Echoes from the Campfire

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

Sometimes you have to get through today the best you can and trust tomorrow to the Lord.”   
                         –Elmer Kelton  (Badger Boy)

       “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”
                         –Ephesians 3:20(NKJV)
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               “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
                         –Hebrews 7:25(NKJV)

There is a hymn that we sing quite often at our church when it is altar time.  It is primarily a song of invitation for sinners to come to Christ, but I want to look from a different perspective the chorus of the song.

               “Only trust Him, only trust Him, only trust Him now;
               He will save you, He will save you, He will save you now.”
                         –John H. Stockton

Yes, it is definitely a call to salvation, but keep in mind the above verse.  “He is able to save to the uttermost.”  We are saved when we come to Christ and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, but what about life?  Does life interfere with our walk, or does He truly indeed “save to the uttermost”?
       After salvation we are kept by the Holy Spirit.  It is a part of salvation, it is the keeping power of that work.  We are saved not only for that moment in time, but throughout our lives as we walk with the Lord.  Salvation to the uttermost–not only saved from the wages of sin which is death, but saved from the chains and bondage of sin.  He is faithful as we try to be faithful.  Someone said that to the uttermost means that, “Virtues will grow where once the lusts were so deeply rooted.”  This part of salvation (call it sanctification, if you wish) is not the work of a moment, but a lifelong process.  
       Most of us have had moment(s) of being saved from something.  Perhaps a serious car accident, maybe a deadly illness we were confronted with.  Saved by the hand of the Lord is the only way to explain it.  Only trust Him to save you now.  I can point to several instances in my life where the Lord saved me from a grave situation.  So not only are we saved for eternity, but throughout our life we are being saved from one calamity or circumstance to another.
       There was a song written a few years back by Pat Alger and made popular by Garth Brooks, “Unanswered Prayers.”  In that song there is the phrase, “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”  Many times we pray amiss.  We pray selfishly, and often not really meaning to, but not seeing the complete picture.  God is omniscient, He sees the future and the path that might be.  We might complain, we try to persuade God that we know better, and many times we do not listen to His direction. . . but then He saves us from who knows what by an unanswered prayer.
       He saves us when we are weak, when we are in despair, when we are downcast and low in spirit.  Remember the words He spoke to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you…” (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Sufficient to bear this torment in the flesh, sufficient to bear this burden on your mind, sufficient to bear this weight on your spirit, sufficient to bear this perplexity in your emotions.  “Only trust Him!”  When do we trust?  Now!   In whatever situation you find yourself, know that God is there with you.  “In the past we are saved from the penalty of sin; in the present we are being saved from the power of sin; and in the future we will be saved from the presence of sin.”

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

To me a showing of wealth would only cumber my life. It would load me up with watchin’ after it, and I’d spend more time at that than roamin’ the high country.”

                         –Louis L’Amour  (Bendigo Shafter)

       “To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
                         –1 Peter 1:4-5 (NKJV)
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               “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides you, who acts for the one who waits for Him.”
                         –Isaiah 64:4, NKJV

               “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
                         –1 John 3:2, NKJV

You may have seen bumper stickers that say, “I’m spending my kids’ inheritance.”  That may be true in the world, but not so with God.  With all the sermons that have been preached in the last several decades about us being “King’s Kids” or having a great inheritance from the Lord, very little do we actually know about what all that entails.
       Having an inheritance is not, must not be part of, a “blab it grab it” type of mentality.  Many have the concept of the prodigal and demand their inheritance now, so that they can “spend” it.  But the inheritance we have from the heavenly Father is far more than that.  Yes, at salvation, we begin to see a part of that glorious inheritance that is ours, but only an inkling of it is really shown to us.  Our inheritance is far more.
       One thing about an inheritance is that it normally involves death.  The first death we see is that of Jesus Christ upon the cross of Calvary.  It was His death that opened the vaults of heaven for our inheritance.  Without the death and subsequent resurrection the only inheritance we could hope for would be that of eternal death–no salvation, no hope.
But now we have the inheritance of hope.  When we are “born again” which is by grace through faith, we now have the hope of an inheritance from the heavenly Father.  We do receive part of it on this earth in the means of various types of blessings, but most of it is waiting for us in eternity.
       “Born again” bears with it the implication of death.  To have a new life means that the old life is dead and gone.  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)  That is part of our inheritance–a new creation, a new life.  With that we have an inheritance waiting for us in heaven.  There is a home prepared for us–we will have a heavenly abode.  There are new garments, ones not spoiled or spotted by the world.  There will be a feast, and a grand fellowship with other kindred.  However, that is only the beginning.  We do not know, nor can we comprehend the inheritance that God has waiting for us in glory.  So, we must die to self and accept Christ to gain this inheritance.
       An inheritance is something that awaits us.  Do not mistake it for the gifts and blessings given by God to His children.  Just as human parents give daily something, perhaps not tangible, to their children, so does our heavenly Father.  What we receive in our daily walk is not what awaits us.  It is the normal workings of a parent to their children, but the inheritance it placed away for the future.
       The future–that is where the inheritance lies.  Then how do we obtain it?  Death.  There it is again.  This time it is not the death of self and being born again, but the actual physical death.  Then…then we shall have that glorious inheritance waiting for us from the Father.  More than walking the streets of gold, more than a mansion on heaven’s boulevard.  More than wealth, fame, and power…but the actual fact of eternal life, and all that may mean for us–“that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7, NKJV)  
       Now, as we travel this journey called life, we have the “riches in glory” supplied to us for the journey. (Philippians 4:19)  Soon, whether in death or by the rapture we shall “see Him as He is.”  In this new year, recognize the fact that you are part of the family of God and that not only do we have His sustenance for this life, but there is a vast, unknown storehouse of riches for our inheritance waiting for us in glory.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”
                    –Charles Dickens

       “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard, just as they had been told.”

                    –Luke 2:20 (HCSB)
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I want to bring just a few more thoughts regarding the Incarnation.  This could be the last “Echo” of the year, as I’m not sure if I’ll write any next week or not.  I want to encourage you to take time to contemplate on the Incarnation and what it means.  Don’t shake your head in question, but open your eyes wide in wonder.
       The New Bible Dictionary discusses the Incarnate State and I want to bring a few thoughts to your mind.
               1)  Dependence and Obedience
                         –the relationship between he Son and the Father did not change.
               2)  Sinlessness and Impeccability
                         –the nature and character of the Son did not change.
                         –“He was exempt from the entail of original sin in Adam is evident from the fact that He was not bound to die for sins of His own…”
               3)  Temptation and Moral Conflict
                         –it was necessary for Him to fight temptation in order to overcome it.  (Remember, the first Adam did not overcome).
                         –His deity assured that He would not be tempted to stray from the Father’s will.

       Nicene Creed
               “…Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father, only begotten, that is, of the substance of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father, through whom all things were made, things in heaven and things on the earth; who for us men and for our salvation came down and was made flesh, and became man, suffered, and rose on the third day, ascended into the heavens, is coming to judge the living and the dead…”

       Statement of Fundament Truths of the Assembles of God
               “The Lord Jesus Christ, as to His divine and eternal nature, is the proper and only Begotten of the Father, but as to His human nature, His is the proper Son of Man.  He is, therefore, acknowledged to be both God and man; who because He is God and man, is ‘Immanuel,’ God with us.
               Since the name ‘Immanuel’ embraces both God and man in the one Person, our Lord Jesus Christ, it follows that the title, Son of God, describes His proper deity, and the title Son of Man, His proper humanity.  Therefore, the title Son of God, belongs to the order of eternity, and the title, Son of Man, to the order of time.”

Normally throughout this season I write regarding several of the wonderful Christmas carols.  I do not want to be remiss, so I will give you a smidgen that speaks of the Incarnation.

       “Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown, When Thou camest to earth for me….” (Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne, Emily E.S. Elliott)
       “Christ, by highest heaven adored; Christ, the everlasting Lord; Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin’s womb.  Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail th’ incarnate Deity!  Pleased as man with men t’ appear, Jesus our Immanuel here.”  (Hark! the Herald Angels Sing, Charles Wesley)

And of course that solemn, wonderful hymn by Joseph Mohr.

       “Silent night holy night
       All is calm, all is bright
       ‘Round yon virgin mother and Child,
       Holy infant so tender and mild,
       Sleep in heavenly peace,
       Sleep in heavenly peace.”

      MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

Now, the tree is decorated with bright merriment, and song, and dance and cheerfulness. And they are welcome. Innocent and welcome be they ever held, beneath the branches of the Christmas Tree, which cast no gloomy shadow! But, as it sinks into the ground, I hear a whisper going through the leaves. ‘This, in commemoration of the law of love and kindness, mercy and compassion. This, in remembrance of Me!’”
                         –Charles Dickens

       “…This cup is the new covenant in My blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 

                         –1 Corinthians 11:25 (HCSB)
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               “Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.’…  Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?”  And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.'”
                          –Luke 1:30-31, 34-35 (NKJV)

     Notice that it was not explained to Mary.  She received no answer, only a word, and she was content with what the angel said.   Mary simply, in faith, replied, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord!  Let it be to me according to your word…”. (Luke 1:38, NKJV)  Mary had an angel with the news from God, we have the Bible telling us the story of how it transpired.   “God has told us only what the incarnation was, leaving to us the duty of believing what He said.” (E.S. Williams)  The Son of God in person began to live a fully human life.
     We must never push aside His deity however.  He was fully God, He laid aside only His glory.  F.F. Bruce said that the Word “is the self-revelation or self-expression of God.”  He became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).  “When the Word ‘became flesh’ His deity was not abandoned, or reduced, or contracted, nor did He cease to exercise the divine functions which had been His before.” (New Bible Dictionary).  In fact, His very birth, the circumstance and the event itself, point to His deity.  
     He worked miracles, He healed many of various infirmities, He rose from the dead, then why question a miraculous birth?  The Incarnation is not the diminishing of deity, but the acquiring of manhood.  J.I. Packer said, “Jesus’ humanity was sinless, and the circumstances of His birth call attention to the miracle that was involved when Mary, a sinner, gave birth to one who was not ‘in Adam’ as she was, nor therefore needed a Savior as she did.”  
     Jesus emptied Himself of outside glory–the “kenosis.”  Philippians 2:7, from the Amplified says, “But emptied Himself [without renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity] by assuming the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men [He became completely human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man].”   His followers had little trouble accepting His humanity, it was His deity that they struggled with; it was His deity that amazed them.  John the Baptist declared that “He was before me” (John 1:30).  John wrote, “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven” (John 3:13, NKJV)
     Why are we surprised at the miracle of His birth?  Jesus entered and left this world by acts of supernatural power.  As Karl Barth put it, “God for man, and man for God.”  Miracles, the supernatural are beyond us.  It is beyond natural this birth of Jesus.  “To grasp what the incarnation was in positive terms is beyond us.” (J.I. Packer)  As I wrote earlier last week, the Incarnation is a mystery; it requires belief rather than explanation.  Accept it, grasp hold of its truth.  To not accept the Incarnation–Jesus coming in the flesh–is as John wrote “antichrist.”  In this season in which we celebrate the birth of our Lord rejoice in the miracle of the supernatural birth of Jesus–God in the flesh come to save mankind from their sins.

               “Answer thy mercy’s whole design,
               My God incarnated for me;
               My spirit made the radiant shrine,
               My light and full salvation be;
               And through the shades of death unknown
               Conduct me to thy dazzling throne.”
                         –Charles Wesley