On
Thu, May 11, 2017 at 3:33 PM, John wrote
Hey
Dana
I found a note on my desk. I'm
cleaning it off and all kinds of things are surfacing. The note deals with
Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman. The play is about Willy Loman,
a failure at being a travelling salesman, and pretty much a failure at life. As
Wikipedia says about Loman, "...unstable, insecure, and self-deluded.
Willy tends to re-imagine events from the past as if they are real. He vacillates
between different perceptions of his life." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_a_Salesman
In the final scene of the play,
Willy commits suicide. He basically lied about everything. In a paraphrase of
some of the final words in the play, Biff, an elder son, says to his mother
about his father, "You know Mom, the problem with Dad was he never really
knew who he was."
That caused me to think about the
oft heard saying, (now almost a cliché), how
do we know who we are in Christ? How can knowing this help us not to end up
like Willy Loman--lying to ourselves and others about who we really are, and
being a "success" in life, no matter who we are or what we
accomplish?
In
Christ
John
++++++++++++++
Fri,
May 19, 2017 at 6:45 AM
John,
While one could write an entire book on
the subject of who we are in Christ, I will just offer a few thoughts on the
subject, based on several Scriptural references that come to mind. Mind you, this is far from exhaustive in
nature, and Biblically literate readers of the blog could, I’m sure, give more
numerous examples than I have considered.
There are some of the more obvious ideas, like, in Christ we are saved,
and such, which should be a given, so I won’t go into that for this
exercise.
1. In
Christ we are family.
Once orphaned by sin, and adrift on our
own, we have become part of a glorious family, and actually children of
God. Let’s look at what Paul says in Romans 8:12-17
“
12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according
to the flesh. 13For if you live according to the flesh you
will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will
live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons
of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery
to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons,
by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ 16 The Spirit himself bears
witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if
children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we
suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (ESV)
With the assault on the family taking
place in our increasingly pagan society, and the sad, but true fact that many
in our land have come from broken homes, or have (through no fault of their
own) missed having access to one or both parents, the idea of inclusion into
God’s family is quite comforting.
Brother Grazier, in teaching about our
relationship with God, used to say that the permission and privilege to say “Abba! Father!” is essentially being
able to say to God, “Hey Dad.” That is
not to say we can be cavalier in how we address our Heavenly Father, but what
it is saying is that our relationship with God as our Father is one of (or should
be) closeness, and familiarity. He loves
us enough to grant us this access. For
one who has had and lost a father with whom there was a close and loving
relationship in place, this is a tremendous blessing.
In addition, the inheritance which is
Christ’s is something in which we get to share. Again, the subject of Christ’s inheritance is
almost too vast to contemplate, but it’s wonderful to think that whatever that
might entail, we will enjoy as well.
Several times and in many situations, someone has been kind enough to
say to me, “You’re family.” While that
is a nice sentiment, and I’m quite certain that on some level the saying is
genuine in intent, in my mind I have to remind myself, that one is not truly
family unless one is included in the will. Well, Christian, you’re included in the will,
so to speak.
Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says
in chapter 2:11, speaking of Jesus “11 For he who sanctifies and those who are
sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them
brothers,” (ESV)
There are times, I admit, that I haven’t
felt like I am a brother to Jesus. But
you know what? It doesn’t matter what I
feel. The Scripture trumps my
feelings. Whether I feel it or not, the
Bible says that Jesus is not ashamed to call me His brother. It’s my job to quit wondering about it, and
to start acting like His brother. He
laid down His life for me, what have I ever done for Him?
And as if all the above isn’t enough, we
have the benefit of having real, human extended family members in all of the
saved brothers and sisters in this life, through friendship, or Church. That’s Capitol “C” Church—the at large Church
in the world. No matter where we go on
this planet, if there is a blood bought, redeemed person there, we have family. We are never alone. And developing that thought a little further,
we also have relationships with God’s servants the angels. Not that we worship them or pray to them,
like when John fell down at the feet of the angel in Revelation 21, we read:
“ 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these
things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of
the angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a
fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep
the words of this book. Worship God.’”
So we also have relationships with God’s
Heavenly family as well, though not as evident as with our flesh and blood
family and extended Christian families, but in a real sense we are co-workers
with them, and often have probably received benefit from them, perhaps not even
knowing it at the time. So we are loved
as family in Christ.
2. In Christ, you’re extended family is even
bigger than you think. Check out Galatians 3:25-29:
“ 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer
under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of
God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into
Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all
one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are
Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.” (ESV)
Did you get that? When you read Genesis 12 and following, do
you relate yourself to Abraham, the Patriarchs, and to all of Israel for that
sake? Your family tree just grew some more branches. Now we may not be blood Hebrews, DNA-wise,
but in Christ, we transcend our Gentile roots and can legitimately claim
Abraham for a relative. So you think you
are not related to anyone important?
Think again. And, while you are
at it, read the genealogies in the beginning of the gospels of Matthew and
Luke. You are in the lineage after the
fact.
And not only the Patriarchs, but also how
about David and Jesus Himself? Now would
be a good time to cue the old soul song, “We are Fam-i-ly.”
3. In Christ we have purpose and meaning, as
we are God’s handiwork; designed and built to do His bidding in this world.
Paul writes in Ephesians 2:4-10:
“4 But
God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even
when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by
grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and
seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so
that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in
kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have
been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of
God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For
we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (ESV)
So many people (even Christians) wander
around lost; not knowing who or what they are, and having no real sense of
purpose. Is it any wonder why suicide has become almost an epidemic in this
country? Go to any Christian bookstore (do we still have book stores?) and
there one will find as many Christian self-help books as there are in secular
book stores. If anything, Christians
should be the most “put together” people on the planet. If we are truly, as the (now) old
Charismatics used to say, “King’s kids,” why are we so messed up?
Having purpose and meaning in life is a
driving force. The opposite of that is
alienation and hopelessness. Once I worked for a medical doctor. Part of my
duties were taking patients’ histories and recording all of the medications
which they were taking. My town was a
town built on the textile and apparel industry, as well as furniture
manufacture and tobacco farming. When
our government so disastrously sold our birthright down the river for a bowl of
porridge, many fine, decent, and hardworking people were put out of work. And to compound the misery, there were no
other jobs available, because most had gone overseas.
One of the things I found remarkable in my
task of recording the prescriptions of the patients of this particular doctor,
was that many if not most of the people coming in were on some kind or another
of anti-depression, anti-anxiety, or tranquilizing medication, or a combination
thereof. It was prolific and
staggering. At one time, we were a
nation of people who made things. We
worked all day, and at the end of that day we could look back at our
accomplishments, and feel a sense of pride in whatever our product of
manufacture happened to be. Those
products were of a quality second to none.
When all those jobs went away, thanks to
our uncaring and corrupt elected officials and the greedy corporate elite who
really pay their salaries, our forsaken work force suddenly lacked a sense of
purpose in life. If those betrayed and
dispossessed workers were fortunate enough to find a job at all, it generally
required sitting at a desk typing numbers into myriad nameless computer files,
or doing something almost less than menial in order to barely scratch out
enough money to feed oneself. With the
sense of purpose, meaning, and pride of accomplishment gone, many of the people
began to encounter personal problems, the answer to which was prescription
drugs.
Many Christians also lack this sense of
purpose and meaning, and are just as lost (not in the salvation sense
however.) That is a shame, in light of
Ephesians 2:10, as quoted above. In
Christ we find true purpose. God, the
Bible says, applied His divine craftsmanship in making us, as objects of beauty
and purpose. He is conforming us into
the image of Jesus (Romans 8) and doing so for specific courses of action in
the furtherance of His Kingdom on earth. We all have a part to play.
There is some thing at which everybody is
good. Someone might be tempted to say
that they have no talents or abilities, but that is simply not true. Now, we all cannot be Billy Graham or the
President or the Pope, but we can all do SOMETHING. As we pursue whatever that “something” is,
God, we find, is there waiting to enhance and support and strengthen that
talent or ability for His good purposes.
Romans 9: 20-21 states: “20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to
God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no
right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use
and another for dishonorable use?” (ESV)
Because we cannot all be Billy Graham,
the President or the Pope, does not mean that God does not have a special
purpose for our lives. It could be added that if we seek God, and get out there
and just do whatever we are best suited to do, in Jesus’ name, and with His
glory in mind, then we will discover a sense of purpose, meaning and fulfillment
that will give us true identity—not in our accomplishments, but in Christ.
This may have been cited in a previous
blog, but the thought is a good one. Ina
Duley Ogdon (1872-1964) wanted to be a missionary. It was her heart’s desire to
serve God in that capacity. When a
relative got sick and needed caring for, she stepped up to the plate and
provided that care for several years.
Following that, another relative became afflicted, and once again she
became the caregiver. Protracted
illnesses in her family caused weeks to turn into months, and months into
years, so consequently, Ms. Ogden never got to become a missionary.
But…Ms. Ogden did write the hymn, “Brighten the Corner Where You Are.” She wrote a number of other hymns a
well. She didn’t mope and complain, and
get bitter because God dealt her a hand for which she didn’t sign up. She found meaning doing something for which
she was suited—providing loving care for family members in need. That was not what she envisioned for her
life; she was going to be a missionary.
Evidently God had other plans, and look what resulted. The hymns she
penned, have inspired and comforted and helped numerous Christians throughout
the times said hymns have been sung.
Remember if you feel like you can do
nothing; that when God was handing out talents, you were at the back of the
line, and His bag ran out before you got to the front, you can still be
faithful. And in being faithful, even in
the midst of disappointments and failures, you might just be surprised in how
God can and will use that. Ms. Ogden
didn’t get to bring thousands to Christ on the mission field, but in the midst
of her disappointment, she was used of God to reach millions. If you are in Christ, you have purpose! And you have a purpose even when you cannot
see it. So get to work!
4. In Christ, you are…the Temple.
Solomon’s Temple was the replacement for
the Tabernacle of Moses’ day. Built in Jerusalem, the Temple was the central
place in Hebrew worship and ritual. It was the dwelling place for the Ark of
the Covenant. The Temple was the place on earth where God’s presence would be
evident (in the Holy of Holies).
When Judah was attacked by Babylon, the
Temple was sacked, and many of its valuable objects were taken to Babylon (see
Daniel: the writing on the wall episode….)
After the Babylonian exile, construction
on a new temple was begun (see Ezra and Nehemiah), with its new foundations
laid in 535 BC, and was ready for consecration by 516 BC. Later Herod the Great
greatly expanded the Temple complex, and the Temple in Jesus’ day and time was
called Herod’s Temple. In 70 AD, as Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24, Mark 13,
and Luke 21, the Temple was again destroyed; this time by the Roman army.
Needless
to say, the Temple figures highly in Jewish thought, culture, history and worship.
Jesus’ Disciples (along with most of
their Jewish contemporaries) associated the destruction of the Temple with the
end times. Notice in the passages above
from Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, the reaction of the Disciples to Jesus
prophecy of the destruction of the Temple.
Very quickly the conversation changed from impressive architecture to
eschatology.
It has been over 1900 years since a Temple
structure stood in Jerusalem. Today
there is no Temple in Israel (or anywhere else). Many foresee another Temple being constructed
as part of their end-times scenario, but I strongly disagree in principle. That is not to say that if the Islamic Dome of
the Rock, which (inconveniently) sits on one-time Jewish Temple property is
ever destroyed, that zealous Zionists, aided by a faction of equally overzealous
pre-millennial Christians might not attempt to build a new Temple, but to what
purpose?
The book of Hebrews teaches, the
sacrificial system is over…for good. What
possible sacrifice would God accept after the sacrifice of His own Son on the
cross?
Evidently the lights came on for Peter (and
with his companions) with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of
Pentecost. In his first epistle, Peter 2:4-5 states:
“ 4 As you come to him, a living
stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you
yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a
holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ.” (ESV)
Notice the “building” imagery being employed
by Peter? Notice also the mention of
priesthood and sacrifices? Kind of
sounds like the Temple doesn’t it? But
Peter is not alone in that thought.
In 1 Corinthians, chapter 3 and verse 16
Paul writes: “Do you not know that you are
God's temple and that God's
Spirit dwells in you?” In 1 Corinthians 3:17 he continues, “If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For
God's temple is holy, and you
are that temple.” (Both
quotes ESV)
Again in 1 Corinthians 6:19 Paul writes: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,
whom you have from God? You are not your own….” (ESV)
Likewise in Paul says in 2 Corinthians
6:16:
“What agreement has the temple
of God with idols? For we are the temple
of the living God; as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk
among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.’”
Paul says again in Ephesians 2:18-22:
“18 For
through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So
then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with
the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the
cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined
together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you
also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
Do you reckon Paul is trying to get a
point across? We are the ones who are
the dwelling place of God—the place where His presence is evident. And we, the Church shall remain so until the
end of time as we know it, in the New Heavens and the New Earth in Revelation
21. “22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its
temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.” (ESV)
Until that time we, in Christ, are the Lord’s Temple. Those are just a few points to ponder as to
who we are in Christ.
Dana
+++++++++++++++++
On Sunday, 5/21/17, John adds this post script
I think I’ve
written before about how I became a member of the family of God—after I was in
Christ. My church, First Assembly of God, Alexandria, VA, had a commercial
kitchen and dining room that took up the entire lower level. We held church
dinners, fed conferences and cooked for outreach ministries, such as the
railroad ministry. Me? I had nothing. Because of my drinking, I had lost everything--my
wife, my daughter, my self-respect, my car, much of my furniture, and my
friends. Then I turned my life over to Christ, was born again, and was on the
new road to heaven.
Early on in
my salvation while I was a church attendee, something in me still needed to
belong. But God (oh, how I love those two words—but God) led me to the kitchen.
After one dinner, since I had nothing and no one to go home to, I volunteered
to help clean up the tables and help with the dishes. From then on, whenever the kitchen was in use,
I was there—setting tables, serving food, clearing tables, doing dishes,
scrubbing pots and pans, taking out garbage. I belonged. I was part of the
family. My life meant something and I was helping. God was using me and
ministering through me. Quite honestly, those are some of the happiest memories
of my salvation—when I became a part of the family.
I’ll close with
restating something Dana wrote above about being in the family:
In addition, the inheritance which is
Christ’s is something in which we get to share. Again, the subject of Christ’s inheritance is
almost too vast to contemplate, but it’s wonderful to think that whatever that
might entail, we will enjoy as well.
Several times and in many situations, someone has been kind enough to
say to me, “You’re family.” While that
is a nice sentiment, and I’m quite certain that on some level the saying is
genuine in intent, in my mind I have to remind myself, that one is not truly
family unless one is included in the will. Well, Christian, you’re included in the
will.....
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