The Messiah’s Secret
- Baptism of Tears
On the 19th January Gwen Carlisle
shared with us how God had called her to become a missionary. She left home to live
and work in a church school in Paraguay.
In our reading Abram (Abraham) was called by God to leave the security of what he knew to a new land. Genesis 12: 1-4.
The writer of Hebrews points out that Abraham set out for the Promised Land not knowing where he was to go, he looked for a heavenly city whose builder and maker was God and his descendants were looking for God's promise to Abraham to be fulfilled. "These all died in faith, not receiving what was promised . . . They had seen it from afar, a better country, that is, a heavenly one." Hebrews 11: 8-9.
David the shepherd and court musician a descendant of Abraham was favoured by the people and as a result due to the jealousy of King Saul was pursued by him throughout Israel. 1 Samuel 18: 28 - 30.
"Hear my prayer O Lord and give ear to my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears! For I am thy passing guest, a sojourner, like all my fathers." Psalm 39: 12. David looked for the coming of God's kingdom.
In our reading Abram (Abraham) was called by God to leave the security of what he knew to a new land. Genesis 12: 1-4.
The writer of Hebrews points out that Abraham set out for the Promised Land not knowing where he was to go, he looked for a heavenly city whose builder and maker was God and his descendants were looking for God's promise to Abraham to be fulfilled. "These all died in faith, not receiving what was promised . . . They had seen it from afar, a better country, that is, a heavenly one." Hebrews 11: 8-9.
David the shepherd and court musician a descendant of Abraham was favoured by the people and as a result due to the jealousy of King Saul was pursued by him throughout Israel. 1 Samuel 18: 28 - 30.
"Hear my prayer O Lord and give ear to my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears! For I am thy passing guest, a sojourner, like all my fathers." Psalm 39: 12. David looked for the coming of God's kingdom.
Later when David was King, God gave a prophecy to Nathan for David, ”When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” 2 Samuel 7:12-17
This prophecy telling him that one of his descendants would be the Messiah and would established on the earth Abraham’s Promised Land,
God’s eternal kingdom, and throne of King David. A King has a Kingdom.
The people at the
time of Jesus were in expectation of the coming of the Messiah.
John
the Baptist proclaimed a baptism of repentance in preparation of the coming in
of the kingdom. And Jesus proclaimed, “The times is fulfilled the kingdom of
heaven is at hand.” Mark 1:15
(It was generally taught
of there being only one Messiah. The kingdom of God and Kingdom of heaven
both refer to God’s kingdom)
Nicodemus a member of
the Sanhedrin came from the security of what he knew to speak with Jesus. John
3: 1-17
He
referred to Jesus as a teacher, “We know that you are a teacher come from God,”
he probably had heard some of Jesus’ parables referring to the kingdom of God,
but was not able to understand them. These parables were puzzling statements
not meant to be understood by the people, only the disciples were given
privately the understanding of them. “And he said to them, ”To you has been
given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in
parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but
not understand.” Mark 4: 10-12 Many of the parables begin with 'The kingdom of God'.
“And
he said, “The Kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the
ground, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and
grow, he knows not how. The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the
ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he
puts it to the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Mark 4: 26-29.
The
mystery of how the Kingdom of God would develop here in this parable: By the
seeds of faith being sown and by grace people becoming children of God and enter into the kingdom of God.
The
parables about the kingdom of God were meant to be kept a mystery, the reason
why is because the Kingdom of God could not be brought in until after Jesus’ death,
resurrection and ascension and after the coming of the Holy Spirit into the
world.
The disciples were
proclaiming
at and after Pentecost for the first time that Jesus was Christ, the Messiah
proving from the scriptures Jesus had fulfilled prophesies that related to his
death, resurrection, ascension and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.
Peter
proclaimed that it was in the foreknowledge of God that he was crucified. “This
Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.”
Acts 2: 23.
“Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God hath made
him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus who you crucified.” Acts 2: 29-36.
At the Gate Beautiful Peter proclaimed
that they had acted in ignorance, the prophesies of his suffering and death had
been fulfilled and if they repented God would send the appointed Christ for
you, Jesus.
The
call to Israel’s leaders to accept and bring the people to repentance preceded
Jesus bringing in the times of refreshing the restoration of the throne and
land of King David. The promise to Abraham of a heavenly kingdom on earth. Relating to the Ascension, “Whom heaven must receive
until the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy
prophets from of old.” Acts 3: 17-21
Peter proclaimed that Joel's prophecy the coming of the Holy Spirit has been fulfilled. "And in the last days it shall be, God declares,that i will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh." Joel 2: 28-32. Acts 2: 14-17.
Jesus in conversation with Nicodemus informed him that he needed to be born anew to see the Kingdom of
God.
Nicodemus’
response, “How can I be born again into my mothers’ womb?”
Jesus
answered “That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of
the Spirit is Spirit.”
The flesh – like discerning of the movement of the
wind, the human nature we are born with, finds
it hard to understand and discern the words of scripture.
Nicodemus
a teacher of Israel could not understand Jesus’ words about being born
anew. (Ezekiel 36: 26-28. 37: 12-14.New heart.)
Jesus spoke of Being
born of water and Spirit, we link water and Spirit with water baptism.
Coming to Jesus from the security of what we know to believe and except Jesus as our Saviour we say sorry to God for the sins against God and for some Christians they experience a baptism of tears.
Tears of repentance & Forgiveness of sins
Tears of repentance & Forgiveness of sins
“I came to cast a fire upon the earth: and
would that it was kindled! ! have a baptism to be baptized with and how I am
constrained until it is accomplished.” Luke 12 : 49, 50
Here
Jesus spoke of the baptism of his death before he would bring in the Kingdom .
As
Jesus made his way down from the Mount of Olives he looked towards the city and
wept. I wonder did his tears reflected, the
baptism of his suffering and death that he knew he was to endure. Love bearing
the pain of sin against God, dying to redeem us by his sinless life.
The
conviction of sin may bring tears to our eyes, tears of repentance and the
release from sin may be followed by tears of joy as our spirit is quickened(made alive in God) with the Holy Spirit, transforming our nature by the power of Almighty God.
The
Psalmist wrote “ May those who sow in tears, reap
with shouts of joy!”
One of the Holy
Spirit’s gifts is the gift of tears.
John
Richard writes about the gift of tears, “The Holy Spirit’s movement upon the
heart touching the emotions as part of a loving response to God’s love. It is
not associated with human passions but with the experience of God. Tears that
flow without strain or effort as our heart cries out to God” www.helpforchristians.co.uk
A lady I know received the gift of tears at a Quiet Morning. She said, that tears began to flow and she could not understand the reason why.
God tells us in his word that he keeps our tears in a bottle.
The Psalmist wrote: "Thou hast kept count of my tossings (concerns) put thou my tears in a bottle! Are they not in your book?" Psalm 56: 8 So precious are our tears that God remembers them, makes a note of them.
St Paul's gift of tears: in his second letter to the Corinthians.
A lady I know received the gift of tears at a Quiet Morning. She said, that tears began to flow and she could not understand the reason why.
God tells us in his word that he keeps our tears in a bottle.
The Psalmist wrote: "Thou hast kept count of my tossings (concerns) put thou my tears in a bottle! Are they not in your book?" Psalm 56: 8 So precious are our tears that God remembers them, makes a note of them.
St Paul's gift of tears: in his second letter to the Corinthians.
“For I
wrote you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not
to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.” 2 Corinthians 2:4
St
Paul making it known in his love for them he was moved to tears in his prayers,
before God.
Jeremiah's gift of tears
"But if you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret for your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock have been taken captive." Jeremiah 13: 17. In his prayers he was moved to tears as he prayed for the people who at the time were going through a period of prosperity but were turning away from God.
My prayer is that the Lord would pour out his tears through his people, the church, to feel a compassionate love for the people on our road, avenue, street, in our town and in our nation, tears for those whose heart the Lord longs to touch, who do not yet know him, our Lord and Saviour Jesus the Christ.
Jeremiah's gift of tears
"But if you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret for your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock have been taken captive." Jeremiah 13: 17. In his prayers he was moved to tears as he prayed for the people who at the time were going through a period of prosperity but were turning away from God.
My prayer is that the Lord would pour out his tears through his people, the church, to feel a compassionate love for the people on our road, avenue, street, in our town and in our nation, tears for those whose heart the Lord longs to touch, who do not yet know him, our Lord and Saviour Jesus the Christ.
