A S P E C T S - a monthly devotional journal For subscription information on receiving Aspects every month via e-mail, or the laser-printed edition by mail, see NOTES, COPYRIGHT & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION near the end of this file. Aspects is written by David S. Lampel. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Issue #13, December 1991 (Internet Edition) I M M A N U E L ----------------------------------------------------------------- In this issue: Perspective 1 - Against Perspective 2 - Alongside Perspective 3 - Mediator Perspective 4 - Friend ----------------------------------------------------------------- It's not yet Thanksgiving and we here in Iowa have already had our second winter snow storm. What was lush greenery just a month ago, is now brown with a frosting of white. The air is clean and sharp, with perfect clarity to the horizon. And the robins have bid us a fond adieu, not to be seen again until the spring. The snows of autumn are harbingers of the Christmas season. As someone starved for twenty years for an honest-to-Iowa white Christmas, the first few snowflakes spoke poetry from the heavens and brought a lump to my throat. They also brought out the long underwear, stocking hat, rubber boots and insulated gloves--and the reminder that dressing for winter takes considerably longer than dressing for summer. The snows of autumn also brought with them frigid tramps to the mailbox through cutting Arctic wind, outdoor cats verbalizing their desire to be let indoors, and pre-dawn excursions on the lawn tractor to plow the accumulated drifts from the drive. But it is still Christmas that lingers in the mind, a time to celebrate the incarnation of our Lord. While do not celebrate the birth of Jesus--for he had no birth, existing always with God--we joyously celebrate the beginning of His time with us--the moment when God became flesh. And that is what Immanuel means: "God with us." Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.(1) God with us. I am reminded of those people Jesus touched while in the flesh: - Joseph and Mary, alone on that night of census, gazing at each other across that bed of straw and thinking, God is now among us; - the teachers at the Jerusalem temple, twelve years later, who handed the child back to His worried parents then buzzed among themselves, God Himself was here teaching us; - the disciples, walking together down the dusty road with their master thinking, with amazement, God is walking here alongside us!; - the woman at the well, the one with the past she'd rather keep to herself, telling others, God was right there, telling me my own history!; - Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel, being transformed and thinking, Only God Himself could have such understanding; - and the Roman centurian, standing in the shadow of that awful cross and the dead Jesus thinking, God was here with us. Emmanuel, Emmanuel, His name is called Emmanuel. God with us, revealed in us; His name is called, Emmanuel.(2) Let us, along with those who were blessed to see Him in flesh, consider the many ways that God is, indeed with us. But before we do that, it is important that we first step back to a time when He wasn't... ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective 1: A G A I N S T ------------- If you crack open that dusty Webster's sitting on the shelf, you'll discover that the first definition for with is a negative one. In fact, the original Old English usage, which was derived from the Middle English, is "against, in opposition to, contrary." And if we can pause a moment before looking upon that child swaddled in the manger--to consider the state of our relationship with God before Jesus came--we see that, just as in Webster's, this is the place for us to begin. Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life.(3) _________________________ If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. LEV 26:27-28 "Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD'S anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book." 2CH 34:21 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ROM 5:1-2 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. EPH 2:17-18 EXO 32:10-12 DEU 9:18-19 2KI 22:17 2CH 29:10 2CH 30:8 JER 23:20 ROM 5:10 EPH 2:13-18 _________________________ "The real horror of being outside of Christ is that there is no shelter from the wrath of God." (Alexander) "So, there being this antagonism and separation between God and man, the Gospel comes to deal with it, and proclaims that Jesus Christ has abolished the enmity, and by His death on the crosss has become our peace; and that we, by faith in that Christ, and grasping in faith His death, pass from out of the condition of hostility into the condition of reconciliation." (MacLaren) "Here, then, is the proclamation that all the barriers between God and the sinner are removed in Christ--and in Christ alone. The new relationship begins: the enmity--the warfare--is gone and peace is now the order of the day. You may say that is absolutely impossible: "For me to have peace with God?" Well, if you look at the passage of scripture [ROM 4] you will see that the great example that is given to us is the example of Abraham. And it is said there that Abraham knew that his body was as good as dead, but he believed in the power of God Who was able to perform what He had promised. And he says, that was not written for Abraham, it was written for us--for us who should look at Jesus Christ, who was lying dead in the grave...And then came that glad news--the news of the resurrection. Then came that glad day, when they knew that the power of God was at work; and the peace that we have is not then a figment of our imagination, it is something that has been performed in history--it is something that we begin to enjoy because objectively God has raised Christ from the dead! And that is all that is required: If Jesus is alive, then surely I have peace." (Hoffman)(4) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective 2: A L O N G S I D E ------------- God wanted to be closer to us. We were already close to him in spirit, in image, but it was a part of His plan--incredibly--that He would spend some time among us. He wanted to stand on our level for awhile, to gaze into our eyes as if He were an equal, to smell us and feel us, to walk in our shoes, to commune with us in the flesh. And this He did in the body of Jesus Christ. _________________________ He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. ISA 40:11 I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. JOH 10:14-15 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one. JOH 17:9-11 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. HEB 2:18 PSA 23:1-6 LUK 24:13-32 JOH 1:14 _________________________ Moment by Moment Never a trial that He is not there, Never a burden that He doth not bear, Never a sorrow that He doth not share, Moment by moment, I'm under His care. Never a weakness that He doth not feel, Never a sickness that He cannot heal; Moment by moment, in woe or in weal, Jesus my Savior abides with me still. Chorus: Moment by moment I'm kept in His love; Moment by moment I've life from above; Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine; Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.(5) _________________________ Even though we have access to the Father through the atoning blood of Christ, and are to approach Him with confidence, I can still very often experience a feeling of embarrassment or guilt when I address God the Father in too casual a manner. Some instinct in me wants to make some formal preparation before approaching Him: my physical attitude, my dress, my demeanor, become important elements in the communication. But I never experience this with Jesus. He is right there with me, alongside, at all times. He knows my bad habits, He knows about the holes in my socks. Jesus has already experienced all that I am feeling inside. He is my brother, my companion. I can speak with Him comfortably, openly. That's why He came. _________________________ Do you feel Jesus beside you during the day? What is happening in your life during those times when you no longer feel His presence? How tangible is that presence? Can you feel Him, touch Him...embrace Him? Or is Jesus just a mystical, Spiritual being with whom you occasionally converse? _________________________ "Jesus is God spelling Himself out in a language that man can understand." (Gordon) "If Jesus Christ is not true God, how could He help us? If He is not true man, how could He help us?" (Bonhoeffer) "All that man can know of God and his love in this life is revealed in Jesus Christ." (Tozer)(6) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective 3: M E D I A T O R ------------- Intercessor. Advocate. Mediator. Three very similar terms for the role of Christ Jesus in our lives. All can be reduced to one clear principle: In all our dealings with God the Father, Jesus stands by our side. _________________________ It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two. ZEC 6:13 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ROM 8:34 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. 1TI 2:5 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 1JO 2:1 ZEC 6:12-13 LUK 23:33-34 JOH 14:6-17 JOH 17:1-26 ROM 1:8 ROM 8:31-34 1TI 2:1-6 HEB 3:1 HEB 7:23-25 HEB 8:1-6 1JO 2:1-2 _________________________ If Christ is our perfect example, what application for our lives do we see in His role as Mediator? _________________________ "The Greek word for 'mediator,' MESITES, occurs only once in LXX [Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament]. Job was frustrated by that fact that God was not a man with whom he could converse. In despair he concluded, 'Neither is there any daysman [mesites] betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both' (Job 9:33). Christ is the answer to this ancient cry for help. "The basic meaning of mesites is 'one who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship, or to form a compact, or for ratifying a covenant.' Thayer goes on to say that Christ is called the mediator between God and men 'since he interposed by His death and restored the harmony between God and man which human sin had broken' (Lexicon, p.401). "To be of any use, a bridge across a chasm or river must be anchored on both sides. Christ has closed the gap between deity and humanity. He has crossed the grand canyon, so deep and wide, between heaven and earth. He has bridged the chasm that separated man from God. With one foot planted in eternity, he planted the other in time. He who was the eternal Son of God became the Son of Man. And across this bridge, the man Christ Jesus, we can come into the very presence of God, knowing that we are accepted because we have a Mediator." (Earle) "Unless our Lord Jesus is very God of very God, there is an end of his mediation, his atonement, his advocacy, his priesthood, his whole work of redemption." (Ryle)(7) _________________________ For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. HEB 2:17 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Perspective 4: F R I E N D ------------- 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. JOH 3:16 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. LUK 19:10 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me." HEB 2:11-13 _________________________ No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true; I would tell you how He chang'd my life completely-- He did something that no other friend could do. Chorus: No one ever cared for me like Jesus, There's no other friend so kind as He; No one else could take the sin and darkness from me-- O how much He cared for me! Ev'ry day He comes to me with new assurance, More and more I understand His words of love; But I'll never know just why He came to save me, Till some day I see His blessed face above.(8) _________________________ "I like John most for the way he loved Jesus. His relationship with Jesus was, again, rather simple. To John, Jesus was a good friend with a good heart and a good idea... One gets the impression that to John, Jesus was above all a loyal companion. Messiah? Yes. Son of God? Indeed. Miracle worker? That, too. But more than anything Jesus was a pal. Someone you could go camping with or blowling with or count the stars with. Simple. To John, Jesus wasn't a treatise on social activism, nor was he a license for blowing up abortion clinics or living in a desert. Jesus was a friend. "Now what do you do with a friend? (Well, that's rather simple too.) You stick by him. Maybe that is why John is the only one of the twelve who was at the cross. He came to say goodbye. By his own admission he hadn't quite put the pieces together yet. But that didn't really matter. As far as he was concerned, his closest friend was in trouble and he came to help. "'Can you take care of my mother?' Of course. That's what friends are for. "John teaches us that the strongest relationship with Christ may not necessarily be a complicated one. He teaches us that the greatest webs of loyalty are spun, not with airtight theologies or foolproof philosophies, but with friendships; stubborn, selfless, joyful friendships. "After witnessing this stubborn love, we are left with a burning desire to have one like it. We are left feeling that if we could have been in anyone's sandals that day, we would have been in young John's and would have been the one to offer a smile of loyalty to this dear Lord." (Lucado)(9) ======================================================================== NOTES, COPYRIGHT & SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Notes ----- 1. Or Emmanuel; Isaiah 7:14 (NASB), Matthew 1:23. 2. Bob McGee, #134 in The Hymnal for Worship & Celebration (WORD, 1986). 3. Genesis 3:23-24 (NASB). 4. Eric Alexander in More Gathered Gold (Evangelical Press, 1988), p.122; Alexander MacLaren in his Expositions of Holy Scripture, Volume 12 (Baker Book House, 1984); Anton Hoffman in a message to the First Southern Baptist Church, San Diego, CA. 5. Daniel W. Whittle, Hymn #351 in The Hymnal for Worship & Celebration (WORD, 1986). 6. S.D. Gordon in More Gathered Gold (Evangelical Press, 1988), p.171; Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ibid.; A.W. Tozer, Ibid., p.172. 7. Ralph Earle in his commentary on 1 Timothy 2:5 in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume 11 (Zondervan, 1978) p.358; J.C. Ryle in More Gathered Gold (Evangelical Press, 1988) p.171. 8. Charles F. Weigle. 9. Max Lucado in his book No Wonder They Call Him The Savior (Multnomah Press, 1986) p.88. Copyright Information --------------------- All original material in Aspects is Copyright (C) 1995 David S. Lampel. This data file is the sole property of David S. Lampel. It may not be altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data file must contain the copyright notice (i.e., "Copyright (C) 1995 David S. Lampel."). This data file may not be used without the permission of David S. Lampel for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This includes all of its content. Brief quotations not to exceed more than 500 words may be used, with the appropriate copyright notice, to enhance or supplement personal or church devotions, newsletters, journals, or spoken messages. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture is from the New International Version. NIV quotations are from the Holy Bible: New International Version, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission. NASB quotations are from the New American Standard Bible (C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Subscription Information ------------------------ Aspects is published monthly. There are two preferred methods of receiving it on a regular basis: 1) You may subscribe to the laser-printed (hard copy) edition, which is sent out via regular mail. 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