Identity – See you in Heaven

Who are you and where are you going? Part 2

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.’ ” John 7:33

In this article we will address the second question: Where are you going? To do this we will look at THE QUESTION OF JESUS’ DESTINY (John 7:32-36). When the religious leaders heard that people were believing in Jesus (John 7:31), they dispatched temple guards to arrest Christ. “The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.” (John 7:32). These religious leaders did not want more people to turn to Christ in faith and stop giving money to the temple where they served. So they sought to arrest Christ to bring His message of grace to a halt.

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.’ ” (John 7:33). We see that Jesus is fully in control when He says, “I shall be with you a little while longer.” Even though these religious leaders wanted to arrest Him now so they could have Him killed, it would be six more months before Jesus would be crucified, buried, and raised from the dead to return to His Father in heaven who sent Him to earth. Christ assures them, “You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.” (John 7:34). After Jesus’ return to the Father in heaven, the religious leaders will search frantically for His body to silence rumors about His resurrection. They will not be able to join Christ in heaven because of their unbelief.

“Then the Jews said among themselves, ‘Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?’ ” (John 7:35). Christ’s listeners concluded that Jesus was talking about physical matters and earthly places. These Jewish leaders surmise that Jesus was planning to leave Israel and go to Jews scattered throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. Little do they know that their words are somewhat prophetic because Christ’s gospel message would spread throughout the Roman Empire to “the Greeks” or Gentiles after Jesus’ death and resurrection (cf. Acts 1:8ff).

Not only do these leaders misunderstand Jesus’ identity, but they also misunderstand His destiny. “What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come?’” (John 7:36). Christ’s words puzzled these leaders and made them uneasy. “Is He mocking us? Should we understand more?” they asked themselves. They cannot embrace the fact that Jesus will rise from the dead and return to His Father in heaven, which would show these leaders’ gospel message of salvation by works is untrue.

Because He knew who He was, Jesus also knew where He was going. Because He was the eternal Son of God He would return to His natural abode with His Father in heaven. But what about you? Do you know your eternal destiny? Do you know where you will go after you die? You can know for sure by listening to what John (the same writer of the gospel of John) says in I John 5:13: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”

To whom is John writing? To those who believe in the name of the Son of God. What does he want them to know? That they “have eternal life.” You can know 100% sure that you will go to be with Jesus when you die because God says you have eternal life the moment you believe in Christ. That is good news, isn’t it!?!

When I preached this message a few years ago, I used a carved pumpkin to illustrate what Jesus is talking about. I asked for a volunteer from the audience to help me. I then said, “This pumpkin can remind us of what Jesus has done for us and who we are.” Next, I had the volunteer take off the lid of the pumpkin and then I said, “We need to open our minds to Jesus so we can learn from Him.” Then I had the volunteer pull out a bag of the pumpkin’s seeds and pulp and said, “When we trust Christ to take us to heaven, He forgives all our sins and cleanses our hearts… (I had the volunteer show the audience how clean the inside of the pumpkin is now) – just the way God cleans us.”

Then the volunteer took out the heart-shaped eyes and I said, “How can we see how much God loves us? Through creation, the Bible, and our families.” Next, the volunteer took out the cross-shaped nose as I shared, “What does it mean to turn our nose up at something? It means we don’t like it. Sometimes we may think we know what we need better than God does. But when we remember that Jesus died on the cross for us, we know that God gave us all we really need.”

The volunteer then took out the Bible-shaped ears and I said, “Do your parents ever have to tell you to do something more than once? Sometimes we don’t listen very well. Just like our parents, God wants us to listen to Him. The Bible tells us how much God loves us, how He has made us new people on the inside, how He wants us to live and how He will help us. We always need to listen to God’s Word.”

When the volunteer pulled out the fish-shaped mouth, I said, “Jesus told His disciples that they were not going to catch fish anymore, but instead they would fish for people by telling them the Good News about Jesus. We can also use our mouths to tell others about Jesus, too. We will give you gospel tracts to distribute to the unsaved.”

After the volunteer lit a candle and placed it inside the pumpkin, I said, “This candlelight represents the Holy Spirit who lives inside us. When we let Jesus open up every part of us, He can shine through us so others will see Him in us. Then our friends will want to have Jesus in their lives, too!”

Prayer: Father God, thank You for giving us everlasting life the moment we believed in Christ alone. We are now Your beloved children who are bound for heaven. Please enable us to see ourselves as citizens of heaven in our fallen world so others can see Jesus in and through us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

How to be greatly used by God – Part 2

“²² Then they said to him, ‘Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?’ ²³ He said: ‘I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’as the prophet Isaiah said.” John 1:22-23

We will look at a second way to be used greatly by God based on John the Baptist’s response to the religious delegation’s inquiry. This religious delegation was not content with John’s previous denials (John 1:20-21). They must have some response to take back to their leaders, so they questioned John further. “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” (John 1:22). “Give us a break! Tell us something we can take back to Jerusalem. If you are not any of these people, then who are you? What do you have to say about yourself? Show us your resume.” They turn the matter over to John.

Wow! What an opportunity for John the Baptist! At this point, he could have said anything. He could have said, “I am the great forerunner or prophet or preacher! Look at how many baptisms I have performed. Look at how many people I have attracted. Wow! I must be awesome. I need to be leading church growth seminars or teaching preaching classes. I need to be invited to preach at evangelism conferences.”

But John did not flash his credentials. He did not flatter himself or build his own name. He did not attempt to make himself great. When asked, “Who are you?” to what did John turn to determine his identity? He turned to Isaiah 40:3 in the Bible. The only reliable and accurate source of information about our identity is the Bible.

“He said: ‘I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,”’ as the prophet Isaiah said” (John 1:23). John says, “If you want to know who I am read the prophet Isaiah. It’s written there for you.” This indicates that John himself had learned about who he was and what he was to do by reading and studying God’s Word. Most likely when John asked himself, as he must have as a young boy, “What does God want me to do?” he found the answer in the Word of God: “I am to be a highway builder. I am to prepare a highway in the desert for our God.” Not for men to get to God, but for God to get to men.

Isaiah tells how highways are built: “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth” (Isaiah 40:4). Check with a modern road builder and he will tell you that is exactly how a highway is built: the low spots are filled in, the high spots are leveled, the crooked ones are straightened out, and the rough ones are made smooth.

This beautiful description of John’s ministry to people is still the way repentance works in the human heart today. If you feel low and worthless, depressed, insignificant, your life is meaningless, you are in a valley — then transfer your trust to Christ and He will lift you up: “Every valley shall be exalted.” That is where Jesus will meet you.

If you feel proud and self-sufficient, able to handle your own affairs, then come down: “Every mountain and hill brought low.” That is where Christ will meet you, and nowhere else.

If you are handling things in a crooked manner, if you are devious in your business dealings and untrustworthy in your relationships with others, then realize there is only One who can forgive your crooked ways – Jesus. “The crooked places shall be made straight.” That is what John the Baptist preached: “Repent” (Matthew 3:2, Mark 1:4; Luke 3:4).

The verb “repent” ( metanoeō) is a compound made up of two Greek words. The first is meta, “after,” and the second is noeō, “to perceive, understand or think.” The two together mean “after perceiving, understanding, thinking” or “to change one’s mind.” The noun “repentance” (metanoia) is also a compound word made up of meta, “after,” and noēma, “thought.” Together the two mean an “afterthought” or “a change of mind.” Hence, repentance in an evangelistic context is simply changing your mind about whatever is keeping you from believing in Christ and then believing in Him alone for eternal life (cf. Mark 1:15; John 3:36; Acts 19:4). Christ will meet you right there.

If you are given to riding roughshod over people, your life is filled with a lot of rough, tough situations, repent, change your mind and trust Christ to save you; decide to smooth out those places, deal with those things, and Jesus will meet you right there. “And the rough places smooth.” That is a highway for God to come to you. That was John’s ministry all through his life.

Interestingly, the apostle John never uses the words “repent” or “repentance” in his gospel. Why did God inspire the apostle John to leave these two words out of the only book of the Bible whose primary purpose is to tell non-Christians how to obtain eternal life (John 20:31)? One reason is because when one changes from unbelief to belief, he HAS changed his mind or repented to possess eternal life.

A second reason is because the words “repent” and “repentance” are easily misunderstood to mean something like “turning from sins” or “penance” which involve works. If a non-Christian is told to turn from his sins, he is going to ask, “How often must I do this and from what sins must I turn?” The word “believe,” however, communicates such simplicity that it is less likely to be misconstrued to include a works-oriented response. Believe means believe or trust.

John the Baptist knew that he was merely a voice. He is not an important person, like a prophet or the Messiah. He is a voice. Unlike the eternal Word of 1:1, a voice is temporary. A voice is fleeting. A voice is fading. And that is John’s view of himself. I am merely a fading voice that is crying in the wilderness.

John’s message is one of preparation: “Make straight the way of the Lord” (John 1:23b). John summons the people to be ready for the coming Messiah. He is the one preparing the way for the coming King (an important role in ancient times involved leveling the land and clearing the road). He saw his role as the voice preparing the way.

When I played football, some teams ran the single wing offense. One of the positions in the backfield was the blocking back. He never carried the ball, but just blocked for the ball carrier. He never received any glory, but he did it because he was a team player. That’s what John was. John was like the old-time telephone operator – when they connected you to your party, they just got out of the way.

If we are to be greatly used by God like John the Baptist, we must know who we are. We are called to be God’s voices. We are the temporary voice chosen to prepare the way in our generation. Each generation has a voice, and we are the voice for this time and this place. Our role is temporary, but it is essential. Without the voice, the people will not hear. And if they do not hear, they won’t be able to believe in Jesus for eternal life (cf. Romans 10:14).

We are to speak and live the message of Jesus before a watching world. If God is going to greatly use us, we must recognize who we are not (John 1:19-21) and who we are (John 1:22-23). We are not Jesus. Nor are we victims. We are voices. God wants to use our voices to prepare people to believe in Christ for His gift of everlasting life (cf. Acts 19:4). Will you let Him?

Prayer: Father God, thank You for reminding me that the Bible is where I want to turn to determine my identity. Your Word contains the most accurate and reliable information about who I am in Christ. Unfortunately, I have spent much of my life looking for my identity in things that change – my achievements, my appearance, my education, my family, my friends, my failures, and even my pain. Your Word never changes nor does Your view of me. I am so humbled that You want to use my voice to prepare people to come to faith in Jesus for His gift of salvation. Please give me the boldness, clarity, wisdom, and opportunities to proclaim Christ crucified to those who are perishing without Him. I pray Your Holy Spirit will use Your Word to persuade people of their need for Jesus so they will believe in Him for eternal life before it is too late for them (John 16:7-11). I am so grateful that the power to transform lives comes from Your gospel message (Romans 1:16), not from my personality or my persuasiveness. Thank You, Jesus, for Your grace which sustains me. In Your name. Amen.

We are loved beyond imagination!

“The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Many Christians struggle with shame. At the core of their being, they believe they are unacceptable or worthless before God. They may know the doctrine of God’s unconditional love, but they do not believe it or experience it in the deepest part of their being. Deep down they think they have to earn His love or that God would never love them as they are. Shame-based lies keep them from opening up to God and others. Lies that say, “Nobody would love me as I am.” “I am basically a bad and worthless person.” “I cannot get my needs met by depending on others.” Satan uses shame to condemn us and isolate us from God and one another.

Our verse in Zephaniah (3:17) reminds us that God wants us to sit in His presence so He can delight in us. After revealing God’s coming judgment upon the world (Zeph. 1:2-3:8), the prophet, Zephaniah, discloses God’s blessings to come upon His people (Zeph. 3:9-20) to motivate them to live for the Lord during a time of spiritual decline in their nation.

After defeating all His enemies (3:15), King Jesus will be in Israel’s “midst” like a “Mighty” Warrior to “save” them from harm (3:17a). Like a Bridegroom, King Jesus “will rejoice over” His people, Israel, “with gladness” and “He will quiet” them in the security of “His love” for them as His bride (3:17b). King Jesus “will rejoice over” His bride “with singing.”

God wants to celebrate who we are! “He will rejoice over you with singing,” not condemn us or shame us. He wants to quiet us with His love.

The night before His death, Jesus shared a meal with His disciples (John 13:1-8). After the meal, Christ stood up from the table and displayed His incredible love. Like a common house slave, He wrapped a towel around His waste, poured water in a basin, and began to wash His disciples dirty and road-worn feet. Among those feet were Judas’s and Peter’s. One man would betray Him and the other would deny Him before the night was over. Still, Jesus knelt down before them.

Today, God’s love kneels down before us, wherever we are. And as He does, He urges us to bare ourselves before Him. Why? Because in seeing our naked selves – wicked, wounded, and weak – in the light of His love, we begin to understand Who He truly is. He is a good and merciful God. Only in our nakedness and vulnerability can we experience Jesus’ mercy, tenderness, and healing. In our nakedness Jesus does not shame us nor look down on us. He delights in us.

As we realize that we are loved beyond imagination by Jesus, we discover that this alone is what defines us. We are His beloved. And because of this, we are free from the compulsion to be someone we are not. We are free from having to impress, manipulate, or attempt in our own unique way to earn love. We are free to be who we are in Christ:

– We are the salt and light of the earth (Matt. 5:13-14)

– We are the branches of the True Vine, channels of His life (John 15:1, 5)

– We are chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16)

– We are witnesses of Christ endowed with the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8)

– We are justified or declared totally righteous before God (Rom. 4:5; 5:1)

– We are free from condemnation (Rom. 8:1a, 34)

– We are assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28)

– We are free from accusation (Rom. 8:33)

– We cannot be separated from God’s love (Rom. 8:35-39)

– We are bought with the price of Christ’s blood; We belong to Him (I Cor. 6:19-20)

– We are members of Christ’s body (I Cor. 12:27)

– We are ministers of reconciliation for Christ (2 Cor. 5:18-19)

– We are ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20)

– We are God’s co-worker (2 Cor. 6:1)

– We are His holy temple (2 Cor. 6:16)

– We are saints (Ephes. 1:1)

– We are chosen by God (Ephes. 1:4)

– We are accepted in the Beloved (Ephes. 1:6)

– We are redeemed and forgiven (Ephes. 1:7)

– We are seated next to Christ in the heavenlies far above all powers (Ephes. 1:20-21; 2:5-6)

– We are God’s workmanship or Masterpiece (Ephes. 2:10)

– We may approach God directly with confidence and freedom (Ephes. 3:12)

– We are citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20)

– We can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us (Phil. 4:13)

– We are complete in Christ (Col. 2:10)

– We are hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3)

– We have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (I Tim. 1:7)

– We can find grace and mercy in time of need (Heb. 4:16)

– We are dearly loved children of God (I John 3:1-2)

– We are born of God; the evil one cannot touch us (I John 5:18)