The Nature of Christ part 2

The Nature of Jesus

What would it be like to be God, and to know that you are God? We all like to pretend we are God sometimes. We want to act like we have the power to control certain situations, or we want to act like we can control another person, and our list of trying to be God goes on, and on, and on.

          Jesus was just like us. He could smell, touch, feel things, experience hurt, pain, anger, and He was God. Imagine what you would do when someone hurt you and your anger burned strong within you. What would you do? Would you denigrate them into a steaming pile of goo, or would you love them and offer them forgiveness and die for them? I am willing to bet the 1^st would be your choice.

          Imagine the self-control that it took Jesus to hold back on those Pharisees. Imagine the self-control that it took him to not lust after women. Imagine the self-control that it took to walk to that cross. Guys we are weak. It is about time that we step out of our little bubble of denial and admit that. No matter what we do, we can not achieve the things that Jesus achieved. If we could, he would not have had to endure the painful death on the cross that we deserved. Remember – he did that for us!

          When someone makes me angry, I usually get upset and overcome with emotions. Instead of talking to God and saying, “Lord, please help me to forgive this person.” It is realistically more like, “Lord, please help me to not kill this person right now.” And by not going to them and resolving the issue immediately, resentment and hatred toward that person start to build. If I continue to let this go unhandled, then I am talking to someone else about the person behind their back. That is like pouring gasoline on a fire. We have all been guilty of this at some point in our lives.

          I am not God and I do not hold the position to judge anyone for their actions. I am a sinner, you are a sinner, they are a sinner, we are all sinners. What is the difference between all the sins that I have committed verses the sin that a person commits against me? God forgave me for all the horrible things that I have done. So why can I not forgive the person for doing me wrong? That is the proper response. Forgive and forgive immediately. Make things right immediately. Between you and the person. Not your entire click, or your entire work family.

          Although our nature will never be like that of Jesus Christ, our attitude can be altered by prayer, the study of God’s Word, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who is within us! It is up to us if we choose to follow! The next time someone upsets you, try something different. Try to gently tell them how they upset you and that you forgive them for that. See if that does not work better than allowing anger and resentment to take control.

Be Encouraged, Chris

The Nature of Christ

The Nature of Christ

“Though he was God he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges and took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).

          As I was reading this, I was thinking, “How would I behave in this situation?” I would have been shooting lightning bolts at people and levitating them straight up off the earth that I created. We could not possibly control a position of such power. We would be completely overcome by it. Jesus, he did not selfishly grasp hold of the position he had like I would have. Instead, he was willing to give himself over to serving our needs.

          Maybe if Jesus would have behaved in a manner likewise, the Jewish leaders would not have been so infuriated with Him. He was claiming to be God but seemed as a weak little man. If Jesus would have blasted them with a lightning bolt or two, I am sure their minds would have quickly changed about Him. They probably would not have plotted to kill Him, but instead would have worshiped Him. But that is not the way God wants to gain our attention is it? Jesus set the example of what God is like – not a dictator, but a loving, serving, father.

          Jesus did something that is extremely hard for me to do. Verse 7, he emptied himself. He emptied himself of all self-interests. He came here to do one thing, and one thing only and that was the will of the Father. For God to become a man was extremely humbling, but he did not stop there. He completely took himself the extra mile and took the role of a servant. When Jesus came, we all should have fallen to our knees in complete worship and praise – our Lord is here. Instead, the Lord fell to his knees to serve us. The Creator served His very creation. Wow! Man, Oh man!

          A lot of days I ask myself, “How should I live as a Christian?” No better example of humiliation and a complete selfless attitude could possibly be given than that of Christ. That is the example the believers in Philippi were being encouraged to follow. That is the example we are encouraged to follow today. Verse 2 - be like minded – live humbly before God, and each other.

          God sent Jesus on a mission. This is His briefing – “1. That He should assume human nature by being born of a woman, and thus enter into temporal relations; and that He should assume this nature with its present infirmities, though without sin. 2. That He, who as the Son of God was superior to the law, should place Himself under the law; that He should enter, not merely into the natural, but also into the penal and federal relation to the law, in order to pay the penalty for sin and to merit everlasting life for the elect. 3. That He, after having merited forgiveness of sins and eternal life for His own, should apply to them the fruits of His merits: complete pardon, and the renewal of their lives through the powerful operation of the Holy Spirit. By doing this He would render it absolutely certain that believers would consecrate their lives to God” (Berkhof, L. (1938). Systematic theology (p. 269). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co).

          Jesus perfectly accomplished all these things that we could not. So, what is your response to this. What is your response to Him?

Be Encouraged, Chris

The Golden Rule

The Golden Rule

          “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite but love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18, NLT).

          What happens when someone does us wrong? We usually act out from our emotions. If we are hurting, we want to inflict that hurt upon the other person. Hurt people hurt people! Sometimes when we are upset, we do not even say anything to the other person. But we sure do tell everyone else. We talk about the problem behind their back and do you know what that does? It only makes the situation worse. This just leads to resentment and hatred.

          Since the 18^th century the “Golden Rule” has commonly designated this ethical maxim. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. That sounds familiar. Probably because Jesus said this in Matthew 7:12. So, if you are treating someone poorly, you should think about this. Is this how you want to be treated in return? When someone is doing you wrong, it does not feel good does it? The natural consequence of harboring ill feelings and a grudge-bearing attitude is going to result in vengeance. You are going to do something that you will regret!

          The kind of love that is being discussed here means that a person is to forgive a neighbor’s wrongs as quickly as they would forgive themselves. It means you are to show others the same practical care that you show yourself!

          For me, that was a major problem. The care that I showed myself was alcohol and drug abuse. I had a poor view of my self-worth, and I treated myself like garbage. I am 36 years old and I am just now realizing this is why I have treated people so poorly throughout my life. This is why so many of my relationships have failed. This is why my relationship with God failed!

          Is this you too?

          How could I love and respect God if I could not love and respect myself? When God would tell me I was the apple of his eye, I would call him a liar. I will tell you what helped me to turn around. It was when I done someone horribly wrong, but yet they did not do me wrong. Instead, they showed me love, compassion, and forgiveness. It took that happening for me to see the love, compassion, and forgiveness that God had extended to me so many times. It took that for me to extend that same love, compassion, and forgiveness to myself!

          I am trying my best to live by Jesus’ example. I fail all the time, but Jesus did not! “He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God who always judges fairly” 1 Peter 2:23. If we repay evil with evil, we are putting ourselves in the place of God. And we are also sinning against the sinner! God is the only fair judge! Your job, my job, is to love. So start showing people how you want to be treated today. We all want and desire to be loved!

Be Encouraged, Chris