The Stranger Becomes A Friend

Thinking about faith this morning. Really this word means trust and in order to trust we must be aware of a thing and some of it's attributes.

The word 'stranger' is used for a person who is an unknown quantity. We know they exist but we don't know much about them other than that they are different from us in some way. They are outsiders.

"You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, 'He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us'? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ' God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' " - James 4:4-6 ESV

This speaks to me. A stranger could be an enemy or they could become a friend.

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him." - Romans 8:5-9 ESV

Some teach that the natural man hates God and the soul needs 'help' from God in order to believe in Him but when i look in the scriptures i see that individuals see God as a stranger and God is estranged from man and will never 'buy into' the system we have created that is outside His holiness.

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility." - Ephesians 2:13-16 ESV

The fallen man sees God as a powerful stranger who made rules and then demanded we follow them but the cross shows us a God who loves us and bridges the gap by coming to us and serving us. If we look at God through the lens of the Gospel we see that He Is a friend and not an enemy.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." - Hebrews 11:1-6 KJV

I could go on and quote the whole chapter...

Faith is seeing God as He Is and that pleases Him. It is impossible to please God if we see Him as a stranger or an enemy. Once we see that He loves us we can give Him love in return and that is a glorious exchange.

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Winning, Giving And Worship

Worshiping this morning... Jesus is amazing... He has put His righteousness on our account... we can be winners in Him and there don't need to be any losers in order for us to win...

"And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, 'Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death...' " - Revelation 12:10-11 ESV

The accuser has not been cast down yet. This is a future event but the path to victory is the same.

"He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes." - Mark 6:38 KJV

I'm looking at my lunch and I have a little but not much... still... I'm worshiping and giving it to Jesus to bless.

The accusation is that we only have enough for ourselves and even then it may not be enough. The promise is that we win by... 'the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death'... my life... my lunch... my bread... my fish... or we can give it to Jesus.

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Fellowship That Illuminates Truth

Jesus is sitting on a throne in Heaven right now and the people that have gone before us who believed in Him are there also. I often wonder what that must be like. It must make Jesus very happy that those people are there. He Is God who forever took on the 'form' of a man and people need people no matter who you are.

Jesus really had no one to fellowship with on Earth that understood Him. You can see His frustration at times...

"And Jesus answered, "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me."" - Matthew 17:17 ESV

"Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?" - John 14:8-9 ESV

So many things must have seemed 'self-evident' to Him but the people around Him were blind to those realities.

As a thirty year old man He met with an older teacher in Israel that seemed to know some things. Most of the other teachers stood against Him but not this one. This one wanted to meet and talk...

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." 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?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" - John 3:1-12 ESV

I read this and see Jesus as a 30 year old man hoping to connect with an older respected person but they hit a wall because the older man is blind to what Jesus plainly sees as true.

Ministry is often filled with times when we converse with others and find that they know something deeply that we were blind to. Then on other days we know something that the Spirit taught us that the other person is blind to and gracious interaction is needed to bridge that gap.

"Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit." - Matthew 15:14 ESV

So true.

If we find someone who sees beyond what we see it is wise to be quiet and listen. The Spirit will give witness and we have scripture to act as a guide. Real wisdom will never fall outside what scripture says. Wisdom from above will be illuminated by scripture and will connect concept to concept. Jesus will be central. Grace will be in the mix. God will become bigger and Heaven will seem closer.

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