Merry Christmas to all my readers!
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
John 1:14,16
May Jesus bless you with his presence this time of year and always.
22.12.08
Obedient Son, Ultimate Purifier, All Providing Bridegroom
John Piper
A Perfect Groom
John 2:9-10 shows that the groom was finally responsible for the wine at his wedding. Which means it was his shortcoming that let the wedding run out of wine. Verse 9: “When the master of the feast [not the groom but the head waiter] tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom [now you see who is really in charge of the wine] and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.’”
And of course, the point is: No, he didn’t. He let the wine run out. That’s the way it is with grooms on this earth. All husbands fail to be all that we ought to be. But quietly, omnipotently, Jesus plays the role of the perfect, all-providing Bridegroom. Out of water comes wine—better than any husband could provide.
So the third way that Jesus manifested his glory at this wedding was that he showed himself to be the all-providing Bridegroom for his bride, the great assembly of all those who trust in him.
John Piper
A Perfect Groom
John 2:9-10 shows that the groom was finally responsible for the wine at his wedding. Which means it was his shortcoming that let the wedding run out of wine. Verse 9: “When the master of the feast [not the groom but the head waiter] tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom [now you see who is really in charge of the wine] and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.’”
And of course, the point is: No, he didn’t. He let the wine run out. That’s the way it is with grooms on this earth. All husbands fail to be all that we ought to be. But quietly, omnipotently, Jesus plays the role of the perfect, all-providing Bridegroom. Out of water comes wine—better than any husband could provide.
So the third way that Jesus manifested his glory at this wedding was that he showed himself to be the all-providing Bridegroom for his bride, the great assembly of all those who trust in him.
12.12.08
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:12-14
Perfect harmony comes at a high price. Forgivness, patience, compassion, kindness, humility - well, the list is right in these verses. We are to 'put it on', because we are chosen, holy, and beloved. Seems like it would be sufficient motivation. We are to live up to the character which has been imputed upon us by the new birth. Being washed in the blood of Christ, our new nature should reflect Christ. But we still have to 'put it on'.
I liked how John Piper put it...
"A Christian is not a person who experiences no bad desires. A Christian is a person who is at war with those desires by the power of the Spirit. Conflict in your soul is not all bad. Even though we long for the day when our flesh will be utterly defunct and only pure and loving desires will fill our hearts, yet there is something worse than the war within between flesh and Spirit—namely, no war within because the flesh controls the citadel and all the outposts. Praise God for the war within! Serenity in sin is death. The Spirit has landed to do battle with the flesh. So take heart if your soul feels like a battlefield at times. The sign of whether you are indwelt by the Spirit is not that you have no bad desires, but that you are at war with them! "
This battle within should produce amoung the people of God perfect harmony as we submit to the Spirit. Here comes that lovely word again - obedience. If we 'put on' the behaviours that the Spirit manifests in us we are being obedient to the voice of Jesus.
Should we use our willpower to obey? Yes. Mightily. "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12-13).
Colossians 3:12-14
Perfect harmony comes at a high price. Forgivness, patience, compassion, kindness, humility - well, the list is right in these verses. We are to 'put it on', because we are chosen, holy, and beloved. Seems like it would be sufficient motivation. We are to live up to the character which has been imputed upon us by the new birth. Being washed in the blood of Christ, our new nature should reflect Christ. But we still have to 'put it on'.
I liked how John Piper put it...
"A Christian is not a person who experiences no bad desires. A Christian is a person who is at war with those desires by the power of the Spirit. Conflict in your soul is not all bad. Even though we long for the day when our flesh will be utterly defunct and only pure and loving desires will fill our hearts, yet there is something worse than the war within between flesh and Spirit—namely, no war within because the flesh controls the citadel and all the outposts. Praise God for the war within! Serenity in sin is death. The Spirit has landed to do battle with the flesh. So take heart if your soul feels like a battlefield at times. The sign of whether you are indwelt by the Spirit is not that you have no bad desires, but that you are at war with them! "
This battle within should produce amoung the people of God perfect harmony as we submit to the Spirit. Here comes that lovely word again - obedience. If we 'put on' the behaviours that the Spirit manifests in us we are being obedient to the voice of Jesus.
Should we use our willpower to obey? Yes. Mightily. "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12-13).
6.12.08
1 Thessalonians 5:2-4
For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
That last bit of the text makes me think; is it a sign that you are walking in the light, if the 'labor pains' and other pointers of Jesus' return are of no surprise to you? Jesus expects us to be prepared, to be ready; he commands us to be ready. Because if we're not, he won't wait any longer (Matthew 25:1-13).
Interesting...
For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.
That last bit of the text makes me think; is it a sign that you are walking in the light, if the 'labor pains' and other pointers of Jesus' return are of no surprise to you? Jesus expects us to be prepared, to be ready; he commands us to be ready. Because if we're not, he won't wait any longer (Matthew 25:1-13).
Interesting...
1.12.08
In my care group and in Sunday School, we are constantly reminded to consider the context of the scripture portion in which we are reading. Our teacher is pretty passionate about Biblical literacy. The reminders have got me thinking...
My sister (Julie) is in ladies Bible study on Thursdays, they were looking at the very same passage which our Sunday School was to memorize last week.
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14
Julie said that her teacher said something interesting about the context of this verse; context? ... my ears perked up. Consider what precedes these verses.
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:3-11
Paul is boasting in his accomplishments and knows that we too boast about how great we are. But look what he says; your heritage of faith, your good job parenting, your learned ways from Bible school, your degree, your incredible good looks, your great family, your good works for charity or for your family - Paul says put no confidence in any of that. Instead we are to forget them and focus on Jesus. We are to count all of that as a loss; even more so if it interferes with you knowing Christ Jesus. We have no righteousness of our own, but only that which comes from God through faith. Paul seeks to share in Christ's suffering in order that he may attain the ressurrection from the dead.
Are we seeking suffering? Do we value our relationship with Jesus this much?
We are to be humble as we seek after the 'goal for the prize', remembering that we have not attained it yet. And this is our motivation - the lack of achieving it should make us press on toward the goal. It seems all so backwards.
Julie said that in her Bible study, the teacher pointed out that so often when we read Philippians 3:13-14, we are thinking that Paul is telling us to forget the bad stuff in the past and press on toward all the 'blessings' that are ahead. The context does not reveal that at all. Not only that, our distorted view of what a 'blessing' is needs to change in the church of the Western world. In Philippians 3, Paul is essentially saying that it's a blessing to suffer for Christ as it will attain for him Christ likeness.
Should we not consider his words in our own lives?
Context; it changes everything.
My sister (Julie) is in ladies Bible study on Thursdays, they were looking at the very same passage which our Sunday School was to memorize last week.
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14
Julie said that her teacher said something interesting about the context of this verse; context? ... my ears perked up. Consider what precedes these verses.
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:3-11
Paul is boasting in his accomplishments and knows that we too boast about how great we are. But look what he says; your heritage of faith, your good job parenting, your learned ways from Bible school, your degree, your incredible good looks, your great family, your good works for charity or for your family - Paul says put no confidence in any of that. Instead we are to forget them and focus on Jesus. We are to count all of that as a loss; even more so if it interferes with you knowing Christ Jesus. We have no righteousness of our own, but only that which comes from God through faith. Paul seeks to share in Christ's suffering in order that he may attain the ressurrection from the dead.
Are we seeking suffering? Do we value our relationship with Jesus this much?
We are to be humble as we seek after the 'goal for the prize', remembering that we have not attained it yet. And this is our motivation - the lack of achieving it should make us press on toward the goal. It seems all so backwards.
Julie said that in her Bible study, the teacher pointed out that so often when we read Philippians 3:13-14, we are thinking that Paul is telling us to forget the bad stuff in the past and press on toward all the 'blessings' that are ahead. The context does not reveal that at all. Not only that, our distorted view of what a 'blessing' is needs to change in the church of the Western world. In Philippians 3, Paul is essentially saying that it's a blessing to suffer for Christ as it will attain for him Christ likeness.
Should we not consider his words in our own lives?
Context; it changes everything.
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