The DNA of What is a Christian Part 5 – “Balance”
The DNA of What is a Christian Part 5 – Balance
Study Notes
If the goal of the Christian life is to be conformed to the image of His Son – Romans 8:29, then balance in the Christian life is important because Jesus was balanced as He lived and walked and ministered on this earth.
There was nothing “off” or “weird” about Him. His character was perfectly balanced, and His character and the way He lived, His conduct was in harmony.
Even as a child His growth was balanced, Luk 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men..
Physically, mentally, socially and spiritually, Jesus was so balanced that the Father was able to say to Him, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” Luke 3:22
Jesus was always in control, He was tough minded and tender hearted, fearless in confronting those who opposed Him on the one hand and amazingly gracious and forgiving penitent sinners on the other hand.
He would patiently teach those who were hungry for truth.
But He refused to fall into the snare of the religious leaders as time after time they set to trap Him.
When Jesus faced opposition, He faced it courageously or quietly move His small band of disciples along to another village.
But when it the hour came, the time for Him to die, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem – Luke 9:51.
When in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed that the cup might pass from Him, and yet He willingly drank that cup and suffered for the sins of the world.
He could be as bold as a Lion or as meek as a Lamb – He could be the King of Kings or the Servant of servants.
Jesus life was a life beautifully balanced!
Now you might be thinking after all that – we off course His life was perfectly balanced, after all He was the sinless Son of God!
But listen carefully – that excuse, that reasoning is faulty and in error because Jesus lived on this earth just as you and I must live; by faith in the Father’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s power.
Remember Jesus was tempted by Satan to use His divine powers for His own benefit, but Jesus refused to yield to such temptation.
In fact the only miracles Jesus ever performed for Himself were:
Ø Providing the money to pay His temple tax – Matthew 17:24-27
Ø Raising Himself from the grave – John 10:17-18
In the first miracle Peter played a part. In the second the whole world was involved.
Whilst ministering here on earth as the Son of Man, Jesus lived by faith, in the power of the Holy Spirit, providing the example just as you and I must live.
What is a balanced Christian life?
Secondly, in what areas of our life is this balance to be maintained?
1. Solitude and Service
There must be a balance between solitude and service.
In other words, time spent alone with God and time spent ministering and serving in our Christ rejecting world.
In the Book of Hebrews this balance, between solitude and service is explained.
…within the veil – Hebrews 6:19
…without the camp – Hebrews 13:13
Within the veil….refers to the high priests visit to the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle on the Day of Atonement – Lev 16:1-19.
Without the camp…(or outside the camp) refers to the sin offering, sacrificed on the Day of Atonement and taken outside the camp – Lev 16:27
This is a beautiful type and picture of how Jesus, our sin offering, suffered “outside the gate” on Golgotha (the place of the skull – Calvary) and died for us.
Hbr 13:12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
John 19:17 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, 18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. 19 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
20 Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
We read that Jesus began each day with solitary prayer, going within the veil to meet with His Father.
Mark in his Gospel tells us, Mark 1:35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.
The church (so powerless today) still has NOT learnt this was the source of His power and wisdom as He did the Father’s will on earth.
Isaiah 50:4 4 The Lord GOD has given Me
The tongue of the learned,
That I should know how to speak
A word in season to him who is weary.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear
To hear as the learned.
But Jesus didn’t just hide away and spend all His time in a cave praying.
No He went and ministered to the people, to teach them, heal them and to preach the glorious good news of salvation, the gospel!
2. Receiving and Giving
The Christian life must be a balanced life in receiving and giving.
The mind grows by taking in but the heart grows by giving out!
But the two activities need to be balanced!
Jesus said, Jhn 3:27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.
The Christian who takes no time to receive will have nothing to give.
3. Ourselves and Others
Jesus took time to sleep and eat and to care for His personal needs.
He accepted invitations to meals; He took time for little children to sit on His knee and gather around Him; He attended the Jewish feasts and was always in the synagogue worshipping.
Paul the Apostle taught us, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling –Phil 2:12 –
What Paul does mean is he calls the Philippians to put forth real effort into their Christians lives? This is not to work their salvation in the sense of accomplishing it, but to work out their salvation – to see it evident in every area of their lives, to activate this salvation God freely gave them.
Caring for ourselves is not necessarily selfish, although it can be overdone.
But being careless about ourselves could mean we are asking for trouble.
The key – “balance” – Vance Havner used to say that “if we don’t come apart to rest, we might come apart!”
When you carefully study the Gospel of John, you discover that Jesus lived on a divine timetable that peaked with the hour of His suffering and death.
When His disciples warned Jesus that it was not safe to go to Judea, Jesus quietly replied, Are there not twelve hours in the day – John 11:9.
He was reminding the disciples with this statement that His enemies could NOT touch Him until the right hour struck God’s clock.
However Jesus never took needless chances with His enemies.
4. Heart and Mind
The most difficult challenge in Christian living is maintaining the balance between our heart and mind, that is loving God and learning about God.
Usually we go to either one of the two extremes:
We study the Bible a great deal and major on knowledge.
Or, we focus on worship and seek to have an intimate relationship with God that keeps us on a spiritual high.
We get a big head and a cold heart or a warm heart and a stagnant mind!
Mat 22:37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
Paul prayed for his friends in Philippi that their, love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment. Phil 1:9
Christian love is neither blind nor ignorant!
Emotions that are not examined and controlled by the Word of God can produce zeal without knowledge – Romans 10:2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge
However, if the mind is filled with Bible truth but the heart is not ignited by love for Christ, we could become cold academic Christians who are better at arguing about the Bible than obeying it!
Spurgeon’s prayer – “My Lord, I leave the infinite to you. I pray that you will keep me away from a love for the tree of knowledge and give me a great love for the tree of life.”
The mind learns the truth, the heart loves the truth and the will obeys and lives the truth; and they work together to keep our lives balanced.
If our fellowship with God in His Word doesn’t gradually make us more like Christ, then something is wrong because that’s what Bible study and meditation are all about.
If we are becoming more like Christ, then we are becoming more and more balanced!
Solitude and Service
Receiving and Giving
Ourselves and Others
Heart and Mind