Last week, as part of our sermon, we looked at these two words. There are only 2 letters different between them but their meaning couldn’t be more different or significant. The implications of the difference is quite simply ‘Mind Blowing’!

We are talking here about how we receive Christ’s righteousness.

Is His righteousness imparted or imputed to us?

IMPARTED – this is what teachers attempt to do everyday. They try to get some of their knowledge into the children’s heads. This is an inherently slow process and the results are limited. What tends to happen is that a small amount of the teachers knowledge is imparted. Adding to the child’s existing knowledge.

There is a danger that we think Jesus adds some of His righteousness to us in this way.

So we might think to ourselves ‘I’m essentially a sinner with a bit of Christ’s goodness added on’

This is not what the Bible teaches.

IMPUTED – this means I have the total and complete, fully formed, all-in-one-go righteousness of God at the moment I believe in Jesus. If teachers could do this at school the lessons would be very short indeed.

It’s not that I have had a little bit of righteousness added to my sinfulness, rather he has taken my sinfulness away and replaced it with His righteousness, completely and forever.

So I am no longer a sinner but a saint!!

This is grace and it changes everything.

The ninth commandment, found in Exodus 20 v 16 states

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor

What is immediately interesting is that the command is set in the context of community. Don’t lie about your neighbor, rather than simply ‘Don’t lie’. Are we to believe that lying in other contexts is acceptable? Clearly not!!

There is a principle at work here. Isaiah 30 v 18

For the LORD is a God of justice.

Isaiah knew this fundamental truth about God. Any perversion or distortion of this is to undermine the very character of God.

It is impossible to lie without effecting someone else. Consider this for a moment.

For many telling lies becomes a way of life, simply a way to get out of trouble or prompt action in others. Lies fall into the more general category of unrighteousness, which also flies in the face of God’s revealed righteousness.

Lies are often spoken to hide our sins or mistakes, yet to mask one wrong with another is simply  nonsensical.

The enemy is described in John 8 v 44  as ‘the father of lies’. To reject honestly is to embrace not only lies but the one from whom all lies proceed.

Solomon knew the great value of honesty.

Proverbs 12:17

A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies.

Proverbs 16:13

Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth.

Proverbs 24:26

An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.

Paul helps us to apply all this into the context of life together.

Ephesians 4 v 15

speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

Honesty and love go hand in hand. Together the Kingdom of God advances.

The prize jewel at the heart of the gospel is forgiveness.

Forgive us, we are taught to pray in the same way we forgive others.

‘Use the same measure we use, Lord.’ is our plea.

So how much attention do we give to that measure? How committed are we to forgiving others?

There are many Biblical examples of commitment to forgiveness. Our recent studies with Joseph have helped us. Joseph’s brothers had sold him into slavery, they had only stopped short of killing him by God’s intervention.

22 years later the guilty brothers stand before Joseph who now has the power of life and death over them!!

⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! ⁵ And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.

Genesis 45 v 4-5

So thoroughly had Joseph forgiven his brothers he didn’t even want them to feel distressed or angry with themselves!! That is an impressive measure of forgiveness.

Jesus gives us the ultimate example of forgiveness. His crucifixion was winning freedom even for those killing him, even as they killed him. His words

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.

Luke 23 v 34

Demonstrates to all the centrality and power of forgiveness.

Tim Keller’s excellent new book ‘The Prodigal God’ is, and I don’t say this lightly, probably the best book I have read this year. He looks at the parable of the lost son and considers that both sons in the story were equally lost. The younger lost, in the traditional sense, the older son lost in the religious, Pharisaical sense.

Note that it was the older brother that didn’t appear at the feast at the end of the story..

Buy the book, give it as a gift, read it yourself.

buy it here

Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.”

John 5 v 17

I wonder if you have ever considered the question, What is God doing?

I have recently been reading the story of Joseph which begins in Genesis 39. This must have been a question Joseph struggled to answer.

Joseph was consistently faithful and hard-working, he didn’t fall to temptation or become distracted by the trappings of success, yet on at least two occasions it seemed God had utterly abandoned him.

The temptation is the same for us, we can often feel “God has stopped working”. Joseph could have reacted to that thought and abandoned his faith, made the most of the situation and sinned.

But God was busy!! Busy working out plans to save nations!! Plans that Joseph knew nothing about but plans in which he would play a key role.

Remember ‘My Father is at his work’ is always true whether we understand his workings or not. The fate of nations may rest on our engagement with Him.

God is busy working throughout time and eternity. Be alert and full of faith

Lex is an evangelist and elder at Jubilee Community Church in Cape Town, South Africa. He speaks widely amongst our family of churches in Newfrontiers as well as leading the Front Edge initiatives, around the world.

He is writing here under the sub-heading ‘highlights from church history’ and not only is he very well researched but you’ll finish reading encouraged to share your faith, preach the gospel and change the world.

14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out^[c] the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Philippians 2 14-17

We are living in increasingly challenging times.

As a natural optimist I tend to balk even at that statement, but it is obvious (even to me) that it is undeniably true. The challenge for Christians is how we deal with it. Currently the national pass-time seems to be progressing on two miserable fronts. Spending half our time looking for someone to blame and the other half in a state of, self-induced, panic.

I’ve just embarked on a study of ‘eschatology’ (the doctrine of the end times) and guess what? Jesus wins!!!

This might seem to some a dreadfully simplistic statement, and so it may be. It is also undeniably ‘the truth’ and a magnificently healthy perspective. I perspective Paul expects the Philippians to have.

As Christians we have been given ‘the word of life’ to hold out to a panicking world. The gospel in it’s brilliance, simplicity and power changes everything. We need to live, truly, in the light of the gospel. Letting it’s light illuminate our thoughts and decisions, temper our conversations and rule our emotions.

The counter to Paul’s entreaty not to complain or argue is found in verse 18

Be glad and rejoice with me

This will mark us out from the crowd, in and of it’s self is hugely attractive. It glorifies God and makes people happy.

Nehemiah 8 v 10

For some looking into churches like ours the criticism is levelled that we are ‘happy – clappy’ or for the slightly more cerebral ‘triumphalist’ in our expressions of faith. My initial reaction is usually that if the alternative is to be ‘unhappy-silent’ and ‘defeatest’ then I’ll choose the former. I suspect, however, that underlying the criticism is a plea for a more balanced approach which takes into account the harsh realities of 21st century life.

I think the problem is actually more to do with theology, faith and tradition.

Dr Martin Lloyd-Jones famously said ‘doubt comes when we listen to ourselves rather than speak to ourselves’. Our minds are engaged in a perpetual dialogue with the environment around us. Family, friends, colleagues, the news, constant media, advertising……the list goes on, all incessantly speak to us. Add to this the workings of our own minds and we find ourselves occupied in a constant, bewildering conversation.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10 v 5

Paul reminds us that we need to challenge this onslaught with God’s words, the truth! If what we see, hear and think doesn’t line-up with the truth we should ruthlessly deal with it. As I sometimes say ‘Throw the rubbish out!’

This is the essence of faith, to choose to believe God rather than trust in myself. It does, of course, require God’s help but the experience of walking 35 years with God tells me this is not in short supply.

The wonder of the Gospel is that the biggest problems of life and eternity, the greatest challenges for purpose and meaning are settled through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This doesn’t mean that life isn’t challenging and sometimes perplexing but it does mean that no-matter what there is always truth to rejoice in. Focusing on this in worship, as a friend of mine says, ‘re-sizes my world in the light of Jesus’. This is the reason to worship in a way that is happy and possibly clappy.

Traditionally church buildings are quiet, almost silent places – people have wrongly associated this silence with holiness. It’s a bit startling when churches are loud and happy. Society doesn’t like it when this mould is broken. I suspect heaven will be both very loud and very happy!

The name ‘the naked preacher’, obviously not a literal description, was chosen because while in Cape Town I preached and cooked breakfast at the same time. The very simple message being ‘you are what you eat’. While practicing the comment was made that the whole experience was fairly Jamie Oliver-esque. Taking this to heart and being that the auditorium was pretty substantial we arranged that I would arrive on stage riding a moped.

Maybe not the most theologically stimulating sermon in history but probably one of my most memorable, anyway the name has, it would seem, stuck.

Nice moped