Christ

24
Dec
2019

Not dead, but sleeping

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on May 27, 2019.

On this Memorial Day, I think back to the funeral of a military officer a number of years ago. I’ve adapted words that I shared on that day for the benefit of other families who have lost a loved one in military service.

This is for God’s glory

by David Sellnow

Jesus had a very dear friend named Lazarus.  Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, also were very dear to Jesus. They lived in Bethany, a short distance outside Jerusalem. Jesus had been a guest in their home. They were followers of his. They believed his teachings and knew of his miracles. They relied on him as their Savior. So it was natural for them, when they had a problem, to turn to Jesus for help.

Lazarus had become ill. His sisters immediately sent word to Jesus. “Lord, behold, he for whom you have great affection is sick” (John 11:3). They assumed Jesus would come quickly; they knew Jesus could heal their brother.

However, when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, “he stayed two days in the place where he was” (John 11:6). In the meantime, Lazarus died. By the time Jesus came to Bethany, Lazarus had been in the grave already for a couple of days. Martha went out to meet him and said, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died” (John 11:21).

Think of the pain and bewilderment that Lazarus’ sisters felt: “Jesus, you knew and loved this man; he knew and loved you. We told you he was sick. We called for you to come because we were in trouble. Yet you let him die. You dawdled for two days while he was breathing his last. Why, Lord, why? How could you do this? Why didn’t you help? You had the power to stop this, and instead you let our brother die! Why? Why?”

Dear families of those who have given their lives in the service of our country: You’ve ve likely asked yourselves similar questions concerning the loss of a loved one. “Why, Lord, why?” Such questions are never easily answered. But when we face a tragic and untimely death, the loss of someone who is beloved of Christ, the words and actions of Christ when Lazarus died give us some insight. There are three key things Jesus said and did at that time. When he first heard that Lazarus was sick, Jesus had said, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it” (John 11:4). Then, speaking to his disciples about Lazarus’ death, Jesus said, “Our friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep” (John 11:11). To Martha, Jesus also gave an absolute promise:  “Your brother will rise again. … I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies” (John 11:23,25). Finally, to prove his words, Jesus came to Lazarus’ tomb, had the stone rolled away, and called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43) – and the dead man came out of his grave, once again alive.

What Jesus did for Lazarus is not fiction. It is not fairy tale. It is fact. What Jesus did for Lazarus he will do for each of his people who fall asleep in him. Yes, he calls it “falling asleep.” Several times Jesus used that expression to refer to people who died. Sometimes he was laughed at for speaking that way.  Once, at a wake where mourners were wailing over the death of a young girl, Jesus said, “Why do you make an uproar and weep? The child is not dead, but is asleep” (Mark 5:39). The mourners laughed and ridiculed him. But for Jesus, waking someone from death is no more difficult than waking someone from sleep. Death is not the end. It is a temporary state from which God, by his mighty power, will raise us up again. He will reconstruct each person, whether buried in the ground or scattered on the seas or blown apart in battle. The limits of our human mind may object to such a thought, but it us God’s truth. He guarantees it. And he has the authority and ability to do it. He did it for Lazarus, whom he dearly loved. He will do so for your loved ones too. He will raise each of us from our graves. We wait for the coming of the Last Day, when God’s promise to resurrect every one of us in Christ will be fulfilled.

The part of any death that’s hardest for us to understand is how such a thing could be for God’s glory. In Lazarus’ case, God’s purpose was seen rather quickly, within a few days. Jesus had said that Lazarus’ sickness would not end in death, and that God would be glorified. And so it was. The sickness brought about death, but the story didn’t end there. Death was reversed. The miracle was witnessed by many. The Son of God, Jesus, revealed his grace and power. The reputation of Jesus’ name grew, and people put their faith in him more and more.

Where is the glory of God for those whose lives are cut short prematurely today? God’s glory is there, but it is painfully hard for us to see. Those loved by the Lord live on in the eternal light of the Savior. But at present, all we see is the emptiness that is left behind. We grieve. We feel their absence. And that hurts. For the families of lost service members, when they died, you died too. You died on the inside. And you didn’t get to wake up looking into the loving eyes of your Lord in heaven, as your departed loved one did. God has asked you to stay behind in this world, now especially bleak for you without your beloved in it. But the glory of God still will be revealed in this. God, who has crushed your spirit, will strengthen and support you and revive you again. He will uplift your soul. You will never be the same; your lives will be changed. But God will give you reasons to hope and will work to draw you closer to him than you’ve been before. His purpose in life, in death, in all things, is to bring each of us nearer to him in faith. He has a plan, even when horrible tragedy strikes, to bring about blessing for each of his children. Bu remember–he counts blessings in spiritual, not material terms. What matters most to God is increasing and deepening your reliance on him, so that your hearts will be ready on the day he chooses to call you home to himself, to go and be with him, where your loved one now has gone.

You dear family members who are remembering lost loved ones, I know you know these things. I know that your faith in your Savior is still alive and breathing. Nevertheless, even as you hang onto hope in Jesus, you still will mourn. And no one can fully know how you feel. Friends  and acquaintances will have a sense of your loss, but few can relate to the depth of loss you’ve experienced. And you yourselves have never felt heartache as severe as this. But keep the faith and take courage in this: There is someone who has experienced the loss of his One and Only Son. The Father in heaven watched his own Son, Jesus, die a bloody, heart-wrenching, horrible death, nailed to a cross in agony. It was a death so devastating that the sun stopped shining when it happened. But it was not a death without purpose. Jesus’ death was for our ultimate and eternal good. By his death, Christ became our Redeemer from death. He has taken our lost loved ones on angels’ wings to be with him. And God will fully, miraculously restore the bodies of all his people in glory. We have hope in a Savior who will do these things for us and a Father who understands the pain we feel. We believe that God is glorious and great and good, and that the only reason he allows death to occur to us is as a way to usher us into the glory and greatness and goodness of heaven. That is where those who have died in the Lord have gone. By faith, that is where we will follow also.

Dear God, make it so.

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

A thought for Christmas

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on December 24, 2018.

A few years ago, I served as editor for a booklet of Advent devotions.   As a thought on Christmas for this year, here’s a message from that booklet as a reminder of why Christ came into this world.  My thanks to Emily Seeber for providing this holiday blog installment.  Christmas blessings to all Electric Gospel readers.

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A Savior for All the Worst Sinners

by Emily Seeber

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst.  

– 1 Timothy 1:15

            “At church would you rather sit next to a visitor who had received a speeding ticket or a recently released felon?”  That’s a rather awakening question for many of us as we evaluate ourselves. Society gives levels to crimes, such as warning, misdemeanor, and felony.  Unfortunately, our sinful natures like to do the same. We try to build ourselves up and convince ourselves that we are pretty good (or at least better than most).

            However, sometimes we need to remind ourselves, “Does God assign levels to sins?” Even to think of it that way misses the point of God’s law. A single sin damns a person to hell; we are all equal. God’s law reminds us that our comparison isn’t between us and others but rather between us and God.  We will never measure up.  All must say with Paul, “I am the worst.”

            But all of us “worst” sinners” have a trustworthy assurance from God, “Christ came into the world to save sinners.” God looked at this sin-ridden world and said, “Yes, you are the worst, but I love you. Here is my Son.” Through Christ’s sacrifice, we are a new creation. No longer slaves to sin but children of God: forgiven and blameless in God’s sight. Together let us share this message throughout all creation, “We are all the worst of sinners, but God didn’t leave us. In fact, he saved us.”

Questions to ponder:

  • When are times that you feel most tempted to compare yourself to others?
  • What would be ways to show love rather than judgment in such situations? 

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I thank you and praise you for the gift of your Son, Jesus. Please forgive me for those times when I act in judgment rather than love. Please help me to remember that I am equal to everyone around me when I am tempted to consider myself better.   In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Living in hope, not fear

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on December 9, 2017.

In the season of Advent, we are reminded of the hope we have in our God.  For centuries God’s people waited on the promise of the Messiah’s coming.  In lean times and dark hours, such promises from God seemed far away and uncertain; God himself seemed distant.  But God’s commitment to us never wavered, and the coming of Christ was always a certainty.  We live in hope, in confidence, in the certainty of faith, setting aside fear — because we know that God holds our safety in his hands.  He keeps all his promises.
This week’s Electric Gospel message is one filled with hope in God, who is eternally reliable.  As a child of God sings in a favorite song, “Jesus loves me, this I know. … Little ones to him belong; they are weak but he is strong.”

Living in hope, not fear

by Laurel Hirschmann

“Do do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God”   (Isaiah 41:10)

I am scared of losing my faith. I put off going to sleep, knowing that as soon as I go to bed, as soon as my brain shuts down for the day, I will tempted more than I ever have been. I am plagued with thoughts that have never challenged me more in my life. I try to reassure myself. I know God forgives me. I know God sent his Son to die in my place. I know Jesus rose from the dead and will come to take me to heaven someday. I know this is the truth. I know God is real. I know all the “right” things, so why am I so terrified that I will lose my faith?

Through faith alone. By Scripture alone. In Christ alone. By grace alone.

I did nothing to earn my salvation. I am a sinful human being who fell short and could not possibly come to the knowledge of the truth except through the Holy Spirit. And God gave me his Holy Spirit. God gave me the gift of eternal life, not because I earned or deserved it. He gave this precious gift out of love, completely free of charge. I take this knowledge for granted. I say these words without recognizing what comfort they bring. I do nothing – nothing – to earn my salvation. My sinful nature keeps trying to tell me I do, that somehow it is up to me. It is trying to say, “You have to hold on. You were given the truth, but now it is up to you to keep it. Do not jump out of God’s hand—that’s your responsibility.”

I know all the “right” things, but what I fail to remember is that my faith is not left up to me. I did not come to it on my own. God chose me. He set me apart from the beginning to be his child. He tells me this countless times in his word.  Christ’s apostle assures me, saying God chose us in Christ “before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love​ ​he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will” (Ephesians 1:4-5). Another letter in Scripture provides further assurance of this: “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time” (2 Timothy 1:9).  I rest my confidence in God’s promise, which proclaims: “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11).

I do not need to fear. My faith is not up to me. It is not my feeble, shaky grip on God, but God’s unwavering, firm grip on me that keeps my faith secure. I know God forgives me. I know he sent his one and only Son to atone for my sins. I know Jesus paid the price fully. I know he rose from the dead. I know I will not lose my faith, because God promises he will not let go of me, that nothing can separate me from his love (Romans 8:39). I know God chose me, and I know I will spend an eternity with him in heaven.
Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Christ alone

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on October 11, 2017.

Christ alone is the object of faith

by Can Kuang
Can’s devotion was written with an audience of younger kids in mind (from kindergarten to fourth grade). But I felt her theme and imagery communicate well to all ages.

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Are you LEGO® fans? Suppose you spend a whole day in building a LEGO® ship or house or airplane or whatever, with hundreds of pieces. When you finish it, will you be happy with it and enjoying looking at it again and again, and showing it to your friends and families? Sure, you will! Then, you put it onto the shelf so that it will not be broken and you can also easily reach it and play with it. However, one day it accidentally falls off the shelf and is broken into pieces. Who do you think can fix it and build it up again? The LEGO® pieces themselves? The biggest and fanciest LEGO® pieces? The shelf? Or you?

The answer is clear: You yourself, because it is you who built them and you are the lord of them.

This idea is true of us and God. God created human beings and put us in the Garden of Eden with all the blessings. However, we messed it up and fell down with sins which drove us to eternal punishment. Do you want to end up with that? No, we don’t. But who can save us? Ourselves? The smartest and the strongest people? Heroes? Or God?

The answer here is clear, too. Only God can save us, because it is God who created us and he is the Lord of us. That is why God became flesh in Jesus Christ to live for us, die for us and rise for us in order to save us from sins and give us eternal life. Therefore, who is the object of saving faith? Jesus Christ alone is the object of saving faith, not us, not anything or anyone else. Therefore, God told us “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Praise God for his enduring love and unfailing promise.”

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

From stained to righteous

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on September 10, 2017.

From Stained to Righteous

by Kimberly Buchholz

Imagine if every person on earth were issued a special robe to wear. What if this “special robe” kept a record of a person’s sinful thoughts, words, and actions – marked by stains? Any time one sinned, a stain would appear on the robe as a representation of the person’s innate depravity. The stain of sin becomes a visible account of a person’s corrupt heart and mind, day after day recording the balance of sin like a wearable ledger. While a bleak image, this stained robe represents the obstacle lodged between us and the righteousness of God due to our sin, ruining our fellowship with him.

Unfortunately, the scenario runs even deeper when we consider what Scripture says. Because we were “sinful from the time [our] mother conceived us” (Psalm 51:5), our stained “robe of sin” would wrap us from birth, our account balance of sin already maxed. By nature, we are born enemies of God, steeped in sin, and deserving nothing more than God’s wrath (Ephesians 2:3). God is just and cannot tolerate sin.  Sin earns God’s judgment and condemnation.

But there is good news, and we find it in the gospel message of Christ. The apostle Paul explained that Jesus Christ brings salvation from the eternal death we earn through sin (Romans 6:23). Through faith in Jesus, we receive forgiveness of sin. When a lost and condemned sinner receives the message of salvation found in the gospel, the Holy Spirit goes to work through the power of God, bringing “salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). By the sacrifice of his Son, God cancels our account balance, and our stained robes are washed clean by the blood of Jesus. Not only are we forgiven for the sins of the past, but our merciful Father goes even further by keeping our ledger free of recorded sin forever. He spares condemnation for the believer, protecting us from accusation, all thanks to his undeserved love for us, and not for the sake of anything we’ve done or could ever do (Ephesians 2:8).

God takes his redemptive plan a step further when he completely covers the obstacle of our fellowship with him by placing Jesus’ robe of righteousness upon us. While our own robes have been washed by his forgiveness, they continue to reveal our sinful human nature, which is in battle with the perfection God demands through his law. It is not enough that we are forgiven, but we also are to be holy and righteous in his sight. He is holy and demands such holiness from his creation (Leviticus 19:2). God is not only just, but he is also merciful. So, a great exchange took place, and the apostle Paul tells us how God did this:  God made Jesus, “who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf.”  Why? “…so that we might become the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). God exchanged our guilt and sin for the perfect status Jesus has.  Therefore, we are justified.

By definition, justification is “the act of God whereby human kind is made just or free from guilt of penalty of sin” (Dictionary.com)  Four important words from this definition are integral to the doctrine of justification: “the act of God.” Notice that “the act of God” completely eradicates any human involvement. We didn’t have to hand him our stained robes, begging his mercy, to predicate his forgiveness; nor does sin relegate us from the freedom Jesus won. Rather, God distributes his forgiveness by means of grace he has chosen: the gospel in Word and sacraments. The blessing of forgiveness is already there for all because Christ’s work of salvation is complete. Paul’s letter to the Romans further explains Jesus’ atoning sacrifice as the plan of God’s salvation “to demonstrate his righteousness…and to be the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).

Is forgiveness of sin, then, only a possibility of faith? This leads to an important message of the pure gospel. Paul outlined exactly who wears the stained robes of sin when he said, “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But he concludes by proclaiming Christ’s redemptive work, applied to the same collective group – that all “are justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Nowhere does God’s Word say that one must believe before he is forgiven. Forgiveness of sins is complete and does not need to be completed by faith or any other work. The letter to the Romans (chapter 5) highlights two points regarding justification.  We are “justified through faith” (Romans 5:1).  Faith, then, is the instrument of forgiveness in which salvation is received.  In the same chapter, Paul wrote that we are “justified by Christ’s blood” (Romans 5:9). Objective justification was satisfied by Jesus’ bloodshed on the cross. God offers it to all, but some reject his gift, forfeiting the benefit of heaven. So, while God has justified ALL people, there is not a universal salvation for all mankind. Jesus’ redemptive work does not mean all will receive eternal life. In fact, the Gospel writer John is quite direct in his warning against those who reject God’s Son, stating that they “will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them” (John 3:36).

The doctrine of justification is one of great peace for all believers.  As one pastor put it, it is “the shining jewel of our faith.” It is central to our teaching of salvation. We must first understand, through God’s law, that we are sinful, shamefully donning stain-riddled robes of sinfulness. Through the sacrifice of our Lord, those robes are washed clean, never to record another act of sin again. Finally, he covers our sinful nature by robing us in Jesus’ righteousness, his righteousness imputed to us. Our forgiveness, dependent on nothing we do, gives us a sure foundation for faith in what Christ has done for us.  He has justified us, declaring us “not guilty.”
Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Seeing through new eyes

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on June 6, 2017.

The Lens of Faith

by Maggie Frey

I don’t have perfect vision. Reading anything up close is fine, but if I want to see something far away or read a projector screen, my eyesight just doesn’t cut it. I need something to help me focus in on what it is I want to see. Like most people that need vision help, that aid comes in the form of glasses. The glasses allow me to see things from further distances with more ease. I don’t have to squint to read a line of text or try and figure out who the blurry figure across the room is; I already know.

The same thing happens in our spiritual lives. From birth, sin has clouded up our vision. We stumble through life, unsure of our steps, blindly feeling our way around, hoping that we catch onto something that might save us. Some people might say that they’re “fine”, that they don’t need any help and are okay with stumbling around unsteadily, tripping onto any and every obstacle in their path.

Thankfully, there is a solution to this blinding problem. God provided us with the best kind of “lenses,” free of charge, and they show us the only way that can save us from the obstacles in our path: Jesus. Through the lenses of faith, we are able to focus on Jesus, who shows us the way to heaven by his death and resurrection.

We no longer have to stumble our way through life, unable to see the obstacles in our path. Through faith, Jesus makes it clear that he is the way to salvation. We still may stumble or fall, with sin moving in to cloud our vision again. But through devotions, church, and other ways that connect us to God’s Word, we get a stronger prescription, still making clearer what the way to salvation is. We are able to encourage others along with the writer of Hebrews when he writes, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2).

Jesus will always be the focus through our lens of faith. We never have to doubt that he will leave or that the path of life will change. Even through our stumbles, Jesus is the one thing that will never change.
Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

God doesn’t hold grudges

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on February 25, 2017.
Author’s name withheld by her request

God doesn’t hold grudges

She could not forgive herself. She was convinced that God was angry with her over her sins. She felt the need to keep begging for forgiveness as though God were holding a grudge against her. She just assumed that until God was satisfied that she had suffered enough for her sin, he would not help her if she prayed for help. The reason this woman felt this way was because, as a child, someone would grow coldly silent for long periods of time and hold grudges against her. She tried and tried to get forgiveness but nothing worked. As a child, she didn’t have many experiences and this was normal to her. She ended up translating this behavior to God.

Maybe you endured someone’s silent anger when you were growing up. Maybe it is happening now. Maybe you tried and tried without success to get this person to forgive you. As a result of this, you may have a hard time forgiving yourself, thinking that God is treating you the same way. Maybe you feel like you can’t be forgiven. Maybe you can’t forgive yourself.

God is not like this. He did not wait until you “suffered enough” to send Jesus to be your Savior. If he had, Jesus never would have come, because we deserve nothing less than eternal suffering for our sins. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  Jesus died for you when there was nothing good in you. That is how much he loves you. Because Jesus was punished for you, your sins have been forgiven in full. “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).  There is no need to earn your forgiveness by begging God. Your forgiveness was accomplished when Jesus died on the cross. When he looks at you, God sees Jesus’ righteousness in place of your sins. Because of this, you can live in peace, knowing that Jesus already did everything necessary for you to be forgiven. God does not hold grudges, no matter what it is you have done. Like Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, he will say to you, “‘Then neither do I condemn you…Go now and leave your life of sin’” (John 8:11).

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

The visual Word in the Sacrament

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on November 11, 2016.

The Master Teacher Makes a Promise … and an Accommodation

by Katherine Christensen

Among being thankful and relieved, a human Noah likely had disembarked the ark overwhelmed, malnourished, and depressed. Like a good teacher knows the attention spans of his students, God knew the hearts of the eight humans stepping off the ark. They could wander as easily as the hearts that had stopped beating in the flood water.

God calmed their fears by promising he would never again destroy the world in a flood (Genesis 9:14-16). God, the Master Teacher, gave his Word to a group that was processing their desolate new world. To accommodate their overwhelmed minds, he gave his Word along with a visible sign of his promise: the rainbow. The promise attached to the rainbow still hangs in the clouds today.

Noah wasn’t the only who needed signs to remind him of God’s promises. The apostle Peter told us, “God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also” (1 Peter 3:20-21).

God, the Master Teacher, knows we get distracted in church. He sees our Google calendars fill up–even on Sunday mornings. His watchful eye is on us when our attention zings away from our open Bibles.

However, our Master Teacher has graciously accommodated our learning deficits, like he had with Noah. He provides his “visible Word” for our senses. He not only tells us our sin and guilt are washed away. In baptism, he has us see and feel a substance we use everyday–water.

We aren’t simply told Christ’s body and blood were given for us (Matthew 26:26-28). We see, feel and taste the promise of eternal life when we are nourished by the body and blood in, with, and under the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper.

Finally, mankind got to see God’s promises fulfilled in Jesus, the Word made flesh with the same five senses we have. Because he died and rose for us, putting our fingers on his nail marks and wounded side is a hands-on lesson we can look forward to in heaven.

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

New Life in Christ

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on June 11, 2016.

New Life in Christ

by Elizabeth Duff

As each of us began our physical life on earth, we were in a bad way, spiritually speaking. In fact, we had no spiritual life. All of us were born dead in sin, separated from our God. There is nothing we could do to make ourselves alive. But God, by his grace, called us to be his own, making us alive with Christ. God used his gospel message – Christ crucified for the sins of the world and raised to life for our justification – to bring us to faith, whether that be through hearing his word or through baptism. We are no longer on the road to eternal death in hell, but now have God’s promise of eternal life in heaven. This full realization of our spiritual life – being able to see God face to face and that he will make his dwelling with us – is what we eagerly anticipate this side of heaven.

This new life that God has given us compels us to live out our earthly lives in a new way. No longer are we slaves to sin. This new self in us takes delight in God’s holy law and wills us to carry it out. Our lives have becomes lives of thanks – Christ’s love overflows from our hearts into what we think, say, and do.

However, that is not the end of the story. If it were so, we would simply be doing good works all the time. Any Christian can tell you that the truth is this: we continue to struggle against the sinful nature within us. This part of us continuously rebels against God’s commands – it hates his holy law. Our two natures, the new self and the old self, continue to fight one another.  If it were simply up to us, we would fail time and time again. Even as new creations, we still are weak to fight the temptations that our sinful flesh, the world, and the devil throw our way.

So where do we turn for help? We turn to our Savior. We see what he has done for us on the cross. We see how his blood has covered every single one of our sins – including those times our new self has failed and we have given into our sinful flesh. We see Christ’s work for us and take heart. We are not alone in this fight. Our God and Brother is at our side. He has conquered sin, death, and the devil for us. He now sits at the Father’s right hand, guiding all things for the sake of his church (which includes us).  He continues to intercede for us, perfecting our imperfect prayers. We also see our Father, in turn, graciously blessing us with all good things. He willingly has given up his Son, so how will he not graciously give us all things? He also sends out the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us. This same Holy Spirit makes intercession for us, expressing thoughts that human language cannot contain. He equips us with the great gospel message. Our armor is God’s very Word – in preaching, in baptism, and in communion. When we fail in this life, our God picks us up in his loving arms. We already are his new creation. We continue to trust that he will help us fight off temptation in this life and bring us into the next life. We may fail in our lives of sanctification, but God and his promises never fail. We receive our energy and strength from these great promises – promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation. Our life of sanctification isn’t so much seeing ourselves become better, but learning to fully lean on the cross of Christ.

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

What’s in a name?

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on December 25, 2015. As a gift for Christmas day on The Electric Gospel, an international student from one of my courses offered her perspectives on names given to the Christ child.

Four Names for the Messiah

by Eunseo Yang

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

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Names have meaning. In Korean, ‘eun’ means grace and ‘seo’ means words, so my name (Eunseo) could mean “words of grace.”  In my language, 군사부일체 means king, teacher and father are one (like trinity).  It emphasizes the authority of such persons in society and that father, teacher and king offer the same merciful grace.

In Isaiah’s prophecy, although the Messiah is given four names, he is only one.

He is our Wonderful Counselor.  He himself is a wonder, and he solves for us things we cannot solve or explain.  He counsels us through troubles, overcoming them by his strength.  He guides us with his wisdom.

Since we are weak, we cannot stand against troubles on our own.  But Mighty God supports us. There is nothing he cannot do. He does miracles that are impossible to be explained by human science or power.

The Messiah is also called Everlasting Father.  What does that mean in reference to Jesus, God the Son?  The term “father” is being used like the Korean term I mentioned.  He is father in the sense of king and leader over us.  And his leadership never ends.  Jesus lives forever and leads us to life in heaven.  Jesus is with us always, in life and in death.

And this same Jesus is the Prince of Peace.  “He will reign … with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever” (Isaiah 9:7).  Imagine no wars, no strife, no disasters. With Jesus’ kingdom, it’s not imaginary. His government is real. When Jesus rules our hearts, peace comes to us.

Jesus has many names – and every name is true. He is love itself, King of kings, our Savior. Through him we have victory against evil.

  • What names that God reveals for himself in the Bible have the most meaning for you?
  • Explain why these names are meaningful for you.

Jesus, you are everything to us.  Keep our faith focused on you always, trusting your wisdom, your power, and your leadership.  Bring peace to our hearts.  Amen.

Posted by Electric Gospel