HE CLAIMS US

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.  John 1:11.

Parents are aware of a certain pattern of intense feelings that surface in their children each fall just as school is about to begin.  Along with all the boundless eagerness to get back onto the schoolgrounds and see all their friends, the children often reveal tinges of apprehension.  Their nervousness wears a familiar label: "Will my old friends still accept me?  Will I be able to make friends with the new kids?"

Though Jesus was king of the universe, He had set all that aside to walk among men, with the same feelings and needs as they whom He had created in His own image.  He too longed to be accepted by His friends, especially when He knew that He had so much to give them.

From all the usual reference points of deity, royalty, and sovereignty, Jesus could have said with proper dignity, "If these common sinners don't accept Me, that's their problem.  I have every right simply to set them aside.  I will call them My friends only if they are decent enough to accept Me as their friend."

But the apostle John, in what may sound like an incidental piece of historical detail, speaks volumes about the attitudes of our Saviour.  "He came to his own, and his own received him not."  When Jesus came looking for His people, He claimed them as His own, without reference to whether they accepted the relationship so freely offered.

For you see, He knew things that they did not know.  He knew that they were His by design, creation, and redemption.  Their Satan-induced delusions could not alter those facts.  His attitude toward them was unconditional, because it was rooted in unchangeable facts of reality, not in flighty feelings.  So He claimed them as His own and came to them.

Yet, because a relationship is two-sided, it could be only to those "who received him, who believed on his name," that He could give "power to become children of God" (John 1:12, R.S.V.).  That invites us today.  Our Father is coming to us even this morning, announcing with intense gladness of His face, "You are My very own; I claim you as Mine.  Won't you be set free from the enemy's delusions and recognize who you really are?"

God does not wait until we become worthy of His claim.  Rather its truthfulness, when grasped, has the power to change us!

MUTUALITY AND SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow...and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  Phil. 2:9-11, R.S.V.


Excitement filled the auditorium.  In a moment the new student body president would be announced.  Much discussion had taken place as to who was best suited to the task.  Votes had been cast.  Hopes were high that the person chosen would be able to represent successfully not only the students to the faculty but also the faculty to the students.

A hush fell over the room as the principal stepped to the podium.  As he made the announcement his voice was drowned out by the cheering and whistling students.  Faculty members exchanged pleased comments.  There was no doubt about it; the young man elected had the ingredient most essential for a successful term of office: mutuality with both students and faculty.

Jesus has been chosen by the Father, on our behalf, to become our representative between heaven and earth.  Today's text says that He has been exalted and given the name that is above every name.  Verse 7 tells us why: Jesus emptied Himself and took the "form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."  In other words, He chose to become one of us.  We can confidently put Him forward as our representative.

The wonderful thing is that we can be equally certain that He adequately represents God.  He has been given His exalted position "to the glory of God the Father."  This means simply that God's character--His attitudes and perspectives--are effectually carried back to us as we learn to dialogue with the Father through Christ.

The thought is held out in this passage that everyone in the universe should readily agree that Jesus is well qualified for this task.  He alone is capable of standing in this position.  Not only is He one with us, but He is equal with the Father (verse 6).  There is simply no one else who fits this description.  And let's not forget that God is the one who has sought to provide us with a sense of mutuality between heaven and earth: In accepting Christ, the Father accepts us--even as we ourselves accept God in the person of Christ.

Honestly, it makes me want to whistle and cheer!  How about you?

LOVE IS MUTUAL

We should keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, who himself said, "Happiness lies more in giving than in receiving."  Acts 20:35, N.E.B.


From childhood we have heard that JOY is an acronym meaning Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last.  It implies that true joy is found when one seeks Jesus first, then always sets aside one's own needs in favor of the needs of another.  And--generally speaking--that is true.

But consider, for example, the experience of a young man who fell in love with a young woman and devoted himself fully to meeting her needs.  So convinced was he that joy could be found only in unselfishly loving her that he felt guilty even evaluating how well she met his needs.  After a while the relationship seemed to become more of a duty than a delight, but he had read that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and so he persisted in the increasingly empty relationship.

Then it dawned upon him that she too needed to give!  She also must feel that her life was potent, by being a valuable giver within the friendship.  So he began to speak openly with her about the needs for understanding and encouragement that he brought to the friendship, and affirming her power to meet those needs.  And the zest returned to their times together!

The best relationships are those that involve mutuality--where we are consciously aware that we are both giving to the other and being blessed by the other.  It means that we are trusting our God-given capacities to bring joy and healing to another and that we openly avow God's plan to represent Himself to us through other humans who are in close fellowship with us.

But this concept--this lived experience--of mutuality takes on exciting dimensions when we consider that we are created in the image of God.  That the desires and capacities for mutuality reflect His own heart.  That He not only takes delight in giving to us, but He wants us to be delighted with the awareness that we are giving to Him through our relationship with Him!

It is still true that it is more blessed to give than to receive.  But it is also true that God gives to us in order to restore in us the capacity to give back to Him--to give the delights of mutual fellowship for which He created us.

THE UNTHINKABLE SACRIFICE

The time came when God put Abraham to the test.  "Abraham," he called, and Abraham replied, "Here I am."  God said, "Take your son Isaac, your only son, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah.  There you shall offer him as a sacrifice on one of the hills which I will show you."  Gen. 22:1, 2, N.E.B.

What Christian has not been thrilled by the story of Abraham?  He loved God as we long to love Him; trusted Him in the face of unfathomable personal agony.  With each new insight, we gain an increasingly vivid picture of a marvelous patriarch.  But this incredible story is not primarily about Abraham!

The express purpose of Scripture is to reveal to us the character of the Father.  What does the story of Abraham's journey up Mount Moriah  teach us?  Is it possible that we have allowed our preconception about God to color the message presented in this most moving sage?  Have we seen Him as sovereign of the universe, playing "faith games" with hapless mankind?  We empathize with Abraham; but candidly, do we find God's motivation less than delightful?

How do you feel about God asking Abraham to perform child-sacrifice--especially when He had made it very plain what He thought about the surrounding heathen nations who commonly practiced such abominations?  How could God ask such a thing, even for the sake of testing Abraham's faith?  Is there any other way to understand this story without portraying God as in conflict with Himself?

God wants to touch the central nerve of our fear of Him in order to bring relief and healing.  Paint it any way you like, obedience is often the product of fear.  "Faith" can end up as window dressing for a very unhealthy God-view.  Could It be that God decided to give full body to our fears--in the person of Abraham?  What if it were your child?  Do you feel your stomach wrench as you hear this very request being made to an old man of the desert?  Surely his agony was the epitome of the dread of God that the whole human race has borne since Eden.

This story reveals that God is not like that!  God used that dramatic setting to give Abraham a precious lesson about Himself.  Abraham did not lose his son on Mount Moriah.  But in the symbol of the ram caught in the thicket, God freely gave His!

AMAZED AT MAN

What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?  You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet.  Heb. 2:6, 7, N.I.V., margin.

The restoration of antique automobiles has become a highly refined and exotic art form.  Some collectors invest thousands of hours bringing rare and classic autos virtually back to their original condition. When the finished car is put on the auction block, the fainthearted fade back quickly as the sparkling gem commands a stunning price.

I remember my first visit to an antique car rally.  In amazement I walked among hundreds of spotless specimens I had never heard of before, marveling at their shapes and curious features.  A 1913 Lozier grabbed my attention for many long minutes.  Wanting to express my appreciation for such a masterful piece of restoration, I blurted out to the owner, "It must have been in great shape when you found it!"

Being patient with my naivete, he led me to the far side of the car, where he had a photograph of the car taken the day he found it.  Abandoned in a field, it had weeds growing through its spokes, rust on its body, and chickens roosting in the upholstery.  I was stunned.


Later I reflected on how glad I was that this man had taken the time to restore that Lozier so perfectly.  How could I have known what a superb car it was made to be if I had seen only a tattered wreck with the Lozier marque on the big brass radiator?  I appreciated not only the quality of the car but the skill of the restorer as well.  He had looked at that pile of rust, and he knew exactly what he could make it become.

How I wish I could always look at people, seeing in them not the tarnish caused by sin but the incredible God-given potential built into them at Creation!  How grateful I am that God has put on display before us one perfect Model of humanity.

Paul asked with amazement, "What is man" that God should hold him in such high regard?  For when he looked at man, he didn't see him in the high position God had ordained for him (see Heb. 2:8).  But he saw more than sin-damaged humans; he looked at that perfect specimen and said, "We see Jesus" (verse 9).

THE GOOD IN BAD DECISIONS

One man esteems one day as better than another, while another man esteems all days alike.  Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind.  Rom. 14:5, R.S.V.

No one likes to be wrong.  But some people fear being wrong to the extent that it keeps them from making needed decisions.  Perhaps somewhere in their lives they were made to feel that making a wrong decision was equal to having a defective character.

Are not children often told, "Good girls [boys] don't do that," as if the issue were their goodness rather than the logic behind their choice?  Children treated in this manner are not encouraged to think; they are conditioned to try to please their parents and teachers.  Reaching adulthood, they carry with them the idea that good people make only right decisions.

Christians are especially prone to such thinking.  It is too easy for one believer to look rather askance at another believer because he made a faulty decision.  Surely, if he were being "led by the Lord" he wouldn't have erred, right?  You know, "By their fruits ye shall know them" (Matt. 7:20).

Our text today says, "Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind."  How does one become "fully convinced in his own mind"?  It is by learning through experience to discern truth.  This is illustrated in a little story told of Bernard Baruch.  He was asked, "To what do you attribute your success?"  He replied, "To making the correct decisions."  "How do you know what the correct decisions are?"  "From experience."  "How do you get the experience?"  "By making wrong decisions."

God understands that sometimes we err as we process information--not because we are bad people but because we are learning as we go along.  He would rather we keep processing, keep on making decisions, albeit bad ones, than allow ourselves to become mired in indecision.  He can work with our errors; He cannot correct wrong thinking if we never own up to it.  Perhaps that is why, when addressing the Laodicean church, He says, "I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot.  Would that you were cold or hot!" (Rev. 3:15, R.S.V.).

I am impressed by the way God handles error-ridden humanity.  He gives us room to grow, to make decisions, even bad ones.  He knows what He's doing.  He's giving us back our sense of self-worth while we strive to know for ourselves the meaning of life.

IT'S HOW YOU LISTEN

Take care, then, how you listen; for the man who has will be given more, and the man who has not will forfeit even what he thinks he has.  Luke 8:18, N.E.B.

"The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer."  That's the way it happens in an unfair world, and only the rich think it's a good idea.  Yet the verse we are contemplating today seems to put Jesus on the side of that cruel inequity.  It has troubled more than one reader, for it seems to be saying that the "haves" will get more, and the "have nots" will have it taken away.  If God is supporting such a scheme, we suspect He is playing favorites.  Worse yet, He is blessing those who need it the least and depriving those who need it the most.

But Jesus is not dealing here with arbitrary blessings doled out at God's impulses.  Rather, He is speaking of those treasures one gets by listening, by hearing the Word of God with faith.  The greatest treasure that God could give to the world was the knowledge of His character, of which the world was destitute.  Such treasures are available not to the privileged few, but to all who will listen.

The "man who has" obtained his treasures in the first place because he was willing to listen.  As he continues to listen he will surely obtain more, for he nurtures that vital quality of teachableness.  He has developed such confidence in his Teacher that he accepts whatever He has to offer.  A teachable person will be right at home in heaven, for he has learned to love truth and will be eager to go on learning for the rest of eternity.

But Jesus warns against another attitude toward truth.  Some have gotten into the habit of saying No to God--of silencing His gentle voice, rationalizing away His sensible counsel, and postponing His appeals.  They dodge the clearest statements of reality; thus they become self-deluded.  But they shall find in time that their ersatz platform cannot sustain them.  In the final crunch they have nothing--no hope, no understanding, no saving relationship.

"Take care, then, how you listen."  One trusted author says, "We want to become so sensitive to holy influences that the lightest whisper of Jesus will move our souls."  With so many voices clamoring for our attention, so many voices drowning out His gentle appeal, how careful we must be how we listen--and respond!

LOVING A TERRIBLE GOD

The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a great and terrible God.  Deut. 7:21, R.S.V.

Remember when bad meant bad?  And gay meant happy?  Today, something "bad" is really fantastic, and not many individuals would even admit to being "gay"!

We are amused at our convoluted language.  A favorite quote of mine expresses it perfectly: "I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize what you heard is not what I meant!"

How about religion?  Does it even happen that God means one thing but we assume that He means another?

Today's text says God is "terrible"!  As a descriptive adjective in modern English, the word is synonymous with "awful," "frightening," and even "bad-tasting"!  I have heard good, Bible-believing saints giving this word a great deal of "fire and brimstone" kind of reverence when applied to God.  You get the message: You'd better watch out--or else!

If this is the meaning of terrible, can you ever love a terrible God?  Theological discussions over such words will never fully settle the issues of the heart.  So let us return to God's own Word, and let Him clear the air.  Since we started in Deuteronomy, we'll pick up the track there:

"For the Lord your God is a God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who is not partial and takes no bribe" (Deut. 10:17, R.S.V.).  Here terrible conveys impartiality and honorableness.

"O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments" (Neh. 1:5, R.S.V.).

"They forgot God, their savior, who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red Sea" (Ps. 106:21, 22, R.S.V.).  Terrible is used here to describe the actions of the Deliverer.

Now if the word terrible is used to convey impartiality and honorableness, to refer to faithfulness and steadfastness, and to describe the actions of the Deliverer, how can we help loving Him?  And our reverence for Him will be born not out of fear but of intelligent and responsive love.

FINANCIAL ABSURDITIES

As neither had anything to pay with he let them both off.  Now, which will love him most?  Luke 7:42, N.E.B.

This creditor is going to be in real trouble with his accountant.  He is going to have to explain why it is that two debtors are being treated as if they didn't own any money when, in fact, they each owe a tidy sum.  What kind of accounting fiction will he need to create to make the books balance at the bottom of the page?

It reminds me of some of the discussions we used to have in college religion class about forgiveness.  "Is it legally correct," we would ask, "to treat a man as if he had never sinned, when in fact he had?  Isn't that legal fiction?"  Then someone would ask, "How can we trust a God who commits legal fiction as a part of the salvation plan?"

But Jesus' question to Simon, at the conclusion of His brief parable about the two debtors, makes it clear that the Great Creditor has something more in mind than the balancing of books.  Jesus asks, "Which will love him most?"  The issue at hand is not whether the books will balance but whether the debtors will be drawn into love--whether a relationship can be restored.

The great issues in the plan of redemption center around relationships, not around bookish legalities.  It is true that many aspects of God's approach to us can be illustrated by using legal metaphors--just as Jesus used a financial metaphor in the parable above.  But we often fall into theological confusion and conflict when we try to force legal concerns onto what is essentially a relational problem.

Our Father wants debtors to love Him, not just to be satisfied that the books balance.  His actions toward us--even through Jesus on the cross--are revelations of His truthfulness and love, that we might be won back to Him.  That is what Jesus wanted from Simon that night in his home.  But Simon was absorbed in the legal questions of whether Mary deserved to be accepted by Jesus.  He couldn't even hear Jesus' heartbeat saying, "Simon, do you have reason to love Me?"

The good news for us is that we don't have to worry about God's supposed financial absurdities or legal fictions.  We trust a God who has more vital things on His mind: our love for Him!

TELLING IT LIKE IT IS!

Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of water.  Rev. 14:7, R.S.V.


Have you ever been scared to death of someone--until you got to know him?  A college dean, a company president, maybe even your first-grade teacher?  His rank, his potential power over you, left you feeling vulnerable and nervous until you discovered he liked you.  From that point on, his exalted position became your garland--you were friends!

Did he change, or did your perception of him change?  Most likely, you simply learned to know him for who he was.  And your respect for him grew as you experienced the genuine warmth that housed his genius, his accomplishments.  If the occasion arose for you personally to defend him, no doubt you found it richly rewarding to be able to say, "No, he's not like that at all.  Let me tell you about him!"

Our text today contains a word that many honest seekers of God have misunderstood.  To them, to "fear" God means to be rightfully afraid of Him: He's God!  And He destroys sinners!  What happens then, when you learn that He likes you?  That you no longer need to be afraid of Him?  Does He expect you to return to fear so as to give Him due respect?  Let me say right now that if you are fearful of God, you cannot glorify Him properly! (1 John 4:16-19).

The word fear here means respect.  To "fear God and give him glory" is the experience of learning to know God so well that your heart throbs with the deepest kind of ardent love and reverence.  It is your highest joy and choicest privilege to explain Him to those who are still threatened by His exaltedness.  You literally "give him glory" by attributing to Him accurately His wonderful character.  He's been misrepresented to the human race since Eden.  But "the hour of his judgment has come," and we get to be His character witnesses!

We are also given the privilege of worshiping Him.  This is no "groveling in the dirt" kind of servility!  Rather, like the dignified, impassioned salute one might give to a returning king, victorious in an ugly battle, we may render homage to the great God who is our Father and our friend.

Now that is about the best news I can think of!