Home thoughts from abroad.wordpress.com

 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

^19-21 “This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.” (The Message)

It is generally thought that the words of Jesus in this third chapter conclude at verse 15, and that the two paragraphs under consideration today are the comments of John the evangelist, the author of this fourth gospel.

Wouldn’t you like to hear a political leader define our real crisis? That would indeed be ‘radical’ politics – getting ‘to the root’ of our problems:

 “This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness.

Here is one of the great realities we have to reckon with, and we see it everywhere: people prefer their sin to Jesus. It suits them to live in unrepentance and to go there own way. They are ”addicted to denial and illusion”. When it comes down to it, it is not about how credible the claims of Christ are, but that people do not want this Man to reign over them.

”In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (1:4,5)

While this is gloriously true, it is also the case that ”the darkness” hates it. There are only two types of people in this world: those who love ”the light” and want to walk in it; and those who ‘hate’ it

 “No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man. In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life.

^16-18 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. (The Message)

The experience of the supernatural new birth is only possible because Jesus died on the Cross, in our place, out of great love for us. He ‘had’ to die. It was a necessity. But our salvation is not automatic. There has to be a response on our part. We have to receive the benefits of the Cross by faith.

The one-sentence summary of the gospel contained in John 3:16: ‘…is the most famous portion of Christian Scripture, and probably the most often-memorized and often-quoted portion of any holy text in human history…God loved mankind enough to send His Son to save them, but those who reject Jesus remain condemned.’ (BibleRef)

It is characteristic of John to refer to Jesus’ death as a ‘lifting up’. He probably uses this expression in two senses: a.) Jesus was physically lifted up on the Cross; b.) but also the Cross is His supreme glory. What was generally regarded in those times as the ultimate in shame God sees as Jesus’ greatest glory.

We also note that the death of Jesus was wonderfully and beautifully prefigured in the story of Moses and the bronze snake (See Numbers 21:6-9). It is awesome to see how the entire Bible hangs together with the Cross at the very centre.

 Nicodemus asked, “What do you mean by this? How does this happen?”

^10-12 Jesus said, “You’re a respected teacher of Israel and you don’t know these basics? Listen carefully. I’m speaking sober truth to you. I speak only of what I know by experience; I give witness only to what I have seen with my own eyes. There is nothing secondhand here, no hearsay. Yet instead of facing the evidence and accepting it, you procrastinate with questions. If I tell you things that are plain as the hand before your face and you don’t believe me, what use is there in telling you of things you can’t see, the things of God? (The Message)

I remember reading a commentary in which the author said, ‘When people raise questions about the Christian faith you need to bear in mind the ‘RH Factor’: Is it a red herring or a real hindrance?’ That came to mind as I read Jesus’ words highlighted in bold text above. There are people whose questions are in fact a smokescreen. They have no intention of facing up to the evidence.

What Jesus has to teach us about eternal/spiritual realities can be trusted. He knows what He is talking about. People looked up to Nicodemus as someone who knew what he was talking about. The language used in verse 10 may suggest that he was the foremost teacher in Israel. Yet Jesus implied that Nicodemus didn’t know as much as others thought he did; didn’t know as much as he thought he did.

All of us who hold any kind of office/role in the church where we teach others, need to humble ourselves and acknowledge that there is so much we do not know. Let us place ourselves at the feet of Jesus, recognising that He, and He alone, is the supreme Teacher. Real insight comes from listening to Him.

” Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Jesus, in Matthew 11:29)

 ^1-2 There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, “Rabbi, we all know you’re a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren’t in on it.”

³ Jesus said, “You’re absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it’s not possible to see what I’m pointing to—to God’s kingdom.”

⁴ “How can anyone,” said Nicodemus, “be born who has already been born and grown up? You can’t re-enter your mother’s womb and be born again. What are you saying with this ‘born-from-above’ talk?”

^5-6 Jesus said, “You’re not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the ‘wind-hovering-over-the-water’ creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. When you look at a baby, it’s just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can’t see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit.

^7-8 “So don’t be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be ‘born from above’—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.” (The Message)

There is speculation as to why this prominent Jewish teacher came to Jesus by night? Was it fear of being seen? Was it that he thought an unhurried conversation would be more possible at a late hour? Was it some other reason? The truth is we don’t know. However, we can say that he acknowledged Jesus’ miracles to be genuine, and in using the word ”we” (2) he intimated that there were others among the Pharisees who shared Nicodemus’ belief. Nevertheless, as one commentator asserted, Jesus, in an abrupt statement, swept aside all that Nicodemus stood for and demanded that he be re-made on the inside by the power of God. What Nicodemus needed (and what we all need) was a new creation. He needed to be ”born again” (or ”born from above”). Religion will not cut it. There has to be a work of God’s Spirit on the inside of a person, making them new. This also applies to clergy!!

”Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor.5:17)

(Note that ‘seeing’ and ‘entering’ (vv.3,5) the Kingdom of God are two sides of the same reality.)

When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan. ¹¹ And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, ¹² the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.

¹³ So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. ¹⁴ With him they sent ten of the chief men, one from each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.

¹⁵ When they went to Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh—they said to them: ¹⁶ “The whole assembly of the Lord says: ‘How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now? ¹⁷ Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the Lord! ¹⁸ And are you now turning away from the Lord?

“‘If you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel. ¹⁹ If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the Lord’s land, where the Lord’s tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the Lord our God. ²⁰ When Achan son of Zerah was unfaithful in regard to the devoted things,^[a] did not wrath come on the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.’”

²¹ Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel: ²² “The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the Lord, do not spare us this day. ²³ If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the Lord himself call us to account.

²⁴ “No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, ‘What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? ²⁵ The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you—you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the Lord.’ So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the Lord.

²⁶ “That is why we said, ‘Let us get ready and build an altar—but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.’ ²⁷ On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no share in the Lord.’

²⁸ “And we said, ‘If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the Lord’s altar, which our ancestors built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.’

²⁹ “Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his tabernacle.”

³⁰ When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of the Israelites—heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased. ³¹ And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is with us, because you have not been unfaithful to the Lord in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord’s hand.”

³² Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites. ³³ They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.

³⁴ And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us—that the Lord is God. (NIV)

Here is the second lesson I wish to highlight from this passage: we can get it wrong about other people.

In this incident, the Israelites remembered some of their past sins and failures, and showed a commendable zeal not to repeat them. That was why they sent their representatives along to challenge the two and a half tribes about the setting up of the altar. But as they were to discover when they spoke face to face, things were not as they appeared. It was the case, as we saw yesterday, that there was no need for this altar, but the Israelites were wrong about the heart attitudes and motives of their brothers.

‘Before you declare war on the brethren, stop to find out what is going on. Maybe you agree after all! Ponder Proverbs 18:13 and James 3:13-18.’ Warren W. Wiersbe

As they say, ‘Jaw, Jaw is better than war, war.’

 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh ² and said to them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. ³ For a long time now—to this very day—you have not deserted your fellow Israelites but have carried out the mission the Lord your God gave you. ⁴ Now that the Lord your God has given them rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. ⁵ But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

⁶ Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their homes. ⁷ (To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half of the tribe Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan along with their fellow Israelites.) When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them, ⁸ saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth—with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing—and divide the plunder from your enemies with your fellow Israelites.”

⁹ So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to return to Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of the Lord through Moses.

The Reubenites, Gadites and half-tribe of Manasseh had been granted land on the eastern side of the Jordan. But first, they were told, assist your brothers – your fellow Israelites – to take their land. They had a duty to perform, and having performed it they were released to go home, with Joshua’s blessing. Matthew 6:33 comes to mind:

”But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

First do your duty!

Our first priority should always be to get on with what God has put into our hands to do. If we make Him and His Kingdom our supreme value, then we can trust Him to take care of all our needs.

The rest of the Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted towns from the tribe of Ephraim:

²¹ In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Gezer, ²² Kibzaim and Beth Horon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

²³ Also from the tribe of Dan they received Eltekeh, Gibbethon, ²⁴ Aijalon and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands—four towns.

²⁵ From half the tribe of Manasseh they received Taanach and Gath Rimmon, together with their pasturelands—two towns.

²⁶ All these ten towns and their pasturelands were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans.

²⁷ The Levite clans of the Gershonites were given:

from the half-tribe of Manasseh,

Golan in Bashan (a city of refuge for one accused of murder) and Be Eshterah, together with their pasturelands—two towns;

²⁸ from the tribe of Issachar,

Kishion, Daberath, ²⁹ Jarmuth and En Gannim, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

³⁰ from the tribe of Asher,

Mishal, Abdon, ³¹ Helkath and Rehob, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

³² from the tribe of Naphtali,

Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Hammoth Dor and Kartan, together with their pasturelands—three towns.

³³ The total number of towns of the Gershonite clans came to thirteen, together with their pasturelands.

³⁴ The Merarite clans (the rest of the Levites) were given:

from the tribe of Zebulun,

Jokneam, Kartah, ³⁵ Dimnah and Nahalal, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

³⁶ from the tribe of Reuben,

Bezer, Jahaz, ³⁷ Kedemoth and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands—four towns;

³⁸ from the tribe of Gad,

Ramoth in Gilead (a city of refuge for one accused of murder), Mahanaim, ³⁹ Heshbon and Jazer, together with their pasturelands—four towns in all.

⁴⁰ The total number of towns allotted to the Merarite clans, who were the rest of the Levites, came to twelve.

⁴¹ The towns of the Levites in the territory held by the Israelites were forty-eight in all, together with their pasturelands. ⁴² Each of these towns had pasturelands surrounding it; this was true for all these towns.

⁴³ So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. ⁴⁴ The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. ⁴⁵ Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. (NIV)

The summary statement with which chapter 21 concludes points to the Lord’s complete faithfulness. He did as He said. He always will. This is no less true for us today. In fact, we have even more reason to be confident. We have so much more revelation than was available when these words were written – so much more Bible. Furthermore, Jesus has now come and, as Paul writes:

”For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” (2 Cor.1:20)

“There are three great truths, 1st, That there is a God; 2nd, That He has spoken to us in the Bible; 3rd, That He means what He says.” (Hudson Taylor)

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?”

¹ Save me, O God, by your name;
    vindicate me by your might.
² Hear my prayer, O God;
    listen to the words of my mouth.

³ Arrogant foes are attacking me;
    ruthless people are trying to kill me—
    people without regard for God.

⁴ Surely God is my help;
    the Lord is the one who sustains me.

⁵ Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
    in your faithfulness destroy them.

⁶ I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
    I will praise your name, Lord, for it is good.
⁷ You have delivered me from all my troubles,
    and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes. (NIV)

At the heart of this brief, and beautiful, psalm there is a confident expression of belief in God’s ”help” (4). As the title to this psalm shows, it was written at a time of very real danger, but David had proved God as his very real helper in the past, and he was utterly confident that He would come to his aid again (6,7).

Someone wrote that, ‘Whereas all of Scripture speaks to us, the psalms speak for us.’ Like David, we often find ourselves in tight corners. We regularly feel out of our depth, and overwhelmed by life’s many challenges. But also, along with him, have we not also found God to be our ”help”?

”God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble” (Ps.46:1);

”I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth” (Ps.121:1,2);

”So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Is.41:10);

”¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebs.4:14-16)

” Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
    never will I forsake you.”

⁶ So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?” (Hebs.13:5,6)

PRAYER: Lord, you know what I’m facing, and how weak and small I am. I seek to entrust myself and my needs to you, and I ask for your help.

THOUGHT: Looking to God for help doesn’t mean passivity. We do what we need to do; what we have to do. We accept our responsibilities, but we ask God for His help to do it all.