JESUS IS THE AUTHOR OF OUR LIVES
By Rev. Stephen Pandir Manurung
Lemah Putro, Sunday, March 22, 2020
Shalom,
Today we have a different kind of our regular service. As a good citizen, we are obliged to obey our Government’s advice to stay at home and to have a live streaming service so as to stop the corona virus pandemic. Do we know that God is omnipresent when we seek His face wholeheartedly? What is in God’s mind? That He wants to be with His people, and His people are in His heart. When man fell into sin, man was separated from Him (Isaiah 59:2). God continuously finds a way so that man can come close to Him again which escalated in the death of Christ on the cross to breakdown the separating wall between man and God.
If these days the government pushes the social distancing rules because of the Covid -19. In the past, sin already created a distance between man and God. Yet, His continuous work has enabled us to be the citizens of heavenly kingdom for we belong to Him.
What is the evidence of Christ’s possession of our lives?
1. Jesus Himself cleanses our lives (John 3:22-27).
After these things came Jesus and His disciples into the land of Judea; and there he tarried with them and baptized. Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. And they came unto John and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.”
One of many works that God did to own us can be seen through these verses. That is, the author of our lives is Jesus Himself and He is the One who is able to purify us.
There was a dispute concerning the purification through water baptism that was performed by John the Baptist while Jesus was allegedly doing the same thing. No wonder that doctrinal differences have become the sources of disputes for a long time. Even though it is trivially necessary, pastors are getting busier to defend their doctrines rather than preach the salvation like Jesus did.
John’s disciples got confused because Jesus also performed water baptism. Was it true? No, it was just a hoax and the devil laughed on it. See, if pastors or congregations are focusing on their disputes about their doctrines and churches, the devil has succeeded in putting the virus of disputes. And we will waste our time, energy, and money for something that is not really fundamental.
John’s disciples got confused by the new rising star, Jesus, who performed baptism. For until then, it was the domain of John the Baptist. And it was John’s trademark that he got called as John the Baptist. They tried to defend their teacher so the baptism would still be on John’s domain.
We can conclude from that dispute, that there are some points of what it is all about:
1. Who is the greatest and the worthiest to do the work of purification
2. Seniority
3. Whose followers are the most
The sayings “Rabbi, He that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptized, and all men come to Him. (v.26). It seems like a support but actually it was a provocation. Why? Because the baptism was actually performed by the disciples, not Jesus (John 4:2) Sometimes people make ministry as a competition. Servants of God must be careful about these things – whether to be proud when they are praised or disappointed when being underestimated.
When John listened to what his disciples have said, he answered clearly that a man can receive nothing except it is given from heaven. With that being said, it means purification is the work of the Messiah and can be done by Him only. This kind of John’s answer should be a guidance for other fellow servants of God that purification doesn’t belong to any group. In other words, no one can claim that he has the true teaching. Whoever claims that he has the true teaching means that he trespasses the heavenly law. So, there shouldn’t be any grouping or classification among fellow servants of God. And hoax could also harm the relationship of many.
Speaking of purification, John had said that he wasn’t the Messiah but he was sent to open the way for Him. That means, he did perform the physical baptism but the work of purification belongs to Jesus.
Application: A pastor can preach a strong teaching from the Word of God, pray for the sick, etc. but if anyone is helped by the sermon or healed by the prayer, it does not necessarily mean it is because of that pastor but it is by God Himself through that pastor. Take this as an example. Peter, when he healed a paralyzed person, many people gathered around them in awe. Peter said :Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.” (Acts 4:8-10)
Do not steal the glory of God by boasting that we are being used by the Lord marvellously, able to help broken marriages or our prayer listened by the Lord to those who are in financial difficulties. And the congregation ought not to make any comparison among pastors. For God has put pastors in any local church according to what they need, that they may grow completing each other as fellow members of the body of Christ.
The pattern of God’s work varies in every era. In the past He spoke directly but now He uses pastors, somehow, all the authority rests in the hand of God. There is no pastor who can perform by his own power to strengthen our faith or purify our lives.
John the Baptist turned his disciples' way of thinking upside down. He was not flattered when he was praised. Rather he said:
2. Jesus is the eternal owner of our lives (v. 28-30)
“Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Illustration: When a husband has to choose who is the most important person to him (wife, children, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunties) he will surely choose his wife. Even though there is no direct bloodline connection, the wife will be part of his life until God separates them with death. While his children, brothers and sisters will leave him to build up their own family. Much different from Jesus who chooses us to be His belonging. Everything in this world belongs to Him. But everything is mortal and will perish except our lives with Him in eternity.
John the Baptist changed the term rapidly from Messiah to Bridegroom but still has a strong connection.
Messiah (the anointed one) → the sign of confirmation
Bridegroom → the sign of eternal ownership
In short, we are now legitimately owned by Him as the bride for Him, the Groom of heaven.
If we pay attention closely, all attributes that the congregation has: the church, the body of Christ, the branch, the sheep, etc. will escalate as written in the Book of Revelation namely the title of the Bride (Revelation 21:9, 22:17).
God doesn’t seek those who call Him as Jehovah Rapha (Healing God), Jehovah Jireh (providing God) or Jehovah Nissi (God the victorious), but He longs to be called the heavenly Bridegroom.
John felt no loss when his disciples turned away from him to follow Jesus. He knew exactly who Jesus was. He just opened the way to present Jesus as the Bridegroom of Heaven that owns His church as His bride.
Many times, unfortunately, we try to keep temporary things and abandon eternal things because of our fear, worries that control our hearts and minds, moreover in times like this when we face the global pandemic of Covid 19. We need to remember that He is the author of our lives. Live normally and believe that He takes care of us, for we are more precious than the sparrow (Matthew 6:25-26). A merry heart does good like medicine, but broken spirit dries the bones (Proverbs 17:22). Sometimes we are sick not because of disease but because of our anxiety. Yes we need to stay working, praying and believe that Jesus is the author of our lives, family and our futures. This moment of pandemic may become a great opportunity for us to get closer to Him.
John said that he was rejoicing and emphasizing that Jesus should be more and he became less. It was clear that he didn’t envy Jesus when Jesus became more popular than he was. That was because he was focusing on how Jesus can be glorified. How beautiful it is, if there is respect between senior and junior servants of God.
In whatever ministry we do, let us focus on the Lord and try our best to present Him as the Author of our lives that one day we will live with Him, the Bridegroom of Heaven, eternally in His Kingdom. Amen.
Video selengkapnya: Ibadah Umum - "Jesus is the author of our lives" - Pdt. Stephen Manurung.