For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10 (NIV).

People believe strange things about God. While more than 95% of North Americans believe in God, many have a distorted image of God. That’s because people try to picture God in their image. But God isn’t meant to be a figment of our imagination or a creation of our desires. God wants us to know what He’s like. So He came to earth in human form, in the person of Jesus Christ.

When Christ was embodied in flesh He destroyed the stereotypes about God. He did this by living right and teaching what is right. John 18:37 says, “This is why I was born and came into the world: to tell people the truth” (NCV). By telling the truth He cleared up the misconceptions about God. John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God. The only One, who is the same as God … has made him known” (NIV).

The Bible is very clear on this point: Jesus is God, with skin on Him. John 14:9 says, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (NIV). Billy Graham said, “When I want to know what God’s like I take a long look at Jesus Christ.” This is what separates Christian faith from other world religions: When Jesus was born He was no ordinary baby – He was God in the flesh.

Furthermore, Jesus is also, “the light to reveal God to the nations” Luke 2:32 (NLT). Pay attention to the word “light,” and the phrase “to reveal God.” Light helps us see things as they really are. When we’re in the dark we become disorientated and confused. That’s why Jesus came. That’s why there’s Christmas. Jesus came as the light so that we would no longer be perplexed. He came to help us see what God is really like. And in so doing He made it possible for the blind to see and the lost to get saved.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV).

You may have heard someone say, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” Christmas is about Jesus. God didn’t send an angel, prophet, assistant or representative. He sent Jesus. He came Himself. “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son …” John 3:16 (NLT).

Not only is Jesus the reason for the season; we are the reason for the season! He came so we’d understand Him and know how much He loves us. If it wasn’t for you and me there wouldn’t be Christmas. Why? Because we need what Jesus came to bring. And what did Jesus bring? His presence.

At Christmas time we’re looking for the perfect present. But the best expression of love isn’t our presents, it’s our presence. It’s being there. In November 1996 I immigrated to Canada from South Africa. The family were scheduled to join me two months later. You can imagine the circumstances: loneliness and longing on both sides of the Atlantic; love separated by the equator; hearts divided by the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Just before Christmas a letter arrived from my daughter Christie. She was eleven years old at the time. Opening the letter, I found a piece of red paper with a poem she’d written. This is her poem:

Twas Christmas Eve I do believe,

But still we were quite sad.

The tree was lit,

The stockings hung,

And all we missed was Dad.

Though we were in a summer clime,

We’d rather be with you this time.

Have a merry Christmas Dad

And a New Year too.

And don’t forget the child at home

Who’s thinking about you.

So as I kneel next to my bed

And pray a silent prayer

My thoughts are all for you Daddy,

For your good health and care.

I cried when I read: “And all we missed was Dad.” At Christmas people want our love, they want us to be there. 1 John 4:9-10 says, “God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love … that … God … sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (NLT) Pay attention to the phrase “showed how much he loved us.” Real love is something that’s shown. Real love is about giving; about sacrifice; about setting aside my desires, my needs, and my preferences to help someone else be all God meant for them to be. God showed how much He loved us by sending His “only Son into the world that we might have eternal life through Him.”

Even if you were the only person who lived in the world, Jesus Christ still would have come to earth to live and die for you so you could be with Him forever in Heaven. This is the purpose of Christmas. Jesus came because you matter to God. He came so you could experience His love for yourself, to let you know that you’re not alone in this world, and to be here for you.

Death has been swallowed up in victory … Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” 1 Corinthians 15:54, 57 (NIV).

Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried, and then, according to Romans 10:7 and Ephesians 4:10, He descended into Hell.

This is my conjecture of the scene in Hell: Demons in an ecstasy of glee – strutting and parading, gloating and cackling as they celebrate the death and demise of the Son of God. Then Satan arrives amidst thunderous applause. There’s backslapping and high-fives. Congratulations for finally winning what they believed to be the ultimate victory. And there, in their midst, the Son of God is their prisoner. He’s defeated at last. He’s stripped of dignity, friends, life. He’s been abandoned by the Father (cf. Matthew 27:46) and cursed for being hung on a tree (cf. Galatians 3:13). As the demons celebrate – creation groans. The earth shakes and the rocks split open (cf. Matthew 27:51). Men and women are terrified and filled with dread (cf. Matthew 27:54). It seems as if the greatest of tragedies has occurred. It appears as if Satan has defeated God.

But Christ is Christ! What appears to be irreversible is reversible. Christ is stripped of life, but He isn’t stripped of His power over death. He is abandoned by the Father, but He’s still the Son of God. And more … Hell could not hold Him because the love of Christ is the antithesis of evil!

This is the good news! What at first appeared as a tragedy for Christ was actually the greatest of triumphs. Christ was not defeated – He had come to defeat! “The cross was the fish hook that trapped the devil” Gregory of Nyssa (AD 335-395). “The hook of Divinity was clothed in the bait of humanity” Origen (2^nd Century theologian). And “The death of our Lord was the bait of the mousetrap that caught Satan” Augustine (4^th Century church father). Colossians 2:15 says, “. . .  having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

What a reversal! Good Friday is the day death died. Hallelujah! Death was “swallowed up in victory” 1 Corinthians 15:54. Death was denied its sting (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:55). The victim had become the victor. Christ had conquered sin and Hell! Death couldn’t stop Him or hold Him. Christ turned a disaster into a coronation and a martyrdom into a triumph. Light is greater than darkness. Satan was defeated once for all. Christ has dealt with sin, descended into Hell, and been victorious in Satan’s backyard. “Surely he was the Son of God!” Matthew 27:54.

So what does this mean for you and me? It means that because Christ is the victor, we can be victorious. That’s because “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” 1 John 4:4 (NIV).

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) Matthew 27:45-46 (NIV).

Christ’s death is the tragedy at the heart of the Christian faith. As we read the Scriptures we see that Christ suffered the humiliation and shame of being stripped naked, flogged, spat on, struck in the face, garlanded with thorns, bullied, mocked and finally nailed to a cross and crucified. It’s an appalling story. Christ is the victim of religious thuggery, political jockeying, and military bullying.

There’s more to the narrative concerning Jesus’ death than what first meets the eye. Yes Jesus was a victim. But He was a willing victim. In accordance with His Father’s will He subjected Himself to a mockery of a trial, to the brutal beating at the hands of Pilate’s and Herod’s guards, and to the jeers and catcalls of the spectators lining the road as He staggered up the hill under the burden of the cross. And more, He allowed the steel spikes to be driven through His wrists and ankles when He was fastened to the cross. Amazingly, because it was completely in His power to resist, Christ chose to subject Himself to the agony and ignominy of the cross.

It’s astounding, isn’t it? Christ is the Word of God, the life and light of the world (John 1:1). “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1:3 (NIV). And yet remarkably, on that dark Friday more than two thousand years ago, Christ demonstrates extraordinary restraint. He allows His creation to crucify their Creator! With every lash of the whip and every fibrous crunch of fist against flesh, Christ could have called a halt. With one word, He could have brought His ordeal to an end. With one word, He could have summoned legion upon legion of angels to come to His assistance. With one word, He could have wiped out every one of His antagonists. But He didn’t, and He wouldn’t, because Christ chose to be the victim. He chose to give up his spirit (cf. Matthew 27:50).

This is the good news! The death of Christ on that bleak hillside was the God of history working out His plan to reconcile the world to Himself in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:19). The people at the foot of the cross couldn’t see this. But we know the rest of the story. We know that Christ chose to be our sacrificial lamb. He chose to be the once for all sacrifice for our sin, chose to endure the suffering of the cross,   chose to take upon Himself the sins of the world, and chose to face death.

Words are inadequate to describe what Christ chose to do. Yes He was a victim – but he was a willing victim. The death of Christ was not in vain. He gave up His life for the greatest cause of all – to bring together sinful man with a holy God.

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2 (NIV).

Today’s Scripture text addresses what we must do, when we must do it, and how we must do it:

What we must do:

“Preach the word.” Preaching is unique. It’s not a talk about spiritual matters. It’s taking a stand with God’s Word and allowing God, by the Holy Spirit, to speak the Word through you. It involves challenging, warning and urging people (correct, rebuke, encourage). And it’s making the Scriptures the main point, not the footnote of what we’re saying.

When we must do it:

“In season and out of season.” That means when it’s favourable, and when it’s not! Preach the Word when you’re feeling down, and when you’re feeling up. Preach the Word when people say you can, and when people say you can’t. Preach the Word when it’s convenient and when it’s inconvenient. In God’s economy there is no good time or bad time for preaching the Word. And there’s no time out. God wants us to preach the Word all the time!

How we must do it:

“With great patience and careful instruction.” In other words, don’t quit and keep it simple. It’s a long obedience in the same direction. And we must do it graciously, thoughtfully, mercifully and faithfully while never losing sight of the fact that it’s not our words, but His Word we proclaim.

Are you preaching the Word? Secular society tells us to keep our faith private. Tolerance would have us believe that it’s wrong to proclaim God’s Word in the public square. Don’t listen to the Devils attempts to silence or marginalize the Word. We should proclaim divine truth wherever and whenever we can.

Do you want your friends and family to know Christ? Preach the word! Most people have never read the Bible in part or whole. To know the Word, people have to hear the Word. To hear the Word, someone has to proclaim the Word. “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” Romans 10:14 (NIV).

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 (NIV).

Why should we celebrate the Lord’s Supper/Eucharist/Communion? Here are some reasons:

To come together. The Greek word koinonia means community, from which we get the word ‘communion’  meaning to participate together as a sign of our unity in Christ and with each other … we’re a unique eschatological community in which Christ is present.

To give thanks. In the 2nd Century it came to be called the Eucharist from the Greek eucharisteo which means ‘to give thanks’. “And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me'” 1Corinthians 11:24 (NIV).

To participate in the life of God. His life becomes our life and we become members of each other. “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf” 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (NIV).

To keep us focused. Communion is a sermon without words, a picture of the cross, a memorial to the death and resurrection of Christ, a reminder of all that Jesus has done to reconcile us with God.

To be real with God. We are all sinners saved by grace, all at the same level. This is beautifully illustrated in the story of the Duke of Wellington who, after defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, went to a little church to celebrate the Eucharist. There was an old man at the altar who had come to break bread and the priest/minister asked the old man to move away. But Wellington intervened. He grabbed the old man’s arm and insisted he break bread with him … saying, “Here we are all equal.”

To sustain us. Communion is symbolic of the fact that we all need spiritual nourishment and to get that nourishment we must keep coming back to Christ.

To remember. We should look back and keep the crucifixion in mind – “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me'” Luke 22:19 (NIV). And we should look forward to His coming again – “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” 1 Corinthians 11:26 (NIV).

To renew our commitment, to rededicate ourselves to Christ. He is God and we are not!

To be connected with the Lord and with others. One of the four marks of a Spirit-filled community is that “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” Acts 2:42 (NIV).

To consecrate ourselves – to set ourselves apart, to dedicate ourselves as the people of God.

To know that we have a unique identity, a new identity and have been given the gift of God’s Spirit.

To celebrate. We’ve been set free from sin! We’ve been reconciled with God! We have a future and a hope! “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” Revelation 19:9.

To do what we’re told to do. It’s a command (1 Corinthians 11:24 “Do this …”).

To examine ourselves. “Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup” 1 Corinthians 11:28 (NIV).

To proclaim His death until He comes. It’s a statement of our faith. “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” 1 Corinthians 11:26 (NIV).

Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. Luke 6:38 (MSG).

Mission agencies have a significant role to play in connecting people with Jesus and His Story. I don’t use the word “significant” lightly. I believe God has uniquely equipped and empowered mission agencies to do some things that local churches can’t do or don’t do.

The challenges we’re facing in the 21st century are enormous. In many instances Christians are dealing with belief systems and public opinion that are blatantly antagonistic to their faith. If we want to reach our world, make a difference in our day, change nations for the good, then mission agencies need to be supported. Business and commerce can’t lift up society. Governments can only do so much. Spiritual innovation and entrepreneurial faith are required. Who will look out for the disadvantaged on a grand scale? Who will specialize in leading children with autism to the One who says, “My grace is sufficient for you”? Who will reach out to refugees and let them know that God loves every tribe and tongue and nation? Who will print and distribute the Scriptures that proclaim words of life? And who will embrace people in the margins so that they can know hope and fullness of life in Jesus Christ?

There are many Christians who have lowered their horizons. Let’s not be numbered with them. Little is much when God is in it. There are more opportunities to advance the kingdom of God than there have ever been before. So let’s dream and work together to reach others with the Good News.

Dreaming and working … Resources are needed to make dreams come true. Is there a cause that God’s placed on your heart.  Don’t do the least you can do – do what God wants you to do. Help a mission agency today. An American fund-raiser once said, “Philanthropy is the market for love.” So take the opportunity to exercise love by sending a financial gift to the mission agency God’s directing you to support.

Who are you Lord? Acts 22:8 (NIV).

Blogger and author, Leo Babauta, said, “The questions we ask of ourselves determine the type of people we become.” I believe that’s true.

In Acts 22:1-21 the Apostle Paul/Saul asks two essential questions, which, if you read about the life of Paul, determined who he became.  The first question is, “Who are you, Lord?” Acts 22:8 (NIV). Have you asked that question? I asked that question through the course of my childhood and teenage years and two weeks before my 19th birthday discovered the answer … an answer that radically and forever changed my life.

“Who are you ,Lord?” When Paul asked the question the answer was “I am Jesus of Nazareth …” When I asked the question I discovered that Jesus Christ is my Creator, Saviour, Truth and Life. He and He alone is the One who rescues me from sin, reconciles me to God the Father, fills me with His Spirit, gives me abundant life, and guarantees resurrection from death with eternal life to come. That’s BIG … that’s HUGE! When you ask, “Who are you Lord?”, and then discover the answer, everything changes … for me, it was like going from the darkness into the light … from being blind to being able to see!

The second essential question that Paul asks is, “What should I do, Lord?” Acts 22:10 (NIV). The order of the questions is important. Before we can ask the Lord what we should do, we must ask Him who He is. Relationship comes first. Work follows. Once you know Christ, you’re set to serve Christ. You can’t serve Christ if you don’t know Him.

“What should I do, Lord?” The answer God gave to Paul was very simple. First, he was to go to Damascus (Acts 22:10). Second, he was to be God’s witness, telling everyone what he had seen and heard (Acts 2:15). And third, he was to be baptized, have his sins washed away and to call on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16).

Since coming to Christ as my Saviour and Lord I’ve asked, “What should I do, Lord?” not once, but countless times through the course of the nearly 4 decades that I’ve been a Christian. God, through His Word, has given me all encompassing big picture answers like, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’” Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV).  And “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV). And my life verse Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (NIV).

And there have also been very specific answers from the Scriptures like the confirmation my sweetheart and I received that we should be married, his plan for us to have three children, the way we were directed to come and serve as missionaries in Canada, the word from God to plant a church in Orillia, and many more …

“Who are you, Lord?” and “What should I do, Lord?” are life defining questions. What are the questions defining your life?

 

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14  (NIV).

“What should the church be doing, Lord?” Given some of the realities and challenges facing the church today this may be the single most difficult and complex question to answer – certainly in the flesh. So I do not presume, in and of myself, to be able to suggest an answer. But I can draw your attention to what I’m gleaning, what the church is learning or re-learning, and what the Holy Spirit is drawing to the attention of those who have ears to hear. Here are 5 things we must do:

Remove the idols. Money (the love of), sex and power are the three primary counterfeit gods in our culture today. Why are they such a big problem? Because we rely on them more than we rely on God (that’s what makes them idols) and until we get rid of them the church will only be luke-warm at best. God says, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived” Colossians 3:5-7.

Return to prayer. Many Christians don’t attend church prayer meetings. God says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Renew Bible engagement. A text in Amos 8:11 recently caught my attention: “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine through the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.'” Sadly, statistics indicate that there is a famine in the Western world of hearing the word of the Lord. One study indicated that only 11% of Christians regularly read God’s Word. Another study stated that there’s a direct correlation between weekly church attendance and Bible engagement. Renewal in the church begins when we start meeting God daily in and through His Word.

Revitalise evangelism. Evangelism has fallen on hard times. We find preachers and teachers in the churches, but very few evangelists. Churches talk about sharing the Gospel, but conversions are few and far between. Evangelism should be a priority. “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?” Romans 10:14-15.

Rest in God. The church must stop doing things in its own strength. To attain spiritual objectives we must walk in the power of the Spirit. Here are three injunctions to guide us: “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this” Psalm 37:5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” Proverbs 3:5. “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” Psalm 27:14.

The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9  (NLT).

What kind of parent and/or grandparent does God want you to be? The first thing we need to know is that God wants us to be parents/grandparents who are committed  wholeheartedly to His Word. Now why is that important? Why is God’s Word the starting point for what God wants to accomplish in parents/grandparents? Because the Word is life (John 1:1-4), it’s where we meet God and He meets us, and because it informs our daily thinking and actions.

If our children/grandchildren are going to know fullness of life, they must know Christ and know His Word. In order for children/grandchildren to know the Word they need to see parents/grandparents as living epistles. That is, they need to see parents/grandparents embodying the Word in the things they say and do. This should include children seeing us studying the Word, talking about the Word, meditating on the Word, and living out the Word.

That said, the parents/grandparents we want to be aren’t always the parents/grandparents we turn out to be. While we may want the Word to be paramount in our homes, there are times when our attitudes and actions fall short of our intent. That’s why it’s crucial for us to also depend on the power of the Holy Spirit. “He who has the Holy Spirit in his heart and the Scriptures in his hands has all he needs,” says Alexander Maclaren.

We can never become the parents/grandparents God wants us to be if we try to do it in our own strength. Ephesians 5:18 says, “… let the Holy Spirit fill and control you” (NLT). If we’re to rise to our fullest stature as parents/grandparents and if we’re to be powerful influences in our children’s/grandchildren’s lives, we can’t rely on our personalities, skill, pedigree, intellect, financial means or experience. These things will never be enough. Priority must be given to regularly reading and reflecting on God’s Word as well as praying and asking God to fill us with His Spirit. For when we do these things God gives us the wisdom, patience, self-control, grace, spirit of generosity and everything else we need to be the parents/grandparents God wants us to be.