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Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Monday, July 9, 2007
Two trees.
I think the most significant historic revolutions in this world started from two trees. Yes! Trees.
It is an undeniable fact that there is the existence of sin in the world. I don’t have to be spiritual to agree to that. Even atheists would agree to that (If you don’t agree just read the daily news headlines).
The simple logic to find what something actually is to find its origin. The only book in the world talks about the origin of sin is the Bible. Sin originated in the Garden of Eden as a result of Adam and Eve eating from the tree of good and evil. Yes it originated in their heart and came in to existence through that tree. The tree looked good and it was pleasing to their eyes. They ate from it, sinned (disobeyed God) and died (spiritually).
I have heard a saying - a thorn shall be taken by another thorn. Another tree was needed to rescue humanity from this cause of death (sin). This tree wasn’t that pleasing to eyes. The fruit on that tree was ugly.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him…
He was despised and rejected…
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins…
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed…
He was oppressed and treated harshly,
yet he never said a word… - Isaiah 53
He took away the cause of death (sin) on the tree for us.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” - 2 Corinthians 5:21
God judged sin on that tree. Can we fall at that cross and eat the fruit of it? It gives us back what we lost when Adam ate from the tree in the Eden.
It is an undeniable fact that there is the existence of sin in the world. I don’t have to be spiritual to agree to that. Even atheists would agree to that (If you don’t agree just read the daily news headlines).
The simple logic to find what something actually is to find its origin. The only book in the world talks about the origin of sin is the Bible. Sin originated in the Garden of Eden as a result of Adam and Eve eating from the tree of good and evil. Yes it originated in their heart and came in to existence through that tree. The tree looked good and it was pleasing to their eyes. They ate from it, sinned (disobeyed God) and died (spiritually).
I have heard a saying - a thorn shall be taken by another thorn. Another tree was needed to rescue humanity from this cause of death (sin). This tree wasn’t that pleasing to eyes. The fruit on that tree was ugly.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him…
He was despised and rejected…
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins…
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed…
He was oppressed and treated harshly,
yet he never said a word… - Isaiah 53
He took away the cause of death (sin) on the tree for us.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” - 2 Corinthians 5:21
God judged sin on that tree. Can we fall at that cross and eat the fruit of it? It gives us back what we lost when Adam ate from the tree in the Eden.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
(In)dependence.
Freedom in itself is scary. It generates a kind of fear in us. It breaks away the walls of ‘security’ and clears the path to all directions. I am free to walk and there is nothing, absolutely nothing to hinder me!
Now, there is this nagging question sweeps in – how do I handle this? Or Can I handle this at all?
Handling freedom is not an easy thing to do. When Germany’s Berlin wall was dismantled there was freedom but many did not know how to handle that freedom. Many even thought that the oppression was better than freedom.
There is pain in freedom. But it is essential to be free.
Free from - sin, law, religion, legalism, self efforts, rituals, performance, rules, regulations, self righteousness, self condemnation, self pity, restlessness, fear, anger and on and on…
Freedom forces us to walk by faith. That’s a tough job! Religion understands that and they offer a helping hand – legalism! They mix law and grace. It sounds like a good solution to handling freedom but Bible calls it foolishness because the power of sin is in the law.
There are some people in the church who hate freedom because they fear that, they or the people they preach to can’t handle freedom.
Freedom forces us to intelligent decision making. It requires thinking. Oppressed do not think, they just follow. Christ gave us a sermon on this - You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.
Freedom in Christ gives us independence, independence from everything. But it also put us in to dependence on Jesus. And there is freedom in that dependence which requires 'walking by faith'! which is the essence of Christian walk.
Now, there is this nagging question sweeps in – how do I handle this? Or Can I handle this at all?
Handling freedom is not an easy thing to do. When Germany’s Berlin wall was dismantled there was freedom but many did not know how to handle that freedom. Many even thought that the oppression was better than freedom.
There is pain in freedom. But it is essential to be free.
Free from - sin, law, religion, legalism, self efforts, rituals, performance, rules, regulations, self righteousness, self condemnation, self pity, restlessness, fear, anger and on and on…
Freedom forces us to walk by faith. That’s a tough job! Religion understands that and they offer a helping hand – legalism! They mix law and grace. It sounds like a good solution to handling freedom but Bible calls it foolishness because the power of sin is in the law.
There are some people in the church who hate freedom because they fear that, they or the people they preach to can’t handle freedom.
Freedom forces us to intelligent decision making. It requires thinking. Oppressed do not think, they just follow. Christ gave us a sermon on this - You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.
Freedom in Christ gives us independence, independence from everything. But it also put us in to dependence on Jesus. And there is freedom in that dependence which requires 'walking by faith'! which is the essence of Christian walk.
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