To Those Who Are Called (Part 2)

Jude… to those who are called

Jude v 1 (NASB)

In my last post I discussed what a blessing it is to consider who we were before salvation, and who the God is that called us. What I would like to discuss now is what we are to understand by this term “called”. Scripture describes being called in two different senses. There is what is known as the general call or the outward call. This is when a believer is teaching someone the Gospel, they are calling them to salvation. “Many are called, but few are chosen” Matthew 22:14. Every time a minister stands in a pulpit and proclaims the salvation message to a lost sinner he is calling them to come. But this is not to be misunderstood with what is commonly known as the effectual call. The effectual or inward call is not performed by us, but it is when the Spirit of God works upon the heart. The Spirit quickens or makes alive our dead hearts and shows us who Christ is and we choose Him for salvation. I believe this effectual call of the spirit cannot be resisted.

                When God calls a man by His grace, he cannot but come. You may resist the minister’s call, but you cannot the Spirit’s call. The finger of the blessed Spirit can write upon a heart of stone, as once He wrote His laws upon table of stone. God’s words are creating words; when he says “let there be light”, there was light; and when He says “let there be faith”, it shall be so.   – Thomas Watson

If a man knock at a gate of brass, it will not open; but if he come with a key in his hand it will open: so when God, who has the key of David in His hand (Revelation 3:7) comes, He opens the heart, though it be ever so fast locked – Thomas Watson

                In Romans 8:28-30 we are told that there are some that God love beforehand or “foreknew”. Those He loved or knew in this special sense He ordained or chose or “predestined”. We are also told that those He predestined He also “called”. The passage goes on to say that those He called were “justified” and “glorified”. These are all links of the same chain and are not separated in Paul’s thought process. The flow of the text teaches that all those who are called are those God foreknew and predestined. And all those are called are justified then glorified. That is the purpose of the text and why the text is comforting to us.

                It is expressed even more clearly in the passage of John 10, where Christ is teaching that He is the great shepherd. Interestingly He tells his listeners that the reason they do not believing His teaching is because they are not His. “Ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep” John 10:26. But of those who do believe He says they were already His sheep, but they were lost. When Christ calls to His sheep they recognize Him as their shepherd. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” John 10:26. It does not say that they hear and then make a choice to come or not to come. We who have believed were lost sheep, and when the Spirit awakened our dead hearts we saw our Savior for the first time. At that moment you heard not the minister call you, but Christ call you, and you followed as a sheep that had finally seen his shepherd. For the first time, you saw Christ for who He is, and it is impossible to see and know Him without loving Him.

                It is a sweet call. God so calls as He allures; He does not force, but draw. The freedom of the will is not taken away, but the stubbornness of it is conquered – Thomas Watson

                In Matthew 16 Christ asks His disciples “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” Matthew 16:13. And the respond “Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets”. Others thought that Christ was just a prophet, but Christ wanted to know what they thought. “But whom say ye that I am?” Matthew 16:15. And then Peter, likely speaking for the group, makes his great confession “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” Matthew 16:16. Wow! What a bold statement of faith that is! What is even more incredible is how Christ responds. He doesn’t say “good job Peter you finally figured it out”. No, but instead He says “blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto you, but my Father which is heaven” Matthew 16:17. What is incredible is that God revealing knowledge is equated with believing knowledge. When Christ is revealed to us, we choose Him of our own free will because He is lovely and worthy of acceptance. And this grace is presented to us in an irresistible manner.

                The Spirit of God awakens our dead souls to not only see the glory of Christ but to taste it. We not only see His majesty and grace but we experience it. We are not better than anyone else because we believe the Gospel, we only believe it because the Spirit has let us taste it. The knowledge of salvation is much more than simply knowing, it is in so many tasting of the glories of Christ. This is why scripture tells us to “taste and see that the LORD is good” Psalm 34:8. When we taste of His goodness we believe His truths because they are true. When we come to scripture now with the Spirit of God it rings true to us.

                How shall we learn to distinguish light from darkness, white from black, sweet from bitter? Scripture bears upon the face of it as clear evidence of its truth, as white and black do of their color, sweet and bitter of their taste – John Calvin

The following quotations are both taken from the sermon “Divine and Supernatural Light” by Jonathan Edwards. It can be read online in more than a few places I’m sure. But I know if better sermon to teach on this subject than his.

                He that is spiritually enlightened truly apprehends and sees it, or has a sense of it. He does not merely rationally believe that God is glorious, but he has a sense of the gloriousness of God in his heart. There is not only a rational belief that God is holy, and that holiness is a good thing, but there is a sense of the loveliness of God’s holiness. There is not only a speculative judging that God is gracious, but a sense how amiable God is upon that account, or a sense of the beauty of this divine attribute – Jonathan Edwards              

There is a difference between having an opinion, that God is holy and gracious, and having a judgment that honey is sweet, and having a sense of sense of the loveliness and beauty of that holiness and grace. There is a difference between having a rational its sweetness. – Jonathan Edwards

To Those Who Are Called

                                                                 “Jude…to those who are called”

Jude v 1 (NASB)

 

We have already looked at the identity of the author of this book, that being Jude. Now the author turns his attention unto his audience. He describes the people he is writing to as “them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called”. Thomas Manton says “they are described by their condition, called; and by the effects and manifestations of it, which are two, sanctification and preservation”. The preserving and sanctifying aspects are consequences of their condition of being called. For this reason, and due to the fact that all new translations has a different sentence structure than the King James, I will deal with the concept of being “called” first.

                Jude designates his readers by the term “called” but this could not always be applied to them. There was a time before they were known in such a manner. Scripture tells us that we are all born sinners and separated from God. We are described as being “dead in trespasses and sins” Eph. 2:1. Man is completely depraved having no desire for the one true God. “There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one” Romans 3:10-12. It is evident both by scripture and our own consciences that we are sinners. Are souls were as good as dead, belonging to darkness and deserving only death and punishment. “For the wages of sin is death” Romans 6:23

                “In a word, we are called from a state, not of darkness only, and blindness, but slavery, rebellion, poverty, pain, ignominy, banishment, nakedness, filthiness, deformity, sickness, the company of lions and leopards, death, perdition and everything that is miserable. All the woes of the world, were they a thousand times greater, are but a faint representation of the misery of wicked men; they are miserable within, without, here, hereafter, in life, in death, after death; liable to the loss of the glorious and soul-ravishing presence of God to all eternity” – William Jenkyn

                But, they were not left in this condition they were called out of it. Who did this calling? It was God Himself, but the question is, who is this God? God is described to us in a variety of different ways. For instance we know that “God is love” I John 4:8 and that “God is light” I John 1:5. But we are also told many other marvelous things about God, such as His being all knowing, all powerful, all wise and ever present. The God that is described to us in the Bible is an amazing God. He is also described to a God who is Holy. He is described as being “of purer eyes than to behold evil” Habakkuk 1:3. It was His holiness that was praised the consecutive times being the angel in Isaiah’s vision “One cried unto another, and said, holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” Isaiah 6:3. This repetition is found again in the book of revelation. Scripture is very clear in this point, God is a God who is holy and will always do what is right. He will not and cannot overlook sin. To overlook sin would be wrong and unjust, and God cannot do that. We are told that “it is impossible for God to lie” Hebrews 6:18. It is so against the nature of His holiness that He is incapable of sinning or doing anything unjustly.

                That leaves us with a problem. We are sinners and God is holy. How can He therefore call us unto salvation? The amazing answer is that God placed our sins on the person of Jesus Christ and placed His righteousness upon us.  The concept of being declared righteous because of the righteousness of Christ is what scripture calls “justification”. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” Romans 5:1. Christ took upon Himself the sins that we would never be able to pay for, not even in an eternity, and his in exchange given us His right standing before God. Because God “hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” II Corinthians 5:21. This is the Gospel, this is our hope, this is our salvation and the only way in which God can call us unto Himself.

                Hopefully, to hear the Gospel again is not boring or monotonous to you. To think about who we once were, who God is, who Christ is, what He has done for us and the glories and salvation that He has called us unto, what can we do now but praise is wonderful name? Salvation teaches us about the blessed grace and mercy of God and He will receive the praise both now and forever. “No flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption: That, according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” I Corinthians 1:29-31. We are to receive no honor or praise, but Christ’s work is made to known to us because God has called us out of dark and dead state of sin and trespasses into a glorious light of salvation. “Show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” I Peter 2:9. Never allow the gospel to cloy to your taste, may it ever be unfathomably ravishing to our hearts and souls. It is for this that we will praise God for all eternity, and when ten thousand years have passed, and all the redeemed and elect angels have sang glories to Him every moment we will have been touched only drop of the ocean due to the worthy adoration of His name.

                “But why attempt I to give you an inventory of the benefits by vocation, when eternity shall be little enough to contemplate them? Who can think what it is to be called to sanctification, to have of every grace, the least dram or drop of any one whereof is infinitely more worth than an ocean, a world of wealth and treasures? To be called to the privileges as well as the graces of a Christian, justification of our persons, freedom from the wrath of God, and all those millions of mountains of sins that before lay upon us, to be called out of a dungeon of woe, as Joseph out of prison, to be favourites of the King of glory, to be called to the adoption of sons, liberty of children, comfortable enjoyment of all blessings, admission with boldness to the throne of grace, exemption from the least drop of curse in the greatest deluge of crosses. In a word, to be called to the full fruition of God in heaven from not only corruption by and with sin, the world, and the devil, but even from their very company; not only from curses, but even crosses too; to have the perfection of all happiness in our God, in whom all delights are concentred, and in comparison whereof the world's ocean of pleasure is not a drop and to see and have all this to eternity, without either intermission or amission? Psal. xvi. 11. This, and ten thousand times more, is not a shadow of that substantial happiness laid up in the consideration of this to which a Christian is called.” – William Jenkyn

What's in a Name?

“Jude…the brother of James”

Jude v 1

Jude and James are both remarkable individuals. They both have books in the Bible attributed to them, they were both brothers of Christ and they both refer to themselves as a “servant of Jesus Christ”. James only refers to himself in that manner, while Jude further identifies himself as being the brother of James. This James was the pastor of the Church at Jerusalem, often referred to as James the Just. He was of such renown that in a council including Paul and Peter it was James who spoke the last words. As if James was to have the final word on the matter for his church. He was of such importance that Jude simply calls him “James” and expects all his readers to know which James he is referring to.

                What impresses me most about this is that Jude so openly acknowledges and refers to his kinship with James. This must mean that James was highly regarded for his faith and moral character. If I were writing a letter and wanted people to know exactly who I was I could do it in a variety of ways. But if I had a brother who was a no good scoundrel I clearly would not associate myself openly with him. But James is not like that, to mention his name brings to mind faith, love and Godliness. For this reason Jude readily admits to being the brother of James, wouldn’t you do the same?

                Our names a valuable to us, or at least they should be. It is worse to lose respect of you name and character than it is to lose possessions or wealth. “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches” Proverbs 22:1. “A good name is better than precious ointment” Ecclesiastes 7:1. Scripture does not speak indifferent in regards to this. Your name, character and reputation are precious things. It is easier to lose a good name than it is to gain one. And a bad name can last for a long time, we think of Judas Iscariot.  A name such as that lives in infamy, and when others have that name they are introduced “Judas (not Iscariot)” John 14:22. Or we think of Benedict Arnold, a name in our country that is associated with being a traitor. When you hear that name it is immediately what you think of. We should live our lives as to represent Godliness and holiness. There is nothing that more tarnishes the splendor and glory of salvation than Christians who live like the world, or sometimes worse than the world. A bad reputation or name conflicts with our witness of the Gospel. Which is why Paul tells Timothy that a pastor must “have a good reputation with those outside the church” I Timothy 3:7.

“A cracked bell is not good to call men together, nor is a minister of cracked reputation fit to persuade other to holiness” – William Jenkyn

But a good name, and therefore good character, should be the aim in our lives. We should strive to have others in the Christian faith speak well of us. Not for ourselves but in order that others may “see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” Matthew 5:16 And just like the heroes of Hebrews 11, we can by faith obtain “a good report” Hebrews 11:2. To hear the names of Moses, Abraham, Paul and Peter bring to our minds great men of God. Can the same be said of us? May we live our lives in such a way that our friends and family would be happy and unashamed to identify themselves with us, just as Jude was of James so many years ago.

Servant of Christ (Part 3)

"Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ"

Jude v 1

                The first two posts on this subject dealt with what it means to be a servant of Christ. It is something that has honor and delight in doing that which we were made to do. What I intend to discuss with this post is how this verse or idea applies to other verses that are found in scripture. Verses that actually seem to indicate the opposite. Basically, how is that we are supposed to serve a God who is incapable of being served.

                The idea comes from a couple of verses. On where Christ is speaking to his disciples and tells them “The Son of Man came not to be ministered, but to minister” Matt. 20:28. The other is from a conversation of Paul with the Epicureans and Stoics on Mars Hill in Acts 17. Paul is walking around and sees a statue with the title “to the Unknown God”. It is Paul’s objective to explain to them a God they have never known but He is the only true and living God. Paul explains God in this manner that He “dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s hands; as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth all life, and breath and all things” Acts 17:24-25. The terms “minister” in Matthew and “worshipped” in Acts are the words for serving, and are translated that way in other versions. The point of those verses should be obvious. We do not serve God but it is God who serves us. But as you read scripture, it seems to indicate that we are not only supposed to serve God but are commanded to do so. And plenty of people, Jude included, would call themselves “servant of Jesus Christ”.

                What we first need to realize is that God does not need us. He doesn’t need us now, and He didn’t need us when He created us. There is a teaching that is spread today that God created us so he could be happy. That simply is not true. God is self-sufficient and self-happy now and for eternity.

                "The creation is nothing else but an effusion of the goodness of God...The trinity was not solitary. God was happy enough without us, and had a fulness and sufficiency of happiness within himself." – Thomas Manton

                “God is infinitely happy in the enjoyment of Himself, in perfectly beholding and infinitely loving, and rejoicing in, His own essence and perfection” – Jonathan Edwards

                The God you serve created you not out of lack or need but out of abundance. You may think of a fountain that overflows its edges and gives life to the ground below. It would be silly to say that the fountain gave water to the ground because it was lacking. No, it gave water and thus life because of and out of its abundance. It was the abundant goodness of God, that overflows, that created us, not a want or need to make Himself happy. And this abundant self-sufficient, self-happy God does not need us to make Him happy or need us to help Him run the universe.

                But, there a number of passages that indicate that we are to serve God. Scripture, in fact, represents us serving God in a most remarkable sense. Think for an example of Paul speaking in Romans 10 that anyone who calls upon the name of God will be saved, but he continues to say that they must hear these words and “how shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14. I think we are to understand that verse to mean that no one is going to hear the gospel unless a person tells it to them. What is amazing about that is the fact that it is not true of Paul! Paul was saved by Christ Himself speaking directly to him. But Paul tells us that no one will be saved without a preacher or a witness of the gospel. The question is then “If Christ can, why doesn’t He?” The answer must be because he loves us.

                We live most of our lives without even a clue of the marvelous reality that exist. One of the most incredible ideas is that you are a real person. You actually exist in reality, in real time, right now. You are not some fairy tale or dream or story. God has made from nothing an actual reality. You are a reality because He made you to be! Not only are you real, but more amazingly, the things you say and do are real and actually matter. We live in a world where it matters if you feed the hungry, it matters if you help the sick, it matters if you teach a lost soul about our glorious Redeemer. It matters! You matter! That should simply astound us! It is no wonder the young Jonathan Edwards was resolved in himself to “live with all my might, while I do live”. Everything you do every second of everyday has eternal consequences. Every word, every action, every thought matters to God  and has an impact on another person and therefore is real and important.

                God could have created a world where we did absolutely nothing. One in which we just sat back and let God do everything and we just watched. But instead the all sovereign, all wise and all good God has made a world in which you are important. You have the duty, no, the privilege, to teach a poor, wandering and damned sinner that Christ has redeemed them. You want a purpose for a life? It is Christ that saves and the Spirit that regenerates the heart, but it is through YOUR words when YOU teach someone the gospel! You get to play a part in the salvation of an immortal soul! That is simply amazing! God in no way or measure receives any benefit from you working for Him. But you both serve and are served. We have a part and purpose in this world, you can help the weak, you feed the hungry, you comfort the sorrowful heart, and you teach the lost that they need a Savior. You partake in the work of God and the joy of God. Never think for a moment that you serve a God who is helpless, but you serve a God who is abundant and has made a world in which we can actually help Him in His works and purpose. What a marvelous, wonderful and gracious Creator we have.

"The creation is nothing else but an effusion of the goodness of God...The trinity was not solitary. God was happy enough without us, and had a fullness and sufficiency of happiness within himself, only he would have us to participate of his goodness. God's great aim was to communicate his goodness to creatures; and therefore in making the world, he did not only aim at his own glory, but the benefit of man, that man might have a place for his exercise and a dwelling for his eternal rest...His love was towards us before the world was, and we shall reap the fruits of it, when the world shall be no more." – Thomas Manton

Servant of Christ (part 2)

"Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ"

Jude v 1



                In my last post we looked at the fact that although we have been made free from the power of sin, we are not now our own. But, we belong to and serve Christ. It is our purpose and our delight to do what He commands. Now I would like to consider Jude being a servant of Christ in a different aspect. What makes this statement so remarkable is the fact that Jude is the brother of Christ. But instead of calling himself Christ’s brother he calls himself His servant.

                We love for people to know when we are associated with someone who is important or famous. If someone were to even meet a celebrity on the street they would post a picture of it to Facebook or Instagram in the blink of an eye. Here Jude is introducing himself to his readers. This would be a perfect opportunity for him to earn a little honor and respect and make sure everyone knows exactly who he is. He could have told them that he is the actual brother of Christ. That this Jesus whom his readers are believers in and followers of is his brother. That would be an absolutely incredible thing to tell someone! But Jude does not introduce himself in that way. I believe Jude found being a servant of Christ of more honor and to be more precious to him.

                There is a certain honor in being a servant of Jesus Christ. Some names and titles seem important to us and we wear them proudly. When we work for a reputable company we are anxious to let people know. This is true in the companies we work for, the sports teams we cheer for or even the countries we live in. I name I wear proudly is the term Baptist. This is a designation that I take great pride in having and I hope to call myself one for the rest of my life. But there is a name that I view in much more esteem, that is the designation of “Christian”. To be a servant of the true and living God and of His Son Jesus Christ, what an amazing honor is that! “I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness” Psalm 84:10. The Psalmist is claiming that there is a great privilege in being even a doorkeeper for God. There is a much higher privilege and honor to be a lowly doorman for Christ than there is to be a king without Him.

               But not only is this of honor, it is also very precious to us. Being an unmarried man I speak out of concept or idea rather than experience, but I would imagine when a woman marries a man she loves and takes his name as her own than it becomes precious to her. Imagine being those believers in Antioch, who were the first people to be ever designated with the term or name “Christians” Acts 11:26. I don’t think they were ashamed of this but gladly bore such a name to be associated with their blessed Savior! We who are believers are the bride of Christ, and He has in a sense given us His name, we are now “Christians”. This is an idea that should be very precious to us. Every time we are called Christians we are reminded that we are servants of Christ the almighty creator and precious redeemer.

                The name of Christ should be a name of that is very dear to us. We should be as the woman who said of her beloved “Your name is like perfume poured out” Song of Solomon 1:3 NIV. Just as a sweet fragrance as a way of delighting and refreshing us, how much more when we have the precious name of Jesus fall on our ears. There is no other word, sound, or name that refreshes our weary souls as the name of Jesus. Surely, when we view any achievement we may have gained, or any title we may have earned we should be able to say with Paul “What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea I doubtless, and count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” Philippians 3:7-8. To Jude, to be Christ’s brother did not compare to being His servant. The Lord of all creation, Son of God and Son of Man, has died and purchased you with His blood and called you unto Himself to be His servant. “Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth I desire besides thee” Psalm 73:25. There is no other name we should ever hold in more regard or should ever be as precious to us as the blessed name of Jesus.

Servant of Christ

"Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ"

Jude v 1

 

Freedom is a word that perplexes me. We live in a time and country that makes freedom the root of happiness. In fact, it is one of the basic principles on which our country is founded and for which we fight to give to others around the world. Nowadays the idea is that we should be free to make our own choices and decisions about our lives without thought to how anyone feels or thinks about it. When we can come to that point of not caring how others view us and live exactly how we want to live we are said to have true freedom and happiness. But, why doesn’t Jude speak to us in such a manner? He does not call himself free, in fact, he does the opposite. He speaks boldly and happily about being a slave to Christ.

                Before Jude was a servant of Christ he was in a sense free. He was free to live just how he pleased and desired. And in that freedom he mocked and rejected Christ, “not even his brothers believed in Him” John 7:5, and the gospel of Mark says his family thought He was crazy. During that time Jude made his choices willingly and free. But, his heart and his will was bound by sin. He was chained and controlled by the sin of his heart, and it could be said of him “ye were the servants of sin” Romans 6:20. In his freedom Jude chose sin. That sin which he desired, was his master. But Christ breaks these chains and calls us unto Himself. Then it is said of us “being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness”

                But is it enough to go from on master to another? Paul did not say we were made free from sin and became free to ourselves. In fact he tells us “know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price” I Corinthians 6:19-20. We are not our own master, we belong to Christ and are truly His servants. But is it slavery if it is happiness? The Bible speaks in terms that seem strange to us. “I will at liberty: for I seek thy precepts” Psalm 119:45. The Psalmist says that doing or at least trying to do what God commands is to him freedom or liberty.

               "God loveth a cheerful servant in every piece of service...This makes the service pleasing to Master and servant too; acceptable to the former, easy to the latter. Nothing is hard to a willing mind; willingness is the oil to the wheel. A servant cheerful at his work is as free as his master: if his master make him not free, he makes himself free" - William Jenkyn

                We never have more freedom than when we perform our designed purpose. Everything is made for a reason. But, when things are used for reasons other than their designed purpose they do not work properly or efficiently. We are made for the purpose of glorifying God and using our lives for that purpose.

                “God’s glory is the end of our being and doing, for being and doing are both from him, and therefore for him alone….if I were a nightingale I would sing as a nightingale, if I were a lark I would pere as a lark. If I am a man what should I do but know, love, and praise God without ceasing, and glorify my Creator?”   - Thomas Manton

                He is the master of our fate and the Lord of our hearts, and we are the happier because of it. I have been made free from the power of sin, and that is truly a wonderful thing. But to be a servant of Christ is to be free from ourselves, and to serve Him is our one true delight and happiness