Jesus in the NT :: 3rd John

The book of 3rd John gives us a glimpse of who Jesus is in the  New Testament (N.T).

The 3^rd book of John is the second shortest book in the New Testament, second only to the 2^nd book of John with 14 verses in total.

Two types of Christians are explicitly mentioned. One is Gaius who epitomized Hospitality with Humility and Selflessness and the other is Diotrepheus who epitomized Hostility with Pride and a quest for Preeminence in the Church. The book talks about the pride of Diotrepheus and praises the humility and hospitality of Gaius, who hosted God’s people not out of obligation but out of the overflow of his heart to serve. From the testimonies of the two mentioned, we can draw a parallel:  Gaius, with Humility emulated the character of the Creator God, Jesus Christ, who humbled himself and made himself of no reputation (Philippians 2: 7) while Diotrepheus with pride emulated the character of the creature, Lucifer (or the devil) who sought to elevate himself above God (Ezekiel 28:2,15)

From the 3^rd book of John, we learn that Hospitality is godly which implies that God is Hospitable (3^rd John 1:5-6). Jesus is Hospitable. He accommodates each one of us into the place that he has gone ahead to prepare for us, as he stated (John 14:3).  3^rd John 1:8, establishes that Jesus is also the Helper of those in need. The verse states that we are God’s fellow helpers (co-labourers) meaning he is the other one helping us.

In 3^rd John, Jesus Christ is HOSPITABLE, He is the HELPER of those in need and the Model for HUMILITY.

Points to ponder:
Let us choose to follow the example of Jesus Christ, who is HOSPITABLE, the HELPER and the one who is the model of HUMILITY. He humbled himself unto death, even death on the Cross, who made Himself of no reputation and suffered, so that the splendor and the glory that God bestowed on Him was by giving Him a Name that is above all names, and at the Name of Jesus Christ, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.

Christian Verbs :: E is for Exalting

The word ‘Exalt’ means ‘to lift up’ or ‘to lift high’. We often seek to reach the zenith with a selfish self-aggrandizement attitude. We strive hard to be on the top, and our corporate/work culture pushes us to pursue a status quo as one above the rest, sometimes at the cost of our Biblical virtues, principles, ethics and morals.

Interestingly, the Bible uses the word ‘exalt’, explicitly in two contexts. One is to exalt the Lord and the other is to not exalt ourselves. In fact, it is only the Lord that is to be exalted because He is Holy (Psalm 99:5,9); because He is our God (Psalm 118:28, Isaiah 25:1); because He does wondrous thing (Isaiah 25:1) and because He is Faithful and True (Isaiah 25:1). It is solely the Lord God that is to be lifted up (exalted) and not ourselves. In fact, it is quite the contrary that we need to be doing when it comes to exalting ourselves. Instead of trying to lift ourselves up, we are to be humbling our selves. The Bible cautions that whosoever will exalt himself  shall be abased (brought down low) and he that humbles himself shall be exalted (Matthew 23:12). A classic example of these very words of Jesus can be seen demonstrated, even before Jesus spoke of it, during the time of Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar built a statue ninety feet high and nine feet wide, exalting himself above and was abased to the status of a beast of the field, until he repented and acknowledge that it the Lord of heaven who has the power to raise up or to put down. (Daniel 4).

We are to exalt the Lord God, Jesus Christ alone.  God the Father has exalted Jesus the Son, and given Him a name which is above every other name (Philippians 2:9). So the question that remains is if we are doing the same in exalting (lifting up) Jesus. O magnify the Lord (Jesus) with me, and let us exalt (lift up) His Name together. (Psalm 34:3)

Matthew 23:12 (KJV)
¹² And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Psalm 34:4 (KJV)
³ O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

Famous Jesus

Of all of the pursuits of pleasure, prosperity, power, position and popularity, the one that I am usually driven by is popularity. There are some who live by the principle, eat, drink and be merry pursuing pleasure, while others chase after a prosperous life amassing materialistic wealth and riches. There are then some who seek to be rulers with power while others seek position with short lived titles conferred by men. Another category of people are those who seek to be known and the pursuit of popularity drives their decision. I would categorize myself to be one of those. Most decisions I take in corporate life are those which could result in making a name for myself or my business. There is nothing wrong with this, except if the pursuit of making a name for ourselves compromises our relationship with God and man.

We often seek to make a name by pursuing our personal interests so that fame can follow but this is antithesis to the way Jesus lived on earth. He sought no fame and the Scripture in fact records that He made himself of no reputation (Philippians 2:7). He did not choose to pursue His own personal interests but solely did and finished the will and work of God the Father who had sent Him (John 4:34). Even in the events leading to His death, He chose to  let it be God’s will and not his own (Luke 22:42). Interestingly however, even though Jesus worked to make a name for God, He got noticed. His fame was noticed by kings and king Herod the tetrach heard the fame of Jesus because of the mighty works He did. Not only did men hear of Jesus, but even God gave him a Name that is above all names (Philippians 2:9). From this, we learn that by working toward making a name for God, instead of pursuing a name for ourselves, we will be noticed by men and even more by God, which is far more important than anything else.

Point(s) to ponder:
Seek a name for yourself, and you may have some fame that is ephemeral! Seek a name for God, and you will have fame that is eternal!

Matthew 14:1 (KJV)
¹ At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus

Philippians 2:5-11 (KJV)
⁵ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
⁹ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
¹⁰ That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
¹¹ And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Bilbical Oxymoron :: Up Down

Many of us aspire to climb to the zenith of the corporate/secular ladder, sometimes at the cost of trampling over our loved ones and other times by leaving our peers behind. Sadly, even Christian leaders have been known to obtain positions made by men within the Church using  hook (punching other fellowmen down) or by crook (by sinful) methods. Fishermen have long known that there is no need to bother putting a lid on the bucket they use to catch crabs. This is because the crabs in the bucket seldom allow their own to climb out of the bucket. Unfortunately, many time we tend to exhibit such crabby behavior ourselves. When it comes to someone else succeeding, in our stead, we work hard at making sure that that becomes an impossible task for our peers. We always want to be on the top because the world glorifies the man/woman on top.

Interestingly the Biblical perspective on being on top is quite contrary to the world model. In fact the Scripture states clearly that those who humble themselves in the sight of the Lord, shall be lifted up by Him (James 4:10). The Bible also counsels using the very words of Jesus that “whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). The Lord brings down the proud. He did not spare even Lucifer, his angel, when Lucifer’s heart was lifted up and when iniquity (pride) was found in him (Ezekiel 28:2,15, Jude 1:6). The Biblical adage that pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18), is true. Jesus made himself of no reputation and is now given THE Name that is above all names (Philippians 2:7-11).

When you rise yourself up above, you will fall down and hit the rocks. When you bring yourself down, and you stand on the ROCK the only way is up.

The oxymoronic aspect here is this:
Those who exalt themselves up (rise up) will be brought low (abased, brought down).
Those who humble themselves (go down) will be the ones who are exalted (rise up).

To go up, we must first go down.

Matthew 23:12 (KJV)
¹² And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

James 4:10 (KJV)
¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

No matter what – I will submit

Many decisions that ought to be taken are not taken due to one of the following reasons:
1. we try to rationalize the situation assuming that our finite and limited human minds has infinite comprehension and abilities or
2. we think of the consequences of the decision and are paralyzed for fear of life or fear of being ridiculed.

In today’s text, taken from Matthew 26:39, we will look at none other but Jesus Christ himself who chose to submit to the will of God NO MATTER WHAT.

As a backdrop to this account, Jesus is in an intense state of physical, emotional and spiritual anguish in the garden of Gethsemane, evident from his sweating of blood (clinically known as hematohidrosis), as he looks forward toward enduring the Cross as the final payment for sin and death of all mankind. As He realizes that his body and Spirit will be undergo excruciating agony, being broken and separated from God, for He who knew no sin became sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), He makes a statement of total surrender and submission when he exclaims – “O my Father (God), if it be possible, let this cup (of God’s wrath) pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” In other words, Jesus was saying, not my will, but I will submit to yours, God the Father.

Despite any rationalization or thought on the consequences of his act of love and sacrifice, to die for all mankind, he still chose to totally submit to God’s will, NO MATTER WHAT. His act of total surrender to God made God exalt Him high and earned Him The Name that is above all names, The Name to which every knee will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Sovereign Lord. (Philippians 2)

Points to ponder:

1. What is God asking you and me to submit? Can we say, not my will, but I will submit totally to yours, LORD?
2. Can we take the step to totally surrender and submit, without rationalizing or thinking of the consequences, NO MATTER WHAT?

The Name above all Names

We started “The Name” series, asking the question – what’s in a Name, and just as the name reflects the quality of it’s holder, we attempted to get a glimpse of the character of God as expressed in the names and titles He bears, recognizing that we still fall short of describing The God, whose Name is above ALL Names.

We come to the conclusion of this series and in summary, let’s take a moment to see what a great God He is, a God who truly lives up to His Name, the name we know as Jesus.

A – Alpha and Omega - Eternal in existence, the firstborn of all creation (beginning) and the final sacrifice (end)
B – Bread of Life – The source of spiritual nourishment, that not only sustains us but also saves us
C – Christ – He is the anointed one, the Messiah and there is no others (even though He never directly claimed to be “the Christ”)
D – Door - Protecting those in Him and providing for those who enter, He is the one and only way for us to be able to reach God.
E – Emmanuel - He is God with us; He has been with us from even before we were formed in our mother’s womb, but is also with us now and will be with us in times to come.
F – Faithful - He is Semper Fi (always faithful), even when we are faithless, he remains faithful, ever beckoning those who are unfaithful to repent and remember your first love for Him.
G – Good Shepherd – The providing, protecting and preserving good shepherd, that gives his life, cares, knows, lays down his life for his sheep and brings other sheep in his fold.
H – Holy One of God - There is no one other than God who is Holy and Jesus is the Holy One of God.
I – Image of the invisible God – Exact representation and express fullness of the essence (person) of God; The mirror image of God.
J – Jesus - He is The Savior whose name is IESVS NAZARENVS (Jesus of Nazareth) and REX IVDAEORVM (King of the Jews).
K – King of kings – The King to whom all knees will bow.
L – Light of the world – The life giving source of the world. Outside of him, all one will find is darkness, death and doom. In Him is life.
M – Morning Star – Signals the dawn of a new age for in Him, all things become a new creation.
N – Nazareth’s prophet – The separated, crowned and sanctified of God.
O – Only Begotten Son – in whom when we believe, we have eternal life.
P – Prince of Peace - He keeps us in perfect peace, whose thoughts are fixed on Him.
Q – Quickening Spirit - Life-giving God who makes the dead live.
R - Resurrection – The hope of all and the reason to not have to fear physical (first) death.
S – Savior - The answer to the question of life and death. Without Him is no other means to Salvation.
T – Truth - The Lord of freedom for in knowing Him (The Truth) one is made free.
U – Unknown God – The God of your circumstance.
V – Vine (The True Vine) – In conforming to Him is productive and satisfied life.
W – Word of God – The cleansing Fire that incinerates sin and the Hammer that breaks the strongholds and stubbornness of our hearts.
XYZ – The Name above ALL names.

If you don’t know Him yet, ask Him and He will tell you His name, a Name that is above ALL other names – The I AM.

So the real question that remains is whether you know this really great and wonderful God (Psalm 86:10), a God who cannot be contained by names. What do you know Him as?

Philippians 2:9-11 (KJV)
⁹ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
¹⁰ That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
¹¹ And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

What’s in The Name?

In the book, ‘The Name’ , Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham writes
“The Name stands before, beyond, and after all others. In the beginning was the Name. At the end will be the Name. In the present time, all things depend upon the Name. The Name is above all names. The Name will cause all knees to bow … yours, mine … for all time” and yet it is The Name that many so vehemently despise and demean while other revere it to the point of laying down their very lives, bearing it.
So what is it with The Name – The Name, Jesus? What’s in The Name?

A name is often given to reflect a quality or a character.  For God, who is supreme and indescribable, even the very expression of his character and quality by any name is in essence, limiting the infinite.  This I believe is the reason as to  why the response that Moses received when he asked the LORD for His Name was profoundly yet merely,  ‘I AM’ (Exodus 3:13). But the Bible also records various names and titles that are used to describe God, his Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit. In this series, ‘The names and titles of  The Name’, the ‘I AM’, we will attempt to get a glimpse of the infinite God, His character and qualities as expressed by names and titles, that we can understand.

The Apostle Paul writes that his commission on earth was to “Know the Name and to make The Name known” (Philippians 3:10, 1 Corinthians1:17,23).For now, let us journey together to search the hidden treasures in God’s word, apropos his names and conferred titles, so that we may be able to join with Paul and say that we may know Him, because only then, will we be able to make Him known.

Philippians 2:5-11 (KJV)
^{5 …} Christ Jesus:
⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
⁹ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
¹⁰ That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
¹¹ And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Nameless

Today, I had the privilege of bringing God’s word to the ekklesia of believers at the Austin Christian Fellowship of India and the topic that the Lord had laid in my heart, for the edification of his people, the Church including myself was Nameless.

Synopsis of the message is given below :-
God has kept us ALIVE (Joshua 14:10)
Time (Life) and Chance (Opportunity) is given to all (Eccl 9:11)
So are we trying to make a Name for ourselves as those during the time of the building of the Tower of Babel did (Genesis 11:4-6), seeking one or more of the following – Power, Position, Prestige, Pleasure or Popularity
Or
are we trying to become Nameless (like the unnamed Centurioun soldier, unnamed slave girl in Naaman’s household, unnamed lepers at the gate of the city, unnamed widow that gave all that she had)

What is our pursuit?
What are we living for?

There are no titles (CEO, Janitor etc) on Tombstones and at the Foot of the Cross all are made equal with one universal title – Servant (well done faithful servant or be gone unfaithful servant).

To become nameless was to become the unnamed Altar (Acts 17:23-34) so that those who don’t know Christ, will know Him through us and that our lives will become the altar on which God accepts the lives of those who are accepting, believing and confessing.

God has kept us alive and given us time and chance – let us live Nameless lives, so that the one with the Name above all names is glorified.