I heard a preacher say something that had me thinking. Likely recorded some time in the '60s or '70s, he referred to what he called "textualism." He defined this as people magnifying biblical text to such high degree that the God who wrote the text is forgotten. Instead of shedding light into our hearts and minds, the Bible can be used to obscure with blindness. The Bible becomes a god in the place of God. The preacher warned, "The Bible was given for a reason...instead of leading us to God, the Bible can become a substitute for God. The Bible should lead us to meet God and Jesus Christ in a clear, sharp encounter that burns itself upon our hearts forever!" Knowledge is a god many run after, and the church is not without this breed.
To people outside the church, the Bible is a book full of hard-to-pronounce names and places, is littered with genealogies, has an occasional interesting story, and offers moral advice. Those who have such a view of the Bible have likely not read it much, and certainly are in no danger of making the Bible an idol! Rote memorization of passages, names, and trivia is not supposed to be the end: the Bible is a window that allows us to see God for who He is and what He has done. It is an amplifier of His voice as He speaks to us through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is a God-breathed masterpiece which reveals God to man in language he can understand. It would be silly to be enamored with a card but not the one who sent it. Loving the gift more than the Giver is nothing new, neither is worshiping creation rather than the Creator. That doesn't mean we should perpetuate this error in our lives.
Consider your motivation: why do you read the Bible? Because you have to? Because you want to find evidence that backs your beliefs? To improve your life or help you through personal struggles? So you can win arguments and discuss difficult theological questions? What are you seeking? What is your personal benefit or gain to this point? The Bible is intended to shine the light of God's truth upon a world filled with darkness and death. In it we learn who God is, what He is like, what He has done, does, and what He will do. It is filled with types and anti-types, examples good and bad, promises, curses, laws, praise, prophecy, and the wisdom of God. It is not a book of stories or tales: it is a reality our consciences agree with and proofs no historical evidence, scientific research, or skeptic can deny. Truth can bear examination, and no book has been more scrutinized than the Bible. Every day only adds to its impeccable credibility.
When you open the Word of God, seek to meet with the Author Himself. He wrote it to reveal His nature, character, love, and righteousness to all people. In construction, cooking, or many other tasks, it is best to use the "right tool" for the job. People think that reading the Bible will improve their lives. That is only a bi-product. The Bible glorifies God and reveals Him to man. May we never lose sight of that.
24 March 2010
23 March 2010
Our Glorious God
When was the last time you were awed by the glory of God? I firmly believe our view of God is pathetic in light of reality. Our modern-day approach to God is often as flippant as when we turn on the TV or make our morning coffee. "Routine" would be a blunt way to put it. We have sterilized Jesus into a soft-spoken nice guy who always walked around in a white robe with a blue drape over His shoulder. His fire, passion, and glory have been reduced and simplified into something we think we understand very well.
After the children of Israel were delivered with a mighty hand from bondage in Egypt, they experienced the glory of God from afar. God commanded that all the people be sanctified and wash their clothes. On the third day, He descended upon Mt. Sinai. Exodus 19:16-18 reads, "Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. [17] And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. [18] Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly." This was the mighty God who had just visited fierce plagues upon the Egyptians and slaughtered their army in the Red Sea. Now He descends in fire upon the mountain with the sound of a trumpet blaring louder and louder! The people in the camp trembled before God. This is not a god who can be manipulated or controlled by man or any created thing. He must not be taken lightly.
We are content to have "unglorious" gods. We're happy for our god to "be a friend next to us" or something tangible we can enjoy. And even when our God is the great I AM, we see Him not as He is, but in a way we are comfortable with. We have a "love" filter, a "mercy" filter, a "grace" filter, and maybe even a "just" filter. But we often don't see God how the Israelites experienced Him on Sinai. This is not a rant aimed at making you feel bad about how you perceive God to be. I believe God is more glorious than we give Him credit for. I believe God is greater than our minds can grasp, more glorious than we can comprehend. If you think God can be described by words, it is a god which can be confined to words on a page or an idea in your head. No, my friends. When Moses asked God, "Show me your glory" God told him no man could see His face and live. Staring at the sun for a prolonged period of time can ruin your eyes: to catch a glimpse of the glory of God for a nanosecond would kill us dead. That's glory!
Another notable instance of God's glory is found in 2 Chron. 5:11-14 when King Solomon dedicated the temple. "And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without keeping to their divisions), [12] and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets-- [13] indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: "For He is good, for His mercy endures forever," that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, [14] so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God." I love this passage because it parallels the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. As these sanctified priests were praising God as one, the house of the LORD was filled with a cloud "so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God."
These men were so overcome with the glory of God they had to get out of there! It was overwhelming to be in the presence of one so holy, righteous, and powerful. We should never allow ourselves to be casual about God. This is the God who in His wisdom saw fit to place His glory IN Christians! 2 Cor. 4:5-10 says, "For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. [6] For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [7] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. [8] We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; [9] persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed-- [10] always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." Unless we see God as glorious like the Israelites who trembled or the priests who praised, God's glory will be shrouded by our common flesh. Though we have been given the Holy Spirit without measure, we tend to measure out our service to God. We tell Him what we will do, and we tell Him what we will not do. Oh brothers and sisters, this ought not to be! The earthen vessel must be sanctified before it can be used, and it must be broken for the light of His glory to shine.
I would say "take a moment" and consider how great and glorious our God must be, but it would be better to spend our lives in such pursuit. We have the privilege of not only serving God, but knowing Him. May God reveal Himself to us so our faces might shine with divine radiance as Moses! Moses had to cover his face with a veil because of the time spent with God as a man speaks to a friend. Jesus calls us friends, but let us not rob Him of glory by making Him our peer. He is our God, Savior, and LORD. It would do us well to tremble before Him!
After the children of Israel were delivered with a mighty hand from bondage in Egypt, they experienced the glory of God from afar. God commanded that all the people be sanctified and wash their clothes. On the third day, He descended upon Mt. Sinai. Exodus 19:16-18 reads, "Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. [17] And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. [18] Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly." This was the mighty God who had just visited fierce plagues upon the Egyptians and slaughtered their army in the Red Sea. Now He descends in fire upon the mountain with the sound of a trumpet blaring louder and louder! The people in the camp trembled before God. This is not a god who can be manipulated or controlled by man or any created thing. He must not be taken lightly.
We are content to have "unglorious" gods. We're happy for our god to "be a friend next to us" or something tangible we can enjoy. And even when our God is the great I AM, we see Him not as He is, but in a way we are comfortable with. We have a "love" filter, a "mercy" filter, a "grace" filter, and maybe even a "just" filter. But we often don't see God how the Israelites experienced Him on Sinai. This is not a rant aimed at making you feel bad about how you perceive God to be. I believe God is more glorious than we give Him credit for. I believe God is greater than our minds can grasp, more glorious than we can comprehend. If you think God can be described by words, it is a god which can be confined to words on a page or an idea in your head. No, my friends. When Moses asked God, "Show me your glory" God told him no man could see His face and live. Staring at the sun for a prolonged period of time can ruin your eyes: to catch a glimpse of the glory of God for a nanosecond would kill us dead. That's glory!
Another notable instance of God's glory is found in 2 Chron. 5:11-14 when King Solomon dedicated the temple. "And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without keeping to their divisions), [12] and the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east end of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments and harps, and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets-- [13] indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying: "For He is good, for His mercy endures forever," that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, [14] so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God." I love this passage because it parallels the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. As these sanctified priests were praising God as one, the house of the LORD was filled with a cloud "so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God."
These men were so overcome with the glory of God they had to get out of there! It was overwhelming to be in the presence of one so holy, righteous, and powerful. We should never allow ourselves to be casual about God. This is the God who in His wisdom saw fit to place His glory IN Christians! 2 Cor. 4:5-10 says, "For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. [6] For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [7] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. [8] We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; [9] persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed-- [10] always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." Unless we see God as glorious like the Israelites who trembled or the priests who praised, God's glory will be shrouded by our common flesh. Though we have been given the Holy Spirit without measure, we tend to measure out our service to God. We tell Him what we will do, and we tell Him what we will not do. Oh brothers and sisters, this ought not to be! The earthen vessel must be sanctified before it can be used, and it must be broken for the light of His glory to shine.
I would say "take a moment" and consider how great and glorious our God must be, but it would be better to spend our lives in such pursuit. We have the privilege of not only serving God, but knowing Him. May God reveal Himself to us so our faces might shine with divine radiance as Moses! Moses had to cover his face with a veil because of the time spent with God as a man speaks to a friend. Jesus calls us friends, but let us not rob Him of glory by making Him our peer. He is our God, Savior, and LORD. It would do us well to tremble before Him!
21 March 2010
God Establishes
"This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. [29] Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; [30] but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land. [31] So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe. [32] And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass."
Genesis 41:28-32
Joseph was pulled from an Egyptian prison and was made to stand before Pharaoh, ruler of Egypt, and interpret two dreams Pharaoh had during the night. Joseph was filled with wisdom from God and was able to discern not only the meaning of the dreams, but how to prepare for the seven years of plenty and the seven years of famine. He told Pharaoh the reason the dream was repeated: "...the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass." Whatever God speaks will happen as He has said. Think about that! When we make a claim or promise, we remain dependent on our health, mood, schedule, other people, transportation, and countless other things to fulfill our word. I received a text the other day from a friend who was scheduling a football game to be played on March 20th. A couple days before the date I received another text which stated the game was canceled because of schedule conflicts. When God schedules something, it will happen. Nothing has the power to override God's Word or the schedule He has ordained. To us there may appear to be twists and turns, surprises, and unforeseen difficulties in our lives. That's not how God sees them. They are part of His ultimate design.
Consider how the knowledge of God's establishing power, wisdom, and strength builds our faith in Him. If God has told you something, He will surely bring it to pass. He ordained David to be king of Israel and directed Samuel to anoint him when he still worked as a lad in the sheepfold. During the ten years David was an outcast and fled for his life from the face of Saul, it may have seemed like God had forgotten. God had not forgotten. God also chose Solomon, King David's son, to build for Him a house where He would place His name forever. Even though Solomon had older brothers, it was he who eventually became king of Israel. David gathered materials in abundance and directed Solomon how the temple should be built.
The other night our family was reading about the construction of the temple and came upon 2 Chron. 3:17: "Then he set up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand and the other on the left; he called the name of the one on the right hand Jachin, and the name of the one on the left Boaz." These names of these two large pillars were significant: Jachin means "He establishes" and Boaz means "in Him is strength." God established Jesus Christ as the Messiah and Savior of all who will repent and trust in Him. All who hear His Words and do them Jesus likens to the man who builds his house on a firm foundation of rock. Matthew 7:25 says, "...and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock." Those who establish their lives upon Jesus Christ will never taste death, for He is the resurrection and the life.
Because born-again Christians are the temple of the Holy Spirit, consider the spiritual application: God has established every believer, and in Him we find strength. Our current life and eternal future is established upon the firm promises of God. When Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to myself so where I am you may be also" we know what He has promised He is able to perform. The calling and gifts God has placed upon our lives are as certain as His unfailing word. No weapon fashioned against us will prosper, for God has spoken. It may appear sometimes that Satan's grip is strengthening and God's people wax weaker, but God will not be overcome by evil. When we are weak, He is strong. The temple Solomon built was razed to the ground and plundered, and sometimes the devil is permitted to steal, kill, and destroy. As Abraham looked to a heavenly city not made by the hands of men but by God, so we look for God to redeem and establish us by His holy hands.
What God has said, He will do. Jesus says in Rev. 3:12, "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name." Never doubt what He has spoken to you either in the scriptures or in the prayer closet. When God gave Joseph two corresponding dreams of everyone bowing before him, I'm sure there were days in prison it seemed impossible. But God is always faithful to His word, and Joseph stayed faithful to God and reaped the abundant fruit of faith. Let's determine to follow his example.
19 March 2010
Free Grace
The cheapening of God's grace is not a new phenomenon. Just because God's grace is freely given does not mean it is cheap. The display of Christ's love on the cross cost Him His life, and carrying our cross will always come at a cost. If your Christianity has been obtained without cost, it is worthless. Many people every year buy tickets to sporting events from scalpers that are fake. Thousands of real dollars are spent on fake tickets that seem like the real thing. But when the tickets are scanned at the turnstile, the tickets are proved worthless. They came at a monetary cost but were not genuine. Many people believe they have obtained salvation and entrance into heaven, but it will not be until their end when the truth is revealed.
The Pharisees spent their entire lives working to fulfill the law through keeping it as best they could. Every aspect of daily living was carefully examined. Years were spent reading and memorizing the Torah. Everything revolved around public prayer, worship, sacrifice, and righteous outward conduct. Jesus says in John 5:39: "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me." In all of their labors the Pharisees remained filled with spiritual pride, confident that by their good deeds they would be accepted by God. They were wrong, and Jesus told them so. The scriptures point to Christ as Messiah and Savior. Because all have sinned, a sinless One would be sacrificed so those who repent and trust in Him would be saved.
Look at the men and women of scripture. David would not offer the LORD as a sacrifice what cost him nothing. Paul was physically and verbally assaulted many times by both Jew and Gentile, having lost the respect and honor his former role as a Pharisee commanded. Stephen was stoned to death, and James was beheaded. "Ah, but we need not suffer like that any more," some say. "We live in a day of tolerance and acceptance." Perhaps that is your view, but tell that to the Christians who suffer imprisonment, torture, and death in North Korea, China, Vietnam, and practically every Muslim country. There are many ways to suffer that do not include beheadings and imprisonment. People are vilified in America as well as in every "free" country in this world when they speak with the authority of Jesus Christ, because they will oppose the wickedness of this age. Careers are cut short, promotions are withheld, legal action is taken, homes and business vandalized, and many have suffered the rejection of friends and family.
So what is our payment for this grace freely given from God? Our lives. We will be led by God in faith to do things that are not comfortable to our flesh, because we are to deny ourselves daily and follow Christ. In 2 Cor. 11:23-28, Paul describes sacrifice and trials which remain common to the true Christian experience: "...in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; [27] in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness-- [28] besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches." Paul did not obtain grace because he endured these things. Because he endured these things that is strong evidence he freely received the grace of God.
One of my deepest concerns for the church today is people are deceived into believing they are born again but are not. They are comfortable with knowledge and blind to their own hypocrisy. They live vicariously through solid preaching, inspirational stories of missionaries and martyrs, cheer those who do sacrifice for God, but would never do it themselves. They sit on the sidelines when God has told them to get into the game. And when their days are done God will say to them, "Depart from me, I never knew you!" Many have turned the grace of God into lasciviousness and an excuse to do nothing. The Pharisees were concerned about outer appearances, but God looks at the heart. A repentant thief and murderer being strapped into an electric chair is closer to the Kingdom of God than most people who wake up early, dress in fine clothes, grab their heavily-marked Bibles, and go to church on Sunday.
At what cost have you received the grace of God? It is freely given, but to be received comes at a price. If it is genuine it has been costly. If it is costly it will be precious to you. You would never trade it for anything! All the sacrifice in the world is simply the dust on the scale in comparison to the weighty, infinite grace of God. God's grace is free, but not without cost. Search me O God, and know my heart. See if there be anything at all that will keep me from hearing you, keep me from loving you, keep me from knowing you, keep me from obeying you, keep me from serving you, dear LORD.
The Pharisees spent their entire lives working to fulfill the law through keeping it as best they could. Every aspect of daily living was carefully examined. Years were spent reading and memorizing the Torah. Everything revolved around public prayer, worship, sacrifice, and righteous outward conduct. Jesus says in John 5:39: "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me." In all of their labors the Pharisees remained filled with spiritual pride, confident that by their good deeds they would be accepted by God. They were wrong, and Jesus told them so. The scriptures point to Christ as Messiah and Savior. Because all have sinned, a sinless One would be sacrificed so those who repent and trust in Him would be saved.
Look at the men and women of scripture. David would not offer the LORD as a sacrifice what cost him nothing. Paul was physically and verbally assaulted many times by both Jew and Gentile, having lost the respect and honor his former role as a Pharisee commanded. Stephen was stoned to death, and James was beheaded. "Ah, but we need not suffer like that any more," some say. "We live in a day of tolerance and acceptance." Perhaps that is your view, but tell that to the Christians who suffer imprisonment, torture, and death in North Korea, China, Vietnam, and practically every Muslim country. There are many ways to suffer that do not include beheadings and imprisonment. People are vilified in America as well as in every "free" country in this world when they speak with the authority of Jesus Christ, because they will oppose the wickedness of this age. Careers are cut short, promotions are withheld, legal action is taken, homes and business vandalized, and many have suffered the rejection of friends and family.
So what is our payment for this grace freely given from God? Our lives. We will be led by God in faith to do things that are not comfortable to our flesh, because we are to deny ourselves daily and follow Christ. In 2 Cor. 11:23-28, Paul describes sacrifice and trials which remain common to the true Christian experience: "...in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; [27] in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness-- [28] besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches." Paul did not obtain grace because he endured these things. Because he endured these things that is strong evidence he freely received the grace of God.
One of my deepest concerns for the church today is people are deceived into believing they are born again but are not. They are comfortable with knowledge and blind to their own hypocrisy. They live vicariously through solid preaching, inspirational stories of missionaries and martyrs, cheer those who do sacrifice for God, but would never do it themselves. They sit on the sidelines when God has told them to get into the game. And when their days are done God will say to them, "Depart from me, I never knew you!" Many have turned the grace of God into lasciviousness and an excuse to do nothing. The Pharisees were concerned about outer appearances, but God looks at the heart. A repentant thief and murderer being strapped into an electric chair is closer to the Kingdom of God than most people who wake up early, dress in fine clothes, grab their heavily-marked Bibles, and go to church on Sunday.
At what cost have you received the grace of God? It is freely given, but to be received comes at a price. If it is genuine it has been costly. If it is costly it will be precious to you. You would never trade it for anything! All the sacrifice in the world is simply the dust on the scale in comparison to the weighty, infinite grace of God. God's grace is free, but not without cost. Search me O God, and know my heart. See if there be anything at all that will keep me from hearing you, keep me from loving you, keep me from knowing you, keep me from obeying you, keep me from serving you, dear LORD.
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