Jared Longshore's Blog, page 21

Noah’s Baptism

It is fair to say that when exchanging baptism stories in the world to come, Noah’s will take the cake. Not many will be able to say they were baptized in a world-wide flood. Noah’s baptism was a sign of judgment upon the wicked and salvation of the righteous. It was a testimony to the truthfulness of God’s promises, who swore that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. What was true of Noah’s baptism is true of every baptism. Here God says, “My Word will come to pass. My salvation will arrive. Trust my Word. Every one of my promises are yes and amen, in Him.”

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Like a Molded Blueberry

Jesus said that the Father has life in Himself. He added that the Father has given to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:26). And you must see what a grave mistake it would be to say, “And, yes, the Father has also granted me to have life in myself. Amen and amen.” No, no amen to that. The Father has not granted you to have life in yourself. He has granted you to have life. But that life is found in Him. It is His liveliness that is your life.

The great temptation that lurks in the marshlands, that temptation that would suck you down and snuff out your life, is the temptation to live apart from God. It is the temptation to go about your coaching, teaching, summering, purchasing, cooking, exercising, and all of your other ings in the same exact way unbelievers do. This can be tricky. Unbelievers coach, and teach, and summer, and purchase. You are doing the same activities, after all. But you must do them as what you are, which is one who has been brought into the life of the fully-alive Trinity.

If you attempt to go about your living severed from Him, you will have as much sweetness and flavor as one of those molded blueberries at the bottom of the container you forgot was in the back of the refridgerator. God has brought you into the bond of His covenant, and in that covenant He has given you life, a big wide world, an array of gifts and good works to enjoy. So resolve to never live outside of that bond of the covenant. The life you live, you live by faith. The life you enjoy is the life of the Trinity, which never grows old or stale.

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A Rose Petal Down the Grand Canyon

An author who expects results from a first novel is in a position similar to that of a man who drops a rose petal down the Grand Canyon of Arizona and listens for the echo.

P. G. Wodehouse, Cocktail Time

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Joy Through Bread and Wine

What Ezra and Nehemiah told the inhabitants of Jerusalem many years ago holds true for us today: the joy of the LORD is our strength. Those outside of the kingdom of God simply cannot access this joy. Paul tells us in Romans 14:17 that joy in the Holy Ghost is the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God has a particular border. You are either in it or not in it, and the only way to obtain the joy of the LORD is to reside within its territory. This kingdom is not stagnant of course, so its borders constanly increase. Even so, you must be brought within if you would truly access joy.

You are members of the kingdom of God and thus you come to this kingdom table. You have every right to the joy of the Spirit for Christ has purchased that joy for you at the cross. At this meal, you hear Christ say, “This is my body broken for you. This is my blood shed for you. And where is joy found other than in that body and in that blood?” 

The kingdom of God is not stagnant, and neither is the joy of the LORD found within it. The LORD’s joy is infinite and abundantly supplied to you through this bread and wine. Any attempt you make to obtain joy apart from the Christ who serves you here, is doomed to fail. And the reverse is equally true. If you come to the Lord at this table, asking to be strengthened by more of His joy, then you will find the fulfillment of Christ’s words when He said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” So come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.

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Not a Coin Toss

Scripture is clear throughout that salvation involves life from the dead. Dry bones must live. Sleepers must awake and have the light of Christ shine upon them. That new life is not a coin toss. It is not a 50/50 chance. It is not a matter of percentages at all. That new life is a covenant promise from God to us, made sure in the blood of Christ. It is a covenant promise received by faith and signed and sealed in baptism. The water points to burial and resurrection to new life. God is the one has appointed the sign. He is the One who speaks. Believe Him.

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No Reasoning Out of a Swamp

It really is something that Jesus Christ told his disciples that it would be advantageous to them if he left them (John 16:7). Take this truth in as if you were there with our Lord and you will see just how outrageous those words must have seemed to them. Jesus tells them, “If I don’t go away, the Comforter will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send him unto you.” “Well, Lord,” they must have been thinking, “how can it be more advantageous for us? We have seen you walk on water. You have heald the sick. You’ve cast out demons. And then there was the time you raised Lazarus from the dead. We just don’t understand how your departure will make things better.” “Right,” our Lord responds, “you do not understand. But you can believe.”

Petecost reminds us that we live by faith not by sight, we live by faith, not by complete understanding. By all means, you can reason from the things Christ says. You can reason to your heart’s content from the Word. But you cannot sit in the swamp of unbelief and reason your way to the Word. Jesus smiles at one of the disciples, saying, “You don’t understand? Well, you’re definitely not going to understand if you don’t start by believing what I’m telling you.”

Pentecost kills the sin of stagnant, swampy unbelief. The Spirit is Living Water. And He will flow. It is not your job to keep up with Him. You could never do that. He’s not some stream running along beside you. He is a stream that has been poured out in your hearts. Your job is to trust the Word and ride the river.

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Were I an Epicure

Take not his name, who made thy mouth, in vain:

It get thee nothing, and hath no excuse.

Lust and wine plead a pleasure, avarice gain:

But the cheap swearer through his open sluice

Lets his soul run for nought, as little fearing.

Were I an Epicure, I could bate swearing.

George Herbert, Perirrhanterium

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Not by the Jaws Alone

Jesus said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever” (John 6:51). Now, a sensible man asks, “OK, where is this bread and how might I eat it?” It is not enough for me to reply, here, look, the bread is right here on the table. Eat this and you will live.” There is plenty of truth in that statement and there is no error in it. However, I have not said enough because this sensible man replies, “But hasn’t the true bread ascended into heaven? Isn’t the bread that I really need up there?”

Yes, the bread that we really need is up there, and that is why we must come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ at this table. The only principle of unity available to man indeed is outside the world. And, likewise, the only bread that can nourish man to eternal life is outside the world. It is an other worldly bread that cannot be accessed by the jaws alone. But it can be accessed, for the just shall live on this heavenly bread by faith.

This living is what you must do, and not only at this table. Here we ascend to heaven and feed upon the Christ who is seated at the right hand of the Father. And what you do here you must learn to do everywhere and always. Yes, it is a mystery. But it is a mystery thoroughly revealed, as Ephesians tells us, God has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). The high calling upon you is to live on earth in ascended fashion, which means to live on earth in communion with the ascended Lord, so come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.

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A Visible Word

Christ’s kindness to us is seen in that He has left us not only with words that we hear, but also words that we see. Israel was shown God’s covenant love as the LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud to lead them. And the new testament tells us that all Israel was baptized in that cloud, fathers, mothers, and children alike. So it is in the new covenant, baptism is a sign of God’s presence upon us, to lead, protect, and seperate us from the unvelieving world. This visible word points to the True Word Himself, who is in heaven, and in whom is all of our hope.

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Ascended Wisdom

You can find at least three types of people. The first group is unmotivated and unambitious people. They are not raising money for start ups and they would be terrible in your college recruitment department, “Come join our college and we will make you, slightly below average.” 

The second group has the ambition. They are eager for knowledge and success, but their whole enterprise is fueld by the wisdom from below, the kind that is earthly, sensual, envious, bitter, devilish, and riddled with strife. It is full of the pushing and pulling that marks much of the American entreprenurial spirit and the men who abide by this wisdom go home needing a whiskey, or porn, or some bit of indecent entertainment to take the edge off of their work day.

The third group is what we are aiming for and it involves the people who live by the wisdom from above. James says that this wisdom is “ first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (James 1:17).

The trouble is, if we are honest, we would put most of those qualities in the first group, the unproductive one. We say to God, “We’ve got two roads, Lord, which would you like us to take? We can be mediocre, a bit on the lazy side, while being pure, peaceable, gentle, and easily intreatable. Or, we can get into the fight. We know how to hustle, but you have to understand, that we will show the competition no mercy, and gentle, well, that really won’t be in the equation.”

Those who talk that way are missing what it means to live by that wisdom which comes from above. “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you?” James asks, “let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13).

You say, “Look, that is impossible.” Well, it is not impossible. But it does require getting the wisdom that comes from above, where Christ has ascended.

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