Wisdom Matters

If you have ever tried to hang wallpaper you know that the first strip is the most important. Every other piece will fail to match if the first is not hung correctly. In ancient times, the cornerstone was the most important stone in the building. Every other stone was measured and set using the cornerstone for direction.

Jesus is our model of faith, our cornerstone, by which we are to determine our direction for life. Eight hundred years before Christ’s birth, the prophet Isaiah had described the Messiah saying, “So this is what the sovereign Lord says, ‘See I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed’” (Isaiah 28:16).

Jesus was rejected by the “builders” of the first century because he wasn’t their desired “model” for a Messiah. They wanted a soldier king and Jesus was a servant King. So, most of the leaders of the day chose not to align their lives with God’s own Son. There are still those who reject Jesus as their cornerstone, their model for faithful living. 

Jesus is our cornerstone. When we build our lives according to his perfection, our lives go in the proper direction and we build a life that is aligned with God. If we use the wrong cornerstone, we build incorrectly. “There is salvation in no one else.”

Our culture defines success in any number of ways. Our desire for freedom and freedom of expression allows for buildings to be formed in a variety of shapes, sizes and architecture. There are so many ways for people to design and build their lives, but there is only one perfect cornerstone. “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

If we don’t continue to build our lives in line with the cornerstone, we shouldn’t be surprised when things begin to shift and even fall. Thankfully, Jesus is a miraculous architect. He can “make all things new” again, and he is a perfect “remodeler” for all of our mistakes.

Jesus is the model for our own faith, and the pathway for our eternal relationship with God. He is the Cornerstone we need to build and rebuild our lives with perfection.

Jesus took on flesh so he could become a mediator between God and men. God is holy and cannot allow anything unholy to dwell in his heavenly kingdom. Mankind needed Jesus to reconcile the gap between our earthly lives and the eternal lives we will gain in heaven.

Sometimes verses like 1 Timothy 2:5 cause us to picture God in an incomplete way. There are countless works of art that portray the wrath of God. There are many verses that describe his reactions to the sins of men. God sent the flood and only Noah and his family were saved. God promised his people a land flowing with milk and honey, but then allowed their enemies to remove them from their homes. Scripture describes God as a “jealous God,” and his wrath is a very real part of his character. But, his wrath is never a complete picture of who he is. 

1 John 4:8 says, “God is love.” God’s wrath is simply one aspect of his love. God hates whatever hinders people from knowing him and wanting a relationship with him. God cannot allow evil to exist in heaven because he wants nothing in heaven that will harm his children. Some of his angels were cast out of heaven because God is going to protect heaven from anything unholy.

John 3:16 explains God’s love saying, “For God so loved the world, he gave us his only Son.” God gave us Jesus so that we would have a mediator. Jesus stands between us and our holy God to reconcile us to one another. His blood sacrifice makes us holy, and therefore, we can one day enter the perfection of heaven. Jesus, our mediator, will stand with us and tell his Abba, his dad, that we are his brother or sister. We are his family.

God knew we would never be holy enough for heaven, so he gave us his Son so that we could be made holy. God’s perfection makes it impossible for him to accept what is harmful to our lives, our sins. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

There is only one God and there is only one Jesus, our mediator. Jesus functions in our lives today, through his Holy Spirit, reconciling us to God and making us fit for heaven. Jesus is the model for our own faith, and the pathway for our eternal relationship with God. Jesus is the only Son of God and the only mediator we need to be made righteous and ready for an eternity with our holy God. 

Every Easter we grieve the agony Jesus endured to pay for the sins of mankind. If God is all-powerful, couldn’t he have found another way? Every Easter I wonder, “Why God?” and then come to the same conclusion. I will never fully understand, but I know this: if it wasn’t necessary, God wouldn’t have allowed it.

God created men and women to be “flesh and blood.” We were created to live in the perfection of Eden. God wanted his children to walk with him. We were created for safety, provision, and peace. We were created to enjoy God’s perfection. Sin changed everything!

After sin entered the world, God set about redeeming the sin so that people could return to the perfect existence in which God had created them to live. Finally, God “so loved the world that he sent his Son.” Jesus experienced the temptations of the flesh but didn’t submit to those temptations because he was fully submitted to God.

Jesus took on flesh so that he could take on the sins of the world and “destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). When Jesus said, “It is finished,” he was pronouncing Satan’s death sentence.

Satan no longer has power over our eternal lives, so he will do all he can to control and influence our earthly witness. Jesus became a man and endured an earthly life so that he could pronounce the promise, “It is finished.” Christians can endure whatever we face in this life because we have that promise. 

Jesus didn’t want to suffer and none of us will want that either. Jesus took on flesh and lived as a man so that we could understand that these “flesh and blood lives” are temporary. God didn’t create us for this world so he did whatever was necessary to provide us heaven—the existence he wanted for us. 

Jesus chose to become a man so that he could, “destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” Jesus is the model for our own faith, and the pathway for our eternal relationship with God. You have eternal victory because Jesus became a man. Let’s live our lives knowing that “it is finished” and we have the perfection of Eden, God’s heaven, as our promise.

To those in the first century, walking in the darkness meant there was trouble. If they were forced to travel in the dark, they would have felt lost, vulnerable, and afraid. Jesus taught his disciples that he—his presence—gave light to the darkness in the world.

Sometimes the darkness seems to have invaded our lives even though we belong to Christ. Those are good times to pause and consider the truth of John 8:12. If our lives are filled with darkness, then our lives are not filled with Christ. Who or what might we be choosing to “follow” instead of Jesus?

We can’t avoid the distractions of living in a fallen world. We can work to not “follow” those distractions and their influence in our lives. Jesus said if we follow him, we will not walk in darkness. Instead, we will have the light of life.

Our witness to others may best be described using those words. When people are with us, do they experience the light of Christ in our words and actions? The reason our witness matters is that the light we are able to share is the light of “life” – eternal life. People can see the presence of Christ in us, and then his light can draw people away from the darkness of this world.

As the world grows darker, the light of Christ will become more and more visible. God will allow whatever is necessary for people to come to the realization that they desperately need his love and salvation. 

Christians are the visible and tangible light of Christ in the world. Jesus told his disciples they were the “light of the world.” Then he said, “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5: 14–16).

Whatever your plans are for tomorrow, do everything with the understanding that we have been given the ability to lead others out of the darkness in the world and toward the “light of life.” We have been given that light because we have been given the Spirit of Christ. Now, we must become the lampstands who lift his light to others. 

Jesus is the model for our own faith, and the pathway for our eternal relationship with God. We have been given a high and holy privilege. May the Lord help us shine his light to others.

The prophet Isaiah wrote about the coming Messiah seven hundred years before Jesus was born. Most of the people of Israel had come to believe their Messiah would free them from Roman tyranny. They expected the Messiah to be an earthly king, who would help them become the leading nation of the world, like King David and his son, King Solomon had done during their reigns.. Isaiah had told them about Jesus, but most people in Israel wanted someone different.

Jesus didn’t come to save our earthly lives, or to promise prosperity on earth. He came for the sake of our eternal lives, knowing that mankind was unable to escape their sins without his sacrifice.

People often choose to live for themselves instead of living for God. When we break God’s commandments, we transgress. We have iniquities because we act immorally and treat people unfairly. Those are sins in our lives because we know to do better and sin anyway. For that, Jesus allowed his hands and feet to be pierced by nails. He allowed his heart to be crushed in sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). We deserved to be separated from God but Jesus bore our chastisement so that we could have his peace.

Our lives have been healed, eternally. We should have been pierced, crushed, and separated from God’s blessings, but Jesus paid our debt so we could receive all we needed to be saved. Jesus gave everything so that we could live eternally with God.

Jesus is the model for our own faith, and the pathway for our eternal relationship with God. How should we sacrifice our lives, so others can gain eternal life? Pray for the wisdom and devotion to live the life Jesus modeled for each of us.

If someone asked you, “What was the greatest gift you have ever received,” how would you answer? If we were sitting at a dinner table we might mention an engagement ring, a spouse, or healthy children. Most of us could name many gifts, but none compares to our gifts eternal.

In many ways, our salvation was received as a “gift basket.” It was a one time gift with many things inside. Some items included in our gift of salvation are

the promise of eternal life.

the assurance of forgiveness.

the hope of heaven.

the promise of eternal reward.

the peace of knowing we belong to an eternal family.

the constant presence of Jesus Christ through his Holy Spirit.

the God-produced abilities to serve our Kingdom-purpose.

Most gift baskets arrive covered with a clear wrapping and tied with a bow. So it is with our gift of salvation. It is possible to own the gift, see what is ours, but never really tear into it and use what we have been given.

Some Christians work as if their promise of salvation still needs to be earned. Some never live as the forgiven, loved child of God. Some still wonder if heaven is real, and if they will go there. Some live knowing they are saved, but not living for their eternal rewards. Some of God’s children live lonely lives, not understanding what a large family they belong to. And some Christians still live according to their old nature, rather than submitted to the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit. 

Why is the Holy Spirit our most important gift? Because we could never pay the cost for his Presence in our lives. Because we could never work to earn all of his blessings in our lives. Because only God could give what we could never have acquired for ourselves. 

Jesus is the model for our own faith, and the pathway for our eternal relationship with God. Jesus used every gift God gave him to serve his Father’s purpose. Is there anything you have left unused from your basket? Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Use and enjoy all the gifts Jesus came to give.

After God created the world, and everything in it, he rested. God had completed his creation, his plan for the world, and “it was good.” Jesus spoke from the cross saying, “It is finished,” and it was then that he gave up his Spirit to God. There is a beginning and an end to all things on earth, but in heaven, all things are eternal.

The author of Hebrews was probably not speaking about heaven when he wrote about the Sabbath rest for the people of God, at least not only about heaven. Instead, God’s rest is available for the people of God now, and ultimately ours in heaven.

Hebrews was written to Christians who had come from the Old Covenant, rule-driven faith of the first-century rabbinic teaching. The Pharisees had written and added hundreds of extra laws to obey, and they taught that the laws were necessary for obedience to God. The end result of all they added was the sense that pleasing God was impossible.

The writer of Hebrews said the “Sabbath rest” belonged to God’s people. It was the chance to rest from our works just as God had rested from his. What did he mean? He was explaining that the path to our salvation was complete. When a person places their faith in Christ as their Lord, there is no more need to “work out” a way for our salvation. When Jesus said, “it is finished” the road to heaven was paved for all who place their faith and trust in the sacrificial offering of his life.

Christians have no need to “work” our way to heaven because we can’t. We can rest knowing that the work has been done, and we have been received into God’s family. We can say, “it is good” and rest from our work. The future of our souls is in the safe hands of Jesus. 

We serve God now, not to earn his love, but in gratitude for his love. We aren’t working for our salvation, we are living our sanctification, the process of being made holy. Scripture says, “Jesus increased in wisdom, and in stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). Jesus is the model for our own faith, and the pathway for our eternal relationship with God. Jesus didn’t need to grow, he chose to. 

We don’t need to grow to be certain of our salvation. The work is done, and we can rest in that knowledge. But, we need to model our lives after Jesus. We choose to grow so that we can become more like him each day. One day, we will enjoy our Sabbath rest eternally, in his presence.

Jesus is still the same one Peter walked toward on the water. Jesus is the same one that Thomas reached out to touch. Jesus is still the one that sat with the woman at the well. Jesus is still the one that strode into the temple and turned over the tables of the money changers. Jesus is still the one who looked Pontius Pilate in the eyes. Jesus is still the one who confronted Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus.

That same Jesus will reach out to every Christian one day and say, “It’s time to come home.” Jesus is the same now as he has always been, and always will be. And one day, we will meet him, face to face.

One of the most powerful aspects of our Christian faith is that we share a love and faith for Jesus that every generation of humanity has experienced. King David loved and worshiped the same God we do today. It’s important to see all of God’s children as part of one, amazing eternal family.

Church history is a story marked by change. Everything on earth changes, including our churches. But, the worship of God is consistently defined in his word. John 4:24 says, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” We share the same worship of God as everyone who has worshiped in “spirit and truth.”

Jesus has not changed, therefore his parables are still truth. Jesus would teach the same lessons to his disciples today that he taught to the disciples in the first century. God’s truth is as unchanging as the Author of the truth.

One day in heaven, we will live fully experiencing God’s unchanging truth. Until then, we must choose to be faithful to Jesus and his unchanging words. Are there areas in your life or your thinking that have shifted away from the truth of God’s word? Has your view of God, or his Son, become something different than is revealed in Scripture? It is good to remember that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” 

Christians have the same Scripture, the same teaching and truth, that was given to those in the first century. Our faith should increase and grow, but should never be redefined. Jesus is the model for our own faith, and the pathway for our eternal relationship with God. The model is unchanging because the model is perfect. And one day, we will dwell with Jesus because of that truth.

Some of the men and women who lived in the first century were able to see Jesus and physically be in his presence. They didn’t know it at the time, but when they looked at Jesus, they were able to glimpse the glory of God. To witness God’s glory means to experience the magnificent, holy character of God.

Moses spoke with God in Exodus 33 and asked God to show him his glory. God told Moses that while he stood in the cleft of a rock, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name.” God also told Moses that “man shall not see me and live” so Moses would be covered with his hand until after God had passed by (Exodus 33:18–23).

God revealed his glory, his holy character, to Moses as he passed by saying, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6–7).

When God revealed and defined his character to Moses, he revealed the character his Son would one day reveal on earth. Those who saw Jesus, saw the Word, the glory of God, who had become flesh and had come to dwell on earth. Jesus, the glory of God, was “full of grace and truth.”

If we want to fully know Jesus, we must know him as the divine character of God the Father, who became flesh. Jesus was fully God, while fully man. There was never a time that Jesus was not full of both grace and truth.

To glimpse Jesus is to glimpse God’s glory. He was the essence of perfect grace, and he was also God’s perfect truth. God spoke to Moses of his grace, his goodness, his mercy, patience, and abounding steadfast love. God also spoke to Moses about the truth of his perfect justice and fairness. The fullness of God’s grace and truth includes judgment. God does not “clear the guilty,” and sins are inherited by the coming generations.

Jesus is the model for our own faith, and the pathway for our eternal relationship with God. Jesus is also the model of God’s eternal character. Jesus was and is the glory of God, full of grace and truth.

Realizing that most people don’t believe the clear truth of 1 Corinthians 8:6 is both sobering and most people believe that all the world’s god’s should be tolerated, respected, or even valued. Most people value faith more than the object of that faith. And most people feel like valuing all gods is giving kindness and respect rather than keeping people from knowing the truth. 

Tolerance would be an effective witness in our culture today except that Scripture teaches “there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things and through whom we exist” (1 Corinthians 8:6). Scripture doesn’t give us permission to acknowledge, value, and tolerate false gods. In fact, the first commandment has always been, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

We can tolerate a person’s right to choose without tolerating or accepting a wrong choice. There is only one pathway to heaven because there is only one heaven. There is only one God because there is only one Creator of all that exists. Every other god is created. 

People don’t need other gods; they do have to choose the God they need. Is that the message we are teaching the world? We must first ask, is 1 Corinthians 8:6 the message we each believe? Secondly, is it the message of truth I teach?

I would like to believe that a faithful person will be saved and that God will honor their faith. But, that isn’t the truth of Scripture. The truth of Scripture is that the one true God has given the world his only Son, because his Son is the only Savior anyone needs.

Read 1 Corinthians 8:6 again, and again, until you understand the narrow truth it reveals. Jesus knew and preached the one true God and never gave other gods as an option. There is only one God and only “one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” 

Jesus is the model for our own faith, and the pathway for our eternal relationship with God. We need to believe in biblical truth ourselves in order to be able to teach it to others. There is only one God because there is only one Creator. That is the only message about God we can tolerate because it is the only message that is true.