Sleep…

Sleep…

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” (Genesis 28:16-17)

Sleep. It is a state of suspended consciousness. We are typically not aware of ourselves or our surroundings. Sleep is a physical need of all living creatures – required for a period of rest and inactivity for the body. It is essential for healthy brain function and restoration. And even if you try to force yourself to stay awake, sleep will inevitably happen as the brain takes over….

What I found interesting in our verse is the metaphorical application of sleep to our spiritual awareness. As Jacob pondered: “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” Indeed, too often we are not aware of the presence of God or His Holy Spirit. Too often we are spiritually asleep – not realizing what is happening in the heavenly realms. As Paul noted: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

I think of Jesus in His hour of desperation on the night of His betrayal. He was deeply troubled. Jesus had asked His disciples to watch and pray for Him. Yet, each time He returned from a time of prayer with the Father, they had fallen asleep. Jesus asked them, “Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46) Oh, how heavy were their eyes because their spirits were not alert to the dark forces already in motion….

Jesus spoke to His disciples of another time to come … the day of His return and the Judgment. Again, He urged them to be alert and pray because that Day of the Lord is unknown. Jesus warned: “If the Son of Man comes suddenly, do not let Him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:36-37) Yes, Jesus says to His Church: “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. (Revelation 3:2-3)

Have a Blessed Day!

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” ~ Ephesians 5:13-14

To Be Born of God…

John 1:12-13 (NIV)

Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

In our Verse of the Day, the Apostle John provides us with a profound statement of theology; and I think we should take a look at what it asserts for believers and unbelievers.

John 1:1-13 (NIV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

We see the Apostle John laying the foundation of who Jesus is … His identity … and His divine origin. Unlike the synoptic gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), John does not begin his gospel narrative with the physical born of Jesus into the world; rather, he establishes that Jesus is an eternal being … the Word of God from the beginning … the Word who became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We see the divinity of Jesus from the inception of his eyewitness account, and we understand that it is Jesus who “gives us the right to become children of God.” It is upon the basis of His authority that a human has the capacity to be born of the Spirit … to be born of God. There is no other way for this spiritual birth to take place. For Jesus to transform a person, He must be received in faith. Indeed, Jesus is the assurance of what we hope for and the evidence of what is unseen…. (Cf. Hebrews 11:1)

Have you ever wondered why a “second birth” is necessary to see and enter the Kingdom of God as Jesus told Nicodemus? In John 3:6, Jesus affirmed: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” To be sure, we bear the physical image of a human being … the image of Adam; but read this account very carefully:

Genesis 5:1-5 (NIV)

This is the written account of Adam’s family line. When God created mankind, He made them in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And He named them “Mankind” (Adam in Hebrew) when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.

In the natural … in the physical … we are made in the likeness of Adam (human beings). We bear his image; however, the likeness of God (the holiness of God) in which the first male and female had been created, this likeness of God was “lost” due to their disobedience in the Garden of Eden. When sin entered the world through the rebellious act of Adam and Eve, our holiness was foregone through the knowledge of good and evil. But God provided a plan of redemption … a path of reconciliation … through the sacrificial atonement of His own Son. To those who receive Jesus … to those who believe in His Name, He gave the right to become the children of God … to bear His image. Through faith in Jesus, we receive His righteousness … His holiness … and we are hidden in Him before God. Our identity is in Jesus and our holiness is restored through Him!

Romans 5:12-17 (New Living Translation)

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

Consider this for a moment. We bear the physical image of the earthly man in our bodies; but in order to bear the image of the heavenly man, we must be born-again of the Spirit. Thus, the “second” birth has implications for our resurrection bodies. The Apostle Paul had occasion to explain this concept for the Church:

1 Corinthians 15:44-50 (NIV)

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So, it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Through faith we know that Jesus is the Son of God and the exact representation of His being. (Cf. Hebrews 1:3) And I believe this truth should give us deeper insight into what this Scripture asserts: “For whom God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son….” (Cf. Romans 8:29) God desires us to be like Jesus … to be conformed to His image! This is why we are drawn by the Holy Spirit to pursue holiness in our lives. We who are in Christ Jesus receive in Him wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. (Cf. 1 Corinthians 1:30) We have been taught, with regard to our former way of life, to put off our old selves, which are being corrupted by their deceitful desires;to be made new in the attitude of our minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Cf. Ephesians 4:22-24) For without holiness, no one will see the Lord. (Cf. Hebrews 12:14)

Like Nicodemus, there are many people who do not understand the theological concept of being born-again. And I hope this brief overview helps us to see its presentation through multiple writers of the New Testament. The spiritual implications of the new birth are tremendous and it all begins with Jesus … the One who proclaimed: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.” (Cf. John 14:6-7) My friends, it is only in Jesus that we have the right … the “authority” … to become children born again of the Spirit.

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

Jesus Is The Messiah…

Matthew 16:15-16 (NIV)

“But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”

In our Verse of the Day, Jesus asks His disciples a poignant question: “Who do YOU say that I am?” Let’s look at this passage to see the context:

Matthew 16:13-20 (NIV)

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, (Greek word meaning ‘rock’) and on this rock I will build my Church (community or assembly of called out ones), and the gates of Hades (Hell or the realm of the dead) will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.” Then He ordered His disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Messiah.

This question is one that every human will have to answer: “Who is Jesus?” When Jesus inquired, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is,’ I believe His question was a general one to them. The expression “Son of man” is used extensively in the Book of Ezekiel to address the prophet regarding what he is commanded to speak. However, in the Book of Daniel, we see a different reference to the term: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Cf. Daniel 7:13-14)

The Aramaic phrase bar enash used here is translated as “son of man” meaning “human being.” But in the context, the ‘Son of Man’ referenced here was unique. This Son of Man was coming with the clouds of heaven; approaching the Ancient of Days (God) and entering His presence; was given authority, glory, and sovereign power; worshipped; having an everlasting dominion and kingdom. These attributes do not reflect the description of a prophet like Ezekiel or Daniel; rather, they refer to a special Son of Man … an extraordinary human being having great intimacy with the Father like a Son of the Most-High God Himself. This was the Jewish understanding of the human being … the Son of Man … who would be the Anointed One … the Messiah of God … coming to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth.

So, at first, the question Jesus posed appears to be general. Who do people think the “Son of Man” spoken of by the Prophet Daniel is? But then Jesus personalized the question by asking, “Who do you say that I am?” By implication and self-reference, I believe Jesus was asking if they understood that HE is that unique Son of Man … the Holy One of God … the Messiah that Israel was looking for and expected to come … the One seen in the vision that Daniel described. And when Peter answered Jesus, “You are the Messiah … the Son of the Living God,” Jesus confirmed that Peter understood the connection because the Spirit of God had revealed it to him.

We need to remember that this revelation: “Jesus IS the Messiah” is still the role of the Holy Spirit to give each person. This testimony upon which we have built our faith must still be internalized and believed! Jesus the Messiah (Yeshua Hamashiach) is the foundation … the rock … upon which the message of the Gospel rests. And His physical resurrection affirms the claims of Jesus and His identity! Yet, the truth can still be rejected as an act of human will. “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” (Cf. Psalm 118:22-23) This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Behold, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; and the one who believes … who relies on it will not be shaken nor fear. (Cf. Isaiah 28:16) Now, note the theological connections that Peter would make with these prophecies a few centuries later:

Acts 4:8-12 (NIV)

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus IS “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

My friends, I hope that you will meditate on these things. Think about your own answer to the question Jesus poses to His followers: “Who do YOU say that I am?” How does your answer reflect your faith in God? It is my prayer that we, the Church, will never fail to proclaim the answer: “Jesus is the Messiah … the Son of the Living God!” And it is my prayer that we, the Body of Christ, will continue to be the living representation of Jesus in our generation as we have been called to do! Yes, I pray that our lives as believers would be sufficient evidence to lead those who do not know this truth to the One who answered: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” (Cf. John 14:6)

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

Therefore, I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:3