Disastrous Faith

When I played baseball as a kid, there were plenty of superstitions that went with it.  The unwritten rules of baseball are probably more extensive as the written rules--imagining things a player does or does not do can actually impact the outcome of a game.  If a pitcher is on a no-hitter, the cardinal sin is to mention it to the pitcher out loud as if they didn't know.  Even professional commentators broadcasting the game come up with creative ways to say a pitcher is on a no hitter without actually saying it.  When our team was losing a game that was reaching the end, we would don a "rally cap" and turn our hats inside out to hopefully spark an offensive outburst.  A particular bat was seen as lucky or the orientation of a helmet or random object was just the thing to help us to victory.  If it didn't work, we tried something else.  It was all good fun.

While there are people who legitimately believe the socks or jockstrap you are wearing makes a difference in your batting or pitching ability, from a objective standpoint articles of clothing do not supply good or bad luck.  The most they can do is perhaps inspire a little confidence that a hit or reaching base safely is actually possible when the team is mired in a slump.  But socks and jocks can't make decisions or swing a bat:  it is the player who must do that.  To pin your hopes upon rubbing a rabbit's foot or wearing a hat inside-out may seem safer than hoping in vain a player who has never hit the ball in a game, but it remains confidence misplaced.  It's a bit like Dumbo being emboldened to jump from great heights because he held a "magic feather" that was exposed as worthless when it was his prodigious ears that enabled him to fly.  It Dumbo didn't have those ears, a lot of circus clowns would have been squashed that day.

It is good when God reveals false supports we have looked to or trusted in rather than Him.  One might imagine God's people were immune from this tendency, yet the more they knew the more they looked to themselves as sufficient in themselves.  The Hebrews touted having Abraham as their father, the rite of circumcision, or the keeping of the Law that made them acceptable before God when His blessing was all of grace.  Jesus rebuked unbelieving Jews in John 5:39-40, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. ⁴⁰ But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."  The Jews Jesus addressed had great confidence in their standing with God because of their heritage, God's covenants, and the Scriptures He gave them.  Yet their confidence was misplaced because they did not place their faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God Who did the works of God the Father among them.  Imagine missing out on eternal life because you have trusted what could not save!

Placing your faith in the wrong thing is never fun and often has disastrous results.  Pharaoh hardened his heart against the LORD and the word spoken by Moses, for he trusted idols and his sorcerers rather than the God of Israel.  Misplaced trust caused Egypt to be destroyed, brought about great loss of life, and Pharaoh lost his firstborn son along with all others who refused to heed God's word.  Rather than placing our trust in ourselves or what we can do, blessed is the man who trusts and fears the LORD Who rules and reigns over all, the only God Who redeems and saves.  Images, charms, and icons have no power to deliver us from God's hand, from our troubles and cannot protect us.  What is called good or bad luck is worthless to accomplish what God promises to do and is able to do concerning us.  Psalm 42:5 wisely says, "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance."

Unbelief Manifest

Sin leads to more sin, and even the most subtle sin will reveal itself openly.  As Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."  The source of our problem with sin is not measured by words we say or things we do but fundamental aspects of who we are as a person living in a body of flesh marred by pride and unbelief.  Even a person who is born again with genuine faith in God has a soft-spot toward these subtle, sometimes latent sins that we are unable to recognise in real time.  It is only by God's grace conviction of these sins comes and we are strengthened by faith to confess them, repent of them and do what pleases God instead.  Salvation is of the LORD.

A good illustration of the consequences of unbelief are seen in Exodus 6 when Moses went to speak to the children of Israel.  The almighty God told Moses to speak to the Hebrews and inform them God heard their groaning and remembered His covenant with them.  He would bring them out from the burdens the Egyptians placed on them, rid them of bondage, redeem them, and would take them as His own people.  God promised to bring them out of bondage and the land of Egypt, bring them into the land of Canaan, and give them the land as an inheritance.  One would think God's chosen people would rejoice to hear such promises from their God, but this was not the case.  Exodus 6:9 states, "So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage."  The Hebrews experienced anguish and cruel bondage so long they did not believe even God could change their awful circumstances.

On the heels of God's people refusing to hear Moses, God said to him in Exodus 6:11-12, "Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land." ¹² And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, "The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?"  Moses did not jump at the chance to go and speak to Pharaoh,  and he cited his inability to convince the Hebrews as a reason not to do so:  why would Pharaoh listen to him when God's people would not?  Moses was burdened by failure of convincing the Hebrews when it was not his job or responsibility to make people listen or to change them:  God told Moses to speak!  The same unbelief observed in God's people who refused to listen resided in Moses who refused to speak and would also be seen in Pharaoh who refused to obey and let God's people go.  Later in Exodus we observe belief was so persistent that God's people refused to enter into the land after God delivered them with a mighty hand (Hebrews 3:19).  The writer of Hebrews makes this personal for us, for it is possible it is our unbelief that prevents Christians from entering God's rest.

See the terrible consequences of unbelief:  refusal to hear God, go and speak for God, obey God, enter the land of promise or His rest!  Praise the LORD that despite the folly of man He worked miraculous wonders to change hearts, gave His people ears to hear and hearts to obey.  God freed them from bondage and cruel oppression, and the words He told Moses to say came true.  Pharoah initially refused to let God's people go and later relented, and the children of Israel were delivered from Egypt and received their inheritance in Canaan in due time.  Real, lasting rest remains for God's people.  How faithful God was to love, provide, speak and save His people despite their unbelief and hardness of heart.  If it was up to us we would prefer to groan under a heavy burden or remain silent when it is God's will to deliver us from the bondage of sin and speak forth His praise for the wondrous salvation He has wrought by faith in Jesus.

God Warns for Good

I remember an incident that happened a long time ago when I was in high school.  While at a Cross-country team dinner, a younger teammate decided to pester me.  I warned him if he continued to shove and touch me, I was going to drop him.  When it was evident my warning went unheeded, I did a judo throw that ended up knocking the wind out of him.  In that moment I had a mix of feelings:  I felt justified in warning him and the consequences doled out but at the same time had a twinge guilt.  I was older than him and should have demonstrated wisdom by walking away.  It was all good between us after the incident (I apologised profusely) and I was not surprised when he took up wrestling for the school the following season.

From my view at the time, my teammate got exactly what he deserved because he was warned about the consequences of his actions and did not listen.  But at the same time I can say my actions were unjust and not from a heart of love.  My grovelling apology was not because I pitied him but to avoid future trouble with him or our coach.  I am most grateful God is not biased and selfish like humans are, for the consequences He sets forth are just, righteous and from a heart of love.  God warns people, not to manipulate or trick us, but for our ultimate good.  His correction is perfectly weighted according to the offence and exerts the minimum pressure required to move us in right direction--if we will heed and submit ourselves to Him.  On our own we are all headed for destruction due to sin, so He is gracious to intervene.

Did you know God told Pharaoh the high stakes of refusing to let God's people go right from the beginning?  Every plague was prefaced by a warning of what God would do, and the final plague was the first God warned Pharaoh about.  Before a single plague was poured out on the nation, God told Moses in Exodus 4:22-23:  "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD: "Israel is My son, My firstborn. ²³ So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn."  God warned Pharaoh that his refusal to let His people go would ultimately cost the life of his firstborn son, for Pharaoh had enslaved and oppressed the children of Israel whom God called His firstborn:  a life for a life.  Pharaoh hardened his heart several times and refused to heed God's voice even when severe plagues came upon Egypt, and then God hardened Pharaoh's heart too.

Though Pharaoh's heart was hardened against God, the LORD graciously provided a way for all the firstborn in Egypt to be delivered from death.  The blood of the Passover lamb was to be struck upon the doorposts and lintel, and God later spared them as promised in Exodus 12:12-13:  "For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. ¹³ Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."  God warned Pharaoh what would happen if he refused to let Israel go, gave Pharaoh opportunity to relent 10 times, graciously made a way of escape for everyone else, and then did justly exactly as He said.

God is longsuffering and would rather no one perish.  By providing Jesus as the Lamb of God, we are offered salvation we do not deserve through the Gospel.  How great is the LORD to execute judgment as well as extending gracious pardon to all those who trust in Him!

The One God Forever

Names and words are very important.  This is observed in fairy tales where incantations are used to wield magical power, and the invocations are used in pagan and religious rites.  In the animated film Prince of Egypt, the magicians invoked the power of Ra to do their bidding, similar to cartoon He-Man shouting, "By the power of Greyskull I have the power!"  From a Christian biblical perspective, no name can compare with the name of Jesus Christ, for God has put His name above all others forever (Phil. 2:9-11).  All other names and powers are subject to Him--even those who say His name.

Some people imagine that knowing or saying a name gives them power over the one they refer to when the opposite is more accurate:  to call on a name of a deity with an invocation is a claim the deity wields power we willingly submit to.  God revealed Himself to Moses from a burning bush, and when Moses asked by what name God should be identified to His people Exodus 3:14-15 reads, "And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' " ¹⁵ Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.'"  God identified Himself as "I AM," the self-existent, eternal God who always was, is and will ever be.  But this is not the only name by which the God of Israel--Who is sovereign over all principalities and powers--is identified.

Later God revealed in Exodus 6:2-3, "And God spoke to Moses and said to him: "I am the LORD. ³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them."  The patriarchs knew the one true God as "God Almighty," but they did not know Him by what is translated LORD, which is transliterated YHWH or YHVH, the name of God to the ancient Hebrews  This four-letter divine name of God has been termed by scholars the Tetragrammton, and while there is no consensus concerning the etymology of the word, Yahweh is the most accepted transliteration while Jehovah is still used by some.  Moses had a greater revelation of the same God Abraham personally knew, believed and obeyed, the almighty God who knew Abraham as friend (James 2:23).  The God known by Moses and Abraham was the same God, for He never changes.

The Christian view is Jesus fulfilled the word spoken by the LORD through the prophet in Isaiah 9:6:  "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  When Jesus referred to father Abraham as a contemporary, the people scorned the thought.  John 8:57-58 reads, "Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  This enraged unbelieving hearers of Jesus, for He identified Himself with being the one and only God worshipped by Abraham--now in human form standing and speaking in their midst.  Jesus Christ is a revelation of God Abraham and Moses did not know but we can know personally by faith in Him.

The almighty God has revealed Himself to the world in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.  God identified Himself by "I AM" to His people in the days of Moses, and Jesus revealed Himself as the same God while in Jerusalem.  Jesus showed himself greater than Solomon when, after the temple of His body was destroyed, rose from the dead and ascended to the Father from whence He came.  In rising to the Father He demonstrated He always was, is and will ever be, the Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.  Jesus and the Holy Spirit have given us a greater revelation of God through the Bible than the Hebrew patriarchs had, for Jesus Christ has come--the same God forever to all generations.  We pray in the name of Jesus, not because our words make Him do anything, but because God our LORD and Saviour does everything (Job 42:2).

Abiding in Peace

"Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; ³⁰ for my eyes have seen Your salvation ³¹ which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, ³² a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel."

Luke 2:29-32

These are the words spoken by Simeon as he held Jesus in his arms in the temple in Jerusalem.  The LORD God revealed to Simeon, described as being just and devout, that he would not see death until he saw the Christ.  He was led by the Holy Spirit to enter the temple right before Joseph and Mary brought baby Jesus to present Him before the LORD according to the Law of Moses.  Many assume Simeon was an old man, but the Bible does not say this.  Simeon might have been an old fellow, but his words are even more poignant if Simeon was not advanced in years, a man grimly clinging to life, a life that from God that seemed more burdensome than a blessing.

In seeing the LORD Jesus Christ, Simeon wisely realised his life was complete:  there was nothing greater in life possible than seeing God's long awaited salvation and consolation prepared for all people.  The Light of the World finally shone forth, and the way of salvation and the glory of Israel had been revealed according to God's word.  Because we live in a day long after the arrival and revelation of Jesus in the flesh, we can miss the enormity of Christ's arrival.  Unfortunately because we are human beings made of flesh prone to boredom and dissatisfaction, what is new and earth-shaking can become old news.  We can be more excited over opening a wrapped present or eating dessert than Jesus being the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Nothing can take the glorious shine off Jesus, but our moments of clarity like Simeon had in the temple may be few and far between.

I remember a time in my youth when I was not ready to depart this world because of all I had yet to do:  I had not yet graduated from high school, had not moved out from the family home, been married or had children.  I knew Jesus Christ as my Saviour but I counted aspects of life common to people that I had not yet personally experienced of greater value than departing in peace and going to God.  Simeon is a man I admire because he too had many things yet to experience on earth and things to look forward to, yet he valued Jesus to such a degree his life was complete in Him.  Paul made it clear this is the reality for believers in Christ in Colossians 2:10 that says, "...and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power" and Colossians 3:4:  "When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."

Blessed is the one who discovers and experiences the consolation and salvation found in Jesus Christ alone in Whom we are complete, in God Who is our life.  Glory to God in the highest, for by sending Jesus to the world we receive by faith, we discover life worth living today and forever by His grace.  Whether we will shortly depart this world or God chooses to allow us remain for many years, let us rejoice to behold and proclaim His glory as we abide in Christ our peace.

The Wonder of the Incarnation

There are times when I wonder over the wisdom of God and think to myself, "Wow, God thought of everything."  Of course this is no surprise to the believer, yet it is good to be brought to a place of adoration of our God who is over and above all things, the holy God unapproachable in glory who came down from heaven in the person of Jesus.  Just because we know these are the facts held forth by scripture and affirmed by many eye witnesses, it doesn't mean we have appreciated them as fully as we could or should.

The resurrection of Jesus and empty tomb provides quite a conundrum for secular historians because of the incredibly strong physical and textual evidence that supports it.  The evidence Jesus died, was buried and rose again is on par with the evidence Jesus existed at all.  The great lengths taken by the Pharisees to demand the Romans crucify Jesus, seal and guard the tomb supports the fact He was indeed dead and miraculously rose from the grave.  The virgin birth is another instance where God plainly did a miracle because of the devout Jewish families God chose who feared Him and kept His law.

In preparation for a Christmas-themed sermon, I was intrigued to learn more about ancient Jewish customs of engagement, betrothal and the wedding feast.  It was common for families to determine a match for their children while very young, and once betrothed (usually in their teens) it required a legal divorce to break the contract.  Mary was betrothed to Joseph when she was informed by the angel Gabriel she would conceive by the Holy Spirit.  After Mary consented and said, "Let it be to me according to your word!" she was found with child before she and Joseph physically came together.  During the betrothal period Mary and Joseph never would have been alone with each other and would have had escorts watching them carefully to uphold the honour of the family.  It was customary during the wedding feast for the marriage to be consummated, and the cloth that provided evidence of the wife's virginity would have been given to the wife's parents to protect her from any accusations she was "humbled" previous to marriage.

To this day it is still customary at some Jewish weddings for the newly married couple to be in a room alone for at least 8 minutes, and this would be the first time they would have been alone together.  With the great care taken to protect the virginity of husband and wife in a culture where a woman was never left alone with another man (future spouse or otherwise), the physical support of the virgin birth is very strong.  Both Mary and Joseph's families no doubt wrestled with the implications of Mary's pregnancy, and Joseph was not inclined to believe her despite her piety.  Matthew 1:19-21 shows how God intervened to affirm her claim:  "Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. ²⁰ But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."

Joseph was a just man, and Mary was a God-fearing woman.  Through them God would perform the sign He promised long before in Isaiah 7:14:  "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:  behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."  To people not expecting a sign God was faithful to give them a miraculous sign in coming to earth as baby Jesus.  "Immanuel" means, "God with us."  To Mary who was preparing to be wed and physically united with her husband God saw fit to conceive the Son of God within her Who would save His people from their sins.  May we marvel over the incarnation this Christmas, that God has kept His word and confirmed it with strong, historical evidence.  Great is the LORD and worthy to be praised, for through faith in Jesus we can become children of God--born again by the Holy Spirit Who indwells us.

Wisdom and Her Children

While Samuel was judge over Israel, the people demanded God give them a king to rule over them like other nations.  Samuel was angry the people rejected God's rule over them, and he warned them of many negative impacts of having their way in this matter.  God did as the people requested and Samuel anointed Saul of the tribe of Benjamin to be king.  After he was anointed king, we read in 1 Samuel 10:26-27:  "And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched. ²⁷ But some rebels said, "How can this man save us?" So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace."

The people were given exactly what they asked for, yet aside from a small band of men whose hearts God had touched despised and rejected him.  First the people rejected God, and then they rejected the man God set over them.  There is a parallel with Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son who was sent to the world in human flesh as a Saviour.  The people of Israel longed for the promised Messiah to deliver them from the oppression of the Romans and to establish rule over the nations with a rod of iron, yet apart from a few disciples the people of Israel criticised and rejected Jesus.  It is ironic the very people who believed God would send the anointed One and were schooled in God's word, largely did not recognise or receive Jesus Christ Whom God sent when He stood and spoke with them.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:16-19:  "But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, ¹⁷ and saying: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament' ¹⁸ for John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children."  In the illustration Jesus gave, the children playing were unhappy with everything:  they didn't want to dance to happy music, nor were they willing to mourn with sorrowful melodies.  John the Baptist--a devout man who shunned feasts and did not drink wine like a Nazarite--was sent to prepare the way for Jesus and was slandered by the Jews as being demon possessed.  His words were not believed though he spoke the truth.  Jesus went to feasts and drank wine and was wrongly condemned as a drunk!

People who wanted and needed a Saviour found excuses to reject God's messenger John the Baptist and Jesus Who is called Christ.  The point Jesus made could not be spoken against:  "But wisdom is justified by her children."  The children of Israel would someday realise the folly of rejecting God's rule and demanding a king, for God's word would be fulfilled.  Jesus is wisdom for us, and wisdom is justified by her children.  All who believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God are born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, and transformed by the power of the Gospel:  people afflicted by demons have been set free and healed in the name of Jesus; gluttons and drunks were granted self-control to deny themselves, to take up their cross daily and follow Jesus.  Those who followed Jesus Christ as LORD were people who loved one another despite differences, served one another, and walked by faith in God.  As the children of God through faith in Jesus we are God's heritage, and may we glorify God Who has touched our hearts by the Prince of Peace.

The Attitude of Gratitude

In a Bible passage I read this morning, the people of Egypt expressed their gratitude to Joseph for saving their lives from a great famine.  After their money was spent for food, their animals traded for food, and their properties were given for food, Joseph freely supplied seed and land for the people to profit from.  The people were entitled to receive 80% of the produce of the land to provide seed and food for their families, and the remaining 20% was Pharaoh's portion.  The people were happy with this arrangement and pledged themselves to serve Pharaoh because he saved their lives, provided land and seed, and he gave them profitable employment and a future.

The attitude of gratitude that marked the Egyptians ought to be found in God's people, for He has saved us from eternal ruin and given us everything that pertains to life and godliness forever.  Despite all God has graciously done for us, we can more resemble the older brother in the parable Jesus told of the prodigal son.  In the parable, after the wayward prodigal son came home and his father organised a feast to celebrate his return, the older brother was angry and left the party.  When the feast was in full swing and the father realised his older son was absent, he left the joyous celebration to find him and persuade him to return.  The older brothers response to his dad is recorded in Luke 15:29-30:  "So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. ³⁰ But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'"

The older son refused to even enjoy the festive occasion because he obsessed over all his contributions for years and the lack of recognition he received for his faithful service.  His negative judgments of his brother spilled over to criticism of his father, and he allowed feelings of envy, anger and entitlement to ruin a feast he ought to have enjoyed--and by doing so would honour his generous father.  But the older son cared more about himself and his honour than his father.  Unlike the Egyptians who were glad to serve Pharaoh for saving their lives, having given them food and profitable jobs, the older son overlooked all his father gave him and did for him from his infancy.  He saw himself as without fault and accused his father of being stingy toward him.  This petulant behaviour sprang from an envious, selfish heart that desired his brother to be punished rather than celebrated.  Yet the party came about, not due to the worthiness of the returning son, but the goodness of the father.  The older brother was invited and urged to enjoy the party, and I am sure his friends were welcome to enjoy the feast as well.  The problem was not in the father but in the heart and mind of the son.

Luke 15:31-32 tells us the father's response:  "And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. ³² It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"  It was right to make merry and be glad, to celebrate the return of a son who was lost but then was found.  The favour of the father extended to both his sons was gracious and loving, for neither one deserved the kindness, mercy and generosity of heart shown by the father.  The father said, "All that I have is yours."  At times the younger and older son both divorced themselves from the blessings of their father by their own waywardness, envy and pride.  One left home in the pursuit of fleshly lusts, and the other withdrew from the feast due to his own self-righteousness and anger over offences.  As children of the most high God, let us be those who rejoice in God our Father because of Who He is and all He has done.  It is God's good pleasure to give us to the kingdom, and we are entirely undeserving of any honour.  What is our service to God in comparison to all He has done?  May we have an attitude of gratitude to be included in God's family, the joy of the LORD being our strength (Neh. 8:10).  By embracing joy and gladness in service to God we honour our Father.

The Cure for Bitterness and Bonds

In Acts 8, Simon of Samaria is an interesting case and by no means a unique one.  He had once made a living through witchcraft and was described as believing in the Gospel and being baptised after he observed miracles and signs done by Christians with amazement.  It seemed more than he desired the Holy Spirit to come upon himself, he desired to obtain the power that upon anyone he laid his hands they might receive the Holy Spirit.  This horrendous offer of money received a stern rebuke from Peter who basically said, "To hell with you and your money!" (Acts 8:21)

Peter continued in Acts 8:21-23:  "You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. ²² Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. ²³ For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."  Peter's response to Simon has led to some to suggest Simon was not a genuine Christian but a false convert.  Since we cannot perfectly know the hearts of men, better than wondering if Simon was genuinely saved it is more profitable to emphasise there is no doubt there was forgiveness, pardon, and salvation available for Simon and all people who repent from their sin and turn to Jesus in faith.  To write off Simon as unregenerate because he did not have a right heart in the sight of God potentially puts all genuine believers under a microscope of legalism, for who among us can claim to be upright and righteous except by grace through faith in Jesus?

Because of repeated warnings to Christians throughout the New Testament, we can say without a doubt it is possible for a genuine Christian to be "poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."  This is not ideal and ought not be the case, but God's people can sin and even be bound by sin as Simon was.  I believe this personal point of application is much more useful for us sinners who need a Saviour than debating whether Simon was saved.  A lack of humble repentance that keeps people from coming to Christ in faith can render us bound by bitterness after we have known Christ.  Praise the LORD He is able to break all our bonds and chains by His divine power, yet if we deny these bonds exist and are proud to wear them He will allow them to burden our souls.  In a moment they can fall from us as the burden did from the back of Christian in Bunyan's allegory when we bow in humility before Jesus.

After choosing to follow Jesus, all Christians have made more bad choices than we can count; our hearts have not always been right in the sight of God.  Peter had insight to recognise a heart that was not right before God because he had been there himself.  We have sinned, and we have neglected repentance and prayer for forgiveness.  The most damning statement made by Simon was in response to Peter's rebuke, whether it betrayed simple ignorance of the Gospel or unwillingness to repent himself in Acts 8:24, "Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me."  Simon seemed to put the onus of his standing before God upon Peter when repentance was Simon's personal responsibility before God for spiritual regeneration, forgiveness and salvation.  If Simon remained bound it was not Peter's fault, nor was it the fault of Jesus who provided pardon, freedom from sin and is the Way of salvation for all sinners.

If the LORD reveals we are poisoned with bitterness and bound by iniquity, let us be the first to desire hearts that are right in the sight of God shown by repentance for our wickedness and ask God in prayer to forgive us.  We can pray confidently and boldly to this end as we by faith enter God's throne room of grace through Jesus, knowing He has satisfied the justice of God by His shed blood.  1 John 1:9 says to believers, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  God who made the bitter waters of Marah sweet and the undrinkable water of Jericho refreshing can transform our hearts by His goodness and grace.

Sheep of His Hand

God's word is active and powerful, and the importance of a single word cannot be understated.  For those who hold fast to the words of life, we observe this continually with gladness.  I was struck by the repetition of the word "hand" three times in the first half of Psalm 95, and this provides a good illustration of what I mean.

Psalm 95:1-4 begins by saying, "Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. ² Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with  Psalms. ³ For the LORD is the great God, and the great King above all gods. ⁴ In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the hills are His also."  This passage is a call to sing praises to God with joy because He is the "Rock of our salvation," the great God and King above all.  From the deepest valleys to the highest mountains, all is in His hand; all is His and under His sovereign rule.

The rule of the LORD God extends beyond lands and seas claimed by the nations of the earth, for Psalm 95:5 says, "The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land."  God created the vast expanse of the sea and dry land.  Like a potter forms a vessel with His hands, God spoke the world into existence by the power of His voice.  Because the earth and the heavens are His creation, they are His to do everything He desires.

A personal shift occurs in Psalm 95:6-7a:  "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. ⁷ For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand."  The psalmist bids us worship, bow down and kneel before the LORD our Maker.  He did not just create the deep seas and high mountains but fashioned us in the wombs of our mothers and called us by name.  By faith in God He is ours and we are His people--and get this--we are "the sheep of His hand."  It is one thing to be in God's hand, to be made by His hand, yet those who follow the Good Shepherd Jesus are the people of His pasture and sheep of His hand.  This magnifies the greatness and awesome power of our God who makes sinners into new creations by His grace who are of Him and righteous in His eyes.

As we read the Bible, God is gracious and faithful to teach us.  While there will be always remain truth about God beyond our understanding, we can trust God to provide all we need to know to trust Him and follow Him all our days into eternity.  Paul wrote truly in Romans 11:33-36:  "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! ³⁴ "For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?" ³⁵ "Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?" ³⁶ For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen."  May we worship the LORD God as the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand, for we are most blessed to be of Christ and in Christ by faith.

Being Stiff-Necked

"Therefore understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people."

Deuteronomy 9:6

God cautioned the children of Israel from thinking it was due to their righteousness God established them in the land of Canaan, for it was because the inhabitants of the land were wicked.  God described the Hebrews as "stiff-necked" which could truly be said of all people.

When God called His people as stiff-necked, it was not because they had slept with rocks as pillows the night before.  It was not that they were like a horse that resisted the tug of the reins made by the rider, for God told His people in Psalms 32:8-9 not to be like a horse or mule at all:  "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. ⁹ Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you."  God did not want His people to be like a horse without understanding that required physical restraints with eyes looking away from the rider:  God wanted His people looking to Him, seeking Him for guidance and listening for His voice, to be guided by His eye.

I watched video recently that provided an epiphany moment for me concerning the implications of being stiff-necked.  In the clip, a flock of sheep were feeding in the safety of a grassy paddock.  A couple of visitors to the farm tried to call the sheep, doing their best to imitate the farmer.  Their calls had absolutely no impact upon the sheep at all:  the entire flock continued to nibble at the grass with outstretched, stiff necks.  When the farmer called the sheep, it was not long before their heads quickly lifted from the turf and turned to face him.  The farmer held nothing in his hand, for his voice and presence had a captivating influence upon them.  They slowly began to amble over to the farmer--much to the delight and amazement of the onlookers.

God called His people the sheep of His pasture, and Jesus identified Himself as the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep, and His sheep hear His voice and follow Him.  God called His people stiff-necked because when He called, they ignored Him like the sheep that continued to feed at the voice of the stranger without even looking up.  These were God's people He loved and saved, yet they were intent on feeding their flesh and so focused on satisfying their own present desires they did not respond to His voice.  Being stiff-necked applies to Christians as well, for we too can be so caught up by the good grazing God has provided and thus do not seek Him and neglect to respond to His voice.  We might be more impressionable by the howl of wolves or the voice of strangers than by God who leads us with His word taught us by the Holy Spirit.

God told the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 10:15-16:  "The LORD delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day. ¹⁶ Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer."  It is evident being stiff-necked has spiritual implications, for the Hebrews were told to circumcise their hearts.  God told His people by the prophet Jeremiah to break up the fallow ground of their hearts, not to sow among thorns, and to circumcise themselves to the LORD (Jeremiah 4:3-4).  Better than fulfilling their duty of cutting off a bit of flesh from their bodies, they were to sanctify themselves to the LORD and present themselves to Him.  Praise the LORD Christians have the blessing of the New Covenant in the blood of Jesus, that we can be born again by faith in Jesus, have our heart of stone removed, and receive a new heart by His grace.

Let us not be stiff-necked like stubborn sheep but respond to the voice of God by looking to Jesus.  It was tremendously satisfying in the video to watch the sheep follow the farmer when he entered their paddock.  It was like they had completely forgotten how tasty the patch of grass was and just wanted to be where the farmer was, to go wherever he went.  May the LORD do this marvellous work in us.  Eating is a necessity for healthy sheep, but when the Good Shepherd calls to us we can be sure He knows our needs and will meet them.  Rather than looking to satisfy the flesh, we ought to be attentive to His voice and find our greatest satisfaction in drawing close to Him.

God Our Hope

It is fitting and good we should see God's hand at work in everything, for God is always everywhere and working.  God is able to cause all things to work together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28) and are assured of His everlasting love towards us nothing can separate us from.  By faith in Christ we can know God is for us even when everything seems to be against us.  It is looking to our Saviour Jesus--not the situation--Who brings rest for the weary and encouragement for the downcast.

While this is true, it is very hard for us to maintain this perspective in the midst of pain and grief.  In the book of Ruth, Naomi suffered heartbreaking loss during the 10 years she spent in Moab, for her husband and two sons passed away.  Ruth 1:6 says, "Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the LORD had visited His people by giving them bread."  See how personal the provision of God was for His people, for He visited them by delivering them from famine.  Upon her return to Bethlehem, Naomi told people not to call her Naomi (delightful, pleasant) any more but Mara (bitter) because God had made her life bitter.  She said in Ruth 1:21, "I went out full, and the LORD has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?"  Due to her grief, sorrow and loss, Naomi blamed God for her bitterness of soul despite the food God gave His people, her loyal daughter in law Ruth, and the opportunity to safely return to her inheritance.

Another reason why we can face difficulty to trust and rest in the almighty God is due to a guilty conscience.  Some 20 years after Joseph's brothers sold him to Ishmaelite traders, they went to Egypt to buy food because of a great famine.  Little did they know Joseph had been promoted to a position of great power and authority in Egypt second to Pharaoh!  They did not recognise him, but Joseph recognised them and spoke through a translator so they did not realise he understood them.  After he sent them away with food for their family, they were shocked to find their money returned in their sacks of grain.  Genesis 42:28 describes the scene, "So he said to his brothers, "My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!" Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, "What is this that God has done to us?"  Previously Ruben, the oldest brother, reminded them how they sinned in their unloving treatment of their brother.  Though God was working through Joseph to save Egypt and his household, his brothers fearfully saw God as being against them.  Rather than acknowledging God's hand at work to help and provide for them during a famine, they suspected He was against them to punish them.

In God we always have reason for hope even when our situations seem hopeless.  Knowing God is good and for us changes our perspective when awful and unthinkable things happen.  Naomi and Joseph's brothers could not see the good God was doing because of grief and guilty consciences, yet Job blessed the LORD after he received the report of the loss of all his wealth and 10 children in a day in Job 1:20-21:  "Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹ And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD."  Job grieved, yet he also acknowledged the goodness and greatness of God.  We may not have the faith of Job who feared the LORD, but we worship the same awesome God Who is able to work all things together for good and will bless us forever.

God's Not Like Batman

Batman and other crime-fighting superheros in the comics, television shows or films often tempered their aggression when they caught the bad guys.  Often the superheros resembled a fisherman who embraced a "catch-and-release" approach because they were crime fighters--not the judge, jury or executioner.  I can't remember how many times I groaned inwardly when the hero who finally captured the criminal mastermind responsible for a murderous rampage and wanton destruction said in their best announcer voice, "I'm taking you to the authorities."  It's like the campy criminals knew Batman, Superman and Spiderman had their hands tied and wouldn't kill them, and they seemed to look forward to going to prison because it delayed their deserved punishment--not to mention the high likelihood of their escape, and thus could avoid a trial and sentence of judgment.

I wonder if people think God is a bit like Batman or Superman when it comes to their sin.  They have heard God is loving, merciful and kind, so they assume He is hamstrung from punishing sinners.  If arrested by the just God they would assume the attitude of a smug super-villain, extend their wrists and coyly say, "Arrest me then.  Guilty as charged."  Anyone who would think to do so does not comprehend the gravity of their sin, the unescapable, just penalty sin requires of eternal death and how God will see the sentence carried out with His furious wrath.  Even in fictitious superhero tales the criminals change their tune when merely threatened with death.  They go from boastful tough guys to whimpering babies when dangled by their ankles from a skyscraper.  Those unmoved by warnings of God's certain judgment are as Paul said in Romans 3:18:  "There is no fear of God before their eyes."  Everyone will bow the knee in the fear of God, for it is only a matter of when (Phil. 2:9-11).

The trouble for those guilty of sin is their fear of God may come after they are out of time because their lives on earth have come to an end.  At that stage it will be too late for them to make amends--as if anyone can be made righteous with God by even our best efforts.  The life of Ebeneezer Scrooge in the Dicken's Christmas classic was redeemed (from a worldly view) by his sudden embrace of philanthropy, yet those decades of selfishness, greed, envy and miserly disdain of others from a biblical view continued to condemn him before the righteous God into hell forever.  Giving presently would not absolve him of sinful greed for eternity.  Thinking he could redeem himself by his own sacrifices would only add to his chains.  God's word makes it clear there is no good we can do to excuse or exonerate ourselves from the wrong we have done or still do.  If all our best works are as filthy rags in God's sight, then there isn't any hope for us that arises from us.

In stark contrast to the proud boaster, the beginning of Psalm 51 is an example of a contrite heart God renders righteous by faith in Him.  After he sinned, David wrote in Psalm 51:1-4:  "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. ² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. ³ For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. ⁴ Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight--that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge."  Instead of trying to justify himself, David humbly fell upon the mercy of the just, righteous God Who is merciful, loving and blameless.  This man after God's own heart showed great fear of the LORD Who is Judge over all.  Those who admit and repent of their sin by God's grace can receive forgiveness because Jesus has paid the price with His shed blood.  Only God is able to forgive sins, and Jesus was willing and able to provide atonement for the sins of the world.

I'm glad God is nothing like Batman, for the LORD God is able to forgive sin and provide eternal life for all who trust in Him--even if our thoughts and actions make comic book villains look tame.  Batman could only be at one place at one time and struggled at times to save himself in the moral cesspool of Gotham.  God sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to extend the gift of salvation to the whole world, and He is risen from the dead and seated in glory.  He's my hero, my Saviour, and God's will is for Jesus to be your Saviour too.

A Click Beetle and New Life

For the last two days, I encountered a strange, intermittent rustling noise that disturbed the early morning silence.  On a couple occasions I rose from prayer to try to find where the sound was coming from:  was it behind the lounge, near the window or in the attic?  This morning (for a few minutes) I was convinced the most reasonable explanation was the movement of air in the attic caused sound to come through the flexible duct through the register--until I finally found the culprit.  A click beetle had somehow made its way into the attic and found itself trapped in the white plastic lens of a ceiling light.  It could see it crawl up the lens, roll back to the bottom, and then stubbornly try again.

It is remarkable the beetle had the strength and endurance to continue actively trying to escape the ceiling light for over 24 hours with no water or food.  The constant effort to escape the plastic prison illustrated well the instinct God put in living creatures to keep living.  Later in the morning I was able to remove the plastic lens and relocate the insect to the front yard where the chance of survival for a beetle is far greater than in a ceiling light in my house.  The abundance of life on earth is unique in the observed universe, for God created living creatures and people and provides all that we need to survive and thrive.

This fight for survival in human beings is seen from the time we take our first breath until we breathe our last.  I am amazed by the great lengths people have gone to and severe trials and treatments people have endured to continue life on earth.  This desire to prolong our lives on earth impacts our desire for life beyond this earth, for God has put eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  The Bible teaches that spiritually speaking we are all born dead in sins passed down through generations from Adam.  Our guilt is confirmed through making sin our own by practicing it, and God's word reveals we are bereft of hope and incapable of measuring up to God's perfect standard of righteousness.  Like the click beetle could not save itself from certain death in the ceiling light, so every human being is doomed to destruction because of our sin.  The best I could do was extend the chance of the bug living for a short while, but Jesus has done something infinitely better by providing assurance of eternal life for all who trust in Him.

While we were spiritually dead God said to us, "Live!"  God spoke a parable through the prophet concerning His redeemed people in Ezekiel 16:6 from the perspective of a traveller who found a discarded baby by the road with the placenta still attached:  "And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!' Yes, I said to you in your blood, 'Live!'"  God saw people like newborns that had not been washed, swaddled, held and loved, and He was determined to do everything lost sinners needed to be adopted into His family.  So God sent Jesus to be the Saviour of the world, to lay down His life on Calvary so all who trust in Him can repent of sins, be forgiven and live with Him forever.  Jesus said in the latter half of John 10:10, "...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."  All who by faith enter the kingdom of God by faith in Jesus have an abundant life now and eternal life forever by Christ Who is our life.

It is like all our lives we have been trapped in a prison of sin, cut off from the living water of the Holy Spirit and love of God, and Jesus has set us free.  Having been born again by grace through faith in Jesus we are not merely given a better life now or optimal chance for survival, but we are granted the promise of abundant, eternal life we can enjoy today in the presence of our Saviour.  How blessed we are to have a Good Shepherd Who laid down His life so we could live, and by His resurrection Jesus demonstrated the victory over death and glorious life He has in store for all who love Him.

Prosperity and Success

What comes to mind when you think of being prosperous?  The 1828 Webster's Dictionary describes "prosperous" as:  "advancing in the pursuit of any thing desirable; making gain or increase; thriving; successful."  It is likely people have a range of views of what prosperity looks like, that it is gauged by financial net worth, possessions, being the boss rather than a new hire, one who owns houses and properties rather than the person cleaning them.  The Bible speaks of people who were prosperous, and the Scriptural examples fundamentally have little to do with any of these worldly metrics.

Genesis 39:2-3 in the KJV reads, "And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. ³ And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand."  There are likely few who would think a slave could be prosperous, but that is exactly how Joseph was described because the LORD his God was with him.  God made Joseph to be prosperous and successful, for even in the wake of his brother's cruelty by selling him to Ishmaelite traders God worked to redeem what was intended to be evil for good--not only in the life of Joseph, but also for Joseph's brothers, household, Egypt as a nation and the surrounding countries.  When God is with us, He brings prosperity and success to accomplish everything God desires we do.

A second aspect of prosperity springs from our obedience to God.  This is plainly shown in God's word to Joshua as he prepared to lead the children of Israel into their inheritance in Joshua 1:7-8:  "Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. ⁸ This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."  God was with Joshua as He had been with Moses before him, and Joshua was to exert strength and courage to keep God's law.  Reading God's word, meditating upon it and putting it into practice personally was a key to Joshua being prosperous and successful to answer God's call upon his life.

Joseph was prosperous even when his allegiance and obedience to God resulted in him being thrown into prison after a false accusation of attempted rape.  The warden with his eyes did not see God with Joseph, but he saw the prosperity God wrought in the life and labour of God's servant Joseph and gave him additional responsibility.  Genesis 39:23 states, "The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper."   How blessed are believers in Jesus Christ who is called "Immanuel" meaning, "God with us."  Because He will never leave or forsake those who trust in Him, we can be prosperous as we live in our family home, as a slave, a prisoner or leader.  Our call is to submit to God and be obedient to all He tells us, for then we will be prosperous and have success in all God desires we do by His grace.

Willingness, Desire and Baptism

In the New Testament, water baptism follows a basic pattern of personal willingness coupled with personal desire.  This is one reason why many Christian churches require the individual being baptised to have an understanding of the spiritual significance of water baptism after being born again by the Gospel.  Being baptised is symbolic that as Jesus died, was buried and rose again from the dead, we who were once dead in sins have now been raised to new, everlasting life by the power of the Gospel.  We are baptised in water in obedience to Christ, for identification with Christ and as a public testimony we have chosen to follow Christ.  Our salvation hinges upon our personal choice to repent and trust in Jesus, and the decision to be baptised in water is also a personal choice that requires our willingness.

I see a connection between our willingness to submit ourselves to God in receiving the Gospel to be saved from our sins (for God will not force forgiveness or salvation upon anyone), and the necessity of our willingness to submit to water baptism as well as submission before God to be baptised with the Holy Spirit.  Now when I came to faith in Jesus as a child, I did not know anything about being baptised in water.  It was only after several years I learned that Christians were called to make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them to observe all Jesus had commanded.  Once I understood Jesus had called me to be baptised as His disciple--and that I was to follow His example of being baptised Himself--I went forward at a church baptism in Mission Bay in San Diego to be baptised by another Christian.

Another thing I did not realise when I came to faith in Jesus is I could be baptised with the Holy Spirit--the birthright of every Christian.  During my youth and into adulthood, I was like the believers Paul met in Ephesus in Acts 19:1-2:  "And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples ² he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit."  I did not realise this spiritual baptism Peter identified as "the promise of the Father" to curious onlookers in Acts 2 was for me.  When I first heard about the Holy Spirit coming upon believers to empower them to be His witnesses, I was uncomfortable with the idea.  My pastor asked a question God used to soften my heart:  "Don't you want all God has for you?  If God has a spiritual gift to give you, wouldn't you desire it?"  In time I decided I did desire and and would welcome any spiritual gift He would give me.  Convinced it was God's will for me to be baptised with the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:14-15), I asked and God baptised me.

Water baptism and baptism with the Holy Spirit for Christians both involve personal desire and willing submission, these always involve another person.  No one is baptised in water by themselves, and no one is baptised without the Person of the Holy Spirit.  When Philip shared the Gospel with the Ethiopian eunuch, the eunuch immediately asked if he could be baptised, and this correlates with someone who receives baptism with the Holy Spirit at the same time as conversion.  In my case, I had no idea about the Holy Spirit or the baptism Peter experienced and spoke of, and it was only at a later time I learned of it and was brought to a place of willing submission to God, to ask and receive that baptism by faith in Jesus and God's promise.  What R.A. Torrey said is true about baptism with the Holy Spirit rings true of water baptism:  everyone baptised knows that have been, when it happened, and that it was not gradual.  Praise the LORD for the gracious blessing of the Holy Spirit given beyond measure to fill us day by day.

Why the Enemy Flees

The Bible is full of encouragement for those who trust in God, and sometimes it is found in unexpected places.  This morning I was blessed by a pattern I considered that sprang from reading Genesis 36:6:  "Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the persons of his household, his cattle and all his animals, and all his goods which he had gained in the land of Canaan, and went to a country away from the presence of his brother Jacob."  After decades of living in Haran, Jacob returned to the land of Canaan a wealthy man with a huge family.  Esau was a wealthy and powerful man in his own right, having 400 men who followed him when he greeted Jacob upon his return.  Yet there was no power play between them for the land of Canaan:  when their flocks and herds became too many for the land to support, Esau voluntarily chose to leave.

I found this very encouraging.  From the beginning, God is established as Creator and sovereign over all things.  When Adam sinned, God drove him out from the Garden of Eden.  After Cain killed Abel his brother, Cain went out from the presence of the LORD.  God directed Abraham to leave his family and go to the land God would show him, and when Abraham and his nephew Lot's beasts were too many, Abraham gave Lot the choice of where to settle.  It was Lot who departed from Abraham, and God affirmed all the land Abraham could see or his foot would tread He had given to Abraham and his descendants.  God is, and those He establishes by faith in Him are also strengthened to remain steadfast where God would have them be.

A similar pattern occurred when Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness where He was tempted by the devil.  Luke 4:13 says, "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time."  Jesus did not avoid the wilderness to escape from the devil or his temptation, but resisted Satan and it was the devil who departed.  This aligns with what the Scripture says is true for the believer in James 4:6-7:  "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." ⁷ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."  Spiritually speaking, by faith in Jesus our lives are established like houses built upon the rock, and thus we are enabled to stand resolute in obedience to God's Word:  "Be strong in the LORD and the power of His might; put on the whole armour of God and stand therefore!" (Eph. 6:10-20)

I love how Esau chose to depart from Jacob without violence:  though he had 400 men to support and aid him, Jacob, his wives and little children were protected, provided for and prospered by Jacob's great God.  Jacob was established in the land of Canaan, and God had a place set aside for Esau too.  It was not for Jacob to run for the hills to hide from his brother, but to remain in the place God called him to be by faith.  Spiritually speaking for Christians this is also true.  We do not need to concern ourselves with violent forays into enemy territory or lay siege to the wisdom of the world spouted in our culture:  our LORD and Saviour Jesus is the KING OF KINGS Who will subdue all to Himself.  We are called to submit ourselves to God in faith joyfully with obedience and stand.  This is how we battle the enemy, and this is how the fight is won because Jesus has overcome.  Resist the temptations of the enemy to give up or give in, hold the ground God has given you, and the enemy will flee.

Sold and Bought

In the Bible we see tragic examples of people being sold.  Rather than kill their brother Joseph, Judah suggested he and his brothers sell him to Ishmaelite traders who were heading to Egypt.  Esther said she and her people were "sold" to be killed by Haman's wicked decree.  God exposed the moral decay among His people in Joel 3:3:  "They have cast lots for My people, have given a boy as payment for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink."  During Paul's missionary journey to Philippi we read of a slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination who brought much financial gain to her masters, having evidently been bought or acquired previously by them.

There are times recorded in scripture when God delivered His own people into the hands of their enemies in response to their rejection of Him and departure from Him.  Judges 2:14 tells us, "And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies."  God was gracious to raise up judges who delivered the Israelites from their enemies--even though it seemed only a matter of time before they went back to idolatry.  It is hard to imagine what it would be like to be literally sold by your parents for a bottle of wine or sold by God into the hands of enemies all around.

The reality was the people were responsible in situations like this, for they sold themselves in exchange for choosing sin and idols that could not save.  God said through the prophet in Isaiah 52:1-3:  "Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you. ² Shake yourself from the dust, arise; sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion! ³ For thus says the LORD: "You have sold yourselves for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money."  God who allowed the Hebrews and all people to sell themselves for nothing intended all along to provide atonement and purchase lost souls enslaved to sin with His own blood--the blood of Jesus shed on Calvary (Acts 20:28).

It is the one who realises they are no longer their own, enslaved to sin and doomed without hope, who rejoice to be redeemed by the power of the Gospel and claimed as God's adopted child.  There is hope for those like Paul who realised his natural condition was carnal (of flesh) and sold under sin (Romans 7:14).  By faith in Jesus Christ lost souls are found and accepted in the beloved, cleansed from sin, and know we have a new Master and KING OF KINGS Jesus.  How blessed we are to be bought and paid once for all by the precious blood of Christ, and we have received the Holy Spirit as a down payment of our eternal inheritance (Ephesians 1:14).  Having been bought by God our Good Shepherd, we are sheep of His pasture that are protected, provided for and guided by Him forever.  Why sell ourselves for nothing when we have been bought by God Who loves us?

Time Marches On

A refrain in a rock song goes, "Time is on my side, yes it is."  The background of the story in the tune is the singer felt no time-pressure about his girlfriend leaving him, because it was only a matter of time before she would be back and knocking at his door.  He was confident the constant, relentless march of time would result in his relational struggles and separation being resolved.  I cannot say I share Mick Jagger's view on this, for time never feels like it is on my side.  The ticking away of every seconds is a force we must yield to, like it or not.  Things we dread edge ever closer, and favourite seasons pass us by.  The passage of time is an unescapable, unavoidable reality of life as the earth rotates around the sun according to God's design.

It is because God created the heavens and earth governed by time we must say, "All good times come to an end."  No matter how wonderful the current or future season is, we know they cannot last perpetually under the sun that rises and falls daily.  The time each of us have on earth will someday come to an end--likely before we have lost the pleasure of living out our days, weeks, months and years.  There is a good side to this reality, for feelings of loss come from profound enjoyment and love we never could have had on our own.  Lamenting what we have lost can be replaced with the appreciation and joy that comes from God who gave us time with people we love and activities we enjoy.

At a funeral today the thought came to mind how seasons shared with loved ones feel over too soon because we treasure and enjoy them so much.  It is also good to consider it could very well be our lives that reach an end before we know it.  With this in mind, as we enjoy the many blessings God grants us by His grace, we are moved to worship God the Giver rather than the gift itself.  Rather than idolising a person or the time we gladly spent with others in joyous relationship, we can praise God all our times are in His hands.  Every lament of loss and sorrowful feeling is evidence God has truly been good to us.  He hasn't stopped being good because one season has drawn to a close and another begins, for God makes everything beautiful in its time.  Faith in God allows us to accept this and draw close to Him.

A day is coming that will last forever, a day when we will rejoice perpetually in a never-ending season of light, love and liberty in God's presence free of sin, sorrow, pain and death.  God has provided us lives full of good things we would never choose to be without, yet God in His wisdom and grace has plans of a glorious future with Him and His redeemed people worth looking forward to.  We can rest knowing we will always be safe in His care and will see His goodness in the land of the living.  I guess in this sense time IS on our side, for the march of time brings our joyous entry into eternal glory closer by the second. :)

Changed For Good

Today whilst waiting to check out at Woolworths, my eyes fell upon a statement on a magazine cover I found bemusing:  "Be Bold and Evolve."  Even for those who ascribe to the concept of Darwinian evolution of the species, this is quite a wild statement.  How by thinking or an act of the will can a creature or human being fundamentally change who or what they are?  Even the most extreme body modifications people undergo are incapable of changing them from who they are on the inside:  such actions are overt, intentional actions that ring true to themselves as they are.  Changing names and identifying as gender fluid is not the evolution of a species but people embracing the unique powers as humans and the freedom of our will given by God to do what we want--however unconventional it may be.

Classic Darwinian evolution hinges on "survival of the fittest" as an explanation behind the origin of species, something the Bible's account of creation firmly contradicts.  It was never boldness behind the supposed evolution of species but natural selection was credited by small, successive adaptations and changes that provided benefits to a species survival and procreation.  But perhaps the magazine did not mean to go that far, but "Be Bold and Evolve" is simply an encouragement for people to be a better person, a happier, a more productive or healthy person.  People who desire to improve their lives or to be a "better version of themselves" is not usually a lack of desire but of ability to consistently follow through.  Self-help books have this fundamental flaw, that the formula presented for positive change must be embraced and practiced by an imperfect person who has already established they are incapable of changing themselves.

On its own, a changed mind has no power to change who we are.  Obviously our beliefs have a massive impact on our perspective of the world, ourselves and others, but we cannot change who our father and mother are.  We cannot change the location where we were born, our genetic code or that we are human beings created by God in His own image.  No one is perfect, and no one by willpower alone or life-hacks can we achieve perfection.  But God Himself provides hope and help beyond ourselves, for He is able to address the sin we have committed in the past and our sinful corruption.  His wisdom and righteousness provides a stark contrast from man's wickedness, for we are naturally undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving and unmerciful.  No amount of boldness or help from others can change us to be like God in holiness and goodness.

The gracious power of God to change people is seen in the life of king Nebuchadnezzar, a man whose life was saturated with pride and arrogance.  As a consequence of his sin, for seven years God gave Nebuchadnezzar the mind of a feral animal.  He lived outside and ate grass like an ox; his hair grew into dreadlocks and his curved fingernails resembled claws as he scurried around, unable to converse or speak.  He devolved terribly from his former glory as king in his palace he designed and built!  At the end of seven years, God caused Nebuchadnezzar's reason to return to him, and he was a changed man thereafter.  When he was restored to his kingdom instead of praising himself, he looked to God in faith, humility and reverence.  His last words recorded in the Bible are found in Daniel 4:37:  "Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase."  We may not be kings or queens, yet like Nebuchadnezzar we are incapable of changing ourselves--and by faith in God He changes us for good.

Going to My God

Last night in Bible study we read a couple of Psalms that spoke of going up to Jerusalem to appear before the LORD, to sacrifice and worship with rejoicing.  The sons of Korah reflected on the wonderful times they had with others who praised the God of Israel and rejoiced in His goodness.  A brother at the study pointed out the progression seen in Psalm 43:3-4:  "Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. ⁴ Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God."  For Jews appearing before the LORD a trip to Jerusalem was far more than a social gathering because going to Jerusalem, the tabernacle, and altar led to the presence of God Himself:  "to God, my exceeding joy."

In days long ago it was not uncommon for me to hear people call a church building "the house of God."  While this sentiment is not entirely biblically accurate, people rightly viewed as sacred the place dedicated to the worship, praise and service of the LORD.  Solomon said himself that God does not dwell in houses made with hands, yet the presence of God did dwell for a long season in the temple he built according to God's design in Jerusalem.  The coming of Jesus Christ, the establishment of the New Covenant in Christ's blood, and spiritually regenerated believers--being made the temple of the Holy Spirit--has ushered in a new era of God dwelling literally in each of His born-again people.  It is therefore even more special when we gather together for the purpose of seeking God, for He is with us, upon us, and in us.

I remember talking to a co-worker who was content to go with his grandma's advice, that because God knows our hearts there isn't any need to go to church.  Perhaps with the sharp rise of the availability of live-streamed services, Christian teaching and worship online this sentiment has also increased and become commonplace.  For anyone who enjoys live music, there is a difference between seeing a show live and listening to a polished studio album.  Watching people talk on TV or YouTube is different than shaking their hand, conversing and getting to know one another in person.  When famous musicians have shows in Sydney, it is common for these to sell out--even though people already have all their music.  While some of us have little interest in paying to go to a concert, there is a lesson we can learn from people who want to be near to artists or celebrities they may even call their idol.

Consider this:  would you go to church on Sunday if the Apostle Paul was the speaker in the flesh?  What if Jesus Himself were to descend to be speaker for a weekend church retreat?  Would you put a priority on being physically there?  As a follower of Jesus, I'd like to think I would.  Jesus is more than a person I idolise but I am convinced He is God in the flesh, my LORD and Saviour.  I believe in our private Bible reading, at a home Bible study, and at church Jesus will do the speaking through His Word and those He gifts to teach by His grace.  These teachers and pastors have a wide range of styles, quirks and even odd mannerisms, yet the LORD is faithful to speak through these imperfect vessels to those who seek Him.  We might prefer the delivery of one person over another, but God can use them all.  That's my perspective on reading the Bible and going to church.  Whenever we go to meet with God's people, being the temple of the Holy Spirit Who is in us, God is always there and ministers His truth to hungry hearts, to those thirsty to hear from Him.

We do not need to wait until our life on earth is over before we "go to God," for we can approach Him joyfully with one another when the church gathers.  Even if the preacher is not your style, by faith going to church can be a small step towards God, our exceeding joy.  You may not be greeted upon arrival or exit, and no one may ask your name:  but you cannot escape God's notice:  He sees and hears you, and like Boaz He will leave handfuls of sustenance for you to gather up and be fed by the Bread of Life.  Amazing and unexpected as it may seem, God can minister and speak through you to others by His grace.  When we are going to God rather than just "going to church" it is an exciting and joyful prospect, for we catch glimpses of Him in every believer we meet.

Curse or Blessing?

When Rebekah pulled Jacob aside and spoke of her plan for Jacob to steal Isaac's blessing (intended for his older brother Esau) for himself, it appealed to his greedy ambitions.  Though his father was blind, Jacob hesitated because he did not sound or feel like Esau:  he did not want to be found to be a deceiver.  He said, "I shall bring a curse upon myself rather than a blessing."  Rebekah replied, "Let your curse be on me, my son!"  Jacob chose to comply at the urging of his mother, and he brought young goats from the flock to prepare for Isaac.  Rebekah craftily used the skins of the butchered goats to cover up the smooth skins of Jacob.  And the plan seemed to work perfectly:  Isaac ate the food and blessed Jacob who went his way.

It only took a short while for Esau and Isaac to find out what had happened.  Jacob had scarcely left when Esau came in with a feast prepared at his father's request.  When he announced his arrival Israel trembled greatly, for he realised he had been deceived by Jacob who took away Esau's blessing.  What Jacob feared came to pass, for he was revealed to be a deceiver.  Esau hated Jacob for what he did and made his murderous intentions toward Jacob his brother known.  Rebekah heard of Esau's vengeful plot and warned Jacob of his plans.

Rebekah said to Jacob in Genesis 27:43-45:  "Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran. ⁴⁴ And stay with him a few days, until your brother's fury turns away, ⁴⁵ until your brother's anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?"  Notice how Rebekah admits it was not she who was held accountable as the mastermind and facilitator of Jacob taking the blessing, but Jacob alone:  "...what you have done to him."  She said previously his curse would be upon her but Jacob's sinful choice left him guilty and alone.  So it is with temptation and sin:  while sin may propose a path to our desired end, it results in guilt and trouble time alone cannot undo.  Sin always brings a curse on those deceived by it.  Jacob's hope to trick his father showed he was deceived by sin himself.

Hebrews 3:12-13 says to all who fear God, "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; ¹³ but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."  When we are converted as Christians, we turn from sin in repentance to Jesus who saves us from our sins.  It is possible as believers to be deceived by the lure of sin that appeals to our flesh and turn from the LORD to follow sin as master.  We are exhorted to be on guard against this.  By His grace God grants the opportunity to continue a lifestyle to repent of our sins and look to Jesus again in faith and obedience.  Jesus has destroyed the curse of sin by His atoning death and resurrection, yet embracing sin today leads to us to seek sin tomorrow rather than our Saviour.  If we find ourselves alone with our sin, it is not because Jesus has abandoned us:  it is because we have been deceived to depart from the living God.

Unbelief in God leads to the downfall of believers and unbelievers alike, and humble repentance is the posture of a small child turning from sin to the Saviour to be picked up and rescued again.  Sorrow in itself is not repentance, and efforts to stop sinning without turning to Jesus isn't repentance either.  We can't change what we have done in the past, but by God's grace He changes our hearts and grants us repentance as we seek Him.  Repentance does not blame others or sin itself but puts the blame squarely on ourselves, and those who confess their accursed sins will be those forgiven and set free by God.  God is where the blessing always is.