2005-10-07
Good Morning Dear Ones,
For the last several messages, I have been looking at the love that is at the foundation of God's Law. This week we will wrap up this topic, which we have been looking at from the point of view that the Law was crafted by God to protect the innocent. God sees thing from and eternal perspective and He tries to teach us to do the same thing. Unfortunately, many people simply don't look at the big overall picture, considering the long-range consequences of their thoughts, decisions, and actions. God is asking us to see the eternal good in following His commandments.
It's interesting to take a look at the Son's struggle with the Pharisees in the temple the last week of His earthly life. They questioned Christ's authority when He said in MK 11: 25, "And when you stand and pray, forgive anything you may have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven will forgive the wrong you have done." They asked Him, ‘What right He had to say these things?', and Christ's reply in MK 11: 30 was, "Tell Me, where did John's right to baptize come from: was it from God or from man?" The Pharisees didn't know, and Christ's response to this in MK 11: 33b was, "Neither will I tell you, then, by what right I do these things." He knew the Pharisees were so steeped in legalism that they would not open themselves to the faith brought to people by the Holy Spirit.
This debate between Christ and the Pharisees is not the last of this issue to be brought up in the Scriptures. In RO 2: 3-4 we read Paul's words to the stubborn legalism of the traditional Jews of his time. "But you, my friend, do those very things for which you pass judgment on others! Do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or perhaps you despise His great kindness, tolerance m and patience. Surly you know that God is kind, because He is trying to lead you to repent." Paul is dealing with the same legalism that leads to hypocrisy that Christ faced from the traditional Jewish teachers and scribes. We can see our Lord's meekness and God's mercy and goodness in these efforts to give the legalistic Jews a mid-course correction that would lead them on the path to true faith and eternal life. But, for many of them, it was not to be. In this, we can see God's loving unselfishness in the act of having given up even a small part of His power to allow for mankind to have free agency. In these cases, God's act will not be without some disappointments. We must remember that God's greatest desire is to see all of mankind come back to Him for a blissful eternal life in heaven [JN 6: 39-40; JN 3: 16; EPH 1: 4-5].
We must understand that in MT 5: 38-42, Christ Sermon on the Mount teaching on revenge, He is not encouraging pacifism. He is saying don't take revenge on the wrongdoer, turn your cheek. In a way, this is saying, leave the punishment up to God; don't take God's right to judge in your own hands. This "turn your cheek" teaching is directed at individuals, not at appropriate governmental agencies, like the police, FBI, CIA, Scotland Yard, Interpol, etc. I will also interject here that even city, state, national, and international laws should be in keeping, from God's point of view, with His Law. When someone like Hitler or Milosevic write their own laws, they have nothing to do with God's commands and break them one after another. The bottom line is that the only one with the ultimate right to judge is Jesus Christ, because God gave Him that right [DN 7: 13-14].
There is one more bottom line to the issue of God's love being the basis of His Law. Love looks beyond the immediate to another's eternal good. It is like the rescue crews who drop baskets attached to a line from helicopters to scoop up flood victims. They are trained not to worry about their own personal safety for those essential moments that the human-filled baskets are on their way up to the helicopter. Their priority is to save the lives below them. We think in the immediate; God thinks in the eternal sense. He wants anyone rejecting him to take a second look at his life and repent. He wants them to live eternally, not die in spiritual and physical torment forever in hell. Having finally understood the love that is the foundation of God's Laws, we must each ask ourselves two questions: 2) How do we apply this to our own thoughts, decisions, and actions? 2) How can we reach out to others who don't have this understanding, to help them conform their lives to the Lord's will and also share in the bliss of eternal life with Him? We must pray to the Holy Spirit for the answers.
PRAYER: O Lord, You have struggled since the time of the original sin [GN 3 :1-6] to bring mankind out of the marketplace of slavery to sin. Because of the degree of rebellion sinfulness produces, this has been no easy job for You. However, we are on our knees today to thank You and praise You for not giving up on us. Those of us who have the Holy Spirit indwelt in us understand the great love that is the basis of Your Law and the great sacrifice You have made of Your Son on the cross for our salvation. As we mature in this understanding, we also acknowledge that we take on additional responsibility beyond that for rectifying our own lives. We must reach out to others in mission field, who might not otherwise come to know the peace and salvation that comes from the Gospel message. IS 52: 7 expresses this. "How wonderful it is to see a messenger coming across the mountains bringing Good News, the news of peace! He announces victory and says to Zion, 'Your God is King!'" Today, I ask for special prayers for Luz Guerrero, who is beginning her studies at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO. Luz has served with distinction for 2 1/2 years in Venezuela as a missionary spreading the Gospel. Now she hopes to earn her Masters in Theology and become a Deaconness in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. She has overcome enormous hurdles with God's help in this effort. God has called Luz to a lifetime of missionary service. Luz is one of many people who have given their time, inconvenienced themselves, and dedicated themselves to God's service. So this prayer request extends not just to Luz but to all of them. You are a good, courageous, loving, and kind God. We worship You, petition You with our needs, and offer our lives using whatever talents You have given us for Your service. Your love is unparalleled and we are here to say thank you for bringing it into our lives. In Christ's holy name, amen.
Next week, we will begin a new segment, "Being More Civilized." Throughout His time on earth, Christ never allowed other people to alter His character. Since Christ is the second personality of God, we may say the same of God. Christ's example is what we are meant by God to follow, never allowing another person to pull us into sinfulness. For some of us the temptation is great to lapse into sinfulness, but our loving God is here with us to keep us from that. Our job is to become aware of His loving presence and to obey His commands. This must be done to overcome temptation to take retribution against those who are our enemies, those who make our lives harder than they would be. The Father knows there were plenty of temptations for His Son during Christ's time on earth. Never once did the Lord Jesus give in to them. Jesus knew when to defend himself and when it was fruitless. His wisdom came directly from the Father. Ours should too. Because the Help we need is available to us any time of any day, we should be thankful that we don't face our temptations alone. PS 91: 1-2 gives us perspective. "He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God, in Whom I trust." Christ gave us priorities in our lives in MT 6: 33, "But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Through daily study of His word and prayer, God reveals Himself and His will. We should take the time for look for them, knowing He equips those who believe to live lives of holiness, as He does [1 PET 1: 16]. Rest in the love of the Lord and always seek His direction.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn