Favored and Called of God

Notes for the Ekklesia Meeting
Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Info: (651) 283-0568 www.dtminc.org Today’s Date: December 18, 2005

Favored and Called of God
by Dan Trygg

"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" Luke 1:26-28

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, 6 to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely bestowed on us [favored us] in the Beloved One." Ephesians 1:3-6

As I was reading through the story of Gabriel’s visit to Mary, I was struck by the parallels in her life and the life of every believer. Often people let their imaginations run wild concerning who Mary was, what she was like, and how special and significant she must have been. Much of that is mere speculation, not being stated anywhere in the text, or in any of the ensuing NT documents. It would appear that Mary was simply a devout young Jewess, a peasant woman, not anyone significant in her own right. Nevertheless, she was the one whom the Lord chose for the purpose of bearing His Son into this world. She and Joseph were chosen to nurture, instruct and care for this Child from heaven, until He was called to His mission. I don’t want to take anything away from these two courageous and godly individuals, whom the Lord chose for this monumental and important task, but, as I read the story of Mary’s visitation by the angel, I was impressed by how we are all called in a similar fashion to follow the Lord’s purpose for our lives. Allow me to share these observations with you, and make some comments as we go along.

"…and entering toward her, [the angel] said, ‘Greetings, one having been favored (lit., "having been graced"), the Lord (‘is’ or ‘be’) with you.’" As you can see from the more primitive and literal translation I made from the Greek, the angel used a verbal form of the word for "grace" or "unmerited favor". The significance of this word is that it states that the favor which God had for her had nothing whatever to do with her performance. This word talks of grace or favor shown to someone who has not earned it. It is unmerited, unearned. She did not deserve what God was going to do in her life. The other thing about this particular verbal form is that it implies favor which God had determined toward her at some point in the past that has ongoing effect. In other words, He has favored her, and His attitude was still the same toward her.

If what I am saying is accurate, …that she had not really done something heroic, or was not some super-spiritual person that could have felt that God was obliged to work on her behalf because of her super-righteous life…, then her puzzlement at this greeting makes sense (vs. 29). She did not see herself as better than others, or more deserving of God’s attention and favor. Remember, she was a young woman, maybe as young as 14-16 years of age. She had not made her mark in the world. She had not shown herself to be anyone outstanding or dramatically different. She was probably still being tucked into bed by her mother and father. Her days were probably spent at home, doing household chores with her mom and other women. She had not lived long enough, or done anything, to deserve what the angel was about to tell her. Yet, the angel declared, "You are having been shown grace by God."

Did you know that the same word is applied to us? In the Ephesians passage cited above, Paul writes how God determined ahead of time that those who would be in Christ would be set apart to Him and would be adopted into His family. Why? Because of His great love. All of this showcases His grace, which He lavished upon us (lit., "He graced us"). In other words, all of us who have come to Christ have been recipients of the unearned favor of God. The angel could say to each one of us, "Greetings, one having been favored, the Lord is with you."

The second declaration of the angel was the phrase, "the Lord is with you". The word "is" is not actually there, so the phrase could be understood as referring either to the present, or to the future ("the Lord will be with you"), or even as a declaration, "the Lord be with you". Again, her reaction of fear and confusion indicates that she was not used to thinking of God being "with her". Who was she, after all?

In the same way, Jesus has told us that He would be with us all the days of our time on the earth (Matt. 28:18-20), and the Holy Spirit has expressly come to "be with [us] forever" (Jn. 14:16,17). Possibly we have become accustomed to those words, but do we really believe they are true? Do we really know, trust and act as if God were with us as we live out each day? If an angel appeared to us, and told us, "The Lord is with you", would that surprise us? How would that knowledge affect the way we live?

The next phrase that the angel utters is, "Do not fear, for you have found grace with God." This is a second assurance to Mary that she was in God’s favor. God was pleased with her, not because of any particular thing she had done, but because of His magnanimous heart. The angel was saying, "Mary, God is for you."

In like manner, the NT declares to us repeatedly that God has shown His favor and grace to us. God wants us to know and be assured that we are favored by Him because of His magnanimous heart, not because of something we have done (Rom. 5:6-10; Eph. 2:8,9). God is for you (Rom. 8:28-32). You do not have to fear Him, because He loves you, and has grace to cover your weaknesses and failings.

The fourth statement to Mary is a declaration of what God intended to do with her. He lays it out for her. "You will conceive in your womb, and you will bear a son, and you will call His name Jesus. This One will be great and He will become Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of David His father. And He will reign upon the house of Jacob unto the ages, and of His kingdom there will be no end." The angel basically told her that she would become the mother of the next and greatest King of Israel. Note the future tense. These were not things Mary could see or understand from her vantage point. All she was able to see was what she had known to that point in her life. How she could become the mother of the Messiah was certainly beyond comprehension. Sure, she was from David’s lineage, but not from the family line of the kings (the genealogy in Lk. 3:23-37 is Mary’s, while that in Matt. 1:1-16 is Joseph’s), and Joseph did not seem to be harboring any political aspirations. The prophetic statement by the angel would have stirred up all kinds of questions.

Often, when God first approached people in the OT, He spoke words of destiny and calling. The first thing He said to Abraham was, "Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation,…" (Gen. 12:1,2). When He first appeared to Moses, He said, "I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people out of Egypt" (Ex. 3:10). When the angel approached Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior." Then he proceeded to call Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianites (Judg. 6:12-16). Samuel was sent to anoint David to be king, when he was but a shepherd boy (I Sam. 16). In each case, there was no visible means by which God would be able to accomplish His great purpose through these people. They were, for the most part, just regular people. In fact, usually they were the most unlikely people you would expect God to call to do these monumental tasks, yet He chose to use them. How about you? What does God want to do with your life. The Bible says that He has plans for us (Jer. 29:11). It also says that God is searching the earth, looking for those whose hearts are fully committed to Him, so that He might show Himself powerfully through their lives (II Chron. 16:9).

The next thing uttered by Mary, which was also in the mind and upon the lips of these other people who were mightily used by God, was a question, "How will these things be…?" Mary was a virgin, was God talking about a future child she and Joseph would have, or was there some other plan? She had to ask. Her response was a submissive questioning, not a doubt or a challenge to the angel. Her uncle, Zacharias, had challenged this same angel, basically saying, "Show me a sign, so I will know this is true." He was rebuked for his unbelief (cf. Lk. 1:18-20). Mary’s response was more of a marveling, "God, how are You going to do this?" She did not doubt, but was curious.

We should not be surprised if we are a nobody, and yet God would call us to do great things. He loves to do that (I Cor. 1:26-31). We should not doubt, but it is natural to be curious. "Lord, how are You going to do this?"

God’s response? "The Holy Spirit will come upon you." Isn’t that the way God works in all the lives of the great men and women of faith? (Cf. Ex. 3:12; 4:12; Judg. 6:12,16; I Sam. 16:13.) Isn’t that really what it is all about? We can’t do it, so God must empower us. We can’t make it happen, but God can coordinate the events, introduce us to the people, and give us what it takes to succeed in His plan. How else can you explain the incredible stories of the lives of the people in the Bible? Happy coincidences? No! There is a God who empowers and guides His people. That God is available to you. The Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father for all of us who believe in Jesus (Acts 2:38,39; Gal. 4:4-7).

Finally, Mary responded in yielding faith, "Let it be to me as you have said." Yielding faith is not the same as passivity. Often it means stepping out in a new direction, out of one’s comfort zone. We will never see what God would do with us, if we do not take some risks. Let Mary’s example encourage you to step into the will of God.

Letting Go To Enter The Kingdom

Notes for the Ekklesia Meeting
Sundays @ 10:00 a.m. Info: (651) 283-0568 www.dtminc.org Today’s Date: December 4, 2005

Letting Go to Enter the Kingdom
by Dan Trygg

"And someone came to Him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?" Matthew 19:16

This episode took place right on the heels of Jesus’ blessing of the children. He and His disciples had crossed the Jordan on their way to Jerusalem. Because there were limited places to ford the river, there tended to be congestion at the crossing places. A great number of people had apparently recognized Him and were following Him. As was His custom, He was teaching them, and was healing many (Mk. 10:1; Matt. 19:2). This probably motivated the Pharisees to come and attempt to entrap Him with a question about divorce. Having dealt with that issue, and having welcomed and blessed the children, He started on His journey toward Jerusalem, once again. Mark records that as He was setting out a man came running up to Him, fell on his knees before Him, and said, "Good teacher, what thing shall I do in order that I might inherit eternal life?" Matthew’s account clarifies his thought process, "What good thing might I do in order that I might possess eternal life?"

Jesus’ first response was somewhat brusque, "Why are you asking me about the good? One is The Good. No one is good except God "(Matt. 19:17; cf. Mk. 10:18). This response was designed to direct the man’s attention away from putting his hope in good performance, or even the counsel of so-called good people, so that he might look to the only true source of goodness, God Himself.

"But if you are wishing to enter into life, keep the commandments." This played more toward the man’s expectations. He was expecting that if he did some good thing, he would earn spiritual life. Jesus said that following the OT law would lead him to life. Some people think that Jesus was saying that keeping the commandments would bring him life, but that is not what He actually said. He directed him to the law because, as Paul later says, the law is a schoolmaster that will show us our need for a Savior (Gal. 3:24). No one is able to be justified by performing works of the law, nor does righteousness come from trying to keep the law (Gal. 2:15,16,21; 3:21). By directing this man back to the law, Jesus was trusting that the law would lead him to see the bankruptcy of his own self-righteousness, so that he would become open to the righteousness and goodness that could only come to him as a gift from Him who is Good.

You see, pure goodness is not in us, so no matter how hard we try by doing good things, our essential make-up does not change. Eventually the sinful nature will be expressed in some way. God comes to change our essential nature, so that we will learn to live out of the inner core of Spirit-produced goodness. The change in our behavior comes from the change in our heart, not the other way around.

The man asks, "Which ones?", hoping that there will be something to do that he has not yet done. Jesus recites from the ten commandments those which are about our relationships toward other people. The man, whom Luke had earlier identified as a "ruler", is now also described by Matthew as being young (Lk. 18:18; Matt. 19:20). He replied, "Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up. What am I still lacking?"

At this point, Mark records, "Jesus, looking at him, loved him…" At first blush, you might think that this means that Jesus loved the young man’s sincerity and drive to find the solution for his spiritual need, or that He valued the fact that he seemed to want to really be sold out for God, and Jesus appreciated that about him. Some versions kind of lead the reader to think that the word for "love" here is primarily a feeling or emotion. It is not. It is a verb. Jesus loved this young ruler by revealing to him what it was that was holding him back spiritually.

"If you would be complete or mature, there is one thing that you lack. Go and sell all that you possess, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven, and come follow Me." This kind of love, agapao, is more about benevolent action than about emotional affinity. Jesus loved by revealing his real problem, and by inviting him to follow Him. Jesus modeled here what it is we are supposed to do for one another when we gather as the Body of Christ. We are to speak and do the truth to one another in agape love (Eph 4:15). In other words, our good-hearted choice to show value and do good for one another is expressed by serving one another and by helping one another grow and mature through honest, benevolent interaction with one another.

The reaction of the young man, and the reason given for his response, is very descriptive in each gospel. If we put them all together, we get an even clearer grasp of his emotional struggle, as well as his level of wealth. Mark has, "the one being shocked (or horrified) by this word went away grieving; for he was having many possessions" (10:22). Luke has, "the one hearing these things became deeply distressed (grieved beyond measure – an intensive form of the word used for "grieving" in Mark); for he was exceedingly wealthy" (18:23). Matthew writes, "The young man, hearing the word, departed grieving; for he was having many parcels of land" (19:22).

This was not your middle class or upper middle class individual Jesus was dealing with. This young man was extremely well off. He had a multitude of possessions, much property, and an exceedingly large fortune. He had an awful lot to give up, if he was to do as Jesus suggested. At that time in his life, he could not bring himself to do it, and went away in deep distress and sorrow. He had been so eager to find the one thing that could bring him life, but he was horrified at what Jesus said, and was unable to follow through. We can only hope that eventually he was able to surrender himself and all he had to God, but at this moment he could not.

As they watched him leave, sullen and defeated, Jesus commented on how difficult it was for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. He used a ridiculous word picture to illustrate the point. "It is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." (Some have taught that there was a small gate that a camel could go through only if it was unloaded, called "the needle’s eye". This gate was not built until much later. Jesus was not referring to it. The Lord makes clear that the word picture He was describing was "impossible" [Matt. 19:26].)

Other passages reinforce what Jesus says here.

In Luke 14, the Lord talks about the need to count the cost of becoming a disciple. A builder must calculate the cost before building a tower, so that he has enough materials to finish. Otherwise, people will ridicule his unfinished work.

In the same way, a king must calculate if his men can defeat an invading army, even if outnumbered two to one. If not, he would be wise to send emissaries for peace long before the opposing army comes near, if he wishes to avoid disaster.

The conclusion after these two parables?

"So, therefore, no one of you can be My disciples who does not give up all his possessions."

The word translated as "give up" means to "take one’s leave of", to "say goodbye to", to "separate from", or to "renounce or forsake". At the very least, in your own mind and heart you must give up all sense of self-ownership of your possessions, or even your very life, if you want to follow Jesus. Your possessions, wealth and property must be laid at the feet of Jesus. You must acknowledge Him as the giver and provider of all you have, and be willing to be His steward. As the apostle Paul says, "What do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" (I Cor. 4:7) God is the One who provided it, who gave you the power to make wealth, and to keep it (Deut. 8).

To place riches before obedience is to make money and wealth as idols. We cannot be a faithful disciple and be trusting in money. In another place, Paul writes, "For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. …17Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed" (I Tim. 6:7-10, 17-19).

The disciples were exceedingly amazed, astounded, astonished or bewildered at what He said. Why? Because the wealthy always seemed to have access and opportunity that commoners did not enjoy. Generally, they were clean and well mannered. They were educated and well spoken. Their lives seemed so much more proper, respectable and peaceful. Everyone wanted to be wealthy, and now Jesus was saying that it was virtually impossible for them to enter the kingdom? If they couldn’t, who could? "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Then Peter spoke up, "Behold, we have everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?" Always eager to express his devotion and loyalty to Jesus, and painfully aware of what sacrifices they had made to follow Him, Peter wanted to hear what was going to be their reward for counting the cost and leaving everything for Jesus. What was in it for them?

Jesus replied, "In the regeneration, when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of His glory, you also shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Pretty radical thought, isn’t it? This band of rag-tag nobodies judging the nation of Israel? How they processed this statement is not clear, but we would not be surprised if they mistakenly thought of it in terms of political positions in this world. We have a similar destiny as them. Did you know that we are to judge the world? Angels, too? Cf. I Cor. 6:2,3.

Jesus then asserts that no one has given up anything for His sake, who will not receive many times more in this life what he or she left behind. Notice that He focuses His remark on two basic areas, property and relationships, with the emphasis by far on the latter. We often have to leave behind relationships to follow Jesus. It will work out. Either they will change, or we will find other friends and "family". Unfortunately, being different will bring persecution as well, but both here and in the age to come we receive eternal life (Mk. 10:29-31; Jn. 5:24). What have you let go of in order to follow Jesus? Is He asking for more, so you can go deeper? Can you see the truth of what He promised coming to pass in your life?