Why Did Jesus Become Man?

I think there is a misconception of why Jesus became man. Some say He left His deity to become fully man; some presume He left His true person to show humans how to embody deity in their sinful flesh, so that they can become miraculous and divine while here on earth; so that they can demonstrate power of their own making. 

But A.W. Tozer tells us, “When Jesus took upon Him the nature of man, He did not degrade Himself or become even for a time less than He had been before. God can never become less than Himself. For God to become anything that He has not been is unthinkable.”

In agreement with Tozer, I further add a question, “How is it even helpful to man for God to become less than Who He is and or like something He is not?” Some may think wrongly that Jesus became fully man dismissing His deity entirely to show man how they can be elevated to gods. Heaven forbid! This is pride (the same pride of Satan, I add) – this is the religion of the New Age – this is personal idolatry!

Jesus became man (while fully in His deity) to condemn man’s sinful flesh and pay for it with flesh’s perfect sacrifice, for we are called to die to sin and live for God. Additionally, “If anyone would come after Jesus, he must deny himself (his flesh) and take up his cross (crucify his flesh) and follow Jesus.” Our flesh is our problem!

Why would God want our flesh (our sinful, detestable, degrading flesh) to be elevated into deity? Oh how I rejoice in the words that “all will pass away!” I do not desire my flesh to accompany me in the purity of God’s Kingdom in Heaven! I look forward to the new body that no longer wars with the sins of this nature.

It is good to note that God’s sacrifice of His son in the form of man would not have been complete if it encompassed just man’s flesh; the divine had to take part in order for the New Covenant to be valid. God’s deity being involved is a distinct revelation that He initiated the covenant. If anyone other than God initiated the New Covenant, it would not be a covenant of God, it would be one of another. The truth is, a celestial covenant requires sacrifice from both parties: man and the divine. Man dies to his flesh and surrenders to God so He lives within. Man admits he is unworthy and unable to reach anything holy; without the holiness of God embodying his being, man is and will always be wretchedly evil.

God’s sacrifice included reducing Himself to being like the blood of animals opening the door to community with us. Daily, His sacrifice continues as He lives and works out His salvation in our sinful flesh; He hallows our souls making it ready to receive our new body. “…Though outwardly we are wasting away (our flesh), yet inwardly (our souls) we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16)

I could not fill the roles in my life today without His deity slaying the sin in my life every day. It’s not the other way around where I become god and have no need of Him. Oh it’s quite the opposite! I need Him every day to purify me of my failings. With my head stooped low and my heart stripped of any self-significance I say, “Purge the flesh, Lord; Purge it so that what people see is You not me.”

Parenting by Bridle or Understanding

“Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.” Psalm 32:9

If a horse or mule loses its bit and bridle, it also loses its way. A horse and mule controlled by the bit and bridle is in compliance only by the hand of its Master. The minute the Master releases his grip, the horse and mule go their own way. Such work for the Master! It’s as if the Master has become the slave of the horse and mule, wouldn't you say?

Man does needs the constant hand of God to guide him or her, but we are unique in that we can also obey God from our inner desire to do what is right. We have a heart that can not only know the rules to obey, but understand and follow God’s word because we want to. As followers of Jesus we need not be like the horse or the mule where we obey God only out of fear, but follow Him out of love and devotion.

Our relationship with the Lord teaches us so much about raising children. His fatherly love and discipline shows us the example we need to walk in when it comes to raising a family for God. We need to raise children to be obedient to God and to their parents from their inner desire to do what is right, not out of a fear of punishment.

If we lead our children with a heavy hand of fear, we can count on them responding just like the horse and mule when our hand is lifted. Instead of being their parent, we become our child's slave. If you find yourself restating the rule and having to be in your child’s presence to keep them in obedience to you, your child has become accustomed to your bit and bridle. However, leading our children with empowerment, gives them choices and responsibility that frees them from this tether.

Notice that Psalm 32:9 says that the horse and mule have “no understanding.” This means that the horse and mule obey mindlessly by force. The best ways to empower your children to obey you and God is to give them understanding. We can do this in a number of ways, but one in particular that has had the most success for me in raising children who obey their parents and God out of loyalty not compulsion is teaching the why behind the rule.

Just stating the rule to our children with the addendum of “because I said so” latches a bit upon their behavior. But if you give them the understanding behind the rule, they are more likely to follow it because they grasp its practical consequences if not obeyed. Teach the why in light of others not just themselves and teach the why with the guidance of scripture so they see God in every situation.

For example, a young child needs to pick up his toys and put them back where they belong. This is the rule. The why is because someone might trip over the toys and hurt themselves badly; you might add, “If mommy is carrying your little brother and I trip over the toy, what will happen to your little brother?” The child might respond, “He will fall out of your arms and hurt himself.”  Suddenly the child has gained a wider perspective for the rule and a heart for his mother and little brother. Paraphrasing Philippians 2:4 you might say, “God wants us to always look out for others not just for ourselves.” You have given your child a rule, understanding and wisdom, three essential elements of successful parenting.

This practice eventually teaches your child how to think for himself not just what to think. We want to raise children who can discern for themselves what the right decision to make is and what is the wrong. This moves them to maturity and independence, giving us the responsibility to influence them, not coerce them. If we have the influence, we have the kind of relationship that keeps our children coming back to us again and again.

Be Still and Know

“Among the sins to which the human heart is prone, hardly any other is more hateful to God than idolatry.” A.W. Tozer

God’s wrath was poured out on the people of Judah because of their idolatry. Their idolatry indicated a heart that was sold out to all other but God. And they demonstrated their devotion to their idols by their extreme means to please them.

It did not matter whether their means were despicable, evil, degrading, self-loathing, or victimizing. Their goal was to please the idol so they would in turn get what they selfishly wanted. It was ultimately all about them and never even about the idol, and certainly in this worship of idols, God was not present in their minds or their hearts. Their view of God had been distorted. As A. W. Tozer said, “Idolatrous hearts assume that God is other than He is and this is a monstrous sin…”

While the people of God’s church today may not bow to a carved wooden frame of an idol and worship it, we are not without idolatry. Our idolatry is more subtle and we are often unaware of them unless we start to answer a few questions concerning them.

When tragedy or challenges in life strike, who or what do we turn to?

How do we define God in those moments of distress? Is He all knowing, or is He a means to an end?

How do we handle our responsibilities? Do we skirt them? Do we embrace them? Do we blame others when things go awry? 

Do we worry about the unknown, giving it prominence in our life? Or do we worship God through the unknown, giving Him the prominence?  

Do we take life’s tests as God’s way to develop us or destroy us?

What part of the supernatural do we embrace? God’s presence and power or God’s demonstrations of presence and power? Whom or which do we desire more?

We live in a world where materialism is worshiped; comfort is upheld as blessings from God; children are determined as a reflection of their parent’s ‘greatness’ instead of God’s vessels that bring Him praise; dependence upon supernatural powers and God’s creation is more important than God Himself. The list of idols goes on. Has something or someone else been given God’s eminence in your life?  Has God been distorted from His true being in your view?

Walking past a very large nativity scene at church yesterday, I couldn't help but ask the question, “Do we worship carved creations of man at Christmas?” While I nor anyone at our church that I am aware of bows to such a sculpture,  I couldn't help but wonder if we perceive God only as the “what” and not the Who?

Let’s face it, God is not an object to obtain, He is The All Powerful Undefinable Being we are to embrace. His being is far greater than our perceptions and definitions that we try to mold.

He is holy, try carving that. He is omnipotent, try defining this. He is ever present; imitate this with images, can you? He is eternal; express this through our lens of reality. He is righteous, try explaining this without the filthy rags of man. Bottom line: We cannot figure God out, we are not even told to do this in scripture. Our job is to trust Him, believe Him, embrace Him, walk with Him, and obey Him. I don’t see in scripture where we are to question Him, define Him, mold Him, and make Him. He is, regardless of what we perceive and He will always be regardless of what we make of Him.

When tragedy and challenges in life strike, trust Him, not what He does or How He blesses. He is all together good. His righteousness is not ours (thank Him for that). His power is only felt by His presence; we can’t presume His power is found in things. Why would we? They will pass away, He will not. The Bible says, “Be still and know that I AM God.” This verse does not teach us to be or carve tangible things. 

This verse shows us tangible actions to live: Be Still and Know.

Nothing else is God, He is, He will be, and He will always be. Know HIM! And then your actions will be ever so purposeful in pleasing Him while He blesses you and those in your influence.

When Did the Sacrifice of God Begin?

When did the sacrifice of God first begin? When did His heart begin to break for His precious beloved Son?

Some would say that God’s heart began to break when Jesus hung on the cross with a disfigured body drenched in blood and screeching in pain. Some might say the initiation of the Father’s sacrifice was when Jesus cried out, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?" Wouldn't most parents want to run and rescue their child from the eminent danger? Wouldn't a parent’s heart break to the point of total despair? While this had to be the epitome of God’s sacrifice, it did not begin here.   

Some might say that God’s heart began to break when “…all the disciples deserted Jesus and fled.” The disciples slept instead of praying, they ran when the soldiers came and captured Jesus. None of them did for Jesus what He had asked. I ask you, “Would a parent not be heartbroken if the caregiver they entrusted their child with abandoned them and left them for torture by the enemy?” While this would have been enough to break the Father’s heart to the point of total despondency, His sacrifice did not begin here.

Some would say that God’s heart began to break in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus cried out, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Seeing the drops of blood drip from His Son’s veins, surely this had to be where God’s sacrifice began. Wouldn't a Parent‘s heart break for their child after hearing them moan with pain for relief  Yes, most parents would want to run and relieve him. Yet, God remained steadfast in His plan even though the pain being inflicted upon Jesus was also wrecking His own heart. Even in this imposing suffering, God’s sacrifice did not begin here.

Some might say that it was when Jesus’ own family of Galilee where He grew up rejected Him and “…drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff.” God’s own people treated His Son as a throwaway. What parent would not be hurt if their own family rejected their child? What if the child’s grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins wanted to kill their very own grandson, granddaughter, nephew, niece and cousin? It has to be here that God’s sacrifice began! Rejection has to be the most hurtful of all pain! But no, it did not begin here.

Bloodied by torture, deserted by friends, left to suffer, and rejected by family was not the start of our Father in Heaven’s sacrifice. It was one Christmas Eve in a barn where our Father’s heart broke for His Son. Taken from the comfort of heaven, the glory of praise, the place of holiness, the home of righteousness, and the power of majesty, God lifted His son and sent Him to the squalor of a barn, where even man would not live, much less allow their own baby to be born. God took His Son from the warmth of His love and placed Him in the hatred of man’s sin. His heart broke on Christmas Eve. 

Christmas Eve, the festive time of happiness in our homes, our workplaces, our stores, and our families, is when God gave His Son to dwell among us, to live a life of suffering, and whose destiny was to die. Christmas Eve is the day God will always remember to be the beginning of His greatest sacrifice! His greatest pain! His greatest agony!

Would a parent be able to take their baby from the safety and tender comfort of his home and place him in the poverty stricken filthy trash dumps of Egypt? Would a parent love another more than their own child to sacrifice his emotional, physical and spiritual well-being so the poor in these dumps could find salvation? Most of us would say, “No, we could not.” But I say, you do this every day if you:

• Send your child to public school to be a light for Jesus.
• Send your child on mission’s trips to help the hurting.
• Welcome the sinful, the lonely, the manipulated into your home so they can experience truth, forgiveness, and love of family.
• Expose your children to the homeless, the poor, and the destitute so these can be provided with a glimpse of hope and refuge through your children.
• Open your child’s heart to the hurting, abused, and the beaten so they have opportunity to heal the wounds of sin, hardship and pain that have plagued these lost souls. 

When a parent allows their child to feel the sting of this world so they can bring the salvation of Jesus to people barren of His Spirit, His forgiveness and His love, these parents mirror God’s heart of love. They allow their hearts to be filled with His compassion; they allow their hearts to love with sacrifice not selfishness. They give their child for another as God gave His for us. This is where the greatest Sacrifice of our Father in Heaven began! This is the heart of Christmas Eve!

Stand for our Teens

What would it be like to live in an environment where God commanded you to,

Beware of your friends; do not trust your brothers. For every brother is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer. Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning. You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge Me," (Jeremiah 9:4-6).

Sadly, there is a group of people who do live in this environment today. This is their world! Teens not only experience it all day long, many come home to it. In some families, relevant truth trumps absolute truth. These young people seem to have nowhere to run, no one to hear them, no one to rescue them; they are at the mercy of their caregivers (if that is what you can call them) and they are at the mercy of those who have been limited in their ability to give them hope.  

This seems like such a hopeless situation. When hopeless situations come my way, I often want to run, because I do not know what to do. I am even tempted to withdraw in the shadows and hope that this situation will vanish from my spirit. But it never vanishes, it only comes back all the stronger; all because the love of God resides in my spirit and His Spirit yearns for the hurting to be saved and relieved.

Jeremiah was no different when God said these words to His own people. Jeremiah wanted to just flee to a place of peace in his life (Jeremiah 9:2), but he knew that his role was to never give up in doing good, never give up in giving the truth to these people who were ensnared in the depths of their sinful culture. He also knew that God’s will was not to retreat, but to fight. Not fight with the sword but fight with the unabridged and uncut truth.

Yes, we live in a world that is not far removed from the world God described in Jeremiah. However, the good news is there are people like Jeremiah who do not deceive, who love the truth, and who do not embrace the filth of this sinful society. I believe there are more people like this in our sphere than we can count. But I also believe that many who are greatly pained by the hurt these teens experience, who are immensely confused as to what to do, who are overwhelmed by the difficulty, and who struggle in the battle for these souls, do so enough that they retreat instead of stand.  

I say stand:

    1. Stand on your knees and pray for these teens. Never give up beseeching the Lord for their hope, their salvation, their relief, and their rescue. When we stop praying, we stop caring. When we stop caring, these young people really do have no hope.

    2. Stand in the truth. Give the truth to these young people every chance you get. Don’t falter from it and don’t worry about how it will be received; we are assured that God’s word will NOT return empty once it is sent. We deliver it, God uses it. 

    3. Stand in the path of God’s plans. If God has revealed a plan for us to implement for these young people, follow through. Do it. Even if it looks bleak and impossible. God is into the impossible. And He is certainly in the business of making the bleak, bright! 

GAINING POWER FOR THE PURGE

I am totally captivated by the Kings of Judah. The more I study them, the more I can truly appreciate and love our King Jesus, who, unlike these previous monarchs, is perfect in every way. What has struck me recently is the contrast between King Josiah and our Savior, King Jesus. In my opinion, one represents the law while the other represents grace. This difference is the key to our eternal success at obedience! 

King Josiah, a young king, demolished the idols of the people and cleansed the land from the abominable acts that God’s people were subjecting their lives and children to. Josiah did indeed accomplish this task of cleaning the outside of the bowl of Judah. Much like the law that works feverishly to correct the sinful behaviors of man and not the heart, King Josiah was intent on cleansing Judah from their outward shell of disobedience; however, he was unsuccessful in cleansing the hearts of God’s people. After he died, the people went right back to their old sinful ways; they continued to burn God’s wrath against themselves because of their wickedness.

Jesus, however, came to cleanse the inside of the bowl. He came to demolish the strongholds of the heart so that the actions and behaviors of man would follow outwardly. His aim was/is more righteous and His goal was/is the ULTIMATE success.

Law alone does not accomplish God’s purposes of righteousness. While for a time the law may seem to succeed, eventually if the heart does not follow sync, people fail. Of course, no one can truly be successful with a heart of change unless the heart is ruled by our King Jesus, for He is God and in Him is the only means to true conquest of sin.  

His grace penetrates the heart, making a Highway of Holiness that gives power to the purge. For grace does not fight with the weapons of this world, on the contrary, grace pierces with divine power that consumes our strongholds. God’s gracious favor is all we need. His power works best in the depths (weakness) of our sin. (2 Corinthians 12:19).  

In grace, God covers us, strengthens us, and refreshes us. He mobilizes us through the all the debacle of sin we live in and around and we win! Oh how we win! 

The Favor that Protects

"Surely, O Lord, You bless the righteous; You surround them with Your favor as with a shield." 

Psalm 5:12

When we trust God, He is not just willing to shower us with His favor of met needs such as monetary provision, health, healing, food, and water, but His favor is like a shield that provides us with protection. 

That protection can be so strong and powerful that we can become a dread to the evil one about us. Just like the Israelite people were protected during the plagues of Egypt and even rescued, they were also a dread to Egypt. "Egypt was glad when they left, because the dread of Israel had fallen on them." (Psalm 105:37b). That dread was God's "favor as with a shield."

God spread a cloud as a covering over His people as they escaped the fires of Egypt. Imagine how the heat of the day could have scorched their backs as they traveled, yet God like a shield surrounded them with the cool of His presence. In the night, God lighted their path so that the darkness would not over take them. The fear of unknown beasts that lurked to attack were kept at bay because of God's fire. You see, God's protection was a dread upon even nature, not just the evil people that wanted to hurt, cripple and destroy His chosen. 

God's favor of protection is present today; it comes in different forms. I don't see a cloud or a fire but I do see and feel the shield of His presence. Just yesterday I felt the evil one plague me with total despair and I was not sure I could overcome. I prayed and I asked God to rescue me. I decided to retreat and simply rest in His Spirit. I later found out that unbeknownst to me, another believer was praying for me at that time, too. This person sensed I needed beseeching for. I awoke and felt amazingly refreshed and God's energy of renewed purpose and peace began to envelope me. God's favor became a shield of protection, not penetrable by the evil one. The evil one no longer had his hold, he scattered as an animal afraid of the fire by night. 

"The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace." Psalm 29:11 

Seeking Favor, Immortal Influence, & Proactive Freedom

“But I will pass judgment on you because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’” (Jeremiah 2:35b).

Our acts of rebellion and disobedience to the Lord are certainly bad enough but when we choose to not repent of them, notice that God says it is this lack of admittance that brings upon us His judgment.

In this particular verse, Jeremiah is talking to the people of Judah who were living their lives in open contempt of the Lord. They were so competent and wicked in their ways that the worse of prostitutes learned from them. That is sad! But worse than this, they were in bondage to their own doings and own insurgence.

Some sins in our life can be so much a part of us that we don’t see the burden they heap on us. We are so accustomed to our repression that it looks like freedom to us. The saddest thing about this is we are unaware. We are so steeped in this sin that we cannot see through the fog of suppression; we mindlessly and hopelessly pay servitude to it. Just like darkness is light to God, sin is obedience to us.

This is not much different than the people of Judah. They even replied to God, “I am innocent, God is not angry with me.” (Jeremiah 2:35a). Some of the people thought that having a temporary political and economic success was God’s blessing. What they ignored was that God “causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 6:45).

In the end the people of Judah never knew the true freedom of repentance. We are not different if we choose a life that lacks this spiritual discipline. If only we would humble ourselves and recognize the truth of where we are! This trap is kind of like having your own homemade cheesecake made out of box vs. having the amazing cheesecake from Olive Garden. There is NO comparison. They are very different. Choosing to live a life of sin accepting moderate success is not freedom like living a life of genuine repentance before the Lord.

Repentance gives us three joys that we cannot truly experience living a life of unremorseful sin.

     1.Favor of God vs. His blessing. Favor propels us forward into the impossible of God. Blessing is just that, a moderate every day success that helps us survive this life. But with God’s favor we can know infinitely more that He has to offer. 

     2. Immortal influence vs. mortal impact. The people of Judah certainly are remembered but not for their positive influence on others. They certainly made an impact on the people around them, but not for good. Living differently than the people of Judah, we can make a powerful influence around us with a repentant heart; we can live a life that still speaks long after we are gone. And what better way to be remembered “God’s power lifting us” vs. “man’s power crippling us.” 

     3. Proactive freedom vs. subjected servitude. I have asked my children, “Does life happen to you, or do you happen on life?” I ask you the same. Your answer to this determines which path you are taking in life: proactive freedom or subjected servitude. The people of Judah were so trapped in their sin, they only saw that serving Assyria and Egypt was their way to freedom yet it only kept them in repressive bondage. So they lived their life allowing life happen to them. In repentance God gives us not only freedom from our sin, but a powerful spirit that happens on the life around us. No longer does sin rule our spirits, forgiveness does!