Planted together in the likeness of His death
“The trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which He hath planted.” (Ps. 104:16). “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.” (Rom. 6:5). The sap is what makes the fruits come out. When we become full of the Spirit of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be manifested in us. We will be beautified and adorned by their loveliness.
“And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.” (Mk. 8:24). Even the common people have always compared people to trees. In this case, the blind man couldn’t see quite clearly enough.
“Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1Pet. 2:24). Here the cross is also called a tree. Jesus was nailed to me. He was nailed to you. Thus, for anyone who feels the lacerations and blood from Christ’s back pressed up against their chest, anyone who sees the sacrifice of Jesus and the sight reaches down into the innermost soul and he comprehends and believes it is for him, a rough-hewn, rugged, easily corruptible, filthy person that has already killed so many people, that gross sinner is covered by Jesus, who fits perfectly over the form of that “tree”. To that person He is nailed. And for that person who believed, the almighty God has driven those spikes permanently.
“The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.” (Rev. 8:7). If trees represent those who stand tall for God, then the grass must be those who don’t have faith. “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.” (Is. 40:7). Its easy to understand why God would cut off those who don’t have faith. But why some of the trees? The Bible speaks of three groups: those in heaven, those in the earth and, the third group, those under the earth. (Phil. 2:10;Rev. 5:3). I believe those under the earth represent the satanic hosts. And to me, it fits that if a third of the trees were burnt up, they must have looked good on the outside, but were rotten on the inside. “Then came His disciples, and said unto Him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But He answered and said, Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” (Matt. 15:12,13). They were professing to serve God, but really were Satan’s agents. Much like it appeared that a holy, entire family rode the ark over the flood. But one of the three sons was really a devil. Ham rode into the new world on his father’s coattails and reintroduced the practices of the antedeluvians.
It is fitting that we combine the good news of salvation with the bad news of warnings toward half-hearted vows of service to God. He knows them that are His. And everyone else He burns with unquenchable fire. He thoroughly purges His floor and gathers His wheat into His garner. Its the mercy and justice of God that gives patience to the saints. “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” (Rev. 14:9-12).
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” (Jn. 15:1-3). Early in my walk with God, those words of Jesus were always scary and depressing to me. Why keep talking about the judgment when I needed to hear good news of fellowship and comfort? How does bad news make anybody clean? Yet Jesus uses bad news in combination with good news to make us spiritually healthy. Its God’s science of salvation. The bad-good news combination is what gives us balance and patience and poise under fire. “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke.... He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.” (Lam. 3:27-28). Jesus continued, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.”
But how will we be properly trained if we never face the difficult picture of His bad news? How can He comfort us in the light of bad news without ever introducing us to it? When we can be trained to retain the good news of His invitation to abide in His love, even in light of His judgment, then we will see the love of God even in the “bad news” part of His dealing with sin. That is true spiritual maturity. To be happy, not because we missed hard things or we only got to listen to good things, but because God was able to vindicate His honor, even if it tends to rattle our immature trust in Him (and strengthen it in the process.) Why should God suffer alone when He knows our greatest need is to suffer with Him, to be crucified together with Christ? “It is a faithful saying: for if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us.” (2Tim. 2:11-12).
He has only our best interest in mind when He speaks His bad news. He knows how deeply sin is imbedded in us and is confident in His grace to exceed our sinfulness and hopelessness. He has faith in us. It is because God so loves the world that He speaks freely of judgment to come.
“And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.” (Mk. 8:24). Even the common people have always compared people to trees. In this case, the blind man couldn’t see quite clearly enough.
“Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1Pet. 2:24). Here the cross is also called a tree. Jesus was nailed to me. He was nailed to you. Thus, for anyone who feels the lacerations and blood from Christ’s back pressed up against their chest, anyone who sees the sacrifice of Jesus and the sight reaches down into the innermost soul and he comprehends and believes it is for him, a rough-hewn, rugged, easily corruptible, filthy person that has already killed so many people, that gross sinner is covered by Jesus, who fits perfectly over the form of that “tree”. To that person He is nailed. And for that person who believed, the almighty God has driven those spikes permanently.
“The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.” (Rev. 8:7). If trees represent those who stand tall for God, then the grass must be those who don’t have faith. “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.” (Is. 40:7). Its easy to understand why God would cut off those who don’t have faith. But why some of the trees? The Bible speaks of three groups: those in heaven, those in the earth and, the third group, those under the earth. (Phil. 2:10;Rev. 5:3). I believe those under the earth represent the satanic hosts. And to me, it fits that if a third of the trees were burnt up, they must have looked good on the outside, but were rotten on the inside. “Then came His disciples, and said unto Him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But He answered and said, Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” (Matt. 15:12,13). They were professing to serve God, but really were Satan’s agents. Much like it appeared that a holy, entire family rode the ark over the flood. But one of the three sons was really a devil. Ham rode into the new world on his father’s coattails and reintroduced the practices of the antedeluvians.
It is fitting that we combine the good news of salvation with the bad news of warnings toward half-hearted vows of service to God. He knows them that are His. And everyone else He burns with unquenchable fire. He thoroughly purges His floor and gathers His wheat into His garner. Its the mercy and justice of God that gives patience to the saints. “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” (Rev. 14:9-12).
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” (Jn. 15:1-3). Early in my walk with God, those words of Jesus were always scary and depressing to me. Why keep talking about the judgment when I needed to hear good news of fellowship and comfort? How does bad news make anybody clean? Yet Jesus uses bad news in combination with good news to make us spiritually healthy. Its God’s science of salvation. The bad-good news combination is what gives us balance and patience and poise under fire. “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke.... He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.” (Lam. 3:27-28). Jesus continued, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.”
But how will we be properly trained if we never face the difficult picture of His bad news? How can He comfort us in the light of bad news without ever introducing us to it? When we can be trained to retain the good news of His invitation to abide in His love, even in light of His judgment, then we will see the love of God even in the “bad news” part of His dealing with sin. That is true spiritual maturity. To be happy, not because we missed hard things or we only got to listen to good things, but because God was able to vindicate His honor, even if it tends to rattle our immature trust in Him (and strengthen it in the process.) Why should God suffer alone when He knows our greatest need is to suffer with Him, to be crucified together with Christ? “It is a faithful saying: for if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us.” (2Tim. 2:11-12).
He has only our best interest in mind when He speaks His bad news. He knows how deeply sin is imbedded in us and is confident in His grace to exceed our sinfulness and hopelessness. He has faith in us. It is because God so loves the world that He speaks freely of judgment to come.
posted by David | 6:46 AM
1 Comments:
This is a very controversial topic, but yes, at times we do have to know the bad news.
When my son cut his finger on a can while he was helping me make supper one night (Michael loves to cook, so I let him help me as much as he wants), I had to tell him the bad news, his finger was really cut and we were going to have to go to the emergency room.
The good news was that there were doctors and nurses who knew how to make sure his finger was taken care of so it would heal. I suppose the good news about his finger getting better wouldn't make much sense if he never knew how bad the cut was in the first place.
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