Day #345: Daily Bible Reading Plan - December 8th
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 26 - 28 ...
Does obedience to God really matter? God knows we aren't perfect and all of us disobey God sometimes. What's the big deal? I fear that in this age of GRACE we have forgotten that God's blessing is still tied to obedience! We know that salvation is not dependent on our works. "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith (and that not from yourselves - it is the gift of God) not by works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). But the very next verse explains that "we (believers) are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10). Though we are saved by grace, the fact remains that God's blessing in this life is tied to obedience, and there are consequences for disobedience.
As the people of Israel are about to enter into the promised land, Moses instructs them once more in the simplest of God's dealings with mankind: Obedience brings His blessing; disobedience brings His curses. God NEVER takes disobedience lightly. This is why James writes centuries later that "faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:17). Faith in God understands that we do not belong to ourselves, but to the One who created us for His glory. In His Law God reveals His glory and obedience to His law is the very righteousness Jesus tells us to pursue when He says, "Seek first His kingdom AND His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well" (Matthew 6:33). He was saying the same thing Moses says in our reading for today.
Do not consider these things as a means to earn your salvation, but as evidence that you ARE saved, that you are one of God's chosen people. Notice that Moses says, "WHEN you have entered the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance ..." (26:1), and "WHEN you have crossed the Jordan into the land the LORD your God is giving you ..." (27:2). God keeps His promises and fulfills everything He has said He will do. Moses tells them, "You have now become the people of the LORD your God. Obey the LORD your God and follow His commands and decrees that I give you today" (27:9-10). And here is God's promise: "If you fully obey the LORD your God ... the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God" (28:1-2).
These promises were given specifically to Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But now, through Christ, the "Seed of Abraham," we who believe in Jesus receive the same promises IN Christ Jesus. Obedience brings blessing. Putting God FIRST and worshiping Him and not the things of the world bears fruit in our lives. God commanded His people to bring the first fruits of their land to the Levites and to those in need. This would be a sign that they were His people and that they were different than the nations around them. We must recognize that to be a disciple of Jesus Christ today means that WE are "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that we may declare the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness and into His wonderful light" (I Peter 2:9). Putting God first and bringing Him the first fruits of His blessings to us acknowledges that ALL we have belongs to Him.
As certainly as God can bring blessing into your life and mine, He can remove it just as quickly. Moses warned the people that the blessings would turn to curses if they turned away from the LORD their God. There are thousands upon thousands of examples of lives that have faced untold heartache and trials due to disobedience to the LORD, our God. This does NOT mean that every time a believer faces trials that it is due to some disobedience and is thus discipline from Him. God often allows His children to go through trials so that our faith may be strengthened and we may testify that His grace and strength are sufficient for our every need. In fact, it is in the midst of such struggles that the light of faith and victory in Jesus shine the brightest!
Still, disobedience has its own "reward," its own consequence. After pointing out the blessings that obedience brings, Moses declares, "HOWEVER, if you do NOT obey the LORD your God and do NOT carefully follow all His commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you" (28:15). Once again, these words were spoken specifically to Israel, and they would, indeed, face the just rewards of their idolatry and rebellion in the centuries to come. All the curses would come upon them because they turned away from God and brought His judgment on themselves. But there was a remnant within Israel, as there is today among the nations, who believed in God, who trusted in Him and who lived to serve Him. At times their number was small, and it is much smaller today than most may think, but these understand God's unchanging principle and seek God's blessing in their lives through their obedience to His Word.
Reading through the Gospels it is impossible to imagine Jesus telling His disciples that it didn't matter whether they kept His commands or not. People who do not have a desire to please God quite simply do not know God, and certainly do not love God with all their heart, with all their mind and with all their strength - what Jesus calls the "greatest commandment." In His "Great Commission," Jesus spoke to His disciples shortly before His ascension into heaven and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go and make disciples of all nations; baptizing them into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20). Obedience is not the CAUSE of our salvation, but it IS the result of the work of God's Spirit within us. Where there is no desire to obey God, the Spirit is not present and the sinful nature is still in control.
Moses told the people to build an altar and to bring their "fellowship offerings" there, "eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the LORD your God" (27:9). Fellowship with God is sweet as you live in obedience to His Word. Disobedience causes guilt and a sense of separation from God, even though He says He will never leave or forsake His own. In Christ, God has made a way for us to return to Him, through confession and repentance and faith. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9). But we who believe do not take God's grace for granted. Only those who do not know Christ believe they can continue to live in unrepentant sin and rely on God's grace to cover their sin through the blood of Jesus.
True faith, then and now, produces within us the desire to love God and to obey God. The two go hand-in-hand. One does not exist without the other. Draw near to God today, bring your offerings of thanksgiving and praise and trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins. Be quick to confess and pray that God would help you daily to put to "put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:22-24). There is no such thing as a "little" disobedience. God calls you and me to holiness! Pursue it with a greater passion than those who do not know God pursue their own desires and you will find that obedience always brings our Father's blessing in one way or another, sooner or later.
"God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised" (Hebrews 6:10-12). May that be YOU!!
"O LORD, our God, Your Word reminds me that to obey You is its own reward, for in obedience to Your Word I discover freedom from the old nature that desires to enslave me. Convict me by Your Spirit when I stray from Your Word, when I am drawn by the desires of the flesh to disobey Your commands, and move me to return to you in true confession and repentance, claiming Your grace and forgiveness in Christ Jesus, and pursuing holiness and righteousness through the power of Your Spirit Who is at work within me. Let my life reflect Your glory to those around me so that they, too, may be drawn to turn away from sin to follow the path of righteousness for Your name's sake! In Jesus' name, Amen"
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Saturday, December 6, 2014
"Loving one another in the truth of Jesus Christ …"
Day #344: Daily Bible Reading Plan - December 7th
Scripture Reading: II John …
There is no love like that of those who are united to Christ and to each other. It is something that is difficult to describe. Some have wrongly understood that we are commanded to love everyone the same, but while God calls us to "love our enemies," it is certainly a different love than the love we share with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We "show" love to our enemies and we are concerned for them because we know that unless they repent and believe they will one day face the just judgment of God in an eternity of anguish, being separated from God forever … but it's not like the love we have for one another. Why? Because we don't SHARE the love of God or the fellowship of the Spirit. We don't relate on the same level. That's just the way it is. Those who know Christ know what I mean. You can't get close to people who don't share the Spirit, no matter how hard you try … it's different because there's "something" missing!!
John's second and third letters are brief "notes" to individuals, yet within them lies a message for all who know and love Jesus. You can hear the loneliness of John as he has survived the persecution of the "60's" (A.D.) and the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D. Many, if not all of his brothers, the apostles, have been martyred … and yet, the true Church, the remnant, those who believed in Jesus Christ against all odds, has survived. "This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" (I John 5:4). John must have felt alone, but he knew he wasn't alone. So he writes "to the chosen lady and her children" (vs. 1). We don't know who this was, but it is clear that she was a believer. John greets her with the words, "whom I love in the truth - and not I only, but also all who know the truth - because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever" (verses 1-2).
When John uses the words, "the truth," he is referring to at least two things: first, the Gospel, the truth of God's Word, and second, Jesus, Who is Himself "the Way, the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6). This is where our oneness with our brothers and sisters in Christ is found: in Jesus and in the truth of His Word. Jesus IS the truth! He is the fulfillment of all the prophecies of the Old Testament, the wisdom of God made flesh. If you remove Jesus from everything else you know all other knowledge is empty and useless. What good does it do to know anything if you are simply going to live, die and face God's judgment in hell forever? JESUS changes everything! The TRUTH changes everything. That's why Jesus said to the Jews who believed in Him, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).
Jesus is using a "play on words" because there is a double meaning to "knowing the truth." Some people have heard about Jesus and may even say they believe in Jesus, but they don't KNOW Him, because they have not truly accepted the truth that He IS the eternal Son of God, that He IS Lord, that He IS worthy of worship, that He IS the only Mediator and Savior of those who KNOW Him, who believe His Words (the truth) and who trust Him ... who find their hope and peace and joy nowhere else but in Jesus. John continues and says, "Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love" (verse 3). If you were facing persecution and possibly death for your testimony to the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior, how important would these words be to you?! "Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love."
The rest of this brief letter reveals the connection between truth and love. John says, "It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us" (verse 4). Then he goes on to talk about the command to "love one another" (verse 5). Truth and love always go together. The love Jesus commands us to have for one another cannot exist without truth ... cannot exist without Jesus. Too many who claim that they are Christians congregate in churches (appropriately enough called "congregations") no differently than they would in a restaurant or a social club. In fact, that's what many churches are - social clubs - a place to get together, to get small doses of encouragement or inspiration, to play religion and to do a few good deeds to make people feel good. The name of Jesus is used as a motivation, but the cross of Jesus is noticeably absent. Sin is seldom, if ever, confronted; repentance is a word that has been placed on the shelf as old-fashioned and faith is simply a mental assent to a set of beliefs with which even those who don't know Jesus could probably agree.
Many seem to start out well, but like those in Jesus' parable of the sower (Matthew 13), the trials of life, riches, prosperity and trials distract them and pull them away from true love and devotion for and to Jesus, THE Truth. While deceivers come who talk about Jesus as a good man, a good teacher, a good example, but deny that He is God in the flesh, there are others who simply fall away. They fail to "continue in the teaching of Christ" and so show that they do "not have God" (verse 9). John says, "Whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son" (verse 9). The mark of a true believer is seen in Paul's words to his young friend, Timothy: "As for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus" (II Timothy 3:14-15).
That is as good a description of a true believer as you will find: one who continues in the Word. Those who have no hunger for God's Word, who don't feed on its truth, and who are not growing spiritually are vulnerable to false teachers and do not mature. That's why Paul wrote to the Ephesians and said that Christ gave "some to be pastors and teachers to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. THEN we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. INSTEAD, SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-15).
Truth and love always go together for those who know Jesus Christ and who live to love Him and each other. John warns those who read his letter that "if anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him" (verse 10). The truth of Jesus Christ unites those who are truly part of His body with each other, and separates them from those who do not accept the truth of His Word and so who do not truly know Jesus. We who believe are called to love one another in the TRUTH of Jesus Christ. Live together with your fellow-believers, "face to face, so that (y)our joy may be complete" (verse 12). Share His love and His truth with one another as you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
"My Father in heaven, as I consider the circumstances that moved John to write this intimate letter to a fellow-believer, I thank You for the Truth that unites Your family in Christ. Give me grace to continue in the truth by reading, studying and meditating on Your Word as it points to Jesus from beginning to end. Open my mind by Your Spirit, who lives within me, that I may understand what I read and share THE Truth with those around me, so they, too, may discover the freedom and the joy that only Christ can give. Let Your love for us overflow to love for You and each other, in Jesus' name, Amen"
Scripture Reading: II John …
There is no love like that of those who are united to Christ and to each other. It is something that is difficult to describe. Some have wrongly understood that we are commanded to love everyone the same, but while God calls us to "love our enemies," it is certainly a different love than the love we share with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We "show" love to our enemies and we are concerned for them because we know that unless they repent and believe they will one day face the just judgment of God in an eternity of anguish, being separated from God forever … but it's not like the love we have for one another. Why? Because we don't SHARE the love of God or the fellowship of the Spirit. We don't relate on the same level. That's just the way it is. Those who know Christ know what I mean. You can't get close to people who don't share the Spirit, no matter how hard you try … it's different because there's "something" missing!!
John's second and third letters are brief "notes" to individuals, yet within them lies a message for all who know and love Jesus. You can hear the loneliness of John as he has survived the persecution of the "60's" (A.D.) and the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D. Many, if not all of his brothers, the apostles, have been martyred … and yet, the true Church, the remnant, those who believed in Jesus Christ against all odds, has survived. "This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" (I John 5:4). John must have felt alone, but he knew he wasn't alone. So he writes "to the chosen lady and her children" (vs. 1). We don't know who this was, but it is clear that she was a believer. John greets her with the words, "whom I love in the truth - and not I only, but also all who know the truth - because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever" (verses 1-2).
When John uses the words, "the truth," he is referring to at least two things: first, the Gospel, the truth of God's Word, and second, Jesus, Who is Himself "the Way, the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6). This is where our oneness with our brothers and sisters in Christ is found: in Jesus and in the truth of His Word. Jesus IS the truth! He is the fulfillment of all the prophecies of the Old Testament, the wisdom of God made flesh. If you remove Jesus from everything else you know all other knowledge is empty and useless. What good does it do to know anything if you are simply going to live, die and face God's judgment in hell forever? JESUS changes everything! The TRUTH changes everything. That's why Jesus said to the Jews who believed in Him, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).
Jesus is using a "play on words" because there is a double meaning to "knowing the truth." Some people have heard about Jesus and may even say they believe in Jesus, but they don't KNOW Him, because they have not truly accepted the truth that He IS the eternal Son of God, that He IS Lord, that He IS worthy of worship, that He IS the only Mediator and Savior of those who KNOW Him, who believe His Words (the truth) and who trust Him ... who find their hope and peace and joy nowhere else but in Jesus. John continues and says, "Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love" (verse 3). If you were facing persecution and possibly death for your testimony to the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior, how important would these words be to you?! "Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love."
The rest of this brief letter reveals the connection between truth and love. John says, "It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us" (verse 4). Then he goes on to talk about the command to "love one another" (verse 5). Truth and love always go together. The love Jesus commands us to have for one another cannot exist without truth ... cannot exist without Jesus. Too many who claim that they are Christians congregate in churches (appropriately enough called "congregations") no differently than they would in a restaurant or a social club. In fact, that's what many churches are - social clubs - a place to get together, to get small doses of encouragement or inspiration, to play religion and to do a few good deeds to make people feel good. The name of Jesus is used as a motivation, but the cross of Jesus is noticeably absent. Sin is seldom, if ever, confronted; repentance is a word that has been placed on the shelf as old-fashioned and faith is simply a mental assent to a set of beliefs with which even those who don't know Jesus could probably agree.
Many seem to start out well, but like those in Jesus' parable of the sower (Matthew 13), the trials of life, riches, prosperity and trials distract them and pull them away from true love and devotion for and to Jesus, THE Truth. While deceivers come who talk about Jesus as a good man, a good teacher, a good example, but deny that He is God in the flesh, there are others who simply fall away. They fail to "continue in the teaching of Christ" and so show that they do "not have God" (verse 9). John says, "Whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son" (verse 9). The mark of a true believer is seen in Paul's words to his young friend, Timothy: "As for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus" (II Timothy 3:14-15).
That is as good a description of a true believer as you will find: one who continues in the Word. Those who have no hunger for God's Word, who don't feed on its truth, and who are not growing spiritually are vulnerable to false teachers and do not mature. That's why Paul wrote to the Ephesians and said that Christ gave "some to be pastors and teachers to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. THEN we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. INSTEAD, SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-15).
Truth and love always go together for those who know Jesus Christ and who live to love Him and each other. John warns those who read his letter that "if anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him" (verse 10). The truth of Jesus Christ unites those who are truly part of His body with each other, and separates them from those who do not accept the truth of His Word and so who do not truly know Jesus. We who believe are called to love one another in the TRUTH of Jesus Christ. Live together with your fellow-believers, "face to face, so that (y)our joy may be complete" (verse 12). Share His love and His truth with one another as you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
"My Father in heaven, as I consider the circumstances that moved John to write this intimate letter to a fellow-believer, I thank You for the Truth that unites Your family in Christ. Give me grace to continue in the truth by reading, studying and meditating on Your Word as it points to Jesus from beginning to end. Open my mind by Your Spirit, who lives within me, that I may understand what I read and share THE Truth with those around me, so they, too, may discover the freedom and the joy that only Christ can give. Let Your love for us overflow to love for You and each other, in Jesus' name, Amen"
Friday, December 5, 2014
"Ready to die for the name of Jesus … "
Day #343: Daily Bible Reading Plan - December 6th
Scripture Reading: Acts 21 - 22 …
Sometimes people "talk big," declaring what they would do for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). But these were more than just words to Paul … it would shortly become reality. Which leads me to ask what you have given or are willing to give for the proclamation of the Gospel. It has been said that there have been more martyrs for Christ in the past century than in all the time since Christ's death, resurrection and ascension. Certainly, the Lord knows the hearts of those who have died because they testified that Jesus Christ was their Savior and Lord. Yet while some give their physical lives, the fact remains that Jesus said all who would be His disciples must die to SELF, must not only be willing to die for Him, but also to live for Him!!
As Paul completed his third missionary journey, traveling throughout Asia Minor, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, starting churches and encouraging those who believed to stand firm in their faith against persecution, he himself faced continual persecutions and hardships of various kinds. He explains in the tenth chapter of his second letter to the believers in Corinth how he had suffered for the proclamation of the Gospel. We have seen before that whenever the Gospel is preached in its fullness, there is opposition, and that often that opposition comes from those who fail to understand GRACE!! People continually believe they can earn God's favor through their good deeds and religious acts. When they are told that faith in JESUS is the ONLY way to be saved, to be justified, to be declared righteous in God's sight, they react as the Jews did with Paul. They refuse to acknowledge their sin and their need for a Savior, and so MISS God's grace!
Paul and those with him were not out to make friends, nor were they trying to make trouble, they were simply being obedient to God's call to proclaim the cross of Jesus Christ, telling people of His death, resurrection and ascension, and calling them to repent and believe and be saved from God's judgment. The life of the Apostle Paul did not happen by chance. Your life and mine is not by chance. God has put us here for this moment in time to be witnesses of the Gospel. Paul and those with him understood this mission and by the power of God's Spirit took it seriously.
Certainly, Paul had plenty of warning about going to Jerusalem. As he and his companions landed at Tyre, the disciples "urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem" (21:4). A prophet named, Agabus met Paul, and taking his belt declared to Paul that "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles" (21:11). Again, the people pleaded with Paul not to go to Jerusalem. Paul's response is telling: "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus" (21:13). So they stopped trying to dissuade Paul from going to Jerusalem and said, "The Lord's will be done" (21:14).
But why would it be the Lord's will for Paul to be persecuted, imprisoned, or put to death? We need to understand that it is not God's desire for people to suffer, but it IS at times part of His plan to use the evil other people do to advance His kingdom in ways you and I will never understand this side of heaven. Like Paul, we need to be obedient, to be faithful to God, entrusting our very lives to His keeping. The time may come for many of us to have to decide whether we are willing to give even our very lives for the cause of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Paul was going to Jerusalem because he believed God wanted him to testify to the brothers in the church there about how God was building His Church among the Gentiles. And as the rest of the events of Paul's life unfold, it is clear that God had a plan and that this was part of it.
Arriving finally at Jerusalem, Paul met with the elders and "reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry" (21:19). They, in turn, reported "how many thousands of Jews have believed" and how they were all "zealous for the law" (21:20). Then they asked Paul to show that he was not against the law by going through some of the rituals that God had given to the people of Israel in the days of Moses. They said, "Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law" (21:24). This must have presented a dilemma for Paul. He knew that all the ceremonies and sacrifices had been fulfilled in Christ. The apostles and elders of the church in Jerusalem knew that, too. This could be seen as compromising the Gospel. It wasn't that there was anything "wrong" in doing these things, but the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross made them "obsolete." Perhaps this is why Paul would write so clearly in his later letters that these things were no longer binding on those who were in Christ.
At any rate, the "compromise" didn't work! As soon as the Jews saw Paul in the temple they started a riot and seized Paul and began to beat him, trying to kill him! (21:30-31). He was "rescued" by Roman soldiers, but as they led him away and were about to put him in jail he asked to speak to the people. Imagine yourself having just been beaten by an angry mob and then asking to speak to them. What could Paul have been thinking?!! He was thinking about testifying about Jesus … about explaining to the people what they clearly did not yet understand. There is something very important to be learned here: not all those who claim to "believe" really understand the Gospel!
Like the Jews then, a growing number of people in the church claim to believe in Jesus but at the same time tolerate and even work with those from other religions who deny that Jesus is the only way to receive forgiveness from God and eternal life. In fact, many in the church today stand opposed to the Gospel because it is too "narrow." They have changed the Gospel to declare that God loves all people, that we are all children of God and that everybody will eventually go to heaven. Those of us who stand on the truth of God's Word can expect persecution to grow. As Agabus and others predicted what Paul would face when he went to Jerusalem, so that is what we will face in the years to come … what some are facing even now. And remember, this comes not only from those outside the church, but from within her walls!!
Paul's testimony begins with his training under Gamaliel. You may remember that Gamaliel was the Pharisee mentioned in Acts 5 who encouraged the Jewish leaders to release the apostles, who had been jailed for preaching the Gospel. He had said, "Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God" (Acts 5:38-39). Paul, and others, had not heeded his counsel, instead persecuting the first believers, throwing them in prison, and even putting them to death. Now Paul reminds the Jews of his "story," how he was trained by Gamaliel and was zealous for the law of Moses … UNTIL … until he met JESUS on the road to Damascus. That changed everything!!
As Paul spoke to the crowd they listened intently. This was "one of theirs." He was no stranger in Jerusalem. He had been "on their side" and now they saw him as starting a new religion. They, like so many since, were blind to the truth about Jesus Christ. Their eyes were blind and their ears were deaf. Their hearts were hard and they would not, they could not believe that Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah. After all, they were guilty of crucifying Him!! Oh, if only they had realized that if they would have humbled themselves and repented … if they had believed in Jesus, they would have experienced God's forgiveness and the freedom that comes from knowing and loving and serving Jesus!!
They listened … until Paul explained that God had sent him to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Now they revealed the truth of what was inside them: foolish, sinful PRIDE! THEY were the people of God! The Gentiles were unworthy to receive forgiveness. God was THEIR God … period! They had forgotten God's promise to Abraham that in his "Seed" all nations on earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). They were done listening. "Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live!" they cried (22:22). Doesn't it make you want to scream back, to tell them that THEY were not fit to live … that NONE OF US are fit to live … that apart from Jesus we would all perish in our sin.
The message of grace meets with strange responses from those who need it so desperately. Not one of us can stand in God's presence for a moment based on our own obedience, our own righteousness, our own holiness. Paul himself wrote to the Romans, quoting from Psalms 14 and 53, the very words the Jews claimed to be true, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. ALL have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one!" (Romans 3:10-12). If these Jews had realized that, they would have been eager to hear the Gospel, to repent, to believe in Jesus and be saved, but like so many today, they refused to humble themselves, to confess their sin and to come to the Savior. Instead, they settled for "religion" and would soon face God's just judgment, now not only for their sinful rebellion, but for rejecting the Savior whose name was Jesus!
Afraid that the crowd would take Paul by force, the commander of the soldiers took Paul away and told the soldiers to flog him and to question him to find out why the people were so angry. The Romans were tired of the Jews and their constant revolts and it would not be long before Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed by their armies. But God was not finished using Paul for His glory. He had more work to do! As he was about to be flogged, Paul asked one of the soldiers if it was legal to flog a Roman citizen. Roman law treated Jews and Romans differently. Because of his birth, Paul was both, so in a move similar to what happened to Jesus, Paul was released to stand before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council … the very people who wanted to kill him.
But God had a plan! God always has a plan. God had a plan to use Paul's life and He has a plan to use your life and mine. Whether it's to one person or a hundred or a thousand or more, you and I who believe in Jesus today are no less called by God to testify to the truth of the Gospel. There are still people who need to hear, some for the first time, some for the thousandth time. God knows those who are His and He has determined that it is through the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that people will be saved from His coming wrath and judgment. "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ" (Romans 10:17).
Are you ready to die for the name of Jesus? Are you ready to give your life to be used of God to "tell the old, old story?" Some will listen … most will not … but someday soon that last one of Jesus' sheep will be found and the trumpets will sound and Jesus will return to take us home! Until then, may we be found faithful as we declare to the world that "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved!" (Acts 4:12).
"Our Father in heaven, Your glory shines through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for in the Gospel Your righteousness, Your holiness, Your perfection, Your glory is displayed as sin is exposed and the perfect sacrifice of Your Son is revealed as the only way of salvation. Give all Your true people wisdom and strength to stand firm in our faith and to proclaim this message to a world in need of good news! Strengthen those who are being persecuted now and Your whole Church, that we will defend the truth against the attacks of those outside the church and those within who would enslave people to live by the law rather than by grace through faith in Jesus. Pour out Your Holy Spirit and empower us to fulfill the mission You have entrusted to all who truly believe. In Jesus' name, Amen"
Scripture Reading: Acts 21 - 22 …
Sometimes people "talk big," declaring what they would do for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). But these were more than just words to Paul … it would shortly become reality. Which leads me to ask what you have given or are willing to give for the proclamation of the Gospel. It has been said that there have been more martyrs for Christ in the past century than in all the time since Christ's death, resurrection and ascension. Certainly, the Lord knows the hearts of those who have died because they testified that Jesus Christ was their Savior and Lord. Yet while some give their physical lives, the fact remains that Jesus said all who would be His disciples must die to SELF, must not only be willing to die for Him, but also to live for Him!!
As Paul completed his third missionary journey, traveling throughout Asia Minor, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, starting churches and encouraging those who believed to stand firm in their faith against persecution, he himself faced continual persecutions and hardships of various kinds. He explains in the tenth chapter of his second letter to the believers in Corinth how he had suffered for the proclamation of the Gospel. We have seen before that whenever the Gospel is preached in its fullness, there is opposition, and that often that opposition comes from those who fail to understand GRACE!! People continually believe they can earn God's favor through their good deeds and religious acts. When they are told that faith in JESUS is the ONLY way to be saved, to be justified, to be declared righteous in God's sight, they react as the Jews did with Paul. They refuse to acknowledge their sin and their need for a Savior, and so MISS God's grace!
Paul and those with him were not out to make friends, nor were they trying to make trouble, they were simply being obedient to God's call to proclaim the cross of Jesus Christ, telling people of His death, resurrection and ascension, and calling them to repent and believe and be saved from God's judgment. The life of the Apostle Paul did not happen by chance. Your life and mine is not by chance. God has put us here for this moment in time to be witnesses of the Gospel. Paul and those with him understood this mission and by the power of God's Spirit took it seriously.
Certainly, Paul had plenty of warning about going to Jerusalem. As he and his companions landed at Tyre, the disciples "urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem" (21:4). A prophet named, Agabus met Paul, and taking his belt declared to Paul that "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles" (21:11). Again, the people pleaded with Paul not to go to Jerusalem. Paul's response is telling: "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus" (21:13). So they stopped trying to dissuade Paul from going to Jerusalem and said, "The Lord's will be done" (21:14).
But why would it be the Lord's will for Paul to be persecuted, imprisoned, or put to death? We need to understand that it is not God's desire for people to suffer, but it IS at times part of His plan to use the evil other people do to advance His kingdom in ways you and I will never understand this side of heaven. Like Paul, we need to be obedient, to be faithful to God, entrusting our very lives to His keeping. The time may come for many of us to have to decide whether we are willing to give even our very lives for the cause of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Paul was going to Jerusalem because he believed God wanted him to testify to the brothers in the church there about how God was building His Church among the Gentiles. And as the rest of the events of Paul's life unfold, it is clear that God had a plan and that this was part of it.
Arriving finally at Jerusalem, Paul met with the elders and "reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry" (21:19). They, in turn, reported "how many thousands of Jews have believed" and how they were all "zealous for the law" (21:20). Then they asked Paul to show that he was not against the law by going through some of the rituals that God had given to the people of Israel in the days of Moses. They said, "Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law" (21:24). This must have presented a dilemma for Paul. He knew that all the ceremonies and sacrifices had been fulfilled in Christ. The apostles and elders of the church in Jerusalem knew that, too. This could be seen as compromising the Gospel. It wasn't that there was anything "wrong" in doing these things, but the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross made them "obsolete." Perhaps this is why Paul would write so clearly in his later letters that these things were no longer binding on those who were in Christ.
At any rate, the "compromise" didn't work! As soon as the Jews saw Paul in the temple they started a riot and seized Paul and began to beat him, trying to kill him! (21:30-31). He was "rescued" by Roman soldiers, but as they led him away and were about to put him in jail he asked to speak to the people. Imagine yourself having just been beaten by an angry mob and then asking to speak to them. What could Paul have been thinking?!! He was thinking about testifying about Jesus … about explaining to the people what they clearly did not yet understand. There is something very important to be learned here: not all those who claim to "believe" really understand the Gospel!
Like the Jews then, a growing number of people in the church claim to believe in Jesus but at the same time tolerate and even work with those from other religions who deny that Jesus is the only way to receive forgiveness from God and eternal life. In fact, many in the church today stand opposed to the Gospel because it is too "narrow." They have changed the Gospel to declare that God loves all people, that we are all children of God and that everybody will eventually go to heaven. Those of us who stand on the truth of God's Word can expect persecution to grow. As Agabus and others predicted what Paul would face when he went to Jerusalem, so that is what we will face in the years to come … what some are facing even now. And remember, this comes not only from those outside the church, but from within her walls!!
Paul's testimony begins with his training under Gamaliel. You may remember that Gamaliel was the Pharisee mentioned in Acts 5 who encouraged the Jewish leaders to release the apostles, who had been jailed for preaching the Gospel. He had said, "Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God" (Acts 5:38-39). Paul, and others, had not heeded his counsel, instead persecuting the first believers, throwing them in prison, and even putting them to death. Now Paul reminds the Jews of his "story," how he was trained by Gamaliel and was zealous for the law of Moses … UNTIL … until he met JESUS on the road to Damascus. That changed everything!!
As Paul spoke to the crowd they listened intently. This was "one of theirs." He was no stranger in Jerusalem. He had been "on their side" and now they saw him as starting a new religion. They, like so many since, were blind to the truth about Jesus Christ. Their eyes were blind and their ears were deaf. Their hearts were hard and they would not, they could not believe that Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah. After all, they were guilty of crucifying Him!! Oh, if only they had realized that if they would have humbled themselves and repented … if they had believed in Jesus, they would have experienced God's forgiveness and the freedom that comes from knowing and loving and serving Jesus!!
They listened … until Paul explained that God had sent him to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Now they revealed the truth of what was inside them: foolish, sinful PRIDE! THEY were the people of God! The Gentiles were unworthy to receive forgiveness. God was THEIR God … period! They had forgotten God's promise to Abraham that in his "Seed" all nations on earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). They were done listening. "Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live!" they cried (22:22). Doesn't it make you want to scream back, to tell them that THEY were not fit to live … that NONE OF US are fit to live … that apart from Jesus we would all perish in our sin.
The message of grace meets with strange responses from those who need it so desperately. Not one of us can stand in God's presence for a moment based on our own obedience, our own righteousness, our own holiness. Paul himself wrote to the Romans, quoting from Psalms 14 and 53, the very words the Jews claimed to be true, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. ALL have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one!" (Romans 3:10-12). If these Jews had realized that, they would have been eager to hear the Gospel, to repent, to believe in Jesus and be saved, but like so many today, they refused to humble themselves, to confess their sin and to come to the Savior. Instead, they settled for "religion" and would soon face God's just judgment, now not only for their sinful rebellion, but for rejecting the Savior whose name was Jesus!
Afraid that the crowd would take Paul by force, the commander of the soldiers took Paul away and told the soldiers to flog him and to question him to find out why the people were so angry. The Romans were tired of the Jews and their constant revolts and it would not be long before Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed by their armies. But God was not finished using Paul for His glory. He had more work to do! As he was about to be flogged, Paul asked one of the soldiers if it was legal to flog a Roman citizen. Roman law treated Jews and Romans differently. Because of his birth, Paul was both, so in a move similar to what happened to Jesus, Paul was released to stand before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council … the very people who wanted to kill him.
But God had a plan! God always has a plan. God had a plan to use Paul's life and He has a plan to use your life and mine. Whether it's to one person or a hundred or a thousand or more, you and I who believe in Jesus today are no less called by God to testify to the truth of the Gospel. There are still people who need to hear, some for the first time, some for the thousandth time. God knows those who are His and He has determined that it is through the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that people will be saved from His coming wrath and judgment. "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ" (Romans 10:17).
Are you ready to die for the name of Jesus? Are you ready to give your life to be used of God to "tell the old, old story?" Some will listen … most will not … but someday soon that last one of Jesus' sheep will be found and the trumpets will sound and Jesus will return to take us home! Until then, may we be found faithful as we declare to the world that "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved!" (Acts 4:12).
"Our Father in heaven, Your glory shines through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for in the Gospel Your righteousness, Your holiness, Your perfection, Your glory is displayed as sin is exposed and the perfect sacrifice of Your Son is revealed as the only way of salvation. Give all Your true people wisdom and strength to stand firm in our faith and to proclaim this message to a world in need of good news! Strengthen those who are being persecuted now and Your whole Church, that we will defend the truth against the attacks of those outside the church and those within who would enslave people to live by the law rather than by grace through faith in Jesus. Pour out Your Holy Spirit and empower us to fulfill the mission You have entrusted to all who truly believe. In Jesus' name, Amen"
Thursday, December 4, 2014
"The Apocalypse … REVELATION … what will take place later …"
Day #342: Daily Bible Reading Plan - December 5th
Scripture Reading: Revelation 1 - 6 …
"The time is near …" (1:3) But 1900 years have passed since John penned these words at the direction of Jesus. How could that qualify as "near"? "Do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day" (II Peter 3:8). Peter goes on to say that God is being patient, calling people to "repent," and this is the call of the Spirit to the churches in Chapters 2 and 3. God's call to repentance has echoed throughout the world since John the Baptist, then Jesus, and then the Apostles called people to turn from their sin and to follow Jesus, the Christ. In his "Revelation" John is given words that the church needs to hear, for in this "uncovering" lies a future that ends in victory!!
The path to victory, however, will not be an easy one. As you and I live in this world it is important to understand that the message we and all mankind need to hear comes from God Himself. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty" (1:8). Revelation is written to believers, as John states at the beginning: "To Him who loves US and has freed US from our sins by His blood, and has made US to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father …" (1:5-6). Jesus is the One who is speaking to the churches by His Spirit of things that were, that are and that will be (1:19). How important, then, for those who are united to Christ by faith today to hear His words and to "overcome!"
Each of the seven letters begins with this phrase: "These are the words of …" What follows each of those phrases is a description of Jesus. Here they are: " … Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lamp stands" (2:1); " … Him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again" (2:8); " … Him who has the sharp, double-edged sword" (2:12); " … the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze" (2:18); " … Him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars" (3:1); " … Him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David" (3:7); " … the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation" (3:14). John leaves no doubt as to the Author of these messages to the churches. It is Jesus, the Head of the Church, the One Who is seated at the Father's right hand. JESUS speaks to you and me through His Word, and to each of the churches He says, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (2:7; 2:11; 2:17; 2:29; 3:6; 3:13; 3:22).
God is speaking!! And the encouragement to listen is found at the end of each letter: "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God" (2:7); "He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death" (2:11); "To Him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it" (2:17); "To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations" (2:26); "He who overcomes will … be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and His angels" (3:5); "Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God" (3:12); "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne" (3:21). These are no small promises, and each is tied to "overcoming!"
So what is there to overcome? Satan, the world and the flesh!! Living as a follower of Christ, then, now and in the future, has never been easy … will never be easy. Those who say otherwise lead people astray and give them false hope in THIS world. Jesus told His disciples, "In THIS world you will have trouble. Take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Some believe that the last generation of believers will escape the trials that are to come, that we will be "raptured" before the Antichrist appears and we will escape the Great Tribulation. Is that what GOD says? Why the call to endure, to persevere, to overcome? Was that just for people in previous centuries, or those who may be persecuted today? Is there an easier path for US??
Having received the messages for the churches, God begins to reveal things to John in visions. First, He gives John the same vision of heaven that Isaiah describes in Isaiah 6:1-5. What a sight this must be. The throne of God, the visual display of God's glorious perfection, the "living creatures," the angels flying and proclaiming day and night, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come" (4:8). God is worthy because He is the Creator. Anyone who worships a god that is not the Sovereign Creator of the universe and all things in it is worshiping a false god. But as John attempts to take in this scene, he sees "a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals" (5:1). "Apocalypse" means "uncovering" or "revelation." The remainder of this letter describes what is revealed to John … and to us.
As the scene unfolds in Chapter 5, "the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David," who has triumphed, is the only One able to open the scroll. Shortly before He ascended into heaven Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me!" (Matthew 28:18). Here is the picture of Jesus exercising that authority. Nothing happens except by His command or permission. Verses 11-14 describe the worship of which only Jesus is worthy, for He is the only One who has given His life to ransom "men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation" (5:9). So as we come to Chapter 6, we see Jesus beginning to open the seven seals of the scroll … You need to picture a scroll with seals around it. The writing of what is to take place is on the scroll itself. The opening of the seals is preliminary to what takes place when the scroll itself is opened.
Many mistakenly believe that what follows in Revelation is an allegory, a series of symbols that had some meaning in the past or that may have some meaning in the future, but which we cannot understand. These believe we need not understand anything from these words from Jesus except that in the end, we win … or more accurately, JESUS wins! But remember the words, "To him who overcomes …" Revelation was an encouragement to the first century believers and should have been an encouragement for the church through the centuries since, but it will be the greatest encouragement to the generation that sees these things unfold, just as Jesus said they would.
Those who believe that Revelation is an allegory, not to be taken literally, believe that the "seals," the "trumpet judgments," and the "bowls of wrath" are three series of events all talking about the same thing, rather than a progression of judgment upon the earth. Such an understanding, however, does not fit with what is revealed by each of these separate series of events. We begin in Chapter 6, with the opening of the seals ... the "prelude" to God's judgment, which begins in Chapter 8. While some say that the wrath of God begins with the opening of the seals, it is vitally important to see the difference between the trumpet judgments of Chapters 8-9, along with the "bowls of God's wrath" in Chapters 15-16, and the six seals of Chapter 6. These seals are NOT the "day of the Lord wrath" predicted by the prophets. Rather, they are the work of the Antichrist.
While God is still in control and the Lamb, Jesus, opens the seals, it is the Antichrist who is the "rider on the white horse" (6:2). The first four seals describe events during the first three-and-one-half years of Daniel's "70th week" (Daniel 9:25-27). Time does not allow me to go into more detail, but it is impossible to understand Revelation unless the events of Chapter 6 are seen as leading up to the rapture of believers and the beginning of God's judgment some time during the last three-and-one-half years prior to Jesus' coming. The idea that the rapture is the next thing on the prophetic calendar leaves many vulnerable to the idea that we who believe will not go through the time of great tribulation that will come upon the earth just prior to the return of Jesus.
The opening of the fifth seal (6:9-11) reveals those who have been martyred during the great tribulation asking God, "How long?" God answers, "Until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed" (6:11). Then comes the opening of the sixth seal, just prior to the beginning of the "day of the Lord" - GOD's judgment, His wrath poured out on the rest of mankind. The opening of the sixth seal is parallel to Jesus' description of the events following the great tribulation and just prior to the rapture, Matthew 24:29. Isaiah describes the same events in Isaiah 13:10 and Joel describes the same events in Joel 2:30-31. There will be significant and unmistakeable signs in the sky just prior to the rapture of true believers, and the rapture will be followed by ... GOD's wrath!!
"Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?'" (6:15-17). God's judgment will come upon the earth and all who are not washed by the blood of Jesus, who have not believed in Him, will face His judgment. But Paul writes to the Thessalonians, "For God did not appoint US to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Thessalonians 5:9).
Praise God for His Word and for His promises to us who believe. God is with us now and our future is secure! Jesus is Savior and Lord and in Him we find our hope. Almost two thousand years have passed (two days from God's perspective) since John wrote Revelation and the signs are all around us that Jesus' return is near. So we wait, thanking God for giving us "ears to hear" and grace to "overcome!" "Amen! Come Lord Jesus!!"
"Heavenly Father, as You speak to us by Your Word and Spirit we hear Your call to repent, to believe and to serve Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Lord, our KING! Give me grace to overcome the temptations to doubt or to fear, and help me keep my eyes on Jesus, knowing that He is seated at Your right hand, ruling over all things and directing all things toward the conclusion of Your plan for this world and for mankind. I thank You that through faith in Jesus I have a sure and certain hope that I will spend eternity with You in a new heaven and a new earth where I will join with the angels in worship and praise forever! In Jesus' name, Amen"
Scripture Reading: Revelation 1 - 6 …
"The time is near …" (1:3) But 1900 years have passed since John penned these words at the direction of Jesus. How could that qualify as "near"? "Do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day" (II Peter 3:8). Peter goes on to say that God is being patient, calling people to "repent," and this is the call of the Spirit to the churches in Chapters 2 and 3. God's call to repentance has echoed throughout the world since John the Baptist, then Jesus, and then the Apostles called people to turn from their sin and to follow Jesus, the Christ. In his "Revelation" John is given words that the church needs to hear, for in this "uncovering" lies a future that ends in victory!!
The path to victory, however, will not be an easy one. As you and I live in this world it is important to understand that the message we and all mankind need to hear comes from God Himself. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty" (1:8). Revelation is written to believers, as John states at the beginning: "To Him who loves US and has freed US from our sins by His blood, and has made US to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father …" (1:5-6). Jesus is the One who is speaking to the churches by His Spirit of things that were, that are and that will be (1:19). How important, then, for those who are united to Christ by faith today to hear His words and to "overcome!"
Each of the seven letters begins with this phrase: "These are the words of …" What follows each of those phrases is a description of Jesus. Here they are: " … Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lamp stands" (2:1); " … Him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again" (2:8); " … Him who has the sharp, double-edged sword" (2:12); " … the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze" (2:18); " … Him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars" (3:1); " … Him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David" (3:7); " … the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation" (3:14). John leaves no doubt as to the Author of these messages to the churches. It is Jesus, the Head of the Church, the One Who is seated at the Father's right hand. JESUS speaks to you and me through His Word, and to each of the churches He says, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (2:7; 2:11; 2:17; 2:29; 3:6; 3:13; 3:22).
God is speaking!! And the encouragement to listen is found at the end of each letter: "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God" (2:7); "He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death" (2:11); "To Him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it" (2:17); "To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations" (2:26); "He who overcomes will … be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and His angels" (3:5); "Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God" (3:12); "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne" (3:21). These are no small promises, and each is tied to "overcoming!"
So what is there to overcome? Satan, the world and the flesh!! Living as a follower of Christ, then, now and in the future, has never been easy … will never be easy. Those who say otherwise lead people astray and give them false hope in THIS world. Jesus told His disciples, "In THIS world you will have trouble. Take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Some believe that the last generation of believers will escape the trials that are to come, that we will be "raptured" before the Antichrist appears and we will escape the Great Tribulation. Is that what GOD says? Why the call to endure, to persevere, to overcome? Was that just for people in previous centuries, or those who may be persecuted today? Is there an easier path for US??
Having received the messages for the churches, God begins to reveal things to John in visions. First, He gives John the same vision of heaven that Isaiah describes in Isaiah 6:1-5. What a sight this must be. The throne of God, the visual display of God's glorious perfection, the "living creatures," the angels flying and proclaiming day and night, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come" (4:8). God is worthy because He is the Creator. Anyone who worships a god that is not the Sovereign Creator of the universe and all things in it is worshiping a false god. But as John attempts to take in this scene, he sees "a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals" (5:1). "Apocalypse" means "uncovering" or "revelation." The remainder of this letter describes what is revealed to John … and to us.
As the scene unfolds in Chapter 5, "the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David," who has triumphed, is the only One able to open the scroll. Shortly before He ascended into heaven Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me!" (Matthew 28:18). Here is the picture of Jesus exercising that authority. Nothing happens except by His command or permission. Verses 11-14 describe the worship of which only Jesus is worthy, for He is the only One who has given His life to ransom "men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation" (5:9). So as we come to Chapter 6, we see Jesus beginning to open the seven seals of the scroll … You need to picture a scroll with seals around it. The writing of what is to take place is on the scroll itself. The opening of the seals is preliminary to what takes place when the scroll itself is opened.
Many mistakenly believe that what follows in Revelation is an allegory, a series of symbols that had some meaning in the past or that may have some meaning in the future, but which we cannot understand. These believe we need not understand anything from these words from Jesus except that in the end, we win … or more accurately, JESUS wins! But remember the words, "To him who overcomes …" Revelation was an encouragement to the first century believers and should have been an encouragement for the church through the centuries since, but it will be the greatest encouragement to the generation that sees these things unfold, just as Jesus said they would.
Those who believe that Revelation is an allegory, not to be taken literally, believe that the "seals," the "trumpet judgments," and the "bowls of wrath" are three series of events all talking about the same thing, rather than a progression of judgment upon the earth. Such an understanding, however, does not fit with what is revealed by each of these separate series of events. We begin in Chapter 6, with the opening of the seals ... the "prelude" to God's judgment, which begins in Chapter 8. While some say that the wrath of God begins with the opening of the seals, it is vitally important to see the difference between the trumpet judgments of Chapters 8-9, along with the "bowls of God's wrath" in Chapters 15-16, and the six seals of Chapter 6. These seals are NOT the "day of the Lord wrath" predicted by the prophets. Rather, they are the work of the Antichrist.
While God is still in control and the Lamb, Jesus, opens the seals, it is the Antichrist who is the "rider on the white horse" (6:2). The first four seals describe events during the first three-and-one-half years of Daniel's "70th week" (Daniel 9:25-27). Time does not allow me to go into more detail, but it is impossible to understand Revelation unless the events of Chapter 6 are seen as leading up to the rapture of believers and the beginning of God's judgment some time during the last three-and-one-half years prior to Jesus' coming. The idea that the rapture is the next thing on the prophetic calendar leaves many vulnerable to the idea that we who believe will not go through the time of great tribulation that will come upon the earth just prior to the return of Jesus.
The opening of the fifth seal (6:9-11) reveals those who have been martyred during the great tribulation asking God, "How long?" God answers, "Until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed" (6:11). Then comes the opening of the sixth seal, just prior to the beginning of the "day of the Lord" - GOD's judgment, His wrath poured out on the rest of mankind. The opening of the sixth seal is parallel to Jesus' description of the events following the great tribulation and just prior to the rapture, Matthew 24:29. Isaiah describes the same events in Isaiah 13:10 and Joel describes the same events in Joel 2:30-31. There will be significant and unmistakeable signs in the sky just prior to the rapture of true believers, and the rapture will be followed by ... GOD's wrath!!
"Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?'" (6:15-17). God's judgment will come upon the earth and all who are not washed by the blood of Jesus, who have not believed in Him, will face His judgment. But Paul writes to the Thessalonians, "For God did not appoint US to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Thessalonians 5:9).
Praise God for His Word and for His promises to us who believe. God is with us now and our future is secure! Jesus is Savior and Lord and in Him we find our hope. Almost two thousand years have passed (two days from God's perspective) since John wrote Revelation and the signs are all around us that Jesus' return is near. So we wait, thanking God for giving us "ears to hear" and grace to "overcome!" "Amen! Come Lord Jesus!!"
"Heavenly Father, as You speak to us by Your Word and Spirit we hear Your call to repent, to believe and to serve Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Lord, our KING! Give me grace to overcome the temptations to doubt or to fear, and help me keep my eyes on Jesus, knowing that He is seated at Your right hand, ruling over all things and directing all things toward the conclusion of Your plan for this world and for mankind. I thank You that through faith in Jesus I have a sure and certain hope that I will spend eternity with You in a new heaven and a new earth where I will join with the angels in worship and praise forever! In Jesus' name, Amen"
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
"The passion of true love … "
Day #341: Daily Bible Reading Plan - December 4th
Scripture Reading: Song of Songs 1 - 2 …
Books written about Solomon's "Song of Songs" have been enthusiastically received by many over the past century, and especially in recent years. The passion of love expressed between the "Beloved" and her "Lover" has been presented as the ideal of the marital love expressed between a wife and her husband. Solomon's words are interpreted to refer to the physical desire and sexual intimacy which God designed to express the oneness of a man and a woman. Yet, prior to the early twentieth century Solomon's "Song of Songs" was almost exclusively interpreted as an allegory of the relationship between God and His people, and ultimately between Christ and His Church. So which is right?
Perhaps we cannot say with certainty, yet it seems that the context of Solomon's writings … the building of the temple and a time of perhaps unequaled prosperity for Israel, the chosen people of God … would indicate that these words, while using the intimacy of marital love as a word picture, point to the passion and intimacy of God for His people and the response of those who receive His love. God spoke through the prophet Isaiah, saying, "For your Maker is your husband - the LORD Almighty is His Name - the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer …" (Isaiah 54:5). And when His people turned away from Him, God spoke through the prophet, Jeremiah, saying, "Return, faithless people, for I am your husband" (Jeremiah 3:14).
God used the prophet, Hosea, to give a picture of an adulteress wife and told Hosea to go bring her back, even as He pursued Israel. The picture expands in the New Testament, as God calls Jews and Gentiles into a relationship with Christ. Paul writes to the Corinthians: "I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Him" (II Corinthians 11:2). And then there is that well-known passage in Ephesians 5, where Paul gives instructions to husbands and wives and then says, "This is a profound mystery - but I am talking about Christ and the Church" (Ephesians 5:32).
Given these passages which point to God's relationship with His people, Israel, and the relationship of Christ and His Church, it seems important and necessary to glean from Solomon's "Song of Songs" truth that applies directly to God's love for His people and our response to Him. It's interesting to see how many people "identify" with the passion of marital love and sexual intimacy, but how few identify such passion and desire with their relationship with God. Yet, even in the little word, "so," God reveals the depth of His love for His people when John writes, "God SO loved the world that He gave His one and only Son …" (John 3:16). And again, Paul prays that "you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God!" (Ephesians 3:17-19).
God LOVES us! And He calls us to love Him back!! God calls us into an intimate relationship of which the intimacy of a husband and wife is only a picture. And He stirs within us a passion to return His love, loving HIM because He FIRST loved us! (I John 4:19). To miss this is to miss the joy of knowing God's love in Christ. As you read through these words think of how much God loves you and examine your heart to determine how much YOU love God. Do you have the relationship with God that Jesus prays for in John 17:20-23, a "oneness" like that of the Father, Son and Spirit? Are you in "fellowship" with Christ by faith?
Solomon begins with words spoken by the "beloved," "Take me away with you - let us hurry! Let the King bring me into His chambers" (1:4). Here is the heart's desire of those who know Christ; in fact, the second to last verse of the Bible says, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" Jesus took the part of the bridegroom in John 14, when He said to His disciples, "I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am" (14:2-3). The "king's chambers" are nothing less than the glory of God's presence!
In the words of the "lover" are pictures of God's love for Israel and of Christ's love for the Church: "How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful!" (1:15). I can't help but think of the words of the song, "How Beautiful Is the Body of Christ": "How beautiful, the radiant bride, who waits for her groom with HIS light in her eyes … how beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the Body of Christ." How few people understand that God sees us IN CHRIST as holy, as beautiful and spotless! Imagine how we might live if we truly believed the depth of God's love for us! Remember, "God SO loved the world that He gave His one and only Son … " Christ is the bridegroom and we are the bride.
The "beloved" declares, "He has taken me to the banquet hall and His banner over me is love" (2:4). Could Jesus have been thinking about Solomon's words when He spoke of the "wedding banquet" in Matthew 22, or of the "great banquet" in Luke 14? There will come a time when love will be fulfilled: "Arise … the winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come … the fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance … " (2:10-13). It is difficult, if not impossible in our present existence, to see the beauty of this intimate spiritual relationship between God and His people, between Christ and His Church, but it forms the basis of God's desire for eternity.
There will come a time when the "beloved" will be able to say, "My lover is mine and I am His" (2:16). Let me include here the words of a song written by James Mountain in 1876. The name of the song is "Everlasting Love" and here are the words, based on these words of Solomon:
"Loved with everlasting love, led by grace that love to know;
Gracious Spirit from above, Thou hast taught me it is so!
O this full and perfect peace! O this transport all divine!
In a love which cannot cease, I am His, and He is mine.
Heav'n above is softer blue, earth around is sweeter green.
Something lives in every hue, Christless eyes have never seen;
Birds with gladder songs o'erflow, flowers with deeper beauties shine,
Since I know, as now I know, I am His, and He is mine.
Things that once were wild alarms cannot now disturb my rest;
Closed in everlasting arms, pillowed on the loving breast.
O to lie forever here, doubt and care and self resign,
While He whispers in my ear, I am His, and He is mine.
His forever, only His; Who the Lord and me shall part?
Ah, with what a rest of bliss Christ can fill the loving heart!
Heav'n and earth may fade and flee, firstborn light in gloom decline;
But while God and I shall be, I am His and He is mine."
THIS is the love of which Solomon speaks. May you know that love in Christ today!
"My Father in heaven, I come to You through Your Son Jesus Christ, who has called me to Himself by His very Spirit. As one of Your sheep, I have heard His voice, and as one so loved, I love You, my Savior and my God, my Good Shepherd and my King!! I long for Your embrace and my heart races at the thought of Your majesty and Your holiness. Open my eyes, now, to see Your love and to long for Jesus' return, when I will be gathered with the rest of His Bride to celebrate the wedding supper of the Lamb and His Bride in the Great Banquet Hall of heaven! In Jesus' name, Amen"
Scripture Reading: Song of Songs 1 - 2 …
Books written about Solomon's "Song of Songs" have been enthusiastically received by many over the past century, and especially in recent years. The passion of love expressed between the "Beloved" and her "Lover" has been presented as the ideal of the marital love expressed between a wife and her husband. Solomon's words are interpreted to refer to the physical desire and sexual intimacy which God designed to express the oneness of a man and a woman. Yet, prior to the early twentieth century Solomon's "Song of Songs" was almost exclusively interpreted as an allegory of the relationship between God and His people, and ultimately between Christ and His Church. So which is right?
Perhaps we cannot say with certainty, yet it seems that the context of Solomon's writings … the building of the temple and a time of perhaps unequaled prosperity for Israel, the chosen people of God … would indicate that these words, while using the intimacy of marital love as a word picture, point to the passion and intimacy of God for His people and the response of those who receive His love. God spoke through the prophet Isaiah, saying, "For your Maker is your husband - the LORD Almighty is His Name - the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer …" (Isaiah 54:5). And when His people turned away from Him, God spoke through the prophet, Jeremiah, saying, "Return, faithless people, for I am your husband" (Jeremiah 3:14).
God used the prophet, Hosea, to give a picture of an adulteress wife and told Hosea to go bring her back, even as He pursued Israel. The picture expands in the New Testament, as God calls Jews and Gentiles into a relationship with Christ. Paul writes to the Corinthians: "I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Him" (II Corinthians 11:2). And then there is that well-known passage in Ephesians 5, where Paul gives instructions to husbands and wives and then says, "This is a profound mystery - but I am talking about Christ and the Church" (Ephesians 5:32).
Given these passages which point to God's relationship with His people, Israel, and the relationship of Christ and His Church, it seems important and necessary to glean from Solomon's "Song of Songs" truth that applies directly to God's love for His people and our response to Him. It's interesting to see how many people "identify" with the passion of marital love and sexual intimacy, but how few identify such passion and desire with their relationship with God. Yet, even in the little word, "so," God reveals the depth of His love for His people when John writes, "God SO loved the world that He gave His one and only Son …" (John 3:16). And again, Paul prays that "you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God!" (Ephesians 3:17-19).
God LOVES us! And He calls us to love Him back!! God calls us into an intimate relationship of which the intimacy of a husband and wife is only a picture. And He stirs within us a passion to return His love, loving HIM because He FIRST loved us! (I John 4:19). To miss this is to miss the joy of knowing God's love in Christ. As you read through these words think of how much God loves you and examine your heart to determine how much YOU love God. Do you have the relationship with God that Jesus prays for in John 17:20-23, a "oneness" like that of the Father, Son and Spirit? Are you in "fellowship" with Christ by faith?
Solomon begins with words spoken by the "beloved," "Take me away with you - let us hurry! Let the King bring me into His chambers" (1:4). Here is the heart's desire of those who know Christ; in fact, the second to last verse of the Bible says, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" Jesus took the part of the bridegroom in John 14, when He said to His disciples, "I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am" (14:2-3). The "king's chambers" are nothing less than the glory of God's presence!
In the words of the "lover" are pictures of God's love for Israel and of Christ's love for the Church: "How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful!" (1:15). I can't help but think of the words of the song, "How Beautiful Is the Body of Christ": "How beautiful, the radiant bride, who waits for her groom with HIS light in her eyes … how beautiful, how beautiful, how beautiful is the Body of Christ." How few people understand that God sees us IN CHRIST as holy, as beautiful and spotless! Imagine how we might live if we truly believed the depth of God's love for us! Remember, "God SO loved the world that He gave His one and only Son … " Christ is the bridegroom and we are the bride.
The "beloved" declares, "He has taken me to the banquet hall and His banner over me is love" (2:4). Could Jesus have been thinking about Solomon's words when He spoke of the "wedding banquet" in Matthew 22, or of the "great banquet" in Luke 14? There will come a time when love will be fulfilled: "Arise … the winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come … the fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance … " (2:10-13). It is difficult, if not impossible in our present existence, to see the beauty of this intimate spiritual relationship between God and His people, between Christ and His Church, but it forms the basis of God's desire for eternity.
There will come a time when the "beloved" will be able to say, "My lover is mine and I am His" (2:16). Let me include here the words of a song written by James Mountain in 1876. The name of the song is "Everlasting Love" and here are the words, based on these words of Solomon:
"Loved with everlasting love, led by grace that love to know;
Gracious Spirit from above, Thou hast taught me it is so!
O this full and perfect peace! O this transport all divine!
In a love which cannot cease, I am His, and He is mine.
Heav'n above is softer blue, earth around is sweeter green.
Something lives in every hue, Christless eyes have never seen;
Birds with gladder songs o'erflow, flowers with deeper beauties shine,
Since I know, as now I know, I am His, and He is mine.
Things that once were wild alarms cannot now disturb my rest;
Closed in everlasting arms, pillowed on the loving breast.
O to lie forever here, doubt and care and self resign,
While He whispers in my ear, I am His, and He is mine.
His forever, only His; Who the Lord and me shall part?
Ah, with what a rest of bliss Christ can fill the loving heart!
Heav'n and earth may fade and flee, firstborn light in gloom decline;
But while God and I shall be, I am His and He is mine."
THIS is the love of which Solomon speaks. May you know that love in Christ today!
"My Father in heaven, I come to You through Your Son Jesus Christ, who has called me to Himself by His very Spirit. As one of Your sheep, I have heard His voice, and as one so loved, I love You, my Savior and my God, my Good Shepherd and my King!! I long for Your embrace and my heart races at the thought of Your majesty and Your holiness. Open my eyes, now, to see Your love and to long for Jesus' return, when I will be gathered with the rest of His Bride to celebrate the wedding supper of the Lamb and His Bride in the Great Banquet Hall of heaven! In Jesus' name, Amen"
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
"When God is all you have, He is enough!"
Day #340: Daily Bible Reading Plan - December 3rd
Scripture Reading: Psalms 140 - 142 …
Few emotions weigh on the human soul as much as loneliness. In the very beginning God said of Adam, "It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him" (Genesis 2:18). In our world today, with all of our modern technology and various means of communication, people seem more "alone" than ever. It may not be a physical aloneness, but rather a spiritual one. Any of us can reach a point where our thoughts revolve only around ourselves, and at times like that the evil one can tempt us into feeling sorry for ourselves or convincing ourselves that no one else cares … we are ALONE!
It is in the midst of those moments that the words of the Psalmist remind us that we who know the living God are never alone because He is always with us. Not only that, He is willing and able to protect us from those who stand against us and from the storms that life brings our way. It is that protection that David is relying on in Psalm 140. "Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; protect me from men of violence, who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day" (140:1-2). Evil doesn't take a holiday! Those who overlook evil, or deny that it exists within the human heart, are either blind or foolish or both. God's Word and human experience combine to reveal the truth that evil resides in us by nature. Were it not for the grace of God and the work of His Spirit within us, we would be slaves to sin all our lives. It's interesting that people will admit "sin," but resist the idea that sin IS evil!
God changes all of that for those who know Him and who are controlled by His Spirit. Even in the Old Testament, prior to the pouring out of His Spirit at Pentecost, God worked in some people like David and empowered them to resist the temptation toward idolatry and other rebellious behavior. Clearly, however, they were still affected by that old nature within them. And lest we think that has changed completely, the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 7:18-25:
"I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing. … What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord." Paul understood the struggle to resist the pull towards evil and did what David did … sought protection from the God who was with him, who could deliver him, even from the enemy within. "O LORD, I say to You, 'You are my God.' Hear, O LORD, my cry for mercy. O Sovereign LORD, my strong Deliverer …" (140:6-7). David was King of Israel, with the mightiest army in the world, yet he relied upon GOD's strength and and protection in his struggle against evil.
Where do you find your protection? When facing trouble, is it God towards whom you turn? David's prayer concerning the destruction of the wicked seems out-of-place, yet he wrote in Psalm 139, verse 21: "Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against You?" Like David, we need to honor God and stand opposed to those who slander His Name. It is not that God needs us to defend Him, but He CALLS us to exalt His Name and to honor Him. We are not engaged in some children's game. We are in a spiritual battle between good and evil, between God and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly (spiritual) realms! So David exclaims, "SURELY the righteous will praise Your Name and the upright will live before You" (140:13).
So he calls on the Lord to help him. We often fail to realize that the circumstances of life tend to present us with many temptations … temptations that when given into cause US pain because they take our eyes off of God and His truth. David recognized these temptations and so he prays, "O LORD, I call to You; come quickly to me … Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil" (141:3-4). When was the last time you prayed like that? Have you EVER prayed like that?! Such a prayer comes from the heart of one whose desire is to please God. This is what Jesus taught His disciples to pray: "Lead us not into temptation!" Many people have asked me why Jesus taught us to pray that, but when understood with the phrase that follows, its meaning becomes clear: "Do not leave me in the place of temptation, but deliver me from evil." That's what David is praying in these verses.
David is willing to have a "righteous man … rebuke" him (141:5). Yet he boldly declares that his "prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers" (141:6). As we have seen so often, there is a distinction between those who live to please the Lord and those who don't. When tempted to gaze upon evil, David states, "But my eyes are fixed on You, O Sovereign LORD; in YOU I take refuge - do not give me over to death" (141:8). Such confidence and hope in the Lord comes only when you and I have an intimate relationship with Him through faith in Jesus. Those who do not know God's love and forgiveness in Christ will never draw near to God for help in times of trouble. You must believe, you must KNOW that you are NOT alone, that He IS with you and will never leave you alone, even for a moment!
Many people remain imprisoned in doubt and fear even after they have professed their faith in Jesus. They become anxious about losing their relationship with God and look constantly for some way to stay close to Him, but God says, "I am all you need!" Jesus said, "Come to ME all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). The "yoke" of Jesus is not constantly trying to measure up or be good enough to earn God's favor, but rather, faith to receive God's grace and forgiveness … faith that leads to the sure and certain hope of salvation through His blood. God IS with me now, and He will be with me the rest of the day and tomorrow and forever!!
From a place of desperation, David could "cry aloud to the LORD … " and "lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy" (142:1). He told the Lord of his troubles (He already knew them!), and confessed that "when my spirit grows faint within me, it is YOU who know my way" (142:3). What a comfort for us who know the LORD as our God today! "I cry to You, O LORD; I say, 'YOU are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living'" (142:5). You can be totally honest with God: "Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; … Set me free from my prison, that I may praise Your Name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of Your goodness to me" (142:7).
That must be our goal: to praise God in the midst of the struggle, believing, knowing, testifying that He is all I need … HE is enough. Continually thank God for those He has placed around you to encourage you, to walk this journey with you, but know that HE must be enough in those moments when you find yourself facing that temptation to believe you are alone. Know God's love for you in Jesus and share that love with those around you. Take down the shields, come out from behind the walls that have imprisoned you and experience the freedom that Jesus gives to those who come to Him for protection and deliverance. He will never fail you as you set your eyes on Him, "the Author and Perfecter of your faith" (Hebrews 12:2).
"Heavenly Father, it is to You that David came, and it is to You that I come today, asking for protection and deliverance from temptation and evil. I praise Your Name, O LORD my God, and come near to You with confidence through faith in Your Son Jesus Christ, my Redeemer. Give me wisdom and grace to rest in Your arms and to stand boldly against the evil all around me … and at times still within me. Thank You for the victory that overcomes the world through the power of Your Spirit, for greater is He that is in ME, than he that is in the world. In Jesus' name, Amen"
Scripture Reading: Psalms 140 - 142 …
Few emotions weigh on the human soul as much as loneliness. In the very beginning God said of Adam, "It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him" (Genesis 2:18). In our world today, with all of our modern technology and various means of communication, people seem more "alone" than ever. It may not be a physical aloneness, but rather a spiritual one. Any of us can reach a point where our thoughts revolve only around ourselves, and at times like that the evil one can tempt us into feeling sorry for ourselves or convincing ourselves that no one else cares … we are ALONE!
It is in the midst of those moments that the words of the Psalmist remind us that we who know the living God are never alone because He is always with us. Not only that, He is willing and able to protect us from those who stand against us and from the storms that life brings our way. It is that protection that David is relying on in Psalm 140. "Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; protect me from men of violence, who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day" (140:1-2). Evil doesn't take a holiday! Those who overlook evil, or deny that it exists within the human heart, are either blind or foolish or both. God's Word and human experience combine to reveal the truth that evil resides in us by nature. Were it not for the grace of God and the work of His Spirit within us, we would be slaves to sin all our lives. It's interesting that people will admit "sin," but resist the idea that sin IS evil!
God changes all of that for those who know Him and who are controlled by His Spirit. Even in the Old Testament, prior to the pouring out of His Spirit at Pentecost, God worked in some people like David and empowered them to resist the temptation toward idolatry and other rebellious behavior. Clearly, however, they were still affected by that old nature within them. And lest we think that has changed completely, the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 7:18-25:
"I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing. … What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord." Paul understood the struggle to resist the pull towards evil and did what David did … sought protection from the God who was with him, who could deliver him, even from the enemy within. "O LORD, I say to You, 'You are my God.' Hear, O LORD, my cry for mercy. O Sovereign LORD, my strong Deliverer …" (140:6-7). David was King of Israel, with the mightiest army in the world, yet he relied upon GOD's strength and and protection in his struggle against evil.
Where do you find your protection? When facing trouble, is it God towards whom you turn? David's prayer concerning the destruction of the wicked seems out-of-place, yet he wrote in Psalm 139, verse 21: "Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against You?" Like David, we need to honor God and stand opposed to those who slander His Name. It is not that God needs us to defend Him, but He CALLS us to exalt His Name and to honor Him. We are not engaged in some children's game. We are in a spiritual battle between good and evil, between God and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly (spiritual) realms! So David exclaims, "SURELY the righteous will praise Your Name and the upright will live before You" (140:13).
So he calls on the Lord to help him. We often fail to realize that the circumstances of life tend to present us with many temptations … temptations that when given into cause US pain because they take our eyes off of God and His truth. David recognized these temptations and so he prays, "O LORD, I call to You; come quickly to me … Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil" (141:3-4). When was the last time you prayed like that? Have you EVER prayed like that?! Such a prayer comes from the heart of one whose desire is to please God. This is what Jesus taught His disciples to pray: "Lead us not into temptation!" Many people have asked me why Jesus taught us to pray that, but when understood with the phrase that follows, its meaning becomes clear: "Do not leave me in the place of temptation, but deliver me from evil." That's what David is praying in these verses.
David is willing to have a "righteous man … rebuke" him (141:5). Yet he boldly declares that his "prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers" (141:6). As we have seen so often, there is a distinction between those who live to please the Lord and those who don't. When tempted to gaze upon evil, David states, "But my eyes are fixed on You, O Sovereign LORD; in YOU I take refuge - do not give me over to death" (141:8). Such confidence and hope in the Lord comes only when you and I have an intimate relationship with Him through faith in Jesus. Those who do not know God's love and forgiveness in Christ will never draw near to God for help in times of trouble. You must believe, you must KNOW that you are NOT alone, that He IS with you and will never leave you alone, even for a moment!
Many people remain imprisoned in doubt and fear even after they have professed their faith in Jesus. They become anxious about losing their relationship with God and look constantly for some way to stay close to Him, but God says, "I am all you need!" Jesus said, "Come to ME all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). The "yoke" of Jesus is not constantly trying to measure up or be good enough to earn God's favor, but rather, faith to receive God's grace and forgiveness … faith that leads to the sure and certain hope of salvation through His blood. God IS with me now, and He will be with me the rest of the day and tomorrow and forever!!
From a place of desperation, David could "cry aloud to the LORD … " and "lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy" (142:1). He told the Lord of his troubles (He already knew them!), and confessed that "when my spirit grows faint within me, it is YOU who know my way" (142:3). What a comfort for us who know the LORD as our God today! "I cry to You, O LORD; I say, 'YOU are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living'" (142:5). You can be totally honest with God: "Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; … Set me free from my prison, that I may praise Your Name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of Your goodness to me" (142:7).
That must be our goal: to praise God in the midst of the struggle, believing, knowing, testifying that He is all I need … HE is enough. Continually thank God for those He has placed around you to encourage you, to walk this journey with you, but know that HE must be enough in those moments when you find yourself facing that temptation to believe you are alone. Know God's love for you in Jesus and share that love with those around you. Take down the shields, come out from behind the walls that have imprisoned you and experience the freedom that Jesus gives to those who come to Him for protection and deliverance. He will never fail you as you set your eyes on Him, "the Author and Perfecter of your faith" (Hebrews 12:2).
"Heavenly Father, it is to You that David came, and it is to You that I come today, asking for protection and deliverance from temptation and evil. I praise Your Name, O LORD my God, and come near to You with confidence through faith in Your Son Jesus Christ, my Redeemer. Give me wisdom and grace to rest in Your arms and to stand boldly against the evil all around me … and at times still within me. Thank You for the victory that overcomes the world through the power of Your Spirit, for greater is He that is in ME, than he that is in the world. In Jesus' name, Amen"
Monday, December 1, 2014
"God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble ..."
Day #339: Daily Bible Reading Plan - December 2nd
Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 5 - 9 ...
We have seen it before ... an unchanging principle to which God has bound Himself and from which He cannot and will not waver. These chapters reveal two such principles that endure to this day in God's dealings with those who are truly His people. First: He opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. A sure and certain way to be rejected by God is to arrogantly imagine that you deserve His love and grace and favor. Arrogant people make demands of God or expect from God whatever they may desire, believing that God must surely meet their demands if He wants their allegiance. Such people are not truly committed to God in the first place and God sees their hearts and turns His face away from them. They will never enter His presence.
But the opposite is true for the humble. Those who understand their sin realize their need of God's grace and forgiveness and therefore confess their sin and seek His forgiveness and grace. These, God will never turn away ... and this reveals the second unchangeable principle revealed in these chapters: God is always faithful to those who cry out to Him in true repentance. He will never turn away from those who draw near to Him in humility and He will continue His work in them until He brings it to completion. Though they face discipline and trials of many kinds, God will never leave or forsake them, for they are HIS!! Praise God for His amazing grace!
As Nehemiah and the remnant who had returned to Jerusalem worked to complete the building of the walls of Jerusalem, they were counting on both of these principles to be true. Their enemies were strong and continued to oppose the rebuilding of Jerusalem, this once-powerful city among the nations of the world. This was another one of those turning points for the descendants of David, from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. How would they live now that they were back in the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Having been exiled for seventy years and enslaved by the Babylonians, would they turn again from God or had they learned their lesson? Two things indicated that at least some of them had learned the importance of humility, repentance and obedience.
The first was their response to Nehemiah's warning concerning their treatment of their brothers. Some of the poorest of the Jews had remained in the land when the rest of the people were taken into captivity and they had become slaves to the nations around them. Apparently, the Jews who returned from exile had redeemed their brothers by purchasing them from the Gentiles, but then they had made them their servants ("slaves"). These poor people had no property, no homes and little food or clothing. Nehemiah knew this was not pleasing to the LORD, their God, and he told them so. He said, "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?" (5:9). What did it matter to them what the other nations thought? It mattered to GOD! HIS people were supposed to be different. Those who don't know God take advantage of others and seek wealth and power, but not so God's chosen people.
It was not to be so then and it should not be so now. Reading about the early Christians in Acts 2 and 4 reveals that they understood what it meant to care for their brothers and sisters in need. In II Corinthians 8-9, Paul explains the importance of giving offerings to those in the household of faith who are in need. Much of the "mission work" of the church today is done for those who are outside of the body, but the Word of God makes it clear that the needs of those inside the body should not be overlooked. The people in Judah heard what Nehemiah said and replied, "Amen," and praised the LORD. Then they "did as they had promised" (5:14).
As the rebuilding of the wall continued, the enemies of Judah tried to intimidate Nehemiah, but he prayed, asking God for strength and wisdom to govern His people. So the wall was completed in fifty-two days (6:15). The response of the surrounding nations was a reminder that the God of Judah rules over the nations: "All the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God" (6:16). Isn't that what you and I want people to know whenever we may accomplish something by God's wisdom and strength? We should never take credit for something that God has used us to do for His kingdom and for His glory. Instead, we should always give GOD the praise, for apart from Him we can do nothing!
With the wall now complete, the remnant who had returned could "settle in," but first they needed to gather together to be reminded why they were there in the first place: to worship the LORD their God. God had done all of this, bringing them back from exile, moving them to rebuild the temple and the walls, to rebuild Jerusalem, the "city of peace," the "city of David," not to make a name for them, but to make a name for Himself. So Ezra the priest called the people together and read the Law of God that had been written by Moses to them. When the Law was read to them the people wept, for they understood why God's judgment had come upon them. Now they needed to understand something more than God's justice and His anger against their fathers.
As Solomon wrote, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom," but it doesn't end there. The people were afraid of God's wrath and judgment. He had destroyed them once and He could do it again. But fear is ultimately a temporary and outward motivation. God wants something more. God wants His people to know His love and grace and to respond to His love with willing obedience. Nehemiah said to the people, "This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!" (8:10). The people celebrated the Feast of the Tabernacles, reminding them of God's deliverance from Egypt and His presence with them through the wilderness.
The Levites reminded all the people of God's care for them, from His choosing of Abram, through His deliverance from Egypt, to His giving the Law at Mt. Sinai. "BUT they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey Your commands. They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles You performed for them" (9:16-17). God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble! They went on to pray, "But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore You did not desert them ... because of Your great compassion You did not abandon them in the desert ... You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them. ..." (9:17-20). God had never forgotten them, in spite of their unfaithfulness as a people.
And there's more: "You made their sons as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that You told their forefathers to enter and possess" (9:23). "BUT, they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they put Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets. ... For many years You were patient with them. By Your Spirit You admonished them, for You are a gracious and merciful God" (9:26, 30-31). Do you see a pattern? Their unfaithfulness, but God's faithfulness! They declared, "In all that has happened to us, YOU have been just; YOU have acted faithfully, while WE did wrong!" (9:33). Then a "remnant of the remnant" made an agreement that they would obey the Lord their God and seek Him always.
All this took place in the days before the birth of Christ. God was at work among His people by His Spirit, but not in the way He is today, as He gathers Jews and Gentiles together into one body, the Church, the Body of Christ. Yet the same principles are in place: "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). And God says to those who are His, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). We know that God is just, for we see His justice at the cross of Jesus, where God's own Son endured God's wrath against our sin that we might be redeemed, reconciled to God, forgiven, sanctified in Christ Jesus! We who believe in Jesus know that God is, indeed, compassionate and merciful and it is our heart's desire, as His Spirit works in us, to serve Him in love for His gift of salvation.
Having received His grace, through the power of His Spirit, we are called to love our Father in heaven, to praise and exalt the name of Jesus, our Savior and our Lord, and to live by the power of His Spirit who is at work within us. As His people today WE are called to be different, to display His glory to those around us, to be light in the darkness to lead others to our great and awesome God, our Deliverer, our Savior! To Him be the glory forever and ever ... And all the people said, "AMEN!"
"O LORD our God, Maker of the heavens and the earth, to You I raise my eyes and proclaim that You alone are God; there is no other! As You were with Your people of old, so You are with those who believe in You today and who humble ourselves before You, confessing our sin and our faith in Your Son Jesus Christ. In Him You have granted us forgiveness and reconciled us to Yourself so that we may be for You a people who declare Your praises and exalt Your majesty before the world. May we be faithful to You, Father, as You have been and are faithful to us, in Jesus' name, Amen"
Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 5 - 9 ...
We have seen it before ... an unchanging principle to which God has bound Himself and from which He cannot and will not waver. These chapters reveal two such principles that endure to this day in God's dealings with those who are truly His people. First: He opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. A sure and certain way to be rejected by God is to arrogantly imagine that you deserve His love and grace and favor. Arrogant people make demands of God or expect from God whatever they may desire, believing that God must surely meet their demands if He wants their allegiance. Such people are not truly committed to God in the first place and God sees their hearts and turns His face away from them. They will never enter His presence.
But the opposite is true for the humble. Those who understand their sin realize their need of God's grace and forgiveness and therefore confess their sin and seek His forgiveness and grace. These, God will never turn away ... and this reveals the second unchangeable principle revealed in these chapters: God is always faithful to those who cry out to Him in true repentance. He will never turn away from those who draw near to Him in humility and He will continue His work in them until He brings it to completion. Though they face discipline and trials of many kinds, God will never leave or forsake them, for they are HIS!! Praise God for His amazing grace!
As Nehemiah and the remnant who had returned to Jerusalem worked to complete the building of the walls of Jerusalem, they were counting on both of these principles to be true. Their enemies were strong and continued to oppose the rebuilding of Jerusalem, this once-powerful city among the nations of the world. This was another one of those turning points for the descendants of David, from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. How would they live now that they were back in the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Having been exiled for seventy years and enslaved by the Babylonians, would they turn again from God or had they learned their lesson? Two things indicated that at least some of them had learned the importance of humility, repentance and obedience.
The first was their response to Nehemiah's warning concerning their treatment of their brothers. Some of the poorest of the Jews had remained in the land when the rest of the people were taken into captivity and they had become slaves to the nations around them. Apparently, the Jews who returned from exile had redeemed their brothers by purchasing them from the Gentiles, but then they had made them their servants ("slaves"). These poor people had no property, no homes and little food or clothing. Nehemiah knew this was not pleasing to the LORD, their God, and he told them so. He said, "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?" (5:9). What did it matter to them what the other nations thought? It mattered to GOD! HIS people were supposed to be different. Those who don't know God take advantage of others and seek wealth and power, but not so God's chosen people.
It was not to be so then and it should not be so now. Reading about the early Christians in Acts 2 and 4 reveals that they understood what it meant to care for their brothers and sisters in need. In II Corinthians 8-9, Paul explains the importance of giving offerings to those in the household of faith who are in need. Much of the "mission work" of the church today is done for those who are outside of the body, but the Word of God makes it clear that the needs of those inside the body should not be overlooked. The people in Judah heard what Nehemiah said and replied, "Amen," and praised the LORD. Then they "did as they had promised" (5:14).
As the rebuilding of the wall continued, the enemies of Judah tried to intimidate Nehemiah, but he prayed, asking God for strength and wisdom to govern His people. So the wall was completed in fifty-two days (6:15). The response of the surrounding nations was a reminder that the God of Judah rules over the nations: "All the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God" (6:16). Isn't that what you and I want people to know whenever we may accomplish something by God's wisdom and strength? We should never take credit for something that God has used us to do for His kingdom and for His glory. Instead, we should always give GOD the praise, for apart from Him we can do nothing!
With the wall now complete, the remnant who had returned could "settle in," but first they needed to gather together to be reminded why they were there in the first place: to worship the LORD their God. God had done all of this, bringing them back from exile, moving them to rebuild the temple and the walls, to rebuild Jerusalem, the "city of peace," the "city of David," not to make a name for them, but to make a name for Himself. So Ezra the priest called the people together and read the Law of God that had been written by Moses to them. When the Law was read to them the people wept, for they understood why God's judgment had come upon them. Now they needed to understand something more than God's justice and His anger against their fathers.
As Solomon wrote, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom," but it doesn't end there. The people were afraid of God's wrath and judgment. He had destroyed them once and He could do it again. But fear is ultimately a temporary and outward motivation. God wants something more. God wants His people to know His love and grace and to respond to His love with willing obedience. Nehemiah said to the people, "This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!" (8:10). The people celebrated the Feast of the Tabernacles, reminding them of God's deliverance from Egypt and His presence with them through the wilderness.
The Levites reminded all the people of God's care for them, from His choosing of Abram, through His deliverance from Egypt, to His giving the Law at Mt. Sinai. "BUT they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey Your commands. They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles You performed for them" (9:16-17). God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble! They went on to pray, "But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore You did not desert them ... because of Your great compassion You did not abandon them in the desert ... You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them. ..." (9:17-20). God had never forgotten them, in spite of their unfaithfulness as a people.
And there's more: "You made their sons as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that You told their forefathers to enter and possess" (9:23). "BUT, they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they put Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets. ... For many years You were patient with them. By Your Spirit You admonished them, for You are a gracious and merciful God" (9:26, 30-31). Do you see a pattern? Their unfaithfulness, but God's faithfulness! They declared, "In all that has happened to us, YOU have been just; YOU have acted faithfully, while WE did wrong!" (9:33). Then a "remnant of the remnant" made an agreement that they would obey the Lord their God and seek Him always.
All this took place in the days before the birth of Christ. God was at work among His people by His Spirit, but not in the way He is today, as He gathers Jews and Gentiles together into one body, the Church, the Body of Christ. Yet the same principles are in place: "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). And God says to those who are His, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). We know that God is just, for we see His justice at the cross of Jesus, where God's own Son endured God's wrath against our sin that we might be redeemed, reconciled to God, forgiven, sanctified in Christ Jesus! We who believe in Jesus know that God is, indeed, compassionate and merciful and it is our heart's desire, as His Spirit works in us, to serve Him in love for His gift of salvation.
Having received His grace, through the power of His Spirit, we are called to love our Father in heaven, to praise and exalt the name of Jesus, our Savior and our Lord, and to live by the power of His Spirit who is at work within us. As His people today WE are called to be different, to display His glory to those around us, to be light in the darkness to lead others to our great and awesome God, our Deliverer, our Savior! To Him be the glory forever and ever ... And all the people said, "AMEN!"
"O LORD our God, Maker of the heavens and the earth, to You I raise my eyes and proclaim that You alone are God; there is no other! As You were with Your people of old, so You are with those who believe in You today and who humble ourselves before You, confessing our sin and our faith in Your Son Jesus Christ. In Him You have granted us forgiveness and reconciled us to Yourself so that we may be for You a people who declare Your praises and exalt Your majesty before the world. May we be faithful to You, Father, as You have been and are faithful to us, in Jesus' name, Amen"
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