majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 19:10,
"The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
This is what Jesus told Zacchaeus when he expressed his faith in Jesus
by his repenting of cheating others and his decision to give half his
possessions to the poor. As Jesus listened to Zacchaeus' expression of
faith, he announced the salvation that had come to Zacchaeus that day
as a new son of Abraham - by emulating the faith of Abraham. Here is
yet again another affirmation that salvation is by faith, not by being
a do-gooder and not by appointment.
Zacchaeus placed his faith in Jesus and expressed it in his actions
and decisions. Some tell us that faith is the expression of salvation.
However, Scripture tells us repeatedly that faith brings salvation and
that faith finds its expression in our lives by the things we think,
do and say.
What grips my heart this morning is the purpose Jesus came to planet
earth to accomplish. This month's edition of Newsweek features an
article based on a theme of forget church and follow Jesus. It
presents an excellent perspective on the shortcomings of the Roman
Catholic church, the Evangelical church and everything between. The
author, Andrew Sullivan, suggests, given such shortcomings and the
fact that many people are leaving the denominations by the droves,
consideration ought to be given to follow the teachings of Jesus as an
alternative to church participation.
Within this Newsweek article, the horrific account of Thomas
Jefferson's action in mutilating the Word of God by literally cutting
out all portions he did not see fit for himself, Sullivan suggests
Jefferson was on to something worth considering. He assumes Thomas
Jefferson's perspective on the purpose of Jesus Christ's appearance:
Jesus came to teach us how to live our lives in a manner that would be
morally upright and bring spiritual fulfillment and happiness.
While Jesus certainly did teach us how to live morally upright lives
that would bring spiritual fulfillment and happiness, both Thomas
Jefferson and the article's author both miss the primary reason, the
big reason Jesus came. Here in Luke 19:10 is the Lord's own purpose
statement, a statement seemingly lost to both Thomas Jefferson and
Andrew Sullivan: Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost. He came
to offer himself as a ransom for many. He died a miserable death to
pay the penalty for our sins.
I remain awestruck by the words of the Apostle John, "This is love:
not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an
atoning sacrifice for our sins." All spiritual disciplines, all
activities we engage in should be ordered by God's eternal purpose for
us, a purpose that brought his Son Jesus Christ to die for us, to save
us.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd
love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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