Giving to Honour God

I have met Christians who seem to have a complicated relationship with having nice things or owning a house.  There are some who come across as feeling guilty there are many people in the world whose standard of living that is less comfortable or lacks amenities we are accustomed to.  That same person is faced with the problem that even if they gave away everything to the point of becoming completely destitute, it would not make a notable, lasting impact in the lives of others or in the world.  It also would be sobering to give someone money or a house and find them in a worse state than before.  The sad testimony of lottery winners paints a depressing picture of loss and regret.

It is God who gives people the ability to acquire wealth for His good purposes (Deut. 8:17-18), and we are wise to heed Proverbs 3:9-10 that says, "Honour the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; ¹⁰ so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine."  The Scripture makes the connection those who honour God will be honoured by Him, and those who are faithful stewards over what He has given shall be given more.  This isn't a formula to make millions or billions and retire, but God has promised to faithfully provide for all our needs.  In light of His generosity, love and provision for His people, we ought to be cheerful givers of ourselves to Him.  One cure for feeling guilty about having is the joy God provides by giving as led by His Spirit.

I read a passage which shares a wise perspective in regards to God's faithfulness and the fruitfulness of our labours in Leviticus 23:22:  "When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the LORD your God."  God did not begrudge His people for having land (He gave them as an inheritance) or enjoying a bumper crop because there were people who lacked food.  They weren't to feel guilty they had grain while others were destitute.  God commanded those He blessed with a crop to keep the poor and stranger in mind while they reaped and be intentional to leave some behind so the hungry could gather it up and eat.  They weren't to be thinking of themselves and how much more they could keep in reserve.  The fields of wealthy landowners as well as the small households had good grain, grapes and olives God commanded to be left for those who lacked.

God blessed the poor and strangers through the hard labour of landowners who obeyed Him, giving to God what was God's and also leaving some for others.  This economy of grace is very different than "seizing means of production" and wealth distribution that supposedly will put poverty and hunger in the wastebin of history.  That is a pipe dream on this planet, for Jesus said in Matthew 26:11:  "For you have the poor with you always...".  The biblical principles of working for our bread, honouring God with our firstfruits, and considering the needs of the poor and stranger are all steps of faith we should take in obedient to our awesome God, the giver of all good things.  Having food to eat was not an entitlement but a gift received by God for those who laboured for it.  Jesus taught His disciples in Matthew 6:26:  "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

Partakers of Christ's Sufferings

"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ¹³ but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."

1 Peter 4:12-13

Peter wrote to beloved children of God they should not be surprised when they experience intense and life-threatening trials.  We might have the idea that because God loves us He prevents us from going through trials when the opposite is true:  He allows us to go through trials to prompt us to rejoice in our Saviour today and for all eternity.  Jesus Christ willingly suffered for us, and when we are made to suffer for His sake because we have obeyed Him, we have a deeper and more personal connection with Him.  After disciples of Jesus were beaten and threatened by religious authorities who despised Jesus, Acts 5:41-42:  "So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. ⁴² And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."  Not everyone is counted worthy to suffer shame for Jesus, and the disciples rejoiced to be associated with their Saviour.

I reminisced this morning of several occasions in scripture where God's people faced trials and difficulties God delivered them out of.  The experience we wish to avoid is the thing through which God proves Himself faithful as our deliverer.  I think of when the Hebrews suffered under the bondage of slavery in Egypt.  We would want to avoid being slaves at all as a horrid thing, but God strengthened them to endure and brought them out with a mighty hand to establish them in their own land.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were thrown into a fiery furnace because they would not worship the idol Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and God delivered them from the flames because they trusted in God without being burned.  Daniel was thrown into a den of lions because he prayed to God in violation of the edict of King Darius and was not harmed at all, for God sent His angel to shut the lion's mouths so they could not harm him.  Paul the apostle was caught in a great storm that threatened the lives of all those on board after being arrested and imprisoned for the sake of Jesus, and God saved everyone who remained on the ship.

A principle of purifying spoils of war is held forth in the Law of Moses in Numbers 31:21-23:  "Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, "This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses: ²² Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, ²³ everything that can endure fire, you shall put through the fire, and it shall be clean; and it shall be purified with the water of purification. But all that cannot endure fire you shall put through water."  All spoils of war that could endure fire were to be put through fire and then the water of purification (or separation in the KJV).  This was water mixed with the ashes of the red heifer; an animal needed to die to supply this water of purification.  Perhaps if the articles of gold or silver could talk, they would think it strange treatment to be put through the fire and then washed with water.  As people saved by grace through faith in Jesus, we have been cleansed with the blood of Jesus and filled with the Living Water of the Holy Spirit.  We ought not to think it strange to experience a fiery trial, for it is God's sovereign way of purifying us and having increased fellowship with us.  We can rejoice knowing God is with us and will be faithful to deliver us.

Going through a fiery trial reminds us that we are God's, and He is our sovereign and Saviour.  We can be happy to suffer for Christ's sake knowing the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon us.  While others speak evil concerning Christ, we are provided opportunity to glorify Him with rejoicing.  Peter concluded the section in 1 Peter 4:19:  "Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator."  If we think it strange suffering would be according to God's will, we need look no further than Jesus who suffered countless trials due to sinners He lay down His life to redeem.  Praise God we are His beloved spoils of war, His precious purchased possessions, ones through whom He will be glorified in the earth.  Oppressive regimes cannot destroy, neither flames or lions can consume, and there is no violent storm able to separate us from the love of God extended to us as partakers in Christ's sufferings.

Establishing Boundaries

"Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord."

Colossians 3:20

God's commands for children to obey they parents in all things implies parents first are responsible to give clear guidance for their children to heed.  If parents are negligent to establish boundaries and take action when children delay or disobey, this blurs the line which should remain clear.  Delayed obedience is disobedience, and parents ought to correct such transgression immediately with disciplinary action.  Solomon wisely observed the knock-on effect of delayed discipline in Ecclesiastes 8:11:  "Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil."  Parents ought to set a boundary, explain the consequence for crossing that boundary, and then are responsible before God to take appropriate action to discipline their children when they cross the set boundary, and praise them when they do well.

Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."  Setting clear boundaries and keeping your word to enforce the standard parents have set is important in training your children to listen to you.  Parents are wise to learn they primarily train their children by example, and a lot of training happens by the patterns parents allow to develop over time.  Today I was in the shops and a boy around 5 years of age was wailing to have his way:  "I want to buuuy it!"  I don't believe the boy had money, and I don't think he was actually going to buy anything:  he wanted Dad to buy something for him.  Though they initially left the area, they later returned to the aisle and the attitude of the boy was very different--bubbly and excited.  By simply influencing his father to return to the aisle, he had notched a critical victory and set a precedent for future trips to the shops.  As I walked by I heard the father trying to reason with his child, that he already had many such things.  This reasoning, of course, did not sway the insistent lad, for he had been already trained at an expert level that what Dad said did not matter because there they were, looking at the toys again.

Parents ought to set boundaries, and children will always push to see where the line begins and ends.  A line might figuratively be a mile wide, so it is good to keep it as thin as possible by taking action when the front of the line is crossed.  The lines drawn by parents can be crossed in seemingly innocuous ways--but when it is a matter of the will, that slight transgression is a big deal.  For instance, a parent should never need to repeat a directive to their children.  There are instances when a child does not physically hear, but it is more likely they heard and decided to ignore what they did not want to hear or agree with.  Then parents begin to repeat themselves.  But because there was no consequence for disobedience the first time, the child is trained (by their parents!) they do not have to listen; they are free to do as they please.  It then becomes anger expressed by a parent or shouting that becomes the new boundary to observe, and as kids grow older they will become less sensitive to this--and they will even reply in kind!  Parents can save themselves great exasperation and train their children to obey when they make clear boundaries, say it once, and uphold their own word with swift discipline.

Many behavioural problems in children can be improved when their parents take seriously their God-given role to train their children.  Growing in maturity takes time and effort, and God has given us the love we need by the Holy Spirit and the wisdom in His word to guide us as parents and children.  When kids grow up in a family, they are like the children of Israel after the exodus from Egypt who were called to submit to and heed the leadership of Moses.  A time would come when Moses would pass away and they would enter the promised land, and there is a time when our children will leave and establish their own families.  While the Hebrews were in the wilderness however, God was their sovereign and Moses was their leader who made judgments concerning their conduct and consequences as he sought God's wisdom.  Parents and children have a similar relationship even in our age of grace.  By the Law of Moses was the knowledge of sin, and boundaries set by parents provide freedom and safety for children to grow in character when boundaries are established and upheld.

Giving More Grace

During my university days long ago, my co-workers and I had a dress-up for fun.  I worked in shipping a receiving and fashioned a hat out of a large manilla folder that resembled a bishop's hat.  "Do you know why those hats are shaped like that?" a co-worker asked.  She offered, "Those hats were made in the shape of Dagon modelled after a fish, and by wearing that hat you are worshipping Dagon."  I was incredulous and at this suggestion, for I could not see how wearing a hat in any way paid homage to a heathen idol.  Once I was made aware she found the hat offensive, I did not goad her by wearing it.

When I grew up in the church, no one I knew ever took issue calling the holiday "Easter" that is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  As a kid there was simply no other name in Christians circles I ever heard the holiday called.  It was probably in my twenties when I noticed a shift in our church and the name "Easter" became connected and thus contaminated with pagan practices that supposedly had been Christianised.  As political correctness swept society, what I grew up calling "Easter" became "Resurrection Sunday."  It was seen by some as poor form (or lacking spiritual maturity) to call the holiday Easter because of the historical trappings some associated with it.  It seemed people wanted to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus without being swept up in the controversy over eggs, bunnies and the commercial aspects of the holiday, so "Resurrection Sunday" stuck.  It became the safe, acceptable Christian name for the exact same holiday.

Personally, I have no problems with Christians calling the holiday Easter or Resurrection Sunday.  You can call it the same name and give all honour and glory to Jesus Christ our risen LORD.  In no way does someone who says "Easter" means they are advocating any pagan practices or unwittingly promoting wickedness--any more than wearing a hat out of cardboard is viewed by God as accidental idol worship.  Romans 14 says we have the liberty in Christ to esteem one day more than another, and we also have liberty to call it what we like without condemnation.  Some Gentiles who came to Christ were stumbled when Christians ate meat that was offered to idols.  Like the woman at work who said I was honouring Dagon by wearing a particular hat, they saw the meat as tainted and eating it gave honour to false gods.  One point Paul made in 1 Corinthians 8 was a Christian could eat meat that had been offered to idols with a clear conscience because he knew idols were nothing in the world.  He could eat that meat as food provided by God for the health and strength of the body with gladness without sin.

We are called as Christians to be loving towards others and see that we do not intentionally offend or cause others to stumble.  Romans 14:4-5 provides good guidance whether we have been offended or have accidentally offended others:  "Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. ⁵ One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind."  Rather than writing off our brethren as legalistic, easily offended or an unwitting Dagon worshipper, it is good to extend grace to others as we share our concerns or explain our position.  If someone has a sensitive conscience concerning headwear or the names of holidays, once informed it is good for us to walk in love towards them and not give occasion for them to stumble by careless conduct.  As James 3:2 says, "...we all stumble in many things."  Knowing this, we ought to give grace to others and remain humble and teachable because we are not perfect ourselves.  Do we expect others to be what we cannot be?  We might be surprised how legalistic we can be.

Honour the KING!

Sometimes I think about how different life would be if the country I lived was ruled by a king and all people were subject to him.  Needless to say, it would be so different from what I am accustomed to it is impossible to fully grasp the implications.  In Bible times, kingdoms flourished or were run into the ground due to how the king ruled.  Subjects in large part were at the mercy of their king who held their lives in his hand with God-given authority to administer justice upon evildoers and to reward faithful servants.

King Nebuchadnezzar was a man who was not at all squeamish to rule with unchallenged might and power.  Those who served him well could be promoted, but any who offended or opposed him would be destroyed immediately.  The king was used to having his way, and when he gave a command the wise among his people took him seriously.  This was evident after he made an image of gold in the plain of Dura, and he commanded all his officials to gather before him.  He then informed his subjects when they heard the sounds of instruments, they were to bow in worship before the image he set up.  He warned all people, nations and languages represented among his people that if they did not bow, they would be immediately cast into a fiery furnace.

Of all the people who gathered, there were three of the children of Israel who refused to bow.  Chaldeans approached the king and dobbed them in, and Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury and rage at their insolence.  He summoned them before him and gave them a final opportunity to comply with his command and worship his image.  The king repeated the consequence for disobedience, that they would be thrown into a burning, fiery furnace:  "And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?"  In Nebuchadnezzar's eyes, he was greater than any god:  his word would stand.  When they refused, Nebuchadnezzar heated the furnace 7 times hotter, and threw them into the furnace.  The flames immediately killed the men who ushered them to the furnace, and the king was without concern.  He was king and did as he pleased.

Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar rose to his feet in amazement.  He asked, "Didn't we throw 3 men in the fire?", and so they had.  Daniel 3:25 reads, "Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."  Nebuchadnezzar approached the furnace and called his servants by name, and they walked out of the furnace without injury or even smelling like smoke.  Daniel 3:28 tells us the response of the king:  "Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!"  Nebuchadnezzar and all his subjects witnessed something remarkable, for the king's word had been frustrated (KJV says "changed") by the God of Israel.  Unlike the image of gold Nebuchadnezzar set up, the God of Israel is the almighty who sets up kings and deposes them, the God who speaks and it comes to pass without fail.

This passage contains a glorious truth for Christians whether we live in a monarchy or a parliamentary democracy:  our good God is able to overrule all kings, governors and governments to accomplish His purposes.  May our lives provide a testimony God is worth obeying and serving, that we will honour the commands of our God and Saviour rather than living to please men.  God commands us--in the New Testament, by the way--to pray for those in government and to submit to those God has put in authority as our service to God (1 Peter 2:13-15).  1 Peter 2:17 reads, "Honour all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king."  Blessed be God who delivers His servants who trust in Him, and let us yield our bodies as living sacrifices to Him that He would be honoured always.

Demonstration of Love

"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 5:7-8

One thing I enjoyed at the San Diego County Fair was to watch demonstrations of various products.  People crowded around a fellow with a headset who demonstrated the sharpness of a knife by slicing a tomato, and then sawed the sole of a boot in half and drew it across raw metal to produce shavings.  People were amazed when he went back to the tomato and sliced it perfectly.  People were drawn in by the demonstration, and seeing the sharpness of the knives before their eyes prompted people to pull out their wallets to buy the wonder blades.

When Jesus was crucified outside the city of Jerusalem, all sorts of people flocked to see the Roman execution.  As they watched the proceedings--cruelly designed for agonising pain and humiliation--people mocked and reviled Jesus.  Matthew 27:39-43 reads, "And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross." ⁴¹ Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, ⁴² "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. ⁴³ He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'"  Those who condemned Jesus as a blasphemer blasphemed Him, and they taunted Him to demonstrate His divinity by coming down from the cross.  They threw His words they did not believe back in His face, telling Him to save Himself to prove Himself a Saviour.

The doubters, haters and mockers said they would believe Jesus was the Son of God and King of Israel if He did their bidding and came down from the cross.  They had watched Jesus do countless miracles and did not believe:  why would they believe their own eyes if Jesus bowed to their will?  Their temptations have a satanic ring to them, and Jesus submitted to the will of the Father instead.  Jesus demonstrated He was the Son of God and the King of Israel by staying on the cross, shedding His blood and dying.  What Jesus did in willingly dying was greater than the works He did in His life, for it preceded Him taking up His life again--by raising the temple of His body in a glorified state--three days later.  Jesus proved He is the Saviour by dying on the cross, rising from the dead and ascending to the Father just as He said.

In his letter to Roman Christians, Paul explained the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was actually a demonstration of God's love towards sinners.  The love God demonstrated was not merely kind sentiment or emotional affection but sacrificial love in providing atonement for sinners by His shed blood.  We also see the effectiveness of Jesus' sacrifice demonstrated by His resurrection from the dead.  There was no greater price God could give than sending His only begotten Son Jesus to die for lost sinners.  No one can put a price on the precious blood of Jesus Christ spilled so enemies of God could be redeemed and made children of God.  Have you ever seen a more compelling demonstration of love that Jesus on the cross who died for sinners?  God does not bid us to pull out our wallets to obtain salvation, for He offers it freely by His grace.  By His love, Jesus paid our price in full.

The Cat Saga

When we moved into our current house, there was a sandy strip beside the driveway that evidently had become the communal litterbox for the neighbourhood cats.  Come to think of it, the first week we were living in the house (which had been vacant for some time) one of our neighbour's cats deposited an unpleasant surprise right in the middle of the pavers leading to the front door--as if to say, "You might be moving in, but this is my territory."  Living in this house has provided a crash-course of learning firsthand the tenacity of cats to mark their spot in vile, smelly ways.

Shortly after the BBQ and smoker were set up on the back porch, I began to notice dirty puddles and spray marks on the covers.  At first I thought little of it, that condensation had dripped from dusty covers.  After I cleaned the mess from the BBQ covers and tiles, I was surprised that in a night or two there were even more marks--and that cats were the culprits!  It was then I declared war on the habits of our neighbourhood felines and took action to prevent them from freely accessing areas where they relieved themselves.  After the adjacent retaining wall was completed, I filled in the area with decorative rocks to prevent cats from accessing it.  I purchased an ultrasonic "CatWatch" that is motion activated and designed to protect birds and gardens from cats.  Humans and birds cannot hear the tone, but cats can.  I was pleased to see this had an immediate effect, and I foolishly assumed the cat saga was over.

The cats then began to favour using the silty soil out of sight behind the bins, so I repositioned the CatWatch to move them on from their new dumping grounds.  This very morning, after moving a recycle bin to the porch, a cat decided to slink behind it--carefully out of sight--and poop on the porch tile!  So now the bins have been moved to a new location so the CatWatch can train the cats there are no safe havens on the porch.  I have been impressed and surprised by the tireless tenacity of those critters to find a way to dump their refuse all around the property.  It is at this point I could give up and allow the cats to have their way, but I am determined to win the war.  The appearance of disturbed soil, swarming flies, spray marks and puddles tell me to press the advantage and not lose ground gained with great effort.

The cat saga bears similarity to sanctification from sin in the life of a believer.  Like cats driven by instinct, we naturally tend to go our own way and do our own thing.  Having been born again by faith in Jesus, we ought to recognise the uncleanness of our sin--the bitterness and unforgiveness in our hearts, cursing, addictions, lying, greed, selfishness and unbelief--all the works of the flesh Jesus died to cleanse us from and give us victory over.  When attitudes, words and actions that mark our old life spring to the surface, we go to the heart of the problem to confess and repent of sin and do what pleases God.  Slowly but surely, we will progress as we learn more of our sinfulness and our Saviour's goodness and grace.  A cat problem or a rat or roach infestation is not going to "go away" on its own, and besetting sins have great tenacity and treachery we must deal with personally.  Take decisive and diligent action to remove safe havens for sin in your life.  Don't give up, dear Christian, for we are victorious in Jesus. 

God Draws the Driven

This morning's sermon contained a warning from God to the children of Israel who departed from God through idolatry without repentance.  Through the prophet the LORD said in Jeremiah 27:14-15, "Therefore do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon,' for they prophesy a lie to you; ¹⁵ for I have not sent them," says the LORD, "yet they prophesy a lie in My name, that I may drive you out, and that you may perish, you and the prophets who prophesy to you."  False prophets were saying articles taken from the temple would soon be returned and they would not serve Nebuchadnezzar.  God said if His people believed the lie and refused to submit to the yoke He fashioned for them--to serve the king of Babylon--He would forcefully drive them from the land He gave them as an inheritance.  If they would not submit to God's word voluntarily, they would be driven to go where they did not want to.  This prompted my consideration of this pattern in Scripture.

As those redeemed by faith in Jesus, Christians are provided an incredible privilege of a relationship with the living God.  God created this world and all that is in it, and His desire is for people He created in His image to know Him, to respond to His love demonstrated to us while we were yet sinners.  We observe this from the very beginning.  After God created Adam, he had fellowship with God as they walked together in the Garden of Eden.  But sin resulted in the spiritual death of Adam, Eve and their offspring.  Adam and his wife were sent out of the garden as it says in Genesis 3:24:  "So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."  Adam disobeyed God by eating from the tree, and thus he was driven from his dwelling place and rest.

God called Nebuchadnezzar His servant, and without realising it Nebuchadnezzar was God's chosen instrument to bring judgment upon nations--including His own erring people.  Though God established Nebuchadnezzar on the throne, when he was lifted up with pride (having ignored God's warning through Daniel's interpretation of his troubling dream), God drove him mad and he was driven from men for 7 years.  Daniel rehearsed the situation years later in Daniel 5:20-21:  "But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. ²¹ Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses."  When Nebuchadnezzar's sense returned to him, he praise the God of Israel who restored him to his throne and former glory.

After Jesus entered Jerusalem, He cleansed the temple in Matthew 21:12-13:  "Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.¹³ And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  Jesus did not show partiality between buyer or seller when He drove them out of the temple, for though they had a thriving business they had no business being in God's house due to their iniquity.  In a short time Jesus was lifted up on Calvary and drew all people to Himself as Messiah. These passages illustrate well how idolatry, pride, greed and sin brought awful consequences--even being driven from the presence of the LORD.  The remedy for our sin is to return to the LORD in humble repentance, to take Christ's yoke upon us by submission to Him and walking with Him.

God has always expressed desire to draw near to His people and dwell among them in the Garden of Eden, in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt, after God established His people in Canaan, in the tabernacle and temple and by Christ coming who gives the Holy Spirit who indwells us.   When people meet in Jesus' name, there He is in the midst.  God's desire is for us to abide with Him forever (for He has freely offered eternal life for all who believe in Jesus), and our rebellion, unbelief and sin prevents us from enjoying the fellowship and closeness God supplies today by His grace.  God is faithful and loving to always draw those driven away by sin to Himself.  Let us take to heart and put into practice the exhortation of James 4:8-10:  "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."

Bought Out of Love

Years ago when my family and I lived in Riverstone, there was an old derelict house on the corner of Garfield and Hamilton that had been condemned and fenced off.  I had no idea how old it was, but I would have liked to have explored inside to step back in time.  Exploring the house would not have taken very long, for it could be no more than one or two rooms with a dunny out back.  It could have been built before electricity and plumbing was available!  I expected the "fibro" siding to contain asbestos, and that would be expensive to safely handle and dispose of.

As the land in Riverstone grew exponentially more valuable in recent years, clearly the uninhabitable house had become a liability when it was taken away.  I was surprised when I drove by and the house was gone, and all that remained was a bare spot of dirt.  In one day the house had been demolished and the materials carried away.  It was a bit disappointing to lose a bit of history and charm when that house went.

Now imagine (if the house still stood) a wealthy fellow loved the old place, contacted the owner and made in a significant offer on the house with the intention to restore it to its former glory.  It would not be restored to be a museum or holiday house, but he wanted it to be his primary residence--just because he loved it.  Wouldn't this be a curious decision when the guy eager to buy and restore the house could easily afford to design his own modern, custom mansion and live in luxury?  Why would he prefer to live in a cramped house with a dunny in Riverstone when he could live in an exclusive Sydney suburb with harbour views?

The rich man buying a derelict house to live in it is like what God has done by saving people at the cost of the precious blood of Jesus.  He saw us in our condemned condition and instead of razing us from the earth He has chosen to redeem no-good sinners and make Christians His dwelling place as His temple.  Developers often have more interest in the land than the structures that sit upon it, yet God's greatness and glory is seen in saving sinners and adopting them as His beloved children.  When we see a born-again Christian, we ought to marvel over the richness of God's love and grace that prompted Him to seek and save the lost.  God is interested in more than saving us, for He desires to sanctify us through a relationship with Jesus.  How great is our God!

The Golden Rule (With Love)

During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught what is commonly called the "Golden Rule" to His disciples in Matthew 7:11-12:  "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! ¹² Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."  God is good and the generous source of all good things.  Jesus pointed out since sinners are able to give good gifts to their children, our heavenly Father is infinitely more inclined and able to give good things to those who make their requests known to Him.

Because God gives good gifts to those who ask Him, Jesus said whatever we want others to do to us, we ought to do also to them.  The opposite of this can be true.  If there is something we do not appreciate, we avoid doing the same to them--even if it seems they deserve such treatment.  When I was musing upon the Golden Rule yesterday, I realised it cannot stand alone without great risk of making myself the flawed standard of morality I adhere to.  The Golden Rule in isolation can lead me to justify being unloving, devoid of sympathy or compassion, and resisting the Holy Spirit who always guides us to walk in love.  The Law and Prophets are summed up well by the Golden Rule, but Jesus fulfilled the Law and gave His disciples a new law to obey:  we ought to love one another as Jesus loves us (John 13:34).

In a conversation with my wife yesterday, I recalled laughing when my GP told me I had torn my ACL playing baseball.  She was a bit caught off guard and asked me what was so funny.  I thought it was funny that all I had done was rounded first base and fell over like a sniper took out my knee, a rather pathetic way to hurt oneself that required surgery, rehabilitation, financial cost, and missing over a year of sport.  When being fitted for glasses recently a new optometrist looked at my file and in great seriousness questioned if a specialist had fully explained the potential impact of an eye condition I have been diagnosed with.  I quipped, "Yep, untreatable and incurable."  "Yes," she said slowly, trying to make sense of my casual response.  The point I am trying to make is, if the Golden Rule was the only standard I employed to guide my conduct towards people's conditions or problems, it would lack compassion, gentleness and tact.  Love leads me to be sensitive to others when I am naturally harsh with myself.

The Golden Rule is a good rule that helps guide our conduct towards others, yet it cannot be followed rightly without God's love.  Paul wrote in Romans 12:9-15:  "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another; ¹¹ not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; ¹² rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; ¹³ distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."  Jesus taught His disciples the Golden Rule, also commanded them to love one another, and demonstrated His love for sinners by dying on the cross.  God has provided the whole Bible and the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us to walk in love to one another:  to bless and not curse, to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

Glory of Grace

"It is not good to eat much honey; so to seek one's own glory is not glory."

Proverbs 25:27

Honey is very sweet, and it is a sweetener we can feel sick of eating.  Previously in the chapter it said in Proverbs 25:16:  "Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit."  Some people do not process fructose well, and that may be a reason for nausea or vomiting from eating too much honey.  The days of Solomon were long before pasteurisation was a thing, and eating raw honey can also potentially expose eaters to natural toxins bees pick up from poisonous plants or flowers they visit.  I read of rare cases of people being allergic to honey due to the pollen source used by bees.  The point is, we can have too much of a good thing.

With this is mind, Solomon used synonymous parallelism to connect seeking the praise of people.  We likely all appreciate being recognised or complimented for a job well done or to be singled out for a promotion because of hard work, but like eating too much honey it is not good to seek one's own glory.  When we hunger for the approval of people and seek validation through them, it does not benefit us in the end.  Seeking compliments and affirmation of ourselves puts self in the centre and uses people to get a sugar-rush of approval that will quickly fade and leave us craving more.

Jesus told a parable to guests at a feast after observing how they chose the best places for themselves in Luke 14:8-11:  "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; ⁹ and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. ¹¹ For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  What Jesus said illustrated Solomon's proverb well, for those who sought the best places were not exalted.  Seeking their own glory was not glory, for in many cases those who sought the best places were made to move and sit in the lowest place when a more honourable guest arrived.

Those who were invited to the feast and took the lowest place could be singled out by the host as a friend and made to "go up higher."  The one who was humbled to be an invited guest and took the low place would have glory in the presence of others at the table.  Taking the best place for yourself does not result in exaltation or praise but leads to shame.  Imagine boarding an aeroplane and deciding you would sit in first class when you booked economy!  Only embarrassment would result as you were made to move to your original seat.  Think of the difference of booking economy and having the pilot--an old friend from school--single you out and say, "Friend, I have a better seat for you.  Come with me."  See how much better and greater glory we have by God's grace than when we seek to take it for ourselves?  It is as Jesus said:  one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Following His Steps

As I was driving the other day, I saw a family walking on the foopath parallel to my car.  I was stopped at a red light, and dad was leading the way.  What I noticed right away was the boy who followed behind his dad, imitating in an exaggerated fashion dad's normal gait with swaying shoulders and swinging arms.  The way he was walking did not look like his dad to me, but he clearly was doing his best to copy him.  His extra long strides, carefully timed to his father's steps, made his head bob up and down as he tried to keep pace with his shorter legs.

It is natural for young children who look up to their parents to imitate them, to want to be like them.  This also ought to be true for those who are made children of God by faith in Jesus Christ.  John 1:11-13 says of Jesus, "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."  Because God is our Father who is eternal and does not change, we are perpetually His children who ought to trust and obey Him.  Unlike children who grow older and become increasingly independent of their parent's oversight, children of God grow spiritually by becoming more dependent and reliant upon Him for everything.  In our season of adult life when we have learned to do many things ourselves, it is a continual challenge to submit to Him.

As followers of Jesus, Christians are called to walk in His ways as Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:31-5-2:  "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. ¹ Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. ² And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."  The Bible teaches us by Christ's example how we ought to live, loving God our Father and others as Jesus loves us.  Our resemblance to Jesus isn't by copying His terms of phrase, growing a beard or walking from city to city in Israel:  our imitation of Christ comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit within who teaches us of Jesus and empowers us to be His witnesses in real time.

Peter charged servants to walk in the steps of Jesus even in submitting to harsh masters in 1 Peter 2:18-23:  "Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. ¹⁹ For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. ²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. ²¹ For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ²² “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”; ²³ who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously..."  We cannot imitate Jesus or walk in His steps without Jesus helping us.  Let us be numbered among those who follow Christ's example of love like the little boy who happily followed his dad.  It was no chore to walk in his father's steps but his great delight.

Mixing Paint Musings

Today I was doing a bit of painting, and one of the tins of paint had never been stirred or mixed.  When I began stirring, for awhile it didn't seem like much was happening.  But as I continued stirring, the colour began to swirl and become cloudy.  The paint reached a stage where it was nearly the correct colour of white, yet there remained thin, faint grey swirls that still needed to be incorporated.  Finally, the paint was mixed sufficiently and could be put to good use by applying it evenly to a door.

My mind drifted back to when I was a child and my dad was painting something around the house.  He gave me a large brush and a bucket of water to "paint" the unfinished cedar fence in our back yard.  No mixing was required, so I could get right to "work."  It was satisfying to see the wood quickly absorb the moisture and instantly change to a darker colour.  Board after board was nicely painted, but it wasn't long before the effect of the water began to dissipate as the water evaporated in the sun.  I began to double back on boards I already painted to make them look uniform again.  Because I was painting with water, the results were only temporary--and this wasn't very satisfying.

Mixing paint is a very mundane task, but it is an important step in the process of painting well.  When paint isn't fully mixed it leads to uneven colour, streaks, poor adhesion and an irregular finish.  Because paint is expensive and time is valuable, the lack of mixing paint properly leads to unnecessary waste and a massive amount of extra work.  Being patient and thorough in the process of preparation for painting is key to pleasing, lasting results.  God knows all about preparation with patience because this is a fruit of the Spirit.  God is willing to spend a great deal of time, effort and expense to prepare people to do His work.  For instance, God caused Moses to be raised as a prince in Egypt until he was 40 years old, and then he tended his father-in-law's sheep for 40 additional years to prepare him to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt--mostly learning he could never do it without God.

There was much Moses experienced that certainly stirred and agitated him, and this continued to happen after he led the children of Israel through the Red Sea, to Mt. Sinai and in the wilderness for an additional 40 years.  He was stirred to anger when he saw a fellow Hebrew being beaten by an Egyptian, and he also was stirred to flee for his life after he killed the Egyptian for it.  He was troubled by the idea of going to Pharaoh and speaking publicly, and he was awed by the presence of God again and again.  He was stirred by the idolatry and stubbornness of God's people and their unbelief and disobedience.  All the trials, troubles, experiences, failures and successes he faced were used by God to sanctify and refine Moses to know and trust God more.  This is one of God's purposes when we are stirred, troubled and agitated by experiences God allows.  He knows what He is preparing us for and the good works He would have us do.  Amazingly, His plans for us extend far beyond what is naturally possible for us on earth and for all eternity in His presence.

When we are stirred or troubled (and we realise it!) it may not feel pleasant, but feelings of anger, anxiety, worry, impatience and frustration are reminders to look to the LORD Jesus in faith and rest in His love, grace and goodness.  Our lives on earth serve a valuable function of combining faith and obedience to God with our natural way of thinking and living.  Paint that sits for a long time in a tin separates with clear binders on top and the pigment settled beneath murky fluid.  God would have His wisdom, knowledge of His will and empowerment of the Holy Spirit be fully integrated with our daily lives.  May it be we embrace and are delighted when God stirs us, for it provides an opportunity to be more like Jesus than we are right now.

Importance of Sacrifice

 "To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice."

Proverbs 21:3

God delights in His people who obey Him, who walk according to His righteousness and justice.  God was not interested to receive offerings from people who refused to seek and submit to Him as is written in Proverbs 15:8:  "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight."  The prophet rebuked erring King Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22:  "So Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams."  Everything that is has been created by God, and all we have is a gift from Him.  God delights more in the obedience of His people to Him than the sacrifice itself.

One might read these passages and assume because obedience and doing righteousness and justice is better than sacrifice, that sacrifice is of little value.  Perhaps because Jesus has fulfilled the Law and burnt offerings cannot be offered at the temple, the concept of offering sacrifices is irrelevant to us.  On the contrary:  it is important we realise sacrifice to God is very important and critical to the lives of Christians.  Sacrifice is important, and to obey God and walk in His ways is even more important!  See the importance of everyone bringing a sacrifice according to God's blessing in Deuteronomy 16:16-17:  "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. ¹⁷ Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you."  To appear before the LORD empty-handed was to say God failed to provide anything when He is the source of all blessing.

Obedience to God always comes at a cost, and to do righteously and justly always involves personal sacrifice.  God is more pleased with the sacrifices of a broken heart and a contrite spirit than the fat of rams (Psalm 51:17).  Through God's marvellous works, the Law of Moses, psalms, prophets and His Son Jesus Christ, He has demonstrated how we ought to live as Micah 6:8 says:  "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"  We are wholly insufficient in ourselves to do what God requires of us, and it is when we are born again by faith in Jesus we are given a new heart and the Holy Spirit.  We then are guided by His love, wisdom, and justice according to the riches of His grace to follow Jesus.

Jesus came to this world not to be served but to serve and give Himself as a ransom for many.  By faith in Jesus He has become righteousness for us, and we are called to walk in His steps that involve personal sacrifice unto the LORD in our dealings with one another.  Christians are urged in Romans 12:1-2, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."  Since we are called to present our bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to God in Christ Jesus, this heightens the importance of living righteously, justly and with integrity.  We ought to give God the love, glory and obedience He is due, and Romans 13:8 says concerning our conduct towards others:  "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law."

God Knows and Lives

Fulfilled prophesies provide strong evidence for the veracity of the Bible and demonstrate God's power to know and do all He has promised.  It is one thing to accurately predict the outcome of a game, whether a medical treatment will be effective, or how tall someone will grow to be, but it is entirely another thing to predict something that is obviously impossible.  Speaking of His physical body, Jesus said to those who questioned His authority:  "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  The apostle remarked in John 2:22, "Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said."  We observe Jesus and the Scripture foretold His death and resurrection, and the knowledge, promises and power Jesus displayed to do what is impossible moved people to believe in Him.

This morning I read Ezekiel 37 when God used an illustration with a valley filled with dry bones.  God asked the prophet Ezekiel, "Son of man, can these bones live?"  If I was Ezekiel, I would have quickly answered "No."  The bones were dry and turning to dust; how could they support a physical body or the marrow produce red blood cells?  If Ezekiel focused on what we he knew from observation, experience and human anatomy, impossibilities would abound.  Yet he fixed his attention upon God and said, "O Lord God, you know." (Ezekiel 37:3)  God said the dry bones would know He was the LORD when He brought life into them again.  God commanded Ezekiel to prophecy to the bones and by the power of God they were covered with muscles, sinews, skin and God breathed life into the great army that stood on their feet before Him.

God explained the significance of the vision to the prophet in Ezekiel 37:11-14:  "Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!' ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. ¹⁴ I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.'"  God spoke of the Jewish nation as feeling dry, having lost hope and cut off.  Yet God would do for them as those dry bones, for He would revive them and bring them into their land again.  This came to pass after 70 years of captivity in Babylon, and it came to pass in 1947 when Israel regained their land and became a sovereign nation again.  This also will have a future fulfilment, for at the end of the Great Tribulation Jesus will return to judge the nations and establish His throne in Jerusalem.  He will gather His people to Himself from wherever they had been scattered.

I find it intriguing some dead believers literally rose from the dead when Jesus died on the cross as it is written in Matthew 27:51-53:  "Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, ⁵² and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³ and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many."  Like the centurion who witnessed the death of Jesus on the cross, Ezekiel said people would know He was the LORD when God opened their graves and brought them out alive.  Ezekiel 37:24-26 goes on to say, "David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. ²⁵ Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children's children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. ²⁶ Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore."

Jesus is revealed to be the Son of David, God's Servant spoken of by Isaiah and the prophets, the KING OF KINGS who will rule over the nations, the Good Shepherd who lay down His life for the sheep.  It was humanly impossible for dry bones to live, but with God all things are possible.  It was not believed possible God could take human form, die on the cross and rise from the dead, but Jesus Christ has done all this and more!  As those dead believers were raised to life, so the Jews would inhabit Jerusalem again, and one day Jesus will return and rule the nations.  Jesus has made a new covenant in His own blood that Jew and Gentile can have peace with God by receiving Jesus by grace through faith.  How awesome is our God who does the impossible, who speaks of what will be when it never could be.  It is encouraging to know even if we feel dry, without hope or cut off, in God there is assurance of new, abundant life by faith in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns forever. 

Bread of the Presence

My Bible reading in the evenings these days has been in the Legacy Standard Bible, a relatively new translation that seeks to "preserve the American Standard Version while incorporating recent discoveries of Hebrew and Greek textual sources and rendering it into more current English."  The biggest difference from other versions I am familiar with is the heavy use of "Yahweh" in translating the Tetragrammaton rather than "LORD God."  Yesterday I came across another distinction, as the showbread in Exodus 39:36 was called, "the bread of the Presence."  This refers to the 12 large loaves of holy and consecrated bread that were placed on the table of showbread on every Sabbath and were to be eaten by the priests in the holy place.

The table of showbread was one of three articles in the holy place in the tabernacle along with the altar of incense and the lampstand (Menorah).  As I thought about all these articles, each one required maintenance:  the lamps were filled with oil, the wicks trimmed and lit to provide light continually.  Exodus 30:7-8 says of the altar of incense, "Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. ⁸ And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations."  Concerning the showbread baked with fine flour we read in Leviticus 24:6-8:  "You shall set them in two rows, six in a row, on the pure gold table before the LORD. ⁷ And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, an offering made by fire to the LORD. ⁸ Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant."  Incense was burned when the lamps were tended and the bread was eaten by the priests--light to see, incense to smell and bread to eat--an interactive feast of the senses physically and spiritually.

It was forbidden for the children of Israel to copy the formula of the anointing oil or the incense used in the worship of God in the tabernacle.  From what I have read, I do not see a similar prohibition for the "bread of the Presence" which was displayed on the table for a memorial.  Bread was a staple food for the Hebrews, and bread was likely part of every meal.  Unlike everything else in the holy place, the bread of the presence was meant for eating by priests while oil and incense was consumed by fire.  While the bread people baked was not anointed or placed on the table of showbread, the bread people made in their houses and ate was special because of the significance in the tabernacle and the bread's connection to the presence of God.  It is fitting Jesus did not remain in the heavens or abide only in the temple, but He came to common people and revealed Himself as the Bread of Life.  It was amazing God dwelt in the midst of His people, and then to present Himself as Jesus Christ went even further, for He promised whoever believed in Him would receive eternal life enjoyed in His presence.

During the Passover feast, Jesus instituted Communion with His disciples by eating bread that symbolised His body broken for them and drank wine that represented His blood shed for them.  Christians in the church today proclaim our LORD's death until He comes by eating the bread and drinking of the cup together, and this physical act of obedience is a declaration of God's presence within us by the Holy Spirit--having received Jesus by faith and been born again.  Eating the broken bread is a reminder of the price Jesus paid to atone for our sins through His death and shows we have spiritually received Him.  Calling the showbread the "bread of the Presence" is a worthy title as it alludes to the presence of God who was with His people in the tabernacle and temple, and it also foreshadows the Bread of Life Jesus whose presence indwells us as the temple of the Holy Spirit.  How close we can be to God because His presence has drawn near to us!

Convinced by the Lord Jesus

"I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean."

Romans 14:14

This revelation God gave Paul cut deep against the grain of his upbringing, traditions and perspective.  As a man raised in Judaism who was a devout student of Gamaliel and in time became a Pharisee, there were many things deemed unclean in the law of Moses.  Paul could prove what was clean and unclean in black and white.  Yet after being born again by faith in Jesus, over many years Paul knew and was convinced by the Lord Jesus there is nothing unclean of itself.  I imagine this teaching directly confronted Paul's long held beliefs, judgments and outlook--and perhaps ours as well.

I have observed in myself and in others a tendency to assume many things are unclean in itself.  For instance, I have spoken to people who rail against materialism as a great evil to the point they feel guilty for having things.  They view having to pay a mortgage for their house or attending a purpose-built church as an indictment against their own good character.  This reminds me of the Gnostics who believed the material world was inherently evil while all that is spiritual is good and divine.  This is contrary to the revelation of Scripture, for God is the source of all goodness; only He is righteous, holy and eternally so.

In the forgoing passage in Romans 14, Paul wrote of people who only ate vegetables and others who ate anything.  He spoke of those who observed a holy day whilst to others it was just another day.  Paul explained to believers they could follow their own convictions with thanksgiving to God on what foods to eat or holy days to observe without condemning those who did otherwise--as if it was evil in itself to eat meat or to celebrate the New Year.  One can enjoy food without gluttony and can drink without becoming intoxicated.  Celebrations and gatherings need not be marked with hedonistic pursuits, sexual promiscuity or violence.  I grew up in an era where people frowned upon "playing cards," dancing and drinking alcohol as activities that were likely sinful in themselves or toed the line of sin--perhaps because of their history with those activities and desire not to embolden others to be drawn into what they were convinced was sin for them.

Paul knew and was convinced by Jesus nothing is unclean of itself, but he also was convinced that if someone views anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.  This is also something believers ought to take to heart, especially when we have been given to legalism.  We assume a legalistic posture when we force or compel other to adopt our personal convictions under the guise of spiritual maturity and to truly please God.  As followers of Christ, our choices are to be governed by the love of God and love for one another.  Rather than judging and condemning others over their exercise of liberty that differs from ours, we are to be united in Christ's kingdom that is marked by righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  Romans 14:19 is not a description of a Christian walking on eggshells but one who lives by faith and obedience to Jesus:  "Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another."

Members of One Another

"And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains to one another with the clasps, that it might be one tabernacle."

Exodus 36:13

The Bible contains many lists of people in genealogies, offerings brought by leaders of tribes, and items made for the service of the LORD in the tabernacle.  It may be tempting to skip or gloss over such passages, but God can still speak volumes by verses that seem obscure or mundane.

When I read about the offerings people brought daily for the tabernacle, it struck me how God employed a combination of materials He created that were freely offered by His people to build it.  God created gold, silver, trees, every variety of precious stones, olive oil, goats with hair and rams with wool, as well as naturally occurring dyes.  God's people brought these articles which were skillfully weaved, cut, carved, beaten and shaped into the desired size and shape to fit together.  Fibres of wool were twisted into yarn, and the yarn was dyed and weaved into curtains.  Golden clasps were tied to the curtains to connect them all together and make one single unit--massive curtains all connected by gold clasps to be one tabernacle where the presence of God dwelt.

It was important when making the curtains that each of the 50 loops of blue on one curtain lined up with the 50 loops on the next curtain so 50 clasps of gold could join them together as one.  If one loop of blue or golden clasp was missing, it was not a complete tabernacle; it was unfit for service because it did not meet God's standard in His Law.  Think of all the goat hair, wool of rams and lumber from trees needed to make the curtains and provide the structure to support them!  Consider all the people who worked together to join yarn, threads and boards together to make a massive tent in the wilderness that could endure windy days, hot sun and flash floods.  At God's direction it was all disassembled, carried where God led them, and reassembled again.  The earth is God's footstool made for mankind to dwell in, and God allowed mankind to construct a place where He would dwell among them.

In thinking of the elaborate structure of the tabernacle and later the temple in Jerusalem, I was reminded that Christians are now the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.  We are all members of the Body of Christ (the Church) and Jesus is our Head.  As the tabernacle was comprised of many threads, boards, loops, clasps and sockets, so the church is made of many members who are part of one body.  The New Testament teaches us Christians are members with one another, having the same Spirit and mind of Jesus.  Ephesians 4:25 & 32 explains our identity ought to lead to living in unity:  "Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another...³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you."  If a loop was torn or a golden clasp missing, the right thing to do was to set about repairing it.  Should there be a schism in the church among brethren due to lying or lack of love, we ought to do our part to work toward restoration.  In Christ we are members of one another, after all.

General or Personal Application?

I recently led an Inductive Bible Study course at church aimed to help reading and Bible study to be more fruitful.  A similar course I took many years ago had a profound impact to help me develop the skill of careful observation, more accurate interpretation and personal application of God's word.  Familiarity with the Bible can cause us to skim or gloss over critical information, to fall back on what we already know as if it is all there is to know, and never take definite action in light of one specific thing God has said.

When I put together an itinerary for board meetings at church, each director has a slot to report on notable things that have occurred since our last meeting.  Before we launch into "New Business," we read through "Unfinished Business," and these are projects which have yet to be completed.  Once I was a board member of an organisation that always put "Unfinished Business" at the end.  These important tasks and projects were rarely mentioned and not completed because they were afterthoughts when time was running out rather than a priority given prime time.  Our "Unfinished Business" was never finished because there was never discussion or specific actions delegated to directors.  At the conclusion of our board meetings at church, we always review "Actions to be Taken" so every director is reminded of their responsibilities and will be held accountable to report on them the following meeting.

One of the points of emphasis of the recent Inductive Bible Study was our need as Christians to intentionally put into practice what God has said.  Our tendency when it comes to personal application of God's word is to keep it general, and this requires no action at all.  When Jesus was asked by a lawyer who sought to justify himself, "Who is my neighbour?" Jesus responded by telling the story of the Good Samaritan.  In the tale the Pharisee and Levite ignored the plight of the wounded man who was beaten and robbed on the road to Jericho, but a Samaritan was moved with compassion to help him.  Jesus asked the lawyer in Luke 10:36-37:  "So which of these three do you think was neighbour to him who fell among the thieves?" ³⁷ And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."  Rather than setting limits on who should be considered a neighbour, Jesus taught the lawyer and all who read His word to be neighbourly:  to go out of our way to be merciful to others.

There is a difference between applying this passage generally and personally.  Some might be content to say, "A Christian ought to help people who are hurting" or "We should be willing to give sacrificially for the good of others like the Good Samaritan."  These points of application are not personal at all.  To make it personal, we need to include an "I" in our answer and put it in the "Unfinished Business" section of our pressing agenda.  Our takeaway could be something like, "I need to show mercy on so-and-so, and I've failed to do that.  I've been like the Pharisee or Levite, dismissive of his/her feelings or needs.  Now is the time to make a call and apologise for being callous and careless."  When the word of God is applied personally in our lives, it is always a call to action:  is God telling me of a sin I need to avoid or a command I need to obey?  Are there promises to believe or examples to follow I have ignored?  What should I do in light of what God is saying?

When we begin to make our decisions and live according to God's word, faith expressed by humble obedience to all God has said, God's word will become exponentially fruitful in our lives.  The Bible will go from words on a page or knowledge in our heads to being most practical and useful, working by the renewing of our minds to transform aloof Pharisees into godly people who repent and freely give mercy.

Stirred With Wisdom

As a little kid at church, I remember hearing a lot of adults express a desire to preach in front of the congregation.  During the "Jesus People Movement" in southern California (I didn't know was a thing at the time), it was common for people to be saved and in some cases relatively quickly move into serving in pastoral ministry because of the volume of people coming to faith in Jesus.  For years I observed men regularly attend church for a season and become involved in serving, but when it seemed there were no openings or opportunities to be a pastor, they moved on.  I do not judge or condemn anyone for doing their best to follow God's leading.  People came and went, and I continued to encounter the perspective that to be most useful and profitable in a church, being a "full-time" pastor was the prime position.  Perhaps this calling would provide validation and respect people craved.  If that's what they hoped for, I suggest they would have been disappointed when the call of every Christian is to be servant of all.

In His great wisdom, God has joined Christians together as a church where He is the Head of the body.  Those who imagine the pastor is the head of a church have a very inaccurate, unbiblical view of leadership.  As God has designed our bodies to be comprised of many parts connected and coordinated to work together for the glory of God, to promote health and to help others, so He has divinely placed His church in the world.  In addition to there being different callings in the church--like missionaries, prophets, pastors and teachers--God also grants people a variety of spiritual gifts according to His will.  Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. ⁶ And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all."  Many people have desired to be God's mouthpiece from a pulpit, yet no one needs to be a pastor to study, speak and walk in obedience to God's word.  The way we conduct our lives among others can be a better witness for Jesus Christ than sermons preached in a church building some will never sit and listen to.

One thing that struck me as I read Exodus 35-36 is how God does not restrict wisdom to pastors or teachers.  When God instructed Moses how to build the tabernacle, God also called and filled people with wisdom to do tasks and work we may not ever connect to Christian ministry.  After God stirred the hearts of people to bring materials for the building of the temple, weaving of fabrics and constructing the articles of gold and silver, He gave men and women wisdom to do physical work--things we may not imagine we need wisdom from God to do well.  Exodus 35:26 says, "And all the women whose heart stirred with wisdom spun the goats' hair."  God empowered men like Bezalel and Oholiab as Moses wrote in Exodus 35:35:  "He has filled them with wisdom in their heart to do every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as those who do every work and make designs."  Wisdom and ability was not only granted by God to the leaders but the workers as Exodus 36:4 says:  "And all the wise men who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which he was doing." (LSB)

Because Christ is the Head of the church and has become Wisdom for us, we can bring God glory and be spiritually fruitful regardless of our current role, gifting or service.  One work we see others moved to do in the same passage was that of giving, for when enough had been supplied, Moses said in Exodus 36:6, "Let no man or woman any longer do the work for the contributions of the sanctuary."  By the command of God, people were restrained from giving towards the building project because their inclination was to give daily.  My eyes were opened to the marvellous design and intricate function of our physical bodies before the LORD opened my understanding to perceive His wondrous design of the church where people--who were once not a people--are now His people, united by one Spirit, adopted into God's family, made citizens of heaven who fellowship and serve together, guided by His love and grace.  Dear church, may we walk in wisdom as we are coordinated with Jesus our Head, being led by the Holy Spirit as we serve faithfully.

Nehushtan

Shortly after the death of Aaron the high priest, the Hebrews were discouraged as they took the long way around the land of Edom rather than passing through.  They spoke against God, Moses and said they loathed the food God provided daily.  Moses said God sent venomous snakes among the people that bit them, and as a result many people died.  Finally the people came to Moses and admitted their sin in the matter, and asked for Moses to pray God remove the snakes from them.  God gave a curious answer to Moses' prayer in Numbers 21:8-9:  "Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." ⁹ So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived."

The people asked the snakes be taken away, yet God directed people to look upon the bronze serpent crafted by Moses to be miraculously healed and survive.  The prohibitions in the Law of Moses that forbade the crafting of images was to avoid idolatry as they were inclined to be driven to worship the works of their hands--as well as the sun, moon and stars.  Deuteronomy 4:15-40 went into great detail about how God had appeared to His people in a flame of fire, and without taking a physical form He spoke to them from Mt. Sinai.  Nothing God created was like Him, and thus there was no physical representation made by man's hands worthy to represent Him.  There is not another word concerning the bronze serpent Moses made until we read of king Hezekiah's reforms in 2 Kings 18:4:  "He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan."  Nehushtan literally means, "thing of brass."  The crude image made by Moses that was likely kept as a memorial of God's salvation was later idolised by later generations.  Hezekiah did well to break it to pieces to splinter bonds of idolatry with the revered object.

Since people are as prone to idolatry as ever, it is important we guard our hearts against idolising objects or people God used in the past.  The bronze serpent that should have pointed to God and His great salvation over time was disconnected from God and became one of many gods that could not heal, help or save.  Amazingly, the bronze serpent incident which should have reminded God's people of His salvation in the past was employed by Jesus Christ to speak of future salvation He would bring by being lifted up on a cross in death.  Jesus said in John 3:14-16, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  The focus of the story wasn't Moses or the bronze serpent but God who calls, saves and sent His only begotten Son Jesus.  Having been bitten by a venomous snake required faith to look at a bronze serpent for healing, and all who look to Jesus Christ in faith receive a much greater gift in eternal salvation by the Gospel.

I read an article recently with a son's remark how his father "wore a cross" every day to express his faith in God, and this was put forth as evidence of salvation.  This statement shows how it is possible to focus on a symbol rather than the Saviour who is Christ.  A cross can be made out of wood, silver or gold, but it is just as powerless as Nehushtan to save anyone.  The shape of the cross was not as important as the Messiah lifted up and crucified upon it who is risen from the dead and lives in eternal glory.  Had bits of the cross or nails been preserved, undoubtedly there would be those driven to worship them.  But what are pieces of dead wood or corroded nails compared to the living Son of God who fills us with His Spirit and will return in due time?  As God's redeemed people, let us refuse to exchange the Truth of God for a lie and worship a Nehushtan rather than our Creator we love and serve.

One Accord, Mind and Spirit

During my Christian walk and time in ministry, I can recall a handful of occasions where times of corporate worship were disrupted by people doing their own thing.  I remember when there was a decorated Christmas tree in the back of the church and a mother removed a functional bell ornament from the tree and handed it to her fussy child who rang it for the remainder of the worship set.  On another occasion, ribbons were handed to children in the back of the church who ran around with them as an impromptu activity.  In both of these instances, there had been no discussion with the worship team who was leading the congregation and practiced and prepared for the occasion.  Though the bell or ribbons were not loud in volume, the disunity revealed by those activities was louder to me than a clanging cymbal.

The first problem that came to mind was the message sent by giving bells and ribbons to children.  It immediately puts the emphasis on the item given and what the child was going to do with it.  If you have had children and allowed an elaborate bedtime ritual to develop, it makes the parents subject to items to gather and supply, activities done in a particular order, and multiple boxes to tick for a child to begin to go to sleep.  I shudder to apply this approach to worshipping God, that if we do not have our preferred bell, pretty ribbon or instrument we cannot humble ourselves before God to worship Him in unity with our fellow Christians.  If our singing in adoration of God hinges upon our ability to express ourselves in a way that is uncoordinated and out of step with the worship team God has raised up to lead, we might as well be praising ourselves.

Before the Holy Spirit came upon the believers in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, they were described as being of "one accord in one place."  They were of one mind and one heart, united in obedience to God as they all sat together--conditions prepared to receive and operate led by the Holy Spirit.  Paul gently rebuked the church in Corinth for their penchant for self-promotion and competition rather than edification in 1 Corinthians 14:26:  "How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification."  Rather than preparing to lead worship, preach or attend church as our opportunity to shine, our faces ought to humbly look to Jesus to ascribe to Him all honour, preeminence and glory.  It is the love of God and one another that leads us to submit to one another in love, even as Jesus submitted to the Father.

In a passage outlining the proper use of spiritual gifts, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:40:  "Let all things be done decently and in order."  When Apollos taught boldly in the synagogue, knowing only the baptism of John, Aquila and Pricilla spoke to him later and explained the way of God more perfectly (Acts 18:26).  It was not appropriate to disrupt the order of service, yet it was entirely appropriate Apollos be graciously instructed of what he was ignorant, and Aquila and Pricilla showed humility in the way they discussed the matter privately and without disruption to the gathering.  The same is true concerning times of corporate worship, prayer, preaching and fellowship at church gatherings.  We who are filled with the Holy Spirit ought to love God and one another, submitting to one another, giving grace to one another of one accord--not doing our own thing.