Forward!

[vsw id=”YLoEcND4FFY” source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”] Perfection. It is a goal many strive toward. We strive toward it because we are uncomfortable with our faults and shortcomings. We want our minds to be perfect. We want our bodies to be perfect. We want our jobs, our churches, our families, our very lives to be perfect.Read More

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Perfection. It is a goal many strive toward. We strive toward it because we are uncomfortable with our faults and shortcomings. We want our minds to be perfect. We want our bodies to be perfect. We want our jobs, our churches, our families, our very lives to be perfect.

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As a result, we find ourselves stressing instead of resting.

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I want to talk today about the perfection of Love and Grace. And I want to start by talking about what is perhaps the most abused passage of scripture concerning perfection:

Matthew 5:48 (ESV) You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

This verse is frequently used as a yardstick for measuring holiness by behavior. After all, God is perfect and Christ is in you, therefore you should be perfect in all your thought, speech, and action. But, as is common, this abuse comes from improper context. So, let’s look at it in full context:

Matthew 5:43-48 (ESV) “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The context here is love. Love is the Nature of God; it is what saved us. John 3:16 tells us about God’s ridiculous, scandalous, over-the-top, unconditional Love that he has for us. He dispenses this to us by His Grace, which is His Character. Grace is not only the unmerited favor of God but it is also the unlimited power of God. And contrary to popular belief, Grace does not merely allow you to endure (2 Corinthians 12:9) but empowers you to overcome:

1 John 5:4-5 (ESV) 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

How do Love and Grace empower us to overcome? By the perfecting of our spirits. When we are born of God and become Christ-conscious, our spirits become just like Jesus’! The same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us. In this regard, the spirit part of our being becomes perfect, just as God is perfect. By faith, we appropriate (take possession of) God’s unconditional

Love and Grace to empower our lives and to demonstrate it’s wonder to the world!

One important thing to note, here, is that Jesus isn’t telling us to be — or that we can be— perfect in our own strength. Through many examples, Jesus clearly shows us that we desperately need a savior. In fact, he puts this in no uncertain terms in John 15:5:

John 15:5 (ESV) I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Because Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6) and we abide in Him, in Him we live move and have our being (Acts 17:28). He has seated us in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). And we cannot be seated in the presence of a perfect, holy God unless we, ourselves are made perfect and holy!

Jesus has perfected us through His perfect sacrifice. He took His Perfect Deity and His Perfect Humanity and laid it on a human instrument of torture that came to represent the vertical relationship we are to have with our Heavenly Father and the horizontal relationship we are to have with all mankind. Hebrews 10:10 tells us that we are sanctified (cleansed,

For as long as anyone can remember, the Body of Christ has been told to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to give to God what is God’s.” This instruction has been a cornerstone of the church cajoling the children of God into coercive giving.

(Matthew 22:15-22 ESV) 15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

The first thing we see in today’s text is that the Pharisees are trying to get Jesus to stumble over His speech — to try and get Him to say something that will incriminate Himself in the sight of the law. This is the standard M.O. of religion — to try to trip up the Gospel and supplant it with the law.

 

© 2016 - Derrick Day (www.derrickday.com)

Ask many people what do they do on Sunday morning and they will tell you they go to church. And, if you ask them why do they go to church, you’ll get a variety of answers: “To worship.” “To fellowship.” “To hear from God.”

All of these are good answers but, guess what, you can do these things anywhere. Why?

Let me tell you!

(Matthew 16:13-20 ESV) 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 

Today, we will see that the Church is God’s Government on earth, it is the Bride of Christ, and it is His Children.

Government

In verse 18 of today’s text, Jesus is saying that upon this rock, He will build His church.

Quick stop here: this and verse 19 are where we get the concept of St. Peter manning the gate to Heaven. Unfortunately for many, this just isn’t true. What Jesus is saying to Peter is that he is a rock but upon a bigger rock (the truth, that is, Jesus, Himself) He will build His Church. There is no solid scriptural evidence that the church would be built upon Peter.

Moving right along — the Greek word for Church is ekklesia. This word literally means “called out assembly.” The Roman Empire called it’s legislative body by this term. Jesus isn’t speaking of something religious, here; He’s speaking of a new Government. This is why He preached so much about the Kingdom of God being at hand — or here-and-now.

This harmonizes with what Jesus commanded:

(Mark 16:15 ESV)  And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

The imperative, here, is GO. Jesus did not restore a seated Kingdom on earth, He brought forth a mobile one. Notice Jesus’ example: He went from place to place, preaching and teaching. He did not have a set “base of operations.”

Jesus did not say “If you build it, they will come…” That ain’t the Gospel, that’s “Field of Dreams!”

The Government of God is focused on taking Jesus to people not getting people to come to church!

Bride

The Church is the Bride of Christ. She is to be presented to Him without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27).

It is incumbent upon the bride to prepare (Revelation 19:7). When Angela and I got married, I didn’t have to participate in her preparation. That was her responsibility. My responsibility was to make a place for her and provide for her. We, the church are responsible for preparing ourselves for the wedding!

We are to be married to Him, to Love Him, and be faithful to Him. Not out of fear of reprisal:

(1 John 4:18 ESV) There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

You cannot be prepared to spend eternity with someone you fear!

Children

Romans 8:14 tells us that if we are led by the Spirit, we are sons of God. We are to reflect his will, culture, and intent in the world.

Those who are born again have the very DNA of God in them (Romans 8:21). God loves us so much that it wasn’t enough for him to position Himself close to u...

What does it mean to be reconciled. Most of us would say that it is to be brought into agreement — like when two parties call a truce. Or when a couple who has “broken up” “makes up.” And that is mostly true. However, it is much more. Reconciliation is a key part of the ministry that belongs to every believer.

(2 Corinthians 5:18-21) 18) All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19) that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20) Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21) For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Before I go further, I want to level-set with some definitions. Strong’s renders reconciliation thusly:

g2643. katallag; from 2644; exchange (figuratively, adjustment), i. e. restoration to (the divine) favor:— atonement, reconciliation (- ing).

AV (4)- reconciliation 2, atonement 1, reconciling 1;

 exchange of the business of money changers, exchanging equivalent values adjustment of a difference, reconciliation, restoration to favour in the NT of the restoration of the favour of God to sinners that repent and put their trust in the expiatory death of Christ

Atonement is what is called “the great exchange;” that is, we exchange our sin for Jesus’ righteousness. We become AT ONE with Christ through atonement. This atonement is the result of reconciliation.

Dictionary.com defines it:

Reconciliation (noun)

1. an act of reconciling, as when former enemies agree to an amicable truce.

2. the state of being reconciled, as when someone becomes resigned to something not desired.

3. the process of making consistent or compatible.

So, in simple terms, this is the “kiss-and-make-up” between God and man. Isaiah prophesied this in Isaiah 53:5 that the chastisement of our peace (the punishment that was due us) was laid upon Jesus. This was fulfilled in Luke 2:14 when the angels declared “peace on earth and good will toward men.”

So God has declared peace. But it doesn’t benefit anyone if they don’t know about it. In the case of what we know as “Juneteenth,” slaves in Texas did not know they were emancipated for over three years. Liberty doesn’t benefit you if you don’t know you have it.

That’s where you and I come in. Verse 18 in our core text tells us that this is a ministry we’ve been given. It is our responsibility to tell others about God’s unconditional Love and Grace and how God desires us to be restored into right relationship (made righteous) in Christ.

Let me stop here and say something — ministry ain’t limited to preaching! To “minister” means to “serve.” When we minister to God, we surely don’t preach to Him! So ministering to people means bringing something of value to them. And the most valuable thing we can bring to them is Jesus!

I want to share something else with you. That reconciliation is not a religious term — it is a financial term. Reconciliation is the balancing of God’s books. He sees you as a valued asset — this is why He wants to see your name written (permanently, in His Blood) in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 3:5). The Lamb’s Book of Life is not a naughty/nice list!

It’s a financial record!

Reconciliation (financial)

An accounting process used to compare two sets of records to ensure the figures are in agreement and are accurate. Reconciliation is the key process used to determine whether the money leaving an account matches the amount spent, ensuring the two values are balanced at the end of the recording period.

We have all heard about Paul’s thorn in the flesh. For centuries, theologians have done everything from postulating theories to taking wild guesses about what it was.

The sad part is, many teachers have used Paul’s thorn as a means of demystifying why bad things happen to good people.

Let’s take a look at today’s text:

(2 Corinthians 12:7-9 ESV) 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me

Now, the first thing we have to ask is what is Paul’s assessment of the thorn? After all, we weren’t there. Paul tells us that he believed the thorn was there to keep him from being conceited about the revelations he’d been given — I mean, he wrote most of the New Testament.

The second thing we need to ask is did God told tell him this? And the answer to that is no.

God doesn’t get around to speaking to Paul about this until verse 9, when He speaks of His Grace. I’ll get back to that in a minute…

Here’s the meat of the matter: The thorn was a messenger from satan.

Messenger — a human or a spiritual being. Not sickness. Not pain. Not lack. And this individual is sent to harass you (in the KJV it says, “buffet,” which is a way of saying “hit”). Anytime you receive a revelation from God you can expect opposition as sure as sunrise!

The devil knows he is defeated so he wants to make sure as many people are as defeated, powerless, and destined for eternal separation from God as he is.

Nearly everywhere you look in Scripture, thorns refer to people:

Thorns are meant to bring pain.

(Genesis 3:17-19 ESV)17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree  of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return

Thorns will invade your world…

(Numbers 33:55 ESV) But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.

Thorns will trap and enslave you…

(Joshua 23:13 ESV) know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.

(Judges 2:3 ESV) So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”

Thorns will waste your time…

(2 Samuel 23:6-7 ESV) 6 But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away, for they cannot be taken with the hand; 7 but the man who touches them arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they are utterly consumed with fire

Thorns will bring about the spirit of fear…

(Ezekiel 2:6 ESV) 6 And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.

People are often criticized for waiting for someone else to do for them what they should do for themselves. People are also criticized for failing to wait on God to get results.

In both cases, it is important to remember that God uses people to accomplish His will in the earth. God uses preachers to minister salvation and deliverance. He uses doctors and health professionals to heal . And I’ve frequently said that you will never get a check signed by God.

(Acts 3:1-10) Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

It’s really interesting how this fellow positioned himself at the temple. I believe this is because he saw himself yoked to the law. But, when Peter and John showed up, Grace presented itself and prevailed over his circumstances. He likely hung out at the temple because he saw himself under condemnation because of his condition. But, because of Grace, he left his condemnation behind and leapt away, liberated from the yoke of his situation.

Ascertain the Position — Locate

The first thing we see in the text is this man had friends or family position him at the gate of the temple with the hopes of receiving money (v2). This was typical because those who were invalid during the time of the Book of Acts were incapable of meaningful work and, therefore, were reduced to begging. In order to receive a miracle, you must be willing to put yourself in position to receive it. In Matthew 8:5-13, a Centurion made his way to Jesus to get healing for his servant. In Mark 5:21-40, Jairus came to Jesus looking for healing for his daughter but was interrupted by a woman who came to get healing for an issue of blood. In the midst of the delay, Jairus’ daughter died. Instead of healing for his daughter, he witnessed a greater miracle — seeing her resurrected from the dead.

Just like salvation requires an effort on your part, sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time to receive the miraculous. Sometimes, though, you just simply need to locate God in you to receive it. The distance between these two scenarios is discernment. Grace gives us discernment.

Ascribing the Power — Look

The next thing that happens is Peter gives the man an instruction to look upon them (v4). Beggars typically begged with their heads lowered as a means of demonstrating humility. Contrary to what you may see, here, Peter was not getting the man to focus on them — he was getting the man to look at the power they were carrying. The author of Hebrews tells us that we should look to Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith. Peter had firsthand experience in looking because he had enough faith to look upon Jesus and step out of a boat in the midst of a storm. He also knew what happened when he looked away from Jesus — he began to sink (Matthew 4:28-33).

When we look to Jesus for what we need, we always find it.

Communion is, perhaps, one of the most misunderstood rituals of the Christian faith. It is symbolic of our remembrance of Jesus’ crucifixion. While this is true, there is so much more to this and, I believe if we get it, will not only change us spiritually but it will change us physically as well.

One bit of housekeeping: The emblems of communion DO NOT become the actual body and blood of Christ, as some teach. That is tantamount to cannibalism and far from what Jesus was trying to get to us.

Communion is symbolic, or representing of what you’ve received from the Lord.

The bread represents the Body of Jesus, who is the Word of God.

Jesus told us in Matthew 4 that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. We need food to nourish our natural bodies but we need the Word of God to nourish our born-again spirits.

The wine represents the Spirit of Jesus, which is the Power of God.

The disciples were instructed by Jesus to wait at Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit. Why? Because Jesus knew that they couldn’t effectively share the Gospel without the Holy Ghost. That applies to us, today — without the power of the Holy Spirit, we cannot minister Christ to anyone.

When the disciples of the first century Church gathered together, they did it in one another’s homes. Breaking bread (eating together) became a symbol of faith and solidarity for these early disciples (Acts 2:46)

From the time He was betrayed until the time He was crucified, Jesus was horribly disfigured. It can be said that he was dismembered and shed His Blood for our sins. But when He was resurrected, He received a glorified body.

In other words, He was dis-membered and re-membered.

Let’s take a look at our core text — for those who have spent any time in church, this is familiar:

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 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.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come. (2 Corinthians 11:23-34 - Also Reference Luke 22:19-20)

But let’s break this down:

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 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.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

This passage reminds us of the Lord’s supper and the importance of ea...