Day #328: Daily Bible Reading Plan - November 21st
Scripture Reading: Zechariah 8 - 14 …
We live in this world and make our plans for tomorrow, next week, next month or even further into the future, often missing the "big picture." When that happens, we become vulnerable to disappointment and frustration and discouragement because OUR plans are always subject to change … GOD's aren't! That is clear throughout these chapters of Zechariah. It is important to remember that God sends Haggai and Zechariah to the remnant from Judah who had returned from their captivity in Babylon and who were engaged in rebuilding the temple. It appeared that they were in danger of being overcome by their enemies once again, but God uses Zechariah to point them to a future that HE would bring about Himself.
We who live today have already seen the fulfillment of some of these things and the rest lies ahead. God declares to Zechariah and to the remnant, "I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her" (8:2). God had brought back this remnant to the very place His temple had been and was now providing everything they needed to rebuild it. Some of what God says applies to THAT day, while other things point to the future. God says, "I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain" (8:3). He promises to save His people "from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God" (8:7). This is the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham to be God to him and to his descendants.
Verses 9-19 of Chapter 8 appear to speak to the remnant in Zechariah's day. God says, "I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid!" (8:15). God helped them rebuild the temple by moving foreign kings to provide all they needed and by protecting them from their enemies. The last part of Chapter 8, however, appears to speak to a more distant future: "Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD Almighty and to entreat Him. … In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, 'Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you" (8:22-23). These are more than words prompted by an active imagination! They are the living words of the God who keeps His promises and brings things that are not into being!!
Remember that the beauty of prophecy is that it often includes words for the present, the immediate future, the more distant future and the very end of human history. All of this is part of the one plan of God for all time, for God is beyond time. So Chapter 9 reveals God's plans to bring judgment on the enemies of His people, and He speaks specifically of Ashkelon, Gaza and Ashdod, the cities of the Philistines (Palestine). "I will cut off the pride of the Philistines" (9:6). And He concludes, "never again will an oppressor overrun my people, for now I am keeping watch" (9:8). This must speak of the future, for the temple built in Zechariah's day was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Romans.
Zechariah is then given a glimpse into the not-so-distant future of several hundred years from his day: "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey" (9:9). But then he points to the end: "He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth" (9:10). Some mistakenly believe this refers to Christ's spiritual reign from heaven, but the rest of Zechariah indicates that there will be a literal fulfillment that includes both the spiritual AND the physical realm, for in Christ they will become one.
In Chapters 10-11, God speaks of His people as a flock in need of a Shepherd: "The people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd" (10:2). Matthew records that when Jesus looked out over the people who were gathered to hear His teaching He saw them as troubled and oppressed, "like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). Yet God promises, "I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them" (10:6). In 10:8-10 God promises to bring them back from distant lands "and there will not be room enough for them" (10:8). We have witnessed the fulfillment of this promise in OUR day! "Assyria's pride will be brought down and Egypt's scepter will pass away" (10:11). God arranges the nations of the Middle East and the whole earth to accomplish His purposes and plans.
The picture of the "two shepherds" in Chapter 11 continues the theme of God's people as His flock. While difficult to interpret, Zechariah speaks of a "flock marked for slaughter" and the attempts of the prophets, the priests and the kings ("the three shepherds" - verse 8 … ??) to shepherd God's flock. Jesus came to be the "Good Shepherd," (John 10), and He was rejected (the thirty pieces of silver were the price paid to Judas to betray Jesus). A worthless shepherd would arise who would desert the flock (perhaps the "False Prophet" in the days of the Antichrist).
However you interpret Chapter 11, God is showing His people that they need a Good Shepherd and there is only One who qualifies: "I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep" (John 10:11). Jesus promises that His sheep will hear His voice and not one of them will be lost, for the Father has given them to Him and no one or thing is more powerful than He is! (John 10:27-30). No one can snatch them out of His hand. Just as God makes that promise to those who believe in Jesus today, God has made that promise specifically to a remnant from Israel and Judah. If He does not keep His promise to them, how can we have any assurance that He will keep His promise to us? It is through the One Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, that all of God's promises are sealed!!
Finally, Zechariah speaks of God's future dealings with Jerusalem and Judah. I often point those who claim that the Church has replaced Israel as the people of God to these chapters and ask them to explain them. They have not happened yet, so either they must be ignored, explained away as not saying what they clearly say, or understood as pointing to God's future dealings with these people, in fulfillment of all He has promised throughout the prophets of Israel and Judah. Let me point out the difficulty, and yet the importance of understanding Biblical prophecy … Chapter 12:1-3 states that God is going to "make Jerusalem a cup that sends all of the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On THAT day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her. I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves."
God says that He will save the dwellings of Judah and "will shield those who live in Jerusalem. … On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem" (12:7-9). But this will not happen without extreme difficulty. In chapter 14, God says, "I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city" (14:2). So which is it? Will God protect Judah and Jerusalem or will they face this horrible time of suffering and trials? The answer to that is, "YES!" Both of these things are true!
Jeremiah writes of a future time of trials for Israel and Judah when God declares, "The days are coming when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their forefathers to possess" (Jeremiah 30:3). It is significant that He mentions Judah AND Israel. He goes on, "How awful that day will be! None will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, BUT he will be saved out of it" (Jeremiah 30:7). Some have called this "the time of Jacob's trouble." Without question, the nations will be gathered against Jerusalem (Revelation 16:16), but they will not win! While there are some in Israel who have believed in Jesus as the Messiah, there will come a time in the future when the whole remnant of Israel and Judah will put their faith in Him.
"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on Me, the One they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child" (12:10). There is only ONE whom Zechariah can be speaking about, and His Name is Jesus! "On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity" (13:1). God will save the remnant of His people (Romans 11:11-12, 26-29). It is vitally important to take God's Word literally unless there are clear indications that God is using symbolism to paint a picture of a different reality. Knowing that God will keep His promises to the remnant of Israel and Judah confirms the faithfulness of the God who has promised to save you and me from His coming judgment.
Zechariah's visions conclude with the coming of God's reign on the earth during the Millennium. There is no other period of time that these verses can possibly point to. Once again, since this is part of God's revealed Word, we do ourselves harm if we simply ignore them or try to explain them away! They are rich in truth for those who know God! When the time of trouble comes for Jerusalem, "the LORD will go out and fight against those nations … On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem" (14:3-4). While Jerusalem and her inhabitants faced a horrible destruction in 70 A.D., the rest of this prophecy was not fulfilled. It must lie at some point in the future.
There will be a time of judgment on the enemies of Israel when "the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him" (14:5; Revelation 19:11-19). And the outcome has already been determined: "The LORD will be King over the whole earth. On that day there will be ONE LORD, and HIS Name the ONLY Name!" (14:9). "Jerusalem will be raised up and remain in its place … It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure" (14:10-11). "Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles" (14:16). If this is not during the Millennium, when is it? God's Word is true, no matter what men may say!
All of these things are a great encouragement to those who know the One true God who has revealed Himself in His Word and in His Son Jesus Christ! Our plans do not always come to pass, but GOD's DO!! Once you see your life in Christ as being part of God's plan for the world, life has meaning and you understand that you are a special creation of God, chosen to bring Him glory, to declare His Name to the world around you - TODAY! We are here for a time and this is our time in God's plans. We know the Good Shepherd who has laid down His life for His sheep. We have heard His voice and He has drawn us to the Father by His Spirit. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
There will be a future time when all these things come to pass. Until then, God calls you and me to be faithful to Him, to trust Him always and to proclaim His truth and what is to come to all who will be given "ears to hear." As the writer of Hebrews says, God will "shake not only the earth but also the heavens" (Hebrews 12:26; Haggai 2:6). But there is one thing that cannot be shaken: the kingdom of God. "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God IS a consuming fire!" (Hebrews 12:28-29). AMEN!
"LORD God Almighty, as heaven and earth are full of Your glory, so Your plans for the future point to the future glory of Your kingdom. As one of Your sheep, who has heard the voice of My Good Shepherd, I rejoice in Your promises and give thanks for Your faithfulness. You alone can bring to pass all that You have foretold and in the midst of all that is happening in my life and in the world around me, I praise You for the sure and certain hope that You give through faith in Jesus. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever! In Jesus' name, Amen"
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
"A good way to get yourself depressed ... "
Day #327: Daily Bible Reading Plan - November 20th
Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 9 - 10 ...
We have seen that Solomon's book of Ecclesiastes consists of Solomon's exploration of the philosophies of man concerning life in this world. He writes in Chapter 1, verse 17: "Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind." Some of what Solomon writes doesn't make sense unless you remember that he is sometimes writing what life looks at from a mere human perspective and other times commenting on the supposed "wisdom" of mankind from God's perspective. That's why you can read some of the things he says and wonder what he was thinking! The thoughts of man often make no sense.
Chapter 9 begins with a clear statement of truth: "So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands" (9:1). That is so true! God watches over the righteous ... those who know and love Him and who seek to live in obedience to His Word. Then Solomon adds, "but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him. All share a common destiny ... the same destiny overtakes them all" (9:2-3). When you look at things from man's perspective, it's easy to get depressed. It doesn't appear to make any difference at times whether you do good or bad. The difference is often in a man's heart and your response to what happens. Even those who don't know God or trust in Him sometimes say, "Life is 10% what happens and 90% attitude!" But there's more to it than that! You either know the God Who is at work in your life and in the world or you don't. THAT's what makes the difference!
Solomon talks about the dead and the living as though there is no life beyond the grave. He says "the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. ... never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun" (9:5-6). We know from the rest of Scripture that there IS more beyond the grave, and that those who know Jesus Christ will live forever. From man's perspective, this life is all there is, but God tells us there is more. Remember, Solomon is talking about life as people who don't know God look at it. They are right about one thing: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom" (9:10). There are two destinations beyond the grave: the presence of God and the glory of eternal life, OR separation from God and the despair of eternal death.
From man's perspective, "Time and chance happen to them all. ... no man knows when his hour will come" (9:11-12). Do you see why it's so easy to get depressed? There is nothing to hold on to in this world. Things might go well for a while, but then everything can change in a moment. If GOD is not in control, then luck, chance or fate control your destiny and it's all as Solomon says, "Meaningless; a chasing after the wind." People spend endless hours and much money trying to figure out a way to live life that will give it meaning and purpose, but apart from God nothing really makes sense. Some try to do good; others try to do evil. And what does it all mean if there is nothing past the grave? So most people try to make themselves believe that there is something beyond the grave, even though they have no proof, no evidence, no certainty beyond what they have convinced themselves of.
Some look at Christianity that way. They think believing in Jesus is a "crutch," something that just fools do to try to get through life. They're wrong ... but they don't know they're wrong. Solomon contends that there is a difference between those who receive wisdom from the Lord and those who don't. "The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. Even as he walks along the road, the fool lacks sense and shows everyone how stupid he is" (10:2-3). It would be easier to discern who is a fool if they never got anywhere in life and nothing they tried succeeded, but "Fools are put in many high positions!" (10:6). Sometimes fools succeed ... to their own judgment! Ultimately, it is God who determines who is wise and who is a fool. To those who know Him and who humble themselves before Him, God gives wisdom; but to those who reject His Word and who turn away from sound counsel, there is only judgment.
There ARE some ways to determine who is foolish and who is wise. Solomon reveals one of those in 10:12: "Words from a wise man's mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips" (10:12). If you listen to someone long enough you will quickly discover whether their life revolves around themselves or around GOD! The fool loves to talk about himself (or herself). In fact, it's hard to get them to stop talking about themselves. "At the beginning his words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness - and the fool multiplies words" (10:13-14). Fools don't like to work, they do it out of necessity and are often lazy. They like to "make merry" and they think that "money is the answer for everything" (10:19).
Even reading this is depressing. If this is your perspective on life, it's a good way to get yourself depressed. I am convinced that many find life overwhelming and depressing because they simply have nothing to hold onto. Solomon rightly presents the perspective of many as they struggle through this life, hoping that things will get better, but meeting one hurdle after another after another until they just give up or give in. There's a better way ... a MUCH better way to live life. If you're depressed and "at the end of your rope," turning in faith to the God who controls every detail, every circumstance of life, is the only possibility for change. Yet, it is precisely here that those who have not come to God through faith in Christ falter. They won't humble themselves and come to God because they blame HIM for the problems they're facing!!
Some make wrong decisions their whole life, ignoring God, rejecting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, yet demanding that God bail them out of their circumstances and give them what they want. Then there are those preachers and teachers that make it sound as though God is our Servant, as though He exists to give us our every desire, to make us healthy, wealthy and wise. But we are here to glorify God, to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him. THAT is wisdom! Anything else is meaningless and looking at life as though you are supposed to be the center of it leads to despair. Everything and everybody disappoints you because they're not doing what YOU want. It's a good way to get yourself depressed.
But you don't have to go there. God has a better way. Turn to Him, trust Him, lean on Him, ask Him to help You, to give you what you NEED, not what you want, and He will do it. Solomon learned the way of wisdom, as he explained it in Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge HIM, and He will make your paths straight." God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to open the door of access to His throne. Hear Jesus voice and do what He says, "Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest!" (Matthew 11:28).
"Heavenly Father, the ways of this world and the thoughts of those who do not know You lead to frustration and despair. I thank You for giving me Your Spirit and leading me to place my trust in You. Forgive me in those moments when I look at the world from a merely human perspective and grow weary. Give me wisdom to find my hope and my strength in You alone, my Savior and my God, in Jesus' name, Amen"
Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 9 - 10 ...
We have seen that Solomon's book of Ecclesiastes consists of Solomon's exploration of the philosophies of man concerning life in this world. He writes in Chapter 1, verse 17: "Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind." Some of what Solomon writes doesn't make sense unless you remember that he is sometimes writing what life looks at from a mere human perspective and other times commenting on the supposed "wisdom" of mankind from God's perspective. That's why you can read some of the things he says and wonder what he was thinking! The thoughts of man often make no sense.
Chapter 9 begins with a clear statement of truth: "So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands" (9:1). That is so true! God watches over the righteous ... those who know and love Him and who seek to live in obedience to His Word. Then Solomon adds, "but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him. All share a common destiny ... the same destiny overtakes them all" (9:2-3). When you look at things from man's perspective, it's easy to get depressed. It doesn't appear to make any difference at times whether you do good or bad. The difference is often in a man's heart and your response to what happens. Even those who don't know God or trust in Him sometimes say, "Life is 10% what happens and 90% attitude!" But there's more to it than that! You either know the God Who is at work in your life and in the world or you don't. THAT's what makes the difference!
Solomon talks about the dead and the living as though there is no life beyond the grave. He says "the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. ... never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun" (9:5-6). We know from the rest of Scripture that there IS more beyond the grave, and that those who know Jesus Christ will live forever. From man's perspective, this life is all there is, but God tells us there is more. Remember, Solomon is talking about life as people who don't know God look at it. They are right about one thing: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom" (9:10). There are two destinations beyond the grave: the presence of God and the glory of eternal life, OR separation from God and the despair of eternal death.
From man's perspective, "Time and chance happen to them all. ... no man knows when his hour will come" (9:11-12). Do you see why it's so easy to get depressed? There is nothing to hold on to in this world. Things might go well for a while, but then everything can change in a moment. If GOD is not in control, then luck, chance or fate control your destiny and it's all as Solomon says, "Meaningless; a chasing after the wind." People spend endless hours and much money trying to figure out a way to live life that will give it meaning and purpose, but apart from God nothing really makes sense. Some try to do good; others try to do evil. And what does it all mean if there is nothing past the grave? So most people try to make themselves believe that there is something beyond the grave, even though they have no proof, no evidence, no certainty beyond what they have convinced themselves of.
Some look at Christianity that way. They think believing in Jesus is a "crutch," something that just fools do to try to get through life. They're wrong ... but they don't know they're wrong. Solomon contends that there is a difference between those who receive wisdom from the Lord and those who don't. "The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. Even as he walks along the road, the fool lacks sense and shows everyone how stupid he is" (10:2-3). It would be easier to discern who is a fool if they never got anywhere in life and nothing they tried succeeded, but "Fools are put in many high positions!" (10:6). Sometimes fools succeed ... to their own judgment! Ultimately, it is God who determines who is wise and who is a fool. To those who know Him and who humble themselves before Him, God gives wisdom; but to those who reject His Word and who turn away from sound counsel, there is only judgment.
There ARE some ways to determine who is foolish and who is wise. Solomon reveals one of those in 10:12: "Words from a wise man's mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips" (10:12). If you listen to someone long enough you will quickly discover whether their life revolves around themselves or around GOD! The fool loves to talk about himself (or herself). In fact, it's hard to get them to stop talking about themselves. "At the beginning his words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness - and the fool multiplies words" (10:13-14). Fools don't like to work, they do it out of necessity and are often lazy. They like to "make merry" and they think that "money is the answer for everything" (10:19).
Even reading this is depressing. If this is your perspective on life, it's a good way to get yourself depressed. I am convinced that many find life overwhelming and depressing because they simply have nothing to hold onto. Solomon rightly presents the perspective of many as they struggle through this life, hoping that things will get better, but meeting one hurdle after another after another until they just give up or give in. There's a better way ... a MUCH better way to live life. If you're depressed and "at the end of your rope," turning in faith to the God who controls every detail, every circumstance of life, is the only possibility for change. Yet, it is precisely here that those who have not come to God through faith in Christ falter. They won't humble themselves and come to God because they blame HIM for the problems they're facing!!
Some make wrong decisions their whole life, ignoring God, rejecting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, yet demanding that God bail them out of their circumstances and give them what they want. Then there are those preachers and teachers that make it sound as though God is our Servant, as though He exists to give us our every desire, to make us healthy, wealthy and wise. But we are here to glorify God, to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him. THAT is wisdom! Anything else is meaningless and looking at life as though you are supposed to be the center of it leads to despair. Everything and everybody disappoints you because they're not doing what YOU want. It's a good way to get yourself depressed.
But you don't have to go there. God has a better way. Turn to Him, trust Him, lean on Him, ask Him to help You, to give you what you NEED, not what you want, and He will do it. Solomon learned the way of wisdom, as he explained it in Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge HIM, and He will make your paths straight." God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to open the door of access to His throne. Hear Jesus voice and do what He says, "Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest!" (Matthew 11:28).
"Heavenly Father, the ways of this world and the thoughts of those who do not know You lead to frustration and despair. I thank You for giving me Your Spirit and leading me to place my trust in You. Forgive me in those moments when I look at the world from a merely human perspective and grow weary. Give me wisdom to find my hope and my strength in You alone, my Savior and my God, in Jesus' name, Amen"
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
"Praise, thanksgiving and a love that endures forever!"
Day #326: Daily Bible Reading Plan - November 19th
Scripture Reading: Psalms 134 - 136 …
There's a saying that declares, "All good things must end!" But it's not really true. Through the knowledge of God we who believe in Jesus Christ become new creations and Jesus says that we "HAVE CROSSED OVER from death to life" (John 5:24). That means that what we begin to experience now in our relationship with God will never end, but will continue throughout all eternity. The word for that is "forever!" There ARE things that will last forever, but only when attached to or connected with or flowing from God. He alone is eternal, therefore, only that which is related to Him enters into the spiritual realm and extends and exists beyond time.
For those who do not know God, that will be eternal death - an eternal existence separated from God. But for those who have been saved by God's grace, who have been born again by His Spirit and who have come to Him through faith in Jesus, there is an eternal existence in the very presence of the God who created us, for we have been reconciled to Him through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and declared righteous by faith in His shed blood. Incredibly, the writers of the Psalms wrote about this future glory that lasts forever long before Jesus came the first time. Therefore, they call those who believe to "Praise the LORD" by giving Him thanks for His love … which endures forever!!
Have you ever considered that those who do not know God do not want to talk about "forever." Oh, they might talk about some kind of life-after-death, but they have no way of knowing what that is, or even IF it is. All they can do is suppose, and the best some come up with is being re-incarnated (returning to the flesh time after time after time … even as an animal or an inanimate object). How desperate is the hope of those who have no knowledge of God or of His promises, and who thus have no concept of forever!! You and I who believe, on the other hand, understand that "what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (II Corinthians 4:18).
Surely the writers of the Psalms believed this, so much as they could, from what God had already revealed to them through His Spirit and through Moses and others. It was because of their belief in God that they called the people of Israel to "Praise the LORD!" To praise God is to acknowledge who He is … "the Maker of heaven and earth" (134:3), but there's more … To praise God is to understand that He "has chosen Jacob to be His own, Israel to be His treasured possession" (135:4). Why is this so important? Because if God has not chosen YOU, you cannot know Him and you will not come to Him.
Why didn't any of the other nations of the world have the same relationship with God that Israel did? God revealed Himself to Abraham, to Isaac and then to Jacob, from whom He made a great nation: Israel. The history of Israel recorded in the Old Testament is the history of the GOD of Israel, just as the history of the Church in the New Testament is the history of the God of those Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, God's "Anointed One," who was foretold in the Old Testament and who came in the New. As God revealed Himself to those whom He chose in the Old Testament, so He reveals Himself to those whom He chooses in the New Testament. And it is only these who will "praise the LORD!"
Thus the reason for praise: "for the LORD is good!" (135:3). Some people dispute that statement. Because of the trials of this life, many become weighed down and overcome by evil. Why doesn't God do something? As Christians we claim to believe in a sovereign God who rules over all things and who allows evil to exist for a time for His own purposes. We could spend a lot of time talking about that, because God gives us some answers in His Word, but it's true that if you don't know God, no answer is good enough … and if you DO know God, no answer is necessary. Evil exists because of the rebellion of Satan and his followers in heaven, and because of the sin of Adam and Eve and all who have followed after them, including you and me.
God, however, has determined to overcome evil, in His time and in His way. There are hundreds, thousands of examples throughout the Bible and history. People often take credit for the good things that happen - even miraculous things, but the truth is, ALL that is good comes from God. When those who do not know or believe in God do good things, it is because God moved them to do so. They get no credit (though many break their arms patting themselves on the back!). God prevents people from being as bad as they would be, and He calls some to be His and works in us to point others to Him, the source of all that is good. To us God says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).
The writer of Psalm 135 testifies, "I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. The LORD does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths" (135:5-6). He controls the clouds, the lightning and the wind. He controls nations and kings. He alone rules over the affairs of men, so He alone guides and directs the events of the world toward His appointed purposes. And only those who know Him, who love Him and who worship Him reap the benefit of His love … which "endures forever!" Why? Because He is the only thing that IS forever!! He alone is eternal, with no beginning and no ending.
With conviction, the Psalmist declares that "the idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but they cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths" (135:15-17). The ignorance of mankind is revealed by their worship of dumb idols! "Those who make them will be like them" (135:18). But Israel's God, the one true God, is different. He creates, He acts, He endures … forever!! He alone is worthy of praise, so the Psalmist calls the people whom He has chosen to "Praise the LORD!"
Knowing that God is good and that He is worthy of praise moves His people to thanksgiving! Who would say, "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good most of the time and His love lasts for a while!"??? What would be the point? Knowledge of God alone leads to thanksgiving, for we know that "HIS love endures forever!" As that is the refrain of Psalm 136, that should be the refrain of our lives as believers. HIS love endures forever because HIS love arises from the very core of His being. God determined to choose Israel and to set His love on them. Deuteronomy 7:6 is the foundation of Psalm 135:4 and of the refrain of Psalm 136: "You are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession" (Deuteronomy 7:6).
So God says to you and me today: "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light!" (I Peter 2:9). Yes, the knowledge of being chosen by God is what confirms the truth that "His love endures forever." Paul writes to the Romans that "God demonstrates His love for us in this: that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). The Psalmist lists reason after reason as evidence of God's abiding love. He alone is God, He has performed many wonders, He governs the sun, moon and stars, He delivers His people, He defeats our enemies, He cares for those in need … HIS love endures FOREVER!!!! And we know MORE!!
As human beings, some imagine that we are so great as we begin to explore the solar system and the universe. Yet the more knowledge mankind gains the more they reveal their ignorance in proclaiming THEIR wisdom and the more judgment comes upon them because they suppress the truth and worship technology, as they search for answers about where we came from … Really??? Yet, if you know Him, if you know God, and if you know that He chose YOU to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him, then you know that He is worthy of praise and you are moved to give thanks because the love He has shown to you in His Son Jesus Christ … that love "endures forever!"
Praise the LORD! Give thanks for His gift of life through Jesus Christ. Rejoice in His love daily and live to serve Him. Then, as His love endures forever, you will experience the joy of His presence and you live to love Him in eternity … time without end … FOREVER! Do it today and know that His is a love that endures forever!!
"Heavenly Father, it is so easy to get caught up in the trials of life and the evil that is all around me, and to forget the truth that You have revealed in Your Word. Remind me today that Jesus is on the throne and that in spite of what I see with my eyes, the sun is shining above the clouds and the angels are singing, 'Holy! Holy! Holy! is the LORD God Almighty. Heaven and earth are full of YOUR glory!' Move me to live my life in constant praise and thanksgiving as I live to declare Your love in Christ Jesus to all I meet. Use me, Father, to testify to Your goodness as I thank You for Your love and grace, in Jesus' name, Amen"
Scripture Reading: Psalms 134 - 136 …
There's a saying that declares, "All good things must end!" But it's not really true. Through the knowledge of God we who believe in Jesus Christ become new creations and Jesus says that we "HAVE CROSSED OVER from death to life" (John 5:24). That means that what we begin to experience now in our relationship with God will never end, but will continue throughout all eternity. The word for that is "forever!" There ARE things that will last forever, but only when attached to or connected with or flowing from God. He alone is eternal, therefore, only that which is related to Him enters into the spiritual realm and extends and exists beyond time.
For those who do not know God, that will be eternal death - an eternal existence separated from God. But for those who have been saved by God's grace, who have been born again by His Spirit and who have come to Him through faith in Jesus, there is an eternal existence in the very presence of the God who created us, for we have been reconciled to Him through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and declared righteous by faith in His shed blood. Incredibly, the writers of the Psalms wrote about this future glory that lasts forever long before Jesus came the first time. Therefore, they call those who believe to "Praise the LORD" by giving Him thanks for His love … which endures forever!!
Have you ever considered that those who do not know God do not want to talk about "forever." Oh, they might talk about some kind of life-after-death, but they have no way of knowing what that is, or even IF it is. All they can do is suppose, and the best some come up with is being re-incarnated (returning to the flesh time after time after time … even as an animal or an inanimate object). How desperate is the hope of those who have no knowledge of God or of His promises, and who thus have no concept of forever!! You and I who believe, on the other hand, understand that "what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (II Corinthians 4:18).
Surely the writers of the Psalms believed this, so much as they could, from what God had already revealed to them through His Spirit and through Moses and others. It was because of their belief in God that they called the people of Israel to "Praise the LORD!" To praise God is to acknowledge who He is … "the Maker of heaven and earth" (134:3), but there's more … To praise God is to understand that He "has chosen Jacob to be His own, Israel to be His treasured possession" (135:4). Why is this so important? Because if God has not chosen YOU, you cannot know Him and you will not come to Him.
Why didn't any of the other nations of the world have the same relationship with God that Israel did? God revealed Himself to Abraham, to Isaac and then to Jacob, from whom He made a great nation: Israel. The history of Israel recorded in the Old Testament is the history of the GOD of Israel, just as the history of the Church in the New Testament is the history of the God of those Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, God's "Anointed One," who was foretold in the Old Testament and who came in the New. As God revealed Himself to those whom He chose in the Old Testament, so He reveals Himself to those whom He chooses in the New Testament. And it is only these who will "praise the LORD!"
Thus the reason for praise: "for the LORD is good!" (135:3). Some people dispute that statement. Because of the trials of this life, many become weighed down and overcome by evil. Why doesn't God do something? As Christians we claim to believe in a sovereign God who rules over all things and who allows evil to exist for a time for His own purposes. We could spend a lot of time talking about that, because God gives us some answers in His Word, but it's true that if you don't know God, no answer is good enough … and if you DO know God, no answer is necessary. Evil exists because of the rebellion of Satan and his followers in heaven, and because of the sin of Adam and Eve and all who have followed after them, including you and me.
God, however, has determined to overcome evil, in His time and in His way. There are hundreds, thousands of examples throughout the Bible and history. People often take credit for the good things that happen - even miraculous things, but the truth is, ALL that is good comes from God. When those who do not know or believe in God do good things, it is because God moved them to do so. They get no credit (though many break their arms patting themselves on the back!). God prevents people from being as bad as they would be, and He calls some to be His and works in us to point others to Him, the source of all that is good. To us God says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).
The writer of Psalm 135 testifies, "I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. The LORD does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths" (135:5-6). He controls the clouds, the lightning and the wind. He controls nations and kings. He alone rules over the affairs of men, so He alone guides and directs the events of the world toward His appointed purposes. And only those who know Him, who love Him and who worship Him reap the benefit of His love … which "endures forever!" Why? Because He is the only thing that IS forever!! He alone is eternal, with no beginning and no ending.
With conviction, the Psalmist declares that "the idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but they cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths" (135:15-17). The ignorance of mankind is revealed by their worship of dumb idols! "Those who make them will be like them" (135:18). But Israel's God, the one true God, is different. He creates, He acts, He endures … forever!! He alone is worthy of praise, so the Psalmist calls the people whom He has chosen to "Praise the LORD!"
Knowing that God is good and that He is worthy of praise moves His people to thanksgiving! Who would say, "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good most of the time and His love lasts for a while!"??? What would be the point? Knowledge of God alone leads to thanksgiving, for we know that "HIS love endures forever!" As that is the refrain of Psalm 136, that should be the refrain of our lives as believers. HIS love endures forever because HIS love arises from the very core of His being. God determined to choose Israel and to set His love on them. Deuteronomy 7:6 is the foundation of Psalm 135:4 and of the refrain of Psalm 136: "You are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession" (Deuteronomy 7:6).
So God says to you and me today: "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light!" (I Peter 2:9). Yes, the knowledge of being chosen by God is what confirms the truth that "His love endures forever." Paul writes to the Romans that "God demonstrates His love for us in this: that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). The Psalmist lists reason after reason as evidence of God's abiding love. He alone is God, He has performed many wonders, He governs the sun, moon and stars, He delivers His people, He defeats our enemies, He cares for those in need … HIS love endures FOREVER!!!! And we know MORE!!
As human beings, some imagine that we are so great as we begin to explore the solar system and the universe. Yet the more knowledge mankind gains the more they reveal their ignorance in proclaiming THEIR wisdom and the more judgment comes upon them because they suppress the truth and worship technology, as they search for answers about where we came from … Really??? Yet, if you know Him, if you know God, and if you know that He chose YOU to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him, then you know that He is worthy of praise and you are moved to give thanks because the love He has shown to you in His Son Jesus Christ … that love "endures forever!"
Praise the LORD! Give thanks for His gift of life through Jesus Christ. Rejoice in His love daily and live to serve Him. Then, as His love endures forever, you will experience the joy of His presence and you live to love Him in eternity … time without end … FOREVER! Do it today and know that His is a love that endures forever!!
"Heavenly Father, it is so easy to get caught up in the trials of life and the evil that is all around me, and to forget the truth that You have revealed in Your Word. Remind me today that Jesus is on the throne and that in spite of what I see with my eyes, the sun is shining above the clouds and the angels are singing, 'Holy! Holy! Holy! is the LORD God Almighty. Heaven and earth are full of YOUR glory!' Move me to live my life in constant praise and thanksgiving as I live to declare Your love in Christ Jesus to all I meet. Use me, Father, to testify to Your goodness as I thank You for Your love and grace, in Jesus' name, Amen"
Monday, November 17, 2014
"The gracious hand of our God was upon us … "
Day #325: Daily Bible Reading Plan - November 18th
Scripture Reading: Ezra 6 - 10 …
For those who truly know God, nothing could be better than knowing that the gracious hand of God is upon you. What does that mean? It means that you know God is with you, that He is for you, that He is at work to order the circumstances of life for your good, that He is blessing you with open doors and guiding others to show you favor. Do you know that? Are you SEEKING that? Ezra understood that the events going on around him were not happening by chance, but rather, were being orchestrated by God to bring blessing to the remnant who were returning from Babylon to Jerusalem and to bring glory to His Name.
A remnant had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, but their enemies had threatened them and had sent a letter to King Darius, who was now king in Persia, asking him to order the people in Judah to stop building the temple. God sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to stir up the remnant to continue building the temple, and now we read that God was also at work with King Darius. After searching the archives in the treasury at Babylon he discovered the original decree that Cyrus had made regarding the rebuilding of the temple. After reading it, Darius issued a decree: "Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild the house of God on its site" (6:7). This was another foreign king whom God used to accomplish His purpose through the Jews, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and David!
Darius closed his decree by saying, "May God, who has caused His Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem" (6:12). Ezra realized that this was happening because the gracious hand of God was on him and these people. There is nothing you and I need more ... nothing that will impact your life for good to a greater extent than the gracious hand of God being upon you. Ezra was a teacher of the Law of God. He had seen the judgment of God that came from disobedience and idolatry, and now he was seeing the blessing of God upon those who were seeking God and who desired to be obedient to Him. There was a clear pattern in God's dealings with His people.
Once the temple had been completed, the exiles who had returned previously celebrated the dedication of the house of God with great joy. Then they celebrated the Passover "in order to seek the LORD, the God of Israel" (6:21). It was after this that Ezra led a second wave of exiles back to Jerusalem. The genealogy of Ezra at the beginning of Chapter 7 makes it clear that Ezra was descended from Aaron (7:1-5), and was thus qualified to be a priest. King Artaxerxes was also moved by God to issue a decree regarding the remnant of Judah in the form of a letter given to Ezra in which he said, "Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who wish to go to Jerusalem with you, may go" (7:13). He also gave them silver and gold to be used for the purchase of sacrifices to be offered on his behalf. This foreign king said, "Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and of his sons?" (7:23).
Most of the religions of that time were based on superstition and fear. It wasn't that Artaxerxes believed in Israel's God, but that he wanted to cover all of his bases. The men of Athens were doing the same thing when they made their altar to "an unknown god" in Acts 17. But God still used him to allow more Jews to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. Ezra did what those who know God must always do: he recognized that every good gift comes from God. He declared, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king's heart to bring honor to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem in this way ... Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me" (7:27-28).
Centuries later James would write, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17). Think of your life and consider all the good things God has done for you. People often use the word "lucky" to describe the good fortune they experience when plans come together and when unexpected blessings are received. How much better to do what Ezra did, to praise the God of heaven for His gracious hand upon you! As Ezra searched for priests to accompany them, he rejoiced that once again God provided, "because the gracious hand of our God was on us" (8:18).
Now the people were about to set out on their long journey. Imagine the excitement, the anticipation and, perhaps, the fear that surrounded this trip. But note what Ezra does as they are about to set out: he proclaims a fast, "so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children with all our possessions" (8:21). I love what he says next: "I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, 'The gracious hand of God is on everyone who looks to Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him.' So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He answered our prayer" (8:22-23). Ezra had openly declared his faith in God and now he needed to exercise that faith.
How often do we talk about our faith without putting it into practice and seeking the Lord? Many who claim to believe in God take Him for granted and rarely pray or truly seek His direction and guidance. Theirs is a "crisis faith," coming to God only when they think they need Him and they want something from Him. Ezra's desire was to worship God and to serve Him. He was about to lead a remnant of the people through enemy countries to a land that lay desolate ... but the gracious hand of God was upon Him! We who know Jesus Christ, who have been born again by His Spirit, have the gracious hand of God upon US! He is with us; He is for us; He is working in us and through us and He promises that He is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). We don't always see it or understand it, but it's true!!
But there is one way to short-circuit God's blessings. Just as many people don't believe obedience brings blessing, they don't believe disobedience brings discipline ... but it does. As Ezra and the exiles traveled, Ezra writes, "The hand of our God was on us, and He protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. So we arrived in Jerusalem" (8:31). They arrived there and offered sacrifices and worshiped the Lord. But after all of this had been done, the leaders of the people came to Ezra and reported to him that some of the exiles had intermarried with the peoples around them. "They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness" (9:2).
While this sounds arrogant and prejudiced, this was God's command for His holy people. "Holy" did not mean that they were perfect or righteous, but that they were "set apart" for God. They were HIS people. They were now in danger of God's judgment once again ... after all they had been through because of the idolatry of their fathers, they were following the same path! What could Ezra do? He could do what he had done before, he could pray. So he prayed, "O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to You, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens" (9:6). Listen to his testimony:
"But now, for a brief moment, the LORD our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in His sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. Though we are slaves, our God has not deserted us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness ... He has granted us new life ... He has given us a wall of protection" (9:8-9). Then Ezra confessed the sins of the people before the LORD, his God. As he was praying a large crowd of people gathered with him and wept and prayed for God's guidance. What should they do? Were they sincere in their humility and their desire to repent? Would God forgive?
They determined to make a covenant before God and to send away the foreign women and their children. This sounds strange to us. How could this be God's will? Simply, these were His people. He had commanded them NOT to do exactly what they did. The Savior would come from THIS people! So God disciplines those He loves! (Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:6). All the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered together and they separated themselves from their foreign wives in obedience to the LORD, their God. It may seem like a strange place for Ezra to end his writing, but what better place could there be than obedience and faithfulness to God?
How few people today take seriously the consequences of sin? How few people draw near to God in humble repentance, confessing their sin and seeking God's forgiveness? Yet it is here that God's richest blessings are found. It is at the cross of Jesus that we can find the assurance that the gracious hand of our God is upon US! It is in humbly seeking the Lord that we find His grace and His mercy through faith and obedience. May we learn from Ezra how important it is to have the gracious hand of our God upon us!
"My Father in heaven, I confess that all too often I have failed to take seriously your discipline and have disobeyed Your commands by doing what You have told me not to do and NOT doing what You have told me is right and good. Pour out Your Spirit afresh, O Lord, that I may pursue Your blessing through faith, through prayer and through obedience. I love You, LORD, my God, my King, my Savior! May Your gracious hand be upon me as I give You my all and seek to serve You, giving thanks for all of Your gifts and resting in Your love and grace, in Jesus' name, Amen"
Scripture Reading: Ezra 6 - 10 …
For those who truly know God, nothing could be better than knowing that the gracious hand of God is upon you. What does that mean? It means that you know God is with you, that He is for you, that He is at work to order the circumstances of life for your good, that He is blessing you with open doors and guiding others to show you favor. Do you know that? Are you SEEKING that? Ezra understood that the events going on around him were not happening by chance, but rather, were being orchestrated by God to bring blessing to the remnant who were returning from Babylon to Jerusalem and to bring glory to His Name.
A remnant had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, but their enemies had threatened them and had sent a letter to King Darius, who was now king in Persia, asking him to order the people in Judah to stop building the temple. God sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to stir up the remnant to continue building the temple, and now we read that God was also at work with King Darius. After searching the archives in the treasury at Babylon he discovered the original decree that Cyrus had made regarding the rebuilding of the temple. After reading it, Darius issued a decree: "Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild the house of God on its site" (6:7). This was another foreign king whom God used to accomplish His purpose through the Jews, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and David!
Darius closed his decree by saying, "May God, who has caused His Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem" (6:12). Ezra realized that this was happening because the gracious hand of God was on him and these people. There is nothing you and I need more ... nothing that will impact your life for good to a greater extent than the gracious hand of God being upon you. Ezra was a teacher of the Law of God. He had seen the judgment of God that came from disobedience and idolatry, and now he was seeing the blessing of God upon those who were seeking God and who desired to be obedient to Him. There was a clear pattern in God's dealings with His people.
Once the temple had been completed, the exiles who had returned previously celebrated the dedication of the house of God with great joy. Then they celebrated the Passover "in order to seek the LORD, the God of Israel" (6:21). It was after this that Ezra led a second wave of exiles back to Jerusalem. The genealogy of Ezra at the beginning of Chapter 7 makes it clear that Ezra was descended from Aaron (7:1-5), and was thus qualified to be a priest. King Artaxerxes was also moved by God to issue a decree regarding the remnant of Judah in the form of a letter given to Ezra in which he said, "Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who wish to go to Jerusalem with you, may go" (7:13). He also gave them silver and gold to be used for the purchase of sacrifices to be offered on his behalf. This foreign king said, "Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and of his sons?" (7:23).
Most of the religions of that time were based on superstition and fear. It wasn't that Artaxerxes believed in Israel's God, but that he wanted to cover all of his bases. The men of Athens were doing the same thing when they made their altar to "an unknown god" in Acts 17. But God still used him to allow more Jews to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. Ezra did what those who know God must always do: he recognized that every good gift comes from God. He declared, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king's heart to bring honor to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem in this way ... Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me" (7:27-28).
Centuries later James would write, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17). Think of your life and consider all the good things God has done for you. People often use the word "lucky" to describe the good fortune they experience when plans come together and when unexpected blessings are received. How much better to do what Ezra did, to praise the God of heaven for His gracious hand upon you! As Ezra searched for priests to accompany them, he rejoiced that once again God provided, "because the gracious hand of our God was on us" (8:18).
Now the people were about to set out on their long journey. Imagine the excitement, the anticipation and, perhaps, the fear that surrounded this trip. But note what Ezra does as they are about to set out: he proclaims a fast, "so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children with all our possessions" (8:21). I love what he says next: "I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, 'The gracious hand of God is on everyone who looks to Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him.' So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He answered our prayer" (8:22-23). Ezra had openly declared his faith in God and now he needed to exercise that faith.
How often do we talk about our faith without putting it into practice and seeking the Lord? Many who claim to believe in God take Him for granted and rarely pray or truly seek His direction and guidance. Theirs is a "crisis faith," coming to God only when they think they need Him and they want something from Him. Ezra's desire was to worship God and to serve Him. He was about to lead a remnant of the people through enemy countries to a land that lay desolate ... but the gracious hand of God was upon Him! We who know Jesus Christ, who have been born again by His Spirit, have the gracious hand of God upon US! He is with us; He is for us; He is working in us and through us and He promises that He is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). We don't always see it or understand it, but it's true!!
But there is one way to short-circuit God's blessings. Just as many people don't believe obedience brings blessing, they don't believe disobedience brings discipline ... but it does. As Ezra and the exiles traveled, Ezra writes, "The hand of our God was on us, and He protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. So we arrived in Jerusalem" (8:31). They arrived there and offered sacrifices and worshiped the Lord. But after all of this had been done, the leaders of the people came to Ezra and reported to him that some of the exiles had intermarried with the peoples around them. "They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness" (9:2).
While this sounds arrogant and prejudiced, this was God's command for His holy people. "Holy" did not mean that they were perfect or righteous, but that they were "set apart" for God. They were HIS people. They were now in danger of God's judgment once again ... after all they had been through because of the idolatry of their fathers, they were following the same path! What could Ezra do? He could do what he had done before, he could pray. So he prayed, "O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to You, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens" (9:6). Listen to his testimony:
"But now, for a brief moment, the LORD our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in His sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. Though we are slaves, our God has not deserted us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness ... He has granted us new life ... He has given us a wall of protection" (9:8-9). Then Ezra confessed the sins of the people before the LORD, his God. As he was praying a large crowd of people gathered with him and wept and prayed for God's guidance. What should they do? Were they sincere in their humility and their desire to repent? Would God forgive?
They determined to make a covenant before God and to send away the foreign women and their children. This sounds strange to us. How could this be God's will? Simply, these were His people. He had commanded them NOT to do exactly what they did. The Savior would come from THIS people! So God disciplines those He loves! (Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:6). All the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered together and they separated themselves from their foreign wives in obedience to the LORD, their God. It may seem like a strange place for Ezra to end his writing, but what better place could there be than obedience and faithfulness to God?
How few people today take seriously the consequences of sin? How few people draw near to God in humble repentance, confessing their sin and seeking God's forgiveness? Yet it is here that God's richest blessings are found. It is at the cross of Jesus that we can find the assurance that the gracious hand of our God is upon US! It is in humbly seeking the Lord that we find His grace and His mercy through faith and obedience. May we learn from Ezra how important it is to have the gracious hand of our God upon us!
"My Father in heaven, I confess that all too often I have failed to take seriously your discipline and have disobeyed Your commands by doing what You have told me not to do and NOT doing what You have told me is right and good. Pour out Your Spirit afresh, O Lord, that I may pursue Your blessing through faith, through prayer and through obedience. I love You, LORD, my God, my King, my Savior! May Your gracious hand be upon me as I give You my all and seek to serve You, giving thanks for all of Your gifts and resting in Your love and grace, in Jesus' name, Amen"
Sunday, November 16, 2014
"Remember who you were ... remember who you are ... remember who you will be ... "
Day #324: Daily Bible Reading - November 17th
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 16 - 19 ...
Perhaps you have heard someone talk about the dates on grave markers ... Most grave stones have the date of birth and the date of death, separated by a dash. Few of us think much about our birthday, and we think even less about the other date. We are busy living the "dash," and oftentimes it FEELS like a dash! We hurry here and there, trying to accomplish everything that we think we are supposed to be doing, wearing ourselves out, working desperately to fit it all in and to please God, when the reality is that God may want us to do less and spend more time with Him!
God's people in the days of Moses and Israel certainly had enough to do. They were coming to the end of forty years of wandering in the wilderness. God had delivered them from their slavery in Egypt and had given them His Ten Commandments and the rest of the Law, along with the tabernacle and instructions for all the feasts and sacrifices. God had revealed Himself to these people out of all the nations of the world. He had called them to be His people and they needed to learn what that meant. God desires a relationship with those who are truly His people. There is no pretending with God.
As Moses continues to speak to the people, He reminds them to celebrate the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. These were more than just empty rituals. To some that's probably what they were ... maybe to most, but to those who knew God these were special times to go to the Tabernacle, to give thanks to God, to praise Him, to worship. "Rejoice before the LORD your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name" (16:11), which would eventually be the temple. No other people were called by God to worship Him. No other people received His commandments. No other people had been delivered from another nation and watched over by God. Moses wanted them to know who they were.
And once again God warns them not to worship other gods. In fact, if anyone was found to have worshiped other gods they were to be put to death. Those who showed contempt for the judicial system that God had set up were also to be put to death. God tells His people that evil must be "purged" from among them ... must be removed from among them, then "all the people will hear and be afraid" (17:13). Does God really want us to be afraid of Him? YES! ... and No ... "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 1:7). Those who do not have a relationship with God SHOULD be afraid of Him, but those who know Him are able to draw near through the blood of Jesus. We know that our sins are forgiven.
This is what God was showing Israel. All the sacrifices pointed to the need for forgiveness for their sin. Sin brings guilt and God is holy. He must punish sin. He cannot live among people who are not perfect, and nobody is perfect! Fearing God is the beginning of wisdom because it causes us to understand where we came from as human beings. We were all conceived and born in sin and grow up to be slaves of sin unless or until God works in us by His Spirit and Word. The people of Israel needed the tabernacle and the sacrifices and all the feasts to be able to approach God by faith, believing that He would receive them. We have the One who was the fulfillment of all of these things, the One to whom they all pointed.
In the remainder of Chapter 17 and Chapter 18 God uses Moses to reveal more information about Who this would be. There were three "offices" in Israel: the King, the Priest and the Prophet. Moses speaks first about the King. Like the sacrifices and feasts of Israel, these offices pointed to the Messiah, the coming Ruler over God's people. These were God's people, and they were headed for the promised land - the land God had promised to Abraham and his descendants. They had come from slavery and had wandered in the wilderness for forty years, but God was not finished with them. He would give them a King ... He would GIVE them a King ... Oh, they would have many kings over the coming centuries, but God would give them a KING!!!
The coming King would "not consider himself better than his brothers or turn from the law to the right or to the left" (17:20). There was ever only one king that fit that description: JESUS! Paul writes in Philippians 2:6-11 that even though He was God, He humbled Himself and became obedient to all things in order to go to the cross and pay the penalty for sin - OUR penalty for sin. "Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
And this King would be "more than a king!" Moses goes on to describe the offerings that the people were to bring to the priests, the Levites. "The LORD your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the LORD's name always" (18:5). Moses said to them, "You must be blameless before the LORD" (18:12). Why would God say that? No one was blameless. No one could be blameless. Unless ... unless the perfect sacrifice was offered by the perfect priest - one who could stand before God without fault, who was perfect and who could make US perfect in God's sight.
Hebrews 4:14-16 tells believers that we have a High Priest who is without sin (4:15). And there's more: "When THIS priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool, because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy" (Hebrews 10:12-14). This priest is not only perfect Himself, but by His sacrifice He removes the sin of His people and by faith HIS righteousness is credited to us so that WE are declared perfect in God's sight, too!!! All that the office of priest pointed to, Jesus fulfilled. We WERE slaves, but by grace we ARE the people of God!
Through the priests the people could approach God - temporarily. But through Christ we have access to our Father in heaven! The veil of the temple was torn as Jesus hung on the cross and believers can now enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19). The people were to bring their tithes and offerings to the priests as their inheritance. Today WE are Jesus' inheritance! So many pictures, so many symbols, ALL pointing to Jesus and reminding us, God's people today, who we were and who we are ... and pointing to who we will be.
But how would we know any of this, unless God told us. Thus, the office of prophet. The prophets would bring God's Word to His people. They would speak what God told them to speak. Moses was a prophet, and there would be others. God would use them to guide the kings and the people and to tell them what was to come. But Moses said to the people, "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to Him" (18:15). God said to Moses, "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put my words in His mouth, and He will tell them everything I command Him" (18:18).
Jesus was that Prophet! He said in John 12:49: "I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken." These are not coincidences. Jesus fulfills all three offices and lets US know not only who we were and who we are, but who we will be! As Moses talks about witnesses in Chapter 19, and about the steps for accusing someone of a crime or an offense, he says again, "You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid and never again will such an evil thing be done among you" (19:19-20).
Satan is OUR accuser ... Jesus was falsely accused, but He went to the cross in order to remove the evil, to remove sin from among us - forever! And now we don't have to be afraid! "You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory" (Romans 8:15-17).
You and I are living the "dash," but our hope is in Jesus. Remember who you were ... remember who you are ... remember who you will be! Don't be like the people of Israel, for God was displeased with most of them. Rejoice in the Lord and give thanks for Jesus!! He is our King, our Priest and our Prophet. He is all we need to live this life ... and forever!
"O LORD God Almighty, in the symbols You gave Your people long ago I see Jesus, my Prophet, my Priest and my King. I hear You speak to me in Your Word and I hear the voice of My Good Shepherd assuring me that I am a child of the King. As my High Priest He has redeemed me and removed the guilt and shame of my sin once and for all. How I praise You, LORD, for Your wisdom in revealing Yourself through these things and pointing me to the One Who was to come so that I may have the assurance that Jesus IS my Savior and my Lord. Give me wisdom and strength, now to run the race set before me. In Jesus' name, Amen"
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 16 - 19 ...
Perhaps you have heard someone talk about the dates on grave markers ... Most grave stones have the date of birth and the date of death, separated by a dash. Few of us think much about our birthday, and we think even less about the other date. We are busy living the "dash," and oftentimes it FEELS like a dash! We hurry here and there, trying to accomplish everything that we think we are supposed to be doing, wearing ourselves out, working desperately to fit it all in and to please God, when the reality is that God may want us to do less and spend more time with Him!
God's people in the days of Moses and Israel certainly had enough to do. They were coming to the end of forty years of wandering in the wilderness. God had delivered them from their slavery in Egypt and had given them His Ten Commandments and the rest of the Law, along with the tabernacle and instructions for all the feasts and sacrifices. God had revealed Himself to these people out of all the nations of the world. He had called them to be His people and they needed to learn what that meant. God desires a relationship with those who are truly His people. There is no pretending with God.
As Moses continues to speak to the people, He reminds them to celebrate the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. These were more than just empty rituals. To some that's probably what they were ... maybe to most, but to those who knew God these were special times to go to the Tabernacle, to give thanks to God, to praise Him, to worship. "Rejoice before the LORD your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name" (16:11), which would eventually be the temple. No other people were called by God to worship Him. No other people received His commandments. No other people had been delivered from another nation and watched over by God. Moses wanted them to know who they were.
And once again God warns them not to worship other gods. In fact, if anyone was found to have worshiped other gods they were to be put to death. Those who showed contempt for the judicial system that God had set up were also to be put to death. God tells His people that evil must be "purged" from among them ... must be removed from among them, then "all the people will hear and be afraid" (17:13). Does God really want us to be afraid of Him? YES! ... and No ... "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 1:7). Those who do not have a relationship with God SHOULD be afraid of Him, but those who know Him are able to draw near through the blood of Jesus. We know that our sins are forgiven.
This is what God was showing Israel. All the sacrifices pointed to the need for forgiveness for their sin. Sin brings guilt and God is holy. He must punish sin. He cannot live among people who are not perfect, and nobody is perfect! Fearing God is the beginning of wisdom because it causes us to understand where we came from as human beings. We were all conceived and born in sin and grow up to be slaves of sin unless or until God works in us by His Spirit and Word. The people of Israel needed the tabernacle and the sacrifices and all the feasts to be able to approach God by faith, believing that He would receive them. We have the One who was the fulfillment of all of these things, the One to whom they all pointed.
In the remainder of Chapter 17 and Chapter 18 God uses Moses to reveal more information about Who this would be. There were three "offices" in Israel: the King, the Priest and the Prophet. Moses speaks first about the King. Like the sacrifices and feasts of Israel, these offices pointed to the Messiah, the coming Ruler over God's people. These were God's people, and they were headed for the promised land - the land God had promised to Abraham and his descendants. They had come from slavery and had wandered in the wilderness for forty years, but God was not finished with them. He would give them a King ... He would GIVE them a King ... Oh, they would have many kings over the coming centuries, but God would give them a KING!!!
The coming King would "not consider himself better than his brothers or turn from the law to the right or to the left" (17:20). There was ever only one king that fit that description: JESUS! Paul writes in Philippians 2:6-11 that even though He was God, He humbled Himself and became obedient to all things in order to go to the cross and pay the penalty for sin - OUR penalty for sin. "Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
And this King would be "more than a king!" Moses goes on to describe the offerings that the people were to bring to the priests, the Levites. "The LORD your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the LORD's name always" (18:5). Moses said to them, "You must be blameless before the LORD" (18:12). Why would God say that? No one was blameless. No one could be blameless. Unless ... unless the perfect sacrifice was offered by the perfect priest - one who could stand before God without fault, who was perfect and who could make US perfect in God's sight.
Hebrews 4:14-16 tells believers that we have a High Priest who is without sin (4:15). And there's more: "When THIS priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool, because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy" (Hebrews 10:12-14). This priest is not only perfect Himself, but by His sacrifice He removes the sin of His people and by faith HIS righteousness is credited to us so that WE are declared perfect in God's sight, too!!! All that the office of priest pointed to, Jesus fulfilled. We WERE slaves, but by grace we ARE the people of God!
Through the priests the people could approach God - temporarily. But through Christ we have access to our Father in heaven! The veil of the temple was torn as Jesus hung on the cross and believers can now enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19). The people were to bring their tithes and offerings to the priests as their inheritance. Today WE are Jesus' inheritance! So many pictures, so many symbols, ALL pointing to Jesus and reminding us, God's people today, who we were and who we are ... and pointing to who we will be.
But how would we know any of this, unless God told us. Thus, the office of prophet. The prophets would bring God's Word to His people. They would speak what God told them to speak. Moses was a prophet, and there would be others. God would use them to guide the kings and the people and to tell them what was to come. But Moses said to the people, "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to Him" (18:15). God said to Moses, "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put my words in His mouth, and He will tell them everything I command Him" (18:18).
Jesus was that Prophet! He said in John 12:49: "I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken." These are not coincidences. Jesus fulfills all three offices and lets US know not only who we were and who we are, but who we will be! As Moses talks about witnesses in Chapter 19, and about the steps for accusing someone of a crime or an offense, he says again, "You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid and never again will such an evil thing be done among you" (19:19-20).
Satan is OUR accuser ... Jesus was falsely accused, but He went to the cross in order to remove the evil, to remove sin from among us - forever! And now we don't have to be afraid! "You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory" (Romans 8:15-17).
You and I are living the "dash," but our hope is in Jesus. Remember who you were ... remember who you are ... remember who you will be! Don't be like the people of Israel, for God was displeased with most of them. Rejoice in the Lord and give thanks for Jesus!! He is our King, our Priest and our Prophet. He is all we need to live this life ... and forever!
"O LORD God Almighty, in the symbols You gave Your people long ago I see Jesus, my Prophet, my Priest and my King. I hear You speak to me in Your Word and I hear the voice of My Good Shepherd assuring me that I am a child of the King. As my High Priest He has redeemed me and removed the guilt and shame of my sin once and for all. How I praise You, LORD, for Your wisdom in revealing Yourself through these things and pointing me to the One Who was to come so that I may have the assurance that Jesus IS my Savior and my Lord. Give me wisdom and strength, now to run the race set before me. In Jesus' name, Amen"
Saturday, November 15, 2014
"When everything happens just as God says it will … where will YOU be?"
Day #323: Daily Bible Reading Plan - November 16th
Scripture Reading: II Peter 1 - 3 …
You can know everything there is to know about "Christian Living," and you can live a good "Christian life" and read all the latest books about what it means to be a follower of Jesus … and still not know Him or be saved! The Gospel of Jesus Christ calls you and me to confess our sins, to repent and believe in Jesus Christ for forgiveness. All of that happens as the Spirit of God works within those whom God calls to be His, transforming us from the inside out to be children of God … disciples of Jesus, prepared for life, now and forever!! Living for God, in the present and the future, makes life worth living!
As Peter writes his second letter, he knows that the end of his life is near. He says, "I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me" (1:14). The Church was being horribly persecuted and many were being put to death. What would you be doing in that situation? Peter was concerned about his fellow-believers. He writes "to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours" (1:1). This letter is written specifically to those who have believed in Jesus Christ and who trust in Him for salvation. Peter's desire is that they stand firm in their faith and continue to be witnesses for Christ. As we approach the return of Jesus, what message could we possibly hear that is more important?!
While many operate on the basis of their feelings, at times being sure of their relationship with God, at times having doubts, Peter points us to something more definite, something that never changes and that forms the foundation of "a faith as precious as ours" … KNOWLEDGE!! And this is not just "head knowledge," but knowledge that has touched the heart, the very core of your being … the knowledge of GOD!! "His divine power has given us EVERYTHING WE NEED for life and godliness through OUR KNOWLEDGE OF HIM who called us by His own glory and goodness" (1:3). Without the knowledge of God you are just practicing "religion."
Peter calls us to pursue holiness, not to earn our salvation, but to give us the assurance that God is working within us. When asked, "What marks a true believer?" I usually answer: "The desire to please God." True repentance means having a desire, produced by the Spirit, to turn from sin to righteousness. Where that desire is absent, so is the Spirit of God! So Peter says, "Make your calling and election sure (to yourself!) … For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!" (1:10-11). Living the Christian life just to make you feel good about yourself is pointless, but pursuing righteousness because you know you are forgiven, because you know God and His holiness and His grace in Christ Jesus, brings assurance that God is at work and He is not finished with you yet!
Peter writes this letter to remind us of things we already know and so to encourage us not to look for some shiny new thing! He recalls being an eyewitness of the majesty of Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, and declares that Scripture comes not from men, but from God. "For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (1:21). This is one of the clearest definitions of the "inspiration" of Scripture, along with II Timothy 3:16, which tells us that Scripture is "God-breathed." People ignore the Bible to their own destruction, for it alone is the very Word of God.
You need to be careful whom you listen to concerning the things of God and the truth He reveals in His Word. I can identify with Peter when he says, "I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things" (1:15). Why? Because false teachers will come … and have come … and are here! False teachers make me angry!! More importantly, false teachers make GOD angry!!! They "bring the way of truth into disrepute" (2:2). They "follow the way of Balaam," (2:15) … speaking what "itching ears want to hear" for profit. They "love the wages of wickedness" (2:15). They "entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity" (2:18-19). "It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them" (2:21).
Who ARE these people? They are the ones who claim to be Christians and who enter into the spotlight of popularity among those who do not know the truth and so are easily misled. They talk about Jesus, they quote (or misquote) verses and passages of Scripture and do, as Peter writes in 3:16: "they distort the Scriptures, to their own destruction," and sadly, to the destruction of those who follow them. They "know the way of righteousness," they have heard the Gospel, but they replace it with a message that appeals to the flesh. "Sow a seed into the kingdom," they say … Translation: "Give us your money!" They promise "miracles" and fail to point people to the cross of Jesus Christ, where the real miracle takes place: where dead people come to life through faith in Jesus! They offer prosperity, physical healing, better jobs, and all sorts of other things and leave people to wonder why some get what they want but THEY never do. Yes, they take the truth of God's Word and twist it and distort it to suit their own purposes. God has nothing good to say about them and neither should we!!
You and I live in a world on a collision course with God! The ONLY way to live with hope and courage and boldness and zeal for God in this world is to remember the truth God has revealed in His Word: Jesus is coming again to judge the living and the dead. Peter says, "This is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles" (3:1-2). Jesus is coming again. This age will end and there is only one escape. Knowing the truth gives life here for believers meaning and purpose. Nothing else does, nothing else will, nothing else can.
Verses 3-7 are being fulfilled right in front of us. You might think that this has always been the case, but while that may be true on a small scale, it has never been like today, where thoughts of the end of this world are not being spoken only by those who believe the Bible, but by the secular world around us. The difference is, WE know what is coming! This world was created by the spoken Word of God, and it will end when GOD says so. What is God waiting for? "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (II Peter 3:9). Again, some mistakenly think this means God wants to save everyone and perhaps, they propose, in the end He will. But that's NOT what Peter is saying … that's not what GOD is saying!
The "you" in verse 9 is pointing to those to whom Peter is writing, whom he describes in Chapter 1, verse 1: "those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours." God is not willing that any of THESE should perish. By His Spirit, He will bring every one of Christ's sheep to Himself and not one will be lost (John 10:27-30). "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief " (for those who are not ready - read I Thessalonians 5:1-4). Peter describes what the prophets and Jesus describe: a cataclysmic event in which this present earth is destroyed by fire, by the judgment of God upon mankind. How can you and I possibly prepare for such an event?
"Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming" (3:11-12). Jesus told His followers to be ready by doing what He has called us to do; by living for Him and serving others and proclaiming the Gospel. This earth WILL BE destroyed, as Isaiah describes in Isaiah 24, BUT, "in keeping with His promise WE are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness!" (3:13). We who believe rejoice in God's promises and need to be reminded often as we face life in this world so deeply affected by sin.
KNOWLEDGE of these things is crucial!! Peter concludes, "Dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To HIM be glory both now and forever! Amen!" (3:17-18). This is the way all of God's true children will stand firm: by knowing the truth, continuing to learn and grow in the GRACE and KNOWLEDGE of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by living with and for Him.
Living in this world for the glory of God requires knowledge of God and the truth He reveals. Those who are His will KNOW it, not because we are perfect or because we simply have knowledge in our heads, but because we KNOW the One who speaks through His Word and we love Him, because He first loved us. We KNOW we have eternal life because we have received it as a gift through faith in Jesus Christ. And we KNOW that when all of this happens, just as God has said it will, we have a home in the new heaven and the new earth, for we know the One Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and He promised that He has gone to prepare a place for us and He will come again to take us to be with Him … forever! (John 14:1-6).
I pray that YOU know where you will be on that day!!
"My Father and my God, it is in knowing You through Your Son Jesus Christ and by the power of Your Spirit working within me that I find my hope, my joy and my peace. There is nothing in this world that offers true LIFE. I thank You, Father, for all You have given me, for all Jesus did for me and is doing for me, and I ask that You hold me close to You, giving me wisdom and strength to live the life You have called me to live, for Your glory. To You, O Lord my God, I give my praise and my life, in Jesus' name, Amen"
Scripture Reading: II Peter 1 - 3 …
You can know everything there is to know about "Christian Living," and you can live a good "Christian life" and read all the latest books about what it means to be a follower of Jesus … and still not know Him or be saved! The Gospel of Jesus Christ calls you and me to confess our sins, to repent and believe in Jesus Christ for forgiveness. All of that happens as the Spirit of God works within those whom God calls to be His, transforming us from the inside out to be children of God … disciples of Jesus, prepared for life, now and forever!! Living for God, in the present and the future, makes life worth living!
As Peter writes his second letter, he knows that the end of his life is near. He says, "I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me" (1:14). The Church was being horribly persecuted and many were being put to death. What would you be doing in that situation? Peter was concerned about his fellow-believers. He writes "to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours" (1:1). This letter is written specifically to those who have believed in Jesus Christ and who trust in Him for salvation. Peter's desire is that they stand firm in their faith and continue to be witnesses for Christ. As we approach the return of Jesus, what message could we possibly hear that is more important?!
While many operate on the basis of their feelings, at times being sure of their relationship with God, at times having doubts, Peter points us to something more definite, something that never changes and that forms the foundation of "a faith as precious as ours" … KNOWLEDGE!! And this is not just "head knowledge," but knowledge that has touched the heart, the very core of your being … the knowledge of GOD!! "His divine power has given us EVERYTHING WE NEED for life and godliness through OUR KNOWLEDGE OF HIM who called us by His own glory and goodness" (1:3). Without the knowledge of God you are just practicing "religion."
Peter calls us to pursue holiness, not to earn our salvation, but to give us the assurance that God is working within us. When asked, "What marks a true believer?" I usually answer: "The desire to please God." True repentance means having a desire, produced by the Spirit, to turn from sin to righteousness. Where that desire is absent, so is the Spirit of God! So Peter says, "Make your calling and election sure (to yourself!) … For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!" (1:10-11). Living the Christian life just to make you feel good about yourself is pointless, but pursuing righteousness because you know you are forgiven, because you know God and His holiness and His grace in Christ Jesus, brings assurance that God is at work and He is not finished with you yet!
Peter writes this letter to remind us of things we already know and so to encourage us not to look for some shiny new thing! He recalls being an eyewitness of the majesty of Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, and declares that Scripture comes not from men, but from God. "For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (1:21). This is one of the clearest definitions of the "inspiration" of Scripture, along with II Timothy 3:16, which tells us that Scripture is "God-breathed." People ignore the Bible to their own destruction, for it alone is the very Word of God.
You need to be careful whom you listen to concerning the things of God and the truth He reveals in His Word. I can identify with Peter when he says, "I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things" (1:15). Why? Because false teachers will come … and have come … and are here! False teachers make me angry!! More importantly, false teachers make GOD angry!!! They "bring the way of truth into disrepute" (2:2). They "follow the way of Balaam," (2:15) … speaking what "itching ears want to hear" for profit. They "love the wages of wickedness" (2:15). They "entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity" (2:18-19). "It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them" (2:21).
Who ARE these people? They are the ones who claim to be Christians and who enter into the spotlight of popularity among those who do not know the truth and so are easily misled. They talk about Jesus, they quote (or misquote) verses and passages of Scripture and do, as Peter writes in 3:16: "they distort the Scriptures, to their own destruction," and sadly, to the destruction of those who follow them. They "know the way of righteousness," they have heard the Gospel, but they replace it with a message that appeals to the flesh. "Sow a seed into the kingdom," they say … Translation: "Give us your money!" They promise "miracles" and fail to point people to the cross of Jesus Christ, where the real miracle takes place: where dead people come to life through faith in Jesus! They offer prosperity, physical healing, better jobs, and all sorts of other things and leave people to wonder why some get what they want but THEY never do. Yes, they take the truth of God's Word and twist it and distort it to suit their own purposes. God has nothing good to say about them and neither should we!!
You and I live in a world on a collision course with God! The ONLY way to live with hope and courage and boldness and zeal for God in this world is to remember the truth God has revealed in His Word: Jesus is coming again to judge the living and the dead. Peter says, "This is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles" (3:1-2). Jesus is coming again. This age will end and there is only one escape. Knowing the truth gives life here for believers meaning and purpose. Nothing else does, nothing else will, nothing else can.
Verses 3-7 are being fulfilled right in front of us. You might think that this has always been the case, but while that may be true on a small scale, it has never been like today, where thoughts of the end of this world are not being spoken only by those who believe the Bible, but by the secular world around us. The difference is, WE know what is coming! This world was created by the spoken Word of God, and it will end when GOD says so. What is God waiting for? "He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (II Peter 3:9). Again, some mistakenly think this means God wants to save everyone and perhaps, they propose, in the end He will. But that's NOT what Peter is saying … that's not what GOD is saying!
The "you" in verse 9 is pointing to those to whom Peter is writing, whom he describes in Chapter 1, verse 1: "those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours." God is not willing that any of THESE should perish. By His Spirit, He will bring every one of Christ's sheep to Himself and not one will be lost (John 10:27-30). "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief " (for those who are not ready - read I Thessalonians 5:1-4). Peter describes what the prophets and Jesus describe: a cataclysmic event in which this present earth is destroyed by fire, by the judgment of God upon mankind. How can you and I possibly prepare for such an event?
"Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming" (3:11-12). Jesus told His followers to be ready by doing what He has called us to do; by living for Him and serving others and proclaiming the Gospel. This earth WILL BE destroyed, as Isaiah describes in Isaiah 24, BUT, "in keeping with His promise WE are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness!" (3:13). We who believe rejoice in God's promises and need to be reminded often as we face life in this world so deeply affected by sin.
KNOWLEDGE of these things is crucial!! Peter concludes, "Dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To HIM be glory both now and forever! Amen!" (3:17-18). This is the way all of God's true children will stand firm: by knowing the truth, continuing to learn and grow in the GRACE and KNOWLEDGE of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by living with and for Him.
Living in this world for the glory of God requires knowledge of God and the truth He reveals. Those who are His will KNOW it, not because we are perfect or because we simply have knowledge in our heads, but because we KNOW the One who speaks through His Word and we love Him, because He first loved us. We KNOW we have eternal life because we have received it as a gift through faith in Jesus Christ. And we KNOW that when all of this happens, just as God has said it will, we have a home in the new heaven and the new earth, for we know the One Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and He promised that He has gone to prepare a place for us and He will come again to take us to be with Him … forever! (John 14:1-6).
I pray that YOU know where you will be on that day!!
"My Father and my God, it is in knowing You through Your Son Jesus Christ and by the power of Your Spirit working within me that I find my hope, my joy and my peace. There is nothing in this world that offers true LIFE. I thank You, Father, for all You have given me, for all Jesus did for me and is doing for me, and I ask that You hold me close to You, giving me wisdom and strength to live the life You have called me to live, for Your glory. To You, O Lord my God, I give my praise and my life, in Jesus' name, Amen"
Friday, November 14, 2014
"Saved by GRACE … "
Day #322: Daily Bible Reading Plan - November 15th
Scripture Reading: Acts 15 - 16 …
What is being described throughout the book of Acts is the birth of the Church, this body made up of Jews and Gentiles, brought together through the cross of Christ in order to proclaim to the world God's message of grace and His offer of forgiveness and life through faith in Jesus! It seems that many today have forgotten the simplicity of God's plan to gather for Himself a people from among the nations of the world to be His people. The Bible is ONE book and it reveals the unfolding of ONE plan, beginning with Abraham, but extending to all nations. Only those who study God's Word and who are given wisdom from God's Spirit to see the progressive revelation of His plan are able to understand the dynamic transition that was taking place as the apostles carried the Gospel into the world.
Because many fail to see God's purpose and plan unfolding, they veer from the course that God has laid out for His Church today. Instead of preaching the Gospel of God's grace in Jesus Christ, they become more concerned about making people feel good about themselves and allow people to remain in their sin without calling them to repentance and faith in Jesus. Doing so leaves people separated from God and without hope of salvation. The early church faced the same temptation to become distracted by trying to get people to "be good" by obeying the Law, without knowing or loving Jesus! Many churches today are more about getting people to "be good," than about sharing with people the message that has the power to transform their hearts and minds and to produce joyful obedience to all that God calls His people to obey.
That's what was at stake at the first gathering of the leaders of the Church at Jerusalem … what is often called the "Jerusalem Council." The issue that was being raised was whether or not the Gentiles could be saved without being circumcised (15:1). Some of the new believers were Jews and while they believed in Jesus they still believed that "the Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses" (15:6). They were missing the very heart of the Gospel, and it is important that you and I understand what was happening here.
Nobody was saying that the Gentiles, or the Jews who had become believers for that matter, did not need to obey the moral law revealed in the Ten Commandments. In His Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom" (Matthew 5:17-19).
There you have it! Further, in His "Great Commission" Jesus said, "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" (Matthew 28:19-20). Obedience to the commands God had given to Israel was not the issue. What was the issue? First of all, circumcision. Circumcision had nothing to do with the Law of Moses. Circumcision was a sign of God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants wherein God promised to be their God and they would be His people. It was a sign, sealed in God's Name, that those who believed, as Abraham did, would be "credited with righteousness" (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3). Circumcision, like the Law, pointed to the origin of mankind's sin and the need for the shedding of blood, the need for a sacrifice, the need for a Savior.
Now that the Savior had come, Jesus said that those who believed (and their children) should be baptized into the Name of the Father, Son and Spirit … into HIS Name! You will notice here, however, that while the Jerusalem Council determined that the Gentiles did NOT need to be circumcised, it does not mention baptism with water either. It DOES mention the work of the Holy Spirit, which Paul would later call the "baptism of the Holy Spirit." John the Baptist had said that One would come after him who would baptize with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33). It is only by being born again by the Spirit that we are born again and enter into God's kingdom (John 3:3,5).
This was the issue that was before the Jerusalem Council and it is the issue that is at stake in the church today. Are we saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, or are we saved by something WE do … whatever that may be? Peter testified before the Council that God was at work in the Gentiles just as He was in them. "God, who knows the heart, showed that He accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for He purified their hearts by faith" (15:8-9). Then he made it even clearer when he added: "We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are!" (15:11).
Surely, Paul must have been thinking about this when, inspired by the Spirit, He wrote to the Ephesians, "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Grace offers forgiveness to all who believe through faith in the blood of Christ shed on the cross once for all. You can't add anything to grace … you don't need to add anything to grace. As soon as you tack on anything, whether circumcision or even baptism, you destroy grace. If you say that people HAVE to obey the Law, you lose grace. "Grace" is "undeserved favor." It is what Noah received from God in Genesis 6:8 and it is what Abraham received when God called him to be the "father of nations" in Genesis 12:1-3.
By its definition, you can't earn grace or it stops being grace! "The wages of sin is death; BUT the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). After Paul and Barnabas reported on God's activity among the Gentiles through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, James reminded the council of how Peter had reported to them that God was "taking from the Gentiles a people for Himself" (15:14). He explained that this was the fulfillment of God's promise through the prophet Amos that "the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name …" (15:16). This was God's plan from the beginning. The Law was given to point people to Christ, not to be a way to earn salvation. After all, no one could keep it!!
The beauty of the Gospel is that it saves us by grace and then moves us to obey the very law that previously condemned us, now not because we have to, but because we WANT to. Paul explains in Romans 8:1-4 that the law no longer condemns those who are united to Christ by faith because the Holy Spirit is now at work within us. God now transforms our hearts and minds and we become new creations in Christ, "in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit" (Romans 8:4). Life in the Spirit is a life of obedience. We no longer need the sign that points to sin and the need for the shedding of blood. Christ has offered the perfect sacrifice once for all and by the baptism of the Spirit we are united to Him, once and for all.
How do you know if you have been "baptized by the Spirit?" Ask yourself some questions: Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ? Do you desire to turn from sin to obedience out of thanksgiving to God for His marvelous gift of grace in Christ? Then you have been born again by His Spirit, "for we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body" (I Corinthians 12:13). With the apostles and the brothers who met in Jerusalem so many years ago, we must agree that "we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God" (15:19). How many people today do not come to God because they believe they have to "fix themselves" first, they have to change their lives by their own power, they have to "measure up" to the standard that those who act like the Pharisees demand.
GRACE is GRACE!!! When Paul and Barnabas carried the letter back to Antioch, the brothers there were encouraged and they continued to preach the word of the Lord and others believed and were saved. This is God's way, the only way to be saved. As Paul and Silas, and Barnabas and Mark, now went out to visit the churches Paul had planted on his first journey and to encourage them and to preach in other places, God continued to build His Church, gathering people from both the Jews and the Gentiles, bringing them together into one body. It was not an easy transition, and there were "bumps" along the way. But God was fulfilling Jesus' words, "I will build My Church!"
God called the apostles to new places and wherever they went they found those who had heard the message and believed. They taught them and encouraged them and more people believed and were baptized, along with their households (16:14-15; 31-34). The apostles were severely persecuted, but nothing could stop them from preaching the message they knew was the power of God unto salvation to all who believed (Romans 1:16). Whether it was a business woman, a slave girl or a jailor, God brought His Word to those whom He had chosen before the world began to be His and he called them to Himself. No gimmicks, no steps or requirements but one: "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" (16:31).
How glorious is this message! For nearly 2,000 years God has sent His people into all the world to proclaim this one message. The message has not changed since these days that we read about in the book of Acts. It is the one Gospel, the good news, the only message on the face of the earth that has the power to save, for it alone is the Gospel of God's GRACE in Jesus Christ. Every other religion … no exceptions … offers salvation through works of one kind or another. That is why it is such a tragedy when some in the church do the same thing. Add one thing to what Jesus has done and it is no longer grace. Faith itself is the gift of God, produced by the work of His Spirit in the hearts of those whom He chooses. As God "opened Lydia's heart to respond to Paul's message" (16:14), so He continues to do today.
If you have been saved at all, you have been saved by GRACE!! Rejoice in that truth. Give thanks for the Gospel of God's grace in Christ Jesus. Believe in Jesus and share this message with those to whom God sends you ... family, friends, co-workers, classmates, neighbors, strangers ... for His work will continue until all who are Jesus' sheep hear, believe and are saved ... by GRACE!!
"Heavenly Father, I praise You for Your grace and thank You for Your love to me in Jesus! I confess that I am a sinner, unable to save myself and in need of a Savior. By Your grace alone I have placed my faith in the blood of Jesus to redeem me, to purify my heart, to SAVE me! Now Your love compels me to share the good news with others, that they, too, may believe and be saved by Your amazing, marvelous grace. To You, Father, be glory and honor and praise, in Jesus' name, Amen"
Scripture Reading: Acts 15 - 16 …
What is being described throughout the book of Acts is the birth of the Church, this body made up of Jews and Gentiles, brought together through the cross of Christ in order to proclaim to the world God's message of grace and His offer of forgiveness and life through faith in Jesus! It seems that many today have forgotten the simplicity of God's plan to gather for Himself a people from among the nations of the world to be His people. The Bible is ONE book and it reveals the unfolding of ONE plan, beginning with Abraham, but extending to all nations. Only those who study God's Word and who are given wisdom from God's Spirit to see the progressive revelation of His plan are able to understand the dynamic transition that was taking place as the apostles carried the Gospel into the world.
Because many fail to see God's purpose and plan unfolding, they veer from the course that God has laid out for His Church today. Instead of preaching the Gospel of God's grace in Jesus Christ, they become more concerned about making people feel good about themselves and allow people to remain in their sin without calling them to repentance and faith in Jesus. Doing so leaves people separated from God and without hope of salvation. The early church faced the same temptation to become distracted by trying to get people to "be good" by obeying the Law, without knowing or loving Jesus! Many churches today are more about getting people to "be good," than about sharing with people the message that has the power to transform their hearts and minds and to produce joyful obedience to all that God calls His people to obey.
That's what was at stake at the first gathering of the leaders of the Church at Jerusalem … what is often called the "Jerusalem Council." The issue that was being raised was whether or not the Gentiles could be saved without being circumcised (15:1). Some of the new believers were Jews and while they believed in Jesus they still believed that "the Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses" (15:6). They were missing the very heart of the Gospel, and it is important that you and I understand what was happening here.
Nobody was saying that the Gentiles, or the Jews who had become believers for that matter, did not need to obey the moral law revealed in the Ten Commandments. In His Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom" (Matthew 5:17-19).
There you have it! Further, in His "Great Commission" Jesus said, "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" (Matthew 28:19-20). Obedience to the commands God had given to Israel was not the issue. What was the issue? First of all, circumcision. Circumcision had nothing to do with the Law of Moses. Circumcision was a sign of God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants wherein God promised to be their God and they would be His people. It was a sign, sealed in God's Name, that those who believed, as Abraham did, would be "credited with righteousness" (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3). Circumcision, like the Law, pointed to the origin of mankind's sin and the need for the shedding of blood, the need for a sacrifice, the need for a Savior.
Now that the Savior had come, Jesus said that those who believed (and their children) should be baptized into the Name of the Father, Son and Spirit … into HIS Name! You will notice here, however, that while the Jerusalem Council determined that the Gentiles did NOT need to be circumcised, it does not mention baptism with water either. It DOES mention the work of the Holy Spirit, which Paul would later call the "baptism of the Holy Spirit." John the Baptist had said that One would come after him who would baptize with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33). It is only by being born again by the Spirit that we are born again and enter into God's kingdom (John 3:3,5).
This was the issue that was before the Jerusalem Council and it is the issue that is at stake in the church today. Are we saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, or are we saved by something WE do … whatever that may be? Peter testified before the Council that God was at work in the Gentiles just as He was in them. "God, who knows the heart, showed that He accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for He purified their hearts by faith" (15:8-9). Then he made it even clearer when he added: "We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are!" (15:11).
Surely, Paul must have been thinking about this when, inspired by the Spirit, He wrote to the Ephesians, "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Grace offers forgiveness to all who believe through faith in the blood of Christ shed on the cross once for all. You can't add anything to grace … you don't need to add anything to grace. As soon as you tack on anything, whether circumcision or even baptism, you destroy grace. If you say that people HAVE to obey the Law, you lose grace. "Grace" is "undeserved favor." It is what Noah received from God in Genesis 6:8 and it is what Abraham received when God called him to be the "father of nations" in Genesis 12:1-3.
By its definition, you can't earn grace or it stops being grace! "The wages of sin is death; BUT the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). After Paul and Barnabas reported on God's activity among the Gentiles through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, James reminded the council of how Peter had reported to them that God was "taking from the Gentiles a people for Himself" (15:14). He explained that this was the fulfillment of God's promise through the prophet Amos that "the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name …" (15:16). This was God's plan from the beginning. The Law was given to point people to Christ, not to be a way to earn salvation. After all, no one could keep it!!
The beauty of the Gospel is that it saves us by grace and then moves us to obey the very law that previously condemned us, now not because we have to, but because we WANT to. Paul explains in Romans 8:1-4 that the law no longer condemns those who are united to Christ by faith because the Holy Spirit is now at work within us. God now transforms our hearts and minds and we become new creations in Christ, "in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit" (Romans 8:4). Life in the Spirit is a life of obedience. We no longer need the sign that points to sin and the need for the shedding of blood. Christ has offered the perfect sacrifice once for all and by the baptism of the Spirit we are united to Him, once and for all.
How do you know if you have been "baptized by the Spirit?" Ask yourself some questions: Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ? Do you desire to turn from sin to obedience out of thanksgiving to God for His marvelous gift of grace in Christ? Then you have been born again by His Spirit, "for we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body" (I Corinthians 12:13). With the apostles and the brothers who met in Jerusalem so many years ago, we must agree that "we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God" (15:19). How many people today do not come to God because they believe they have to "fix themselves" first, they have to change their lives by their own power, they have to "measure up" to the standard that those who act like the Pharisees demand.
GRACE is GRACE!!! When Paul and Barnabas carried the letter back to Antioch, the brothers there were encouraged and they continued to preach the word of the Lord and others believed and were saved. This is God's way, the only way to be saved. As Paul and Silas, and Barnabas and Mark, now went out to visit the churches Paul had planted on his first journey and to encourage them and to preach in other places, God continued to build His Church, gathering people from both the Jews and the Gentiles, bringing them together into one body. It was not an easy transition, and there were "bumps" along the way. But God was fulfilling Jesus' words, "I will build My Church!"
God called the apostles to new places and wherever they went they found those who had heard the message and believed. They taught them and encouraged them and more people believed and were baptized, along with their households (16:14-15; 31-34). The apostles were severely persecuted, but nothing could stop them from preaching the message they knew was the power of God unto salvation to all who believed (Romans 1:16). Whether it was a business woman, a slave girl or a jailor, God brought His Word to those whom He had chosen before the world began to be His and he called them to Himself. No gimmicks, no steps or requirements but one: "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" (16:31).
How glorious is this message! For nearly 2,000 years God has sent His people into all the world to proclaim this one message. The message has not changed since these days that we read about in the book of Acts. It is the one Gospel, the good news, the only message on the face of the earth that has the power to save, for it alone is the Gospel of God's GRACE in Jesus Christ. Every other religion … no exceptions … offers salvation through works of one kind or another. That is why it is such a tragedy when some in the church do the same thing. Add one thing to what Jesus has done and it is no longer grace. Faith itself is the gift of God, produced by the work of His Spirit in the hearts of those whom He chooses. As God "opened Lydia's heart to respond to Paul's message" (16:14), so He continues to do today.
If you have been saved at all, you have been saved by GRACE!! Rejoice in that truth. Give thanks for the Gospel of God's grace in Christ Jesus. Believe in Jesus and share this message with those to whom God sends you ... family, friends, co-workers, classmates, neighbors, strangers ... for His work will continue until all who are Jesus' sheep hear, believe and are saved ... by GRACE!!
"Heavenly Father, I praise You for Your grace and thank You for Your love to me in Jesus! I confess that I am a sinner, unable to save myself and in need of a Savior. By Your grace alone I have placed my faith in the blood of Jesus to redeem me, to purify my heart, to SAVE me! Now Your love compels me to share the good news with others, that they, too, may believe and be saved by Your amazing, marvelous grace. To You, Father, be glory and honor and praise, in Jesus' name, Amen"
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