Your Legacy ...

How are you known?  If you were to be described by your co-workers in a candid conversation, what kinds of things would they say about you?  Would it be the same kinds of things your family would say, or perhaps better, or perhaps worse.  Does your community even know who you are, or like me, do you sit in obscurity barely known by the neighbors on both sides of you, let alone by a wider more public audience in whom you have expressed little interest.  What we do, is so often consumed with activity we feel is essential to our survival, that any “spare” time is usually spent in veins of entertainment.  Well at least for me it is.  I class entertainment time, spent with my family, as “down” time where my stress is relieved.  But few would know that except my family who also participate.  None of this adds up to the actions of my life creating a legacy of any note.  And as I look around me, I wonder, am I alone in this behavior, or do I mimic the countless members of my community, or my nation, who seem equally content not reaching out to me, as I am apparently content, leaving them alone.  We each pursue our own lives, believing that is enough.  It has become the expected, the norm, the natural.  To disrupt this thinking, is to invite the unknown.

What would happen, if I began taking the time each early evening to go up and down my street and begin knocking on a single door each evening, to simply check in with my neighbors.  To introduce myself, to offer any assistance I may be of help with, to invite them to open up with me, and begin sharing who we are with each other.  I am certain not all my neighbors would like me.  Even more would not appreciate being taken away from the normal activities they engage in, to be diverted to a neighbor who just wants to get to know you.  Some might call the police, afraid of my actions as they are so far out of the norm.  Some would likely slam the door in my face and ask me (not so politely) to never return.  Most would probably figure I was probably one of those horrible persistent missionaries nobody likes; and treat me accordingly.  Even if this was not my purpose.  If I was not a nagging missionary, then the next most likely thing for me to be would be a sales-person, trying to make money off our encounter.  That is nearly zero percent effective.  But if neither of those, I get classed with the criminals.  Our neighborhood is not one of great wealth, it is one of great need.  And if I am not trying to bring Jesus, or make money, I am likely trying to steal the little stuff you have, because I believe the little stuff I have is even less.

This is me, trying to get acquainted with my neighbors.  Or at least, what I believe would happen.  But then, I cannot say for sure, because I have never really tried it.  To really try it, would require I get up off the sofa (or in my case, the reclining chair that makes my back feel comfy), and do something.  And what would be my motive to do so?  Fame?  Am I looking only to be known, so that I could create a legacy for when I die, in which the little community that surrounds where I live might actually miss me; or say nice things about me.  Salvation?  Am I looking to prove to God, that His investment in me, His decision to love me enough to save me, was not misplaced.  Am I looking to earn a place in His kingdom, to satisfy the idea of being known for my works and therefore meet the minimum requirements of entry into heaven.  There are a number of texts that seem to espouse this idea.  Love?  Can’t say I have an over-abiding passion for any of my neighbors, or community yet.  Most of my love seems directed at me, or perhaps my family.  So how could this become the motive that rules my life, to the point where it rules my actions.

Matthew in his gospel to the Hebrews, zooms in on just such a set of texts.  They come from the mouth of Jesus Himself.  Picking up in chapter sixteen and verse 24 it reads … “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”  Pay special attention to the sequence of these proscriptions.  The very first idea is an interest in following Jesus, a response to the great transformative love of Jesus.  The ability of Jesus to heal you, not just your body, but in your soul, to free you from the sin you now embrace, and make your life something different, that is, something way better, than it is today.  Without this interest, why bother with the rest.  Next is the concept of absolute submission.  Submission not to some random guru, or to a random philosophy or idea, and particularly not to the idea that “you” can fix your own problems.  This is submission of who you are, to Jesus Christ alone who can fix who you are. 

The denial of self, is the recognition that what you like, is probably not the best.  What you like, leads to why you do what you do, and your motives are a long way from being in harmony with God, and in harmony with the law of God.  Your motives, are why you sin at all.  Your actions, are only a symptom of your motives.  It is the who you are underneath, it is the what you like in the core of your mind, that is the problem in what you do, and why you do it.  “You” cannot just fix that.  But Jesus can, if you but submit to Him.  You will note in this sequence of events Jesus has yet to discuss action.  First there is love, and a response to love.  Second there is a transformation of who you are through submission to Him.  Now thirdly in the sequence is finally something to do with actions, in the taking up your cross.  That cross is not meant to show an instant death.  Nope, it is worse than that.  It means as you become more like Jesus through submitting your will, your desire to Jesus, you begin to reflect Jesus more and more strongly.  This reaches a point where when others look at you, they see Jesus shining brightly through you.  And how did the world react before at this revelation – they immediately tried to torture and kill it.  If you are that vehicle of the love of Jesus, you should start planning that there is a “cross” in your future.

This is not about self-mutilation; or trying to get to the sleep of death as quickly as possible, so you can fast forward to the return of Jesus.  This is about how the world responds to perfect love.  This is about how those who refuse the love of Jesus react to the love of Jesus.  They hate it.  As does their master, the devil who also hates it.  The world does not reward you for your love, it punishes you for it.  “No good deed” … on steroids.  The world crafts a cross with your name on it as quickly as it can.  The world attempts to take from you whatever you have – whether that is career, or wealth, or reputation, or legacy.  Satan has no use for those who submit themselves to Jesus, so he does everything in his power to keep this from happening.  He distracts as much as he can, makes you believe there is no time for this, or any reason for this.  You should “like” yourself just as you are.  You should insure “you” are taken care of, before you try taking care of anyone else.  These lies of Satan are effective, and exist within the church, to great effect.

But for those who simply look to Jesus for the strength to bear this cross, they reach the final stage of the sequence, they begin to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.  It is at this point where the love of my neighbors has nothing to do with Fame, or Legacy, or Salvation – it has only to do with a love that burns within me to see my neighbors have a better life, and my desire to see that happen, and do what I can to insure it.  It is only after my transformation is something fully in the hands of Jesus, where I care less about me, and more about others (not just my family, but also including them).  If I attempt to take the actions ahead of the motives, I am bound to fail miserably.  The sequence is the roadmap to success.  My attempt to take shortcuts, or ignore the submission part, is the recipe for abject failure on every level.  The common sense of man, is never a greater wisdom than what God asks, even when that does not make sense to us.

Jesus continues in verse 25 saying … “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”  My survival is actually not important.  The survival of my family is actually not the most important thing in my life, or should it be in theirs.  I know this reads like heresy, but hang with me.  My survival is not in my hands.  In Truth, it has never been so.  I survive, or I die, at the will of Jesus, and so does my family.  This earthly life is not really the most important thing there is in my existence.  In fact, it is the sucky part.  My eternal life is really the only thing that matters, or should matter to me and my family.  Recognizing that Jesus always has been in control, is the recipe for having a full life now.  Since my life has never really been in my control, the obsession I have with actions designed for my survival can no longer be my obsession.  I can learn to trust Jesus more for my survival, because Jesus has always been in charge of my survival no matter what I thought I was doing to sustain it.  Since Jesus has always been the reason behind my family’s survival, I can learn to trust Jesus with their survival and assume less, that I am somehow the only reason for it.  It has been, it always will be Jesus, who sustains me, my family, and all life.  Not just in this world, but in the world to come.  The recognition of this fact, allows me to prioritize differently in the here and now, and keeps the fear out of my head.

Knowing my survival is in sure hands; knowing that this life is not even the most important thing; combines to allow me to take the actions that are in harmony with the will of God, without fear.  I can prioritize Jesus first, and if it costs me my life, then so be it.  There is nothing more important than Jesus then.  And no other place to look to find life in any case.  That is freedom.  That is a liberation in how you live both now and later.  It is adopting the philosophy and knowledge of heaven, back here, in the here and now.  Jesus then poses a question to show us the gravity of what is at stake with our priorities.  He continues in verse 26 saying … “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”  All our efforts to survive; all our efforts to excel in our careers, to find the wealth we all seek; what good is it?  What good is our wealth, knowing our death comes.  You can’t take it with you … is a truism that will one day confront us all.  While we may believe that wealth in the here and now will make our lives better, in truth it only adds burden, and solves nothing next to the life we could have in the world to come.

Really think about it for a moment.  Assume you were suddenly made a billionaire.  Yes, you could immediately buy anything you wanted.  You could live any way you wanted.  But then, how would you ever know you were loved from that moment on.  Many would profess their love to you, but how many would do so, because of the billions they believed you might share with them.  You could eat anything you wanted, or liked, all the time.  But then, how healthy is the diet you aspire to?  Would turning you loose in Whole Foods kill you from an overuse of a few particular foods instead of the widest variety you could find.  And could you ever eat in peace again, knowing if you suddenly became sick or died (perhaps from poison), your wealth would transfer to someone who loves you less than they profess, and loves your money almost exclusively.  You could travel anywhere in the world you wanted.  But how many security people would you have to hire to keep you safe?  Could you trust them?  Could you enjoy the rest of your life knowing privacy was no longer something you could afford, and still be safe from the criminals looking to cash in on your funds?  Having wealth seems like a dream, and perhaps it could be, but it also introduces problems you may not have ever considered, and risks you did not think possible before.

And at the end of everything when you face your death – was being a billionaire worth more to you, than having an eternal life where a mere trillion dollars is like carrying two pennies in your pocket.  Imagine being able to eat anything, and have every bite be like a new symphony of taste, better than the meal before it.  Imagine being deeply loved by so many you lose count of them all.  Imagine being able to travel not just anywhere in this world, but anywhere in the ever-expanding universe, not just in a crude private jet made out of parts that fail, but at the speed of thought and intent – 100% safe every trip, and at every destination.  And this is just the tip of the iceberg where it comes to life in the next world.  We have not even touched on the proximity to Jesus and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, and the endless creations Jesus has made and will make. 

Jesus then reminds us that these events, and these conditions of life are in fact coming.  He continues in verse 27 saying … “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”  Jesus will return with His angels.  In the Glory of His Father, not as a simple baby born in a manger once again.  When He returns, He will be revealed as the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.  His love will be His glory.  His benevolence the reason He is glorified.  When this event happens your second life, the life after this one will begin.  The legacy of who you were will be washed away, in the dazzling brilliance of who you are meant to become.  The universe will be laid out before you.  Your possibility limited only by your own now perfect imagination, and perfected motives.  It is that reward that will accompany the next visit of our Jesus to this world of darkness.

So how do you read the phrase “then He shall reward every man according to his works”.  The traditional interpretation focuses your mind on the word “works”, as if that one was somehow bolded. It is read as if your entry into the kingdom depends upon what you have done.  Let us focus on this interpretation just for a moment.  The same series of texts has already outlined how what you will have done, what your legacy looks like to Jesus, will have been molded, changed, by your interest in Jesus, your submission to Jesus, your reflection of who Jesus is, through you, and finally your following of Jesus.  You will have taken the steps Jesus wanted you to take, not the ones you had in mind for yourself.  This same series of texts from the mouth of Jesus, lays out the entire roadmap for heaven, not just a threat couched at the end of it.  This is not about what “could” be denied to you because you did not live up to the actions you were supposed to do.  This is about REWARDS not punishments.

Now re-consider a second look at the same verse.  What if you focused on what Jesus said at the top of the phrase as if the word “rewards” was somehow bolded.  “He shall reward every man according to his works”  Perhaps the triumphant return of Jesus to this world signals a new life, a new purpose for you.  Perhaps His reward for you is based on who you are then, on the uniqueness of your transformed likes, dislikes, interests, aptitudes, and needs the kingdom of heaven has for one created exactly like you.  You are a unique creation throughout all of time.  You are one of a kind.  There is no replacement for you.  You are intended for a purpose only you can fulfill.  If you reject Jesus, reject His love, reject His transformation, and work your way to hell through constant rejection – heaven and the universe will have to go without the contribution you might have made.  But that is not the focus of this text.  The focus is upon rewards based upon the unique composition of who you are.  Your legacy is not meant to look backwards at the second coming of Christ.  It is meant to look forwards.  Your legacy is not about who you were, in a world embraced in darkness.  It is about who you will be, who you were always intended to be, in a world bathed in the light of God the Father Himself.  Your transformation is meant to the introduce the changes in you that will make you ready for just such a new world.

That is an entirely different perspective, but no less centered, in keeping the focus upon Jesus – the certain only mechanism to see you achieve it.  Notice these rewards (whether perceived as threat for inaction, or as reward according to who you will become) do not occur randomly at the return of some guru, or some demon in human form claiming to be Moses, or Elijah.  They only occur when Jesus Himself returns with His angels, in the Glory of His Father’s brilliance.  The whole world will see that at once.  The whole world will know it at once.  It will not be hidden, or broadcast on some news outlet.  You will see it for yourself.  And the person returning will be Jesus, not an imposter, but the real Jesus.  This is what your legacy was meant to bear witness to.  This is what the transformation of your life, through the love of Jesus you find yourself fully submitting to, was meant to prepare you for, and put you in harmony with.  Let us create a legacy, that is grounded in our personal submission to Jesus.  Let our actions come from what is transformed in that process.  And let it ever point forward to this wonderful event, leading others to center their eyes ever on Jesus, and what is to come.  To focus on our works, is to look the wrong way.  To focus on Jesus, is to see it occur in you.

 

I Can Eat Anything? ...

Clean versus Unclean … have the rules changed?  To begin, we need to understand extremes so that subtleties make more sense.  Assuming the new rule is that I can eat or drink anything – then it would be permissible to brew up a batch of Clorox soup.  It would be fatal, but permissible.  It would be stupid but permissible.  It lacks all common sense, therefore easily falls into the extreme’s category.  But what about eating duck versus chicken, or pork versus beef?  Sorry to be the harbinger of “bad” news but the same logic applies.  If it is permissible to eat things that are bad for us – even though it may prove fatal over time, and it may prove stupid over time.  Then is “permissibility” the true standard we should be aiming for, or is intelligent choices a better route to go?  As for Biblical permissibility there are a few interesting ideas to keep in mind.  God does not change (nor do His admonitions and laws).  God tells us what is good for us, because He LOVES us, not because He is trying to make our lives miserable.  Adam was given counsel about what to eat, and way back then, there were things he and Eve were not supposed to eat.  Disobeying that initial dietary counsel had profound negative impacts, even though it did not immediately kill them both.

At the point of the flood, a conveniently ignored fact in most Hollywood movies of this event, is that the animals considered “clean” by God to eat, entered the ark in groups of seven, NOT two by two.  God knew that our need of “clean” meat would / should exceed our “need” of unclean.  So the post-flood era would begin with a larger “herd” of the clean animals than the unclean.  Israel under Moses was re-given the councils with regards to diet, as father-to-son traditions had broken down by then.  So it was written down.  The faithful Israelites even in captivity by Nebuchadnezzar refused “unclean” foods, in addition foods offered to other gods.  And when Jesus arrives, his diet is simple and kosher.  Jesus enjoys pressed grapes to drink (unfermented as the language of earlier Biblical manuscripts reveal).  He also enjoys the foods served at traditional feasts, lamb, fish, pita bread, olives, oil, vinegar and simple herbs.  His example is not one of extravagance or of changing the dietary prescriptions that existed for 4000 years.  At the end of all things, it is hard to imagine that in heaven, we will still be killing God’s creations, in order to keep our thirst for meat alive.  I seem to recall something about “death itself” being cast into that lake of fire and being consumed (i.e. no more death). 

So considering that our Creator had a reason for us to segregate into our diet, clean things, and unclean things – He loves us – and He would know – Why would He change His own rules later on, when conditions in our world would only be worse?  Even the practice of animal sacrifice ended at the first coming of the Messiah (the Lamb of the world).  Hard to imagine that elective killing would be encouraged, let alone expanding that practice into animals He knows are not good for us.  There is however another way to examine the clean versus unclean question.  As crazy as it sounds, how about how “clean” you are when you sit down to eat?  If you work in an office doing “indoor” work, the chances of you getting filthy are probably limited.  So when your lunch break arrives, if you open up your sack take out a sandwich and begin eating, you probably start this meal fairly clean.  The invention of hand sanitizer bolsters that.

However, if you work outdoors, and if your work requires you to touch things that don’t exactly build an appetite in you – then perhaps cleaning up before you eat is a better practice.  This is not a rules thing.  This is simply a common-sense thing.  You wash car grease off your hands before you grab that sandwich because you do not want to taste car grease while you eat.  Same for a dozen other professions where it makes more sense to clean your hands before you eat.  This was the case back in the days of Jesus, and for centuries before that.  But the Pharisees were not content to stay with common sense ideas.  They took the common sense and made it uncommon and excessive.  Then they made that tradition.  Then they made that part of their law.  If it was a good idea to wash your hands once before eating, why not do it twice just to make sure?  And if 2 times was better, why not 3?  And over time washing becomes a full-time activity.  So it was in the days of Jesus.

In his gospel to the Hebrews Matthew discusses an incident in chapter fifteen where the Pharisees tried to use the failure of the disciples from not washing their hands before a meal, as a failure of following the law.  But Jesus instructed them that tradition is not the same as His Law, and their doctrine was in error.  This was not meant to be a wholesale endorsement of never cleaning yourself up before you eat.  Let’s face it, foot washing was not just a meaningless tradition back then, it was done to kill the ugly odor of feet in a room before you sat down to eat.  But Jesus was trying to make a point that failing to wash up is not a cardinal sin.  On this topic Matthew recalls the discussion picking up in verse 10 saying … “And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: [verse 11] Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”

This profound statement was no more about clean and unclean meats as it was about throwing up as being a sin.  This was about taking common sense, creating tradition out of it, then elevating that tradition to being equal with God’s law.  Man does not get to do that.  We are not the same as God.  And what comes out of a man’s mouth (i.e. what he says, and usually what he does that follows that speech of intent) is not predetermined by his diet, or how clean his hands were before he eats.  Washing your hands 5 times before you eat does not make your heart any more loving – it may even have the opposite effect of being annoyed at a God you believed requires this of you.  The hands of the Pharisees who presumably followed this tradition were clean, yet stained with the blood of Christ they intended to, and then did, kill.  The connection was not there.  And while God’s dietary prescriptions of clean and unclean remain, these prescriptions were designed for our well-being because He loves us.  Staying to a kosher diet however, does not make you sinless either.  Making good dietary choices does not keep your heart free from sin, any more than eating Clorox soup does (though you won’t have long to think about how stupid a choice that was after doing it).

But as predictable as the seasons, the Pharisees were pissed off at this revelation.  So much so, that the disciples could visibly see it in them.  They felt the need to warn Jesus about it.  Matthew continues in verse 12 saying … “Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? [verse 13] But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. [verse 14] Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”  Yikes!!  This response should reach into your heart and shake it to the roots.  Forget the Pharisees, this has a direct meaning to you and I.  Jesus says every plant (note the absence of meat … just saying) – which my Father has not planted shall be rooted up.  Think about this in terms of modern Christianity.  The Pharisees were the church leaders of their day in the “right” church.  But they were not planted by God.  You or I may be a church leader, or church member of what we believe is the right church today – but NOT be planted by God.

Instead we are planted by tradition, by following our guidelines and standards, by believing in scripture.  All the while we have never had a personal experience with Jesus.  We refuse to submit our will to His, just like our Pharisee forefathers, and we deceive ourselves that we are part of the “in crowd” where it comes to the kingdom of heaven.  Yet we are far from it.  We are destined to be rooted up.  The next thing Jesus says is “let them alone”.  This is scarier still.  The disciples who have the truth, because they know the Truth – are instructed to leave the Pharisees alone, i.e. don’t waste your time on them.  Could our certainty of who we are, and what we believe be so cemented in our minds, that people around us with the Truth cannot break through to us?  Have we embraced our blindness through our certainty so strongly that we will refuse to let it go, even when the Truth stands in front of us, because it does not conform with what we already believe?  In so doing we are blind, leading other blind, right into the ditch, and nowhere near His kingdom.

Peter is nervous.  He senses there may be a real problem here with beliefs he has long held to.  So he wants a little more clarification.  What an excellent idea!!!  Would it not be awesome, if we would let go of our certainty and instead keep asking Jesus for a little more clarification.  Matthew continues in verse 15 saying … “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. [verse 16] And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? [verse 17] Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?”  Part one of the response of Jesus begins by discussing our digestive process.  What we eat goes into our stomach and comes out in our poo.  It has nothing to do with how we love.  Of course this does not mean we get to eat Clorox soup because that would be bad for us, and Jesus loves us too much to see us eat such things.  The same could be said for unclean foods that take longer to kill us, or harm us, and Jesus would still want us to avoid them.  But eating something stupid still does not have an immediate effect on how you love.  Consuming a little dirt on your hands wont either.

Jesus continues  in verse 18 saying … “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. [verse 19] For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: [verse 20] These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.”  And there it is.  What we say, expresses an intent of our heart.  And those intentions, and motives, are what defile us.  The last part of verse 20 should clarify specifically that “not” washing our hands does not defile us.  Especially washing our hands multiple times.  This entire passage in Matthew has NOT been about clean and unclean foods.  It has been about clean and unclean hands before we eat.  Those who would use this passage in an attempt to justify eating anything, are trying to get a pass on the admonitions of a God who loves you and wants only what is best for you.  Better to trash the bacon and trust the Lord, than to keep downing the bacon thinking your own dietary wisdom exceeds that of your God.  It doesn’t.

This passage is about surrendering your will to God, to Jesus, and letting Him adjust your desires whatever they may be.  Removing those intentions that are not the best; and replacing them with ones that are.  Developing tastes for foods that are good for you; and removing tastes for foods that are bent on destroying you.  Not focusing on the superficial of washing your hands and thinking you are clean, but instead having Jesus clean you from the inside out.  Changing your motives and teaching you how to love.  Will you hear?  Will you listen and understand?  Or have your already become the Pharisee, so certain in your likes and dislikes, and certain in your beliefs you will hear none other?

 

The Motives of God [part two] ...

The questions regarding the character of God must be answered; not for the universe who witnessed their fulfillment at Calvary, but for us who continue to ask “why”.  In our previous study John began his final revelation of Jesus Christ.  While it was not steeped in fantastic imagery and prophetic symbolism, it was in simple and plain speech.  It was meant for us to understand.  It was a simple answer to the complex question we ask of “why”.  We resume our study in the final 22^nd chapter of Revelations, it is here at the end of what would become the compilation of scripture we know as the Bible, that the last prophet of scripture would again reveal the motives of God clearly.

John writes in verse 12 ... “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. [verse 13] I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”  Here again is the promise of God, that He is coming back to retrieve us, to reconcile us to Himself.  This world is not our home.  A perfected character within us is His reward.  An eternal life of service and love to others is His reward.  He is the beginning of our salvation from ourselves, He is the Alpha.  He is the ending of our salvation from ourselves, He will see it completed in us, He is Omega.  He loved us First.  He will love us Last.  He is the reason we seek to see ourselves changed into His image.  It is His love that draws us.  It is the power of His love that will change us, and make us into the creations He intended us to be.  His “reward” is not punitive.  This is not another veiled threat for the disobedient.  It is a promise of close proximity for those who have permitted Him to save them, and claim them as His own.  There is no higher calling the in the gospel than that of redemption.

John continues in verse 14 … “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”  Blessed are they.  We could easily define blessed as “relieved”.  We could define it as “fortunate”.  We could define it as “lucky” or “gifted”.  Blessed is not about the attainment of wealth.  Blessed is about a recognition that in having been transformed from the former things we used to want, we are now FREE to live another way.  We are free from the chains that bound us to pain and death, and able to live for loving others, in the perfect freedom to serve others.  In this context, the commandments are automatic.  In the context of perfect love for others, the commandments are not nearly enough of a definition for loving God, and loving others.  Our “right” to the tree of life and entry into the holy city our home is intended to be, is not founded upon our own will, or actions, but upon our complete transformation wrought by Him within us.  We are permitted entry, and given the fruit of the tree of life, because we no longer want sin in any part of our hearts, minds, or lives.  We are free from sin.  We are made free from it by Christ.  We automatically keep the commandments now, because loving others is “who” HE made us to be.  There is no part of the definition of love contained in His commandments that is foreign to us, or a problem or us.  They are inherent in our thoughts and desires, for our desires have been transformed by Christ.  We are safe to admit into the perfection of our heavenly home, because our desires have been perfected within us by our Savior Jesus Christ.

We LONG to spend a special day with our God, where He takes the time off to be with us.  We would not consider taking His name in vein.  We love Him above all else.  He is first to us.  There is no other.  For our fellow man, we would not consider taking or coveting anything they own.  Instead we long to give them anything that might make them the least bit happier.  We do not lust, or consider adultery, or in any way wish to break the special bond of intimacy that is shared with our own spouse, but instead we prize and treasure this bond of unity above all others.  We love our parents and think only how we might serve them better.  We never want to see death again, nor pain of any kind.  We would gladly give everything we own to God, or anyone in need, 10% is 90% too little.  We do not wish our appetites to cause any of Gods creations to suffer or die; instead we would gladly eat anything he provides to us in whatever form it comes.  We are no longer governed by the chains of self-love, but have the perfect freedom to love others alone, and God most of all.

This is HOW we were made to live.  This is how life was meant to be.  This is what we will one day come to embrace as natural to us, instead of a struggle for us.  But to become natural, Christ must make it natural within us.  What is carnal within us must be killed, it must be eliminated.  What is created by Christ within us in its stead, is what makes us Blessed.  The law becomes a part of who we are, of how we think.  Love for others alone motivates us.  It becomes the “why” we do what we do.  Credit for our actions is no longer wanted.  The gift of what we do for others, is itself, our only reward.  To make others happy is all we seek.  This is what He frees us to experience.  This is the reason we are safe to admit into heaven.  This is the reason it is safe for us to live forever eating from the tree of life; for we will no longer live eternally in pain, or in sin, but in perfect freedom and happiness and love for God and others.

John continues in verse 15 … “For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”  Here is partial list of the opposite of Blessed.  In this instance “dogs” is not a literal designation, but a representation of those who would eat anything, attempt to have sex with anything, and bite or destroy anything that pleases them.  Sorcerers are those who would embrace the quest for power at any price, even of that of their own souls.  Sorcerers know it is not God who offers them supernatural power, for they are know that God is not about control but about choice.  So knowing full well that evil alone powers them, they embrace the demon that would offer power and lose themselves in it.  Whoremongers are men and women who want sex at any cost, from any one, any time.  They are the self-indulged, they prize orgasm above morality, and treat it as biology alone.  Murderers kill any as it suits them, or feeds their greed, or makes them feel powerful.  Idolaters need not bow before wood, or stone anymore, they need only bow to the image in the mirror before them every day. 

Those who “love” and make a “lie” – how broad a categorization of those who “claim” to love others, but in truth only “love” themselves.  Every person engaged in adultery has always thought themselves “in love” with their cohort in crime.  Every person engaged in pre-marital sex justifies their actions based on a declaration of “love” for their partner, yet no commitment that would make it binding, just an intention perhaps to one day see about taking the next step.  Every person who claims to love another, but does so only when it is convenient, only when they can afford it, only because they feel it is a 50-50 relationship, understands little about the truth of love for others, and is self-deceived in that they only truly love themselves.  The love of self, is not love at all.  It is a perversion.  It is an abomination.  It is the cause of every sin, every pain, and the reason for the existence of death.  These people who embrace the chains of self-love are those who are not permitted entry into heaven, and do not live life, but rather live in a state of tortured existence.  It is not a kindness to see them eat from the tree of life and remain forever in a state without the hope of decay or death to end it.  Having rejected redemption, death is now their only hope for an end to it.  It is a kindness to see the existence in self-inflicted torture ended, either through redemption and rebirth, or through death and non-existence.  Anything is better than living forever in the self-embraced tortured state of sin’s pain and misery.

John continues in verse 16 … “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. [verse 17] And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”  Herein is the motive of God revealed.  Herein is answer to the question of “why”.  It is Christ that bridges the gap that ties together from before our genesis as the bright and morning star, to the genealogies of Israel and house of David, to the Spirit and the bride who say “come”.  First and last, Alpha and Omega, beginning and the ending, for all of time and eternity it is the love of God that invites us to “come” and be with Him.  Everything He has done to redeem us, is about bringing us home with Him, to be where He is, and to live with Him forever.  This is the answer to “why” – it is because He loved us before we even existed, and intends to be with us forever.  Nothing that happens to us is meant to distract us from that ultimate goal.  No evil that befalls us is outside of His notice or concern. 

For love to be a choice, it MUST be a choice, it cannot be forced or it is not love.  So what He offers us, is the invitation to His love, He bids us “come”.  It turns out our God is not a God of justice, more than He is of forgiveness.  Forgiveness was more important to God than justice.  Love was more important and more powerful than evil.  Good triumphs over evil because God is good, it was known, before there was ever an alternative idea to good.  Love is the over-riding motive of our God in every CHOICE He has made, despite the ones we have.  His Love was a choice He made for us.  No one forced God to love us, He chose to.  No one forced God to forgive us, or free us, or reclaim and re-create us, He chose to.  It was His free-will choice to love us, and that love stands behind everything He has ever done for us.  Our choices have brought evil and pain upon us, and despite what we have done, His choice remains to love us.  He longs to heal us as we let Him.  And here at the end of all things, His choice bears fruit in surrendered souls who can now taste the perfection of life He intended them to exist within.  His motive always was, and always will be, love for others.

Let whosoever will; anyone who wants to can drink of the water of life freely.  Anyone who wishes to experience Christ for themselves is welcome to do so.  There are NO restrictions.  There is NO ONE who is excluded from doing so, no matter how evil they think themselves to be, or how righteous.  ALL can come to Christ, and drink freely.  All can experience salvation, to be made free from the chains of self-love, to instead love others alone and God most of all.  Those who thirst, those who perceive the need for something more, are bidden to come and drink freely.  Those who have heard the gospel of Christ, are bidden to join and echo the invitation bidding ALL to “come” and drink freely.  Notice there is not one hint of condemnation in these precious words of hope.  Nowhere is there a prerequisite to be holy before we come, but instead allow the waters of life to make us holy after we come.  Nowhere in this text of redemption is a hint of judgment and condemnation over how we live our lives.  He already knows we are bound in the chains of sin, it is the reason He wants us to “come” so that we can be made free from them through submission to Him and His love.  He does not point us to focus on our pain, but instead maintains our focus on Him, the cure for our pain.  Our lives will change, but this is His promise to us, not His edict.  We will live differently because His love changes us as we surrender.  Not because we “try” harder to be “good”.  A different way of thinking, of loving, and of living is the gift He brings to us.  He creates it within us.  He makes us over again.

The message of the Christian should be to “come”.  It should be an invitation to the world, no matter what condition we find the world in.  The goal is not to keep the world outside of the church, but to get the entire world into the church in order to free it to love others.  The waters of life that flow from Christ cannot be polluted by the sin sick souls who come to drink.  Rather they purify those who drink and begin to change them from the inside out.  There is no risk that Christ will be tempted by the sins of the world, He instead longs to free us from the sins of the world.  It is NOT the job of the Christian to maintain the “standards” of the church by eliminating or ostracizing those who are caught in the pain of sin.  It is the job of the Christian to love them, and bid them “come”.  We are to JOIN with the Spirit and bride and bid them “come”.  We are not to declare war on the Spirit and the bride, and begin a campaign of exclusion, under the self-righteous pretense of standards and holiness.  We are to love the ones in need, and bid them come.

John echoes a warning in verse 18 writing … “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: [verse 19] And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”  So often we attribute this warning to maintaining the content of the Bible in its current form, with the proscribed number and order of books in both Old and New testaments.  Or we focus on insuring that the book of Revelation is not altered in any way.  But what if the meaning is bigger than that?  What if it applies to the invitation that immediately precedes it.  What if we are supposed to ONLY offer the invitation in love to “come” and drink the waters of life freely.  What if the intention of this warning was for the Christian church to keep it simple, to offer the love of Christ freely and bid “whosoever will” and “anyone who thirsts” to come and find the love of Christ reflected in us and directly from Him?

Perhaps the goal of this warning was not simply to keep the scribes who would transcribe the texts of scripture faithful in their efforts for the last 4 thousand years.  Perhaps it was to prompt Christians to remember that Christ bid them a great commission to love others and in so doing let the world identify them as His servants.  We need not embellish the words of Christ, nor should we feel free to take away any words He uttered.  Christ is sufficient to save us.  We can instead speak the words of His promises with absolute confidence that He has never failed, nor will He ever.  We can instead point to His warnings and use them as a guide to reflect how we “feel” about them as an indication of where we are in the transformation of our own desires.  The scriptures we have been gifted with, are sufficient to point us to Christ, and allow Him to lead us to His Truth, in His time, and in His way.  He knows what needs to be done to save us, and He is able to complete that work within us.  We may not always understand His methods, but we can have absolute certainty in His motives, and faith in Him to complete this work within us.

John concludes his book of Revelations in verse 20 writing … “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. [verse 21] The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”  John had no idea that these words would be placed numerically as the last text written in what we call the Bible.  He did not know, nor could he know, that other manuscripts from Paul, or Phillip, or Peter might someday be discovered, collected, and compiled into a larger volume we would come to know as the Bible.  But God knew.  It is no accident that the last verses penned in our Bible are a longing for the return of Jesus Christ to our world.  It is no accident that the “grace” of our Lord Jesus Christ was offered as a blessing to all.  It is by His grace that we are saved.  Saved from our sin, saved from ourselves, saved from the evil of self-inflicted pain.  We are saved by His grace.  We do not deserve our salvation, but are offered it anyway. 

John concludes with a longing for His return.  John concludes with a blessing in the pronouncement of prayer that His grace with remain with us all.  In this his final revelation of Jesus Christ, John offers us the motives of our God – to be with us, to see us saved.  No matter what happens to us, these remain the motives of our God – to be with us, to see us saved.  It is the answer to “why”.  It is the reason for revelation.  It is the Truth behind every scripture.  It is the message of the gospel.  It is the only doctrine that matters in the Christian faith, for it is the only one that can see us – with our God, and saved.  All the rest of scripture can give us insight into our God, and context for what has occurred.  But the answers penned here are really all that count – to be with us, to see us saved.  This was in the heart of our God before we even came into existence.  This was the plan of our God, who in spite of His knowledge of the poor choice we would make, created us anyway.  For His love was greater than our choice.  His love was able to redeem us in spite of our choice.  And His love has never faltered from the goal of wanting – to be with us, to see us saved.

If there is any better final thought to be penned in scripture, I cannot imagine what it might be.  To be with us, to see us saved.  Let that always be how we choose to remember the Revelations of Jesus Christ, and entirety of the book we call the Bible …

 

The Motives of God [part one] ...

Since before our genesis, a question was raised regarding the character of God.  Why create choice if evil could be an outcome, doesn’t that make God responsible for evil.  Why must death be the only alternative to what God says?  If God could prevent tragedy and does not, is He not responsible for the tragedy that evil brings?  All of these types of questions were raised by Lucifer who became Satan.  Satan has consistently blamed God trying to assign the responsibility to God, for the decisions he alone made with his own free will.  The gift of choice to Lucifer was mis-used.  It was Lucifer’s choice to embrace the love of self, over the love of others.  It was Lucifer’s choice to disregard trusting the wisdom of God, and embrace relying upon his own wisdom and common sense.  Thus the choices of Lucifer led to his downfall, which he immediately blamed upon God.  Satan proscribed his own flaws upon his maker.  He cast dispersions on the character of God, and called the universe to wonder if there was “any” truth in the arguments Satan raised.

For the universe who remained faithful to God, doubt was not completely eliminated until Calvary.  When our God demonstrated that He would rather die Himself, than to see His children suffer that fate; He proved once and for all what love means.  The questions regarding the character of God were forever answered at Calvary for the unseen worlds who witnessed just how far love would go to save, and just how far evil would sink if it were allowed.  Love would die for another who did not deserve it.  Evil would kill God to satisfy a quest for power that could never be made whole.  But for mankind the questions remained open.  Even those who physically witnessed Calvary and His resurrection and ascension, did not fully understand what they were seeing.  We who have the benefit of scripture in a compiled text we are free to read due to the mercy of God, still do not fully understand what it is we read.  For mankind, doubt lingers.  We remain unconvinced.  When confronted with personal tragedy, even Christians begin to demand of God: the answers, the “why”. 

Consider that the Apostle John may have had the similar reactions to those we display every day.  Consider that despite his proximity to Christ, he had to wonder why he was being dipped in boiling oil.  And wonder again when it had no effect.  Failing to kill him, he was none the less sent into exile on the penal colony island of Patmos.  It was no luxury spa on the Med.  It was likely a dark dank cave in minimal lighting, scarce and bad food, with a rock for a pillow and a hostile guard for companionship.  This was no reward for a servant of the most high.  It was a torturous existence designed to drill the hope out of John, designed to break his sanity and his spirit.  He was sent there by the intent of evil.  To a place he would have no hope of escaping from.  It was likely in this place that the Revelations of Jesus Christ were offered to him.  In a place designed for him to question his sanity, he is offered insights into a universe beyond his human comprehension.

He sees 4 beasts who stand before the most high.  He sees the Father.  He sees the Lamb of God in power and glory as He was meant to be, not veiled behind the picture of humanity He existed within this world.  He sees angels of great might who speak to him openly.  He sees 24 human elders who minister before the throne of God and who regularly prostrate themselves before the Most High in worship and adoration.  John sees the horror of evil revealed through the ages.  He sees the fury of anger poured out in plagues upon those who refuse to repent.  None of the Revelations were common place.  None of these events lend credibility to sanity, if anything, they seem like a complete abandonment of sanity.  Imagine the doubt that must have been presented to him in that dark dank cave-like structure.  Perhaps you are mad.  Perhaps these are the illusions of one who has lost all contact with reality.  Perhaps these are nothing more than the dreams of a mad man.  Perhaps …

But at the end of all of the Revelations of Jesus Christ that were to be presented to John, comes the explanation for why they were given.  Now is to be revealed to John the answer man has yet to embrace.  The answer to the character of God, to His motives, is to be revealed in the most stunning of revelations.  Though since the words that follow had no symbolism in them, and were not cast in the light of prophecy, we the readers tend to skim over them.  We negate the importance of what follows the magnificent Revelations of sights beyond our eyes, because we are pre-occupied with these fantastic images.  But the plain speech, the plain revelation of the very motives of God, causes us no special attention.  We take no special notice.  But John does.  The man who has battled to cling to his sanity, now finds immense comfort in the revelations of His motives, for it explains the “why” we so often ask.

John begins in chapter 22 of Revelations in verse 6 saying … “And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.”  To begin with John, what you have seen is the Truth.  Like every prophet before you who must have also had doubts as to their sanity, what was fulfilled before, will be also fulfilled again.  You have seen Jesus (the Truth) revealed in every Revelation you were given.  You have seen the beauty of Truth as it offers messages of counsel and warning to the churches throughout time.  The things which are to come to pass are not in question, they are a surety and founded in Him, the Truth.  If your humanity doubts the magnitude of God’s reality, it is your humanity that is in error, not God.

John continues in verse 7 writing … “Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”  The events about to transpire are to happen quickly.  The message to the first church was already relevant and needed.  The fall of the Roman empire was already in motion.  The decay of the church who calls itself by the name of Christ has already begun.  The war to keep scripture suppressed is already being formed in the hearts of those who would prefer to exert control over the believers, rather than encourage independent study and learning.  The angel does not lie to John.  He expresses the urgency of the sayings of these Revelations for they were already in motion.  While there would be many years after the death of John before the physical coming of Christ, the urgency of His return, and our need of redemption has never dissipated. We NEED Christ.  We NEED Him now, and fully, to remove the evil that lives within us.  We NEED to want something else, to make us into something different than the choices that we have made in our lives.  We NEED to be saved from ourselves.  This need is immediate and does not wait for His second coming to spring into action.  It is here.  It is now.  It is within our grasp, if we but allow it, and embrace it, and accept it from Him.

John goes on in verse 8 … “And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. [verse 9] Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”  Here John comes to the self-realization that what he has seen and heard is REAL.  He is NOT insane.  These are NOT the ravings of a mad man denied a lifestyle of any form of humanity.  It is not the brink of starvation, or disruption of sleep, that has caused him to see what he has seen.  It is the Spirit of the living God.  It is the messengers sent from the throne of God to reveal the Truth to him.  He is overwhelmed by it all.  It is so much for him to absorb.  He falls down to show his extreme gratitude to the messenger in front of him.  But the messenger is a “fellow” servant and will not accept the gratitude of John.  Notice the messenger is not in the least tempted to take credit for the words he was meant to convey to John.  Instead he instantly points John back to the source of the Truth, to Jesus Christ alone.  Gratitude should be reserved for God alone.

How often do those of us who are privileged to participate in service to God, in the ministry of the redemption of souls, eager to take credit for what “we” do in His service.  “We” give excellent speeches.  “We” write excellent words.  “We” perform acts of love and benevolence to others.  And when the recipients of our ministry come to us like John to the angel, when they acknowledge and praise what we have done for them.  Unlike the angel, we accept their praise.  We offer the words “no problem”, or “you’re welcome”, or “its ok”.  We accept their praise on the pretense of being polite, but the reality is more self-centric than that.  We crave the recognition.  We enjoy the accolades.  We like the “reputation” we build, and how we are “known” in the public eye.  So few consistently refuse thanks, and redirect it only to Christ.  So few understand the complete lack of ego the true servant of God lives by.  So few realize that no good deed exists outside of the love and transformation God creates in the human heart.  Gratitude should be pointed to God alone, for He alone is worthy.

John continues in verse 10 … “And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.”  Unlike Daniel of old, whose prophecies would extend for thousands of years and would not be fully understood in his own day; the prophecies of John already have relevance.  There is already an immediacy to the writings of John.  The prophecies revealed to him act in concert with those of Daniel and the prophets who preceded John.  They together weave a tapestry and point to our redemption and to His ultimate return to take us home to be with Him in His kingdom remade to include us forever and ever.  The Revelations given to John would be a source of study for us, but they were not meant to be a mystery we cannot decipher.  They were meant to be a road map to eliminate our fear and remind us of “how” we are to be saved.

John continues in verse 11 by penning the most terrifying text in scripture, or the most hopeful depending completely upon your own perspective and relationship with God … “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”  So long have these words been quoted as an “edict” from the angel to John.  So long have we used this text to judge others, to attempt to use fear to motivate, to threaten the finality of our decisions before God.  But in so doing, we deny the truth of ourselves.  For none of us are yet able to stand before God and present ourselves as righteous, or holy.  We are ALL as yet unjust, and filthy.  The problem is in our use of this text.  It is not an edict.  It is a promise.  We, through the transforming power of the love of Christ and our submission to it, are to be MADE righteous, and holy.  It is His gift of salvation that transforms WHO we are, that saves us from HOW we think, and therefore WHAT we do, that will finally reach its fulfillment within us and make us righteous and holy.  The process of salvation is what Christ does FOR us, sometimes in spite of us.

To have faith that the Author of our faith, will also be its Finisher, is our role in the process of salvation.  We are to permit Him to transform us.  We are to submit everything about us on His altar.  We are to lay down our desires, the process of how we think, the decisions we think we make, all of it, offered up to Him.  In so doing, we literally die to self, and become reborn to serve others, to love others, to reflect who He is within our lives.  There is a finality to this text, but it is not meant to be a threat, but a promise.  Our present condition of evil within us, does not and will not always remain so.  Like Enoch who preceded us, it is possible to reach a state of perfection wrought within us by allowing Christ to remake us.  Enoch lived in times of the worst of human kind.  He was surrounded by people who made God sorry for His own creation.  Yet with Enoch, his surroundings did not serve as an excuse to avoid transformation, they only served as a reminder of his own need to be transformed.  So it can be with us.  We need not live with the pain in our lives of self-inflicted evil.  We need not be like those around us who indulge in more pain and sin every minute of every day.  Christ can be a relief to us, and transform us to STOP wanting to sin.

To remain righteous still, we must ALREADY be righteous.  To remain holy still, we must already be holy.  This is not a threat to become righteous or holy, it is a proclamation that the work of transformation within you will be completed.  The risk of continuing to sin for someone who does NOT want to sin is very small.  The risk of continuing to sin for someone who sees sin for the pain and death that it causes becomes non-existent.  Sin continues only for those who continue to desire it, to be self-deceived that it is still fun and exciting.  We must indulge the lie of sin, to remain held by its chains.  We must reject His transformation of what we want, in order to continue to want what is worst for us.  It is only as we lie to ourselves, and reject what Christ would save us from, that sin is permitted to remain.  The text of John promises us this need not be so.  The promise of John in this revelation is that it WILL not be so forever.  The destination is the same.  But how we arrive is the critical matter.

But the motives of God had only been partially revealed there was still more to come …