TRUE FREEDOM IN GOD’S TRUTH AND UNDER HIS AUTHORITY

TRUE FREEDOM IN GOD’S TRUTH AND UNDER HIS AUTHORITY

True freedom is only ever found under God’s authority and it is only found under the authority of Scripture, through which God’s authority is mediated to men, and Christ by his Spirit rules his people’s lives.
Various ones in opposition to Biblical authority often claim that unqualified confidence in the Bible leads to narrow-minded inhibitions and crippling restraints on what they may think and do. The truth is that such confidence produces liberated living – living that is free from uncertainty, doubt, and despair – which otherwise is not found anywhere or elsewhere. The man or woman who trusts his/her Bible knows what God did, does, and will do, what He commands, and what He promises.
The Bible believer understands “the grace of God in truth” (Colossians 1:6), for the Christ of Scripture has become his Saviour, master, and friend. Since Scripture shines as a lamp to his feet and a light to his path (Psalm 119:105), he can pick his way through the pitfalls of this fallen world without stumbling and travel through life with safety, certainty, enjoyment, and true freedom in God.

SOME REFLECTIONS ON LUKE 10:348-42

This is a short but interesting passage – it focuses on the conversation between the Lord Jesus and Martha, the sister of Mary. On their way to Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples came to a village in Bethany and were welcomed to the home of Martha and Mary, sisters of Lazarus.
Mary sat at the feet of the Lord, listening to what he said. Martha, on the other hand, was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made to be hospitable to an important guest and his disciples.
Martha came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
Martha expects Jesus to act on her behalf. But Jesus declines to intervene. His reply is full of compassion for Martha’s anxiety, as seen in Jesus’ use of the emotional double of direct address (“Martha, Martha”).
The Lord notes that Martha is troubled by many things, so much so that she has become embittered at the different choice her sister made.
It is important to note that Jesus rebukes Martha gently, not for her choice but for her attitude about her sister’s choice. Mary has made a good choice, for her own needs. Mary’s choice to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from him is to be commended, even in the face of daily chores; her choice should be fully affirmed.
Jesus knows that there are moments in life when the demands of people and the command to love our neighbour pale into insignificance when compared with the prior claim to be with God. The first commandment is. “Love the Lord your God…”; ‘Love your neighbour’ is second. Important though other things may be, we must not let busy-ness- work, social and various engagements be the excuses to keep us from obeying the first claim of a loving God.
Listening to Jesus, learning from him – it is giving time to the Master to listen to his Word, assimilate it, and apply it in our lives. It is putting God and his revelation first – it is nurturing our relationships with the Lord God as the first priority. It is interesting to note that the next passage deals with ‘Prayer’ and the Lord’s teaching on the subject of prayer to his disciples. Prayer and listening and applying God’s Word – all these point to the nurturing of a relationship with God. Recall Jesus telling those who claimed to know him that he does not know them, even though they asserted that they were interacting with him on many occasions and that they even cast out demons in his name. The bottom line – does Jesus know us; is there a true and living relationship with him?
The Lord was not saying to Martha that doing things for him and serving him are not important – they are, but they should not be carried out without dependence on him, and as an outflow of our love for him and our relationship with him. Martha was distressed in her serving; she was frustrated and anxious that many things were still not done and her sister Mary was just sitting down at the feet of the Lord. She lost her focus and perspective in service; she was more concerned about the many things that needed to be addressed and forgot the Person she was serving. To question Jesus whether he cared and directing her distress at her sister – this is tantamount to questioning God when things seem distressing and not going our way, and blaming others for this situation. Does not God, the perfect loving and gracious Being and Creator, care? Is it proper to question him and to point the finger at someone else for our anxieties and distress? Remember the incident when Jesus purposefully delayed in coming to Lazarus who was terminally ill – Jesus was fully aware that the death of Lazarus was an occasion when God’s power and glory would be manifested. But both sisters, Mary and Martha, lamented that if only the Lord were present, Lazarus would not have died. Did Jesus make a mistake, had he forgotten that Lazarus needed him urgently?
How often we question God when things are not going our way. We wonder, does God really care? We point our finger at some brethren and ask why God seems to favour them and not us – after all, we are getting all the burdens and all the tasks to be accomplished.
Martha’s attitude was something the Lord wanted to correct. The Lord’s declaration that Mary had chosen the good portion was not so much the approval of Mary but an affirmation of what is the most important priority for the believer if he or she desires to nurture a love relationship with him. And Mary was the same Mary who was responsible for pouring the precious ointment on Jesus’ head to prepare him for the burial and the cross. Mary did that because she had concentrated on listening to the Master and growing in a deep love for the Lord Jesus. Our love for the Lord, our service as an expression of this love – this is indeed what glorifies him and brings much joy and pleasure to his heart.

The passage was set in the home of Martha and Mary. The principles taught are not limited to the home; they apply in every context, in work context, in various relationships, in church. Are we focused on serving the Lord in love because we have given much time and priority to nurturing our love relationship with him?

COMPARING TWO MOUNTAINS (Mount Sinai and Mount Zion)

The writer of the book of Hebrews turns to the comparison of two mountains in Heb. 12:18-28, depicting two different covenants – the old covenant and the new covenant. Mount Sinai speaks of ‘terror’, fire, earthquakes as Israel approached the awesome holy God (Exodus 19:16-20). The people could not bear what they saw and heard such that they begged that no further word be spoken to them. If even an animal touches the mountain (Mount Sinai), it must be stoned to death. The awesome sight of God’s appearance in such holiness was so terrifying that Moses himself said, ‘I am trembling with fear.’ Even the high priest in the old covenant can only enter the holies of holy once a year on the Day of Atonement. If he entered not according to God’s instructions, he may be struck dead. This reminds us of the reality of the awesomeness, holiness, and majesty of God; how so often we forget this today as we enjoy the privilege of the new covenant. We approach God carelessly and ‘treat’ him without this sense of deep reverence and Godly fear.

Mount Zion speaks of the new covenant, instituted by Jesus in his coming as the Messiah, in his sacrifice at the cross, opening up access to God, giving believers the right to enter the presence of God through his blood and body. Believers can look forward to being welcomed by thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly (Heb.12:22) to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. Christians have come to God,the judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than (the blood of Abel in the OT).

What we have in Jesus and the new covenant is of such great privilege that we can freely enter into God’s presence without fear, being accepted by him in the beloved. It is foolishness to abandon Mount Zion and return to Mount Sinai. But the Jewish Christians at the time of writing of Hebrews were facing intense persecution from the Romans who insisted on emperor worship. Jews were excused by the Romans from emperor worship; however Christians (Jewish or Gentile) were not excused and if they did not bow to Caesar in worship, the persecution caused many to be imprisoned, their houses taken away or burnt, and some also died for their refusal to worship Caesar. In their plight, some Jewish Christians were tempted to return to Judaism and renounce Christianity so that they may escape the intense persecution.
The writer of Hebrews warned them not to do so:
“See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him (God)who warns us from heaven?
There is no place for turning back. If we deliberately turn back from God and become his enemy, we are in fact trampling down the Son of God and insulting the Holy Spirit of God. It is a terrifying prospect to face the fiery judgment seat of God. If the Old Testament saints faced a terrible judgment when they rebel against God, what more those who have been given the privilege to become members of the family of God in Christ Jesus.
We must endure, persevere, and not turn back. Our faith and hope in Christ must be the anchor that holds us in the storms of life and in the midst of persecutions and attacks of the evil one. The One who promises us is perfectly faithful and reliable.
The earthly kingdom will not stand when God finally shakes the created things. Only what cannot be shaken will remain – this is the kingdom of God!
“Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The word ‘once more’ indicate the removing of what can be shaken – that is, created things – so that what cannot be shaken may remain. We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken!

THE QUALITY OF OUR DEVOTION AND DISCIPLESHIP

The Bible makes it clear that the ‘man of lawlessness’, the antiChrist, would appear on the scene in the last of the last days (Matt. 24; 2 Thessalonians; 2 Peter 2; 1 John 2 :18-). The spirit of antiChrist is already present in our world today.
The Bible also indicates that many will fall away and apostasy will thrive with his appearance, for he would be a great imitator of Christ in a context of utter evil in accordance with the work of Satan. He would display all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders to deceive many. But the mark of the elect is that they are not deceived.
And certainly what contributes to the elect’s standing is the quality of their devotion and discipleship; and one major characteristic of this is the discipline of constant repentance, self-examination before the Lord God, and the spiritual ‘effort’, in dependence on God’s Spirit to develop holiness and inward devotion to our God.
The current preoccupation of stirring congregational excitement, providing interest-based programs has displaced the above – the result is the lack of spiritual reality, producing superficial people with no hunger for the deep things of God.
As Christians ought to praise God, give him thanks, and make requests to him daily, so we ought also to repent daily. This discipline is as basic to holiness as any. The further one goes in holy living, the more sin one will find in the attitudes of one’s own heart, needing to be dealt with in this way. As the single-mindedness of our inward devotion is the real index of the quality of our discipleship, so the thoroughness of our daily repentance is the real index of the quality of our devotion.
The apostle Peter, known for his denial of the Lord Jesus three times, in 2 Peter, puts it in the following way:
“,,make every effort to add to your faith…For if you possess these qualities in increasing measures, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if any of you do not have them, you are short-sighted and blind, and you have forgotten that you have been cleansed from your past sins.” (2 Peter 1:5- 9)
In verse 10, he wrote, “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” In 3:14,17, Peter ended his epistle again with the exhortation “make every effort”:
“So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this (the day of the Lord), make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him…”Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position”.
Notice that the quality of our devotion to the Triune God (which includes daily repentance, daily ‘effort’ in dependence on the Spirit to develop our inner life, the nurturing of holiness and godliness before the Lord God) is the index that would provide the disciple and believer the victory and the deliverance from counterfeit miracles, claims, and persecution of the man of lawlessness and his followers. Already, we see many believers carried away by false healings, counterfeit miracles, and the promise of prosperity and success in Christian living. This will increase tremendously in the days of the lawless one, and many would be deluded, deceived, and led astray because they will be looking for earthly gratification, instant relief from pain and sufferings, the wonderful feelings of being ‘high’ which need to be ‘refilled’ again and again by following these false teachers and ultimately the false Christ.

Christians learn to live in Christ, to follow and fulfill the example that Christ has set us, and to recognise that this – only this – is the way of our maturation. It means we are led in paths of righteousness, nemely, by consciously keeping in step with our divine human leader with whom we are inseparably united.This is expressed clearly in Revelation 12:11 in the context of the last days when the devil is overthrown and hurled to the earth:
“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
Surely, this expresses the deep quality of their devotion to God and their genuine discipleship, even in the context of intense persecution and pain – and only such a devotion and quality of spiritual life would ensure that the Christians and God’s people stand and defend what the Son of God has established. For the joy set before him, the Lord Jesus was willing to endure the cross. To his disciples, he said, “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me”. Are we willing, or do we draw back because of the immediate temporary relief when we cater to our self-centredness, our self-desires and earthly values?

REFLECTIONS ON THE LORD’S PRAYER AND TEACHINGS ON PRAYER

Luke 11:1-13 (Parallel passage Matthew 6:9-15)

In response to the disciples’ request to teach them to pray just as John taught his disciples, Jesus shared with them what is currently known as the “Lord’s prayer”:
It begins with addressing God as Father, or our heavenly Father. It is clear that the only one who can rightly call God ‘Father’ (Abba) is Jesus Christ; but in the Lord’s prayer we are enjoined to call God ‘Father’. In the Old Testament context and Old covenant, no one can approach the holy God without being slain and surely it is preposterous to assume that we can call God ‘our heavenly Father’. This speaks of a wonderful new relationship that allows his people to address him in this endearing term. Even Nicodemus, a teacher of the Law, was told that he had to be born again, implying that there was no relationship that qualifies him to enter the kingdom of God, except to be born again (which implies repentance and conviction of sin – a work of the Spirit of God who draws sinful men to God and shows them their actual wretched state before they see themselves as sinners in need of salvation – it is the Spirit who regenerates sinful men (made them spiritually alive) and brings them into the kingdom of God by spiritual birth. Paul the apostle wrote in Romans 8: “And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ…For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God (vv 9b;14)

It follows that not everyone can address God as “Father” – only those who have a living real relationship with God in Christ – and we cannot assume that everyone in church can do so, for there are tares as well as wheat in the church.

“Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come…”
The term ‘hallowed’ speaks of holiness, honour, glory, transcendent sovereignty. Straightaway when we address God in prayer, we not only must have a dear relationship with him, but we also need to acknowledge his sovereignty, holiness, honour and glory as the Creator of the universe. This is no ordinary father; he is the heavenly Father!!
The basis of our prayer as Christians is the recognition and acknowledgement of the sovereignty of God the Father – he is the author and source of all the good that we have had already and all the good that we hope for in the future. Our prayer is a humble acknowledgement of helplessness and dependence. When we are on our knees in prayer, we know that it is not we who control the world; it is not in our power therefore to supply our needs by our own independent efforts. Every good thing we desire for ourselves and for others must be sought from God and it will come, if it comes at all, it is a gift from his hands. What we do every time we pray is to confess our own impotence and God’s sovereignty. So we are to pray to God in order to further the praise, honour, and glory of God first and foremost, not to gratify selfish concerns in which God has no place

What we really want most as genuine followers and disciples in our prayer should be the coming of God’s kingdom and his will known and done, and these are what follow in the Lord’s prayer. We have noted in the past that the kingdom of God refers to the rule of God and this kingdom will be consummated in the new heaven and new earth. John the Baptist and Jesus himself declared, “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus came to form a new humanity under him, replacing the old; he came to inaugurate a new era, a new kingdom as the ‘second Adam’ with a new covenant (recall the reference to ‘new wine in old or new wineskins’). Those born again have entered the new kingdom but they are still righteous sinners, pilgrims on the way to the celestial city. They are not perfect but are being progressively moulded into the image of the Son of God. Hence they need provision (give us our daily bread); they need pardon (forgive us our sins, implying daily repentance) and they need protection (from the evil one, the negative influence of the world and the indwelling sin – deliver us from evil). Hence the Lord’s prayer includes all these petitions.
God’s will, God’s kingdom are the priorities in the prayers of the God’s people; and as long as our prayers are along the line to honour and glorify him, and to build and develop his kingdom and to fulfil his will, then we can have confidence that God the Father would always gives us what is good and best for ourselves, fitting in with the cosmic plan for the good of his people and others (John 14:13;15,16; 1 John 5:14).

What follows from the “Lord’s prayer” is the affirmation that God always gives what is good to his children and what he gives do not harm them but are truly good for them; this is brought through forcefully by sharing that even human fathers know how to give good gifts to their children – what more the gracious loving perfect heavenly Father!
The parable told is similar to the parable of the unrighteous judge who was constantly pestered by a widow who sought justice for herself. Because the unrighteous judge did not wish to be bothered anymore, he granted her wish for justice (Note that a parable has one central truth, and we should not interpret a parable as an allegory and insist that every factor in the parable reflects a certain truth). Similarly in Luke 11, the Lord told the parable that in contrast to the human friend who sought to get rid of one who inconvenienced him and insisted on getting something at an unearthly hour by giving him what he requested, God is always desiring to give what is best and good to us and in this light, he welcomes our persistent request in our prayer, and would surely not respond like the human friend.
God intends all along to give good things, but he sometimes waits to be asked so that we will properly value the gift when it comes, and our hearts will be turned in gratitude and renewed trust to the one who gave. As we pray and persist in asking, God may give us the time to evaluate whether what we ask is truly good for us, and whether what we ask are indeed in line with his will and are contributing to the building up of his kingdom.

Notice the mention of the Holy Spirit and that God would give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity and not just a gift like any other gift. The Spirit enables us to see the glory of Christ glorified and to live in fellowship with him as our Mediator and with the Father as our Father – the Spirit introduces us to the inmost essence of the life of heaven {(the rule of God (his kingdom)} – at the heart of our thoughts about heaven is the actual relationship with the Father and the Son that is perfected there (this explains why the Lord’s prayer begins with addressing our heavenly Father ).
Paul in Romans 8:26-27 tells us that the Spirit helps us to pray; he helps us to see and do what brings glory to Christ, and both the Spirit and Christ himself intercede for us as we struggle to pray for rightness in our own lives (vs 34)’

In conclusion, we are to pray to God in order to further the praise of God first and foremost, not to glorify selfish concerns in which God has no place. Why then should we ask for what we do ask for? Our sincere and honest answer should point toward God, his name, his glory, his nature, his kingdom. If these are our concerns and these are in place, then prayer would be a mighty means to honour God and to further his kingdom on earth until it is consummated in heaven; this is our glorious privilege, to be part of contributing to, and fulfilling God’s will and God’s eternal kingdom.

“your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”

Above is from the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:10.

We have shared that the kingdom of God refers to the rule of God which begins here just as ‘eternal life’ begins here, in the lives of those who believe and form the community of God here on earth; it will be consummated in the new heavens and the new earth, when God’s rule is seen in all its beauty, glory and perfection.
Notice that Jesus taught his followers to pray that God’s kingdom will come, and God’s will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The kingdom of God is already here on earth but is ‘hidden’ from the world but ‘noted’ and ‘experienced’ by those who are his people.
And it is God’s will that his kingdom will come in all its splendour at the end of the age; but in the meantime, God desires that his kingdom would be progressively growing and maturing on earth until the second advent of the Lord Jesus – and this is principally his will on earth as it is in heaven.
What this means is that in the last days, God expects his children, his church to be intimately involved in ensuring that his kingdom comes and his will is done here on earth as it is in heaven – and this is perhaps one main reason the church is left here on earth as a ‘beacon’ and a ‘light’ to a world of darkness, and as the church preaches the gospel and make disciples, the kingdom of God will grow and develop until the consummation (recall that the Bible records that the gospel will be preached to all nations before the end comes).

In John 17, in Jesus’ prayer, he prayed, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them, I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,..” (vv. 15-20. Jesus prayed for his apostles and disciples; he also prayed for us (those who believe in him through the message of the apostles; the church and individual Christians).

What is clear is that the church has a task to further God’s kingdom and to contribute to the coming of the kingdom in all its splendour.
In Ephesians 4, we are told that God gave the apostles, the prophets , the evangelists, the pastors and teachers to equip his people for the work of service so that the body of Christ may be built up unto maturity, unity, and fullness of Christ.
“To equip his people” is used here not to describe the work of pastors and leaders but rather the work of so-called laiaty, that is, of all God’s people without exception. Ministry is not the prerogative of a clerical elite but is the privileged calling of all the people of God. Although there is a distinctive pastoral ministry for the clergy, the New Testament concept of the pastor is not of a person who guards all ministry in his own hands, but of one who encourages all God’s people to discover, develop and exercise their gifts. The teaching and training of the pastor and leaders are directed to this end, to enable the people of God to be a servant people, ministering actively but humbly according to their gifts in a world of alienation and pain. The whole church is thus mobilised to preach the gospel, to build disciples and to further the kingdom of God.
For the whole body to grow, all its members are to use their God-given gifts. The pastors and leaders must of course be individuals who are godly, matured, well versed in the Scriptures and God’s Word, and those who fulfil the ‘criteria’ of good leaders as outlined by apostle Paul to Timothy and Titus. They need to ‘well balanced’ as illustrated by the stool with 3 legs – Doctrine, Experience and Practice – and this would ensure that they can transmit these truths to the lives of the individuals in the congregation.

THE WONDERFUL AND TRUE STORY OF THE GRACE OF CHRIST

Jesus Christ died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised – this is affirmed by apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:15.
We need to fathom the depth, width, and height of the wonderful grace of our Lord Jesus in securing our salvation in God.
In Jesus Christ, God has given the world a Saviour whose great salvation more than matches man’s great need, and whose great love (seen at the cross) will not be daunted or drained away by our great unloveliness.

Ponder:
Jesus is set forth as prophet, priest, and king; teacher and guide; mediator and intercessor; master and protector – and the focal point of his saving work is identified at his cross, concerning which each Christian can say that he “loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Christ’s death was an act of righteousness, for, in obedience to his Father’s will, he endured it, and as such, it wrought redemption, freeing us from the curse of God’s law (the exposure to divine judgment) – at the cost of his own suffering.
His death was redemptive because it achieved an act of propitiation, quenching God’s wrath by dealing with the sin that evoked it. It propitiated God by being an act of substitutionary sin-bearing, in which the judgment which our sin deserved was diverted onto Christ’s head – from the cross to the risen Christ’s gift of a permanent new relationship with God, which Paul analyses as justification (pardon plus a righteous man’s status) and adoption (a place in the family with certainty of inheritance), and the writer to the Hebrews calls sanctification (acceptance by God, on the basis of consecration to him).
With the new status is given new birth, the indwelling Spirit, a progressive transformation into Christ’s image, and glorification (in short – comprehensive subjective renewal).
God’s goal in all this is the perfect bliss of sinners, and the gospel call is an invitation to faith in Christ, through which all these gifts come to us, from the Saviour’s own hand, “for free.”
Notice the wide span and depth of what the grace of Christ achieved for sinners like us who, by grace, are saved through faith (and this faith is also a gift from God who, through the Spirit, draws us to Him such that we can exercise our faith in receiving Christ, in repentance), and experience the greatest change that can ever be [from darkness to light, from Satan to God, from death to life – Colossians 1:13-14)]
And for believers, it would be a wonderful wonderful day when Jesus comes again to complete and consummate this story of his grace. In the meantime, as by grace we are saved through faith, it is also by grace that we can endure and persevere in faith in our pilgrim journey towards our heavenly city, despite persecution, pain, suffering, for we know that the glory that awaits us cannot be compared to the temporary suffering we need to go through, to be like our Master and to be ‘lights’ in the world of darkness.