Advent, Day 14: The Second Gift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FnO3igOkOk

I was thinking of this short, but powerful, film clip this morning as I worked on this post.....I hope the sentiment expressed in the clip is not true of readers who enter here!

Yesterday, we meditated on the first 16 verses of John 1.  In verses 13-14, John told us that Jesus was full of grace and truth.  Here are verses 9-16 again:

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet )the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and)his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

So....yesterday we focused on grace, and today the focus is on the second gift, truth.  
There is a movement afoot, an old, Satanic deception, that leads people to believe in moral relativism.  In other words, this lie denies that truth exists.  "It may be true for you; but, it's not true for me."  The Bible declares this to be false, a trap of the Devil's.  This belief is a very successful trap too, because many fall into it.  They are attracted to it because, if a person can make up his or her own truth, then he or she can simply do "whatever"  - - - be one's own god.  As Jack Nicholson's character says, they "can't handle the truth".  Such folks are like the Israelites who fashioned a golden calf to worship while Moses was on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 32), or like Jereboam, king of the northern tribes of Israel, allowed the people to make two golden calves and set them up in  "places of worship" in two regions of Israel
(1 Kings 11:25-14:20 and Amos 5).  Jereboam typifies rebellion.

Just because you don't believe something doesn't make it untrue.  
Nor does it make it true.  
God's truth stands unshakeable, independent of any human's belief or non-belief. 

In vs. 27, John reaffirms that God gave the Torah, the law, to Moses, as a textbook, to lead the people in the way of righteous obedience.  But, the Torah could not save a person from sin.  Only the blood sacrifice of animals, offered by the sinner in repentant faith, could appease the wrath of God mentioned in yesterday's post.  It was the sinner's faith that saved them, that made them right with God.  Jesus's coming fulfilled the law, and took our relationship to God to a whole new dimension. No longer must we sacrifice animals by faith to receive God's forgiveness, His grace. 
The apostle Paul explains this in Hebrews 10.  Look and rejoice, Christian!

1The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.3But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,

but a body you prepared for me;

6with burnt offerings and sin offerings

you were not pleased.

7Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—

I have come to do your will, my God.’ ”^a

8First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

{The off-set portion above is also Psalm 40:6-8.)
This is truth.  Our high priest, Jesus, offered the once-for-all blood sacrifice of Himself.   It is for this reason Jesus declared in John 14:6 - - "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No man comes to the Father except through me."

"Those being made holy" is a phrase that applies to those who have embraced Jesus and His Way as the truth which it is.  That phrase refers to the sanctification/purification aspect of salvation, the resplendent walk.  Yes, some - - - - even most - - - people will reject Jesus and His Truth  (John 1:11).  However, verse 12 contains a glorious "but" - - - {Message version}

But whoever did want him,

who believed He was who He claimed

and would do what He said

He made to be their true selves,

their child-of-God selves,

These are the God-begotten,

not blood-begotten,

not flesh-begotten,

not sex-begotten.

Children of God - - - that is we, Christians!   The power referred to in verse 12 is that same sanctifying, purifying, refining power that Jesus Christ brings into the lives of His children on a daily basis.

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  

And, that is what we are!"

1 John 3:1

Friend, you were created by God and FOR Him, whether you like that truth or not. You can choose to embrace/receive/believe it ... or not.  That does not change the truth.  And, you can only be your true self, the being that God created You to be, when you allow Him to give you Spirit birth, to make you "born-again", as Jesus described it to Nicodemus in John 3. 

Living and walking in truth is a GLORIOUS life, a gift I give thanks for every day!  If you have not become "God-born", will you take that step today?  Receive His grace and truth.  Open the first and second gifts of Christmas!

Dear Father, it is because of Your grace and truth that we, Your God-begotten children, give gifts at Christmas.  Our gift-giving is but a shadow of The Gift You gave to us.  As the Wise Men brought gifts to the Holy Child, Jesus, bowing down in worship, so we worship by giving sacrificial gifts to each other, as reminders of the Gift that cost You so much.  Thank you for Jesus and that, "through His fulness, we have received grace upon grace"!  Oh, what love You have poured all over us, that we should be called the Children of God!  In Jesus' name, amen.

A High Wall of Safety

On Monday mornings my hubster goes to a men's breakfast very early, and because I usually can't go back to sleep I roll over and turn on the TV for a few minutes, to catch the morning news.  This morning, the headline took a few seconds to register on my sleepy brain.  50+ dead, over 200 wounded in Las Vegas?  What?  As the events have unfolded this morning, I am profoundly sad.  In fact, I'm brushing away tears as I type. 

Here in the blog, we've been looking at the topic of wealth and work.  Below are the verses I had planned to blog about this morning.  (I had actually started a draft of this post yesterday.)

The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense;

they imagine it to be a high wall of safety.

Proverbs 18:11 (NLT)

How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
    in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 36:7 (NLT)

My college friend, who formerly lived in a remote part of British Columbia, last month moved to Edmonton, Alberta.  Almost as soon as she arrived there, two separate terror attacks occurred.  She must wonder what she has gotten herself into.

I've been contemplating a major trip next summer, to commemorate a big anniversary.  Another friend has warned me that part of the world is not safe.  I texted her a bit ago to say it is looking a whole lot safer than Vegas at the moment.

The hard truth is that we live in a broken, sin-sick world that needs a whole lot of Jesus.

And, no physical place on earth is truly "safe" from all harm, accident, illness.

The first verse above describes the false safety that wealth provides.  But, wealthy people still die in accidents.  They still get serious illnesses.  They may even lose their wealth and become impoverished.  Wealth is not a "high wall of safety".

As Christians, what should be our attitude toward "safety"?  

1.  Our eternal future is secure.

No matter what we stumble into, or crash into, or sorrow that enters our lives, we know that after this earthly life, we will be in Heaven with our Savior.  So, no matter the hideous, horrific events along the earthly path, the heavenly destination is gloriously beautiful.  What a precious gift and promise!

2.  Nothing in this life can touch us unless the Lord Himself allows it.

The story of Job is so helpful here.  Job was a man who was well-known to Satan, the archenemy of God's people and, indeed, of all mankind.  He was well-known because of his righteous devotion to God.  We might say that he was "the best man on earth" in his day.

Still.....

God allowed Satan to physically, emotionally, and financially devastate him.  It appears the only thing left to Job were some people/relationships, and Satan used those to bedevil him too!

Job, through his unspeakable losses, grew in his faith.  He came to realize these four truths we are embracing this morning.

3.  His ways are not our ways.

God uses all things to bring glory to Himself, and this is a manifestation of both His perfect goodness and His perfect holiness.  

Because of this, we often cannot understand why He allows what He does.  Often, when we cry out an anguished "WHY?!", we get no definitive answer.  He is not required to explain Himself to us and, it is entirely possible we would not be able to understand/comprehend an explanation, were He to provide one.

Keep in mind that, when Job questioned the Lord, He did not give a specific answer.  Instead, the Lord God asked Job a series of questions designed to remind Job of the huge chasm between us humans and our infinite, incomprehensible God.

4.  His love is unwavering, and we can trust in that.

There, then, is our "safety net", our "high wall of safety".

It helps me to realize in horrible times that the love of my Savior, who cloaked His very position in the Godhead for my sake, who died a most horrific death in His earthly body for my sake - - that His love never leaves me.  That His Spirit, Who lives inside me, never forsakes me.  Ever.  His Spirit is "the shadow of His wings".

Of course, the unredeemed world-at-large thinks we are kooks for believing such "nonsense", as they continue to put their trust in different things, different idols.  But, as for me, I am content to trust in the Lord my God, and to believe with all my soul the truth of His Word.

For me, He, in all His majesty, is more than enough.

Let's meditate on His love this morning.  Here are some verses to help us do that.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV)

But you, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in mercy and truth.

Psalm 86:15 (KJ2000)

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

1 John 3:1 (ESV)

2Through him we have also obtained access by faith^b into this grace in which we stand, and we^c rejoice^d in hope of the glory of God. 3Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 5:2-5 (ESV)

For sure.  

Holy God, we humbly ask that You pour Your love out abundantly on those shattered by the Las Vegas terror attack.  Please lavish healing and comfort and eventually bring peace to wounded bodies and spirits.  The only answer to such horror is You.  Please give us more of You, dear Jesus.  In the Name that is above every other Name we pray, amen.