BEHOLD, WHAT MANNER
This is an interesting title, and I am believing that Holy Spirit
will bring something alive and vital to each heart. Bless you. I preached a
message similar to this at Scots Church in Melbourne earlier in the year (bless
you David Currie). It blessed people there so I am sharing similar thoughts
here to a wider audience.
The key to this message is the word “Manner” which in the Bible literally means “what type, kind of,
sort”. It has a deeper sense of amazement, like “where is this from”.
It is most commonly read in 1 John 3:1, where John makes the statement,
“behold, What Manner of Love the
Father has bestowed upon us”.
You could write pages about this verse alone, but I want to just
highlight perhaps why John said it in this sense. The Love of God is so unique
and different to what John had seen in a human sense, and it would be hard to
describe. John spent 3 intense years with Jesus and heard and saw things beyond
understanding. He was witness to Jesus' transfiguration, and was given the
Revelation of things to come.
In writing this passage, he literally says, “Where is this Love from?” “What sort of Love is this?”
He is inviting the reader to consider this. He says “Behold” – “look at this Love”. We are challenged
to consider this great Love of The Father. John is trying to get our attention.
He saw this Love outworked in Jesus, and he wants to relay it to us. He
challenges us to stop and look at this, consider this Love and see if we have
an answer. We have all sorts of alarms confronting us all day in the world –
traffic lights, rail crossings, and alarms etc, all to get our attention. Well that’s
what John is doing here.
Before looking deeper at this Love, I want to expand this theme
in other scriptures.
1. Matthew 8:27 Jesus has just calmed
the storm out on the sea. It says that the disciples marveled or were in a
state of wonder, saying “WHAT MANNER of
man is this, that the winds and sea obey Him!” I love this…. It’s like “where is this man from?” In Australian
vernacular we would maybe have said “What
planet is he from?” The disciples had just seen a storm at sea obey the
words of Jesus, and they have no explanation. “What country is he from?” “Who
is this man?” Let me ask: Have you ever had an encounter with Jesus so
incredible that you have asked the same question? I have had a couple of
experiences which I won’t go into here, and I was as equally amazed.
Maybe we
need to go out with Jesus in a boat into a storm, and behold His wonder. Imagine
how they felt when Jesus turned and challenged their faith in the perfect
storm. In fact Mark records that Jesus said that they had no faith. We read
this and have the advantage of perhaps agreeing, but what situations have we
been in where Jesus could say the same to us. But the disciples were challenged
here. This man is different. Who is He? Where is He from? They were to go on
later and see many miracles He did. I wonder if they became accustomed to
these. Beloved we know that Jesus can do anything, but should never take Him
for granted. He is worthy of our constant worship and praise. How awesome is
our God! His nature is beyond anything we could imagine. We know Him to be the
creator of all things, so calming a storm would be pretty normal – until you
see Him do it, and then you will be in Wonder of Him.
2. Daniel 3:29 Nebuchadnezzar has just
witnessed the 3 come out of the fiery furnace, and he makes a decree: “If
anybody speaks anything against the God of these men, they are to be cut into
pieces and their houses made a dunghill…because THERE IS NO OTHER GOD WHO CAN
DELIVER AFTER THIS SORT”. Wow! Here’s the king of Babylon, having seen a
miracle and saying that there is no other god like This God. I imagine that he
might have talked about this for quite some time with his men and probably
posed the same question, “Who is this God
of theirs?” Perhaps the world today should be seeing more of Him in us and
asking the same question, which leads me to:
3. Acts 4:13 Peter and John have just
healed he lame man in the temple, and subsequently been dragged before the religious
high priest and elders after they were imprisoned overnight. They were actually
amazed at what they had seen, and demanded to know by what power or name they
had done this. Then Peter, full of the Holy Ghost gives them a good sermon
about Jesus. Now of course these religious men were indignant because they knew
Peter and John to be unlearned on their standards. The boldness of Peter and
John challenged these men and in concluding that they were unlearned and
ignorant, they MARVELED AT THEM. In
other words, they were saying, “Who are
these two?” Where are they from?”
“What planet are they from?” Then of
course they realize that they had been with Jesus. The point being that Peter
and John were in the same “Marvel” category as Jesus.
We see a Kingdom principle emerging beloved. That those of God’s
Kingdom are not ordinary people.
Now, back in 1 John 3:1, we read that The Father BESTOWS His Love on us.
This word “bestow” means “to give, to lavish extravagantly, to
commit”.
He does this for a reason – To give us identity, as the Sons of
God. This Identity should cause us to stand out like Jesus, as Peter and John
did.
Our friends, contacts, and people in the world generally, should
be saying of us, “Who is this person?”
“What planet is he/she from?”
It’s significant that the word ”bestow” also means “adventure”
in the Gk. How awesome beloved – this is an adventure for God. He wants to see us
Marveled at. It’s a mark of His Kingdom.
I think that the most important mark is that of His Agape LOVE. God’s Love is the
foundation of His Kingdom. He so Loved us that He gave us His only begotten Son
to die in our place.
I think that there is a tendency in the charismatic/Pentecostal scene
to major on signs, wonders and miracles, and I Praise Jesus for these – but what
about His Agape Love? John said that it’s our identity.
God doesn’t just love, HE IS LOVE. His Nature is Love. It’s part of who He is. So great is His Love, that the world today
should be in awe of it. But how can they see it? The answer is obvious – in His
Sons.
God’s Agape Love should stand out so much in us, that people say “Who is that person?” “What planet are they from that they would do
that?”
This is an extravagant adventure for God beloved. He wants to
see us Wondered at, for then we reflect Him. Imagine as The Father watched to
boat incident with Jesus! What a thrill to Him! Jesus representing His Kingdom like that!
When we bear His Image we represent His Family. We carry the Love gene. We identify with
His Kingdom as Sons.
Is this how you are beloved? Is this how I am?
Our minds have to be transformed into Kingdom thinking. The
human mind cannot comprehend these things.
In God’s terms, His Love is normal – it’s human love which is abnormal. We must rise up
in the Bestowed Love and let it shine forth. Maybe it’s buried in wrong attitudes
and other junk in our lives. We need to let Jesus deal with this in us so that
the world will see that we have been with Him.
I think also that many need to
lose their embarrassment of being Christian, and bring their light out from
under the bush!
The Laws of The Kingdom need to operate in us. For this to
happen we have to operate in that Faith which was absent in the perfect storm!
I want to challenge here. Would the world ever wonder what
planet you are from? Do they see you any different? Do the people in your
social or work mix even know that you are a Christian? If you were dragged into
court accused of being a Christian, would there be any evidence to convict you?
We are in the early hours of the Kingdom Day beloved. We are going
to see events move quickly in this earth as God moves in His Purposes. The day
is coming where you may have to stand and be challenged for your faith.
Are there other God’s in our lives? Idols – things which we
worship and consider important in our lives above Jesus! We need to de-throne
them beloved, and place Jesus back in His rightful place on the throne in our
lives.
We are in the day of the “Lukewarm” church. True worship is
replaced by entertainment and convicting word by empty words to tickle the ears.
Pastors are bleeding money from the sheep for their “Nimrod Towers” and
personal lusts.
Jesus calls you. Your spirit witnesses with His Spirit. Will you
continue to blend in with the crowd, or will you come out from it and be Wondered
at.
We should be reflecting Jesus so much that the world has to look
and wonder and question “Where we are
from?”
Let it be said of us: “What
MANNER OF MAN/WOMAN IS THIS, THAT……………………………………………………………………………………….”
If you need support please email me and I will be blessed to
stand with you.
Always for Jesus, Larry
