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"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins" (Mark 2:22)
I will readily admit that I know next to nothing about wine, beloved, other than participating one time in a Passover Seder. But you do not have to be on speaking terms with wine to discover and appreciate a wonderful lesson Jesus taught His disciples using the wine of their day as an illustration.
In Palestine wine was commonly made at home by families. This "fruit of the vine" when fresh was stored in new animal skins so that both the mixture and the skins themselves could expand together. The wine gave off gases as it hung on the wall in the animal skin bag and, thus, caused it to stretch. New wine that was stored safely in the animal skins could be enjoyed by the family, then, to the last drop.
But as Jesus so clearly stated the obvious, no one who knew anything about making and storing wine would ever store it in an old animal skin bag. Animal hide that had become dried out and brittle had lost its capacity to change and to expand and would only rupture with the inner action of the wine and cause its contents to be spilled and lost.
So what was Jesus' point for His listeners and what does this verse reveal to us about our own lives today as Christians? It should be apparent to all of us, beloved, that Jesus is Himself the "new wine" about which He was speaking. When He comes into a believer's heart by faith, He is the "new wine" that is given to us as a sacred deposit. He is the "treasure" stored in our "earthen vessels" (2 Corinthians 4:7) and as such His working within us is to cause us to spiritually "stretch" and "expand." He comes in with a new vitality and needs for us to be so in harmony with His divine presence within that our thoughts and words and deeds are as one. Do you recall what the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome?
"Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4)
"Newness of life" is what the "new wine" of Jesus' life within is all about! We as believers must be in harmony with Him, then, as He seeks to bring about within us this newness of life.
By contrast, I believe that the Pharisees were themselves clear examples of the "old wineskins" about which Jesus cautioned His listeners. They had become so ceremonially religious that their spirits were "brittle" and their hearts "dried out" by their many man-made traditions and by their estimation of their own piety. They could not see Him as their Messiah, God's gift of "new wine," because they were not looking for One who would change them, but for One who would change for them. Consequently, the "new wine" that He brought for them would do them no good. They wanted no part of who He really was!
Today, beloved, we discover a much needed emphasis on the "new creature" (2 Corinthians 5:17) Jesus wants to make us as He comes into our hearts by faith. We cannot be saved and remain the same people we were before we met Him! He is looking for us to change and grow, to stretch and expand in our faith and to be transformed by the presence of the "new wine" that He is within us. We have this Treasure in earthen vessels, beloved! Is yours soft and pliable and moldable, or is it brittle and dried out?
Ron
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
The Wonder of Servant-hood
"Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God" (Romans 1:1)
Servant-hood is such an elusive issue among believers today, beloved! And I am convinced that one reason is surely that we would rather focus more upon our "freedom" in Christ than upon our calling to follow Him as servants. Circumstances in life have recently brought this critical issue back to my mind afresh and with a sense of urgency I want to share what I have discovered in God's Word about it with you.
First of all, here in the verse you see above, the Apostle Paul had no problem whatsoever referring to himself as a "bond-servant" of Jesus Christ. Familiar to all of his readers because of the Roman system of slavery in that day, the word that Paul chose is the Greek doulos and commonly referred to one who was an unwilling and permanent slave to the one who was his master. His will was not his own, his goals were not his own, his words were not his own, and his purpose in living was not his own. In every sense, he lived at the whim of and for the betterment of his master. As those ourselves who are douloi in the 21st century, we should never focus upon our own "rights" or upon our own agenda. Our goal should be and must be to seek the advancement of the One who holds our heart and life in His blood-stained hands.
"Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Corinthians 4:1)
Though translated virtually the same as the word we find in the Roman letter, beloved, in actuality Paul chose an entirely different word in this setting. The Greek huperetes meant literally "under-rower" and was a reference to the Roman galley ships powered by slaves who manned the many oars. And this word did not only refer to slave-rowers, but to the lowest level of rowers. The huperetes found himself manning an oar in the lowest part of the ship. His was the most dangerous and most demeaning level of servitude that one could render. I find in Paul's use of this word, in part at least, a focus upon oneself in relationship to other believers in their service. The apostle's view of himself was always that of ranking himself lower than his brothers and sisters in Christ. As "under-rowers" today, beloved, we are not called upon to think poorly of ourselves but rather not to think of ourselves at all!
"What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one" (1 Corinthians 3:5)
Once more the word in English seems to be very much the same, yet again the apostle has chosen an entirely different one. Here the Greek diakonos was commonly used to refer to a "table waiter." As doulos seems to focus upon the believer's relationship to his Master and huperetes the believer's relationship to other believers, so diakonos seems to focus upon the actual service rendered. Very simply, beloved, no one of us should ever feel that any service for Christ is beneath us. It is the nature of true servants that we do not ever seek the spotlight but are rather satisfied to serve.
Thus, as a doulos of Christ I accept that I am not my own, but that I live at the pleasure of my Lord and Savior and for His glory alone. And as a huperetes I accept that all others are more important than I and I live to push them to the front and to serve them in any way that I can. As a diakonos I am content with my place in the vineyard and find my great joy in the simple act of serving my Lord. What room is there in my life, then, for self-seeking and self-glorification? There is none! That was not the way of a servant of Paul's day and that is not the way of a servant of Jesus Christ today. The service itself is the glory and the glory belongs to Christ!
Ron
Servant-hood is such an elusive issue among believers today, beloved! And I am convinced that one reason is surely that we would rather focus more upon our "freedom" in Christ than upon our calling to follow Him as servants. Circumstances in life have recently brought this critical issue back to my mind afresh and with a sense of urgency I want to share what I have discovered in God's Word about it with you.
First of all, here in the verse you see above, the Apostle Paul had no problem whatsoever referring to himself as a "bond-servant" of Jesus Christ. Familiar to all of his readers because of the Roman system of slavery in that day, the word that Paul chose is the Greek doulos and commonly referred to one who was an unwilling and permanent slave to the one who was his master. His will was not his own, his goals were not his own, his words were not his own, and his purpose in living was not his own. In every sense, he lived at the whim of and for the betterment of his master. As those ourselves who are douloi in the 21st century, we should never focus upon our own "rights" or upon our own agenda. Our goal should be and must be to seek the advancement of the One who holds our heart and life in His blood-stained hands.
"Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Corinthians 4:1)
Though translated virtually the same as the word we find in the Roman letter, beloved, in actuality Paul chose an entirely different word in this setting. The Greek huperetes meant literally "under-rower" and was a reference to the Roman galley ships powered by slaves who manned the many oars. And this word did not only refer to slave-rowers, but to the lowest level of rowers. The huperetes found himself manning an oar in the lowest part of the ship. His was the most dangerous and most demeaning level of servitude that one could render. I find in Paul's use of this word, in part at least, a focus upon oneself in relationship to other believers in their service. The apostle's view of himself was always that of ranking himself lower than his brothers and sisters in Christ. As "under-rowers" today, beloved, we are not called upon to think poorly of ourselves but rather not to think of ourselves at all!
"What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one" (1 Corinthians 3:5)
Once more the word in English seems to be very much the same, yet again the apostle has chosen an entirely different one. Here the Greek diakonos was commonly used to refer to a "table waiter." As doulos seems to focus upon the believer's relationship to his Master and huperetes the believer's relationship to other believers, so diakonos seems to focus upon the actual service rendered. Very simply, beloved, no one of us should ever feel that any service for Christ is beneath us. It is the nature of true servants that we do not ever seek the spotlight but are rather satisfied to serve.
Thus, as a doulos of Christ I accept that I am not my own, but that I live at the pleasure of my Lord and Savior and for His glory alone. And as a huperetes I accept that all others are more important than I and I live to push them to the front and to serve them in any way that I can. As a diakonos I am content with my place in the vineyard and find my great joy in the simple act of serving my Lord. What room is there in my life, then, for self-seeking and self-glorification? There is none! That was not the way of a servant of Paul's day and that is not the way of a servant of Jesus Christ today. The service itself is the glory and the glory belongs to Christ!
Ron
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Satisfied When He's Glorified
"For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake" (2 Corinthians 4:5)
As I think about the subject that faces us here, beloved, I recall with fondness a "message-magnet" that I found years ago in a small Christian bookstore. It read simply: "When the Master is glorified, the servant is satisfied." So taken was I with that powerful message that I bought the magnet and placed it on the dashboard of my car as a daily reminder of my purpose in life.
The Apostle Paul often referred to himself as a "bond-servant" and here confirms that every true believer is, in fact, a "bond-servant" of Jesus Christ. The Greek word doulos referred to a level of servitude common in that day in which the "servant" was one who had no personal rights of his own. His every moment was lived in service to his master, in pursuit of what his master wanted, in support of what his master said. It is fascinating that this is the very word which the apostle chose to describe not only his own service as a follower of Jesus Christ, but also that of every true believer of every generation.
Note first that he declared of a doulos that he does not promote himself in place of his Master. It is Jesus Christ who is Lord and it is He who commands us implicitly and completely. It is His message that we proclaim and His good that we seek daily. For us as Christians today, then, nothing is about us and everything is about Him and His glory.
But note also that Paul told the Corinthian believers that once we establish the reality that Jesus Christ is Lord in our lives, what is cleared up for us immediately is that we are the bond-servants of Jesus Christ and we live and serve at His pleasure. How often do we as Christians struggle today with this personal identity crisis! Somehow we think that serving Christ is about us - our recognition and our glory. Yet even as we express such an attitude, the truth is that we are but douloi or "bond-servants" of Jesus Christ.
If we could just come to realize and accept who we really are within God's wondrous plan, beloved, our role would become clear and our joy would be complete just in the privilege of serving the King of Kings. Or as my little message-magnet put it so clearly: "When the Master is glorified, the servant is satisfied."
Ron
As I think about the subject that faces us here, beloved, I recall with fondness a "message-magnet" that I found years ago in a small Christian bookstore. It read simply: "When the Master is glorified, the servant is satisfied." So taken was I with that powerful message that I bought the magnet and placed it on the dashboard of my car as a daily reminder of my purpose in life.
The Apostle Paul often referred to himself as a "bond-servant" and here confirms that every true believer is, in fact, a "bond-servant" of Jesus Christ. The Greek word doulos referred to a level of servitude common in that day in which the "servant" was one who had no personal rights of his own. His every moment was lived in service to his master, in pursuit of what his master wanted, in support of what his master said. It is fascinating that this is the very word which the apostle chose to describe not only his own service as a follower of Jesus Christ, but also that of every true believer of every generation.
Note first that he declared of a doulos that he does not promote himself in place of his Master. It is Jesus Christ who is Lord and it is He who commands us implicitly and completely. It is His message that we proclaim and His good that we seek daily. For us as Christians today, then, nothing is about us and everything is about Him and His glory.
But note also that Paul told the Corinthian believers that once we establish the reality that Jesus Christ is Lord in our lives, what is cleared up for us immediately is that we are the bond-servants of Jesus Christ and we live and serve at His pleasure. How often do we as Christians struggle today with this personal identity crisis! Somehow we think that serving Christ is about us - our recognition and our glory. Yet even as we express such an attitude, the truth is that we are but douloi or "bond-servants" of Jesus Christ.
If we could just come to realize and accept who we really are within God's wondrous plan, beloved, our role would become clear and our joy would be complete just in the privilege of serving the King of Kings. Or as my little message-magnet put it so clearly: "When the Master is glorified, the servant is satisfied."
Ron
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Proof through the Roof!
"And being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying" (Mark 2:4)
I am deeply indebted to my son for once again intuitively knowing just what to call this week's devotional thoughts! Surely you are all familiar with the story of the four men who brought a paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing. Unable to get through to Him because of the press of the crowd in and around the house in which Jesus was teaching, they carried their burden up to the roof and tore up the mud bricks in order to make a hole large enough to accommodate the pallet on which the man was lying. They then lowered him gently until he lay at the feet of Jesus. And Jesus not only healed him of his paralysis, but forgave him of his sins as well to the amazement of the crowd and the great dismay of the religious leaders also gathered in that place.
That all clearly understood, what struck my attention was at least three key principles that were at work in this miraculous encounter. Knowing the story, then, note with me first of all that these four men were willing to go to where the needy one was. How often today do we as the church of Jesus Christ sit in our worship centers and hope that those in need will come through our doors, hear the gospel, and be saved? It is clearly the will and way of Jesus for us today to follow their example - to go wherever people are in need to meet them at the point of their greatest need and share with them the unsearchable riches of God's grace.
Note also in this incident that the four men were willing to see their mission through to the end. When confronted by those that were unwilling to allow them to pass, they became "creative" in their thinking and took the man up to the roof. How many of us today would have thought of such an innovative approach to reaching Jesus? What we must realize today, beloved, is that what worked yesterday may not work today. We need to "think outside the box" in ministering the grace of God to those around us.
Note finally that these men were willing to pay the cost of bringing their friend to Jesus. Remember that they had torn a major hole in a man's roof! They could not simply go home and leave it that way. So either they repaired the roof themselves or they paid someone else to do it. How often today are we as the church of Jesus Christ willing to shoulder the cost of ministry? How often is the "missions" part of the budget the first thing cut when it is determined that reductions must be made? Beloved, if we are going to be successful in taking the gospel to our world, we must be willing to "pay for the hole in the roof"!
Are we willing today to go anywhere to meet anyone who is in need of God's grace? And are we willing to be creative in the methods we use for extending the gospel to the lost? Finally, are we willing to pay the cost of ministry, whatever it is, and consider it but a trifle just to see even one person brought into the kingdom of God? How well can you see the "proof through the roof" of people willing to do whatever it takes to bring one person to Jesus Christ?
Ron
I am deeply indebted to my son for once again intuitively knowing just what to call this week's devotional thoughts! Surely you are all familiar with the story of the four men who brought a paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing. Unable to get through to Him because of the press of the crowd in and around the house in which Jesus was teaching, they carried their burden up to the roof and tore up the mud bricks in order to make a hole large enough to accommodate the pallet on which the man was lying. They then lowered him gently until he lay at the feet of Jesus. And Jesus not only healed him of his paralysis, but forgave him of his sins as well to the amazement of the crowd and the great dismay of the religious leaders also gathered in that place.
That all clearly understood, what struck my attention was at least three key principles that were at work in this miraculous encounter. Knowing the story, then, note with me first of all that these four men were willing to go to where the needy one was. How often today do we as the church of Jesus Christ sit in our worship centers and hope that those in need will come through our doors, hear the gospel, and be saved? It is clearly the will and way of Jesus for us today to follow their example - to go wherever people are in need to meet them at the point of their greatest need and share with them the unsearchable riches of God's grace.
Note also in this incident that the four men were willing to see their mission through to the end. When confronted by those that were unwilling to allow them to pass, they became "creative" in their thinking and took the man up to the roof. How many of us today would have thought of such an innovative approach to reaching Jesus? What we must realize today, beloved, is that what worked yesterday may not work today. We need to "think outside the box" in ministering the grace of God to those around us.
Note finally that these men were willing to pay the cost of bringing their friend to Jesus. Remember that they had torn a major hole in a man's roof! They could not simply go home and leave it that way. So either they repaired the roof themselves or they paid someone else to do it. How often today are we as the church of Jesus Christ willing to shoulder the cost of ministry? How often is the "missions" part of the budget the first thing cut when it is determined that reductions must be made? Beloved, if we are going to be successful in taking the gospel to our world, we must be willing to "pay for the hole in the roof"!
Are we willing today to go anywhere to meet anyone who is in need of God's grace? And are we willing to be creative in the methods we use for extending the gospel to the lost? Finally, are we willing to pay the cost of ministry, whatever it is, and consider it but a trifle just to see even one person brought into the kingdom of God? How well can you see the "proof through the roof" of people willing to do whatever it takes to bring one person to Jesus Christ?
Ron
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Something Satan Doesn't Want You to Know
"And just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, 'What do we have to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are - the Holy One of God!'" (Mark 1:23-24)
I wasn't quite sure what to entitle this week's devotional thoughts, beloved. I considered something like A Great Sermon from a Bad Spirit and then Three Things the Devil Knows that He Doesn't Want You to Know. As you can see here, I opted for a shorter version of the second choice. Whatever it might have been called, however, one thing is sure. Here are three truths of which the enemy is convinced but which he hopes you and I never learn!
Note first here what the demon that confronted Jesus in the synagogue in Capernaum said to Him as he railed against His presence there. In his question concerning what they had to do with Him, we discover the glorious truth that the holy and the unholy have absolutely nothing in common! Do you recall what the Apostle Paul wrote to the saints in Corinth about this very issue?
"Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?" (2 Corinthians 6:14-15)
As darkness is merely the total absence of light, beloved, so personal righteousness and unrighteousness have nothing whatsoever in common. We cannot walk both sides of the street as Christians and still expect that we shall be witnesses of God's grace to others.
Secondly, the demon asked Jesus if He had come to destroy them all. In that question put to the Master he acknowledged clearly that Satan knows for certain that he has already been defeated. Jesus made that truth completely clear Himself when He said of the Holy Spirit:
"And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you no longer behold Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged" (John 16:8-11)
So we discover thus far, beloved, that the holy and the unholy have nothing in common and that Satan knows that he has already been judged by God and is a conquered foe - two truths that the enemy certainly does not want the believer to know, much less act upon!
Finally, the demon declared aloud before the entire assembly there in the synagogue that He, Jesus of Nazareth, was in fact "the Holy One of God." In other words, that minion of Satan acknowledged openly that Jesus is Lord!
"Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11)
Our personal righteousness as Christians can have nothing to do with the unrighteousness of this sinful world!
Satan is, beyond all else that he may boast to be, a defeated foe!
And whatever we face at whatever time in life, Jesus is Lord!
No wonder that the devil does not want us to know these truths or to act upon them in our daily living, beloved! My prayer is that you not only know these things but that you are living them out for the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom!
Ron
I wasn't quite sure what to entitle this week's devotional thoughts, beloved. I considered something like A Great Sermon from a Bad Spirit and then Three Things the Devil Knows that He Doesn't Want You to Know. As you can see here, I opted for a shorter version of the second choice. Whatever it might have been called, however, one thing is sure. Here are three truths of which the enemy is convinced but which he hopes you and I never learn!
Note first here what the demon that confronted Jesus in the synagogue in Capernaum said to Him as he railed against His presence there. In his question concerning what they had to do with Him, we discover the glorious truth that the holy and the unholy have absolutely nothing in common! Do you recall what the Apostle Paul wrote to the saints in Corinth about this very issue?
"Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?" (2 Corinthians 6:14-15)
As darkness is merely the total absence of light, beloved, so personal righteousness and unrighteousness have nothing whatsoever in common. We cannot walk both sides of the street as Christians and still expect that we shall be witnesses of God's grace to others.
Secondly, the demon asked Jesus if He had come to destroy them all. In that question put to the Master he acknowledged clearly that Satan knows for certain that he has already been defeated. Jesus made that truth completely clear Himself when He said of the Holy Spirit:
"And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you no longer behold Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged" (John 16:8-11)
So we discover thus far, beloved, that the holy and the unholy have nothing in common and that Satan knows that he has already been judged by God and is a conquered foe - two truths that the enemy certainly does not want the believer to know, much less act upon!
Finally, the demon declared aloud before the entire assembly there in the synagogue that He, Jesus of Nazareth, was in fact "the Holy One of God." In other words, that minion of Satan acknowledged openly that Jesus is Lord!
"Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11)
Our personal righteousness as Christians can have nothing to do with the unrighteousness of this sinful world!
Satan is, beyond all else that he may boast to be, a defeated foe!
And whatever we face at whatever time in life, Jesus is Lord!
No wonder that the devil does not want us to know these truths or to act upon them in our daily living, beloved! My prayer is that you not only know these things but that you are living them out for the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom!
Ron
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