Tag: Savior

March 9 2021

When Heaven Came Down

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Jesus & The Gospel, Kingdom of God Heaven, heaven came down, Is Jesus god?, Jesus & The Gospel, jesus christ, Jesus fulfilled prophecy, Jesus is God, Jesus is the messiah, messiah, prophecy fulfilled, Savior, son of God 2

Over the past few weeks, we have taken a close look at what happened when mankind fell into sin, the curse came upon creation, and heaven’s presence departed from the earth. We have seen the promise of heaven’s return, given through many pictures and metaphors, yet we have also seen the devastating reality of human life in the absence of heaven. However, 2000 years ago, in a moment unnoticed by almost all humanity, heaven returned to the earth, and since that day, nothing has been the same!

One of the biggest prayers in the Old Testament was “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down” (Isaiah 64:1). As we will see, today, God did just that.

An Unlikely King

We all know the Christmas story; how the angel came to Mary and told her she would miraculously conceive a child, though she was a virgin. The angel told her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

This would not be the first son of a god in the world. There had been many before; men who had been born in great palaces, rulers of empires and conquerors of nations, who had taken that title for themselves. When Israel lived in Egypt, they served the Pharaoh, who would be called the son of Amun-Ra (the Egyptian creator-god). Later, the Jews would live in exile under the rule of Babylonian and Assyrian kings, who also took the title, “son of god” for themselves. Even at the moment of Mary’s conception, Israel was living under the authority of Caesar, who was declared the “son of god” and worshipped as divine throughout the Greco-Roman world.

Yet for the child born to Mary, this title was not self-proclaimed. Although He was not born in a palace or to a wealthy family, the testimony of His birth reveals His true nature. Not only did the angel appear to Mary, but on the day of Jesus’ birth, angelic choirs sang of His coming to the shepherds in the field (Luke 2:8-21). At his dedication in the temple, His identity was proclaimed by Simeon, through the Holy Spirit’s revelation (Luke 2:25-35), followed by the prophetic declarations of His arrival by the prophetess, Anna (Luke 2:36-40). If all of that was not enough, later, at His baptism in the Jordan River, the voice of God was heard by the crowds, “this is My beloved Son, in whom I AM well pleased” (see Luke 3:22).

Though many Kings had called themselves the “son of God,” this was different. God Himself was revealing His Son to the world, and giving Him the title of King!

Prophecies Fulfilled

As we discussed a couple of weeks ago, there were many prophetic pictures given, pointing to Heaven’s return. Though many of them were masked in mystery, the New Testament goes out of it’s way to show how Jesus fulfilled them all!

He Was the Seed of Abraham

We previously discussed how in Genesis 12:2-3 God promised Abraham a son, who would lead to a global blessing. This promise, however, was not fulfilled in Isaac, nor any of Abraham’s immediate descendants. Instead, it looked forward to Jesus, as the New Testament proclaims.

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.
^{Galatians 3:16}

Jesus was the child of Abraham who would bless all nations.

He Was a Priest Like Melchizedek

From the days of Moses, the tribe of Levi was appointed to be the priests of the nation of Israel. This would create a problem for Jesus, who was to be born of the tribe of Judah, according to prophetic promises. However, God uses the Old Testament Priest, Melchizedek to point to Christ, who was not a priest according to the law, but according to the Spirit of God.

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
^{Hebrews 5:7-10}

Although He was not a Levite, Jesus fulfilled God’s calling and design for a human priesthood, serving as mediator between God and man.

He Was God’s True Tabernacle and Temple

As we have already seen, God used various geographic locations as home to His presence among men. First, He dwelt in the Garden of Eden, where heaven literally dwelt on earth. Later, His presence came down and dwelt among Israel in the Tabernacle in the wilderness, then the Temple in Jerusalem. Yet, even these we imperfect pictures of what was to come in Christ.

Jesus made clear that His appearance marked a change in God’s relationship to humanity.

Luke writes in the book of Acts,

“Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands…
^{Acts 7:44-48 (emphasis mine)}

This is written to demonstrate that God had other plans for how to house His Spirit in the earth, and it all began with Jesus!

So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
^{John 2:18-22}

Jesus was the Temple for God’s Spirit — His presence and His glory — on the earth!

He was the Final Passover Lamb

Not only was Jesus God in the flesh, the Great High Priest and Promised King, but He was also given by God to be the ultimate sacrifice for humanity. Over and over again, all throughout the law and sacrificial system, God makes it clear that there must be a sacrifice to cover the sin of humanity and demonstrate their full faith in God.

Even Abraham prophetically declared to Isaac, when taking him to be sacrificed on the mountain, that “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8).

What we see when Jesus is killed on the cross over the passover weekend is that He truly was the Lamb of God, just as John the Baptist had spoken over Him in the wilderness (John 1:29). The night before He went to His death, He spoke to the disciples about this eternity-defining event:

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
^{Luke 22:14-20 (emphasis mine)}

He was Declared King and Messiah

As you read through all the Old Testament’s predictions about the One who is to Come, and then look at the life of Jesus, it is undeniable that He fulfilled them all. This was not only done in word, but His actions, which astonished both the crowds and the religious elite, proved that his was a sort of man, never seen before.

At one of His first public readings of scripture, Jesus declares Himself the Messiah:

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
^{Luke 4:16-21}

After revealing who He was, Jesus lived the life to prove it:

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
^{Matthew 11:2-5}

Heaven Has Returned

In Jesus, Heaven made its return to the world in power and glory, and since that day, nothing has been the same. Prophecy revealed Him to all who were looking! All of the things the Old Testament used to demonstrate Heaven’s return to earth were pointing to a future reality which was fulfilled in Jesus, and He became the Savior of the World! And that is where we will turn our attention next.

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May 5 2019

The Destructive Power of Always Being Busy

A. Scott Ingram Gospel Leadership, Productivity busy, busyness, Jesus & The Gospel, Savior, Success, time, tired, work ethic

I hate the word “busy!”

Each year, as the summer months approach in the U.S., our ministry enters the most packed season of work. This season is filled with conferences, travel, international visitors, trainings, and outreaches.

In the last week alone I have travelled to three different districts of Uganda. I did a two-day training with a small group of leaders in northern Uganda. Back home, I hosted our monthly prayer breakfast, then visited the construction site of one of our churches in the mountains two hours away. I preached at our ministry’s church an hour away on Sunday. I travelled there again on Monday to sign legal documents to receive a land donation.

Still ahead this week I have to finish editing a 100-page training manual for pastors and leaders in discipleship and I have to file our annual Form 990 with the IRS next week. We have 7 upcoming training conferences through the beginning of June, and then we kick off the annual Global Outreach mission, which runs all day every day for 3 weeks. All of this is among the normal, daily work that is required to keep the ministry functioning.

All of that is to say, the word ‘BUSY’ absolutely describes my life right now… It probably describes yours as well, as it does most people in the modern world.

Busy is also my most hated word in the English language.

It seems like not too long ago, when someone asked how we are, the standard reply was “I’m fine.” It didn’t matter how we actually were. “Fine” let us respond in such a way that would not be a burden to the one who asked, yet still convey that, despite minor frustrations, life is progressing as normal.

Today, however, in most conversations I engage in, it seems the expected response when asked how you are has changed to “busy.” This is oftentimes even said with a certain pride. It is meant to convey a level of importance to the other person. “Not only do I have a life, but I have so much of a life I can’t handle it all…”

Busyness is Not a Core Value in Life

Years ago, as I began my international ministry travels and was learning to balance the practicals of my calling, God made it very clear to me that busyness is not something that should be sought after or valued. Being busy is not a mark of success. In fact, instead of proving you have a life, it usually means you are incapable of having one at all.

The worst part of busyness for me is that my most important relationships are usually the first things to suffer.

Busyness Separates Us from God

My relationship with God IS a high priority for me. Yet what has been proven true, over and over again, is that if I don’t intentionally make time to spend with Him in my daily schedule, it won’t happen. Nobody accidentally takes time to read the Bible and meditate on it. We will never stumble into a quiet place of prayer and reflection.

Over the long term, this becomes very dangerous. When we don’t take time for Him, our whole attitude toward life and ministry can begin to change. The thing that keeps us busy will begin to consume us and give us our value. Rather than seeing ourself first and foremost as a child of God, we begin to find our identity in what we are doing – pastor, missionary, CEO, entrepreneur, teacher, etc. Our work eventually becomes the way we identify ourselves. Success in those things begins to give us a sense of self-worth.

Eventually, we begin to lose sight of God’s reality and value for our lives. We actually begin to believe we are capable of doing life on our own. Just like Adam and Eve, we decide, “we don’t need God.”

This automatically leads to a fundamental shift in the way the mind works. Instead of living in light of the Gospel, we functionally begin living as if our own work ethic determines our ongoing salvation and sanctification. As we succeed, it validates our self-imposed identity, and we continue to elevate ourselves in our own eyes; reaffirming the lie that we can go on without God.

Busyness Devalues Other People

I am a hard worker. My goal is to be the best at my job, so I try to learn quickly and demonstrate my competence. I want to do more than what is expected of me. I desire to be able to help others in their work as well. A lot of this comes from the rural, west-Texas culture I was raised in, and these are good traits to have.

The problem is that looking through the lens of a heavy workload, most people will eventually begin to get arrogant about how hard they work, comparing themselves to how lazy or incapable others are. This gives birth to pride and self-importance, and a belief that we are somehow more valuable than others. The self-loving ego rises up, and others are devalued in the process.

Worse yet, when staying busy becomes the standard practice in our lives, we can actually begin to sacrifice others (their feelings, efforts, time, gifts, etc.) in order to attain our own success, because they don’t matter as much as the things we must get done. This is in direct opposition to our call to be witnesses for the gospel!

Busyness Self-Sabotages

In its wake of destruction, this endless cycle of busyness actually begins to take us out as well. The constant frustrations and stress, combined with a lack of rest leads to feeling overworked, burned-out, sick, or too exhausted to continue. For many high achievers, this moment of realizing limitations will lead to serious self-doubt and self-loathing. We begin to criticize and condemn ourselves for not being good enough.

These frustrations in turn, can lead to a compromise in our personal moral standards. We begin giving minimal effort at work or leaving our own responsibilities for someone else to do. We spiral downward until we develop a “screw it” attitude toward the work, and just give up.

At the point of burnout, we can become so numb to the self-imposed standards we are not living up to, that we simply quit trying. When this happens, the frustrations and lack of self-worth spill over into other areas of our lives. Everyone around and everything we touch begins to suffer. We begin to compromise our family, our finances, our health, and even our holiness before the Lord. Unfortunately, compromise comes in many forms, and it leave an untold amount of destruction in its wake.

Busyness vs. The Gospel

Although our daily work is usually viewed separately from our ‘spiritual’ life, all of this undeniably has a major effect on our life in Christ. When we are not living up to the moral or ethical standards we are called to as believers, it is sin and it separates us from fellowship with Him.

(I am NOT saying that meeting those standards makes us acceptable to Him. It is by Christ having met those standards that makes us acceptable. Yet our disregard and even blatant rebellion against those standards makes fellowship with God difficult to maintain. It grieves the Holy Spirit, and makes room for the devil in our lives.)

To put it simply, it is easy for me to build my relationship with God when things are stress-free and I have margin to give to worship, prayer, and time in His word. However, when things get busy and the “work or die” attitude hits, I can too easily cut myself off from Him in an effort to find my own value in pursuit of success. I will end up working harder and longer until I succeed, reinforcing the negative cycle once again. Or I will wear myself down until I’m fully exhausted, spiritually worn down, and give up, devalued.

To make it simpler still, when things get too busy, I turn from Christ and look to my ability to be successful in all things to be my salvation. And it fails every time.

Busyness hurts my relationship with God because it undermines Christ’s role in my life. In a self-centered and self-seeking push, I go forward ignoring the help of the Holy Spirit in my sanctification.

Confessions

So, I confess that it is sometimes too easy for me to find my identity more in what I do than in Christ. I confess that when I successfully handle my busyness, I feel acceptable to God. I confess that when I fail at handling my busyness, I feel unworthy. And I confess that I know these are all false truths found in my sinful, prideful, idolatrous heart. Repentance is necessary. The only fix is in the Gospel.

What about you? How has busyness taken over your life? Has it proven to be a destructive force, or a beneficial and life-giving undertaking? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

In the next few posts, I want to share with you the lessons I have learned to overcome busyness as being ‘normal’ or ‘expected.’ How to manage my heart before the Lord, in the day-to-day realities of life. And the method I’ve been using to manage my time to achieve the goals I have set for my work, without sacrificing those around me. Let’s go.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash