Who do you say that I am?

Sometimes as Christians, Jesus can become so familiar to us that we can no longer see him for who he really is. I've been reading Mark Driscoll's 'Vintage Jesus', in order to look at him with fresh eyes and hopefully to improve my ability to convey his uniqueness and his majesty to those who don't yet know him. My quiet time today involved looking up claims that Jesus made about himself, drawn from chapter 1, 'Is Jesus the Only God'. They got me excited, so I thought I'd share them.

Jesus claims:
...he came down from heaven. No other religious figure has claimed to come from heaven, only to have visited temporarily.
(see John 6:38)

...he isn't just a 'good teacher'.
(see Mark 10:17-18)

...he is the Son of Man; the fulfilment of prophecy.
(see Matthew 5:17)

...he performed miracles. Opponents of Jesus outside Scripture even testify to his miracles.
(see John 10:36b-39)

...he is God.
(see Matthew 26:63-65)

...he was sinless.
(see John 8:46, 1 Peter 3:18)

...he can forgive sin. All sin is against God, and only he has the right to forgive it.
(see Luke 5:20-21)

...he is the only way to Heaven and eternal life.
(see John 14:6)

In response to Jesus' claims about himself, a response is essential. Jesus was either a 
liar, manipulating vulnerable people by claiming to be able to forgive their sins;
lunatic, claiming to be God even to the point of crucifixion; or 
Lord, deserving our repentance and acceptance as saviour and redeemer.

Hope this is encouraging!

The Beginning of Wisdom

Over the past few months I've been using my time driving to and from work by listening to sermons downloaded from Mars Hill church, and I'm so grateful for those precious times because I so often find that they spiritually prepare me for the day and help me to get a bit of perspective as I travel home. I definitely recommend it if you're a commuter! Much more edifying than the radio.

Anyway, the other day I listened to one on Proverbs (in particular, wisdom). Mark Driscoll was explaining Proverbs 111:10,

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." 

and he helped me to see it in a new light. In the past I have heard this proverb but have never delved into the meaning and practicality of it. I just thought 'Yeah, that sounds right. Good point.' Mark pointed out that the opposite to wisdom is foolishness, and the motivations behind foolishness and wisdom are what truly set them poles apart. The motivation behind foolishness is the fear of man; in childhood this is called peer-pressure, in adulthood it is people-pleasing. If we are putting other people on the throne which rightly belongs to God, we start doing foolish things. We do whatever it takes for others to say to us "Well done, good and faithful servant." But when it all boils down, we are using these people to make ourselves feel better and to bring affirmation to ourselves. That's foolish.

On the other hand, the fear of the Lord causes us to act with humility. It gives us a better perspective to see that God is the only one who deserves the glory, and we exist not to be praised, but to praise Him! When we really understand this, that's when we start becoming wise. This shows that we don't need to have instant gratification from our peers; we are willing to be patient, to run the race, and to wait for God to welcome us home with open arms because we have trusted in His grace.

As a result of having wisdom, we no longer use people, but instead we love them. A wise friend will not avoid giving or receiving a rebuke because they want their friends to always like them. They will love their friends by pointing them towards Jesus and encouraging them in sanctification. A wise person will not shy away from talking about Jesus to their workmates because they would rather be liked than judged. They will understand that on the Day of Judgement they will be accountable to a powerful and Almighty God, and not to man.

God's Guidance

I'm seeking God's guidance in many areas of my life at the moment, and I have to be honest - I wish he was more direct in his methods of letting me know what to do! I've noticed over the past few weeks of prayer that God doesn't (in my experience) guide through a booming voice in the sky. He has instead been guiding me very much through online sermons (to the point where I wonder if Mark Driscoll has been hanging out in the corner of our house, observing what's going on!). I've also felt his guidance through conviction and through conversation with other Christians.

How do I know it's Him? I guess weighing it up with the Scriptures is key, but a lot of the time is too co-incidental to be a co-incidence! I'll be asking God to show us how to handle work outside the home, balancing it with work inside the home, and the next day I listen to a sermon online that targets that exact issue... God certainly does work in mysterious ways, but He also reveals that mystery to us if our hearts are soft and ready to listen to what he has to say.

It's my prayer that God will keep our hearts soft in all things so that we are open to his guidance and willing to face conviction... to hear Him even in the silence.