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Who is God?

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“for he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God” – John 5:18

In general, people have a hard time getting a clear picture of who God is. Religions of all sorts, have different ‘types’ of God, which go a long way to determining their culture. India, as an example, has nearly 300 million Dalits, or untouchables who believe that they are like they are, because of what they have done in a previous life. CS Lewis once noted that “that is why horrible nations have horrible Gods; they have been looking at him through a dirty lens.”

Even Christians have a hard time defining him – it’s almost as if we can’t quite believe the possibilities that he extends to us. While we marvel at the great escapades in the Old Testament, the book of Revelation leaves us bewildered.

The person of Jesus Christ only seems to amplify that difficulty for many. Almost all Christian sects – the Mormons, JWs, Christian Scientists and others reject Christ as God, not to mention Jews. The Gospel of John, above all Gospels emphasises Jesus’ deity and his claims amongst the Jews especially. But the debate about his deity is not really the point here.

Once and for all, Jesus painted a much clearer picture of the nature of God and who he actually was. This is the first passage in John where Jesus actually begins to outline who God really is, and Jesus’ relationship to him. For the Jews, and for many today, the notion that God is a loving Father is difficult to swallow. We prefer the God who causes mountains to tumble, and lightning to strike us. Here though, Jesus talks of a Father who dwells intimately with his Son, grooming him for the authority that he will one day receive as Lord of Lords. If you want to see the eventuality of that, read Revelation 1 – Christ as the King of the Universe, coming down to restore order and claim his bride.

His statement in this passage, comes at the end of a string of miracles amongst ordinary people; It is as though Jesus says to us, ‘look at what I have done before I tell you who I am.’ By stating his own deity and relationship with God, by emphasising again and again that ‘I and the Father are one’ Jesus gives us a clear picture of who God is. God is Love and he is concerned with his world.

There needs to be an emphasis on God’s holiness alongside this, his willingness to carve evil and all who represent it, away from his creation. But, somehow, we don’t seem to have too much difficulty in accepting that. I wonder if most of us could write a job description for God, whether ‘hurling fire and brimstone at people’ would come near the top.

The Bible paints a different picture, and it is shown through Christ. That is why we must keep him uppermost in our thoughts, as he says here, ‘so that everyone will honour the Son, just as they honour the Father.’ What is our role in all this?

It seems easiest for us to see things in terms of the wedding that is referred to throughout Scripture. Marriage is portrayed as the foundation of our relationship to God, through Jesus Christ. It would seem that, at the foundation of everything even prior to creation, the Father loved the Son and poured his love into him. Creation – us in other words, was the Father’s gift to the Son, and also an outlet for the Son to pour his love into. But it wasn’t easy. There was an enormous cost, a dowry payment for the bride that cost the Son his [earthly] life, which he willingly laid down for his bride. At the end, there will be a final consummation of the marriage, centred around a feast before the Son and his Bride live together, overseen by the Father.

Once we see God through this lens, we see a very different God; a God full of compassion who reaches out continually to heal, to love, to restore, forgive, shower with blessing and mercy. In the Son, we see a person with the power of the divine, yet one who reaches out with the most tender of touches, and gentlest of words.

Of course, we sense that always in the background there is evil; evil in ourselves, evil in others that seeks to damage the good that we see. It’s way the world is still awry. Some reject the Son, and in doing so reject God for all eternity. They prefer their own twisted fate to that of a permanent relationship with God. “So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him” it says earlier. We are reminded continually of the long term, eternal consequence of that, as well as the way such a decision affects us in the day to day. We are warned not to harden our hearts.

Who is God?  When we stand before him, it says we will see him face to face – there are angels in his throne room who cannot see him face to face. I think the world will be astounded not at his power, but at his humility, his vulnerability and willingness to love all who would receive. Until then, let us cling onto the Son, the visible image of the Father and one who promises to bring us home safely.

Christ at Christmas

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In that day the people will proclaim, “This is our God!
We trusted in him, and he saved us!
This is the Lord, in whom we trusted.
Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!
– Isaiah 25:9

Last night we went to a Carol service in the city here in Sydney. We caught the ferry over, and walked to St Andrews for an excellent carol night. It was made better because in the middle, the Canon spoke briefly but powerfully of the centrality of Jesus in Christmas. Nobody was left uncertain of the true meaning of Christmas – that Christ demands a response from each of us.

As we walked back through the City, I was thinking about the “other stuff” in the Christmas story. The lights, the tree, presents, feasting. What did I think of it all, was it right? What do you think, or more importantly, what does he think?
One point that struck me on the walk back, was the city’s emptiness except for those from foreign lands. People from other countries, whose religion and heritage is not Christian, are intrigued by our Christmas. It has more depth than any other religious festival, and I am amazed at how there seems a global peace that transcends the world around this time. They, like the wise men, come in wonder, some even asking, “where is this Saviour?”
The danger comes, of course, when Christ is marginalised or even taken out. Celebration is a good thing, a Biblical theme even, but one that is appropriate when centred around God. As long as Christ is the head, then gifts, reuniting of family, feasting and lights are all appropriate. Once he is removed, as is surely happening, the festivities become hollow, meaningless.
Too often though, he is removed from church as well; in our desire to be seen not to confront, we push Jesus aside, out of the picture. Our job though, is to make sure he stays in his proper place – King of the Universe, for all to see. Let me leave you with Solly Ozrovech’s words at this time of year as a reminder to who this Jesus really is, and what God actually did when he pierced the darkness of this world with his own Son.
“One of Satan’s most refined acts of sabotage is to transform Christmas from an event of earth-shattering importance into a pretty fairytale of shepherds, wise men, stars, Angels, sentimental songs,a stable, a manger, a little drummer boy, and a cute baby. The indescribable suffering of Christ’s incarnation is pushed neatly aside. Satan tries to rob the King of his power by trivialising his birth and presenting us with an empty box in exciting gift wrap. It is so easy to fall into his trap and ignore the real meaning behind Christmas, the incarnation of God’s son to save mankind from sin and death. At the time of his crucifixion,Jesus was asked by Pontius Pilate “Are you the king?” His answer still resonates with us today: “Yes, I am the King!” 
 This season, let us take care to look at the real gift, the treasure that is inside the packaging, this Jesus – the Lord’s King of all creation. One who will surely return to establish his kingdom here on earth. The only one in whom Salvation is found.

The Veil

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“when Moses finished speaking with them, he covered his face with a veil”- Exodus 34:33

[read Exodus ch 20-34]
“but whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” – 2 Corinthians 3:16
[read 2 Cor 3: 7-18]
We’re going to hop out of John this week, but still maintain our focus on Christ. We’ve been reading this passage in 2 Corinthians for a few weeks in our family, thinking, dwelling and mulling over the words. We have soaked them up, and they have been with us throughout each day.
If you get the chance, read or skim all the chapters in Exodus. Then contrast those with the words in Corinthians. (Read them in the Message, or different versions). What do we see?
Firstly, we see the drudgery of serving God under the law; the rules to be observed, the penalties that we incur, the difficulty of maintaining this perfect record. uP and down the mountain Moses trudges, and for the rest, we are only able to observe, there is no connection.
Then we see the danger that exists with a God who is furious at sin. We find it difficult in our everyday world to see our own sin, and the Bible is useful in confronting us with our condition; such is the nature of God, that he wants to destroy all sin before him. It is almost as if he has to exert self-control not to reach across and put sinful man out of his sight. See how man lives in terror before God, a consuming fire. Our attempts to appease him are doomed to failure.
Throughout Scripture, God warns that nobody may see his face and live. Such is the glory of God, the contrast between us and him, that God’s glory is reflected back to Moses after he has been in the presence of God; Moses must wear a veil over his face, because those near him cannot stand to be in his presence. The notion of a veil is carried through into the temple as well, it is the veil across the ‘Holy of Holies’ that separates man from God.
Is there nothing then that can be done to bring this relationship back together?
2 Corinthians is Paul’s masterpiece on the centrality of Christ to all things, he is the very centre of all that God has in plan for this world and our future. The words in this passage highlight that so beautifully. In here, we see the contrast of the Old Testament, the separation that exists, against the new covenant under Christ.
Instead of the law, we have total freedom in Christ – there is absolutely no condemnation for those who are in Christ. For those who are in Christ, the veil is removed, and we can both see and reflect the Glory of God to those around us. The separateness from God is removed, we can for the first time see him as he really is. We are told that there are angels who cannot see the face of God, even though they are in his presence constantly, yet because of Christ, we can see him in all his glory.
Further, God begins an incredible work of transformation; he begins to turn us into the likeness of Christ. What does that mean exactly? Earlier in 1 Corinthians, we are told Jesus is the exact likeness of God, something that Adam even in his unfallen state, wasn’t like. So we are being remade into something even better than before, beings who are morally pure, free of sin and fit to be in the presence of God.
Friends, if you haven’t grasped this yet, let me encourage you to take these words to heart. Jesus is God’s answer to the separation that exists. We must take hold of Jesus, each day, as much of him as we can. In Christ, we have the very fullness of God himself, and we can join with Christ each day, each of us. Let us share that with those around us, the wonder, the beauty that is Jesus.
There is no other plan, outside of Jesus, to bring us back to God.

It all started here – March 2015

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It’s the long weekend, a weekend crammed with sport, beach, sun and the great Aussie way of life.

We have been down into town early this morning, because we wanted to see who was around to talk to about Jesus. We found a few in the short time we had.

I’m always intrigued by how people are fascinated by this person, Jesus. Tell them to come to church, or let them know you’re a Christian and most people will run a mile. But, start talking about Jesus and much of humanity is interested. Muslims, aetheists, Jews and people who otherwise wouldn’t give you a second glance, suddenly become interested with the name. He is recognised in every religion, though not always as the Son of God.

Why? What is that draws us to him? Was he just a figure in history, a mere man who went around doing good or there is much more to the story. I am fascinated by this person of Jesus, actually I am passionate about him. The older I get, the more reverend I become about him, and yet he brings complete freedom to the party (see 1 Corinthians 9). Jesus demands total allegiance, complete obedience, and yet brings a freedom to life that the world knows nothing of. How can that be?

He is the most quoted person in history, he covers the best selling book from beginning to end, he is almost a universal swear word, and more wars have been started because of him than almost anybody else. Yet of the little people know, they like; in the pages of Scripture, we see a man of gentleness, compassion and kindness, yet one who never flinched in the face of the proud or arrogant. He might be seen to have lived the life many would like to live, strangely detached from life, and yet so able to address and be amongst every person imaginable. Nobody who met him remain untouched, yet it is with sadness today, that the very movement he founded has nullified him to just another “decent human being.”

Dorothy Sayers has this to say, “the people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused him of being a bore – on the contrary, they thought him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left to  later generations to muffle the shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have efficiently pared back the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified him ‘meek and mild’ and recommended him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies”

Who then, is this Jesus of Nazareth, this carpenter? Why does he make such a demand on our life and what right has he to do so? What does he say to his followers, to the world? Why are so many so fascinated about a simple carpenter in the Bible, whom the Romans crucified – yet 2000 years later, still has a stake in the lives of so many across the globe.

Let us look at Jesus over the coming weeks through the eyes of the “one whom Jesus loved” the Gospel of John. We may digress at times, not from Jesus, but from the book. As John says, at the end of his own book. “Jesus did many other things. if every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” John 21:25

I pray that you would have a blessed weekend, wherever you are, and whatever you do. May you know his presence, his very fragrance throughout your life at this time. May he be so real to you as you sit still before him. This Jesus of Nazareth.

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