In that story of the prodigal son that we’ve been looking at, I forgot to point out one of the saddest details found towards the end of this ‘mini-drama’. The older brother, who also received his inheritance, and did not run off and leave the home and squander it all...he had even a bigger problem. In his eyes, he was pretty righteous...compared to junior. He ‘did all the stuff’ he was supposed to do. (Luke 15:29). Yet, when the door to the house was opened and the celebrating had begun...he didn’t...go in. His anger kept him out. The one who thought he deserved to be in the house as a ‘saved son’...was left on the outside looking in. Sounds like he was blinded by his own, defiled heart. (Matt. 7:23; 25:10-12) Don't be like him.

“You can take this to the bank!”

That is a popular slang term or idiom we use often when we want to assure someone that what we have just told them can be counted as reliable and certain. You can ‘bank on it’, as you are informally ‘guaranteeing’ that statement to be true. We touched on this the other day when I pointed out how Jesus used another term back in His day that means the same thing: ‘verily, verily’...or ‘truly, truly, I say unto you...’.

I even mentioned my surprise to discover Jesus used that expression 25 times and all of those are found in John’s gospel, for some reason. Jesus used it to assure Nicodemus in John 3:3 that one needed to be ‘born again’ in order to see and enter God’s kingdom. And here’s another instance where Jesus begins a statement of fact/truth by saying: ‘most assuredly...’

“...I say to You...unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground...and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” (John 12:24)

But it can’t produce anything, much less begin to grow on its own...unless it dies first. Can you pause and let that sink in for a moment?

This may come as a surprise to some, but God really does have this thing about ‘multiplying’; and it’s not cars, houses, and money that He wants to see multiplied either.

Go back and be reminded from the very first chapter of Genesis and look at the ‘blueprint’ of creation. Not only did God design and create all the trees, plants, and animals with the ability to reproduce ‘after their own kind, but He created man to do the same thing. In fact...that was the very first command we hear/read uttered to His creation after He created Adam in “His own image and according to His likeness”. (Gen. 1:26)

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Gen. 1:27)

“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it...” (28)

Be. Fruitful. And. Multiply.

That was the will of God. And He set in motion what He wanted to see...man...created in His image...to go forth...and multiply. Be fruitful.

When did God change?

*Hint* - He never has! (Mal. 3:6)

God was pretty pleased with who He is... given He is good and righteous and as we know, a God of love. (1 John 4:16).

So if you want to replicate something, it might be a good idea to make sure the ‘prototype’ is perfect before you start churning out ‘copies’. That would make sense, yes? And God was the perfect prototype which is why He made man in His image...then told them to go out and reproduce. Oh, by the way, what did Jesus say we were to be like in Matt. 5:48?

There was just one problem...sin created a defect in man. You should be familiar with that story by now. Sin (not obeying God’s command - 1 John 3:4) brought separation from God. (Isa. 59:2) And apart from God, we have no life. (John 5:40; 14:6; Eph.2:1)

So when Adam and Eve started churning out babies like rabbits...they were in effect reproducing kids with a defective nature that carried all the way down to us today. (Rom. 5:12-14). We were all ‘sinners’, or ‘chips off the old block’, as we used to say.

Yet, God was not to be deterred and had a plan to try again, with ‘another Adam’. (1 Cor. 15:45-49). And if you are running a tad ‘slow’ today, that ‘second Adam’ was Jesus. He became the ‘revised prototype’ and this time, God clothed Himself in flesh and came to ‘fix’ the problem. It would require a major overhaul where we would actually have to be ‘born again’, and receive a ‘new nature’ as we were to become a ‘new creation in Christ’. (John 3:3; 2 Pet. 1:4; 2 Cor. 5:17)

It was complex, and yet, still so simple. He would birth His seed in us...that we could be ‘born from above’ and in the process, we would be conformed back...to His image. There was, as I just said, a process involved and Romans 8:28-29 should shed some new light for you now regarding this process and ultimate goal. We were to become like Christ, the second Adam or prototype.

So when John talks about those who are abiding in Him and how they ‘ought to be walking just as He walked’...there’s a reason for that. IF...we have been truly born again with His seed and nature...we will be as He is, as in ‘like Christ’. How do you think the term ‘Christian’ even came about? Those early believers were ‘like Christ’ and it was evident to all. Now go read John 13:34-35 and see if that makes more sense.

I used to remind myself, and others that we ‘believers’ would do well to let others call us ‘Christians’ instead of telling others that we are. That might even restore a bit of credibility to the 'church' for a world in darkness who they themselves are looking for light. When we don’t look much different than them, it has an adverse effect. To say we are ‘Christian’ is to say we are ‘like Christ’. Yet, everyone freely admits, almost unashamedly...that they continue to sin on a regular basis...being ‘wretched sinners saved by grace’. But Jesus did not. And those who say they abide in Him ought themselves to walk just as He walked. (1 John 2:6)

But it begins with a seed, as we’ve been discussing the past several days.

There is just so much here unfolding from His word and I’m fighting not to get ahead of myself (or the Holy Spirit) but friends...do you know why...it is so critically important that we mature in Christ...and ‘move on to perfection’? (Heb. 6:1; Matt. 5:48). We cannot reproduce if we are stunted and remain ‘carnal babes’. (1 Cor. 3:1-3)

That is why Paul was not pleased at all when he addressed those folks in Corinth. Way too many people today want to point to those ‘carnal babes in Christ’ to assure others and themselves: ‘but I’m still saved’ while justifying their carnality and propensity to continue in sin. Nothing could be further from the truth. If that is all you are concerned with...trying to convince yourself that you are still ‘saved’ even after years of being a ‘faithful church member’ and listing all the great things you have done for your church...then you will find yourself in the company of those we read about in Matt. 7:21-23.

A six year old boy and girl lacks the ability to ‘reproduce’, and for good reason. We don’t need six year old kids raising kids. And yet, is it possible that is what the modern day church has become? A ‘nursery of carnal babes reproducing after their own kind’ while being convinced that we could never walk like Jesus walked and ‘sin no more’. Then we create and share comforting sayings how ‘we don’t have a perfect church’...or ‘no perfect people allowed here’, etc. as we all gather with likeminded people affirming all of our imperfections and immaturity as if that was the ‘norm’. But we need not worry because we have this ‘loving father of a God’ who looks down and beams over all us ‘kids’ and sloshes all that ‘grace and mercy’ on us wretched sinners.

Read – My - Lips: “We have been deceived.”

Back to John 12:23-24...where prior to Jesus telling us ‘most assuredly’ ...He began that revelation by saying “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified”. (23). You realize what is soon to happen there, yes? He is going to lay His life down and die. Then...we get the insight...that is the only way fruit can be multiplied...if it dies first. (24). And Jesus, our ‘prototype’ and example...(John 13:15) became ‘obedient to death, even death on the cross’. (Phil. 2:5-8)

Now...connect these ‘dots’ - We always talk about wanting to ‘give glory to God’ or pray/sing asking God to be ‘glorified in our lives’. Friends, I don’t mean to sound trite here, but God is not glorified in our lives because we sing touching songs, or throw touchdown passes to win a game or do any other number of ‘works in His name’. Do you know how God is glorified? It’s Not because we say “I give God all the glory!”. Jesus tells us in John 15:8...that we ‘bear much fruit so we will be His disciples’. That is how God is glorified in us.

And IF...we are not willing to lay our lives down as He did for us, then we can never even begin the process of maturing and reproducing so this can happen. We can do lots of things in His name, and have a ‘form of godliness’, and we can fool all those around us including ourselves, but we cannot fool God.

The way of Christ is the way of the cross and the plan was for us to come to Him with ALL our hearts and surrender to His Lordship so that He could begin to lead us to ‘die’ (Rom. 8:13). Only then...as we decrease, can He increase in us. If we think we can find another way...then we remain that grain of wheat and will never bear the fruit of replicating or reproducing His nature in others. We will remain...’alone’. (John 12:24)

Tomorrow:  Just how do we put this 'old man' to death by the Spirit?!