The Real Jesus

If Jesus had a Facebook page, which picture would he use for his profile?  Would it be gentle Jesus, meek and mild with a baby lamb on his shoulders? Would it be Jesus laughing as the little children bounded into his arms? Would it be Jesus feeding the 5,000?  Would it be the righteously angry Jesus driving the moneychangers out of the temple? Would it be Jesus reclining at the Last Supper with his beloved disciple John resting against him?  I’m guessing, like us, he would change his profile picture from time to time to reflect the status of his life.

Today as we begin the book of Revelation, we see another picture of Jesus.  It’s actually the most detailed, physical description of him in the bible.  It’s a very symbolic picture that’s filled with meaning and designed to reveal him as he is now in his glory.  In this picture, he no longer suffers.  We see none of the lowliness that marked his life on the earth.  And while he is still humble of heart, this picture is of Jesus the strong, majestic, powerful, royal and exalted Lord of all.

The apostle John, while imprisoned on the island of Patmos, received this revelation of Jesus one Sunday while he was worshiping in the Spirit (Rev 1:10-17). John first heard a voice behind him that sounded like a trumpet blaring in power and declaration. As he turned to see who it was that was speaking to him, he saw the “Son of Man.”  This was the title Jesus had always given himself (taken from the prophet Daniel; see Daniel 7:13).  While John clearly saw a man, the man he saw was more than simply human. He was the Son of Man who is also the Son of God. Everything about him symbolized majesty and judgment.  And it is this reality about Jesus; that he is King and Judge, that fills the book of Revelation.  It’s this picture of him, who he is in his eternal glory, that closes out the bible.

As John looked, he saw Jesus dressed in a robe reaching down to  his feet — flowing robes symbolized dignity and honor. Across his chest was a golden sash.  The combination of these two items declares his high priestly duties before God on behalf of people.  His head and hair were white like wool — he is the the Ancient of Days completely pure and wise. His eyes were like blazing fire — he sees and knows all and brings hidden things to light. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace — brass symbolized judgment. His voice was like the sound of rushing waters — power and majesty are his and he speaks creation into being with the song he sings. What a juxtaposition.  Creation birthed through music.

In his right hand were seven stars — he holds the church, its people, and all of creation together and in his care. From his mouth came a sharp, double-edged sword — his word pierces, divides and separates all that it contacts. His face was like the sun shining in its brilliance– Oh the wonder of who he really is! He is the all-glorious God, the Living One, who overcame death and is alive forevermore!

When John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” saw Jesus in his majesty, “he fell at his feet as though dead,” (1:17). But the Lord touched him and said, “Don’t be afraid!”  John, who knew Jesus as intimately and closely as anyone on earth, was overwhelmed as if dead when he saw Jesus in his majesty.  And yet, Jesus in his kindness, did not want his beloved John to be afraid of him. The message is clear.  There’s so much more to Jesus than just one scene of his life. He is more than a wise teacher. He is more than a great prophet.  He is not one among many religious leaders.  He is God Almighty himself, the King and Judge, before whom everyone of us will stand in jaw-dropping awe and worship one day. And yet, he is kind and wonderful to all who come to him.  He doesn’t want us destroyed and overwhelmed by who he is. He is absolutely for us.

Have you experienced this Jesus?  Do you know him as he really is?

Rumors of God

Have you ever had someone in your life that you first heard about through friends?  They would tell you all about this person and you would feel like you already knew them based on what you had heard.  You make assumptions, even judgments based on the stories recounted to you. You may decide this person is a hero or that they’re someone to avoid at all costs.  You might even warn other people away from this person.   And you’ve heard it all through “reliable” sources; rumors, really.  But you assume what you’ve heard must be the truth.  Later on, however, you have some real life interaction with this person and discover he or she is not at all what you expected.    You may leave pleasantly surprised or deeply disturbed.

Job worshiped and revered God all of his life.  He lived a good life and followed all the teachings about God, honoring God, and serving him.  But a long  season of challenge, affliction and hardship changed him.  Job is spent.  He has argued, wrestled, defended himself, and reconsidered all he knows about God.  Once God reveals himself to Job, however, Job realizes he has just known God by rumor.   Job is both relieved and disturbed by God’s self-revelation.  He is relieved because the long silence of the One he loves is over.  He is disturbed because he learns that he didn’t really know God at all.

The primary rumor by which Job has known God is perpetuated by his three friends.  That rumor is: If you are blameless and without sin, trouble won’t touch you.  Your behavior directly impacts the way your life goes.  If things are going wrong for you, it’s because you’ve done something wrong.  The prescription for this is: Fix it and everything will turn around.  Many of us know intellectually that this isn’t true, yet our hearts insist otherwise.  When bad thing happen, we immediately do an inventory and wonder if certain actions or sins have caused our trouble.  While poor choices do have their consequences, there is no hard and fast rule that says, “If you’re good, nothing will go wrong for you.”  You can change your behavior and the challenge you’re facing may continue anyway. That’s what Job discovered.

But this changed when God revealed himself to Job.  Job dropped his false understanding of God and admitted, “I babbled about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head,” (Job 42:3 Msg). Ultimately, God’s self-revelation not only righted Job’s misunderstandings, but also led Job to a place of humility and acceptance. “I admit I once lived by rumors of you; now I have it all firsthand – from my own eyes and ears! I’m sorry – forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise! I’ll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor,” (Job 42: 4-6 Msg).

Do you really know God or do you rely on “hearsay” and “crumbs of rumor” about him?  The good news is that you can know him intimately and personally.  God has revealed himself in a myriad of ways to us.  We can know him as the Holy Spirit reveals God to us in Scripture, through other believers, through creation, through the events of our lives.  We can know him most clearly through his Son Jesus Christ, who is the very image of the invisible God. It’s important when we face trials like those Job faced that we not rely on misinformation or rumors of God. Like Job, we need to sit with God in the pain and questioning until God clearly reveals himself to us.

What Do You Put in a Love Letter

What do you put in a love letter?

If you were to write a love letter to the person you love most in the world, and let’s say it was to be the last love letter you wrote them, what would you say?

You certainly wouldn’t write about trivial things.  You wouldn’t write a treatise on breakfast cereals.  You wouldn’t detail the unseasonable weather you’ve been having.  You wouldn’t comment on the traffic patterns of your morning commute to work.

No. You would say what matters most. You would talk about your unfailing love. You would declare your allegiance.  You would speak about commitment. You would promise to be faithful and true no matter what the personal cost.  You would bring assurance and comfort and hope.

In the book of Hebrews we hear these words, “ In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in different ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe,” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Whereas God once spoke through the prophets, mere men who were called to be his servants, now he has spoken to us through Jesus, the Son of God.  Whereas he spoke “at many times and in different ways,” about his love for mankind, Jesus is God’s last word to the world. All that was revealed in the Old Testament led up to Christ who is God’s final and full revelation of his heart and commitment and love.  Christ’s life, his actions, his death on the cross to provide “purification for sins”, all declare in bold letters the infallible, unbreakable, unwavering love of God for you and me.  God no longer writes love letters. He no longer gives new revelations of his love. He has spoken finally and fully in Jesus and now he seeks to illuminate the majesty of what he has given us through the Son of his Love.  We don’t need angels to save us from sin.  No more work on our part is needed.  No other person is necessary.  There is nothing more that can be added to what he has already said.

Will you receive the revelation of his love for you? Will you allow Jesus to capture your heart? Will you allow yourself to remember the love you first had for him? Will you turn away from all other interests that compete for your allegiance? Will you trust that his love for you is all you really need?

The Great Mystery Revealed

“This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now its out in the open…The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory.” (Colossians 1: 26-27 The Message)

For a long time, God hid his purposes from both humans and the heavenly beings.  But in this later time, in Jesus Christ, God’s will has been revealed. The revelation is that God does not merely want people to serve him, or fear him, or worship him (though he is worthy of all these things). God does not simply want a relationship with people (though he offers this to us). No the great revelation is that God takes up residence within us. We become the new temple in which he resides and our spirits become the new Holy of Holies.  While God is in heaven and he holds all things together, he also resides in our spirit-man so that we can commune with him now and throughout all eternity. The mystery revealed is that Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit is not far away from those who place their trust in him.  He takes up residence within our hearts and begins a process of transforming us into his own likeness.

This is the actual substance of the message that must be known.  So often, the church has presented a partial Gospel.  We have rightly preached the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.  We have rightly preached the resurrection for our justification.  But we have too often failed to complete the story… that God comes to live inside the lives of those whom he has forgiven and justified. In Paul’s words, this is, “the hope of glory.” Truth is no longer something external to me. It is the reality I experience and receive because the Living Lord Christ lives within. God is no longer far away. He lives within me.

And this is why I marvel.  The extraordinary God has, through the death of Jesus, made it possible to cleanse me such that He can be in me.  Jesus, all-glorious and all-mighty, lives inside broken-and-being-remade me. Jesus who holds everything in all creation together humbly abides within. He’s moved into the house of my body. He’s set up camp in my inner being.  And he’s in the process of remaking me and doing for me that which I could never do — make me to be like him. And because he’s  in me, I can look forward to sharing in his eternal glory. What a profound mystery! What a remarkable God!