Compelling Love

Pastor Caleb Klinge declared in his sermon, April 8, 2012:

Jesus stepped out of eternity into time and died
so that we could step out of time into eternal life.

Paul writes about this in Philippians 2:

⁵ Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸ Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  (Philippians 2:5-11 NASB)

The essence of His sacrifice for us is proclaimed in these two verses:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
(John 3:16 NKJV)

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
(2 Cor. 5:21 NASB)

Jesus described his mission predicting his resurrection in John chapter 10:

¹⁷ For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. ¹⁸ No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
(John 10:17-18 NASB)

In the next chapter, Jesus proclaims and demonstrates that he is “the resurrection and the life”, by raising Lazarus from the dead.

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”  (John 11:25-27 NASB)

As Paul explains in 1 Thessalonians 4, when the risen Lord returns he will first raise the believers who have died: “he who believes in Me will live even if he dies”.  After that, believers who are living will be transformed and will meet him in the air: “everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.”

This is the account of Jesus’ resurrection in John chapter 20:

¹ Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. ² So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” ³ So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. ⁴ The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; ⁵ and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. ⁶ And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, ⁷ and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. ⁸ So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. ⁹ For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. ¹⁰ So the disciples went away again to their own homes.

¹¹ But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; ¹² and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. ¹³ And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” ¹⁴ When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). ¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.
(John 20:1-18 NASB)

This encounter with the risen Lord was the inspiration for C. Austin Miles’ hymn, “In the Garden”.  Pastor Caleb Klinge comments on this passage:

Just as Jesus called Mary Magdalene by name, he calls you by name!  The resurrection pierces through the blinding power of broken dreams.  Don’t live with a mindset of defeat during the day of victory.  We live on the other side of the cross.  Jesus is risen from the dead.  His blood paid for the eternal life of all who believe, for your life and mine.  You are precious to God.

Jesus had explained to the disciples, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NKJV)   Those who abide in Christ also are overcomers by His power, as Paul declares: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  (Romans 8:1 NASB)  He adds, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”  (Romans 8:37 NKJV)

If our hearts are given to Him, we will rebound from failure or loss as described in Proverbs 24: “For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity.”  (Prov. 24:16 NASB)

Those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved:

¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; ¹³ for “whoever will call on the name of the LORD will be saved.”  (Romans 10:12-13 NASB)

He makes all things new, here and now and for all eternity.  Let him come and make all things new for you today!

 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
(2 Cor. 5:17 NKJV)

David Krause, dhkrause@neteze.com, 4/13/2012

In his book, “Creation’s Heartbeat”, Dr. Yonathan Fass analyzes with great depth the first four Hebrew words in Genesis 1:1  including some twenty words that are included in those first sixteen letters. He writes on page 165:

The entry code to the Bible declares that the heartbeat of creation is the Creator’s loving kindness expressed through sacrifice to make relationship. All that follows can be read – is to be searched and understood – in this light. Here is where God is to be found.

Continuing on page 166, he writes,

A severe dilemma is posed by the first verse in the Bible. When unpacked, these same few words provide a profound resolution. The overwhelming themes are the divide between Creator and creation and how the Creator bridges this gulf and maintains relationship with His creation through covenant sacrifice. To understand these two themes and their outworking in history is to understand God’s heartbeat for His creation and thus creation’s heartbeat for Him. That is why the entry code is contained within the Bible’s description of the first creative act. The heartbeat is the Messiah who provides the bridge. To discover that heartbeat is to discover who we are.

The covenant sacrifice comes not from creation but from God.
If we come upon corruption and destitution and murder, they come from us, not from God. The Messiah takes all that on himself. This taking on is the purpose and cost of the sacrifice. God’s loss is great. Our own failures, mistakes and terrors, however great, are taken out of the way – swallowed up – if we will permit that.

“Come now and let us reason together” says the Lord.
“Though your sins are as red as scarlet, they will be as white as snow.”
Isaiah 1:18

Through this, kinship with Him becomes possible.

The good news of God’s salvation made possible through the Messiah is further proclaimed in Isaiah 52:

7 How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
13 Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently;
He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.
14 Just as many were astonished at you,
So His visage was marred more than any man,
And His form more than the sons of men;
15 So shall He startle many nations.
Kings shall shut their mouths at Him;
For what had not been told them they shall see,
And what they had not heard they shall consider.

The loving kindness of God expressed through the Messiah is further
described in Isaiah 53:

1 Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
3 He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

The Salvation of the Lord is for all peoples, as declared in Psalm 96:

1 Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
3 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.

7 Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come into His courts.
9 Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Tremble before Him, all the earth.

Jesus Christ, Yeshua the Messiah, declares God’s loving kindness in John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The fitting response to this ultimate loving sacrifice of God is described in
2 Corinthians 5:

14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Paul adds in Romans 12:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

By giving ourselves to God wholeheartedly through the Savior He has sent, we will be fruitful and our tears will be turned to joy, as described in Psalm 126:

1 When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion,
We were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us, And we are glad.
4 Bring back our captivity, O Lord,
As the streams in the South.
5 Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
6 He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.

David Krause, dhkrause@neteze.com, 5/17/2012