Archive for June, 2024
Who Am I? Part Four
John 3: 16 – 18
As the Apostle John came to realize Jesus loves us in our despair (John 19: 26).
The morning following the night of trauma in the upper room their dilemma turns to despair. Jesus is crucified. Their eclipse seems permanent.
Standing there watching Jesus die on the cross is John who has devoted three years of his life to following Jesus. How is he going to think of himself? Perhaps as a foolish person for devotion to a rabbi who is dying as a common criminal. Maybe He saw himself as a defeated individual.
John, look closely at that cross causing your despair. It is no cause for doubt. It is a reason for reassurance. It reveals the boundless love of God “who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all.” Love is most convincing when it involves sacrifice. Here hangs the most conclusive evidence of love. In Jesus’ own words hear it: “Greater love has no one than this, that He lay down His life for a friend.” Jesus did that and more. He died for us when we were “yet enemies.”
In light of this John once again identifies himself as “the disciple whom He loved…” That was his preoccupation. It gave him a sense of purpose even in the hour of his greatest despair.
The fact that something bad happens in your life does not necessarily mean God is angry with you. It may only be a step in the right direction He is leading you in order to ultimately bless you.
The young theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, suffering in a Nazi prison camp, scribbled a noteworthy note on a scrap of paper. It read: “Only a suffering God can help.” Because Jesus suffered on the cross He alone is equipped to help you. The writer of Hebrews tells us He can sympathize with our weaknesses. The word “sympathy” comes from two Greek words, “sym pathos,” meaning “to suffer with.” Because you are the object of His love He suffers with you and is able to help you.
When the next occurrence comes along in your life when you tend to despair, how are you going to respond? Perhaps in one of two ways:
The Ostrich Technique. Most people have some defense mechanism for dealing with despair. Perhaps yours is to do as the proverbial ostrich and hide your head in the sand. Incidentally, ostriches get a bum rap, they don’t really hide their heads in the sand. However, if we do as they are alleged to do and withdraw from reality we are denying the truth in our lives, becoming passive, indecisive, and numb.
When you acknowledge yourself as one loved by Jesus Christ and rely on your spiritual resources, you can do the same with your despair. The process of covering is accomplished by applying God’s Word.
The Oyster Technique. When a grain of foreign substance gets in an oyster it becomes an irritant. If the oyster can’t expel it, work is begun on it to transform it for good. The oyster begins very gradually to cover the source of irritation with its very best substance and almost without notice makes it a pearl. Apply God’s word to your dilemma. It is the better of the two techniques.
Who Am I? Part Three
John 3: 16 – 18
In the Gospel of John he refers to himself four times as “one of the disciples, whom Jesus loved”. The four settings in which this reference is made helps our understanding of how unconditional His love for us really is. It is this constant love, not man’s conditional approval, that should give us a sense of dignity and self-worth. You are an object of His love.
Starting today we will see four settings in which He loves us.
He loves us in our dilemmas (John 13: 23).
In the upper room the evening before Christ died on the cross for our sins the disciples were faced with a dilemma. Their world was about to go into eclipse. For three years the twelve had followed Christ. Now it was made clear one of them would betray Him. This is a major dilemma. Their neat little world was coming apart. Even in this crucible of crisis John knew he was “one… whom Jesus loved.”
In our dilemmas we most often have a tendency to question why this is happening to us. The “why me, Lord” complex causes confusion. A better question would be, “Lord, now that this has happened to me, one whom You love, HOW can it be used by You to make me what You want me to be?” This gives a divine interpretation to our dilemmas.
When faced with a dilemma, and we all are at times, those uncomfortable times are classroom times the loving Lord is trying to teach you something. Like everyone I have been in that classroom and must confess I have been tardy at times. Even then I have learned from Him. Stability comes from making a mental adjustment to look at the experience as an “Oh, I see” moment.
Keep in mind. “…we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6: 2). We might not always be able to win a physical victory, but we can always win the spiritual aspect.
Because of your awareness that you are an object of Jesus’ love, you can do as John did and Peter later exhorts us to do and “Cast all your cares (anxiety) on Him because He cares for you” (I Peter 5:7).
Remember, “The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him” (Nahum 1: 7). Heavenly wisdom flowed from the pen of the Psalmist when he wrote “Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him” (Psalm 34: 8).
Who Am I? Part Two
John 3: 16 – 18
Christian psychologist, Lawrence J. Crabb, Jr., describes our spiritual need in this manner: “The basic personal need of each person is to regard himself as a worthwhile human being.” You are that and more. You are a worthwhile spirit being.
We all need to understand our need to believe we are significant. Don’t base your sense of true self-worth on your achievements or what others think of you BUT on what the Word of God says about you. It says you are so important that God loves you. If we base our self-worth on our limited abilities or the fickle approval of others our lives will reflect it in the form of insecurity, anxiety, depression, and fear.
If we base our self-worth on what the Word of God says about us, it will reflect itself in the form of contentment, fulfillment, dignity, and security.
Your entire behavior can be changed by changing your belief about who you are. Answer it in your mind, “Who are you?” “I am one who Jesus loves. I am an awesome spirit being.”
Some of you have been conditioned by a parent or parents to think of yourself as a no-body, a failure.
Some of you have been imprinted by a happening to think of yourself as dirty and unworthy.
I’ve got good news for you — you are not only somebody … You are somebody special.
John freely knew He was loved by Jesus and used that fact to identify himself. Notice in John 13: 23 he referred to himself as “one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.” Make certain you know and can say, “I am one Jesus loves.”
Observe that Jesus loved all the disciples. In light of that John considered it to be the loftiest way to refer to himself. His greatest claim to fame was that Jesus loved him.
Love never advertises itself. It always promotes the love of the one who loves. In this light John was happily advertising the love which Jesus offered him. Jesus does the same for us. He loves you. Do you think of yourself as one whom Jesus loves?
Unless you learn to base your opinion of who you are on the Word of God and not man’s approval you will live and die on an emotional roller coaster. Based on the Word of God you live on an ever-ascending elevating truth.
Who Am I? Part One
John 3: 16 – 18
Do you ever suffer from an identity crisis? How would you respond if someone asked you who you are? Other than your name what would you say?
College students might say “I am a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior.” Or perhaps, “I am a Bulldog,” or “Yellow Jacket,” or “I’m Big Orange,” or “an Owl.”
Perhaps professionals would answer, “I am a computer analyst,” or “I am a business executive,” or “I’m a secretary.”
It may be you would answer with pride, “I am an American”.
John, an apostle of Jesus, identified himself as “one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved” (John 13: 23). Hopefully you can say the same. Jesus is heaven’s proof that you are somebody special.
What a beautiful way to think of yourself. Who are you? I am a person Jesus loves. That should give you a sense of self-worth, dignity, and pride. That makes you somebody — somebody special.
We live in a day when love is so rare. In interpersonal relationships lust has been exchanged for true love. In the parent-child relationship brutality is often expressed instead of love.
This was dramatically indicated in a recent TV documentary in which a 13 year old street-child was asked what kind of a house he would like. He described a mansion. He was then asked what kind of parents he would like in that house. He said he would want parents with adhesive tape over their mouths so they couldn’t yell at him and their hands handcuffed behind their backs so they couldn’t hit him.”
A lovely teenage street-girl who had run away from home was asked what the youths on the street were looking for answered, somebody to love them.
Aren’t we all? Well here is good news. Jesus loves you.
If you are suffering any kind of identity crisis or are questioning if you are loved, listen very carefully to what I am about to say. You can say, “My body may be broken, my health gone, my frame misshapen, my position in life insignificant, my education limited, my financial resources little, BUT I am an awesome spirit being.”
You may have the good fortune of saying “I am wealthy, healthy, energetic, successful, attractive, and popular, BUT the thing of real importance is I am an awesome spirit being.”
Elevate your concept of who you are. If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, no longer think of yourself as simply a human being. You are an awesome spirit being.”
You have been born again. Born of the Spirit.
You as a Christian have every right to say: “I am an awesome spirit being.” Say it to yourself now. You are because Jesus loves you.
Living and Loving on the Right Side of the Cross – Part Four
Matthew 22: 36 – 40
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”.
Compliance with this command keeps hope alive.
When you think about the force behind the command you have reason for hope. It motivates you to venture in His name. His vacillating disciples became venturous after the resurrection. It set them free to love.
We are reluctant to love for fear of injury. If you dare to love in Jesus’ name you make yourself vulnerable to being hurt. Believe me I know. However, if you don’t love you make yourself sick.
When compelled by Jesus’ great love you venture. I saw a T-shirt with this inscription: “You will never reach second base with one foot on first.”
A classic example of a loving response to hate and brute force is seen in Coventry, England. On the night of November 14, 1940, nearly 500 German bombers attacked the English city of Coventry. Over 600 tons of explosives and thousands of incendiary bombs were dropped.
700,000 homes were destroyed and 400 people killed.
Amid the rubble stood the remains of the formerly beloved beautiful 14th Century Coventry Cathedral.
Having stood in those ruins let me tell you what you would see if you were to visit there. In love, the people of the city have now built a beautiful modern cathedral beside the ruins of the old one. The old walls of the ancient gothic cathedral that still stand are architecturally connected to the new modern structure. There is a large charred wooden cross that stands on the soot blackened stone where the altar once was located. The cross is made of charred beams of the old cathedral. On a table is another smaller cross. It was formed by two twisted spikes used by medieval craftsmen to construct the roof. The spikes had fallen forming a cross.
Since that night an inscription has been carved in the wall reading: “Father, forgive…”
That is what it means to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.
The new cathedral at Coventry has much art. None is more striking than the larger than life sculpture just outside the main entrance. It depicts Michael the archangel, spear in hand, poised triumphantly over a prostrated, manacled dragon. It depicts the ultimate victory of Jesus over evil.
He, the triumphant, resurrected Jesus, the one who commanded us to love is the one who gives us the victory in love.
Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th Century preacher, asked a question and answered it himself. His question: “Why should we love God?”
His answer: “Because He is God.” Love Him by obeying Him and love others in His name.