. We fail to share with them the comfort of the gospel. And we regard them as pariahs in the church.


We make distinctions in other ways, as well. We make distinctions in terms of appearance and dress. We make distinctions in terms of a person’s education level. We make distinctions in terms of his wealth. We make distinctions in terms of his speech. We make distinctions in terms of his race. And we make distinctions in terms of his culture.


As we look at the verses preceding the passage above, we find that people did the same with Paul. They judged him by worldly rather than godly standards. They judged him based on their outward impression of him rather than his heart and faith.


Paul even points out that he and his companions once did this with Christ himself. They looked at him according to the flesh. They looked at him in terms of worldly standards.


As we look at the passage above, we find that this is wrong. We find that it makes us guilty. We find that, in this way, we fail to display the heart of God.


Paul says that he no longer regarded anyone according to the flesh. This means that he no longer regarded them according to a worldly point of view. He, rather, regarded them according to the gospel. He regarded them according to God’s point of view.


He, then, lays out that view for us. If anyone is in Christ, he says, he is a new creation. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature.


In Christ, we have been made new. In Christ, we have been given a new life. And as his faithful, we must regard both ourselves and others as such.