1 January 2012.
Dear Phyllis,
Unbelievable! Who in the world could believe it? We have just opened year 2012. When I was saved in 1957 we spoke much about the coming of the Lord. In 1960 there was a great deal of speculation when Jesus would come again. It seemed like it would be highly unlikely that we would ever hit 1984 – that looked very much out of sight – but there was thing we could say with the highest confidence that when the year 2000 would come, we would be well into the 1000 year menial reign of Christ. We knew that there would be a seven year gap of the Great Tribulation, but there was no question but what that would be over and Jesus would be reigning on the earth by the year 2000. Oh my goodness, here we are in 2012 still glued in one piece! I can't believe it! But one thing we can say with no fear of contradiction – now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed. Joe Carroll used to pray, “Lord we thank You that we are one days march near home.” That is a very good evening prayer, and we can say with jubilation that we are one year nearer to that glorious moment when Jesus will receive the honor due Him on this planet.
This morning I was preaching at Pastor Kichikun's church from the text “Behold I make all things new”(Rev.21:5). One could hardly speak on any other subject on New Years morning. The occasion when the Lord makes that declaration is the moment we are all waiting for. Thank God that day will come. But the spiritual truth is a principle that permeates the entire fabric of the Christian life. The very nature of the Christian life is the new birth. That is well described in 2 Co 5:17 – “Behold, if any man be in Christ he is a new creature (creation). Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new”. If this is not evident, it is highly unlikely that any person is in Christ. By the very fact of birth there must be some evidence of a new life. And if old things are not passed away, it is difficult to say that this is a new life.
To what degree this is operative varies greatly from person to person. In my case, I was almost startled that, when Jesus came to live in my heart, sin suddenly fell quit like dead leaves falling from a tree. My filthy mouth was gone. My unconquerable bad sex habits stopped. For the first time in my life I was genuinely free; and suddenly I had a great craving for the things of the Lord. It wasn't a matter of believing whether or not something was true. It was impossible to deny that I was a new creature and the old life was gone. Not everyone is so black and white. Some people have terrible struggles with various forms of addictions. Sometimes it takes years for deliverance, but there must be some evidence that there is a new life in the heart or a persons salvation is just imaginary.
God is not in the business of fixing things. Fallen nature was so bad the Lord looked at it and said,“There is nothing here I can fix.” Jesus said, “The flesh profiteth nothing” (Jn. 6:63)'. Paul said amen to that when he told us that “In me (that is my flesh) dwelleth no good thing” (Rom. 7:18). When I was first saved I thought the Lord must be very pleased with Himself that he got such a good man this time. I thought I was several cuts above most of the Christians I knew, and I would be a real plus to the church. But then I was in for a terrible shock. When the Lord showed me what was inside me, I thought the Lord had made a terrible mistake in taking in someone with such disqualified fabric. Fifty five years later I think it one of the greatest acts of mercy God ever did was when He saved me. But the one thing I simply can't understand is how He has put up with me for so many years. I am one of the biggest embarrassment to the Name of the Lord that I know. I agree with both Jesus and Paul in there is zero material in flesh to try to fix or improve.
The Lord had only one solution – the garbage can. The only thing that could be done with flesh was to put it to death. But the mystery of all mysteries was that God's method of disposing of Adam's nature was to terminate it by the death of His Son. Somehow we can understand substitutionary propitiation –Christ died for us as our substitute. But the deeper truth of Christ cross is our death with Jesus. This is a spiritual truth that can only be explained and understood by the Holy Spirit. I can't explain it, but somehow I know it is true. This was best shared with us by Paul when he said, “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live– yet not I – but Christ liveth in me” (Gal. 2:20). Paul knew that when God placed Him in Christ he was so identified with Christ that Christ experience became his experience. When Jesus was nailed to that Cross he was there with Him. When Jesus died he died with Him. That is why he could say, “I am crucified with Christ”.
Once God dealt with the old man (flesh, sinful nature) ,the next thing He did was to create a whole new thing. This is called the new birth. This is even a greater inexplicable miracle. Some how the very Spirit of Christ is able to enter our heart so that there is a new birth. This is somewhat like what happened to Mary. The Angle Gabriel spoke with Mary telling her that she was going to have a baby. She asked how this was possible inasmuch as she didn't have a husband at that point. We all know that in order to create a baby, there must be a union of two seeds – the woman's seed and the man's seed. Gabriel told Mary that, in this case, it would be the something of the Holy Spirit that would be joined with her seed crating life in her womb. When that happened a tiny seed in her began to grow and multiply. Nine months later a little Baby was born that was Christ. Basically the same thing happens in us, only that with Mary, it was a physical thing in her stomach, but, in our case, it is the Spirit of Christ being joined together with our spirit in our heart. This is the new birth. This is God's new creation.
There are two aspects to the new birth– the spiritual side and the human side. On the spiritual side we see that everything springs from the miracle of being in Christ. How do you get “in Christ”? There is only one way. No man can do it. John 1:13 is clear that it is not of the will of the flesh. No one can will themselves in. 1 Co 1:30 gives the answer when it tells us,“Of Him (God) are ye in Christ Jesus”. It is God that places us in Christ. This is an act of God.
But there is a very real human side also; and the degree that any believer will be a successful Christian is totally dependent upon their attitude towards authority. Jesus told us the parable about the Nobleman who went to a far country to receive a Kingdom. Before He left He passed out cash to His servants with the instruction to “occupy until I come” (Lk. 19:12-14). But the citizens had another opinion about it. They sent a messenger saying, “We will not have this man rule over us.” With that statement they spoke for all unregenerate humanity. There is nothing wrong with Christ's salvation. But there is a serious problem with His ruling over them. There are thousands of practicing Christians running around serving the Lord and yet they have determined “I will not have this Man rule over me!” Why? Because they are determined to due their own thing.
Stewart and Jill Briscal were in Karuizawa for the summer conference several years ago. They told the gut-wrenching story about how their son, who was a pastor, showed up at their house one night with the horrible announcement that his wife wanted a divorce. Stewart said that kicked off a ding-dong battle that lasted two years. They went to counseling and did everything. He said the bottom line was when the wife came to the decision to do the last thing she wanted to do on this planet. Something she would almost rather go to hell than do – that was obey Christ. That was the last thing she wanted to do. And that is the fundamental root problem in 90% of Christian problems today. We can talk about solutions, but the bottom line is, “Will you obey Jesus?”
We all have problems but the degree that we will be successful as Christians will be determined by whether or not we will obey Jesus. There was an outstanding missionary couple in Japan several years ago. The man was one of the best missionaries I knew. But his wife was terribly head-strong. Everyone knows what the Bible says about the role of a wife in marriage. One day she said to him, “I know what the Bible says –but I ain't gonna do it!” Fine. They have been home in America for many years now.
I knew a couple that loved each other very much and wanted to get married, but the sister had an elderly father, and she was an only child. It was a hard call whether or not to leave her father. The brother asked me to speak with her. I said,“Sachiko, your problem with guidance is very simple. You just need to deal with Rebeca's decision”. When Abraham sent his servant to get a wife for Isaac, everything went amazingly well until they came to a disagreement over her departure. Finally they put the issue up to her with this one question, “Will you go with this man?” That has been the fundamental issue every bride has to face. When a woman marries a man her entire future is decided. She is all through with guidance. She has only one responsibility. Follow her husband. She cannot tell her husband, “You live in Canada, I will live in Osaka.” If he goes to Canada she must go to Canada. Fortunately Sachet made the right decision and both of them are taking very good care of her elderly father now. She follows him and he loves his wife.
When I went into the Air Force, the first thing they taught us was to march. If a man can't walk with others he can't be a soldier. This is lesson #1 in any army. Then in pilot training there were several stages of things we had to learn in flying an airplane. One was flying by instruments. In the clouds you can't see a thing outside. You MUST rely totally on your instruments. There are times when your body tells you one thing, and your instruments tell you something else. If you capitulate to going by what you feel, it is certain death. Regardless of what every nerve in your body is telling you, you must obey what the instruments say, and fly the plane accordingly. This is no easy trick.
The other is formation flying. Some men could do it, and some men washed out. When you watch the Air Force stunt formation team, The Thunder Birds, they look like they are welded together. But formation flying is extremely difficult. If you want to get a small taste of what it is like, try riding a motor bike 20 cm (8”) apart along side another bike going 120 kph over a mountain road. And then imagine you had wings and could go up and down as well as forward and sideways. In flying formation every wingman has only one life and death responsibility. Stay in position! He doesn't have to think about where they are going. That is the flight leader's responsibility. They don't have to worry about air speed. That is the lead ships job. They have only one thing to think about – follow the leader and stay in position.
This is marriage. Five months ago Pammy made a very difficult choice She said she would be my wife. This meant she would obey and follow me. With that she began a whole new life. Her old life of running things the way she wanted to came to an end. On the 6th of August my previous life ended. I am no longer a single man. I have a big responsibility to love, protect, and provide for my wife. We are joined together as one. This is an entirely new creation.
God is not in the business of renovation, but beginning new creations. On the 1st of January 2012 it was highly significant that He said to us, “Behold I create all things new.”
The Lord was wonderful in giving us an exceptionally good service this morning. Thank God.
bill
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