John 5:37-39 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me,
I have sometimes thought that if I study the scriptures enough we will find the truth. And even if I do, understanding the truth does not mean anything. What counts in the cross existing in me. Many times when I meet someone I want to compare their beliefs with my own to somehow determine their salvation, instead the cross needs to become my measuring stick. I need to go to Jesus, to the cross. When I follow Jesus I follow Him to the cross and die. But I would rather talk about the issues than go to the cross.
Col 2: 6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
Ehp 5: 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7Therefore do not be partners with them.
8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
I need to make sure that I am not too focused on the basic principles but instead focus on Jesus. I want to boil things down to principles and rules or guidelines but that has no power. The cross has power. I need to depend on Christ. Paul was focused on people being disciples; he talked about dying for God and how he longed to do just that. The answer for me is to go to the cross and die.
1 Corinthians 2:1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
Wisdom From the Spirit
6We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
Paul says that the only thing worth talking about is Jesus and Him crucified. What if I told everyone this before I began a conversation with them, “I know nothing except Christ crucified.” The only thing that is important is not if they understand the trinity or this doctrine on the spirit but that I help them become more of a disciple today. Paul said he went in weakness. When I share my faith am I trying to show no weakness, am I following a pattern or formula for sharing or coming in weakness. If I would just follow the cross I could be like Paul in weakness and still know what to say to people. Paul says he was not persuasive. What happens when I argue with people is that I am trying to persuade them to my side and they are trying to persuade me to their side. I don’t need to persuade anyone, because it is too hard to try and persuade someone to die and even if I succeed it may fade quickly. Do I think a BBQ or a fun night or a push service will get someone to die? All I can do is say this is the way to the cross and let them decide. Jesus is the only one that can help me die to myself. I need to do things by God’s power and not my own; too long I have lived a controlled Christianity where I did my religious acts by my own power. My sin is to talk about everything but the cross and when I talk about the cross it is superficial.
Gal 6: 11See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!
12Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. 14May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. 16Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.
17Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
18The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.
Many times I have wanted to look good on the outside, wanting to make a good impression. I want to know the scriptures and have an answer for everyone. But my only answer needs to be Jesus that is all I need to know. When I find some great insight in the Bible I want to share it to get a little puffed up. It is interesting that Paul says the reason I do this is to avoid the cross and avoid being persecuted for the cross. I want to talk about all of the issues and my theories on everything to avoid the cross. That is powerful. Paul says that he never wants to boast except in the cross and the only thing that counts is a new creation. When I fellowship with someone at church is it my goal to make them into a new creation. The cross and total denial of self is the only way to the new creation. Now my focus is not if someone agreed with me but if they are nearer to the cross. The pain of the cross is where I will find peace and mercy.
1 Cor 1: 17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Christ the Wisdom and Power of God
18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."
20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.
If I tell someone to make Jesus Lord of their life by my own power I have emptied the cross of its power. But if I preach the cross and tell them to make Jesus Lord I am giving them life. The cross is the foundation of everything. Some people know a lot but if they are not guided by the cross they have nothing. Where is the power of God, it says in the cross. The reason why I have lived powerless, unchanging life is that I have not had the power of the cross. I have known that the power was in the cross but not how to get in contact with it. I was not willing to die. I have not preached the cross. I have not valued the cross.
Mark 14:32They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch."
35Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36"Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
37Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
39Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.
41Returning the third time, he said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"
To be honest I really don’t want to follow Jesus, I don’t want to be at the point of death, deeply distressed and troubled. Do I want to die, do I want to give up everything, do I want the cross. But my joy is being led to the cross to die, sounds foolish and it is to those that are perishing. When I am at this point like Jesus was and I cry out to God and he tells me to do His will that is where I need to be.
Romans 8: 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
I know I have read this passage before and tried to go out in my prayer time and cry Abba, Father. But I was not where Jesus was, we cry Abba when we are in desperation for God just holding on to the cross and following God’s will. We must share in Jesus’ suffering to share in His glory.
Mark 10:17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. 19You know the commandments: ’Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’ "
20"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
21Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"
24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
26The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"
27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
28Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"
29"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last first."
This guy wanted to talk about the issues of how to attain eternal life and Jesus tells him about carrying his cross. I can have every doctrine down but if I don’t have the crucified life down it doesn’t matter. This is the crux of the matter. Without the crucified life I am nothing. Note that Jesus did not take issue with what the man says about keeping all of these commandments. I’m sure Jesus could have pointed out times when he was not obeying these commands. But Jesus doesn’t say anything because this is not the issue. The issue is the cross. Jesus introduces total commitment to the man. I would have thought this guy is doing pretty good, and let him go or maybe I would have sat him down gently and talked to him about giving up his life a little more fully. Jesus just introduces the cross and calls this man out. I believe the answer to every issue is the cross. I need to not worry about all of the other issues and talk to people about the crucified Life, the cross, total commitment, giving up all to follow Jesus.
People want to get involved in every issue but the one that counts.
Php 3: 7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Acts 23: 6Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead." 7When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8(The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.)
9There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. "We find nothing wrong with this man," they said. "What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" 10The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.
11The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."
The Sadducees and the Pharisees would never see this clearly. Like democrats and Republicans they are too focused on their issues. The Pharisees defended Paul because they believed in the resurrection and that is all they heard from Paul. I know that many times I want to debate all of the issues and what needs to be amended in the church, but I miss the essential question.
Acts 23:12 The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
What got them so mad? Paul preached to them the true message of this new life, about taking up your cross. Paul did not get sucked into talking about all of the side issues. The first thing I need to get down is how to live as a true disciple and then I can worry about the other issues.
2 Tim 2: 14Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 16Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.
Paul says to not get in arguments or quarrels. When I talk to someone I need to bring them to the cross and discipleship, not argue over some doctrine or how the church needs to change. Now those issues may come up but my goal is to get myself and others to the cross. That is the only place where we can be unified. Quarreling just ruins people. I need to be careful that I don’t become a Pharisee trying to divide words and catch Jesus in a contradiction. When I get down to it I am either going to be a disciple or not.
No Confidence in the Flesh
Philippians 3:1Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.
2Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. 3For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh-- 4though I myself have reasons for such confidence.
If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Pressing on Toward the Goal
12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
17Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. 18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
In verse 15 God says that if we have a difference on an issue god will make it clear, if we are mature. We don’t have to agree right now and we don’t even have to agree to disagree. Paul talks about these guys being mutilators of the flesh, they were doing some things on the outside but not via the cross. All Paul wanted to know was the power of the resurrection. If I was like Paul and I really wanted to just know the resurrection, God would make it clear to me. But I would rather discuss and debate the issues instead. If there is an issue that is not clear, just live up to the cross and what you have already attained. But the truth is that I don’t know how to suffer on the cross so what Paul says is ineffective to me. Do I talk about an issue in the church with tears, no. But I can talk about the cross with tears. I have been involved in some dumb arguments. Every issue and every dumb argument needs to be used to get to the cross.
Luke 11: 52"Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering."
53When Jesus left there, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54waiting to catch him in something he might say.
The key to knowledge is the cross. Jesus told them that they were not going to enter and they were stopping others who were trying to enter. They were trying to catch Jesus. If they could find something wrong with Jesus they would damage His reputation and not have to die to their own sin.
In Athens
Acts 17:16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." 21(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.
24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28’For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ’We are his offspring.’
29"Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone--an image made by man’s design and skill. 30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."
32When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject." 33At that, Paul left the Council. 34A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
This is the state of Christianity today. People seem very religious but do not know God. People study the Bible and can make it say whatever they want it to. We create something and put the stamp of Jesus on it, but we are missing the point, that is the point of the crucified life. If I lose sight of the cross or really don’t have an understanding of it, I will focus on the wrong things. I will start to focus on issues instead of letting God kill my opinions and live by His will. The only way for true unity is for people to abandon their own opinions and surrender to the cross and then we would be united. What I need to do is not debate all of the issues but to allow God to crucify me. The cross needs to be everything for me. People want to debate even the cross. When it is talked about we want to expand and write a book on it instead of just walking as Jesus did. This is not some new wisdom that needs to be debated over; all I have to do is move towards the cross and die. They call Paul a babbler here because he is presenting the cross and not getting involved in the issues. This town was full of people that discussed the latest ideas. Like today when everyone wants to talk about everything, write a book instead of dealing with their own life. I can be like this, where I just want to talk about the issues and forget about my life and walk with God and if I am carrying the cross. Like these people, I can be completely religious and knowledgeable on the issues and be totally dead in my sins because the cross is not actively working in my life. Have I really given everything up? Many times I have studied the Bible with people and my goal has been to get them to agree with me instead of get them to the cross. If I don’t fully have the life of Jesus in me how can I help someone else get that in their life? If I am carrying around the death of Jesus than that is all I will talk about to people. I need to run to the cross always. I need to plead with other people to join me. Jesus said the good news was to repent, not know all of the issues, Paul says that knowledge puffs up but love builds up. Even the demons will admit that the cross is real but that is not what God is after in my life. No, He wants me to live by the cross and carry it daily to die to myself. If I really believed that the cross had all of the power I would hang on to it for dear life. Instead I have discussions and talks on every issue and my life goes unchanged. Are we ever changed because we learned some new concept in our QT. I mean it might change us for a few minutes but it is short lives, a fading glory. Solve a man’s issue and you will feed him for a day, give a man a cross and he will never hunger again. Remember that God commands us to repent. In the past he overlooked such things but not now.
