Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.

Numbers 25 begins with a sad tale. The children of Israel allowed themselves to be drawn away by the “daughters of Moab” and bowed themselves to the Moabites’ gods. God became angry and sent a plague which killed 24,000 of his people. God told Moses to slay all those who had joined themselves to the Moabites’ gods.  Moses passes this on to the judges of the people and it is done.  Or so everyone thought.  In verse six we see that, while everyone is gathered by the door of the tabernacle grieving over what had happened, one man brazenly appeared with one of these women.  What happens next might be considered startling:

Num. 25:7-8 “And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand; and he went after the man of Israel into the pavilion, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.”

No doubt, some in Israel thought that Phinehas had acted precipitously.  Lest any accuse him of that, God pronounced His blessing upon Phinehas:

Num. 25:10-13 “And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: and it shall be unto him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.”

Phinehas turned away God’s wrath because he was jealous for God.  His anger on God's behalf at seeing his countryman turning after another god resulted in his killing that man.  He was so zealous to keep Israel pure for God that he wiped out the sin from Israel and was vindicated by God.

Would God say the same about me that He said about Phinehas?  No, I’m not advocating “honor killings” in the church, but just how jealous am I for the Lord?  Does it disgust and sadden me when I see people turning from the Lord, having been caught up in this life?  When an impenitent sinner is defiling spiritual Israel am I ready to “Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, even as you are unleavened”? (1 Cor. 5:7)  Or do I keep making excuses for the sinner?  

Speaking of purity, how far am I willing to go to maintain my own purity?  Paul talks about beating his body to keep it under control (1 Cor. 9:27), a figure of speech I’m sure, but one that illustrates Paul’s dedication to his purity.  Do I keep my carnal, fleshly urges under tight control or do I give in to every temptation?  How hard do I fight, how jealous am I for God?

God made a “covenant of peace” with Phinehas because Phinehas demonstrated a fierce jealousness, or zealousness, for the Lord.  When God sees my zeal for Him, would He offer me the same, or would He turn sadly away?

Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.
 
With nearly 2000 years of the history of God as Father, it is difficult for us to imagine the impact the gospel had on the ancient world.  Gospel means “Good News.”  To us, it is so familiar that we cannot even see why they thought of it as astoundingly GOOD news.  I hope to create in us the same viewpoint those ancient pagans had which will help us see why the gospel of Jesus exploded across the empire.  And, maybe to open our eyes to another way to reach lost souls.

The pagan view of "god" was one reasoned by the philosophers such as Plato, Zeno, Aristotle, and others not so well known.  They felt that god must be far removed from this corrupt world and indifferent to it.  As a being of pure reason, how could god care what happened to men or even be aware of it.  In fact, the philosophers held matter, and especially emotion, to be so evil in relation to the purity of reason that god himself could not have created it.  The god was unemotional, implacable, and unmovable (hard not to think of Calvinisim/TULIP here which, in fact, stole this concept of God from the pagans via Augustine).  
 
An emanation thousands of descents removed from god was the actual creator and even then not a participant in creation.  Inasmuch as these lesser gods interacted with humans at all, they were capricious at best and vicious on a whim.  The major goal of the pagan sacrificial system was to get god to leave them alone.  A pagan’s life was spent hoping the gods never noticed him or at least did not care enough to lash out at him.

Into this world burst the gospel of a God who cares, a God who is good and sends good things, a God who loves and not only loves, but loved so much that he sent his Son.  Gods coming to be among men was not new in the mythologies, but they came to satisfy their own lusts and to toy with men.  God sent his son to rescue men and elevate them and give them hope.  When this gospel was ratified by signs from heaven and not just magical wonders, but signs that healed and helped mortals, men flocked to the truth.

Further, the gospel offered hope: hope now and hope to come.  What could an ordinary man be?  He would live and work and die and, outside his city, who would know or care?  The gospel offered meaning to life, a man could engage in cosmic warfare in the heavenlies.  A Christian was a warrior known by name to his Captain who strengthened him and rewarded him in life.  And in place of the dismal realms of the dead found in the mythologies, the gospel offered eternal life.  To be somebody--even kings and presidents are not remembered long--but God knows your name.  Men’s monumental achievements are forgotten in a generation and who cares anyway (except for the history test), but a man's righteousness and holiness is a victory written in the book of life before the Father’s throne.

That gospel is still good news to the nobodies, to the downtrodden and forgotten, to the everyday man who will never be the footnote to a footnote in history.  Is that not who heard Jesus gladly?
 
The gospel they preached always held forth that hope of eternal life and being special to God as their motivation for purity and faithfulness.  Are you preaching hope? Living hope? Do you even hear about hope?
 
Today, people are not concerned about sin, hence salvation from sin is a meaningless gospel to them.  If we preach to them the gospel of love, hope and meaning, the God of all hope will draw them  to seek to be holy as he is holy.
 
Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this cause the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is. And every one that hath this hope set on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1John 3:1-3)
 
Keith Ward
 

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.

Numbers 25 begins with a sad tale. The children of Israel allowed themselves to be drawn away by the “daughters of Moab” and bowed themselves to the Moabites’ gods. God became angry and sent a plague which killed 24,000 of his people.  Moses was told that he needed to slay all those who had joined themselves to the Moabites’ gods.  Moses passes this on to the judges of the people and it is done.  Or so everyone thought.  In verse six we see that, while everyone is gathered by the door of the tabernacle grieving over what had happened, one man came out in front of everyone with one of these women.  What happens next might be considered startling:

Num. 25:7-8 “And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand; and he went after the man of Israel into the pavilion, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.”

No doubt, some in Israel thought that Phinehas had acted precipitously.  Lest any accuse him of that, God pronounced His blessing upon Phinehas:

Num. 25:10-13 “And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: and it shall be unto him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.”

Phinehas turned away God’s wrath because he was jealous for God.  His anger on God's behalf as seeing his countryman turning after another god resulted in his killing that man.  He was so zealous to keep Israel pure for God that he wiped out the sin from Israel by killing the sinner and was vindicated by God.

Would God say the same about me that He said about Phinehas?  No, I’m not advocating “honor killings” in the Church, but just how jealous am I for the Lord?  Does it disgust and sadden me when I see people turning from the Lord, having been caught up in this life?  When an impenitent sinner is defiling spiritual Israel am I ready to “Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, even as ye are unleavened”? (1 Cor. 5:7)  Or do I keep making excuses for the sinner?  Speaking of purity, how far am I willing to go to maintain my own purity?  Paul talks about beating his body to keep it under control (1 Cor. 9:27), a figure of speech I’m sure, but one that illustrates Paul’s dedication to his purity.  Do I keep my carnal, fleshly urges under tight control or do I give in to every temptation?  How hard do I fight, how jealous am I for God?

God made a “covenant of peace” with Phinehas because Phinehas demonstrated a fierce "jealousness" or zealousness for the Lord. When God sees my zeal for Him, would He offer me the same, or would He turn sadly away?

Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.
 
With nearly 2000 years of the history of God as Father, it is difficult for us to imagine the impact the gospel had on the ancient world.  Gospel means “Good News.”  To us, it is so familiar that we cannot even see why they thought of it as astoundingly GOOD news.  I hope to create in us the same viewpoint those ancient pagans had which will help us see why the gospel of Jesus exploded across the empire.  And, maybe to open our eyes to another way to reach lost souls.

The pagan view of "god" was one reasoned by the philosophers such as Plato, Zeno, Aristotle, and others not so well known.  They felt that god must be far removed from this corrupt world and indifferent to it.  As a being of pure reason, how could god care what happened to men or even be aware of it.  In fact, the philosophers held matter, and especially emotion, to be so evil in relation to the purity of reason that god himself could not have created it.  The god was unemotional, implacable, and unmovable (hard not to think of Calvinisim/TULIP here which, in fact, stole this concept of God from the pagans via Augustine).  
 
An emanation thousands of descents removed from god was the actual creator and even then not a participant in creation.  Inasmuch as these lesser gods interacted with humans at all, they were capricious at best and vicious on a whim.  The major goal of the pagan sacrificial system was to get god to leave them alone.  A pagan’s life was spent hoping the gods never noticed him or at least did not care enough to lash out at him.

Into this world burst the gospel of a God who cares, a God who is good and sends good things, a God who loves and not only loves, but loved so much that he sent his Son.  Gods coming to be among men was not new in the mythologies, but they came to satisfy their own lusts and to toy with men.  God sent his son to rescue men and elevate them and give them hope.  When this gospel was ratified by signs from heaven and not just magical wonders, but signs that healed and helped mortals, men flocked to the truth.

Further, the gospel offered hope: hope now and hope to come.  What could an ordinary man be?  He would live and work and die and, outside his city, who would know or care?  The gospel offered meaning to life, a man could engage in cosmic warfare in the heavenlies.  A Christian was a warrior known by name to his Captain who strengthened him and rewarded him in life.  And in place of the dismal realms of the dead found in the mythologies, the gospel offered eternal life.  To be somebody--even kings and presidents are not remembered long--but God knows your name.  Men’s monumental achievements are forgotten in a generation and who cares anyway (except for the history test), but a man's righteousness and holiness is a victory written in the book of life before the Father’s throne.

That gospel is still good news to the nobodies, to the downtrodden and forgotten, to the everyday man who will never be the footnote to a footnote in history.  Is that not who heard Jesus gladly?
 
The gospel they preached always held forth that hope of eternal life and being special to God as their motivation for purity and faithfulness.  Are you preaching hope? Living hope? Do you even hear about hope?
 
Today, people are not concerned about sin, hence salvation from sin is a meaningless gospel to them.  If we preach to them the gospel of love, hope and meaning, the God of all hope will draw them  to seek to be holy as he is holy.
 
Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this cause the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is. And every one that hath this hope set on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1John 3:1-3)
 
Keith Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.

In our culture, most history books are written to record events for posterity.  Often, great pains are taken to give a balanced, nonpartisan account of those events.  Sometimes history books are written with the aim of bolstering a political viewpoint, but largely academic histories are written with the intent to simply tell what happened.  This is not the way ancient historians wrote history.  From Herodotus to Plutarch and on to the end of the Roman Empire, histories and biographies were written to teach life lessons. A great man’s heroic qualities were held up to be emulated and his failures were studied to be avoided.  For some reason all this occurred to me as I was reading David McCullough’s book on the Wright brothers.  So I read the book to see what I could learn from it which could be applied to my life.

The Wright brothers were known for their work ethic and their patience.  The Wrights were industrious almost to a fault.  Before they took it upon themselves to invent aeronautics, they started a newspaper while still in their teens.  They started their bike shop, working 10-12 hour days, and then went home to work on renovating their house.  When they decided to learn how to fly, they continued to run their bike shop and worked on their flying machines in their spare time.  It took better than 10 years before they perfected their flight method.

Not only were the Wrights willing to work hard, but they were patient in the face of numerous setbacks. They first learned to control a glider in flight using a method of wing warping that closely mimicked what birds do to maintain balance in flight.  The theory was good, but implementation was an on-going process that involved several minor crashes.  They would get up, dust themselves off, repair the damage to their glider and make whatever revisions experience taught them were necessary.  

They discovered that the mathematical tables in text-books regarding the shapes wings needed to have to maintain lift were wrong.  They set about to re-do the experimental work necessary.   They built a small wind tunnel and spent many hours over a period of weeks making their determinations.  Once they had a successful powered flight, in 1903, they continued to work, finally showcasing their flyer before the world in 1909.  While others had made flights in the interim, the Wrights set and reset every record for length of flight, altitude achieved, and duration of flight while stunning all on-lookers with the complete control they had over their craft.  Their patient, steadfast work had borne fruit; they ushered in the age of mechanized flight.

I hope the application to the Christian life is obvious.  We are to patiently work for our Lord.  Not that our works can earn our salvation, no, but as servants of God, we are to be busily serving Him.  A few passages to make this point clear:

2 Tim. 2:15 “Give diligence to present yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.”

The word translated “give diligence” in the ASV is defined by Strong’s this way: make effort, be earnest, give diligent, endeavor. The bing internet dictionary defines diligence as “constant and earnest effort”. So, becoming an unashamed workman who can properly handle the word is an on-going struggle.  I can’t cram it down in one all-nighter.  It takes the patient work of years, overcoming many obstacles along the way, chiefly my own ignorance and arrogance.

But wait, there’s more:

Heb. 4:11 “Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, that no man fall after the same example of disobedience.”

Having just discussed that there awaits for us a more perfect rest (Heaven) than the rest obtained by the Israelites, the Hebrew writer enjoins us to work that patient work to ensure we can enter into that rest. Then there’s

2 Pet. 1:10 “Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, you shall never stumble”

Here Peter sums up his discussion of the “Christian virtues” by exhorting us to be diligent in our efforts to acquire those virtues ourselves. Why? So that we “never stumble”. Peter also tells us to be diligent to be found without spot or blemish in the day of the Lord:

2 Pet. 3:14 “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that you look for these things, give diligence that you may be found in peace, without spot and blameless in his sight.”

So, from these few passages we can see that the Christian life involves diligent effort to learn to properly handle God’s word, diligent effort to obtain the virtues all Christians should share, diligent effort to be ready to meet the Lord, and diligent effort to enter into His rest.  It seems that the Wright brothers, with their patient and steady effort, make good role models for Christians, the difference being that our triumphant flight through the air won’t be in a bi-wing plane:

1 Thess. 4:17 “then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.
 
As we consider this memorial feast, we should return and try to recapture the disciples’ thoughts as they heard it for the first time.  Why?  Decades later, three of the gospel writers recorded the scene for the church that then was, and the Holy Spirit preserved it for the church of all time exactly as it was instituted, not as it came to be under later ecclesiasticism.  When the Corinthians abused the feast, the apostle Paul pointed them back to “in the night in which he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus….” Thus, we see that what they saw, what they understood on that night is essential to our understanding and proper observation of this memorial.  Too often, our understanding has been so colored by interpretations and happenings since “the night in which he was betrayed” that we miss essential points and bend passages to mean what we have come to understand instead of understanding what happened and the meaning God intended.
 
First, the disciples that night did not know about the cross and sacrificial death of Jesus.  Certainly, the supper is pregnant with that meaning by the time the disciples began to meet on the first day of the week.  It will blossom more fully in our spiritual minds if we first comprehend their understanding.  Otherwise, we may be missing significant nuances in the glare of the obvious. Yes, Jesus taught them about the coming cross over and over beginning at Peter’s confession (Mt 16:18).  After the supper he stated that he, “the shepherd,” would be smitten and they would be scattered.  Peter, understood that much and denied that he would ever leave the Lord.  Jesus also referred to the resurrection:  “after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee.”  Still, they did not understand the death, burial and resurrection.  
 
In our classes we often point out all the clues and remark how dense they were.  Be cautious:  Out of a nation that God carefully prepared for two thousand years, a large number chose to follow Jesus.  He then prayed all night and from those chose these 12.  They were the culmination of God’s plan, the best of the best in the best nation in the entire world.  Sometimes we seem to join the council in their contempt “that they were unlearned and ignorant men” in opposition to God’s choice of them (Ax 4:13).
 
So, then, if even they missed what later the Holy Spirit certified as the main point, what did they see, what did they understand that we may be missing in the glorious light of that greatest of all truths?
 
First, they undoubtedly were excited by his statement that the kingdom would come before the next Passover, “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover …for … I shall not eat it until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (Lk 22:15-16).  They also heard him say that “this is my blood of the new covenant” (Mt 26:28).  They knew that every covenant, from God’s covenant with Abram to the covenant with Israel at Sinai, had been inaugurated with the blood of sacrifices (Gen 15:9-21; Ex 24:5-8).   They knew that Jeremiah promised a new covenant at the time of the Messiah (31:31-34).  They must have been bursting with excitement for he had just proclaimed, now is the time, I am the man.
 
Then, let us note some simple things from their observations on that night.  When he said, “This is my body,” they could see Jesus standing there and knew that the unleavened bread had not become his body.  They would immediately understand the metaphor being familiar with many such from God’s preparation in the Old Testament, e.g., God is a rock (Psa 18:31), “Judah is a lion’s whelp” (Gen 49:9).   When he “took a cup” and said, “This is my blood,” (Mt 26:27-28), they knew it had nothing to do with the container.   Jesus specified, “This (the antecedent of which is “cup”) is my blood.”   They understood and did as he said, “Drink ye all of it,” and it was still fruit of the vine.
 
So, then, what did they think he meant by his expressive figures? What teaching had they received that led to the understanding they had?
 
The first place we think to look for a clue to their knowledge is John 6:48-58.   We have often read this over the supper and tend to equate the bread in John 6 as the bread of the Lord’s Supper and the blood of John 6 as the fruit of the vine.  Jesus was teaching something else entirely.  Anything more than a careless reading of the passage and context shows that Jesus uses both the body and blood in reference to his having come down out of heaven as the bread of life.  In other words, his incarnation is the body and blood which he challenges them to partake of, in a spiritual sense, of course.  In the context of the Lord’s Supper, that would refer to the body, and to only the body.  John 6 is not a prequel to the Lord’s Supper at all.  It is a challenge to those alleged disciples to dispense with all other philosophies or sources of life.  He is it.  Eat him and him only as spiritual sustenance. Who he was and What he was and How he lived are the bread of life.  Certainly, they so understood it—they said it was a hard saying, they understood exactly and rejected it as too hard, too demanding.  The apostles also understood but they knew they had no choice, “To whom shall we go? …we have believed and know that thou art the holy one of God,” (the incarnate).
 
Often, speakers who bless the bread talk of his body as it hung on the cross.  No, his body on the cross is referred to by, “This is my blood.”  The blood refers to death as in Isa 53:12, “He poured out his soul unto death.”  “The life is in the blood” (Lev 17:11)  refers to the blood he sacrificed, the life he gave and the carcass hanging on the cross is not what he meant when he said, “This is my body.”   That phrase refers to the incarnation.  When we take of the bread, we are to be remembering that “The word became flesh [“This is my body”] and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). “This is my body” includes all that life from when he “emptied himself and took the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men and being found in the fashion as a man” to the night in which he was betrayed.  All that happened after the fatal kiss in beatings, mockings, scourgings, in thorns and nails, are included in “This is my blood”—“becoming obedient unto death, yea, the death of the cross” (Phil 2:6-9).  
 
This is the pre-eminent falsehood of the insertion in 1 Cor 11 that “This is my body which is broken for you.”  Not only do all scholars, and the overwhelming majority of manuscripts, agree that the word “broken” is an insertion and not written by Paul or the Holy Spirit, the meaning of “body” is the incarnation, not Jesus on the cross.  That, John specifically says, was not broken in the context of the giving of the life of the Pascal lamb, i.e. “This is my blood” (Jn 19:36).   If we who often think the disciples were dense understand what they understood “in the night in which he was betrayed, we would know that the incarnation was not broken, by its nature could not be broken.  From John 6, they knew that body = bread down out of heaven = his life, and when he stood before them, that is what they heard.  They knew that “This is my body” referred to his incarnation.
 
At least two of the disciples had heard John the Immerser proclaim, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world” (Jn1:29,35).  On this night, as they ate the Pascal lamb and Jesus spoke of “his blood which is poured out for many unto the remission of sins,” they certainly connected the memorial they were eating with something greater that was about to happen.  Their comprehension was vague, but they understood that in the future, remembrance of Jesus and salvation from sin would mark their Passover, not the remembrance of salvation from Egypt.
 
God said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” (Ex 12:13).   As year by year the Israelites replicated the event, there was no death angel, no passing over, but a memorial to renew their gratitude for the salvation of God.  It seems that we wish magic from the Lord’s Supper.  We pray that “it is to us by faith” something more than just bread and grape juice.  We invest it with magical properties--we are “safe” for the week if we really, really think about it hard when we partake. NO!  As the Israelites' Passover was a memorial, so the Lord's Supper is a memorial to remind us of the love of God, the salvation of God, the sacrifice of the son of God.  That memory is then to build our gratitude to the level that we go out and live like the one we remembered.  Taking “in an unworthy manner” has nothing to do with how hard we think about Jesus on the cross for a few moments before and after we feast, and everything to do with how we live the week before and after.  “For Christ our Passover has been sacrificed, let us keep the feast [week of unleavened bread that followed the Passover] …with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Cor 5:7-8).
 
Say, “This is my blood” and we think of Jesus’ blood pouring from “his head, his hands, his feet,” but they thought of death. Say, “This is my blood” in their context, the Passover, and they automatically would think of the slaughtered lamb and its blood smeared on their doorways in memorial of deliverance.  Add “of the New Covenant” and they add the death of the sacrifice that inaugurates a covenant.
 
To the Twelve who heard them, those four words did not mean the same as we think today.  But, they had a breadth of understanding that we seldom think on and they quickly added Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection after Pentecost.  Would not our memorial be richer and more accurate if we focused more fully on “the night in which he was betrayed?”
 
Keith Ward

The last in a series by guest writer, Lucas Ward.

So far we’ve discussed that we are to love one another, edify one another, exhort one another and admonish one another. Now we turn to a topic that is closely related to these, yet is not very popular to think about. We are to serve one another.

Eph. 5:21 “subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.” It is kind of amusing to think of how many sermons are preached about the next verse and how few focus on this one. We are to be in subjection to one another. To be in subjection means to be under the control of another. We are to choose to submit to each other. What’s really interesting is that the word for “be in subjection” actually isn’t in the next verse, referring to wives. Most modern translations which paragraph out the text put a paragraph break between vs 21 & 22. That is probably an error, as the text actually reads “subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ; wives unto your own husbands as unto the Lord.” The implied verb is obviously to be in subjection, but the construction makes the duty to wives just a subset or an example of the duty we all have. And in case you are wondering, yes the word is the same as the one used in Col. 3:18 “Wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” In other words, what men expect from their wives, Christ expects us to do for each other.

Wait a minute, now, I’m a free man! I’m not subjecting myself to anyone! I’m an American! Yes, we are free, but that comes with responsibilities. Gal. 5:13 “For ye, brethren, were called for freedom; only use not your freedom for an occasion to the flesh, but through love be servants one to another.” The reason God has made us free – from the burdens of Law, as well as currently as Americans – is not so we can just live it up. Freedom is not for the flesh, but so that we can love each other. It is our love for each other that leads us to be servants for each other. Parents, have you ever felt that you were more servant to your children than parents? No matter how much you raise them to respect authority, to obey you, to be good kids, there are days when all you do is take care of them. When they are young it is diapers, feedings, walkings, dr. appointments, etc. As they grow up it morphs into other things, but they are children, unable to completely take care of themselves and when they need something, they often need it NOW. And because you love them, you give them the service needed. The same is often true of elderly parents who need care from their adult children. We do for them what is best for them. That is the service of love that the Bible teaches. Notice the parallel statements of Paul regarding fulfilling the law. Gal. 5:14 “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” & 6:2 “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Love fulfills the law; bearing each other’s burdens fulfills the law. Love often boils down to bearing each other’s burdens.

This takes humility. Peter acknowledges this: 1 Peter 5:5 “Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the elder. Yea, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another: for God resists the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.” First, notice that we have another example of being subject to one another in a subset. The younger are to be subject to the older. He goes on to say that we all are to be subject to each other. But, to do this he says we need to gird ourselves with humility. The KJV says “clothe yourself” which is accurate enough, but the idea here is not just getting dressed in something, but dressing in a way to prepare for action. Wrapping yourself in humility is the preparation needed to be subject to each other. Serving here is putting others before self. Being humble enough to not insist on your own way. This is the exact opposite of the 1980’s catchphrase “look out for #1”. We are looking out for others first and “number one” last.

“Wait a minute! I’m the chief song leader and the substitute preacher! I’m also the Wednesday night Bible Class teacher. Surely you don’t expect me to serve!” Yes, that is exactly what is expected of me, as well as each of you. Gal. 6:2-3 “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” If I start to think myself too important to serve, I will soon learn otherwise. Remember also our Lord’s words: Luke 17:10 “Even so ye also, when ye shall have done all the things that are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which it was our duty to do.” Given the price God paid for our ransom, there is no way we can ever “show a profit” for Him. So, who am I to get a big head? I am to serve and be subject to my brethren.

So, How do we do this? Be willing to give in to others. Never compromising the truth, but if you prefer things one way and the other guy prefers it another way, don’t fight about it. Give in and do it his way. Whether or not the Lord’s Supper is before or after the sermon should never cause fights in the church nor in business meetings. Nor should the choice of a hymnal. Nor should the wording on the sign. Nor should. . . clothe yourself in humility and serve. If everyone is looking first to serve, everyone will get along.

As always, Jesus was the perfect example of this. John 13:12-15 “So when he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and sat down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me, Teacher, and, Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye also should do as I have done to you.”

In an age of unpaved roads, the best transportation being your feet, and everyone wearing sandals, there was a great need to wash off one’s feet upon entering a home. In most homes, water and a towel would be provided and each person would wash his own feet. In the more well-to-do homes, a servant would wash the feet of guests. This was generally a job for the lowliest servant in the household. It was considered a demeaning job. This explains Peter’s reaction in vs 8. He held to Lord in esteem and didn’t want Him debasing Himself for Peter. This understanding makes the Lord’s example even more powerful. “Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me, Teacher, and, Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.” If there was ever anyone on the planet who had the right to say “not me, I’m not humbling myself to serve!” it was Jesus. He was Lord. And yet He was humble enough to give the apostles a lesson they needed After all, if the Son of God was willing to take on the most menial task because His brethren needed it, is there anything I shouldn’t be willing to do for my brethren? Why was He so willing? He loved them. vs 34 “love one another; even as I have loved you” Given that He repeats this statement in chapter 15 with a clear reference to the cross, I believe here He is looking back on all the love He has already shown them. He was willing, as Lord and Teacher, to serve His disciples. Can I follow His example?
 
Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.
 
Most of us have probably seen, “That which does not kill me must make me stronger” and reflected that we know more than a few people for whom that was not true in any measurable sense.  They either became weaker and whinier in character or they were demolished physically, or both.  This even happens to many in the church.

A variation, “That which does not kill me just postpones the inevitable,” is absolute, though cynical, and fails to address the character issues related to triumph or despair.

While these dueled on the office whiteboard, I formulated my own, “For many, death is just the punctuation to an existence that was without life.”  I am sure some famous person said this before I did.

Aside from the usual depressing thoughts about meaningless existence and so forth, I thought of these things:

We tend to think of eternal life as something in the future.  John clearly states that it is something we have now or choose not to have now.  “These things I write that ye may know that you HAVE eternal life (1 Jn 5:11-13, Jn 17:3, 20:31, 6:47 and many like passages).  If you have the Son, you have the life.  Are you in the Son, having been baptized into Christ and having continued in the triumph of the baptized life?  (Raised to walk in newness of LIFE, Rom 6:1-11).  Peter joins in with, “Divine power has granted us all things that pertain to life,” (2Pet 1:3). With divine power available to help us, how can we even think we are not able to live the life?   Paul adds, “Godliness is profitable for the life that now is.” (1Tim 4:8).  Though trials and temptations come, we have eternal life.  Hold on to what you have!

Eternal life is not a thing we give up all the pleasures of this life to obtain after we die.  Eternal Life is a present possession enjoyed in all the fullness that mortal bodies can attain; in which joy we long for the fuller life in heaven.  Eternal life consists of all the spiritual pleasures of this life; the worldly pleasures, both the sinful and those not immoral (e.g. time-wasters) are false pleasure, full of lies and “death” now and to come.

The knowledge of Jesus has granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; THAT THROUGH THESE YE MAY BECOME PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE, having escaped from the corruption that is in that world by lust (2 Pet 1:4).  We can, we are, we will be.

Life is more than not being dead.  Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly.  Seize the true life.  Enjoy eternal life now.
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses (1Tim 6:12).

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. (John 6:47)


Keith Ward

Another in the One Another Series by guest writer Lucas Ward.

Perhaps second only to loving one another in the hierarchy of instructions we have been given about getting along is the command to forgive one another. Christians can’t get along and churches can’t function if we don’t forgive each other.

The first passage I want to go to is Eph. 4:1-3:

“I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

No, this passage doesn’t mention forgiveness, but it does say that we should forbear one another, or bear with one another as the ESV puts it. Forbearing each other is simply putting up with each other. Remember the first phrase in Paul’s definition of love in 1 Cor. 13? “Love suffers long”. This is the idea. We bear the burdens of each other and put up with them. Have you ever heard someone described as coming with a lot of baggage? Well, as Christians, we should help them carry that baggage.

The real command in this passage though, is in verse 1 “Walk worthily of the calling wherewith you were called.” All the rest are subpoints, or descriptions of how to walk worthily. But what is my calling? 1 Thess. 2;12 says we have been called into God’s kingdom, and Romans 9:25 calls us God’s people. We have been called to be subjects in God’s kingdom, to be His people. Being identified with a group carries some responsibilities. The military will still kick people out, or even send them to jail, for conduct unbecoming a military person. They acted in a way that did not live up to the calling of being in the military. If that is true of the earthly military, don’t you think it would also be true of being one of God’s people? We are to walk worthily of the calling. Of course, Romans 8:30 and Hebrews 2:11 up the ante a bit when they say we have been called to be the Lord’s brethren. Now we really have need to walk worthily of the calling.

How? In lowliness, or humility. In meekness, or putting God first in everything. With longsuffering. And forbearing one another IN LOVE. Notice that the motivation for forbearance is love. Have you ever noticed someone with a special needs child or sibling and seen all the trouble they go to for that person, and all the annoyance they overlook from that person and think “I could never do that”? But if you talk to them, they barely even noticed that there was any annoyance involved. They just put up with it without even thinking about it, because they loved that special needs child. That is how Christians should be with each other. We just automatically overlook most “burdens” put on us by our brethren because we love them. We hardly notice that brother so-and-so is sometimes hard to get along with because we love him. Essentially, forbearance is automatic forgiveness of minor issues.

Sometimes, however, bigger things arise. I put up a post a few weeks ago about when brothers don’t get along. We went down the instructions the Lord gave in Matthew 18 for how to handle that. The major takeaway, though, was to forgive. “If he listens, you have regained your brother”. At that point, we need to forgive them and move on. After all, the point here is not to work through all three steps, but to regain that brother. Paul offers some instruction on this point as well.

Eph. 4:32 “and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you.”

and

Col. 3:13 “forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye.”

Notice that in Colossians Paul links forbearance and forgiveness, so I wasn’t nuts. Also, in Ephesians kindness and forgiveness go hand in hand. Part of being kind is forgiving and a motivation for forgiveness is kindness. But the big idea here, mentioned in both passages, is that we are to forgive “As the Lord forgave you”. Uh oh. How do I forgive as Christ forgave? First, let’s look at OT prophesies of how things were to be in the Kingdom:

Isa. 43:25 “I, even I, am he that blots out thy transgressions for mine own sake; and I will not remember thy sins.”
Jer. 31:34 “. . . for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.”

God says that when He forgives, He “will not remember your sins”. When He forgives iniquity “their sin will I remember no more.” So, if this is how the Lord forgives and I’m supposed to forgive like Him, then I can’t hold grudges now can I? I can’t say that I forgive something and then bring it up later in an argument. I’m to treat my brother as if the offending action had never happened. Christian forget about forgiven sins. For the next idea, let’s look at some of the instruction of the Lord Himself.

Luke 17:3-4 “Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”

Forgive your brother if he repents, ok, but forgive seven times in the same day? The same thing? That’s ridiculous! Yet, that’s what the Lord teaches about forgiveness, and if I’m to forgive like Him. . . let’s also remember, with shame, the times in our lives that we had to go to the Lord multiple times in one day for forgiveness for the same thing. Aren’t we glad He is willing to forgive over and over and over? I need to forgive my brother again and again, even in the same day. Something similar is said in Matt. 18:21-22:

“Then came Peter and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.”

This isn’t in one day, but over time. Your brother is still annoying you in the same way two years later, but still repenting of it? You still forgive him. Also, when the Lord said “70 x 7” He didn’t literally mean 490 times. “That’s it! That’s the 491st time Julia has done that to me! I don’t have to forgive her anymore!” Of course, that is ridiculous. Jesus was using 70 x 7 as a figure meaning a really big amount. A never to be reached limit. [Also, if you are counting the times a brother or sister is sinning against you, then you have failed the first point, not remembering forgiven sins.] As long as your brother keeps trying, as long as he keeps coming and repenting to you for his fault, you keep forgiving him. After all, aren’t we glad the Lord keeps forgiving us?

Finally, look at Matt. 18:23ff

“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.' So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Not only do we need to make sure we forgive after the same manner that the Lord has forgiven us if we want to ensure He keeps forgiving us, but we need to recognize that there is no way we can possibly forgive to the same amount that the Lord has forgiven us. Any forgiveness we do of our brethren is trivial compared to the forgiveness God has granted us. In the parable, the amount the servant owed the king would translate roughly to hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions of dollars in modern currency. That is the amount the king forgave when the servant pleaded. The amount the second servant owed the first might translate to a couple thousand dollars. While a couple thousand dollars is not insignificant to everyday people, it’s not even a blip compared to hundreds of millions of dollars. And while forgiving my brother his insult to me might not be insignificant to every day people, compared to the forgiveness God has offered me, and the price He had to pay to be able to offer it, it is not even noticeable.

We need to forgive and forbear our brethren in love.

Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.

I have for years followed the advice of a Dr. at the VA who told me to pour warm salt water into the palm of each hand in turn and sniff it up each nostril. I do this each evening with a gargle between and my allergy problems have diminished dramatically. Also, I do this immediately after any dusty activity. A few nights ago, I took my cup to the kitchen, and then got distracted and when I sniffed the warm water, it had no salt! ROARING! Pain. But I thought I put the salt in. It will be a long time before that lapse happens again.

“I thought!” Naaman used those words. We do, too, to excuse our failures to live up to God’s expressed wishes. These days it seems that a lot presume mightily on THEIR concept of the fatherhood of God and treat him casually in the way they speak of him and conduct their worship. I read a commentary on Ezekiel (Block) in which he comments on Ezekiel’s attitude and deportment toward God: “Although this is the third time he sees the [throne chariot] the sight still catches him by surprise and overwhelms him with awe. His relationship with God never becomes familiar or casual—even a commissioned and authorized spokesman must prostrate himself in the presence of God.”

Yet so many have become almost irreverently casual in their speech and dress to worship services. They THOUGHT that because God reveals himself as, “Father” they can buddy up to Daddy with little to no form of expressed respect. My Dad did not allow that and neither did I, and any who do are mighty poor parents. As the Hebrew writer says, “It is for chastening that ye endure; God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father chasteneth not? But if ye are without chastening, whereof all have been made partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? (Heb 12:7-9, ASV).

Does no one notice how many times in these 3 verses we read chastening and reverence and subjection? Does it not change that casual attitude to see "Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?" (ESV & CSV).

I never spoke as casually to my boss as some speak to God. And some dress up for work and dress down for God. Did not Malachi say, "Present it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee? or will he accept thy person? saith Jehovah of hosts." (Mal 1:8). In other words, we have better sense than to try to pull off on our bosses or government what we do to God?

These “buddy up to daddy” attitudes come from a very selective view of scripture. Let our reverence be shown in dress and speech and attitude.

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire  (Heb 12:28-29, ESV).
And if you invoke as Father him who judges each one impartially according to his deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile (1Pet1:17).