“All Were Dead” ( 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, KJV ) by Carley Evans

Maesta by Duccio, 1308-1311. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jesus takes the cup, blesses it, gives it to His disciples, tells them to drink of His blood in remembrance of Him. He takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, shares it with His disciples, tells them to eat of His body in remembrance of Him. The last supper with His followers is here.

“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

As we remember Him, His love “constrains us” — we are reminded that “if one died for all, then were all dead.” We remember He “dies for all, that [we] which live should not henceforth live unto [ourselves], but unto Him.”

What makes us live for Him? His love, and the power of His resurrection from the dead. As we die with Him in weakness, so we rise with Him in power. He dies for us. We live for Him.

“A Different Gospel” ( 2 Corinthians 11:3-5, NIV 1984 ) by Carley Evans

Mormons (Photo credit: More Good Foundation)

Paul is distressed that the church at Corinth is deceived by “super-apostles” preaching “a Jesus other than the Jesus [I] preach” He is fearful that these Christians are believing “a different gospel from the one [they] accepted” and that they may even be receiving “a different spirit from the one [they] received.” These apostasies disturb Paul. He worries about the minds of the Corinthian Christians, who have a “sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” Here Paul writes:

³ But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. ⁴ For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. ⁵ But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”

He’s concerned that the church at Corinth is not concerned. Why aren’t they as distressed as he is at their confusion? Why can’t they see that they are “being led astray?” How is it they are deceived?

Two young men come to my door. I invite them to come back at another time. Because they are in suits and wearing name badges with Elder S0-and-so, I realize these young men at Mormons. If you don’t know what the Mormons believe, check out the 13 Articles of Faith. When they come back, the young men explain to me that Joseph Smith sincerely desired to know which church preached the true gospel. He was so distressed, he went out into the woods of New York to pray. As he prayed, a pillar of light appeared above him and two ‘men’ stood there. One said of the other, This is My Beloved Son, listen to Him. I gather Joseph decided to do just that. As a result, the Mormon faith came into existence.

Now I realize some of you reading this may be of the Mormon faith, but I say to you this is “a different gospel” which Paul warns against.

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:8)

The true gospel is simple. Nothing can be added to Christ’s redemptive work on the Cross. There Christ bore our sins in His body, and through His shed blood He made us clean, holy, righteous in the sight of God the Father. He offers this redemption as a free gift. We either accept the gift of salvation or leave it unopened, so to speak. If we open His gift, the Holy Spirit enters and lives in us so that over time we reflect Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the world.

Yes, Jesus died for the ungodly. Paul reminds that rarely will someone die even for a good man, but Jesus died for us while we were His enemies. How much more will He save us!

“Only A Shadow” ( Hebrews 10: 1-10, HCSB ) by Carley Evans

^“1 Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the actual form of those realities, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year. ² Otherwise, wouldn’t they have stopped being offered, since the worshipers, once purified, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? ³ But in the sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. ⁴For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵ Therefore, as He was coming into the world, He said:

You did not want sacrifice and offering,
but You prepared a body for Me.
⁶ You did not delight
in whole burnt offerings and sin offerings.
⁷ Then I said, “See—
it is written about Me
in the volume of the scroll—
I have come to do Your will, God!”

⁸ After He says above, You did not want or delight in sacrifices and offerings, whole burnt offerings and sin offerings (which are offered according to the law), ⁹ He then says, See, I have come to do Your will.He takes away the first to establish the second. ¹⁰ By this will of God, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all.”

How are we sanctified? By the will of God through Jesus’ offering of His body once and for all. Why Jesus’ offering? Because God does not delight in sacrifices of bulls and goats. The blood of animals does not take away sin or the consciousness of sin. Jesus does not die on the cross to remind us of sin; He dies to cleanse our consciences of sin so we may approach the throne of grace without shame, in the boldness of freedom from guilt.

This is the successful Christian life — a life free of worry, guilt, self-loathing, hatred of others; a life full of mercy, compassion, kindness, self-respect and love of others.

“Against Judgment” ( James 2: 13, KJV ) by Carley Evans

 ”¹³For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”

Jesus says if you can’t or won’t forgive those who’ve wronged you, then neither will God forgive you for the wrongs you’ve done against Him. If you can’t or won’t show mercy to your enemies, then God will not show you His mercy. Judgment without mercy ought to terrify your heart. Mercy without judgment ought to cause your heart to rejoice.

Jesus does not come to earth to judge; rather He comes to earth to show mercy. Since He is God, and we are not; it only follows we should not judge.

“As A Tempest” ( Joel 1:15, WYC ) by Carley Evans

Imagine the cherubim of the Lord and the flaming sword barring the entrance to Eden, keeping Adam and Eve from returning to the garden, cutting off access to the tree of life. Here is the beginning of the ‘day of the Almighty’ as described repeatedly in His Word. This day is near; it comes like a tempest. We are banished from paradise and from the presence of the Lord God. What a day, says Joel.

^“15 A! A! A! to the day; for the day of the Lord is nigh, and shall come as a tempest from the (Al)mighty. (O! O! O! what a day! for the day of the Lord is near, and it shall come like a tempest from the Almighty.)”

Death begins; we are eternally damned, separated from God. The tree of life is outside our reach. A flaming sword flashes back and forth to guard the way so that we do not live forever. We are actually kept from God and prevented from eternity.

The day of the Almighty is close. What a day! A day of nakedness and shame. God asks Adam, “Who told you that you are naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” (Genesis 3:11, NIV) Now we know both good and evil; and evil dominates our lives.

Paul cries out, “When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” (Romans 7:21) “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24)

The only rescue from the day of the Lord is through the finished work of Jesus the Christ. Jesus Himself declares as He dies on the cross of Calvary, “It is accomplished.”

 

“In This Thing?” ( 1 John 4: 8-10, Wycliffe Bible (WYC)) by Carley Evans

“In this thing?” What thing is this? Is the author using this phrase for emphasis, akin to “thing is…” or “see here…” or “verily, verily…” as used by Jesus Himself? Is this why the New International Version completely eliminates this carrier phrase? Or does the author mean “in Christ” when he states “in this thing”?

8 He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is charity.

9 In this thing the charity of God appeared in us, for God sent his one begotten Son into the world, that we live by him.

10 In this thing is charity, not as we had loved God, but for he first loved us, and sent his Son forgiveness for our sins [and sent his Son helping for our sins].

If we do not love others, we don’t know God for God is charity. God is love. In Christ, the charity of God appears in us because God sent His one and only Son, Jesus, into the world. In Christ is love. God first loves us in Christ. He sent His Son so as to forgive us our sins. And, we live by Him.

“A New Commandment” ( John 13: 34-35, ESV ) by Carley Evans

Jesus tells His disciples that He gives them a new commandment. Up until this point, is love not expected? Are we to gather no motivation exists for loving others who are not best friends or family? Essentially, Jesus says this is true. He says:  love each other because henceforth you belong to the same family — the family of God. You are My friends and as such are friends of each other. Treat one another with love just as I love you.

^“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

So, what makes this commandment new? Jesus, of course. His presence makes His commandment to love one another not like the old commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Christians are to love one another as Jesus loves us — in the same manner: unconditionally.

^“By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus’ new commandment to love reaches above the ‘golden rule’ to a level previously unknown in the world. The Spirit of the Living God enables Christians to love others in ways beyond their own power. And this love for each other demonstrates to the world that we belong to God.

“Follow Mercy” ( Proverbs 21:21, WYC ) by Carley Evans

I realize Solomon is speaking to the common man — and woman — but reading his words this morning, I didn’t think of myself or you; I thought of Jesus.

“²¹ He that followeth rightfulness and mercy, shall find life, [and rightwiseness,] and glory.”

When each disciple leaves his home and livelihood to follow after Jesus, he is following after rightfulness and mercy. Jesus finds life and glory. So do His friends.

“Why Knock?” ( Matthew 7:7-8, WYC ) by Carley Evans

Jesus says, Ask, and take; seek, and find. But He also says, knock, and watch the door open. Presumably He implies for us to go in once the door is open. Who stands in an open doorway and doesn’t enter the room? I can tell you a story — in hospital, often I stand in the door frame to speak quickly to a nurse about some piece of information without entering the room; I am half-in, half-out. This is to avoid having to put on a gown and gloves. Inconvenience and legitimate caution keep me from going into the room. Most of the time, however, when we knock on a door and it opens, we enter the room. Jesus tells us:

“Ask ye, and it shall be given to you; seek ye, and ye shall find; knock ye, and it shall be opened to you. For each that asketh, taketh; and he that seeketh, findeth; and it shall be opened to him, that knocketh.”

Jesus also tells us:

“Lo! I stand at the door, and knock; if any man heareth my voice, and openeth the gate to me [if any man shall hear my voice, and open the gate], I shall enter to him, and sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:19-21, WYC)

Here Jesus knocks, and we open the door. Jesus asks, and takes. Jesus seeks, and finds. We open the gate, and He “enters to [us]“. He “sups with [us], and [we] with [Him].”

I want to focus, for just a moment, on the use of “take” for “receive.” Receipt of a thing is passive, but taking of a thing is active. I like the choice of the word “take” in the Wycliffe translation. Jesus always means for His people to be active, never passive! We are asking, taking, seeking, finding, knocking, going in.

What are we asking to gain? What are we seeking to find? What door are we knocking to open? The Word of God is the best answer I’ve come up with this morning.

“Of The Spirit, Reap Everlasting Life” ( Galatians 6: 8, Wycliffe ) by Carley Evans

“⁷ Do not ye err, God is not scorned; for those things that a man soweth, those things he shall reap [for why what things a man soweth, also these things he shall reap].

⁸ For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh he shall reap corruption; but he that soweth in the Spirit, of the Spirit he shall reap everlasting life.

⁹ And doing good fail we not [Forsooth we doing good, fail not]; for in his time we shall reap, not failing.”

Here Paul strongly reminds his readers in Galatia that circumcision of the flesh is not the proper means to everlasting life. They are sowing “in the flesh” rather than “in the Spirit.” They are seeking to obey the Law of Moses primarily to avoid the cross of Christ, i.e. crucifixion. They have forgotten they can not scorn God; they can not make their own way to heaven. They must take up Christ’s way and so “reap everlasting life” as they “soweth in the Spirit.”

^“12For whoever will please in the flesh, these constrain you to be circumcised, only that they suffer not the persecution of Christ’s cross.

¹³ For neither they that be circumcised keep the law; but they will that ye be circumcised, that they have glory in your flesh [but they will you to be circumcised, that they glory in your flesh].

¹⁴ But far be it from me to have glory [Forsooth be it far to me to glory], but in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.

¹⁵ For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision is any thing worth, nor prepuce, but a new creature.”

Paul says, glory not in your flesh; glory only “in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Remember, what matters — what has worth — is being made “a new creature.” All the rest is corruption.