EJ100 #6 Genesis 3:1-24

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Genesis 3.

Context
After a "very good" beginning (Gen 1), and the description of the creation of Adam, who was tasked with working and taking care of the garden of Eden, and that of Eve, who was made as a suitable helper for Adam (Gen 2), events take a sudden turn for the worse.

Content
The basic story of Genesis 3 is that, confused and lied to by "the serpent",  Eve and Adam chose to disobey God, by eating the fruit of the one tree which God had told Adam not to eat. Thus sin entered the human realm.

The serpent is commonly identified with Satan, taking into account verses such as Revelation 12:9 and 20:2, which mention "The great dragon ... that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray." It is interesting to consider the possibility that the serpent in the garden may have been a dragon-serpent, perhaps similar to those of Chinese mythology, rather than a snake as often depicted in children's storybook Bibles ... but discussions of such nature miss the point.

One of the key features of this primeval story is that even before Eve and Adam sinned, at least one entity - the serpent - was in rebellion against God. CS Lewis presents this situation as a science fiction drama in Perelandra, the second book of his Cosmic Trilogy. Much of the novel is spent observing the devilish Dr Weston trying to convince the Queen of Venus to disobey her King, while Dr Ransom encourages her to stand firm.

In the biblical story of the Fall, the serpent used three main arguments to convince Eve to disobey God:

1. 3:1 "Did God really say..." The serpent questioned Eve's knowledge and memory of God's actual words. In 3:2, Eve proved that she did not know or remember God's instructions accurately (compare 3:2 with 2:16-17). This may have been due to Adam's inaccurate teaching (or lack of any teaching), or simply the fault of Chinese Whispers style error. What is certain is that, although Adam was present "with her" (3:6), he did not correct Eve's error before the serpent took advantage of it with his next claim.
2. 3:4 "You will not certainly die." The serpent claimed that God has lied to Adam (and by extension, to Eve). Eve was confused about the consequences of even touching the fruit, let alone eating it (3:3). Her lack of clear information about the choices and consequences God had given to Adam and Eve left her vulnerable to the serpent's lies.
3. 3:5 "For God knows that when you eat ... you will be like God..." The serpent alleged that Eve could become like God. I mentioned the conundrum of the desire to be like God in my discussion of Philippians 2:1-11.

Ultimately, Eve and Adam chose to usurp the position of God; to choose for themselves what was right and what was wrong. That's why the tree bore its name: it was in eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that Eve and Adam endeavoured to prove that they, not God, knew the difference between good and evil. In this endeavour, they failed miserably.

Suffice it to say that, unlike the Latter-day Saints (Mormons) would have you believe, it wasn't a benevolent act that the serpent performed when he convinced Eve to take up and eat the forbidden fruit of Eden. There were far reaching and overwhelmingly negative consequences from the Fall.

The only thing good to come out of the Fall is that God is glorified through Jesus' salvation of fallen, sinful mankind: the moment when the woman's seed-offspring finally crushed the head of the serpent (3:15).

Connect
My young children seemed to have grasped this problem of the serpent's existence and evil actions intuitively. They don't stop at asking, "Why did Adam and Eve sin?" Just tonight, 6-year-old Samuel asked me, not for the first time, "Why did God invent Satan?" Hard question, that one.

I guess it comes back to free will. God gave free will to the serpent, just as he gave it to Adam and Eve, and gives free will also to us. It is up to us to use it wisely.

> Are you wise in the choices you make, mindful of the consequences that God has warned you of in his word?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?
It's simple: I love Jesus because he undid the Fall.

Thank you Jesus for undoing the tragic consequences of the Fall.
I give you glory, because you have made an end to all my sin.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Exodus 32:1-33:6.

EJ100 #5 1 Peter 2:4-10

Today's Essential Jesus reading: 1 Peter 2:4-10.

Context
Written by Simon Peter, one of Jesus' closest disciples, this passage is part of a letter addressed to the scattered churches of the first century AD.

Content
This passage has three sections:

1. 2:4-7a Peter's readers, Christian believers, come to the precious living Stone to be built into a spiritual house (a temple of the Holy Spirit).
2. 2:7-8 Those who reject this Stone and disobey the (gospel) message stumble and fall. 
3. 2:9-10 Peter's readers are chosen by God, royal servants of God, set apart as a nation for God, belonging to God alone, made into a united people by God, the recipients of God's mercy.

This "Stone" is Jesus. He is:

• living;
• rejected by humans [remember John 1:10-11?];
• chosen by God;
• precious to God;
• enabling believers to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God [Romans 12:1];
• Jesus Christ;
• a Stone in Zion (the nickname for Jerusalem, in its identity as the location of the spiritual home of God's people living in God's presence under God's rule);
• a chosen and precious cornerstone;
• precious to those who believe;
• rejected by those who do not believe;
• still the cornerstone!;
• a Stone who causes people who reject him to stumble;
• a Rock (an allusion to the LORD [eg 2 Sam 22:32; Psalm 18:31 and many other psalms]) who makes those who disobey the gospel message fall;
• called us out of darkness into his wonderful light [remember John 1:4-5,9?].

A cornerstone is the most important stone in a building, against which the other stones are aligned and fitted to lie correctly in their proper position. Jesus is a cornerstone for a building not of bricks or stones, but of people, who are living stones.

Connect
Whether people believe in Jesus or reject him, he is still the cornerstone of the lives of all people. For those who believe, Jesus is the cornerstone which we deliberately and carefully align our lives against, as God builds us into his holy dwelling, like living stones (2:5). For those who do not believe, Jesus is the cornerstone against which the lives of those who reject him will be measured, when he comes to judge the living and the dead [1 Peter 4:5; see also Acts 10:42; 2 Timothy 4:1].

> In what ways are you deliberately and carefully aligning your life against the life and work of Jesus Christ?

"To you who believe, this Stone is precious" (2:7a). One way I declare that Jesus is precious to me is by gathering with his body, the church, each Sunday morning. This is perhaps the most publicly visible of all Christian confessions that Jesus is precious to us: we spend time with church that could otherwise be spent sleeping in, gardening, catching up with household chores, playing with our kids, or driving trucks (like the several that thundered past our church this morning on their way to deliver grain to the local bulk handling depot).

Jesus is precious to me, and I want my kids to feel the same way about him. So it is important to me that they have the opportunity to attend a Sunday School program that they can enjoy and learn from, rather than struggling to sit still and quiet in a hot church building (it reached 39C / 102F today). During term time, Mrs B teaches the Sunday School at our church. During the holidays, however, she has a well-earned and hopefully refreshing break.

So this morning, my family attended two church services, as we are doing each Sunday of the summer holidays. Jeff regularly preaches to two congregations each Sunday, and during the holidays we are going to both with him so that I can hear his sermon to the first congregation (while the kids play in the park across the road, if it's not impossibly hot). Then I supervise holiday Sunday School during his sermon to the second congregation. This means I have to get the kids and myself ready to leave the house at 7:30am so we can drive 50km to the first service at 8:30am, then 50km back to the second service at 10:30am, which finishes at noon. And it's worth it, because Jesus is precious to me!

> Is Jesus precious to you? What do you do to express this preciousness?

The purpose of all the blessings described in verses 5 and 9-10, of believers being built like living stones into a temple (the Church of God), is given at the end of 2:9. These blessings are granted so "that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

> To whom shall you declare God's praises today?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?
 I love Jesus because he is a perfect cornerstone upon which I may direct and build my life. His perfection provides guidance for my efforts to become holy and perfect, as he is holy and perfect [1 Peter 1:15-16].

LORD God,
Thank you for sharing your precious Son with me.
Thank you for making him precious in my sight also.
Please help me to align my life to his,
to be holy as Jesus, my cornerstone, is holy.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Genesis 3:1-24.

EJ100 #4 Hebrews 1:1-4

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Hebrews 1:1-4.

Context

The letter to the Hebrews begins with a majestic description of the supreme revelation of God in Christ.

Content

The author of Hebrews describes Jesus:

• Jesus is God's Son;
• through him, God has spoken to mankind [see also 2 Peter 1:16];
• Jesus was appointed by God as heir of all things;
• through Jesus, God made the universe [John 1:2; Colossians 1:16];
• Jesus is the radiance (expression) of God's glory;
• Jesus is the exact representation of God's being (nature);
• Jesus sustains all things by his powerful word [remember Colossians 1:17?];
• Jesus has provided purification for sins (described in detail in the rest of the letter to the Hebrews, especially chapters 8-10);
• then Jesus sat down at the right hand of God in heaven;
• as a result, Jesus became superior to the angels to the same degree as his name, which he inherited (from God, see the third dot point above) is superior to the name of angels.

Connect

"After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven" (1:3). Sitting down indicates resting from a particular work, in much the same way as God rested from the work of creation on the seventh day [Gen 2:2]: the work is entirely complete, so the worker sits and rests from his work.

The work of Jesus in purifying me from my sins is completed. There is nothing left for either Jesus or myself to do. I know this because he has sat down in the presence of the LORD God Almighty, the King of heaven. What a marvellous blessing to reflect upon!

There is nothing I need to do to make myself cleaner in God's eyes. I am already purified from my sins; "without blemish", as Colossians 1:22 says. This means that:

no matter how frustrated I feel about my own corrupt conduct,

no matter how depressed I become about my own degenerate deeds,

no matter how disturbed I am by my own wicked words,

no matter how apalled I am by my own pervasive sinfulness,

in God's sight, I am cleansed.

Thanks be to God!

Why do I love and worship Jesus?

I love Jesus because he has purified me from my sin, and I am cleansed in the sight of God my Father.

Thank you Jesus for cleansing me,

washing away the crimson tide of my sin,

making me whiter than snow in your sight.

Thank you that you have completed this task.

I don't need another wash,

not even a quick going over.

I am pure, because of what you have done.

Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: 1 Peter 2:4-10.

EJ100 #3 Colossians 1:15-23

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Colossians 1:15-23.

Context

The apostle Paul, together with his co-worker Timothy, wrote to the Christians in Collossae, beginning with a description of Jesus, and a description of the gospel.

Content

Paul and Timothy described Jesus:

• Jesus is the Son (of God);
• Jesus is the image of the invisible God [remember John 1:18?];
• Jesus is the firstborn over all creation (primogeniture in this case relates to Jesus' status as the inheritor of his Father's estate - the entire universe; all power and authority);
• In and through Jesus all things were created [remember John 1:2?];
• For Jesus all things were created (for his enjoyment, his glory);
• Jesus is "before" all things, as John the Baptist testified, "He ... has surpassed me because he was before me" [John 1:15], and as Jesus himself claimed, "Before Abraham was born, I AM" [John 8:58]; [see also Jude 1:25];
• In Jesus all things hold together: Jesus is the Sustainer of the universe;
• Jesus is the head of the church, which is metaphorically described as Jesus' body;
• Jesus is the beginning;
• Jesus is the firstborn from among the dead [see Acts 2:32 and 1 Corinthians 15:3-8,20-23];
• Jesus is supreme among all things (all events, all situations, all individuals);
• God's fullness (the entirety of God's divine nature) is found in Jesus - and this pleases God;
• Through Jesus, God reconciles all things to himself [Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Ephesians 2:14-18; see also Colossians 1:22];
• Jesus made peace between mankind and God through his blood, shed on the cross.

After describing Jesus, Paul and Timothy described the situation of Christians, people who have faith and hope in the gospel:

• Once (previously) Christians were alienated, separated, from God because of their evil behaviour;
• Christians' previous thoughts had made them into the enemies of God;
• Now, God has reconciled Christians to himself, through the physical death of Jesus' body;
• Now, Christians are holy in God's sight;
• Now, Christians are free from markings;
• Now, Christians are free from accusations of guilt;
• This is certain if Christians continue firmly in the faith they have established;
• This is certain if Christians do not move from the hope that is presented to them in the gospel (the good news of God's reconciliation to mankind achieved through the death of Jesus Christ).

Connect

This passage highlights the reconciliation between mankind and God that was achieved by Jesus' death on the cross. "For God was pleased ... through [Jesus] to reconcile to himself all things ... by making peace through [Jesus'] blood, shed on the cross. ... now [God] has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight" (1:19,20,22).

A decade or so ago, "reconciliation" was the buzz-word in Australia. Specifically, people of many cultures and races were working to achieve reconciliation between the white (European-descent) Australians and Aboriginal Australians. The climax of this reconciliation process came on Wednesday, 13 Feb 2008, when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised to the general Aboriginal populace for the events of the Stolen Generation. The Stolen Generation refers to a time when children with mixed-race parentage were forcibly taken from their homes and placed in orphanages to be raised away from Aboriginal influence.

The PM saying "sorry" was intended to restore the relationship between white and Aboriginal Australians to a more equal, united footing. Whether it worked or not is questionable, although the public apology was certainly celebrated at the time by a large crowd of enthusiastic onlookers and those who participated via the media. The success (or not) of that reconciliation event between Aboriginal and white Australians is witnessed in everyday interactions between people of these backgrounds today: in business, in social life, in education, in community.

In contrast, the reconciliation event between mankind and God was witnessed by a group of hecklers, military enforcers and a very few true believers. The effectiveness of Jesus' death in achieving reconciliation has been attested in the words of the Bible authors (such as here in this letter). It is also proved by the actions of the lives of Christians, as we continue in our faith, not moving from our hope.

Like Australian reconciliation, the success of Jesus' reconciling death is seen in everyday interactions. In this case, however, the interactions are between Christians and the God whom we have been reconciled to.

As a Christian, who has been reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross, I am no longer estranged from God. I should be comforted by the knowledge that I have been united to God in peace. I do not need to fear God because there is no longer enmity between us.

I need to realise that every moment of every day is spent in his presence. This must make a difference to how I live my life. Just as a young woman makes different choices about her behaviour depending on whether she is hanging out with her friends, spending time with her boy friend, or sitting in a classroom or lecture hall, I need to be directed by the realisation that God is with me everywhere.

I can approach God in the casual conversation of prayer. I can spend time getting to know him better by reading and musing over his word. I can look forward to the day we will meet face-to-face. I can listen and respond to the voice of his Holy Spirit in my heart.

> What should change in your life because you are reconciled to God, having been restored to peace and unity with him?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?

I love Jesus because he reconciled the relationship between myself and God, which had been broken by sin, to a relationship characterised by peace and unity.

Thank you Jesus,

for what you achieved on the cross,

for what you won with the blood you shed.

Thank you for going before me,

and turning aside God's wrath

so I may some day see the face of God

without fear.

Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Hebrews 1:1-4.

EJ100 #2 Philippians 2:1-11

Today's Essential Jesus reading: Philippians 2:1-11.

Context
Paul the apostle wrote a letter to the church in Philippi, which contains this passage describing the the mindset of Christ Jesus.

Content
Paul first describes the mindset of a Christian:

• like-minded with other Christians;
• sharing the same love (for Jesus, for each other);
• being united, of one mind, through the Holy Spirit;
• not being driven by selfish ambition (not wanting success and achievement for oneself);
• not being filled with vain conceit (not thinking one has achieved success already);
• being humble so that others are valued above self;
• not self-interested;
• considering the welfare of others.

Paul commends the mindset of Jesus Christ as a model for Christians. Although Jesus was "in very nature God", he "did not consider equality with God something to be used to his advantage" (2:6).

Christians are not to struggle to equal God's divine nature (his glory, transcendence, omnipresence and omniscience, aseity, immutability etc). That was the sinful mistake Eve and Adam made when they partook of the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3). However, Christians are to endeavour to be like God in the attributes of his persons; in this case, we are to be humble and obedient like Jesus.

Paul describes Jesus:

• as to his nature, Jesus is God [see also John 1:1];
• Jesus is equal with God;
• yet Jesus did not take advantage of his equality with God (most obviously in his crucifixion [eg Matt 27:35-42], but also in Jesus' temptation at the beginning of his ministry [eg Matt 4:1-11]);
• Jesus made himself nothing, by taking a second nature, that of a servant, a human;
• Jesus was made in human likeness, appearing as a man;
• Jesus made himself humble;
• Jesus was obedient to the Father's will, even when this led to his death by crucifixion [eg Matt 26:38-39,42,44,45,50];
• Because of his humble obedience, God exalted Jesus to the highest place, and gave him a name (identity) above every other.

Connect
Paul told the Philippians Jesus humbled himself so that at his name "every knee should bow (and) every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord" (2:10,11a) Ultimately, this obeisance and acknowledgement is "to the glory of God the Father" (2:11b).

I bring glory to God when I bow before Jesus, which I do by humbly submitting to Jesus' lordship over my life, every time I choose to obey God's will rather than my own selfish will. One example from my own life is that I am taking what time is necessary to study God's word closely so I can write this post now, rather than rushing out to spend money willy-nilly in the post-Christmas sales.

> How do you bow before Jesus?

I bring glory to God when I acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. I can do this in the comments I post on facebook, or by wearing a t-shirt with a Christian motto. But these are non-verbal acknowledgements that aren't made face-to-face with anyone.

Earlier this year I chose to publicly acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord by being baptised in front of a crowd of witnesses. I openly confessed Jesus Christ as my Lord.


More everyday opportunities to verbally acknowledge Jesus Christ as my Lord do occur. I will mention in conversation that I am a Christian, or that I have made a particular decision or taken a specific action because I follow Jesus Christ.

But often I am hesitant to proclaim the depth of my relationship with Jesus clearly in public. My lack of humility and my disobedience gets in the way, and I don't speak up like I should. So I hereby commit to humble obedience to God in the matter of to verbal acknowledgement of Jesus Christ as my Lord, as God gives me opportunities in the future!

> What will you do the next time you have the opportunity to tell someone that Jesus is your Lord?

Why do I love and worship Jesus?
I love Jesus because he chose to be humbly obedient to God, his Father, even when that meant he would die on a cross in agony and shame. I love him because he calls me to humble obedience which may or may not lead to my own pain and embarrassment - and he forgives me when I don't live up to the standard he has set.

Lord Jesus,
I am sorry that I haven't always been brave enough
to publicly confess you as my Lord.
Please help me to speak up in future,
prompting me when you give me opportunities.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Colossians 1:15-23.

EJ100 #1 John 1:1-18

Today's Essential Jesus reading: John 1:1-18.

Context
One of Jesus' closest disciples, John "the evangelist", began his gospel with the same words that begin Genesis: "In the beginning..."

Content
John introduced Jesus as

• the Word [see also Revelation 19:13];
• God [see John 1:18];
• the means of creation [see also Colossians 1:15-17 and Hebrews 1:2c];
• the inherent source of life;
• the light of all mankind, a light which shines in darkness [see also John 8:12 and Ephesians 5:8-20];
• the true light that gives light to everyone;
• unrecognised by the world [eg John 3];
• not received that which belongs to him [eg John 19:15];
• received by those who believe in his name;
• having become flesh;
• having dwelt among us (John and the other disciples or mankind generally);
• glorious [see also 2 Corinthians 4:6 and Hebrews 1:3];
• the one and only Son;
• came from the Father;
• full of grace;
• full of truth;
• spoken and testified about by John the Baptist (first prophet of the New Testament age);
• having surpassed John the Baptist, existing before John B.;
• the full source of grace received by us (again, John and the other disciples or mankind generally);
• the bringer of grace and truth;
• being himself God;
• in closest relationship with the Father [see also Acts 2:33 and 7:55-56];
• having made the Father known, though God is not seen [see also John 8:19].

Connect
John wrote, "to all who receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God... born of God" (Jn 1:12,13).

I have received Jesus as my King, God, and Saviour, through the deliberate actions of a prayer I prayed a dozen years ago.

> Have you received Jesus?

I believe in Jesus name, his identity as the one and only glorious Son of God, who came with grace and truth, to dwell among mankind and make God the Father known to all people.

> Do you believe in this same Jesus? Or is your idea of Jesus different to the Jesus whom John wrote of here in this passage?

You might not realise that Jesus is all that John writes of in his introductory passage. You might not yet accept all that is written about Jesus in this passage. Perhaps your idea of Jesus needs correcting or expanding, in accordance with what the Bible (the primary source for Christianity) reveals about Jesus.

> If you want to get to know Jesus better, why not read the Essential Jesus Bible reading plan with me for the next 100 days? I'll be blogging about Jesus here at Following the Star.

Why do I love and worship Jesus?
:: Jesus has made it possible to get to know God!

I praise you Jesus.
When I see and understand your glory, I know it is the glory of God.
Thank you, Jesus, for mediating my relationship with God.
Amen.

Tomorrow's reading: Philippians 2:1-11.

Essential Jesus

The Bible story takes us from Creation to New Creation. The Fall separated people from God; and when Jesus returns, God's people will once again dwell in the presence of God. But living in God's presence will only be a joyous experience for people who love God.

The purpose of living as a Christian in the time before Jesus' return is not to become perfect, but to fall further in love with God.

How does a Christian fall more in love with God?
They get to know Jesus better!

http://essentialjesuschallenge.com/

Christmas is all about Jesus... and so is Christianity itself. So starting the day after Christmas, I'll be reading the Essential Jesus Bible reading plan from Scripture Union with YouVersion and blogging here daily, answering the question, "Why do I love and worship Jesus?"

Why do you love and worship Jesus?