Category: PASSION Reflections

Jesus Is Coming

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The Old Testament was filled with promises in great detail about the coming of Jesus, and He came just as was promised. The New Testament is filled with promises of the return of Jesus, and we believe that Jesus is coming again just as was promised. We are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

And Jesus is coming again to bring forth the final fulfillment of God’s Kingdom. In the Gospels, Jesus declared that the kingdom of God was at hand. Jesus the King has come, and He cast out demons and healed the sick and raised the dead and multiplied food and calmed the storm to show what His kingdom would one day be like. Satan will be defeated, and there will be no more sickness or death or lack or destructive chaos. And He died on the cross for our sins and rose again to make for Himself a people, His subjects, who will turn from their sin & believe in Him, and begin to follow Him.

One day the King is coming again, and He will bring about the final fulfillment of the Kingdom. He will bring peace and justice and righteousness forever (Isaiah 9:7). He will set up His throne on the New Earth, and He will bring forth His kingdom filled with life and healing and light. There will be no more darkness, and nothing accursed. And His people will be forever in presence of the Lord (Revelation 22:1-6).

So let us carefully prepare for His return. Too many people don’t prepare, don’t even think about being ready for His return. They have no interest in Jesus, no interest in the salvation He offers. But if there is even a chance that what we are saying is true, shouldn’t you carefully explore it? If your eternal destiny rests on what you do with Jesus, shouldn’t you consider it? Jesus might return today. You could die today. Turn from your sin and trust in Him today. Carefully prepare for His return.

He is coming. Are you ready?

And if you are, rest in the amazing certain hope that you have in Him!

Remember

On By BrianIn PASSION ReflectionsLeave a comment

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are designed to picture and so remind us of Christ’s saving work for us.

Baptism pictures and reminds us of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, and how in Him we have spiritually died and been buried to our old sinful way of life and been raised to a new life with Him (Romans 6:3-4).  Baptism also pictures and reminds us that in Christ our sins are washed away (Acts 22:16).

The Lord’s Supper pictures the broken body and shed blood of our Savior, which we are specifically told to remember (I Corinthians 11:23-25).  The same passage also reminds us that the cup is the New Covenant in His blood – it pictures our new relationship with God made possible through Christ in which are sins are forgiven and His Word is written on our hearts (Hebrews 8:10-12). 

And so both baptism and the Lord’s Supper picture and remind us of Christ’s sacrifice, and how in Him our sins are forgiven and we are now able to follow Him. 

So let us remember and rejoice.  I tell people when I prepare them for baptism, that it is a celebration.

Sometimes we talk about celebrating Lord’s Supper, because it should be a celebration.  As we remember Christ’s saving work for us, how could we not celebrate?  As we consider forgiveness of sins and a new life in Christ, how could we not rejoice?  Remember and rejoice!

Let us also remember and rest.  And in two ways: rest in Christ’s love and rest in His finished work.

First, rest in Christ’s love that brought Him to the cross to die for your salvation.  Everyone is looking for love, and as Christians we have found an undying, unselfish, unending, amazing love.  No matter what others think of you, no matter how they may reject you or mistreat you or ignore you, the God of universe, your Creator and Savior, loves you and will not reject or mistreat or ignore you.  As we witness a baptism or gather for the Lord’s Supper, we remember His saving work for us and rest in His love.

Second, rest in Christ’s finished work.  Jesus died and rose again to cleanse you of all your sins.  In Christ, you are clean.  There is nothing you have to do but believe.  It is not of works, so no one can boast.  No penance, no earning, no striving – just rest in His finished work.  Again, He died and rose again to change you, to give you a new life – something you could not do on your own.  You cannot fix yourself.  He has already done it – just rest in His finished work.  As we witness a baptism or gather for Lord’s Supper, we remember His saving work for us.  It is finished, so we can rest.

As you witness a baptism or gather around Christ’s table, remember His saving work for you.  And as you remember, rejoice and rest.

Christ Our Head

On By BrianIn PASSION ReflectionsLeave a comment

For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ….  (Ephesians 5:23-24a)

Christ is the head of the church.  And the church must submit to Him, obey Him, follow His leading.

Christ is in charge of the church, not the pastor, not the leadership team, not you.  Christ alone is the head of church.

Follow the illustration.  My body follows the instructions of my head.  My head tells my neck to turn, my foot to rise, my hands to clap, my fingers to scratch my head.  If my body doesn’t listen to my head, then my body is sick.  And to whatever extent the church is not listening to Christ, to that extent the church is sick.  Christ is the head. 

So let us commit to Christ’s leading – as a church and as individual Christians.  We must be committed to the leading of Christ.  We must follow His instructions in His Word for the church and our lives.  We don’t go off and do our own thing.  We don’t make up the church or what we believe or how to live.  No, we must commit to follow Christ in all things.  Christ is our head.

Trust the Father and Grow!

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)

Trials are one of ways God uses to help us grow to be steadfast, perfect, complete, that is, mature in Christ.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t like that.  I wrestle with the idol of comfort, and trials are not comfortable.  How then can I count trials as joy?  Only as I trust the Father to use those trials for my good.  How can I love people, obey God, and do good works in the midst of trials?  Only as I trust the Father. 

Consider Jesus on the cross:

When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.  (I Peter 2:23)

Jesus was able to love instead of reviling and threatening because he trusted His Father.  Jesus was able to obey His Father’s plan and do this good work of salvation because He trusted His Father there on cross.

It is only as we trust our Father, that we will be able to love those who hurt us, obey even when it’s hard and hurts, and do good works even when we don’t feel like it.

Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.  (I Peter 4:19)

God is faithful.  He has a plan in our suffering.  So trust Him while doing good – loving, obeying, and doing good works. 

Trust Him and grow!

Good News of Great Joy

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:10-11 (ESV)

In the midst of all the bad news of shootings, strife, sorrow, struggles, and suffering, God offers us good news.

At this Christmas time, when everyone is searching for a great deals, great presents, great Christmas goodies, great decorations, great warm fuzzy feelings, and great family time, God offers us great joy.

In a world full of “haves” and and “have nots,” God offers this good news of great joy to all the people.

And what is this good news of great joy for all the people? It is the birth of a baby, who is called a Savior, King, and Lord.

He is a Savior from the penalty and power of sin, and one day from the presence of sin and all its miserable results.

He is a King, who will one day usher in a glorious eternal kingdom of righteousness, justice, and peace.

He is the Lord – God become man. Immanuel – God with us.

This Christmas may you embrace this good news of great joy for all the people. Embrace Jesus, your Savior, King, and Lord.

Go Outside and Know God Better

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

God reveals Himself and declares His glory in His creation, so go outside and know Him better. 

The Bible tells us about the attributes of God, but creation gives us visual pictures of so many of His attributes – like His power and wisdom and goodness.  In Mathew 6, Jesus uses birds and fields as examples of God’s care, and we need to learn to interpret creation, to see how it shows forth God’s nature. 

For example, storms give us an example of God’s power.  The intricate design of any part of God’s creation shows forth God’s wisdom.  The kaleidoscope of colorful leaves point to God’s glorious beauty.

When I sit along Lake Superior, the vastness of lake reminds me of the vastness of our God.  The stillness of lake reminds me of the rest and peace found in God.  The crashing waves reminds me of the power of God.

And I could do that along Lake Michigan near where I live too, but I’m too busy.  Maybe you are too?  To go outside and know God better?

One reason God seems so distant to so many today is that they live their lives in man-made homes, traveling in man-made cars to man-made places of work and man-made stores filled with man-made things.  And now we fill every extra moment staring at man-made screens.  No wonder we miss the reality of God.

God reveals Himself to us on the vast canvas of His creation.  Go outside, see how God’s creation points to Him, and know Him better.

God Is Love

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

God is love (I John 4:8). God is eternal (Jeremiah 10:10). God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). When you put those three truths together, we find that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in a perfect loving relationship for all of eternity. He is radiant glorious love in action for all eternity.

God is love in Himself. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit forever loving each other. Which means He didn’t need to create us to have someone to love. Instead, He chose to create us, and this eternal love between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit spilled over to people like us. That ought to boggle our brains!

And when we sinned against Him, rejecting His amazing love, He chose to show the extent of His great love by saving us through the cross. He went to great lengths to save us, so that He might continue to extend His love to us forever. Not because we are lovable, but because He is love!

So how should we respond to His amazing love? Jesus sums it up in Matthew 22:37-40. Love God with all your being. Love your neighbor as yourself. In other words, love as God loves. Here is our challenge. Here is our purpose. Here is what life is all about. Love as God loves.

God and Our Vision of Life

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

We believe in the one true and living God,
who eternally exists in three unique persons –
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Each one is identical in nature and substance,
with the same attributes and perfections.

Our culture tells us that it is all about you.
You create your own story,
your own identity,
your own reality.
You do whatever you want to do,
because you are center,
everything revolves around you.

Is it not obvious that this doctrine of God refutes this vision of life?
Flips it upside-down?
Or rather right-side up?

There is one true living God, and I am not Him.
So everything revolves around Him, not me.
He is center, not me.
I am to do whatever He wants.
Because this is His great story.
He determines reality.
He gives me my identity.
He makes me part of His story.
So I am going to live for Him, not me.

This doctrine totally changes our vision of life,
and so will change how we live each day.

Doctrine Matters for Our Relationship with God

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

What is required to have a growing relationship with God, to know God more and more?  I must learn about Him.  Doctrine teaches us about Him – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – so that I might know Him better.

Imagine a young man and a young woman meet, and they want to get to know each other.  What do they do?  They spend time together.  They talk to each other and listen.  They learn about each other.

If you want to get to know God better, you need to learn about Him – who He is, what He has done, what He is doing now, and what He will do in the future.  That’s doctrine.  It’s not dry!  It is relational.  It is exciting! 

And as we learn more about God – His love, His faithfulness, His mercy, and what He has done to save us by becoming one of us to die on a cross – we not only get to know Him better, but we love Him more.  Our love for Him grows.  We learn of His love for us, and we grow in our love towards Him.  Our relationship is not dry, but a loving relationship between God and us.

And as we learn about Him through doctrine, this love then leads to worship.  Theology should always lead to doxology.  Doctrine should always lead to praise.  In Ephesians 1-3, Paul lays out the doctrines of salvation and then closes in 3:20-21 with worship to God.  The same thing happens in Romans.  Paul lays out wondrous doctrinal truth in chapters 1-11, and then closes in 11:33-36 with praise to God.  As Paul reflects on doctrinal truths, he can’t help but break into joyful worship. 

Doctrine teaches us about God, that we might grow in our relationship with Him, loving Him more, and falling down before Him in worship.

Show Me Your Love

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O Savior of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.
– Psalm 17:7 (ESV)

Wondrously show me your steadfast love. 
In our suffering, isn’t that in many ways what we most need?
To know God’s love? 
To know that He still cares?
Like a young child running to his mom after hurting himself.
All he needs is a hug, to know he is loved and safe.
And we run to God in our suffering.
All we need is refuge in His steadfast love.
O God, wondrously show me your love!