Suffering Forgiveness

"that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead."

(Phil 3:10-11)

Have you ever considered the sufferings of Christ? How may we share His sufferings? We know that in the Incarnation Jesus laid aside His glory willingly, not clinging to it. Yet, even more than that, He willingly gave Himself into the hands of His enemies — both the readily apparent and the not so apparent. 

Jesus suffered the deprivation of all the comforts of His glory — having not even a place to lay His head. He suffered the hatred of the religious leaders of His own chosen people. He suffered the rejection of His own family and neighbors. He suffered the abandonment of followers who were easily distracted and dissuaded. He suffered the misunderstandings and weakness and selfishness and inattentiveness of His disciples — even the betrayal of and denial by His very own. He suffered the false accusations and injustice and mocking and condemnation … and then the horrific brutality of the Roman system that scourged Him into a bloody pulp and nailed Him to a cross to suffocate in agony. All of this, yes, Jesus suffered.

Let’s go a step farther — God the Father suffered the immeasurably exquisite anguish of watching … beholding … knowing it could all be stopped with a word … a breath. Indeed, ever since the fall, God has beheld as His creation turned against Him and upon itself in selfishness, pride, hatred, and vile wickedness — humankind, the very pinnacle of God’s creation, leading the charge to its own destruction. And then He beheld as His only Son took all the sin of all creation upon Himself — the pure becoming impurity — the lamb becoming the scapegoat.

But perhaps there is a suffering we underestimate — one that we may be unfamiliar with and possibly cannot bear to face.

“Father, forgive them …” (Luke 23:34)

The suffering of forgiveness … to forgive is to relinquish my rights — to be humbled — to let loose of my claim on just satisfaction for some loss or grievance — to give mercy in response to ruthless injustice — to give honor in response to humiliation — to give love in response to hate. You see, the deeper the wound — the more grievous and offensive the sin — the more spiteful and heinous the actions and words of the perpetrator — the deeper the suffering of the victim who chooses to forgive. This is a suffering that can be crushing — feeling like one's very soul is being torn apart. In this process, more and more of self dies as it is surrendered in obedience to the Cross. And what is that obedience to the Cross? In a very powerful sense, it is compassion — quite literally, to suffer with. And we may not suffer with Christ unless we will forgive as He did. To look upon the Cross with pity may stir up the most powerful feelings; but, unless we move beyond pity to compassion, there is no action and without action there is no obedience … there is no being … there is no “becoming like Him in His death."

There is only one motivation to move beyond pity to compassion — forgiveness itself. Jesus illustrated this for us in the parable of the unjust servant who, although he was forgiven by the king for his debt that was the equivalent of 200,000 years labor, refused to forgive the debt of another that was the equivalent of a day’s wage. No wonder Jesus said, “if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father in Heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Matt. 6:15) When Jesus said, “he who is forgiven little, loves little” (Luke 7:47) I’m inclined to believe that He wasn’t speaking only of the quantitative measure of forgiveness so much as the recognition of the weight and consequence of forgiveness.

This forgiveness is for the meek, not the weak. It demands response, not reaction. A reaction is nothing more than that which naturally occurs when a stimulus is applied. A response is quite literally an offering (Latin: re- “back” + sponde “drink offering" ) — indeed, it is something poured out as an act of worship. Jesus describes the response of the Christian to wrongdoing in selfless and intentionally active terminology. "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." (Luke 6:27-28) Harboring unforgiveness or failing to seek reconciliation preempts any ability of the Holy Spirit to enable you to love and bless and pray. (Matt. 5:23-24) Forgiveness is essential to any reconciliation. God did not wait, but freely offered forgiveness — reconciling us to Himself through the Cross while we were still sinners and enemies. (Rom. 5:8-10)

Only as we come to fully know the forgiveness we receive as our own through Christ can we truly, completely forgive. Conversely as well — only as we truly forgive as we have been forgiven can we begin to grasp the fullness and power of the forgiveness we receive from God our Father. As we truly forgive, our self will continually be put to death — and therein, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be raised to new life with and in Christ and come to "know the power of His resurrection." That which is resurrected in us is indeed new life — life overflowing with joy and peace that even death cannot conquer.

Then we can proclaim with Paul, “to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil 1:21)

Jesus, my risen Lord, makes living worth dying for and dying worth living for!

Reliance, Sufficiency, and Consequences

Mulling over Oswald Chambers this morning, the Spirit gave me some perspective on the past few months …

Understanding my self-reliance and self-sufficiency as it conflicts with God-reliance and God-sufficiency is beginning to free me from a way of thinking that leads away from prayer and into anxiety or even indifference relative to the extent to which I confront or ignore a circumstance or need.

Seeking?

Everyone is seeking something.  It’s what we do.  Let’s think of this perhaps in synonymous terms: seeking, pursuing, desiring, longing, hungering, chasing, wanting.  These all require an investment of who we are—our resources—our time and money—our energy—even our very breath.  Whether in the material/physical or emotional sense, these efforts can range from the bare essentials of life to the most extravagant expenditures.  Yet, we all have a need for something that is much, much deeper—much more essential than any physical or emotional need—that of the spirit.  Ever since Adam and Eve broke the perfect relationship, fellowship, and communion that they had in worshiping and enjoying the Creator, the human race has been plagued with what A.W. Tozer terms “spiritual amnesia”.  We don’t know the who or what or why or how or where or when of our existence.  Unless and until this need is recognized and responded to, we are nothing more than the living dead.  In Matt 6:25-34, we see Jesus present in simple terms the anxiety that arises from being misguided in that which we seek.  We are not to be anxious about what we’ll eat or drink or wear.  Rather, we must "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” … but, what does that mean?  What does that look like in real life?

First of all, Jesus identifies the audience herein whom He knows can receive this truth—“your heavenly Father knows”.  If you’re still among the living dead, this teaching won’t resonate with you.  Remember Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, who came to learn from Jesus in secret.  Nicodemus seems to speak to Jesus with a sort of consternation—recognizing Jesus mighty works, yet unable to understand Who Jesus is.

3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
(John 3:3–7)

In the new birth, the re-birth of our spirit, we enter back into a right relationship with the Divine—the relationship Adam and Eve broke.  Paul describes this to the Romans:
you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
(Rom 8:15-16)

If you have not been born-again …  If your heart doesn’t cry out, “Abba! Father!” … please, don’t hesitate to confess and repent of your sin and be born-again into the life of Jesus today.

And that is only the beginning!  Now, "seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness" is personal.  It begins to make sense in the light of Who my Father is.  Yet, within me there is often a lingering conflict.  The Spirit of God within me that bears witness to my adoption can feel like a foreign invader.  The ambassador of kingdom of God is within me.  He is Holy!  Yet everything within me is so much less than Holy and so much a part of my very nature.  Paul cries out, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom 7:24)  The agony of knowing that Love Who has found us, redeemed us, and begun a good work in us, at the same time—by His presence indwelling us—reveals everything in us that is not of love.

The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." (Heb 12:14)  Can we ever be free or are we left to live out our days on earth in this awkward bondage with an ever increasing knowledge of Holiness that increasingly exposes our unholiness?

Mildred Wynkoop [a theologian and evangelist to Japan in the 1960’s] has illustrated this by asking [us] to imagine [ourselves] as suffering from defective kidneys and the only hope of surviving is to go to kidney dialysis several times a week. If your kidneys don’t work, there is no hope in yourself; your blood supply is self-polluting. The only hope lies outside yourself. You must be attached periodically to a machine to cleanse your blood. But suppose you could avoid the tiresome trip several times a week for dialysis. Suppose you could be attached somehow to a healthy friend, so that your friend’s kidneys could cleanse your own self-polluting blood. Suppose that this friend was willing to be connected to you. As long as you stayed connected to this friend and walked step by step, your friend would insure a continuing perfection of your blood supply. Would you do this if it were your only hope in living? If you did, you’d have to develop an entirely different lifestyle wouldn’t you? You’d have to go everywhere your friend went.
(Drury, Keith (2009-05-01). Holiness for Ordinary People 25th Anniversary Edition (Kindle Locations 1815-1823). Wesleyan Publishing House. Kindle Edition.)
You see the picture that begins to appear.  We have an active role to take in decisively choosing holiness and purity of heart.  Paul exhorts the Corinthians to consider that they, as temples of the living God, must seek purity.  "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God." (2 Cor 7:1)  You ask, but how am I to cleanse myself?

The sanctification of God's people, the Body of Christ, is imperative--and essential to that process is God's Word.  In Paul's instruction to the Ephesians on marriage (5:25-27)  he draws the parallel of the profound mystery of our marriage to Christ.  Just as a bride would go through a prenuptial ritual of washing which became known in Judaism as her sanctification, so we, as the Bride of Christ, are "cleansed ... with the washing of water by the word" as Jesus, by His Spirit, makes us ready for His great wedding feast!

We must immerse ourselves continually in the living Word.  We must read and search and study and meditate upon the written Word.  Not only did we receive the Holy Spirit at our new birth, we must seek and receive the Holy Spirit of the living Word again and again in new and fresh fullness and anointing.  "When asked why he constantly spoke about being filled with the Spirit, Dwight L. Moody responded succinctly, “I leak.” We all leak."
(Drury, Keith (2009-05-01). Holiness for Ordinary People 25th Anniversary Edition (Kindle Locations 1800-1801). Wesleyan Publishing House. Kindle Edition.)

But my brothers and sisters, be assured and comforted—we are not abandoned to our own feeble resources.  The same Spirit Who indwells, empowers.  For He is the Spirit of the living God Who seeks and desires that we be restored to that for which we were created.  Jesus said, "the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” (John 4:23)  If we doubt in any way our Father’s willingness and desire, hear the words of Paul to the Thessalonians.  23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Thess. 5:23-24)

Coming Out

On this Father's Day, 2013 ... the day when men of God should be honored for their humility before and obedience to their Lord Jesus ... yet the sad day when our land beholds a blight upon it as cities all across the nation pridefully celebrate sexual lust and perversion of that which God created to be good and holy ... I was moved by the Spirit to place this in proper context for myself and any who may listen.  Although I've never been tempted to homosexual sin, I know others who have and heterosexual sin has certainly not escaped me.  Please, read on ...

Today ... is not the first day for me.  I came out a long time ago.  On that day I acknowledged, admitted, and fully accepted the way I was born.  There was nothing I could do to change myself.  My nature was what it was and no one else was going to change me either.  Homosexual lust was not in me; but heterosexual lust and pride and greed were all so natural.  That must have been how I was intended to be.  It's not like I was faking those desires.  When I acted out, sometimes I felt guilty.  But that was everyone else's problem, not mine.  They just had to get used to the fact that I was right.  They'd get over it.  Maybe they just hadn't found the guts to come out themselves.  They just needed to take some pride in themselves. After all, the more I acted out in my true self, the less guilt I felt.  My conscience didn't feel so bad after a while ... it seemed to get a bit dull to these things ... most of the time.

Any of that sound familiar?  Of course I couldn't change myself.  But that was nothing to be proud of.  Acknowledging, admitting, and fully accepting the way I was born was only the beginning ... I had to allow the True Word to reveal to me that my nature was corrupt and everything flowing so naturally from it was sin. (Rom 3:23)  My pride had to give way to shame and sorrow and repentance.  In the blazing light of God's holiness, I was awakened to my unworthiness.  My natural self desperately needed something, Someone supernatural.  Thanks be to Jesus Christ my risen Lord, coming out was not the end! (Rom 7:24-25)

Jesus shed His precious blood, voluntarily, freely laying down His life (Eph 1:7, 2:13, Rom 6:23) so that coming out is only the beginning ... so that sin confessed can be forgiven and the corrupted, fallen nature of every man, woman, boy, and girl can be washed clean, restored, made whole, transformed by the indwelling, purifying Holy Spirit. (1 John 1:9-10; Rom 12:1-2)  It's not just the LGBT community that needs to hear this.  There is a whole world out there full of lost souls crying out ... coming out in various ways and not understanding what the turmoil is within them ... knowing they desperately need something, Someone supernatural ... to set them free. (John 8:36)