That We Might Know

Mark 2:7-12 (NIV)
⁷ "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things?
⁹ Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'?
¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." He said to the paralytic,
¹¹ "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home."
¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

Throughout the Bible runs the theme of God wanting us to know Him. From the Old Testament stories, the life and sacrifice of Jesus, and revelations of the Apostles explaining what happened and what it means, it was all done that we would know Him. This story captures the essence of God speaking to an audience that is prone to be hard of hearing. God has done amazing things. He even came to earth as a man to tell of us of His great love for us. He came that we might know. Can you hear Him?

All We Have

Matthew 14:16-21 (MSG)
¹⁶ But Jesus said, "There is no need to dismiss them. You give them supper."
¹⁷ "All we have are five loaves of bread and two fish," they said.
¹⁸ Jesus said, "Bring them here."
¹⁹ Then he had the people sit on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation.
²⁰ They all ate their fill. They gathered twelve baskets of leftovers.
²¹ About five thousand were fed.

If you’re like me, there have many times when we don’t feel we have what it takes in a given situation or that something just can’t be done. Our common sense tells us what is possible or feasible. We live comfortably in the boundaries of our understanding and assumptions.

But Jesus changes all that, doesn’t He? His disciples look out over the hungry crowd as compared to their meager provisions and know they are unable to feed all these people. They were right. They didn’t have enough on their own. They take the problem to Jesus and suggest a logical solution. Jesus listens to them, and then does something unexpected. Jesus takes what they have, blesses it, and gives it back to the disciples, who gave to all in the congregation. There was more than enough.

If we give Jesus all we have, it will be more than enough.

The Sign Given

Matthew 12:38-39 (NIV)
³⁸ Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you."
³⁹ He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

Romans 1:1-4 (NIV)
¹ Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God--
² the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures
³ regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David,
⁴ and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

In Matthew, Jesus answers those that doubt and promises a miraculous sign will be given. They were looking for proof of who He was and His authority by which He taught. It was to come, but not in a way they expected or were looking for.

Paul confirms that the sign was given. Jesus was resurrected from the dead by the power of God. Some would believe, but many would not. It has been that way ever since. Scripture tells us that faith in Jesus is the only way to God. Scripture tells us that Jesus and God are one. The whole point of Scripture is God revealing Himself through Jesus. The question is do we accept this and believe? The sign has been given.

Refreshing Rain

Matthew 5:45 (MSG)
⁴⁵ for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty.

Matthew 5:45 (NKJV)
⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Hebrews 6:7 (NIV)
⁷ Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.

The refreshing rain from heaven falls on all of us. We soak it in to the degree we are ready. How thirsty are our lips, how parched is our land, how soft is our earth, how deep is our soil? For those open to that water of life, who turn and seek Him, the water does not run off but seeps within. There hope is nourished and life grows.

That We Might Become

2 Corinthians 5:21 (MSG)
²¹ How? you say. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)
²¹ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

God reached out to us when we did not deserve His love and mercy. He extended His grace to us when we did not seek it. We were loved by Him even though we did not love Him. He did it in a way that is difficult to conceive and hard to believe. Can we fully understand that Jesus, who was sinless, became our sin? He became the sin that you and I have done and will do. He became all the sin that was and is to come, but only for those who believe in Him and accept His call.

Why? He did it so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. In Him we can draw close to God, we can stand before our Father as sons and daughters, and we can joyfully live in His presence forevermore. If He had not done what He did, we could only stand before Him to be judged and then removed for all time, cast out.

He made a way when there was no way. There was no way for us to get there on our own. But the choice is still ours. Freedom of choice is necessary for love but there is risk isn’t there? We can choose right or wrong. He has put our lives and our future in our hands. We don’t have to guess at the right answer and the implications. He came to tell us what is necessary for us to live, that we might become like Him.

They See You And Me

John 14:15-17 (NIV)
¹⁵ "If you love me, you will obey what I command.
¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--
¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

Believing is more than thus saying yes He is the Son of God. We must do something. There must be a change in our hearts and lives. This will come as we seek to obey His teachings

Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will come. He did and He does for all those who come to Jesus, believing in Him. Notice that the Spirit does not come for just a little while, but forever. The Spirit is called Counselor, the Spirit of truth. Just as Jesus did for us what we could not do on our own, so does the Spirit lead and strengthen us. He is with us and in us. It is impossible to remain the same in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Sadly, the world can only hear the rustling of leaves as the Spirit passes by. They won’t accept what they can’t see or know. But they can see you and me.

Change Is Not An Option

Matthew 3:8 (NIV)
⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

Matthew 3:10 (NIV)
¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Gal 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,
23 Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].
AMP

If you believe, if the Spirit dwells within you, there is a change. It may not be all at once and it is a work which is never complete, but there is a change. A visible halo does not appear around our heads. We don’t sprout wings and we don’t suddenly know everything. But the Spirit does begin working in us. The presence of the Spirit will slowly melt the old way of thinking and acting. We will start to see something different in the way we act and react. The fruit of the Spirit will grow in our lives.

We must not get discouraged about not being perfect. No one is. But the more we turn to the light of the Spirit the more the fruit of the Spirit will be reflected in our lives.

Mat 3:10 makes it clear that change is not an option.