Jesus the Gentleman

By David Servant

From an often-overlooked verse in Mark’s Gospel, we can learn something very valuable about Jesus’ character, and about ourselves. Here’s the verse:

Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them (Mark 6:48).

The incident almost seems a bit comical. The Twelve were simply trying to accomplish the task Jesus had given them. We can read just a few verses earlier: “Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida” (Mark 6:45). And off they went. As they obeyed, however, they ran into opposition. “The wind was against them.”

Some Food for Thought

By David Servant

Imagine that you were one of the twelve men who spent three-and-a-half years following Jesus, seeing His every miracle and listening to His every word. Near the end of those years, you celebrate an annual feast with Him known as “Passover” that you’ve celebrated every year of your life and that has been part of your culture for hundreds of years.

At some point during that meal, imagine Jesus taking some of the bread (probably unleavened), blessing and breaking it, and then giving everyone pieces to eat, which He explains is “My body which is given for you” (Luke 22:19; 1 Cor. 14:24). He also tells everyone that they should do this in His remembrance (Luke 22:19). Finally, imagine Him then taking a cup of wine, giving thanks, and then similarly passing it around as He explains that it “is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28). What would you have been thinking? Years later, the apostle Paul would retell that story and its significance:

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes (1 Cor. 11:23-26).

Clearly, from what both Jesus and Paul said, the central symbolism of the Lord’s Supper revolves around Jesus’ sacrificial death. His body was broken and His blood was shed. And clearly, Jesus wanted all of His disciples to remember His sacrificial death, perpetually into the future, in the bread and wine. All Christians agree on those fundamental facts.

The Prevalence of Jesus’ Lordship in the New Testament

By David Servant

The title of “Lord”—which denotes someone who should be obeyed—is found over 350 times within the 3,180 verses of Romans through Revelation, and most often in reference to Jesus. So, at least one out of ten New Testament verses written to Christians mentions Jesus as Lord, that is, as one to obey. Remember Jesus once asked: “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:36).

The Undeniable Biblical Connection Between Holiness and Heaven

By David Servant

Dear Friends,

For almost 20 years, I’ve penned a monthly e-teaching that has been e-mailed to a growing list of subscribers that is currently a little over 57,000. This e-teaching begins a new format that is shorter in length but more frequent in publication. From here on, we’ll be emailing “mini” e-teachings most Saturdays. They will continue to be relevant to your spiritual life and hopefully serve as a blessing and an encouragement!

So glad for the us in Jesus,

David

Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter (Matt. 7:21, NASB).

That well-known warning from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ—spoken near the end of His Sermon on the Mount—could not be clearer. He was, indisputably, talking about what is required to enter heaven. Calling Him Lord is not enough. Rather, one must “do the will” of Jesus’ Father “who is in heaven.” That is, to enter heaven, one must do the will of the One who rules heaven. Heaven is for the holy.

Three Kinds of Death, and Their Remedy

by David Servant

Most Christians are familiar with Paul’s famous words in Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin is death.” They would seem to mean that disobedience to God earns the punishment of death. Although Paul’s declaration might explain why we all eventually die, it does raise some questions about the relationship between sin and death. For example, is physical death the only punishment for sin? If we have been forgiven of our sins, why do we still die? And once we are believers, can we sin without fear of death? I hope to answer those questions in this article. Let’s start by laying a foundation about the three kinds of death that are mentioned in Scripture.

The Spectrum of Grace

by David Servant

Did you know that the spectrum of theological belief within all of Christendom can be viewed as a spectrum of belief about grace? That spectrum ranges from Universalism to Legalism, and everything in between.

This teaching can help you identify where you are at on that spectrum, as well as evaluate if you should move from where you are. Some readers may discover that their spiritual journey can be traced on the spectrum, and for better or worse. If you are Calvinist/Reformed in your theological perspective, for example, you may never have realized how close you are on the spectrum of grace to Universalism. Similarly, if you are from an Amish background, your journey away from semi-legalism may actually have been a pendulum swing that has swung too far. My hope is that all readers will be helped to better understand Scripture’s perfect balance on this important issue.

I’m sure this teaching will elicit lots of feedback, and although I can promise that I will read it all, I may not be able to reply to it all. I appreciate everyone’s understanding in that. — David

Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the British woman whose neighbor commented on her garden, “My, what a lovely flower garden God has given you!” She replied, “I don’t mean to sound boastful, but you should have seen this flower garden when God had it all by Himself!”

That funny little story is actually an illustration of a big theological issue that challenges us all. We all know that God is working to accomplish His will, but we also know that human beings have a part to play in many outcomes both temporal and eternal. In the case of the British gardener, she knew that only God can turn a seed into a beautiful flowering plant. That being said, she also realized that, unless she strategically planted flower seeds, kept them watered, and periodically pulled weeds, the outcome would be an ugly mess. She knew what God was responsible for and what she was responsible for. In the end, both could rightfully take some credit for the outcome—although God’s contribution was certainly much more impressive than hers!

Christians often struggle trying to find the dividing line between divine and human responsibility. What is our job and what is God’s job? None of us wants to make a wrong assumption, but still, opinions vary. Although we are all reading from the same Bible, many theological debates revolve around this issue, and two words often surface within those debates. They are grace and works—two words that stand in contrast.

How do they differ?

Why Did Jesus Never Use the Word “Grace”?

by David Servant

It does seem odd, in light of the fact that salvation is “by grace through faith” (according to Ephesians 2:8-9 and many other New Testament verses), that the Gospels don’t record a single instance of Jesus using the word “grace” in any of His teachings or conversations. Although John wrote that “grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17), Jesus never actually said that salvation is “by grace.”

Beyond that, Jesus told people to repent and keep commandments if they wanted eternal life, and He repeatedly affirmed that there was a standard of holiness tied with inheriting God’s kingdom and entering heaven (Matt. 4:17; 5:3-10, 20, 22, 27-30; 6:14-15; 7:21; 11:20; 12:41; 18:8, 23-35; 19:16-22; 25:31-46; Luke 10:25-37; 13:1-5; John 15:1-11). That is so undeniably obvious in the Gospels that some try to persuade us that salvation was earned—by works—under the old covenant, the covenant under which Jesus ministered. Let me address that error before I return to our primary question.

Two Kinds of Righteousness

by David Servant

The teaching that follows will be included in the next issue of The Awakening! Magazine, which will be mailed to about 62,000 Amish households across North America. My intention is to expose them to what Paul referred to as “the gift of righteousness,” something that stands in contrast to feeble human efforts to be righteous—a phenomenon that tragically defines Amish culture. Very few Amish people understand what the Bible teaches about God’s gift of righteousness. Surprisingly and sadly, many Evangelical Christians are also in the dark, but from a different perspective, on this very important biblical topic. I hope this article remedies that for many.

What follows could be the best news that some readers have ever heard in their entire lives. (I am not exaggerating.) For other readers, it could be of significant help to their spiritual understanding and life as a Christian. If you are blessed in any way by what follows, please don’t keep it to yourself!

Two Kinds of Righteousness

The word righteousness, and the related words, righteous and righteously, as well as the negative versions, unrighteous and unrighteousness, are found over 180 times in the New Testament. I’m sure you agree that righteousness is certainly not an obscure concept in Scripture. So what does it mean to be righteous or to possess righteousness?

“Come out, in Jesus’ Name!”

by David Servant

In my Christian life over the past 49 years, at least three times I’ve watched a wave of “deliverance ministry” sweep through a segment of the church. The first time was when I was just a relatively new Christian, in the late 1970s. A man named Don Basham, who was part of a group of five popular teachers based in Ft. Lauderdale who jointly published a magazine called “New Wine,” wrote a book titled Deliver Us from Evil. It became quite popular within the growing “Charismatic Renewal” that was sweeping through the denominational world.

"Come Out in Jesus' Name!" by David Servant

I read that book and learned that I could actually cast demons out of myself. As an adolescent male, I also realized from reading that book that I had a demon of lust. So, I followed its instructions for self-deliverance.

The book explained that, as any demons came out of me, I might choke, gag or even vomit. Sure enough, when I commanded the demon of lust to come out of me, I gagged. Wow! I felt it! It was the real thing! I was delivered from the demon of lust!

But there was just one small problem. It wasn’t very long before I realized the demon wasn’t gone. I found myself still struggling with immodest women. Had the demon returned? How did it gain entrance back into me so quickly? Should I do another self-deliverance?

How Gracious is Our Lord?

by David Servant

When you think about it, the phrase “gracious Lord” seems oxymoronic. A lord, by dictionary definition is: “Someone who has power, authority, or influence; a master or ruler, as in, lord of the sealords of the jungle, or our lord the king.” Masters and rulers exercise authority over their citizens or subjects. They expect and enforce compliance. They generally are not associated with grace. Rather, just the opposite.

How gracious is our Lord?

Yet at least 30 times in the New Testament epistles the words “grace” and “Lord” are found in the same verse. In 13 of those verses, the grace spoken of is directly attributed to either “the Lord Jesus,” “the Lord Jesus Christ,” “our Lord,” or “our Lord Jesus Christ.”

So, it is certainly safe to say that Jesus is a gracious Lord. Praise God for that. Let’s start by considering Christ’s lordship, and then we’ll consider His grace. We’re interested, not in a lopsided understanding, but a balanced one.