God to the rescue!
These messages are so good. I hear the pastor telling us everything hangs in the balance in the question of 'Who is Jesus,' and I'm beginning to understand. Hearing John quote Isaiah and tell us - He is the Lord, the God of Israel, the Creator of the Universe, Yahweh, God come to earth. Yahweh, God to the Rescue! That gets me - what good news. God Himself has come to rescue us! Today especially, with everything happening in the world and with all I hope and pray to be true for those in the world, God Himself has come to rescue us!
The Lamb, who takes away all of the sins of the whole world. He could've stopped there and that's more than we deserve, more than we could reasonably ask for - a soul-quenching, here-and-now and eternity-changing gift. But that was only part of the promise?! God to the rescue, and when He leaves, taking away the sins of the world, breaking the back of evil, delivering us from death and slavery..."a great promise, God's promise has now come?! ...Baptism in and with the very Spirit of God; immersion in and with God Himself?!" Ooh, that's good.
Messages about the Holy Spirit used to make me a little nervous. They tended to bring visions of dancers and snake charmers, and I didn't know how to relate. I wish that nervous girl could have heard this truth, the gift of being given God's Spirit isn't weird mysterious spirituality, but it's getting God Himself. There's a verse where Paul describes the Holy Spirit, and it stands out to me when I think of what He's like, "the Spirit, who searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, so also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God..we have the mind of Christ," and other versions include the heart - "we have the heart of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:10-16). No wonder Jesus said it was better that He left because of the gift He'd leave us, the second part of the promise that follows His death - we get to be immersed in the life of God, with the mind and heart of Christ, able to comprehend the thoughts and heart of God! Again and again, over and over?! That's a game changer.
The pastor is right, this should manifest in our lives in significant ways. But it's true, I've been afraid of what that'll mean, of how uncomfortable that'll get, of being out of control. It's easier to keep it all manageable, to keep Him manageable. To not get too weird. He's right again, though, it's not satisfying. And how kind of God, while my heart is fearful and protective, to have the nature and character to offer Himself again and again, to immerse and keep on immersing, to fill and keep on filling, until every fiber of my being radiates with the glory of God. Oh, Lord, make this true in me. I hear You, I don't need to fear, "this is what we were made for, to be filled by and animated by the life of God." The love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control of God, given the heart and mind of Christ Himself, to know and be known by the One who's very nature is to keep giving His life for us and the sake of the world again and again, in this great rescuing story.
God to the Rescue! Come to take away the sins of the world, come to baptize again and again in and with the Holy Spirit, and there entering in to our helplessness and fatigue a new surge of life - freshly empowered to do the undoable, face the unfaceable, and bear the unbearable.
"Jesus, You keep getting bigger and bigger, and better and better. You know what each of us are facing. You know what we need. Thank You that your character and nature is to give us Your very life again and again." Fill us and keep filling us, for your purposes and your glory, until we and the whole world know. Amen
The Lamb, who takes away all of the sins of the whole world. He could've stopped there and that's more than we deserve, more than we could reasonably ask for - a soul-quenching, here-and-now and eternity-changing gift. But that was only part of the promise?! God to the rescue, and when He leaves, taking away the sins of the world, breaking the back of evil, delivering us from death and slavery..."a great promise, God's promise has now come?! ...Baptism in and with the very Spirit of God; immersion in and with God Himself?!" Ooh, that's good.
Messages about the Holy Spirit used to make me a little nervous. They tended to bring visions of dancers and snake charmers, and I didn't know how to relate. I wish that nervous girl could have heard this truth, the gift of being given God's Spirit isn't weird mysterious spirituality, but it's getting God Himself. There's a verse where Paul describes the Holy Spirit, and it stands out to me when I think of what He's like, "the Spirit, who searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, so also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God..we have the mind of Christ," and other versions include the heart - "we have the heart of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:10-16). No wonder Jesus said it was better that He left because of the gift He'd leave us, the second part of the promise that follows His death - we get to be immersed in the life of God, with the mind and heart of Christ, able to comprehend the thoughts and heart of God! Again and again, over and over?! That's a game changer.
The pastor is right, this should manifest in our lives in significant ways. But it's true, I've been afraid of what that'll mean, of how uncomfortable that'll get, of being out of control. It's easier to keep it all manageable, to keep Him manageable. To not get too weird. He's right again, though, it's not satisfying. And how kind of God, while my heart is fearful and protective, to have the nature and character to offer Himself again and again, to immerse and keep on immersing, to fill and keep on filling, until every fiber of my being radiates with the glory of God. Oh, Lord, make this true in me. I hear You, I don't need to fear, "this is what we were made for, to be filled by and animated by the life of God." The love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control of God, given the heart and mind of Christ Himself, to know and be known by the One who's very nature is to keep giving His life for us and the sake of the world again and again, in this great rescuing story.
God to the Rescue! Come to take away the sins of the world, come to baptize again and again in and with the Holy Spirit, and there entering in to our helplessness and fatigue a new surge of life - freshly empowered to do the undoable, face the unfaceable, and bear the unbearable.
"Jesus, You keep getting bigger and bigger, and better and better. You know what each of us are facing. You know what we need. Thank You that your character and nature is to give us Your very life again and again." Fill us and keep filling us, for your purposes and your glory, until we and the whole world know. Amen
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