What is the point to Christianity? What is the central belief of the Christian faith?
I fear that for the most part, we’ve gotten so involved in preaching the Christian lifestyle and participation in faith communities that we have forgotten what it is truly all about.
In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Paul defines the Gospel as how Jesus Christ died for our sins, according to the scripture, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
The Gospel, the central message and belief of our faith, is that the Lord Jesus Christ became man, lived a sinless human existence, before going to the cross to bear the wrath of God for the sins of all mankind. Then, He rose again to defeat death and to give us all eternal life.
This is not only key to our faith and belief system, but it is absolutely necessary for us to have hope for life beyond this life, because faith in the Gospel is absolutely necessary to have our sins forgiven and to be given salvation and eternal life.
In the above posted message, we discuss the universal need for the Gospel.
The account of Jesus turning the water into wine is a popular passage of scripture for many reasons. For some, it shows how Jesus is concerned for the things in our life, even if those things won’t matter much to everyone else.
Others celebrate Jesus’ reverence for His mother, Mary.
And, of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the effect that this passage has on wine enthusiasts. And for that reason, it’s often referenced in pop-culture, like in the scene from Percy Jackson posted below. Dionysus makes a reference to this miracle as he suffers his punishment from Zeus.
However, to truly understand this miracle, we have to understand the Apostle John’s purpose in writing his Gospel. Only then can we interpret what we are to learn from the wedding in Cana.
The Apostle John wrote the Gospel of John in response to various theories, doctrines and ideas that had arises from Hellenistic thinking about our Lord Jesus Christ. His aim was to settle the debate as to the identity of Christ, demonstrate Who He is, so that we may believe and be saved.
With that in mind, we can only conclude that the purpose of recording the miracle of the water into wine is to demonstrate the divine power of Jesus Christ.
In fact, if you read the entire chapter, John 2 demonstrates the miraculous power of Jesus, the authoritative power of Jesus, and the resurrection power of Jesus.
The miraculous power of Jesus is demonstrated in that Jesus simply willed the water into wine. Had you not been a servant who witnessed the miracle first-hand, you would have no clue that it was divinely-created wine (except for the taste, as the master of the feast complimented the groom later).
Jesus didn’t need special ingredients, magic words, or convulsive motions. All He needed were pots of water and the will to turn the water into wine, and the transformation happened immediately.
This is the same miraculous power the Lord used to create the universe, and to perform the miracles He has done in this world. It is because of this power, plus the knowledge that He is good, that we know we can completely trust Him, even when everything around us falls.
The authoritative power of Jesus is recorded later in John 2 as Jesus cleanses the temple of merchants and money changers. The Temple was built according to the specs of the Tabernacle, in which every measurement and implement foreshadowed Christ in one way or another.
Since the design and construction were ordered by God, then it was Christ Who had authority over how the Temple should be kept.
God’s will was for it to be a place of prayer and reconciliation between God and man, but the merchants and money-changers turned it into a chaotic market place where little prayer or meditation would be possible. Their presence may have also created a financial barrier to entering the Temple.
So, by His authority, He cleared the Temple and restored it to its original intent.
Seeing the authority of Christ, we would do well to remember His will and instructions, and to do what He called us to do. It is important that we keep the church on the mission He commissioned, and to not re-brand or re-create the church into something we think is more relevant.
Churches are institutions of teaching, discipleship, fellowship, and evangelism.
Furthermore, we need to remember the Lord’s authority in our own lives, and follow His will for our lives, as opposed to determining our own will and demanding He bless it.
And finally, we see the resurrection power of Christ, as He tells the Pharisees, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.” John notes that Jesus was referring to the temple of His body, which He did resurrect three days after they crucified Him.
The resurrection proves the power of God, the authority of Christ, provides us with eternal life, and secures our salvation.
Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words do hurt, especially when they slander your good name and undermine your life’s purpose.
A false accusation, a baseless rumor, and malicious gossip can ruin your reputation, disrupt your marriage, sideline your ministry, and undermine you career or business. Often, when these false accusations are raised, there is little you can do, because proving something didn’t happen is almost impossible.
For most people, the best you can hope for is that your track record of integrity and good deeds outshines the falsehoods being spoken. That’s hard to rely on, however, as people’s memories are becoming shorter with the proliferation of social media.
This is exactly the situation (minus the social media) that King David faced in Psalm 7. Cush the Benjamite had made serious accusations against David and cursed him. We don’t really know who Cush was, or exactly what his statements were. We do know, the words were severe enough that David took the situation to the Lord, not only through a spoken prayer, but David actually took the time to write this psalm about it.
In the opening verses of Psalm 7, you see the intersection of David’s faith and fear. David proclaims that he is putting his trust in the Lord, while at the same time expressing his fear of what his enemy may do.
“O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: 2 Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.” – Psalm 7:1-2
David professes that he places his trust (faith) in the Lord, and prays for deliverance so that he is not destroyed by the false accusations. He goes on in verses 3-5 to ask the Lord to hold him accountable should there be any truth to the false accusations.
These verses demonstrate the power that faith can give us in these hopeless situations. Furthermore, it shows us the power that comes with a clear conscience toward God and toward those around us.
David was able to ask God to examine his actions and hold him accountable because David knew that he was innocent of the charges being leveled toward him.
Living according to God’s word, doing right by others and glorifying God through our grace and mercy shown to others can help fortify us against situations like this. When the false accusation is leveled, we can in all confidence say, “Search me! For I am clean!”
Furthermore, our faith enables us to trust God to fight this battle, because we are completely incapable of securing the victory on our own.
In verses 6-10, David prays that God will rise up in anger against the wickedness that has come against him. He also proclaims and looks forward to the judgment of God. Again, this is the blessing that comes with a life of faith and a clear conscience.
David doesn’t fear God’s judgment because David knows that he will withstand the judgment because he has been made pure through his faith in the Gospel of God. David knows the judgment will vindicate God’s people, and destroy the wicked.
If you know the Lord as your Savior, you have no reason to fear God’s judgment, and you actually have a reason to look forward to the judgment, because it is the judgment of God that is going to restore everything to what God intended on it being.
David concludes the psalm in verses 11-17 by warning the wicked that the Lord is preparing to make war against them. Therefore, repentance is in order.
So, Psalm 7 teaches us the value of letting faith shape our lives and actions. We learn that we need to trust the Lord through the adversities, conflicts and perils of life. Meanwhile, we also learn the value of having a clean conscience toward God and toward man. When we have those ingredients, we have facilitated the Lord’s defense of us when the attacks come.
So trust the Lord today, and glorify him through your lifestyle.
Several months back, the walls were closing in on me. I had been laid off from Texas Farm Bureau, I was two months without employment, and things in my personal life had gone from bad to worse.
At that moment, a former church member texted me, “People who have no secrets from each other never want for subjects of conversation.”
He went on to explain that his quote was from a 16th-century Bible teacher who used the quote to teach open and honest prayers to God.
He went on to say, “Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one’s heart, its pleasures and pains to a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles that He may comfort you, your joys that He may sober them. Tell Him your longings that He may purify them.
“People who have no secrets from each other never want for subjects of conversation. They do not weigh their words, for there is nothing to be held back. They talk out of the abundance of the heart, without consideration, they say what they think.
“Blessed are they who attain such familiar, unreserved intercourse with God.” (Francois Feneion, 1651-1715)
After receiving that text, I drove out to a local picnic area and lifted my heart up to God, sharing every anxiety of my financial and family situation, my anxieties and fears, my needs and requests.
I had been praying, but I had “Spiritualized” my prayers, couching the words in sanitized language so as to demonstrate acceptance and faith.
But with this prayer, I laid it all out on the table.
“God, you have given me the responsibility to provide for my family, but to do that, I NEED A JOB!”
“God, you have called me to preach your Gospel, but I need you to provide for and enable this ministry!”
“God, I need direction!”
Isn’t it interesting? By the end of the day, I had an interview with a company that would go on to hire me, and transfer me to Austin. After a few months in Austin, I learned that financial services was not God’s calling on my life, and the pursuit of career accomplishments and wealth would never feed my soul.
Again, I prayed, “Lord, please rescue me.”
And now, I sit here in the study at First Baptist Church of Hermleigh, TX, sharing this testimony with you.
Open and honest prayers not only work, and are not only recommended by 16th-century teachers, but they are also Biblical.
Take David’s prayer in Psalm 6, for example. David opens the prayer by begging for God’s mercy, asking God how much longer this season of grief and suffering will continue, and asking to be delivered.
He goes on to discuss how long and how intense his grief is, saying that he makes his bed to swim and waters his couch with his tears.
In Psalm 6, David lays it all out there, before ultimately expressing faith that the LORD will receive his prayer.
David’s prayer is not unlike Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 1, when she prayed out of the bitterness of her heart, asking God not to forget her, and that if she were blessed with a son, she would give him to the Lord and dedicate him to God’s service.
Scripture records multiple times when God heard and answered David’s prayer, and 1 Samuel records how God heard and answered Hannah’s prayer.
When Jesus taught us how to pray during the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6, He told us, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”
This concept is what separates David and Hannah’s prayers from the ineffectual prayers of many others. People have been taught to use certain phrases and words when praying, and thus they lose the actual substance of the prayers they lift up to God.
What God wants, however, is for us to be open and honest with Him. He wants us to “Let our requests be made known unto Him.” (Philippians 4:6).
He wants us to be real, to truly explore our hearts and give them over to Him, to allow Him to refine our hearts, answer our requests, and transform us through the process.
When this level of prayer becomes our method of operation, we will truly see the Lord move, and our anxieties will be abated as well.
And if you need help, if you have a special prayer request, feel free to send it to me below. I will be glad to lift your request up in prayer.
Leland Acker 