Accepting Christ; September 3, 2023

Posted on September 4, 2023 by jgarrott

John 13:20 “I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”

This verse is at the same time challenging, encouraging, and frustrating for anyone who is actively involved in evangelism. It all hinges on what Jesus meant by “accepts” here. We set up all sorts of formulas for how people are saved, how they pass from death to life, but on the face of it, this blows all of that out of the water. We have the famous formula in Romans, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) This seems even more simple than that! We put all sorts of doctrinal barriers in people’s way, when God “wants all men to be saved and to come to a know­ledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4) We need to be careful we don’t fall into a simplistic, “Into bliss and out of blister” picture of salvation, (as one of my grandfathers expressed it) but we aren’t to complicate it unnecessarily. Jesus certainly doesn’t mean something casual, but we definitely need to let Him define in each case just what acceptance means. We tend to think of Christians in terms of church members, but there are manifestly some church members who have never made Jesus their Lord, and there are some outside the organized church whom the Lord counts as His. We are back to needing to be faithful to share the Good News of salvation with all who will hear, and leaving the rest in God’s hands.

This is an especially acute issue for me since I serve in Japan, which has by far the lowest “rate of return” of anywhere in the world when it comes to evangelism. As I have written before, my father once prostrated himself on the floor and cried out, “God, if I’m standing in the way of revival in Japan, then take me out of the way!” I understand and empathize with him completely! We have been in Omura for fully 42 years now, since I arrived in September, 1981. Some people have accepted the Gospel and been baptized and a few have gone through the motions and just gotten wet, but not so many total. However, there have been many who have seemed to genuinely accept us, which is not a small thing in this xenophobic culture. Given this verse, I cannot say definitively what their eternal destiny is. I am not to dilute the Gospel in any way, but neither am I to push people away. Jesus Himself accepted the people who came to Him, but He also said some very strong things that caused many to drop away, as came up in the readings a few days ago. I am not to sugar-coat the Gospel, but neither am I to set barriers in people’s way. All I can do is be faithful, and pray that the results will be exactly as God desired, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You know the people I’m thinking of right now. I pray that acceptance would blossom to full commitment leading to active discipleship, building up the Body of Christ for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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What We Love; September 2, 2023

Posted on September 3, 2023 by jgarrott

John 12:43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

This is a tragic statement, yet it is all too true so often, not just for the Jewish leaders back then but even for us today. The contrast between the praise of God and the praise of men is easy to express and understand, but loving anything more than we love God is a tragic waste. Physical sensations take that place for vast numbers of people, either the rush they get from drugs or alcohol or the pleasures of sex or even the rush of danger. However, all those things are momentary, and God is eternal. On a material level, it’s like comparing a marshmallow and a bar of gold. Likewise, many people love having power over others, as we see in politicians and dictators all the time, and the simple allure of fame traps many. That last factor has been one of the most destructive things about the Internet, with people doing almost anything to gain “friends” or “followers.” That’s exactly what John is talking about here. We need to be honest in examining ourselves to see what we love, and repent of placing anything ahead of God. It’s certainly not that we aren’t to love anything but God; Jesus explicitly commanded us to love each other. Also, pleasurable things aren’t in themselves evil, for the most part. God in His mercy created us to be able to enjoy all sorts of things. The problem comes when we place anything ahead of God, because that is idolatry, whether we realize it or not. That is one reason why it’s important to thank God for everything, because recognizing that what we enjoy comes from God, we keep Him in first place.

Of course this applies to me as much as it does to anyone else. I am deeply grateful for the wife God gave me over 54 years ago, and I love her to a degree that is actually an inspiration to quite a few people who know us. However, I must not love her more than I love God. Knowing that He created her for me and me for her helps me love Him more! Over the past almost 75 years I have loved many things, from photography to music to Krispy Kreme doughnuts, but all of those things are ephemeral compared to God. The question comes to me of which of the Greek words for love John used here, but that’s almost immaterial. I certainly don’t eros God, but my feelings for and commitment to Him must take precedence over any and every other thing in my life. He alone is worthy of that level of devotion.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the various loves with which You have surrounded me, all of which, properly understood, express Your love for me. Help me indeed love You above and before everything else. Thank You. Praise God!

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Our Goal; September 1, 2023

Posted on September 2, 2023 by jgarrott

John 12:26 “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

This whole section is so loaded with deeply meaningful verses! I feel like I could preach for days on it. However, this verse expresses what I think is the ultimate goal of every true servant of God: being with Jesus. We can have all sorts of goals, and many are quite noble and worthwhile. However, once those goals are achieved, what then? This goal is eternal, just as Jesus is eternal. Not only that, the amazing thing about this goal is that it is achievable in part right now. As the song says, “Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before.” We can “be with Him” even as we go about our daily lives, however mundane they might seem. We are indeed “created to do good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do,” (Ephesians 2:10) but the doing isn’t as important as the being, the abiding. In the Upper Room Discourse Jesus talked a lot about abiding, our abiding in Him and His Word abiding in us and the like. One reason He did that was that we tend to lack stability. As it says so famously in Isaiah 53, we are like wandering sheep, failing to recognize our dependence on the Shepherd. The most marvelous thing about heaven is that we will indeed be with Jesus for eternity, with nothing to separate us.

I will never forget a taste I had of this several years ago. I was in a small prayer meeting with three brothers in Christ. We had been singing to the Lord together, and I don’t remember whether this was during the singing or the praying, but I felt such an overwhelming sense of joy that I was blown away. I quite literally said to the Lord in my heart, “If You have anything further for me to do here You had better back it off a little,” because I felt that my physical body would give up and I would be transferred straight to heaven. That experience gave me such an anticipation of heaven that I don’t think I’ll ever be afraid of physical death! It has caused me to respond to the death of other believers in a way that has surprised and even shocked others. The police thought I was weird, the way I acted after discovering one of the believers here had gone on to heaven, when I went to pick him up to bring him to the service. He was 82 and lived alone, and I knew he was delighted that the Lord had said it was time to come home. His body was stiff and cold, but I knew that he was experiencing inexpressible joy. (1 Peter 1:8) Even most of the Christians had trouble rejoicing for him. Our sorrow at separation would be much less if we understood better what it is to be with the Lord! To be honest, I don’t look forward to however long Cathy and I will be separated, whenever one of us goes first, but I have absolute assurance that such sorrow will be totally forgotten when we are together again with our Lord. Being with Jesus is the goal!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that I do enjoy life right now, but thank You especially that I know that what is to come will make all of this totally pale to insignificance. May I not just rejoice in Your plans for me, but be active in drawing others into Your plans for them, so that the plans of the devil may be defeated and many brought to salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Sacrifice; August 31, 2023

Posted on September 1, 2023 by jgarrott

John 12:3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

This is of course a famous incident, but there are several things to think about here. Many people focus on the fact that Judas objected to this being done, because he wanted access to the money the nard would have brought, (verses 4-6) but that is focusing on negatives, which we are all too prone to do. It is far more edifying to focus on the fact that this probably represented Mary’s life savings, but her love for Jesus and her gratitude for His raising her brother from the dead made her more than willing to give it all. It is also worth noting that the whole house was filled with the aroma of the nard. Such love and devotion can’t really be hidden! When we are totally sold out for Jesus, everyone around us knows it. That connects with the third point, which is that in wiping His feet with her hair, in itself a rather self-abasing action, she was getting the aroma on herself as well, and probably carried the scent for quite a few days afterward. When we give ourselves totally to Christ it improves us more than we can realize. In this particular case I don’t think Mary was thinking about applying the nard to her hair as such, but rather of wiping Jesus’ feet. If she had just wanted to smell nice, applying a little at a time to strategic places on her body would have done the trick, as is usually done with perfumes of all sorts. Her own aroma was simply a byproduct of her devotion to Jesus, as it is for us.

I don’t know to what degree I’ve sacrificed for Jesus; He is the judge of that. I do know that there have been times when I have resented the sacrifices called for by the path the Lord had me on, and I’m not proud of that. Yesterday I got started on an autobiography/memoir. I don’t want that to be something to make people think well of me, but rather of my Lord who has been so gracious to me. Physical elements aside, I want my “aroma” to draw people to Him, knowing that He loves them and He is more than worth giving everything they have and are to Him. This past Sunday we sang, “All that I have, all that I am, all I will ever be, cannot repay this love-debt I owe; I surrender to Thee.” Since the first part of that song is undeniably true, I want the last part to be fully true as well.

Father, thank You for all that You have done in me over the years, and that You’re still working in me. Help me be the agent that You desire in every way and on every level, so that Your will may be done in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Motives and Priorities; August 30, 2023

Posted on August 31, 2023 by jgarrott

John 11:48 “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

The human capacity for misplaced priorities is absolutely incredible at times. These men were essentially acknowledging that Jesus had to be sent by God or He could never do the things He was doing, yet they chose essentially political considerations over following the Son of God. They were fairly accurate in gauging how the Romans would respond, but they were more interested in their physical kingdom than they were in the kingdom of God. Temporal power and authority are addictive! Just like drug addicts, they were choosing gratification of their addiction to their destruction. We see that in politicians today who will say or do absolutely anything to stay in office. This sort of behavior can be easy to spot in public figures, but we can fail to recognize it in ourselves. Jesus laid down a very clear guideline: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” (Matthew 6:33) but we tend to seek almost anything else first, and then wonder why God’s kingdom doesn’t materialize in our lives. It isn’t necessarily that the other things we seek are bad, it’s just that they are secondary at best. Even political office, used rightly, can be a powerful force for good, but placing it ahead of God and His rule and reign is hubris and self-deception. We need to ask Holy Spirit to open our eyes to recognize our own priorities and motivations and choose to align them with His.

This certainly applies to me. I like to think that my motives and priorities are pure and noble, but at times that’s far from the case. I don’t want to do the right thing for the wrong reason, nor do I want to do the wrong thing even from the purest of motives. I know from experience that I can’t get it all right on my own, so I’ve got to keep seeking God for Him to straighten it all out. I know all too well that ignoring Him gets me into a world of trouble. I don’t want to be like these Jewish leaders but rather like the apostle John, who gave his life for Christ just much as his brother James did, who was the first of the apostles to be martyred, but John was the only one to die a natural death. I wouldn’t mind being martyred, but I want that level of faithfulness through thick and thin. I can’t achieve that on my own, but God can do it even in me, and that is my desire.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Two weeks from Friday I enter the period of life the Japanese government calls “the latter part of old age,” as though all I’ve got to look forward to is death. I know that’s not the case! Help me keep seeking You, Your kingdom and Your righteousness on all levels, so that Your will may be done in and through me on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Eternal Life; August 29, 2023

Posted on August 30, 2023 by jgarrott

John 11:25-27 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

I think I use this at every believer’s funeral I preach, because it is an extremely important passage. Martha’s confession of faith is what God wants to hear from everyone and especially from every Jew, because they are the ones with an expectation of Messiah coming into the world. However, Jesus’ statement that provokes that confession is equally important, particularly because it seems to defy logic and even personal experience. We are all too familiar with physical death, and to the materialist this seems like a complete fantasy. Faith, however, is not to be denied, and there is a mounting volume of evidence that physical death isn’t the end for human beings. Several books have come out about the phenomenon called Near Death Experiences, with many testimonies containing details that cannot be explained outside of the soul outliving the body. That by itself would just indicate that we are more than simply material, but Jesus is here talking about far more than that. The life that He is talking about is life in Him, which means eternal fellowship with the God who created us. Nothing could be more glorious! However, He makes it clear that such a destiny is dependent on faith in Him. We should desire such a destiny for everyone we love, so we should be active in encouraging them to have such faith, telling them about our own experience of Him so that His Spirit can use our words to generate faith in them.

I grew up in a household of faith, but I have to admit my own wife’s NDE really put a point on it. We were in our 20s at the time and our children were quite small. She was hanging laundry outside in February and her chest started hurting, so she asked me to finish the job and went inside to lie down. After the laundry I went into our bedroom and found her lying there. I took her hand and called her name, and when she opened her eyes I learned that she had been to heaven and had been sent back, because “Jack and the girls need you.” I won’t go into all she reported she experienced, because it was her experience and not mine, but I have no reason, Biblical or otherwise, to doubt that it was all very real. As a result of that experience she now has no fear of death, and neither do I. Rather, I have a deep anticipation of eternity with my Lord, without all the distractions of the world and my flesh. That will be life indeed!

Father, thank You for the assurance of eternal life in Christ Jesus my Lord. May I be useful to You in drawing others into that assurance through repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God’s Schedule; August 28, 2023

Posted on August 29, 2023 by jgarrott

John 11:5-6 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

It is of intense interest that it was precisely because Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus that He didn’t respond immediately to their request for help. The NIV translators couldn’t bring themselves to render it that way, but the Japanese follows the Greek here. We have a lot of trouble emotionally when that sort of thing happens, either to us or to someone close to us. We want things to happen on our preferred schedule! However, we need to remember the anointed words of wisdom in Hebrews: “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:39-40) As it says clearly there, the delay was not the fault of those experiencing it, so we aren’t to be accusing ourselves or others about such things. There are many levels to faith, but I really think timing is one of the higher/deeper ones. It is particularly stretching to our faith when we have complete assurance that God can and wants to do something, which we also want intensely, but He doesn’t do it in what we see as a timely fashion. We want to set God’s schedule! One of the most fundamental realities of the universe is that God is outside of time, because as any physicist will tell you, time is dependent on matter, and matter exists only because God created it. Being outside of time, everything is now to Him, and that plays all sorts of tricks with our minds. We need the intellectual understanding that God is outside of time, along with the faith to trust that He desires what is absolutely best for us, whatever it looks like in the moment.

This is something I struggle with all the time (pun unavoidable). I have the mental understanding of the situation, but at times that isn’t very satisfying emotionally. I tend to be jealous of “my” time, which shows that my understanding and faith aren’t nearly as deep as they could be. I’m grateful to be growing in that area, however. Just last night I had a dream that is actually related, that I was at a conference that was running late, and around 10:30 PM they decided the leaders would have a meeting – in Garrott’s room! At this point in my life I like to be in bed by 10, since I get up around 5, so this was perhaps a warning to me that I need to let go of my schedule. I do know that God will enable me to do whatever He asks of me, just as Paul experienced, (Philippians 4:13) but I still don’t find the prospect exciting! At the same time I recognize the truth in the Southern Gospel song: “We will understand it better by and by.” I am to take everything as it comes and trust God’s love, grace, and power.

Father, thank You for this Word. With my upcoming school retirement You have been making it clear that there will be many changes in my schedule. Help me not be anxious about any of it, but indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to do, so that I may be fully available for whatever You want to do through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Following Jesus; August 27, 2023

Posted on August 28, 2023 by jgarrott

John 10:27-28 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”

Thinking about it, Jesus was here very explicitly stating that He was the Christ, so those in opposition to Him indeed had every reason to accuse Him of blasphemy. The only problem with that accusation was that He was indeed the Christ, and everything He said was absolutely true! The level is certainly very different, but a very similar thing is going on right now with Donald Trump. Most of the indictments he has experienced are for his saying and acting on things that I, and many others, believe to be true. I certainly do NOT consider him to be a “Christ figure,” but the judicial parallels are actually striking. All that aside, what Jesus said here was doubtless a great comfort to the believers as they were persecuted and martyred in the days and years after His resurrection and ascension. We’ve got to remember that the physical, the material, is just for a moment, and we have far better to hang onto. Better than that, Jesus is hanging onto us! Paul didn’t hear Jesus say this, but He knew it in his spirit: “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” (Philippians 3:12)

I have this assurance myself, which is why I have no fear of death, to the shock of some with whom I talk. It certainly makes me much more relaxed about medical procedures of all sorts! My ambition in life is to do exactly what Jesus says here: recognize His voice and follow obediently. Part of what He has for me to do is to teach others to do the same, and I have another opportunity to do that in the service this morning. I am to be faithful, and not interject any words or thoughts that aren’t from my Lord, so that His Spirit may take my words to work in the hearts of my hearers.

Father, thank You for the incredible privilege of being Your agent, as imperfect as I am. May Your words through me indeed accomplish everything for which You send them, for Your glory. (Isaiah 55:11) Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Hubris and Humility; August 26, 2023

Posted on August 27, 2023 by jgarrott

John 9:41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”

Proclaiming moral superiority is very dangerous! It’s not that we know nothing or see nothing, but claiming that we know everything or see everything is pure hubris, and even the ancient Greeks recognized that was dangerous indeed. Salvation requires a fundamental humility that we are all too prone to choke on. What tripped up the Pharisees was their elitism, feeling that their academic knowledge of the Torah put them on a higher plain than anyone else. Here, they had just been shown as illogical fools by someone who, since he had been blind from birth, couldn’t even read or write, and they couldn’t stand it. As Paul pointed out, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29) And the Pharisees loved to boast! They didn’t realize that their very accusations were coaching the man born blind to bring him to the conviction that Jesus was indeed from God, so that when Jesus revealed Himself to him, he worshiped. (verse 38) Humility was a big part of what Jesus was talking about when He said that we must become as little children to enter heaven. (Matthew 18:3-4) We are far better off being like this illiterate man born blind than having a list of academic degrees and not knowing our Creator personally.

As I write frequently, I have really struggled with pride, and I’m not through with it. Now I’m in danger of being proud that I’m humble! I have learned, to my deep gratitude, that God can and does speak to and through me, and I have also learned the danger of pretending I’ve heard from Him when I haven’t. I’m not to discount what He does, but I’ve got to remember that on my own I can do nothing, just as even Jesus said. (John 5:30) Recently I have been hearing and feeling a push to write my own autobiography, which I have resisted to this point. In the night last night I feel the Lord gave me what I should express in the forward, to make it clear that it is a testimony of God’s grace and mercy. I have nothing that I’ve earned, really, but God has been extremely gracious to me and I want to give Him glory by expressing it for others to read. To go back to the Pharisees here, I hope I at least know that I’m blind!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me indeed follow through to do what You want me to do when You want me to do it. May the gift for words that You’ve given me be exercised exactly as You intend, building up the Body of Christ and You glory alone. Thank You. Praise God!

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Stubborn Unbelief; August 25, 2023

Posted on August 26, 2023 by jgarrott

John 9:18 The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents.

I have long loved this particular Bible story for a number of reasons, but at this point it illustrates our human capacity for stubborn unbelief. We make a joke of, “My mind is made up. Don’t confuse me with the facts.” However, that’s all too often literally true. That’s why apologetics, the branch of theology devoted to explaining the truths of God to those who would dispute them, can be an extremely frustrating exercise. It is deeply satisfying when logic and emotion coincide, but that is all too often not the case. That has come sharply into focus with the current trend of “my truth” and “your truth.” Either something is true, or it’s not. Standing on the side of the logical truth of genetics and biology gets you branded as the worst sort of bigot in some circles today. It would be completely laughable if the results weren’t at times so tragic. Mutilation of confused children is tragic any way you look at it, but there are those who fight tooth and nail to keep doing that sort of thing. The worst thing these Pharisees could do to this man was excommunicate him, which they did, (verse 34) but that didn’t change the glorious reality of his healing. When we encounter people like these Pharisees, about the only thing we can do is pray for them, all the while speaking the truth in love. At times that can seem like a total waste of breath, but God can use our words in surprising ways sometimes. What we are not to do is deny truth in an effort to be politically correct.

I like to think I have always been stubbornly logical, as well as completely truthful, but that would be conceit. I too am capable of rejecting facts that don’t reinforce my opinions. I’ve got to remember that the only opinion that ultimately matters is God’s. After all, He is the very definition of truth! (John 14:6) I’m not to project a smug, “I’m right and you’re not” attitude, ever, but am rather to relate to people in the humility of knowing that only God has everything right. I have always loved C. S. Lewis’ statement in The Great Divorce: “One thing we can be sure of is that when we get to heaven, we will discover we were all wrong somewhere.” However true my conviction might be, it must be expressed in love or it will be worthless. (1 Corinthians 13:1)

Father, thank You for this reminder. There are some tragically absurd things being trumpeted as facts these days. I do pray that Your truth would penetrate into people’s hearts and minds and set them free from the traps of the devil, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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