The Impact of the Incarnation

“For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.(John 1:17-18)

God’s Law was permeated with His glory and reflected His holiness and righteousness. Though God was gracious in the Old Testament, the Law was not an instrument of grace because the Law saved no one (Romans 3:20-22; Galatians 2:16; 3:10-12). It merely convicts sinners of their inability to keep perfectly God’s righteous standards, and condemns them to the eternal punishment of divine justice; thus it reveals their need for the grace of forgiveness.
Jesus Christ, however, brought the full realization of grace and truth. In Him, the truth of God’s salvation was fully revealed and accomplished.
God also was made visible with a clarity never before seen or known. “No one has seen God at any time,” Jesus declared of the years before His appearing (John 6:46), not merely because He is a spirit who is invisible, but more important because to do so would bring instant death. It is through Jesus Christ, the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), that God is revealed.
God, who cannot be known unless He reveals Himself, became most fully known because Jesus “explained Him.” Jesus is the explanation of God. He is the answer to the question, “What is God like?”
Jesus is the only one qualified to interpret God to man, since “no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Matthew 11:27).

Ask Yourself:
What is something of God that He has “explained” to you recently, some facet of His nature and character that has been “revealed” to you through your interaction with Him? Aren’t you glad He has chosen to make Himself known?
Pastor Ben

The Witnesses To the Incarnation

“John testified about Him and cried out, saying, ‘This was He of whom I said, He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.”(John 1:15-16)

John brought in other witnesses to the truth about the divine, preexistent, incarnate Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. He first called on John the Baptist.
That John “cried out” speaks of the bold, public nature of his witness to Jesus; he was “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!’ ” (Matthew 3:3). He was the herald, proclaiming the arrival of the Messiah, and calling people to repent and prepare their hearts to receive Him. Acknowledging Jesus’ preeminence, John said of Him, “He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.” Jesus, the Expected (literally, “coming”) One (Luke 7:19-20) came after John in time; He was born 6 months later and began His public ministry after John began his. Yet, as John acknowledged, Jesus had “a higher rank than” he did, “for He existed before” him. This is a reference to Jesus’ eternal preexistence.
The apostle also points to the witness of all believers, who “have all received” the fullness of blessing from the one who is “full of grace and truth” (vs. 14). You can add your voice to that testimony by faithfully living out and proclaiming the truth of the gospel.

Ask Yourself:
Spend some time today reflecting on all you have received from Christ, how “grace upon grace” has been added, multiplied, and stacked one on top of another in your life — day after day, year after year. Celebrate His grace and goodness with the measure it has been poured out on you.
Pastor Ben

The Nature of The Incarnation

“The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”(John 1:14)

John 1:14 is the most concise biblical statement of the Incarnation. The first four words, “The Word became flesh,” express the reality that in the incarnation, God took on humanity; the infinite became finite; eternity entered time; the invisible became visible (Colossians 1:15); the Creator entered His creation. God revealed Himself to man in the creation (Romans 1:18-21), in the Old Testament Scriptures (1 Corinthians 2:7-14), and, supremely and most clearly, in Jesus Christ(Hebrews 1:1-2).
Jesus Christ, God’s final “Word” to mankind, “became flesh.”
That He actually became flesh, affirms Jesus’ full humanity.
When John says He became flesh, this does not mean Christ ceased being the eternal Word when He became a man. In the Incarnation, the unchangeable (Hebrews 13:8) God did become fully man, yet remained fully God. Think of it — He entered the realm of creatures who are limited by time and space, and experienced life as it is for those He created.
No wonder Paul wrote of the Incarnation, “By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, sen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16).

Ask Yourself:
Is the doctrine of Christ’s incarnation merely a subject for scholarly textbooks and sermons? Or does it have bearing on the everyday of every man & woman? How does the Incarnation affect your life and cement your salvation?
Pastor Ben

The Apostles Chosen to Have An Impact

“Jesus . . .gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.”(Matthew 10:1)

Jesus granted the 12 disciples God’s divine authority to do exactly what He Himself had been doing. To do the kinds of works Jesus did would demonstrate they were sent by Him, just as what He did demonstrated He was sent by the Father. The book of Acts catalogs the very works Jesus gave them the authority to accomplish.
The apostles cast out many unclean spirits and healed every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Peter and John healed a lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple (Acts 3:2-8). Their ministry became widespread: “At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people
. . . . Also, the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed” (Acts 5:12, 16). To the man in Lystra “who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked,” Paul said, ” ‘Stand upright on your feet.’ And he leaped up and began to walk” (Acts 14:8, 10).
The apostles manifested the kind of kingdom power that their Lord had manifested, and by their faithful obedience, they turned Jerusalem and then the world upside down (Acts 17:6). Jesus promised they would do even “greater works” than His (in extent, not power), and His words began to be fulfilled.

Ask Yourself:
Are your words and expressions of faith pointing others to Christ? Are they reflective of His distinct power and the presence of His Holy Spirit within you? If you sense yourself burning low in the power tank, where do you think the leak is occurring? Be sure that what you do points to Christ.
Pastor Ben

The Apostles Sovereignly Commissioned

“Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority.”(Matthew 10:1a)

When Jesus summoned His 12 disciples, He was making more than a casual request. The word Matthew used is an intense term that means to call someone to oneself in order to confront him face-to-face. It is used of God’s calling the Gentiles to Himself through the gospel (Acts 2:39) and of His calling His chosen men and entrusting them to proclaim the gospel (Acts 13:2; 16:10). The vocabulary implies that this summoning was connected to an official commissioning to the Lord’s service.
Behind Jesus’ commissioning and training of the 12 disciples are several foundational facts. First, these men were chosen sovereignly by God. None of the 12 initiated the idea of following Jesus and becoming His disciples, much less His apostles. It was entirely God’s planning and doing. Mark tells us that Jesus “summoned those whom He Himself wanted” (Mark 3:13), and near the end of His earthly ministry Jesus reminded them, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you” (John 15:16).
The men themselves were not consulted nor were any other men. Jesus’ only consultation was with His Heavenly Father. Like Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, and all the prophets, the 12 disciples were chosen by God’s sovereign will and for His sovereign purpose, being foreordained to His service before the foundation of the world. That has always been God’s way. He divinely chose Israel, He divinely chose His prophets and His apostles, and He divinely chooses those today who become the leaders of His own Body, the church.

Ask Yourself:
Have you routinely thought of God’s calling on your life as having this kind of urgency, intention, and purpose? Are there other priorities that are siphoning off the importance you should be placing on the tasks God has called you to accomplish in His service?
Pastor Ben

Prayer For Harvest Workers

“Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”(Matthew 9:38)

“The Lord of the Harvest” is a title of God that represents His role as the Judge of the unsaved — those who will stand before Him in the last day and be condemned to hell. We are to plead for Him to send workers who will lovingly warn them so they may be a part of those harvested to eternal glory.
The Christian’s first responsibility is not to go and start working as soon as he sees a need, but to come to the Lord in prayer. Waiting on the Lord is a crucial part of serving Him. Before the disciples received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they were not prepared to witness for Christ, and He therefore instructed them “not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ‘Which,’ He said, ‘you heard of from Me’ ” (Acts 1:4).
It is possible to pray regularly for the salvation of a loved one, a neighbor, a friend, or a fellow employee and then to let our concern stop with our prayer. But when we earnestly pray for the Lord to send someone to those unsaved people, we can’t help becoming open to being that someone ourselves. It is possible to pray for someone’s salvation while keeping them at arm’s length. But when we sincerely beg the Lord to send someone to witness to them, we place ourselves at His disposal to become one of His “workers” in that ministry. Be prepared to take on that role.

Ask Yourself:
Who among your family, your friends, or the associates among whom you are around each day is in need of Christ’s saving touch? Name them in prayer today . . . And at every remembrance of them. And pray that the Lord would send someone His Spirit can use to bring conviction to their souls, even if that someone is you.
Pastor Ben

Jesus Identifies Harvest Workers

“Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”(Matthew 9:38)

The primary problem that hindered Jesus’ ministry as He taught, preached and healed in Palestine, is the same primary problem that hinders our ministry today: “the workers are few.”
The workers Jesus is referring to are the people who would work in a field that was soon to be harvested — that is what the Lord is calling the disciples to do. This was the first part of our Lord’s training method with the Twelve. His disciples learned that the need for the gospel to be brought into a world that is headed for judgement, far surpasses the outreach itself.
Who can reach the lost, hell-bound world of sinful, hurting people who need to hear and believe the gospel? Who will tell them of their plight and lead them to the way of escape?
In His own days on earth, Christ’s workers were few, and they still are today. The first need in His ministry is for workers, and one of the most important things those workers must understand is that their shortage of numbers can be increased only by God’s provision & power.
God’s people need to look at their world the way Jesus looked out at the multitudes in Galilee and over the city of Jerusalem. We need to observe the people around us as Ezra observed his fellow Israelites on the way from Babylon to Jerusalem (Ezra 8:15) and the way Nehemiah inspected the walls of Jerusalem before he began to rebuild them (Nehemiah 2:13).

Ask Yourself:
Why are the active, evangelistic servants of God in such short supply these days? What are the causes for our silence, our indifference, our unconcern for the woeful plight of every lost man or woman we meet? As Jesus commanded, make this a specific focus of your prayer — and of your obedience.

Coming Harvest Includes Impending Judgement

“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”
(Matthew 9:37b)

As Jesus changes the metaphor from shepherding to harvesting, He gives another motive for His ministry. He ministered because people face God’s final judgement.
Jesus ministered compassionately and tirelessly because He could see the ultimate consummation of divine judgement toward which every person was headed — every one in the multitudes who did not trust in Him. Paul said, “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Corinthians 5:11).
In 2 Thessalonians, Paul paints a vivid picture of God’s judgement: “The Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (1:7-9).
It is easy to lose awareness of the imminence and the inevitability of God’s judgement, but the Christian who loses sight of that judgement loses a major portion of his motive for witnessing.
When Jesus saw the crowds, He taught them, preached to them, and healed them — all for the ultimate purpose that they might come to Him and escape the harvest of judgement they could not otherwise avoid.

Ask Yourself:
Think of the cost that sin has already extracted from you, here where God’s mercy is still available and the promise of His restorative forgiveness is actively in force. Imagine its cost on those who will be paying its price forever. Be sure that as you witness to others, you don’t minimize the cost sin brings.

The Religious Leaders’ False Solution

“They were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.”(Matthew 9:36b)

The Scribes and Pharisees offered a religion that only added burdens instead of lifting them. For them, the common people were the object of disdain, not compassion; individuals to be exploited, not served. In that sense, the scribes and Pharisees were true descendants of the false shepherds whom the Lord railed against centuries earlier through the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 34:2-4).
Even today, many religious leaders are still trying to keep people out of the kingdom by distorting and contradicting God’s Word and perverting the way of salvation. By telling people they are already saved because “a good God would never condemn anyone to hell,” they lead people to be content with themselves and to see no need for repentance and salvation — thereby shutting tight the gracious door God has provided. Similarly, when people are told they can work their way into God’s favor by avoiding certain sins or by performing certain good deeds or participating in some prescribed ritual, they are likewise deceived and left in their lost condition.
How wonderfully refreshing it must have been to hear Jesus say, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11: 28-30). What a contrast those words were from the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees.

Ask Yourself:
You may not mean to do it, but does the gospel you present to others involve more requirements than Jesus Himself placed on it? Make sure the gospel you proclaim and portray is all about lifting their burden of sin, not loading others down with more than they’re carrying already.
Pastor Ben

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Mankind’s Lost Condition

“They were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.”(Matthew 9:36b)

One of Jesus’ main motives for ministry was the knowledge of man’s lost condition. He saw the people He lived among in the reality of their need. He was moved by their diseases and sickness, and He healed every one of them (v. 35). But He was moved even more deeply by the deepest need that most of the multitude did not even know they had — to be freed from their bondage to sin. He saw their hearts, and He knew that inwardly “they were distressed and dispirited.”
Jesus saw the multitudes as being inwardly devastated by their sinful and hopeless condition. The idea behind “dispirited” is to be thrown down prostrate and utterly helpless. Jesus saw the dispirited multitudes as sheep without a shepherd to protect and care for them.
Those who claimed to be the shepherds of the multitude were the scribes and Pharisees, yet it was those very shepherds who were largely responsible for the people’s confusion and hopelessness. The people were spiritually led by uncaring, unloving leaders who should have been meeting their spiritual needs. That’s why Jesus calls the people “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6) — God’s chosen people who had been left to perish.

Ask Yourself:
Begin to develop Jesus’ motive for ministry as your own. Take every opportunity to introduce others to the Great Shepherd. God Bless you!
Pastor Ben