The gospel is at the heart of Luke’s account of Jesus birth. Angels appeared to shepherds to announce the good news that a Savior had been born, who is Christ the Lord. This message of good news- the gospel- was not just for the lowly shepherds, but it was for all who would believe and trust in Jesus. The gospel brings great joy to those who believe. As sinners who were once separated from God, who is the very source of all joy, in the gospel we are reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ.

But is it truly possible that Christians can be joyful in all circumstances because of the gospel? We will focus on the angels’ herald in v. 11 to see how, yes, the gospel is able to bring joy and peace that can surpass all circumstances.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Lk 2:11

The gospel is not aimless and random. “For unto you…”
The gospel is from God, and it lands at the heart of every one of His elect. The doctrine of election trouble many, because they believe God is not fair to choose one man over another to be saved. But in a matter of fairness, no one would be saved, because all have sinned and deserve its penalty. In God’s love, He selected some people before the foundation of the world to be saved. This is how God has designed salvation. If God had not chosen us, we would never choose Him. (Rom 8:29-30; Eph 1:4)

How do we know we are the elect?
When the gospel is preached, the elect recognize their need for a Savior. Jesus, who is the Great Physician, came for those who are sick. Those who excuse themselves because they believe they aren’t not too bad will never come to Jesus because they are not elect. The one who is elect is convicted by the Holy Spirit that he is a sinner, he is in desperate need of a Savior. (Mk 2:17)

The gospel is authorized by God. “…in the city of David…”
When the angels referred to Bethlehem as the city of David, they pointed directly to God’s prophecy in the Old Testament that the Messiah would come from David’s lineage. The shepherds would have recognized that God was fulfilling His promise. Realizing that God keeps every one of His promises results in great joy.

The gospel is all about God. “…a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
The angels announced the incarnation of Jesus. He was truly God and truly man. He gave up His glory in heaven to come down to earth to save us. Our God is a saving God, and it is only by the name of Jesus Christ that a sinner can be saved. (Lk 19:10; Jn 11:25-26)

How does Jesus save?

Jesus saves you from your guilt. (Justification)
Jesus saves you from the power of sin. (Sanctification)
Jesus saves you from the curse of sin. (Glorification)

Not only is Jesus the Savior, He is the Christ. Jesus is the Messiah. The Old Testament represents the Messiah in two ways- as a humble, suffering servant, and as a militant King, who comes to judge the wicked. When Jesus was born into the world, He was humble and meek. In great love, He came to take our afflictions and die in our stead. Many rejected Jesus and still reject Him today because they don’t want this suffering Messiah. They want the all-ruling Messiah. But Jesus will come again, and when He comes as the King of kings and Lord of lords, He will judge the wicked who have not received Him by faith. (Zech (9:9-10; Is 53:3-4)

Finally, Jesus is the Lord. He is sovereign- everything, good or bad, happens by His permission. He speaks with authority- just as He raised Lazarus from the dead by His command, Jesus effected our salvation by calling us out of the darkness and into His marvelous light. By His power, because of His love for us, Jesus gives us a new heart that results in a new life. If you have not closed with Jesus as your Lord, you have not known Him as your Savior.

The gospel is available today. “For unto you is born this day…”
Today is the day of salvation. The gospel is God’s promise fulfilled for you, because Jesus Christ has come to us as our Savior and Lord. Let the gospel become your joy and your testimony today.

January 19, 2020 0

Hooray! Good News Has Come! – Luke 2:8-11

During the times of ancient Greece, there was a war against Persia and a decisive battle took place in the field of Marathon. When Greece had somehow won, a man was sent to run from Marathon to Athens. After running the whole way, he announced, ‘Joy to you, we have won!’ and died from exhaustion. Meanwhile, the whole city rejoiced at the good news.

People always look forward to good news and react with joy. However all good news is temporary, subjective, and some can even be immoral. There is only one good news that is eternal. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Without this good news, we cannot be saved. In general, everything God says is good and eternal, because He is good and eternal. The gospel, specifically, the death and resurrection of Jesus is the good news by which we receive God’s blessing and gift of salvation. All other good news stems from the Gospel.

The arrival of the good news.
The good news came to shepherds who were watching their sheep near Bethlehem. The angel appears in an amazing scene of light, reflecting the glory of God. Why did the angel appear to them? Because they were sinners. In the end, everyone is just a sinner, and as sinners, they were frightened before God. No matter how holy one may seem, before God we hide or tremble or despair because of our guilt. (Gen3:9-10;Is6:5) The good news has come because we are sinners. If you do not acknowledge your sinfulness (Jer17:9), then you have not yet figured out salvation.

The angel brought the good news in regards to our sin (1Cor15:21-22). The good news is here because of our reality, the Gospel’s availability and our responsibility.

Our reality: We must accept the fact that God, at first, made the world good (Gen1), yet we have cooperated with Satan to overthrow God’s authority (Mt13:27-29).
The Gospel has come and is available today for repentance and salvation (2Tim2:9)
Our responsibility is to tell others the good news of Jesus Christ (Rom1:16). Some of us might need experience, confidence or conviction, yet preaching Christ to the world is our responsibility.

Of Great Joy
The word great means large and impactful. Our great joy is something we share based on our salvation. The moment of our conversion is the greatest and most joyous moment in our lives (Lk15:7;Is12:1-3;Rom14:17;1Jn1:1,4).

Why does salvation bring great joy? Because, like many of those that Jesus healed, we are spiritually healed from our sin. Like the lame man who had been ill for more than 38 years, we have been dead in our sin (Jn 5:5-9). What great joy he must have had at being able to walk! Our joy is the same, like being instantly healed or being raised from the dead, we are saved from sin and death. The good news brings the joy of salvation.

In our great joy, we experience the blessings of salvation.

The forgiveness of sins through the atoning work of Jesus Christ
God’s redemption: We were slaves to sin but God redeems us (Jn 8:34)
Reconciliation to God and a right standing before Him. Before we had no way to reach God, but now we are reconciled.
Eternal life and going to heaven. We can live life without regrets since every day brings us closer to our heavenly home with God and without sin.

Even though we may suffer here on earth, we can trust in God. He is sovereign and we have been made perfect in His eyes through Jesus Christ. This is the good news of great joy that is for us to receive and share.

January 5, 2020 0

Let Us Continually Love Jesus as Usual – Revelation 2:1-5

The beginning of a new year is a time when many people set resolutions for themselves with a refreshed determination to do something differently this time around. As a church, what is the best spiritual resolution we can make for this fresh year? As we look into Revelation 2:1-5, we can learn what is not only the best resolution for the church, but what is an absolute necessity of the church. It is not something new or strange, but it is a reality in the lives of those who are truly born again. We must love Jesus Christ every day.

In Revelation, God uses John the Apostle to send letters to the seven churches in Asia. The first church that God addresses is the church in Ephesus (Rev 2:1-5). In the letter, God acknowledges the Ephesians’ sound doctrine and steadfastness. However, He confronts their lack of love, and warns them of the dire consequences if they don’t repent. Although we can not say for sure why God addresses the Ephesians first, we can speculate that it may be because love for Christ is the most important, most fundamental element of the church. Jesus is God Almighty, the Alpha and the Omega. (Rev 1:8) Everything exists by Him, and for Him. He is worthy to be love above anything else.

What was going on in the Ephesian church? The Ephesians were champions of sound doctrine, which is a noble thing to be. In today’s relativistic society, the church should strive to be like the Ephesians in this way. They were loyal to the teachings they received from the apostles, and they were zealous enough to expose what was false and evil. They endured through persecution as they kept and defended the faith. But despite all this, God was at enmity with them. Why? The Ephesians left their first love. Although they were steadfast in sound doctrine and faith, they did it without love. People can do a lot of work without love, but God will not count any thing if it is without love. Although the church of Ephesians was full of love in the beginning, they abandoned their love for Christ. (Eph 1:15; 3:17-19) As a church, we want to be resolved to love Christ because without love, we are nothing.

What does love for Jesus look like? Love for Jesus is deep, foundational, and transformative, as you treasure Him above all things, and therefore do what He says. It is costly and sacrificial. Apostle Paul loved Jesus, and it resulted in his absolute commitment to Him. He was willing to give up his life for the sake of Christ. (Phil 3:7-8) Jesus stated that loving God was the greatest commandment. It is the goal of all our instruction and learning. (1Tim 1:5-7) Unless we love Christ, nothing we do as Christians counts for anything. (1Cor 13:1-3) It is by love that we abide in Christ and bear fruit. If our work is not motivated by love, we become cold and mechanical legalists.

What is the first love?

It is literally our first love. Before coming to know God, we don’t know what true love is. We used to think that love is something to feel, rather than something to do. But as we come to know God through Jesus Christ, we know love and are able to practice love, because God is love. Love for Christ is the hallmark of a Christian.
God loves first. God demonstrated His love for us first. (Rom 5:8)
First love implies supreme love. You can’t love Christ with a divided heart. Those who are in the Kingdom of God consider Christ as first.

How can we practice our first love for Jesus? (1Thess 5:16)

Rejoice always. Being joyful implies that you recognize Jesus in all matters. He is with us, and He has His purpose and meaning in all things. He will never forsake us, and this is our perfect reason to be joyful.
Pray without ceasing. When you don’t love Christ, prayer is the first thing that gets neglected. Communion with God becomes a priority when you love Jesus.
Give thanks. Love for Jesus results in being content every day with what He has given you.

In God’s letter to the Ephesians, He commands three things to do to restore the first love. As Christians, we must remember our salvation. As you remember how you first became a Christian, you will realize that you are wrong to not love Christ. We must then repent, which involves both our hearts and minds. We must then return, and recommit ourselves to God to bear the fruit of repentance. Jesus warns the Ephesians- and us- of what will happen if we do not remember, repent, and return: the church will lose its testimony of the gospel when it does not love Christ. Let us therefore heed Jesus’ warning and be resolved to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength in this new year.

December 29, 2019 0

The First Christmas, Part 4 – Luke 1:5-7

Rich or poor, all of us go through moments of hardships and struggles in this life. During these times, we often reflect on where things went wrong, and then backtrack to the basics and start all over. This is what we must do with Christmas. Christmas has become a secular holiday, where Christ is no longer central. We must go back to the true meaning of Christmas, and Luke 2:1-7 is the best place to go to do this. As believers, we must restore the significance of Christmas as we think about what God has revealed to us in Jesus Christ.

Mary is one of the central figures in the first Christmas. She is not to be idolized, as she is by the Catholic Church, but she is significant to the Christmas narrative because she was the mother of Jesus. Mary was a faithful believer, but she was a sinner, just like us. She was used as a vessel to bear the Son through a virgin conception. Mary’s role as Jesus’ physical mother points us to the central question of Christmas- why did God become man? In God’s omniscience, this was the only way to forgive our sin. God became man to deal with sin through His substitutionary death. As a Christian, we can not separate the thought of ourselves from sin. The Bible clearly states it- we are all sinners. If we deny and ignore the presence of sin in us, we can not be sanctified.

Was Jesus truly like us? Yes, Jesus was like us, yet without sin. Jesus is able to sympathize with all of our weaknesses, because He went through every suffering in His life. God the Son became flesh just like us, so He could suffer and atone for our sins. Christmas can not be separated from Jesus’ humanity, nature and work. This is why Christmas is full of power and hope, and able to rejuvenate our lost souls.

Can we truly trust Jesus’ work in His humanity? In Jesus’ humanity, Jesus became our ultimate substitute. Simply put, Jesus came to the world to die for us. We couldn’t do anything to atone for our sin- this is why God came to us to save us. (Heb 9:12) Jesus is our merciful High Priest who atoned for our sins.

What does Christmas have to do with our sin? When Jesus was born, there was no space for Him at the inn, so He was swaddled and laid in a manger. This is the humility of Christ- the King above all kings humbled Himself by becoming man. He was born in a dirty manger, signifying His humility to come into a sin-filled world in order to identify with sinners. Sin is lawlessness. Every man is born under the power of sin, with a natural disposition to oppose and hate God. But the good news is that this baby who was born in a dirty manger was the Son of God who has infinite power to abolish the power of sin for us. The world didn’t welcome Him then, and it doesn’t welcome Him now. This is the nature of sinful man. God had to become man to die for our sin, so He could transform us to a people who welcome Christ and celebrate Him during this season. This is the real Christmas.

December 22, 2019 0

The First Christmas, Part 3 – Luke 1:3-5

Many people enjoy the Christmas holiday but their joy is incomplete or incorrectly based because they leave out Christ. Christmas by definition is a day of worshipping our Lord Christ. Unfortunately, Christmas has now become commercialized, to the point where the American economy depends on all the Christmas shopping.

In this attack on Christmas, we must know truth versus fiction. Christmas must be centered on Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus? To answer, we go back to the Bible where the events are recorded historically by many witnesses. We seek the truth in God’s word in the battle to bring Christ back to Christmas.

Jesus is King
When the census is ordered, Joseph is also going from Nazareth to his hometown Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David. From Matthew’s genealogy, we know Joseph is a descendant of David. Jesus was born into the family of King David and is the King. People might argue that Jesus is technically not Joseph’s son, but to the people, Jesus is known as the son of the carpenter Joseph (Lk 4:22). Not just by lineage, but by prophecy, Jesus is the King from the line of David (2 Sam 2:16, Jer 30: 8-9, Is 11:1, Mi 5:2). Even Pontius Pilate presented Jesus as King of the Jews (Jn 19:12-15). The angel Gabriel declared Jesus as King. From beginning to end, Jesus is King.

Characteristics of King Jesus:

Jesus has many crowns (Rev 19:12-13)
Jesus has a sceptre (Heb 1:8-9)
Jesus has a throne.( Rev 3:21, Isaiah 66:1). His throne is gracious and he welcomes sinners to repent and is merciful to forgive (Heb 4:16)
Jesus is praised (Jn 12:12-15, Rev 5:11-12)
Jesus was announced by proclamation (Mt 17:5)
Jesus has many subjects (Jn17:6) whom he loves and shows mercy.
Jesus is eternal King (Jn 1:2, Psalm 23:6)
Jesus is a wise King: (Jn 16:30, Col 2:3)
Jesus is a just King (Mt 21:12-13). Everyone who dies outside of Christ will face judgment from Him. He will punish the evil.
Jesus is mighty King (Jn 2:3-4, Rev 1:8)
Jesus is gentle and humble (Lk 2:7, Mt 12:20)

Jesus is the Messiah
The Messiah has a special task and mission, by definition, he is anointed by God for a special work. How do you know Jesus is the Messiah? By accomplishing the work of God

He is here to show mercy (Mk 10:46-47). Those who meet Jesus are transformed. (Deut 18:15; Isaiah 9:6-7)
Jesus is resurrected (Mt 16:21; Ro 4:25)
Jesus is the Savior who takes away our sin (Jer 23:5-6; 1 Jn 3:9)

Jesus is God
Jesus didn’t obtain his divinity as he grew older. Even as a baby, Jesus was still fully God. Some people try to argue that Jesus never claimed to be God, but it’s for that very reason they tried to stone Him (Jn 10:30:33). Jesus is called Immanuel (God with us), and He didn’t just say He loved us but proved it by being with us.

Jesus is the gift of gifts.
God prepared the perfect gift for His children. Isaiah 9:6 says unto us a child is born. Jesus was born once as the perfect and ultimate gift for men. It is His birth that is the idea of Christmas. We must clear out all other notions of Christmas, because out of Jesus flows every other future gift from God (Ro 8:32).

Jesus is Lord
The magi worshipped Jesus (Mt 2:11). What a scene, where old wise men are worshipping a baby. Jesus is Lord who is worshipped, and He must be Lord in every aspect of your life. Jesus is Lord over the universe (Col 1:15-17). In reality, we compromise and negotiate with the Lordship of Jesus. We cling to this world and its pursuits. If you consider this world inferior to Jesus, you are practicing true worship. This truth must be established at conversion, then Jesus is truly Lord in your life.

It is time to clarify Christmas and Christ. Jesus is King, Messiah, God, the gift of gifts and Lord.

December 15, 2019 0

The First Christmas, Part 2 – Luke 1:4-6

In the spirit of Christmas, the whole world has been bustling with holiday cheer as people decorate homes, prepare gifts, and enjoy merry festivities with family and friends. But to most, Christmas has nothing to do with the birth of the Messiah. Instead, Christmas has increasingly become a secular holiday. Even ten years ago, you would have been able to spot traditional biblical images displayed during the holiday season, but the meaning of Christmas has been completely tarnished by the world. Unbelievers miss out on the true joy of Christmas- that God became man to bring peace on earth. To understand the true meaning of Christmas, the only place we can look to is the Bible.

Christmas is an important Christian holiday. Without Christmas, there would have been no cross, and without the cross, there would have been no resurrection, no ascension, no church, no salvation. The birth of Jesus Christ is historical and Luke records the event with significant detail. Joseph and Mary went up to Bethlehem because of Caesar’s census. Luke specifically wrote “went up,” which precisely speaks of Bethlehem’s higher elevation than its surrounding towns, but the phrase is also significant considering how it is used throughout the Bible. Joseph and Mary were not merely returning to their hometown, but their trek to Bethlehem had to do with God’s restoration.

Jesus’ birthplace was prophesied by God 800 years before Jesus was born. What can the birthplace of Christ teach us in relation to Christmas?

Jesus is our spiritual food. Bethlehem means “house of bread” and its full name Ephrath Bethlehem means “fruitful house of bread.” In Jerusalem was born He who declared, “I am the bread of life.” Jesus is our spiritual food, and only He is able to satisfy man. Are you fed on Christ? Those who have Christ consider all else secondary.

The love of Christ. One of the greatest love stories in the Bible is of Ruth and Boaz, who came together in Bethlehem, and who became ancestors of Jesus. In relation to Bethlehem, we can see how much Jesus loved us, that He came to be with us to save us. Why do we not see the love of Christ much? When we fail to consider ourselves as the worst of sinners, we lose sight of how great of a love Christ had for us, that He would die for us even while we were yet sinners.

Jesus can quench our spiritual thirst. When David was in a dire situation of warfare, he yearned for a drink of water from his hometown Bethlehem. The water from Bethlehem was able to quench his thirst, just Christ alone is able to satisfy us.

Christ brings hope. Only hope in Christ is able to restore. In any situation, Christians have living hope because of Christ who was born in Bethlehem.

How do we know the baby born in Jerusalem is the Messiah?

The Messiah would perform miracles. During Jesus’ ministry on earth, no one has ever witnessed the kind of miracles He accomplished. By His Word, He was able to raise Lazarus from the dead. Jesus is truly our Yahweh who deserves all worship.
The Messiah came to suffer. God became man to die for our sins. He went through the ultimate suffering, as He died on the cross in our place.
The Messiah would be accepted by God. There are many false Messiahs but God accepts Jesus’ sacrifice alone, and it was proven by His resurrection.

The Messiah was born in Bethlehem. He alone is who we believe in and trust. This is the essence of Christmas.

December 8, 2019 0

The First Christmas – Luke 1:1-7

It is now December and during this month, many celebrate the Advent season. Advent: derived from Latin means ‘coming’. Lately, Christmas, as a holiday celebrations, has had some controversies. As a reminder, as Christians we don’t worship Christmas but we worship Christ.

Two Christmas Controversies
Mainly there are two issues that have come up about Christmas. First people claim it’s a pagan holiday. They say that the first century Christians were influenced by a winter Roman holiday celebrating a pagan god. Now there’s wreaths and Christmas trees. Also there’s the fact that Christmas is not a biblical mandate, although there are a few recordings of the early churches celebrating Christ’s birth, but it wasn’t many.

Second issue is that Jesus was not born on December 25. Jews had their own calendars. Following the timeline in Luke, Jesus could be born in May or June. Based in the Rosh Hashanah then it could be around December. Ultimately no one knows the exact day Jesus was born since the Bible doesn’t say. But it’s irrelevant what day Jesus was born. It doesn’t even matter if it’s on the same day as a pagan holiday. What matters is that we remember Christ and celebrate why Jesus came. We worship God, not the event.

How do we celebrate Christmas without bias?
What is fact and the fact that matters is, Jesus was here. The account in Luke was historically exact. It has been attacked but Luke is accurate and the Biblical account is totally true. Unfortunately, Christmas has been hijacked. It has been commercialized and transformed into a sentiment. How do we get back the truth of Christmas, the truth that Jesus came to deliver us from our sins? We turn to the Bible and its reality. It is the Holy Spirit who will show us the true Christmas.

Historical Study
One way to establish the veracity of the Bible is historical study. Back then all the actions of the rulers were written down by historians. Luke is also historian. Luke’s purpose told in Luke 1:1-4 shows that he investigates thoroughly and accurately. He states, ‘so that you may know the exact truth’. Luke wants to set the record straight historically. Jesus is not a fairytale or legend.

Caesar Augustus decreed a census. Augustus was the most powerful Roman emperor. In verse 3, everyone had to go back to their city. This is an example of God working sovereignly for the sake of the believer, so that Jesus could be born in Bethlehem. The census was very well documented. It occurred every 14 years.

Attacks from critics about the historical accuracy of Luke start happening at verse 2. The NASB translation says ‘first census’ so the word first is an adjective, while the NKJV uses the word first as an adverb. When first is an adjective, it means the earlier one, which implies there might have been a later census. This is important in relation to the following statement, that Quirinius was governor. Many historians not Quirinius was not a governor, but a procurator of the Roman government. This is explained, during the first census Quirinius was not the governor. During the second census Quirinius was governor. Show the importance of the word first as an adjective vs the adverb. Luke’s attention to detail in telling the timeline shows the Bible is accurate, infallible and inerrant.

God’s Christmas
It is important to look at the first Christmas because Christmas has been hijacked. Men have tried to make Christmas their own holiday, while God is the one who started it. Christmas is a historical event, God planned it and it has a purpose. He is behind the events that happened. God even used the emperor and governor to accomplish His plan. It is definitely not man’s but God’s.

The Bible says, ‘it came to pass’ (Luke 2:1 KJV), meaning the time has come. God was now involved in the unfolding of the events. Zacharias had quoted Jeremiah, that the Sunrise will visit (Luke 1:78, Jeremiah 23:5). The ‘decree went out’. This was God’s decree through Emperor Augustus. ‘Went out’ is a phrase associated with God sending out people for the sake of missions. God knows all things and is all powerful. He is transcendent (above everything) and immanent (in everything). The events of Christmas were not by chance or human planning, it’s not a pagan holiday, it is the sovereign God’s good and perfect plan.

Why did God make Christmas?
Because of sin (Romans 5:12). Everyone is a sinner, even before they were born because we bear Adam’s sin. The history of sin goes all the way back. So God has to be involved. Jesus became like us, He came to earth, became a man but without sin (Hebrews 2:14-17). This is God’s plan of salvation. We can believe the Bible’s telling of Christ’s birth because of Luke’s historical accuracy. We love Christmas because it is made by God for the salvation of sinners. That’s why we celebrate and share with those around us the wonderful news of Christ’s coming.

December 1, 2019 0

The Faith of Moses, Part 4

Jesus clearly described the steps to biblical discipleship- deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow Him. Although Moses was born before Jesus came into the world, Moses’ faith exemplified this biblical salvation. He practiced self-denial, obeyed the Will of God, and followed Christ in His suffering. True faith is multi-faceted and practical in everyday living. We conclude this series on the faith of Moses as we look into the last two aspects of faith- holiness and wisdom.

True faith is an act of holiness. Believers live holy lives because they are justified by faith. Faith begets holiness. Just as a plant and its root are inseparable, faith is the root of holiness. By faith, Moses gave up the fleeting pleasures of the world and chose to be holy.

What is holiness? Holiness is to be without sin. In other words, holiness is to be like Christ. It is not a list of dos and don’ts, but it is a whole life set apart for Jesus Christ. Holiness results in having a saving relationship with Jesus.

Why is holiness and faith inseparable? Holiness is the walk of faith. Jesus calls us to be different and set apart from the world- this is what holiness is about.

Why did Moses live a holy life? By faith, Moses saw that the world is passing away. (1Jn 2:17) Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived- apart from Jesus-summed it up this way: all is vanity. By faith, Moses knew that the pleasures of the world were in vain. He saw the loveliness of following Christ, and therefore chose the way of suffering and holiness.

How is holiness possible to those who have faith? Believers have the perfect object of faith- Jesus Christ. Jesus gives us everything we need to live holy lives. We have been endowed with God’s holy nature as Jesus abides in our hearts. He is Lord, and so we follow and obey Him. Holiness is natural to those who have saving faith. If you are not holy, you must examine whether you have real faith.

True faith is an act of wisdom. Christians are wise people. They know how to live. By faith, Moses considered- that is, he calculated- the value of suffering with Christ. This takes the wisdom of God. Biblical wisdom is strange and paradoxical to the world. It is to go through the narrow gate, choosing the suffering of Christ over the pleasures of the world. Biblical wisdom says losing all for Christ is to gain. By this understanding, Paul wanted to experience Jesus’ suffering in order to experience His resurrection.

Although Moses lived before Jesus came into the world, Moses knew about the reproach of the Messiah. All who believe in Jesus has the wisdom to follow Him in His suffering. Man naturally tends to try to avoid suffering, but by faith in Jesus, believers have wisdom to know that suffering with Christ is gain.

What happens when you suffer? Why is suffering gain?

Suffering makes you examine yourself.
It clarifies your need for Christ and urges you to turn to Him.
It disciplines you, turning you away from sin. It makes you know that you are a child of God.
It builds up your character to become a man of God.

Because of these things, we must not resist suffering, but we must pray when we suffer. Prayer helps you understand suffering rightly. By faith, you will see that God allows suffering because He loves you.

Why did Moses prefer Christ’s reproach? Moses was looking forward to the reward. Genuine faith is an act of anticipating God’s reward. Moses saw that at the end of suffering is everlasting joy. This is a mark of true faith. Even though we live in the world, our eyes are set on heaven. Moses looked forward to the glory of Christ in heaven. In all, Christians are wise because they are preparing themselves for heaven. The glory of Christ is our salvation.

November 24, 2019 0

The Faith of Moses, Part 3

We might think a great faith will lead to great and mighty deeds, such as miracles or wonders. If we look at what deed is noted in Moses’ faith, we find that it was a self-denial. From this we learn, faith is something practical and real (Eph 1:17). Faith must be real, for it is only through faith Christ exists in your heart (Eph 3:17).

Exodus 2 is the background of Hebrews 11:25. From Moses we learn, Faith is a choice, faith is love and faith is holiness. We will learn about holiness next week.

Faith is an act of choice
Faith has freedom to choose, to say yes or no. Faith is about decisions. We are what we are now because of the choices we make (Phil 1:21-22). Moses chose rather to be with his brothers. We make decisions by faith, because we see who God is (Hebrews 11:1). God is the Creator, the Lord, truly God and we have assurance in His promises (Mark 4:37, Matthew 8:5-10).

When it comes to choice, God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility is often misunderstood. It is a bad doctrine to say God is sovereign and we have no choices. In today’s lesson, because we focus on faith’s choice does not mean we ignore or deny God’s sovereignty. John Frame says “The Bible makes it very clear that we are morally responsible agents. God rewards and punishes our actions according to whether they please or displease Him. There is really no tension or paradox between moral responsibility and divine sovereignty, God’s lordship, includes not only the lordship attribute of control but also the lordship attribute of authority.” It is true that God does not send people to hell. There are many who might blame God but God didn’t send them, it was by their choice of unbelief. They have no desire for Christ.

Jesus decided by faith to enter Jerusalem and die for the sinner. We also must choose based on the will of God. Every choice in our lives is between our will or God’s will. Martyn Lloyd Jones says that faith is not just decent living but being confirmed to the will of God. We must choose to not be influenced by the world (Romans 12:2, 1 John 2:16). We cannot expect to be faithful naturally. Our minds must be trained by the Word of God through reading, meditating and memorizing (Collossians 3:1, Philippians 3:20).

Faith is an act of love
Faith is love of God and love of people. We fail to love God because we lack faith. Instead our love is based on emotions, which is neither faith nor love. Moses didn’t have to love the Israelites yet he did. Faith and love are often mentioned together in the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 13:2,13, Galatians 5:6, Ephesians 5:2)

Why is love created by faith? The verse says Moses endured. Love is also patient (enduring) (1 Corinthians 13:4).

Who do we love?
Moses had to endure suffering with his people. They were slaves seemingly not worth loving, yet they were the people of God. By faith we love the people of God (Galatians 6:10). We love sacrificially and practically (1 John 3:16-18). We love those who do the will of God (Luke 8:19-21). Even though we might think they are undeserving of our love, by faith we love. In loving others, we benefit ourselves (Ephesians 5:28).

Why do we fail to love our brothers and sisters? It is because we fail to love God first. The test says ‘the people of God’. They weren’t Moses’ people but God’s, and that is why Moses loved them. We must love God above all else (Psalm 63:1-2). If we love something other than God, our love is sick. Only God can fully satisfy. When we love God first, we have faith despite our changing circumstances. A true love of God leads to a love of God’s word (Psalm 43:1-2). Love is not a sentiment but a virtue is God’s character (1 Corinthians 13).

Conclusion
We have learned from the life of Moses, that faith is choice and faith is an act of love. Pray for the growth of love in your life. If there is little love present in your life, the question we must ask is, where is your faith? Remember, faith and love go together.

November 17, 2019 0

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