Smokey Bear

Smokey the Bear.

In 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. In the spring of the following year a Japanese submarine surfaced off the coast of California and lobbed a number of shells into an oil field near Santa Barbara and immediately adjacent to the Los Padres national forest. Very shortly thereafter, on the back of public concern for the integrity of their forests and national fervour in the wake of that attack upon their homeland, there began a public service advertising campaign promoting fire safety in wilderness areas. Walt Disney studios loaned the new cartoon character “Bambi” and the campaign took off. This loan arrangement however was for only one year, so the promoters had to find a new mascot. They settled on a black bear, and named him “Smokey”. This was in 1944, and the series still runs today.

Godly Patience

Biblical patience is far far deeper and more profound than the modern understanding of the concept. Yes, there is of course , as Strongs would indicate, the idea of waiting constantly and quietly without complaint. But look at the following scriptures. 

Hebrews 10:32 But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;
33 Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.
34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Paul was writing here to the Hebrews; how much they were indeed following the path previously trod by their Saviour!!! Think of how so much of the above could have been written of Jesus Himself.

Romans 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

Romans 8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Romans 15:3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.
4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

2 Cor 6:4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,
5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;

Col 1:11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

2Th 1:4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:

Re 1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

As can be seen from the above verses, patience is nearly in all cases when it is mentioned at all, to be associated with affliction, anguish, trial and persecution. It is almost synonymous with suffering.

The Ten Commandments: too tough?

Inherent in the Ten Commandments is the gospel. The first commandment has been edited by most but if we read the entire passage of scripture, we can readily see that God is not commanding us to do the impossible. The Ten Commandments begin:
Exodus 20:2 ” I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.You shall have no other gods before Me.”

In this small portion of the scripture is found the key to understanding our relationship to God’s laws, and how to find the power to obey them. Here is the gospel.
You may be thinking, “Hey, that first part isn’t a part of the law, because it doesn’t tell us something we must do or not do! Instead, it tells us of something God has done!!!”
Yes, exactly! And that’s the point. The entire Ten Commandments start with something God has done, and not with something we must do.

Righteousness

Whatever righteousness is, it comes highly recommended.

Mt 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Mt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

First point we must all realise, is that the ‘righteousness’, referred to above is Christ’s own righteousness. Not our own, not someone else’s, not the church’s. Isaiah said our own righteousness is worthless, so what we must answer is the question “what is Christ’s righteousness?” For it is that righteousness that we must hunger and thirst for, it is that righteousness we must seek for on equal priority to His kingdom.

We all, as professing Christians, have accepted Christ’s kingdom. We have all acknowledged His propitiation and atoning death. But His righteousness? What is that? And how do we get it?

The Curse of the Law and the Gospel.

In Galatians 3:24 we are told that the law is a schoolmaster bringing us to Christ. Both the moral law of ten commandments and the ceremonial law do this. The ceremonial law revealed to Israel the provision made by God for their redemption, and the means by which Israel might avail themselves of that provision.
The moral law is a transcript of God’s perfect character,revealing how far we have fallen,and is the image of Christ as reflected in Adam and Eve before the fall (Gen. 1:26,27). It is God’s purpose to recreate that image in us (Rom. 8:29), but He had to deal with the effects of sin first.
One, the curse of the law. We are under the curse because of transgression. The curse is the penalty for sin. The scriptures say that Christ became a curse for us (Gal. 3:13); His death took away the penalty and the curse which was upon us because of sin, which is transgression of that law. Christ’s death enables God to impute to us His righteousness. God looks upon us now as if we had never sinned. We are now as acceptable to the Father just as Jesus Himself is. This is ‘at-one-ment’.
Two, this atonement continues by His resurrected life which enables us to receive the power necessary to keep the law in future. This is possible however only as we abide in Him, as the branch to the vine. Separated, we can by no means accomplish anything for Him and we invariably fall, “for without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). Eternal life is guaranteed only as we maintain our connection to Christ through faith, for the “just shall live by faith”. The moral law is still holy just and good, (Rom.7:12) it has not been done away with in any particular (Matt. 5:17,18) but rather it has been written upon our hearts and minds (Heb. 8:10): In other words  God’s very own righteousness or character of love is developed in us by His Spirit, (for love is the fulfilling of the law) and we are recreated in Christ’s image as Adam and Eve were before the fall.
It is God’s part to accomplish this (grace) but it is our part to desire it. God will not do anything without our cooperation and agreement,for “they that hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled” (Matt. 5:6). This takes a lifetime of warfare against the old nature, but as we continue to faithfully trust God to accomplish all He has promised, and submit wholly to Him, He will mould us and shape us like the Master Potter with the clay, and our characters may be perfected.

Liberty

“Liberty” and “freedom” have been the rallying cries of millions throughout history.From teenagers rebelling from parental authority, to ethnic tribes rebelling against unjust government, liberty has been the ultimate dream of mankind since Eden. Any insurrection against existing authority can be seen, depending on your perspective, as a bid for freedom. Even Lucifer’s rebellion in heaven can be understood as a bid for freedom from whatever rules and laws that he considered unjust or unfair. So not all rebellions are justified, even though ‘freedom’ may be the rallying cry for supporters. Therefore, not all freedom is necessarily good; I would question if total freedom is even desirable, even possible?

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

What is this liberty wherewith Christ has set us free? And what is it that we are set free from?

Gen 2:15 -17 And Jehovah God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Adam and Eve were created free to choose any of the trees of the garden to eat from, except one. An entire orchard of good trees straight from the creative genius of God Himself, uncorrupted by any disease, pest, or imperfection, every fruit, nut, and berry was perfect in flavor, looks, and nutritional value. Adam and Eve were free to choose, but independence was not an option. Freedom, or liberty, to many means complete independence. It means loosed from what they see as the shackles of society, freed from what they believe to be the bondage of laws and restrictions that govern human behavior. Libertarians believe man is better off devising his own moral and ethical boundaries, finding his own limitations, without having to be obliged to obey ethical restraints placed upon them by society.
What they do not realize however, is that there is no such thing as complete freedom. It simply does not exist, and cannot.

Harmony of the Trinitarian God

Isn’t there such a wonderful harmony in the way God portrays Himself to us, and what He expects of us.
Jesus came to bear witness of the Father.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

God’s glory is the divine light that surrounds Him, but that light’s source is God’s character. When Moses asked to see God’s glory, God revealed to Moses His character, and declared to Moses His name. “The Lord God, gracious and merciful, longsuffering, and full of goodness and truth….” (Exodus 34:6) Jesus came to declare that glory to man.

John 12:44 ¶  Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.
45  And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me...

...49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
50  And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
John 17:6 ¶ I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

John 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

John 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Jesus came to glorify the Father. He did that by doing the works of the Father. The Father’s character was perfectly expressed through His Son. Jesus came to reveal God’s character to a race that had lost any true idea of what God was like, and Who He was. Lost in a maze of idolatry and pagan superstition, the world by and large placed upon their gods the attributes of men and women, and more importantly, fallen sinful wicked men and women. And the  immoral violent selfish pleasure loving gods were mere reflections of the characters of their creators. And even the Caesars who demanded the worship and fidelity of their subjects were no better. Man had no-one to look up to, no-one  who they could aspire to or emulate that could lift them above the sin-sick rotten culture that permeated the world of the Roman Empire. Until Jesus. Jesus came to correct the deceptions and lies that Satan had beguiled the world with and expose him for the fraud and murderer he was. Jesus came to proclaim that God is love. Jesus came to proclaim that God is not the wrathful vengeful god that the Romans had painted of their myriad false idols, nor was God the immoral profligate hedonist that the Greeks had drawn. The God of the Jews was holy. He was just. But most of all, He was love. Jesus declared that love, He showed that love, and He demonstrated that love everywhere to everyone. Jesus whole delight was to do His Father’s will, to keep His commandments, and to reveal to the world His Father’s true nature. To reveal how God really felt toward man, even in his fallen condition. Jesus demonstrated His own selflessness  and His own love for us and the Father by refusing even to death, to promote Himself in any way, to act in any way that glorified or exalted Himself. His whole mission and life call was to glorify the Father.

The Holy Spirit in turn comes to glorify and testify of Jesus.

John 16:7 ¶  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9  Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10  Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11  Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
15  All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

As Jesus spoke the words of the Father, the Holy Spirit reminds us of the words of Jesus.

John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father‘s commandments, and abide in his love.

It was by keeping God’s commandments that Jesus glorified the Father. His love for man gave glory to God.

John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

We glorify God also through our character. It is the image of Jesus being shown in us through the fruit of the Spirit that the Father is glorified. It is by our obedience to the commandments of God, by our love for Him and each other, that God is glorified.

So Jesus’ selfless expression of love glorified the Father.
The Holy Spirit’s selfless expression of love continues to glorify the Father, through Jesus.
Our selfless expression of love through the power of the Holy Spirit glorifies all three. There is absolutely no selfishness in God, and His Spirit and power in us transforms us into the same image from glory to glory. (2 Cor. 3:18) This is the essence and foundation of God’s government in the universe. And Jesus died for the sole purpose of restoring selfish and sinful mankind back to the place where he once was. Free from the dominion of sin, free to once again worship selflessly and love as He loved, free to glorify God. In Revelation 14:6 we can read the final message of the gospel to be preached immediately prior to the second coming. “Fear God and give glory to Him…” And in verse 12, we see that the people who preach this message are noted for keeping the commandments. Just like Jesus. They bear His image, the Holy Spirit has so sanctified them, that even their faith is the same faith as Jesus. In a nutshell, that is the purpose of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. To lead us to Jesus that He may give to us freely of His divine nature and become joint-heirs to the kingdom of God as adopted children with equal rights and privileges as the only Son. What grace! What love!!!

Grace, law, faith, obedience.

Grace, Obedience, Law, Faith.

Of all the problems in doctrine that plague the modern church, the relationship between the above four principles is the most hotly debated, and yet the most essential to be understood.

And being so hotly debated reveals the paucity of perception, and the lack of understanding among Christians today. So allow me if I may to shed what I hope is a little light on the subject, with the prayer that we may come to some understanding and avoid the many pitfalls and dangers that can arise from taking to unnecessary and possibly dangerous extremes on the issue.

So let me start at the beginning.

2 Co 5:17 Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

When we consider the above text, we may not perfectly understand how such a thing can happen, yet in faith we accept the testimony of God’s word to be true, and despite the mystery of the process, the result of being a new creature (being ‘born again John 3:3) can be clearly seen in its effects upon the human heart. A change will be seen, in some cases seemingly overnight, in others maybe a more gradual process, but a change nevertheless. This change will be seen in the character. The contrast will be clear and distinct. From darkness to light, ignorance to knowledge, unbelief to understanding, indifference and even hostility to faith and love. The change will be seen in the habits, not in the occasional misdeeds or good deeds, but rather in the growing habitual tendencies of words and practice.

Anyone is capable of a generous donation to charity, an act of unselfish kindness, even those who are, in their innermost being, quite selfish. Self-esteem may produce the appearance of a well ordered and well mannered life. Athletes with a passion for success can be extremely disciplined and focused. A love for reputation and a desire for honor may inspire one to separate oneself from the very appearance of evil. So how are we to know whose side we are on? How are we to know to whom we belong? With whom are our thoughts? Who do we love to talk about? Who has our deepest affections and is the recipient of our warmest praises?