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Tag: Gospel

The Gospel is Good News to all who will humbly accept Jesus and listen to His teaching.

We refer to the four books of the Bible which tell the story of Jesus Christ as the Gospels. These books are named for their authors: Matthew, a Jewish Apostle; Mark, a disciple of the first generation who recorded accounts of Peter and the Twelve; Luke, a gentile Physician and disciple of the first century; and John, one of the Twelve Jewish Apostles chosen by Jesus.

A Vineyard

Now will I sing to my wellbeloved

a song of my beloved

touching his vineyard.

My wellbeloved hath a vineyard

in a very fruitful hill:

And he fenced it,

and gathered out the stones thereof,

and planted it

with the choicest vine,

and built a tower

in the midst of it,

and also made

a winepress therein:

and he looked

that it should bring forth grapes,

and it brought forth

wild grapes.

Isaiah 5:1-2 KJV

‘Ah, another song’ you say, after having just read the beautiful Song of Songs.

Perhaps the beautiful bride comes to mind and what she might say in a wedding toast of her beloved bridegroom, her husband. Yet this lyric is more than that – much more.

The preceding book of the Bible paints a seductive and loving picture of a woman seeking the love of Solomon.

Song of Songs

1:2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.

4:10 How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!

5:1 I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

How the loving wife desires her husband. How the fruit of the wedding becomes the celebration of the bride and of the bridegroom!

But what has happened here in Isaiah, first of the books of the Prophets?

Hear first, a young virgin bride praising her husband.

Isaiah 5 ESV

Let me sing for my beloved
my love song concerning his vineyard:

Yes, well ought the loving bride sing a love song of the anticipation of her beloved.

My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
2 He dug it and cleared it of stones,
and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
and hewed out a wine vat in it;

An idyllic photo of a bridegroom and husband-to-be. He has prepared a place for the woman of his love, the woman of his betrothal. He will live in this place with his a bride-to-be forever (‘until we are parted by death,’ say our solemn vows before witnesses).

The bridegroom planted a vineyard in the fertile place, digging it out for the day the grapes could be pressed into choice wine. It would take some time, but the bridegroom has done this for his bride. The bridegroom has set a watchtower over what he has claimed for his bride-to-be.

On the side of a hill where grapevines grow a wine vat hewn from stone testifies to the groom preparing a place of permanence for his bride.

Then (as so often happens in familiar romances) the song of love takes a tragic turn. The perspective of the groom – the bridegroom who has prepared all this for his beloved now laments over the unfaithfulness of his bride.

and he looked for it to yield grapes,
but it yielded wild grapes.

The vineyard is the Lord’s! He has planted it. Jerusalem and Judah and the earth are His – He has planted it.

Listen now to the Groom:

3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem
and men of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more was there to do for my vineyard,
that I have not done in it?
When I looked for it to yield grapes,
why did it yield wild grapes?

Isaiah continues (later) to tell of the rule of the Lord over the end of the earth.

I ask you, dear brother, dear sister in the Lord – dear church, Bride of Christ Jesus – have you become a ‘wild grapevine’ in the garden of the Lord?

Isaiah 24:

Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate,
and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants…

7 The wine mourns,
the vine languishes,
all the merry-hearted sigh.
8 The mirth of the tambourines is stilled,
the noise of the jubilant has ceased,
the mirth of the lyre is stilled.
9 No more do they drink wine with singing;
strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
10 The wasted city is broken down;
every house is shut up so that none can enter.
11 There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;
all joy has grown dark;
the gladness of the earth is banished.
12 Desolation is left in the city;
the gates are battered into ruins.

13 For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth
among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,
as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done.

Was the righteous olive tree, Christ Jesus, not beaten for your sins?

Will the Lord of all the earth not give the Son of Righteousness reign and judgement over all the earth?

Does the Song of the Vineyard of Isaiah, Prophet who so accurately foresaw the life of Christ Jesus as God Incarnate, not seem somewhat familiar from a parable of Jesus?

Mark 12: And he began to speak to them in parables.

“A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.

6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.

O, beloved Bride of Christ:

Have we thrown the beloved Son out of the vineyard?

What will the Owner surely do?

Did our Lord not warn us (wild vines worshiping whatever we would)?

John 15 KJV

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

O beloved Bride, vineyard of the Bridegroom, betrothed of the King of Righteousness:

Do you abide in the life of Christ Jesus?

Surely He will return to the vineyard. Will the Bridegroom not expect grapes, and not wild grapes? Will the One who has prepared a place for his Bride not throw into the fire the one who would not wait for the Bridegroom’s on the clouds?

Will the Lord not take with Him only the faithful Bride?

November 15, 2014
Rude christians

I have searched the Gospels, Letters and Old Testament and found NO excuse for rudeness in Christians.

Christians claim that God is a God of love. (Scripture confirms this.) We claim that Jesus came to the world because God ‘so loved the world….’ (Scripture confirms this.) God is love. Jesus is love. The Holy Spirit counsels us in love.

So why do christians so often witness rudeness, coldness and indifference to the heart of God’s love?

I must confess that on occasion I am the rude christian who does not return the phone call of a brother or sister in the Lord. Sometimes I forget to answer a text or an email. I often forget to pray for some saints who I know need prayer. Yet I speak of a more devastating rudeness by which we wound the body of Christ’s church.

As I have just spoken against elevating any saint, man or woman, above God; I will lift up their many examples of love for others. (We have witnessed or read of what they have done for others out of love and compassion; things that we ought to do, but do not.)

Have you seen a Christ-like love for others, even from a non-Christian?

Yes, of course; we all have.

The Law of Moses sets high moral example for us. The Qur’an sets some very strict examples of how men and women ought to behave in relation to each other. The traditions and writings of Hinduism, Buddhism and other poly-theistic religions hold relationships of family and community much higher than (it would seem) do Christians. We seem unwilling to practice this relational love in our daily, relational lives with other Christians.

Their better relationship to family, community and country will not cover our sinfulness or redeem our mortal flesh from hell. Their fine families and close communities will not bring even one soul to eternal life. (And you do not just die, return as a cow, bird or amoeba to work your way once more to eternal bliss of some sort.)

Yet Christians must realize that this same love for others is the same love that Christ Jesus commanded brothers and sisters in the Lord to have for each other.

(No rudeness.)

God IS a God of relationship.

IF we are truly in relationship with God; IF we truly have a relationship with Christ Jesus; THEN that relationship does NOT include a rudeness toward God the Father and that relationship does NOT include a rudeness toward the risen and eternal Christ Jesus… IF HE IS your LORD.

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit by rejecting His counsel of love – a love for one another, which does not include rudeness.

We have numerous scriptural instructions to “love one another.” No doubt, this love intended by Jesus does not include even a hint of rudeness.

I could say much more just on the meaning of Christ’s love commanded to us and perhaps will return to this in another post.

John 15:17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

My focus, however, is a conviction against our rudeness which Christ will not condone.

Perhaps the closest possible example of Jesus that may seem to demonstrate rudeness for another human being follows in this story.

Matthew 15:

21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word.

‘There it is,’ you say. Jesus appears rude to the woman here.

Jesus had left Galilee with the Disciples. (You know how sometimes you just have to get away from it all. Not exactly a vacation, but time together for Jesus and His dearest friends.)

I’m kind of busy with other things. You know, we all are. right? So Jesus had not gone to the Syrian coast to work or to preach.

23b And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Wow! Nicely said, “get lost.”

Is it rudeness to Jesus to try to send her away? (I wonder if some of my casual requests for an answer from my brother or my sister in Christ seem intrusive?)

‘I left you a voice-mail (when you didn’t answer).’ I didn’t get a reply to my text… even now. (You know I was hoping for some Christian fellowship – some time together for just you and me, dear brother/sister in Christ.)

Why are you ignoring me?

But something happens here that shows this woman to have more than just a casual, intrusive request of Jesus.

25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

Again, the woman is persistent. (I know, I’m a real bother to you.) She comes humbly to Jesus, kneeling before Him, humbling herself to Him as her Master in every way.

The woman makes her request as a lowly servant, saying, ‘Even the master who feeds his own children and family will give crumbs to the dogs.’

Yes, beloved sister… beloved brother in the Lord… give me just a crumb. (I know you’re busy; yet I need this one thing from you.

I need a crumb of your love, dearly beloved.)

27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Jesus may have (at first) appeared rude, as our Lord was engaged in conversation and engaged in meals with His Apostles. Jesus may have seemed rude to her as He paid closest attention to those nearest to Him.

Yet what was the lesson of Jesus and the obtrusive relationship of this woman from outside the fellowship of followers?

Faith! For her faith Jesus showed her compassion. For her humility Jesus gave her healing for her beloved daughter.

Suppose that your daughter was possessed by a demon? Suppose that you knew of a Man who could save her from darkness? What would you do?

John 14:12

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

Do you grieve the Holy Spirit by your rudeness to those for whom you should have compassion and show mercy?

Jesus didn’t and neither should we.

I ask you; dearly beloved sister, dearly beloved brother: in the Name Christ Jesus, would you please have fellowship with me?

Please give some crumb of Christ’s love to another.

(To do anything else, would just be rude.)

November 10, 2014
Personal Witness of a Personal Love

Luke 10:23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

Isaiah 53

Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

John 1:

14 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. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

Who IS Jesus Christ?

And what is the witness of His divinity?

Note that I ask, ‘Who IS Jesus Christ,’ not, ‘who was Jesus Christ.’

For if Jesus Christ is not divine – if Jesus Christ is not God; then Jesus was and is not; for the son of man was not and is not the Christ – God with us. If Jesus is not the Christ, then the gospel is not true witness and our faith would be in vain (as states Paul in 1 Corinthians 15).

Yet again, as Paul did witness, as the Apostles did witness, as John the Baptist did witness, as Jesus’ mother and brothers did witness, as many were witness to the resurrection of Christ Jesus: He IS Divine – Jesus, with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit IS GOD! This is our witness of the gospel of grace for those who will believe.

Where were you three years ago (in 2011)?

Were you walking near to the life of a loved one? Were you involved in the daily life – the comings and goings of one so dear that you knew nearly their every action, most of what they said and understood much of what they thought? Were you – three years ago and for these past three years – that near to your beloved, a man or woman of this flesh? Were you near to their soul? Are you joined in your purpose and understanding even now to do what they would have you do?

And where are you now (on this day in the year of our Lord, 2014)?

Have you remained faithful in your relationship and love to your beloved? to your husband (or wife)? to your children? to your brothers and sisters in the Lord?

I would venture to say that you have NOT been as near to any soul, to any of flesh and blood, as was the John the Disciple to Jesus. (And may we be convicted by the Spirit for our neglect of the love of those nearest to us in Christ Jesus.)

This was the intimacy of John, Peter and the Disciples of Jesus: they lived with the Man, they ate with Him, they traveled with Him, they listened to His teachings in public, they listened to His instructions in private, they witnessed His miracles in public and they witnessed His Power in private.

It is with this intimacy and understanding of the risen Christ and the Incarnate Son of Man that John the Apostle witnessed Jesus by his Gospel, his letters and his Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Jesus was, IS, and is to come – GOD!

AND God is love.

How can we, a mortal man (or woman), a soul surrounded by flesh and bone and a mind finite in understanding, grasp the fullness of the love of Christ Jesus?

Indeed, we cannot; but must know the Lord by humility and faith. We must believe by faith the many witnesses of God in the flesh.

The witness of John the Apostle in his first letter [KJV]:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

NO faithful Jew speaks lightly of GOD – of ‘That which was from the beginning.’ John makes a remarkable statement about God here:

‘That’ which WAS FROM THE BEGINNING (Only GOD IS from the beginning), we have heard and we have seen with our eyes.

We have touched GOD! And He has embraced us!

How near may a man stand to God? How near dare a mortal come to the Immortal?

John is witness that God, in the Person of Christ Jesus, came near to us – near to him. Is it any wonder that John’s witness is: God is love?

John comforts us, “our hands have handled … the Word of life.”

Following the resurrection, the Holy Spirit was witness to John and the disciples of the divinity and power of Jesus. Following these letters of John the risen Christ is once more witness to John on Patmos (after the other Apostles have been martyred for Christ). Yet prior to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, GOD the Father gives witness to the Son in the presence of John.

Matthew 17

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light…

5 He [Peter] was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.”

We may also be familiar with the witness of God the Father at the witness of Jesus’ baptism by John. We are perhaps less familiar of the following witness of God the Father to Jesus Christ the Son, near the completion of Jesus’ three year ministry on earth.

John 12

Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead…

9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead…

12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord…

23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified… 27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.”

Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

John, the Beloved Disciple, is witness to the love and glory of Christ Jesus. John says of his Holy friend:

1 John 1:3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

John held the hand of God, in Christ Jesus. John lay upon the breast of our Lord Jesus, hearing the beating of His mortal heart. John beheld the holes of the nails of the cross in the flesh of the hands of the risen Christ Jesus. John is witness that God is love and in Him is no darkness at all.

John 13:23 KJV Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.

John’s Gospel and witness and Revelation reveal the light and life and truth of God in Christ Jesus, that only in Him is light and life. He IS the living water. He IS the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end.

Only in Him will you have eternal life. Only in Christ Jesus will you have the fellowship of love. Only if by faith you follow and witness by His love: Jesus IS Lord, will you have any life and hope and love for your soul – in this life and that which is to come, which we cannot understand, except by faith in Jesus Christ.

May our Lord draw you into His arms of love and light and life.

Amen.

October 20, 2014