Genesis III: Belief

And he believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6 ESV)

Belief

Some might mistakenly believe that the Bible is a book of tough rules and regulations intended to make people nicer.

While the Bible, if followed, might indeed have that effect on our society, that is not the primary message of Scripture. 

Because perfect obedience is an impossible task.  But that failure, which we realize more and more, the more we more understand God’s law has a solution.

God intends and desires His people to believe in the Lord.  That Lord is the Messiah.

And what Abraham believed is that the Messiah-to-come was enough.  The Messiah-to-come replaces our disobedience with His obedience.  The Messiah-to-come makes possible and makes real the People of God.

And so Abraham’s belief was as good as righteousness in God’s eyes.

And the same is true today.

The Messiah-who- came is enough.  The Messiah-who-came replaces our disobedience with His obedience.  The Messiah-who-came made possible and made real the People of God:  Us.

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Genesis II: The Fixing of the Big Break

Genesis (II)

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15 ESV)

The Fixing of the Big Break

While sin is the ultimate cause of everything that is wrong in the world, the trouble with sin is not really what we tend to think it is.  The trouble with sin is not really that disease runs rampant, as bad as that is.  The trouble with sin is not really that dishonesty tends to ruin relationships, as bad as that is.  The trouble with sin is not really that weeds grow, storms rage, and the earth at times quakes, as bad as those things are.

The trouble with sin…  the REAL trouble… is that mankind (and thereby all of creation) is separated from God.  He, holy, cannot bear sin.  He, holy, abhors sin.  He, holy, must eradicate sin.

And here, in the 3rd chapter of Genesis, God shows His hand.  His plan.  His solution.

The symbol of sin, Satan, is going to be killed by the coming solution:  the Messiah.

Sin, at the root of all trouble, will meet it’s match at the triumphant crushing foot of the Messiah.

Jesus, the Messiah, is the solution to every problem that sin causes.  Which means, every problem that has existed, exists, or will exist.

Jesus is not merely a soft-spoken nice guy who loves people.  He is the necessary destruction of sin, sin’s power, sin’s punishment, and sin’s effects. 

Foundation

Genesis (I)

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 ESV)

Foundation

Our world seems bound and determined to define God out of existence.  And if that doesn’t work, they try to redefine Him into something more palatable, less holy, and less important.

It is why we have Superman, so many religions, and silly forms of science.

But the book of Genesis begins by declaring that God IS… and always was.

Those words, “In the beginning, God…” define reality for mankind.

Without, “In the beginning, God…” we can not understand creation, sin, or salvation.

“In the beginning, God…” is the beginning of our understanding of Jesus Himself, the world’s need for Jesus, Himself, and how He came.

The Entire Bible

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (Luke 24:27 ESV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1 ESV)

The Entire Bible

I am already cheating!  After deciding to start this series by listing the key verse of scripture, I just couldn’t do it.  Both of these verses combine to show clearly what ALL of the Bible is about.

All of the Bible is about Jesus.

Jesus Himself showed that all of Scripture points to Him.  While some throughout history have tried to claim that the Bible is about morals, community, how to live, and the law… all of those aspects are only important when they related to Christ Jesus.

The Bible is about Jesus.

Further, in the fourth gospel, we read amazingly that Jesus IS the very Word of God.

Not only is the Bible about Jesus, but He IS God’s Word.

The answer to every problem is Jesus.  The foundation of every truth is Jesus.  Mankind’s hope is Jesus.  Both practically, emotionally, and Spiritually, the center of all we need to know is Jesus.

The key part of Scripture is Jesus.

Key Verses

When I watch a film I usually find a key scene.  A moment in the action or dialogue that is THE moment that best displays the film.  In Star Wars: A New Hope, for instance, it is the moment that Han Solo comes out of nowhere and ‘saves’ Luke Skywalker.  This moment, for me, demonstrates the companionship that is the key to understanding that movie.

I expect your key moment is different.

It is my intention in these articles to present the Key Verse for each of the 66 books of the Bible.

This does not mean, necessarily, my favorite.

This does not mean, necessarily the most important salvific doctrine.

This does not mean, necessarily, the best known.

But with an aim to encourage us all to READ the book, I hope we will see the Key to understanding each book.

I fully expect and encourage every reader to have their own key verses.  Maybe they will line up with mine, maybe they will not.

(Some books might have more than one… just warning…)

Jesus' Life (Again) and Work

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (Hebrews 4:15 ESV)

Jesus’ Life (Again) and Work

After His last earthly work was done, Jesus got to work in heaven.

Seated at the right hand of God… which means ruling all of heaven and earth.

Seated at the right hand of God… which means interceding on our behalf when we cry out.

Seated at the right hand of God… which means preparing rooms for us, His people.

Seated at the right hand of God… which means still giving His people faith, hope, and love.

Seated at the right hand of God… which means still bringing peace, joy, and salvation.

Back to life, He was… and back to work for us!

Jesus' Death and Work

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30 ESV)

Jesus’ Death and Work

Jesus’ last work was His death.

The Resurrection is coming, but that was not His work.  The Ascension is coming, but that was not His work.

He gave up His Spirit.  He died by His choice, by His effort, by His will.

And that last work was powerful.

It paid for every believer’s sin!  It opened heaven’s gates for every believer!  It finished not only the work of 33 years, but the salvific work that the Trinity had been forging since Adam’s fall.

For Him, it was finished.

For us, the results were just beginning.

Jesus' Life and Work

…so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:10 ESV)

Jesus’ Life and Work

It is common for jokes to be made about failure.  When a roadworker paints a crooked line, we say, “you had ONE job!”  When a cook forgets to add salt, we say, “You had ONE job!”  When a Professional Bowler misses a strike, we say, “You had ONE job!”

Christians might be said to have ONE job!  Obeying God.  And we fail in that ONE job.

But Jesus’ perfect life results in God accepting CHRIST’S obedience as our own.

We best do our job when clinging body, heart, and soul to Jesus.  Then HIS one job fixes our one job!

Jesus' Life (Again) and Rest

Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? (Isaiah 66:1, Acts 7:49 ESV)

Jesus’ Life (Again) and Rest

This verse is found in both Isaiah and Acts. 

And the point is the same.  Our Lord’s home is heaven… and we will follow Him there to rest.

He rests there free from worldly concerns, because He is KING.  And we follow Him there.

He rests there secure in the Sovereignty that He shares. And we follow Him there.

He rests there in joy at His accomplished work, at peace from His victory on the cross, and loving His Father and His siblings.  And we follow Him there.

He rests… and so will we.

Weekly News

Palm Sunday 13 April

Passion Tuesday Service 7:00 pm

Passover Like Celebration 6:00 pm

Maundy Thursday 7:00 pm

Good Friday 7:00 pm

Resurrection Day (6:15 am) April 20

Jesus' Death and Rest

And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.”  (Luke 9:32 ESV)

Jesus’ Death and Rest

I used to hate taking naps.  I felt like I was missing out on something.  More recently, I look forward to naps.  I feel like I am missing out on something if I don’t occasionally doze.

Just before he raised a girl from death,  Jesus said that her apparent death was merely sleep.

Her death was like sleep because it was temporary, despite what it looked like. 

In a time-switch, Jesus was foreshadowing HIS death.  Which might have seemed like an absolute end for His body… but was actually temporary.  Like rest.

Our death is like that, too.

To observers, our bodies will be dead.  But we, like Jesus, will not be dead.  We will open our eyes in heaven, with Him, with His Father, with Our Father.

Very much awake and alive.

We have a lot of work.  But that work has an end.  We will have rest.  And that rest will be better than naps.  Better than REM-sleep.  Better than any dreaming.

We, because of Jesus, and only through Jesus, will have REAL rest.  Forever rest.  Perfect rest.

Jesus' Life and Rest

And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27,28 ESV)

Jesus’ Life and Rest

When I was a teenager, I often lawyered my parents about what they should allow me to DO on the Lord’s Day.  Big surprise, eh?

It seemed to me back then, that our church’s and family’s Sunday rules were meant to STOP me from doing things I wanted to do.  I chafed against them.

But eventually, I understood such things more closely to what Jesus actually taught.

The Lord’s Day was commanded because our bodies need rest.  The Lord’s Day was created because it is GOOD to rest.  The Lord’s Day continues because it is a part of His Lordship.

Throughout His life, Jesus worshipped on the Lord’s Day, even though He Himself was God.  Throughout His life, Jesus enjoyed the Lord’s Day, because it is enjoyable.  Throughout His life, Jesus kept the Lord’s Day because He loved to obey.

For us, too, copying Jesus’ life, we get to regularly rest.  Not just out of obligation.  Not just out of habit.  Not just out of calendar-following.

But because HE did it, we get to.  Because HE loved it, we can try to.  Because HE obeyed, we learn to.

He worked all the way through His life, right up to His death on the cross.  He rested along the way, too.  Especially through the resurrection!

Work and rest.  Strive and rest.  Labor and rest. Try and rest.  Just like Jesus did.

Jesus' Life (Again) and Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, (I Peter 1:3,4 ESV)

Jesus’ Life (Again) and Hope

Recently a friend fixed my limping computer.  It has had a recurring trouble with over-heating almost since I bought it.  I have tried various methods, and while some solutions did the trick for a day or two… no solution worked for long.

But THIS friend is an expert.  Experienced.  Crafty.  And he fixed my computer.

But as happy as I am this morning… I know that this fix will not last forever.  Even if it lasts for weeks, or months, or years, my computer WILL fail again.  Even if in a different way.

Because my computer is not very much like Jesus.

Unlike the hope I have in technology, the hope I have in Jesus is permanent.

Unlike the hope I have in mechanical success, the hope I have in Jesus is transformational.

Unlike the hope I have in knowledge, the hope I have in Jesus is complete.

Jesus’ hope is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.

Christians are not merely born again.  We are born again to a living hope!

Jesus' Death and Hope

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (Revelation 21:4 ESV)

Jesus’ Death and Hope

I had a particularly hard day recently.  I shed tears.  I encountered death.  I mourned.  I cried.  And I hurt. 

I am certain that you have such days, too.

The suffering, pain, and death of Jesus ensures that we have hope.  Not a vague hope, like watching the stock market or seeing the end of a long trip.  But the sure absolute hope that BAD DAYS WILL END.

Jesus died to end all bad days.

Not merely by destroying their source and power.  But by giving new life.  But by paving the road into God’s glorious, perfect, joyful, GOOD presence, that we call heaven.

Jesus’ death empowers that hope.

Jesus' Life and Hope

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (I Corinthians 15:19 ESV)

Jesus’ Life and Hope

Hidden in this conditional statement is a profound fact.  Yes, Paul is writing to give us hope for life after our body’s death.  But before he logically gets there, he declares that we have hope NOW.

We have hope in THIS life.

And the foundation of that hope is nothing less than the life of Jesus.

We see how Jesus was loved by the Father, and have hope that the Father loves us, too.

We see how Jesus endured temptation, and have hope that we can endure, too.

We see how Jesus’ entire life gave glory to His Father, and have hope that we can shine some glory to the Father, too.

Because Jesus’ lived… we have hope!

Jesus' Life (Again) and Grace

And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33 ESV)

Jesus’ Life (Again) and Grace

This is an interesting look under the hood at the workings of God’s salvific engine.  When the apostles were teaching, they undoubtedly covered Adam’s Sin.  They probably covered the Trinity.  They would have discussed, in concept at least, the dual natures of the Christ.  Maybe lessons or sermons would have included the power of Scripture, the nature of repentance, and the preferred color of carpeting for Christians.  (Ok, probably not the last one…)

But look what happened when the Resurrection was taught:  GREAT GRACE WAS UPON THEM.

Of course all those other topics are necessary and important.

But it seems, somehow, that Grace arrives with the Resurrection!

Jesus' Death and Grace

For if many died through one Man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one Man Jesus Christ abounded for many. (Romans 5:15 ESV)

Jesus’ Death and Grace

The Grace of God is offered to Christians because of, and ONLY because of Christ’s death. 

Two paths exist to restored relationship with the perfect Creator.  We can enter that relationship either through our own perfect obedience, from birth to death… OR through God’s grace.

How’s that first option working out for you?

The second option, God’s grace, is made possible through Jesus’ death.

Christ’s death cleans our dirty hands through Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross.  Jesus’ death cleans us up, in God’s eyes.

Jesus’ death is the foundation of Grace.

Jesus' Life and Grace

For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (II Corinthians 5:21 ESV)

Jesus’ Life and Grace

Despite our common phraseology, the gospel is not free.  God’s forgiveness is not free.  God’s grace is not free.

The gospel, forgiveness, and grace do NOT cost His people anything.

But they were paid for.

God is gracious to us, because His Son, Jesus Christ, earned God’s favor through HIS OWN perfect obedience.

We do not deserve grace, could never earn grace, and could not possibly find God’s grace. But Christ Jesus was absolutely holy.   And God grants US the grace Jesus deserves… the grace Jesus deserves… and God’s favor.

Jesus’ life pays for the Grace God gives us.

Jesus' Life (Again) and Spring

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 ESV)

Jesus’ Life (Again) and Spring

Some days are easier to rejoice in than others.  But the symptoms of spring are USUALLY things in which we rejoice.  More than winter, more than summer, more than autumn, spring makes our hearts spring!

Rejoicing in spring might be easier than other seasons.

And rejoicing in Jesus’ resurrection is similarly easier to rejoice about than His suffering life, and  His death.

His life and His death were necessary… and His resurrection is ALSO a thing of pure joy.

His life and His death were endured… and His resurrection is ALSO a celebration.

His life and His death were dark… and His resurrection is LIGHT.

Jesus' Death and Spring

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4 ESV)

Jesus’ Death and Spring

My grandfather, a master gardener, tried to teach my skeptical young mind that, “for new life, you have to have death.”  He told me that as we pushed old lifeless seeds into the cold dead ground.

And then, green life would sprout.

Jesus’ death, on our behalf, because we were dead already in our sins, paved the way for new life in Him.

His death was not simply a tragedy.  His death brought new life!  Both the new life we have in Him, now; AND the new life we will have with Him in eternity.

And death today is similar.  Of course it is a source of grief.  But death, because of Jesus’ death, is now also the gateway to true, perfect, joyful, eternal, bright, holy, tear-less, life.