Newness in a New Year

I read an article this week from a national newspaper that was entitled, The List: What’s In & Out in 2018.

As I read the article, I wondered who decides what is in and out. It couldn’t be what was popular because this was written before the year had even begun. I imagined in my mind a group of people sitting in a big room around a table deciding what was going to be in and what would be out.

I believe that many times we, as followers of Jesus, let the world tell us what is in and out.

For followers of Jesus, God, not the world, defines who we are and what is right and wrong and what is in and out.

The Word of God tells us who we are in Jesus.

In 2 Timothy 3:16 it says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

God’s Word teaches us who we are.

God’s Word tells us when we are not living like who we are.

God’s Word redirects us to live like who we are.

God’s Word trains us to live like who we are.

The Bible says a lot about who we are. I want to focus on seven truths about who we are in Jesus.

John 1:12

Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in his name, He gave the right to become children of God.

We are Children of God.

As God’s children we are:

Loved by God

Protected by God

Provided for by God

Heirs of God

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as children of God. 

1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.

We are a chosen people.

God chose us. A person can only come to Jesus because God has called him. We love Him because He first loved us. It is all about God choosing us, God loving us, God initiating the relationship with us.

Think about that. The God of all creation chose you and me to be His people.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as God’s chosen people.

We are a Royal Priesthood.

Only Jesus combined the offices of king and high priest. We as followers of Jesus are kingly priests. We are given the privilege through God’s authority to come before God’s throne.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as people who have direct access to God the Father through Jesus.

We are a holy nation.

Holy means set apart for God’s purpose.

Nation does not refer to a political entity but to a group of people.

We as followers of Jesus are a group of people who have been set apart for His purposes.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as people set apart to do God’s will.

We are God’s special possession.

We belong to God.

We are special to God.

In Deuteronomy God says that Israel is to be a peculiar people. That word peculiar means treasured possession. We as His people are His treasured possession.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as God’s possession.

We are a people called out of darkness into God’s light.

Darkness is always associated with evil.

Light is always associated with good.

We are a people called out of evil and called in to goodness or righteousness by God’s grace.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as light people not darkness people.

Ephesians 5:1

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children of God.

We are the beloved of God.

God loves us just because He loves us. It is not because of anything we have done or will do or even could do. Jesus loves us because we exist.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as people fully beloved by God.  

God’s Word tells us:

Who God is

What God does

Who we are in Jesus

What we can do in Jesus

As we enter a new year may we believe that we are who God says we are.

Believing Jesus, Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                            Joe

Jesus Came as the Light of the World

John 1:1-9

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through Him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

In John 8:12 Jesus says that He is the light of the world and that whoever follows Him will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

What are these passages telling us about Jesus?

They are telling us that Jesus is the light of the world. 

1 John 1:5-7

This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not have the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.

Jesus being the light means He illuminates truth.

The truth of our sin.

The truth of who Jesus is.

The truth of God’s provision.

The truth of God’s grace.

The truth of who we are in Jesus.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is acknowledging Jesus as the light and letting Him guide our daily walk.

Jesus being the light means He creates.

Nothing that exists was made outside of the knowledge and will of Jesus. You and I exist because He wants us to exist.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is acknowledging Jesus as the Creator and living under His authority.

Jesus being the light means that we have many, many brothers and sisters.

We not only have God as our Father, we have God’s people as our brothers and sisters. We are part of a huge community of like-minded people called the church.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is entering into and enjoying the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Jesus being the light means that He saves us from our sin and also purifies us from the stain of our sins.

Verse 7 talks about the blood of Jesus purifying us from all our sin. 1 John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins God will forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Jesus as our Savior not only forgives us from the penalty of our sin, but He also removes from us the power of sin over our daily lives.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing the forgiveness and cleansing of our sin.

In Luke 2, when the angel appeared to the shepherds, it says that the glory of the Lord shone around them. When Jesus’ birth was announced, it was with a bright light shining on the shepherds.

In Matthew 2 the Magi came to seek Jesus through the guidance of a star and its light showed them the way.

I pray that you will have a very Merry Christmas. But even more I pray you will experience the truth of the light of the gospel of Jesus.

Celebrating Jesus as the Light, Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                                     Joe

Christmas: The Beginning of a New Hope

As we approach the celebration of Christmas, the coming of the Savior Jesus, I am reminded that Christmas is about grace and mercy.

I am truly amazed when I hear people expressing the idea that somehow God is a harsh, unfair, demanding tyrant. Christmas shows that God is all about grace and mercy.

In Philippians 2, Paul says that Jesus was God, but did not keep a hold of being God. He emptied Himself and became a human and humbled Himself to die on the cross for our sin.

In Colossians 1, Paul shows us the greatness of Jesus. Paul says:

Jesus is the image of the invisible God

Jesus is the firstborn over all creation

that in Him all things were created

that everything was created by Jesus and for Jesus

that He is before everything

that in Him all things are held together

He is the head of the body, the church

He is the beginning

He is the firstborn from among the dead

He has the supremacy in everything

all the fulness of God was in Him

all things were reconciled through Him

He made peace through His blood

Jesus is God, the Creator of everything, and He chose to give up all that power and authority and become the Savior by giving His life for our sin.

So, you say we are God’s creation, and His creation is good, so what is the problem?

The problem is:

Genesis 6:5

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.

The creation had been perverted by sin, and human beings’ lives were now characterized by wickedness and evil.

The problem is:

Romans 3:10-18

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Humans rejected Jesus and began following their own ways and it lead down a path of evil and violence.

The problem:

Matthew 15:10-11; 17-20

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts – murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is acknowledging that in our natural condition we are separated from God. 

Other people, circumstances, or even the fallen nature of our culture are not what defile us as humans. It is our own hearts that defile us. In our natural human state, we are filled with things that are evil, immoral, and destructive to others.

These are the conditions that Jesus came into. He didn’t come to make humans better; He came to save us and transform us.

He came to save us from the penalty and power of sin.

He did that by His death on the cross.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is looking to Jesus and Jesus alone for our salvation.

He came to transform us from:

sinners to saints

enemies to friends

rejecters to followers

He did that through His resurrection.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is acknowledging that Jesus is the only thing that can really change our lives.

Jesus came to save and transform and He is our only hope for both salvation and transformation.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is looking to Jesus as our only hope.

In the Hope of Jesus Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

Joe

Jesus is Christmas!

When I was a child, I loved Christmas.

I loved the music. My favorite Christmas carol is Silent Night. Every year in my elementary school. the last day of school we would gather in the auditorium and watch the story of how Silent Night was written. and then we went back to our classroom and had our Christmas party. The song reminded me for years of those Christmas parties.

I loved the decorations. I loved driving around my hometown and seeing all the lights and the homes all decorated.

I loved getting up on Christmas day and seeing all the gifts that Santa had brought me.

I loved the feel of the season that seemed to change people’s attitudes (a least for a month).

Notice what was missing in my love of Christmas? – Christ!

I loved so much about Christmas but I was like the church at Ephesus. I was not focused on the first love of Christmas – Christ.

That changed the Christmas when I was 12. I had surrendered my life to Jesus early in that year and Christmas changed dramatically for me.

I still loved the music and the decorations and the gifts, but they were not what Christmas was about. Christmas had become about the coming of Jesus.

I still love Christmas and the focus on that love has grown. I now understand more fully the awesome display of sacrifice and grace Christmas is.

The Sacrifice

In Philippians 2:6-8 Paul writes, “Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!”

Notice the phrases:

Made Himself Nothing

Taking The Very Nature of Servant

He Humbled Himself

The coming of Jesus into the world was something that He chose to do. He didn’t come as a person of nobility but as a servant, again something He chose to do. He didn’t come demanding to be served, but He came to serve.

The magnitude of Jesus’ sacrifice in just coming to earth is overwhelming. The idea of the Creator of all creation choosing to become a humble servant should cause us to realize and be in awe of the love that God has for us.

Then we are told of the ultimate purpose of Jesus’ coming. He came to be the sacrifice for your sin and for mine. In fact, Jesus came to die for the sin of all humanity.

He didn’t come to die as a martyr, but as our atoning sacrifice. You and I can die as martyrs for a cause. Jesus is the only one who could die for sin.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is celebrating Jesus as our atoning sacrifice as we celebrate Christmas.

The Grace

Colossians 1:15-16

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.

Jesus is the image of the invisible God – He is God.

Jesus is the firstborn over all creation – He is the preeminent being in all creation.

Jesus is Creator of everything in heaven and earth.

Jesus is the Creator of all the powers and authorities in heaven and earth.

Jesus is the Reason for everything in heaven and earth.

Jesus is the Reason for all the powers and authorities in heaven and earth.

God’s Word gives clear evidence that Jesus is Cause and Reason for all creation both in heaven and on the earth.

So, when Jesus chose to be born as a helpless human baby it was totally out of GRACE!

He didn’t have to do it.

He didn’t do it because we as humans deserve it.

He didn’t do it because we as humans had the potential to ever deserve it.

No, everything about Jesus’ coming is because of God’s great grace.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about seeing and experiencing God’s grace in the celebrating of Christmas.

I will sing the songs this Christmas.

I will decorate this Christmas.

I will enjoy my family (both biological and faith) this Christmas.

I will give and receive gifts this Christmas.

But I will not celebrate any of those things. I will celebrate Jesus and only Jesus on His birthday. Jesus’ sacrifice and His grace are what make Him and only Him worthy of my life and my worship.

Because of and With Jesus Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls This Christmas,

Joe

Loving Those Who Don't Love You

In 2 Peter 1:3, Peter writes, “By this divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of this marvelous glory and excellence.”

God has given us everything - understanding and power - to live a life that pleases God.

One of the main things that God has given us is love.

That is truly awesome!

Love for:

My wife

My children

My grandchildren

My faith family

My friends

But it is also love for my enemies and for those who persecute me.

Matthew 5:43-44

You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you: “Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

God’s Word teaches us to love our neighbor and our enemy.

The world’s values say to love our neighbor hate our enemy.

We are doing a really good job of hating our enemies. It seems that when one person disagrees another person, or when one group disagrees with another group, we demonize the other person or other group. We can’t just disagree with them; we have to make them bad, horrible monsters.

Jesus says that we are to love our enemies.

Jesus says that we are to pray for those who persecute us.

Jesus says that when we do this, we show that we are sons of God.

Jesus points out that God the Father gives the blessing of sun and rain on the good and righteous as well as the evil and unrighteous.

This truth came to me this past week.

The American atheist’s organization has been paying for billboards around the country. They have one in Albuquerque. The billboard says, “Just skip church; it’s all fake news.”

When the news media asked some people about the billboard, most of them said that they did not support it. Some were very critical of the billboard and the group that supported putting it up. I have to admit that also was my first thought. Then God got my attention by bringing the Matthew passage to my mind.

God showed me those questions that Jesus asked in this passage.

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? – None!

Are not even the tax collectors doing that? – Yes!

And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? – Nothing!

Do not even pagans do that? – Yes!

So, if I am critical of those who are encouraging people to reject not just the church but the Head of the church, Jesus, because what the church teaches about Jesus is fake, then am I not being just like them? The answer is yes.

I believe that Jesus has called me to love those who think I am stupid and even evil for being a follower of Jesus.

I believe that Jesus has called me to pray for those who want to restrict or even do away with my freedom to proclaim Jesus as Lord.

Is that easy? No, it is not. The truth is that my natural inclination is to condemn and mock those who condemn and mock me.

The problem with that is twofold.

First, it is not demonstrating that I am a child of God. That action would not honor God, and the thing I am called to do above everything is honor God with how I live.

Second, it does not reflect the character of Jesus.

When Jesus is hanging on the cross, after He has been beaten, mocked, and flogged, He says, “Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.”

So, as I listened to the news broadcast about the billboards, God spoke to me about being thankful for the billboard.

Thankful that the followers of Jesus in America are doing enough to make what we believe be seen in how we live.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living out a radical relationship with Jesus.

Thankful that the billboard will make people more aware that Christmas is about Jesus.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is making Christmas about Jesus.

Thankful that through the billboard the gospel has the opportunity to be shared more.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is using everything in our lives as followers of Jesus to share the good news.

I believe that what Jesus was telling me to do was defend the rights of this group to express their beliefs.

I know that most if not all atheists would not support my right to worship Jesus and proclaim Him. I will support an atheist’s right to not worship or believe in any supreme being and proclaim that.

I will pray that God would by His Spirit change their hearts, not for my sake but for theirs.

Lovingly and By God’s Power Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                                   Joe