THE MYTH OF JESUS HAVING LONG HAIR

“Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?” (1 Corithians 11:14, KJV).

Here in America, we have many pictures that promote the myth that the Lord Jesus was a handsome caucasion Jesus. This of course contradicts the Bible that tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ was a first Century man born from Middle Eastern Jewish parents. Even more, these pictures always seem to depict Jesus as having long hair. The question is, did Jesus have long hair? According to the Apostle Paul, it is a shame for a man to have long hair. So here we see the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 11 teaching about headship and how that long hair on a man is disgraceful. So long hair is a glory to a woman, but a disgrace to a man. Some may argue here, yeah, but Jesus had long hair? If He did, why do the first Century Christian men have to have short hair? Great questions. Do not many paintings by artists depict Jesus having long hair as already alluded to earlier? Yes, they do, but many of these paintings depict Jesus as a handsome Caucasian man, when in reality, he was a first Century Middle Eastern Jewish man. Scripture tells us that Jesus was a plain looking man (Isa. 53:3), not known for His good looks, nor is there any indication He had long hair. Now he did have short hair and a beard. That much is clear from the Scriptures. The Bible on the other hand, is silent on Jesus having long hair.

THE COMING OF CHRIST MOCKED?

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” 

(Matthew 24:36, ESV).

There is a popular quote I seen recently on a sign a few feet away from a local Church in the city I live in. It reads: “Jesus is coming, look busy!” I have also seen this same quote read, “Look busy, Jesus is coming!” I’m sure the minister of that local Church means well. No doubt, the quote was meant in humor. Yet, when one thinks about the phrase “Look busy” there appears an air of mockery in it. It seems to make light of, or trivializes the coming of Christ. I can’t help but wonder what non-Christians think when they read this message on a Church sign? Again, no doubt, some unbelievers will smile and scoff at such words. Peter describes these people in these words: “Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”  (2 Pet. 3:3-4, ESV). To millions of Christians around the world, “the coming of Christ” is the believer’s hope. Three times we read in the book of Revelations these words of Christ: “Behold, I am coming quickly,” “And behold, I am coming quickly,” and finally, “Surely, I am coming quickly.” (Rev. 22:7, 12, 20). The term “behold” in verses 7, 12 emphasizes the truth “pay attention to,” while “surely” means “of a certainty.” Now the term “quickly” seen in all three verses does not mean right away or immediately as one would think. No, for there are prophecies that need to be fulfilled before that great and notable day. 

MAN’S TRIUNE NATURE RESTORED

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

(1 Thessalonians 5:23, NASB).

Yesterday we dealt with man’s triune nature fallen. Today we will look at man’s triune nature restored. Scripture makes it clear that man “are all under sin” (Rom. 3:9, NASB). “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12, NASB). So how does one become clean from sin, when all are under sin? Well, since man is under the curse of sin, there is nothing he can do to rectify the matter. However, there is a Saviour who can. What is impossible for man is possible with God. (To be continued...)

MAN’S TRIUNE NATURE FALLEN

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

(1 Thessalonians 5:23, NASB).

Man consists of a spirit, soul, and body. Man’s spirit is the highest part of his being. This is his God-conscious part of his nature. This is the part that gives him an awareness of God, the ability to pray and communicate with Him. It is this part that separates him from the animals. Next, man’s soul is the middle part of his being. It is the self-conscious part of his nature. This part of his nature is his self awareness. It is the seat of his personality, emotions, and will. Lastly, we have man’s body, which is his lowest part of his being. This part is his world-conscious nature. If he stubs his big toe on a piece of furniture, he’s going to be aware of the sensation of physical pain. Now before man fell through sin, his spirit was very much alive in relationship to God with his soul and body following suit. Man’s spirit before the fall lead the soul and body in perfect harmony, but when man fell through sin his spirit fell in the realm of his soul, and his soul fell in the realm of his body. This resulted in man’s body, or his flesh leading and dictating his decisions and actions of his soul and spirit. This is why people will see Eastern New Age books talking about the reverse order of man’s triune nature as body, soul, and spirit as opposed to the Biblical order of spirit, soul, and body. Mankind is concerned with the lowest part of his base nature—flesh, whereas the faithful Christian is concerned with the highest part of his nature—spirit. Christ says, “I have meat to eat that ye know not of” (John 4:32). Because man is dead in spirit to God, his actions are often controlled by his fleshly appetites and physical surroundings around him.

Heavenly Father, we are made in Your image to reflect Your glory. Just as you are a triune being, so are we. Lord, we are fallen, whereas you are infallible. We are unholy, you are holy. Lord, lead us out of our lower base nature, the flesh that seeks to control our life, but help us instead to walk in the spirit so we will not fulfill the lusts of our flesh. In Christ Jesus name we pray, Amen.

FEELING DISSATISFIED? BE SATISFIED IN CHRIST

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

(Hebrews 13:5, ESV).

There are times when I am alone with my thoughts that I experience a sense of dissatisfaction with the things of this present life. For example, my birthday should be a time of celebration for God’s goodness to me over the past year. Yet, I find myself experiencing the hollow dissatisfaction of my Birthday with friends. It's not that I don't appreciate their company, of course I do. Then there is Christmas time and all its commercialism that kills the true meaning of the holiday season. I enjoy each year spending Christmas home with my family, still that sense of being bored or dissatisfied is still with me. It’s like such times have lost their meaning, their freshness and life. Not only that, but it seems I have more of a keen awareness of being dissatisfied with a lot of things in my life. Despite how I feel, I am determined to find my delight in the Lord and Him alone. For true lasting satisfaction can only come from Him. For the Christian, Christmas is much more than jolly feelings during this festive time, it’s about remembering and celebrating the birth of Christ and why He came into the world. Satisfaction is not found in the passing things of this present life, but rather true satisfaction can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ. The psalmist writes: “For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.” (Psalm 107:9, ESV). See also “The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.” (Psalm 34:10, ESV); “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11, ESV); “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matt. 5:6, ESV). The term satisfied is expressed in each of these Bible verses mentioned in these key phrases, “satisfies, fills,”  “lack no good thing,” “No good thing does he withhold,” “satisfied.” All this reminds me that God is more than able to satisfy my every need in Christ. As I seek Him I will not lack any good thing from His kind hand. The Lord will not withhold good from those who walk righteously. The promise is to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled, satisfied. I desire less of myself and more of Christ, then I will truly be satisfied. 

Lord, it is not always easy to focus on what really matters in life. We easily get distracted. Help us to always be dissatisfied with the paltry things of this life, until we are only satisfied in You. Grant unto us a holy discontent with what stagnates our walk with Christ, while creating a greater holy thirst for Christ alone. For true satisfaction is only found in Him. In Christ most precious name we pray. Amen.

THE POTTER AND THE BROKEN VESSEL

“And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.” 

(Jeremiah 18:4, ESV).

Recently I was on one of the social media cites, and came across this quote in a post. It read, “In Japan, broken objects are often repaired with Gold. The flaw is seen as a unique piece of the object’s history, which adds to its beauty.” Not sure how true this statement is. If it is true, it carries with it a grain of truth that applies to the believer’s life. When we first came to Christ, we came to Him and acknowledged our brokenness before Him in our sin. Fortunately for us, the Lord is our Heavenly Potter who is in the business of fixing broken vessels. Today’s text reads, “And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.” Just as the Japanese potter used gold to repair the broken object, even so gold can be seen in the broken vessels of a person who has been born again in Christ. Gold in Scripture speaks of the deity of Christ, so it is that traces of the precious beauty of that gold can be seen in a believer’s life. Broken by the curse of sin, yet the gold of Christ’s presence in the believer shines out in testimony of God’s marvelous grace in his or her life. Yes, praise be to our Divine Potter who removed the rock of sin from our clay heart and fashioned it into a new heart, a heart repaired with the gold of Christ’s blessed touch. Yes, on the outside we are still the same marred vessels we always have been, but our change is inward, a change that magnifies to the world of lost sinners the truth that broken sinners can be washed and repaired in the precious gold of Christ’s blood! “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (2 Cor. 4:7, ESV).  Indeed, the power of a changed life is by God’s hand, and not by ours. Yet, there are those today who have “forsaken” our heavenly Potter, and thought themselves to be potters and “hewed out cisterns for themselves” of their own making. However, because they were broken, so were their cisterns broken. Their cisterns could not hold water. Only our heavenly Potter can make us into fit vessels that can hold Christ “the fountain of living water,” the water that Christ gives us. “For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” ( Jer. 2:13, ESV). May the gold of Christ's touch in our flawed being reflect the beauty of a Christ like character for God's honor and glory.

Heavenly Potter, we thank You that your business is in fixing broken lives marred by sin and misery. Lord, as we go about our day today, help us to reflect through our cracks to the world your gold you have placed in us in Christ name we humbly pray, Amen. 

THE BLOOD: BLESSING OR CURSE?

"...and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."

(1 John 1:7, NASB)

When man first sinned against his Creator and God in the Garden, death was the result of the curse sin had brought upon mankind (see Rom. 5:12). Despite man’s fall into sin that brought such misery and death into the world, God provided an answer, a solution if you will to man’s plight of sin. Scripture says “the life of the flesh is in the blood,” (Lev. 17:11, NASB); whereas death is in sin. So we have the dual nature of the blood of Christ presented to man. To those who reject the forgiveness that is found in the blood, sin’s curse will be their end, whereas those who accept the forgiveness found in the blood of Christ, the blessing of the blood will bring eternal life. Indeed there is power in the blood. There are other examples of duality mentioned in the Bible...(To be Continued)

Would you do service for Jesus your King?
There's power in the blood, power in the blood;
Would you live daily His praises to sing?
There's wonderful power in the blood.

- Lewis E. Jones