After preparing messages for the weekend, I was absolutely overcome by the goodness and grace of God. The more I study the Word of God, the more I realise how living and powerful it is. Like the widow's supply of oil and meal in 1 Kings 17, it is an inexhaustible source of life-saving goodness. God's Word is so vivid and exciting. Unlike novels which are quickly consumed and forgotten, the words of scripture have a mind-transforming, life-rejuvenating effect. One would think that after 670 posts to this blog I would have little new to write about, but I feel like there is more fresh material available than ever. That's a wonderful thing about God: He makes all things new. The Word itself is unalterable, but He gives us fresh manna and perspective through it. Even the most well-traveled passages never lose their rich lustre.
The great irony is that when I consider what to post or how to preach from a text I feel I have nothing to offer. I cannot tell you how many times I have read a passage and had absolutely no clue what it meant or how it could apply to my life or others. Yet God is faithful. I rejoice to have a first-hand view of coming to the scripture with empty hands and an open heart and walking away full and satisfied, almost with a dazed euphoria from the spiritual meal graciously provided by God. When I approach scripture content with my current understanding I do not learn much. It is when I confess my lack then God richly supplies my needs and allows me to share with others.
The role of a pastor is not to stand before the people and simply share information he has gathered over years of study, or to share his own opinions concerning the meaning. Preaching is more far reaching than that: it is a child of God in faith holding forth what God declares for His people today. By His grace God uses the foolishness of preaching (and sometimes even the particular vessel He chooses to use!) to reveal His truth with power. When I printed out my message notes for this weekend, I must attribute all the good to the grace of God. I simply shake my head when I consider how empty I was and how richly God supplied me with His fullness. People who only read posts or listen to sermons don't see the whole picture. God uses even the process to accomplish His ends in and through His people.
Do not lean on your own understanding, nor rush to your notes or commentaries when it is the Holy Spirit who has been sent to teach you and lead you into all wisdom and understanding. Helps have their place, but they are no substitute for the Helper. Day by day gather up the fresh Manna as you commune with the Living Bread who has come down from heaven, died, and has been raised victorious and glorified. Let us not be content with the scraps that fall from the plates of others when God has a seat for you at His table!
08 February 2013
05 February 2013
God Redeems Evil for Good
"Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?
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But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
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Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them."
Genesis 50:19-21
Joseph is one of many awesome biblical examples of one who chose to place his faith in God. No one could say he had it easy. The preferential treatment he received from his father ostracised him from his ten older brothers. Their envy gave birth to fierce hatred. When Joseph went to check on his brothers at his father's command, they stripped him of his coat and sold him into a life of slavery. After catching the eye of his master's wife, Joseph ran from her sexual advances. He was then thrown into prison for attempted rape and assault! Life for Joseph was rough. But God was with him even in prison. Two years later not only was he released, but promoted by Pharaoh to second in command of all Egypt.
Many books and movies today revel and glory in "sweet revenge." "The Princess Bride," "Gladiator," "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "Law Abiding Citizen" come to mind. I have myself relished the moments when the good guy slowly plots his revenge on the one who has hurt him so deeply, robbing him of all he loved. The lives of the protagonists are utterly consumed in trying to pay people back who have done them wrong. Joseph had a perfect opportunity to do just that. He had gone from being a favoured son to being slave and a prisoner. Then the big day came when he was made a powerful prince with the authority of a king in his realm. When his brothers came before him begging to buy bread, he could have made them to suffer. Joseph had them completely under his control. He could have made them squirm and beg for mercy. The movies would have had Joseph gloating secretly as he plotted an intricate trap to painfully, slowly, kill each person who hurt him. But that couldn't be further from the truth!
The brothers of Joseph were afraid that he would snap his fingers and make them pay for their great sins with their lives. Under the guise of speaking for their late father they said, "Please forgive your brothers for the hurtful things they did to you." Joseph said in so many words, "God forbid! You did great evil to me but God meant it for good. You hated me and sought to hurt me, but God used it to save countless people." Verse 21 says, "Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them." Instead of using his position and authority for revenge, Joseph used it to bless, comfort, and provide for his brothers and even their children! This Christ-like love only comes from God. It is not of this world. What faith in God Joseph had, knowing that even in brutal circumstances God had plans to use them for good.
Many people cannot accept this word. There are also some who refuse to receive God's love and grace. It is only those who have placed their trust in God who can affirm the words of Romans 8:28 as unshakable truth: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Our God is a redeeming God. Notice that there is a condition attached to all things working together for good: it is for those who are God's. Christians need not flippantly throw around the phrase "Everything happens for a reason" when we can say "I KNOW God makes all things work together for good" even in the midst of a trial. We can see this proved true in both the life of Joseph and Jesus Christ among others. Evil men falsely accused Jesus and sent Him to the death of the cross out of envy. Being beaten, whipped, mocked, humiliated, and crucified was a very bad thing. Yet what they meant for evil God meant for God. Through the death of the perfect Lamb of God and His resurrection after three days God made a way for every sinner to be saved from death and given eternal life.
Jesus is our risen King. He speaks kind words of comfort to us, even to those who have sinned against Him: "Do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." It is His perfect love that casts out all fear. What an example these men of faith provide for us! Our so-called heroes and heroines in movies are often cast in the place of God, dishing out vengeance and judgment. It should not be so for us. Vengeance is the LORD's: He will repay. Let us thank our Saviour through freely forgiving even as we have been forgiven, offering comfort and kindness even in the face of evil. What Satan means for evil God means for good. We can comprehend this only through faith with our eyes focused upon our Redeemer!
04 February 2013
Prayers God Answers
I went to a prayer meeting this morning at church and it was most profitable. The more I pray, the more I realise that prayer might be one of the things I have often misunderstood about the Christian walk. As I read prayers recorded in scripture, I recognise there can be a great divide between what I read and how I actually pray. This goads me to break out of the prayer culture which promotes the eloquence of speaking over the simple elegance of listening, heart and mind tuned to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. It is far easier to pray according to the suggestions of man than the promptings of our heavenly Father. It should not be pity for others that drives us to pray, but a fervent desire for God to be glorified and praised.
Measure your prayers against Paul's prayer recorded in Colossians 1:9-12: "For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light." Instead of focusing on transient circumstances in the lives of people (which Paul no doubt prayed!), his focus was more on the condition of the heart and mind. I cannot stress this enough. I suggest a massive majority of our intercessions to God on behalf of others or ourselves goes no deeper than a plea for God to change or alleviate circumstances He has seen fit to allow. Our prayers would be better suited, therefore, to pray more upon the lines of Paul: that in our circumstances we would be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom, walking worthy of the LORD, being fruitful in every good work, being strengthened with all might with joy and patience, giving thanks to the Father.
If we can lay hold of this truth and put it into practice in our prayers, we should not be surprised that God will answer! We are called to be watchful in prayer, not talkative. Instead of being distracted with the circumstances, let us seek God circumspectly. Let us commune with God and intercede on behalf of others even as Paul prayed for the church in Colosse: not that God would necessarily change the circumstances faced by others, but that they would be transformed for His glory in the midst of them. It is through this we are proved overcomers through Christ! When we pray according to God's will He hears us and will answer. God's Word clearly outlines His will for every person, and Colossians 1:9-12 is one prayer among many that lays out God's will for all of us we should pray confidently!
1 John 5:14-15 reads, "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him." Praise God that in Christ through the Holy Spirit we have access to the Father to find help in time of need!
Measure your prayers against Paul's prayer recorded in Colossians 1:9-12: "For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light." Instead of focusing on transient circumstances in the lives of people (which Paul no doubt prayed!), his focus was more on the condition of the heart and mind. I cannot stress this enough. I suggest a massive majority of our intercessions to God on behalf of others or ourselves goes no deeper than a plea for God to change or alleviate circumstances He has seen fit to allow. Our prayers would be better suited, therefore, to pray more upon the lines of Paul: that in our circumstances we would be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom, walking worthy of the LORD, being fruitful in every good work, being strengthened with all might with joy and patience, giving thanks to the Father.
If we can lay hold of this truth and put it into practice in our prayers, we should not be surprised that God will answer! We are called to be watchful in prayer, not talkative. Instead of being distracted with the circumstances, let us seek God circumspectly. Let us commune with God and intercede on behalf of others even as Paul prayed for the church in Colosse: not that God would necessarily change the circumstances faced by others, but that they would be transformed for His glory in the midst of them. It is through this we are proved overcomers through Christ! When we pray according to God's will He hears us and will answer. God's Word clearly outlines His will for every person, and Colossians 1:9-12 is one prayer among many that lays out God's will for all of us we should pray confidently!
1 John 5:14-15 reads, "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him." Praise God that in Christ through the Holy Spirit we have access to the Father to find help in time of need!
03 February 2013
Spiritual Salvation for All!
I had an epiphany last night when I read the account of Jesus eating the Lord's Supper with his disciples in Matthew 26:26: "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." I immediately hearkened back to the similarity when Jesus fed the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish. Matthew 14:19 reads, "Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes." In both instances, Jesus took the bread, blessed, broke, and gave it to the disciples. The main difference was when they were feeding the people the disciples were instructed to distribute it to others. The leftovers were more than enough to satisfy even the greatest hunger among them: 12 baskets full. In the upper room, however, Christ's disciples were told to eat the food given them by Christ themselves.
The main reason for this command reaches beyond the satisfaction of physical hunger. It becomes even more clear in the following verse that the bread and wine were representatives of Christ's own body which would be broken and blood that would be shed. Matthew 26:27-28 says, "Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." After Judas left to betray Jesus, the remaining disciples were loyal to Jesus Christ. They believed that He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God sent to seek and save the lost. Their faith allowed them to enter into a new covenant with Jesus Christ through His blood which would be shed for all sinners. This teaches us that we must receive of Christ personally before we can effectively share Him with others. Later that night Jesus would be arrested, and the following day He would be crucified. At that point, the Holy Spirit had not yet been given without measure to Christ's followers.
After Jesus was risen from the dead, He appeared to them in John 20:21-22: "So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit." Jesus is the Living Bread come down from heaven, so all who repent and partake of Him through faith will live forever! Much more important than the feeding of the body is the saving of the soul. Jesus then sent His disciples to deliver this message of salvation to all people, even as He commanded them to distribute the five loaves and two fish to the multitudes from His hand. But Jesus told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they were baptised with the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:7-8 states, "And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." They were to spread the Gospel not only to those seated in groups of fifties, but to all people in all places of the earth where He would send them.
What wisdom of God, that Jesus would give thanks as His body was broken and offered as a sacrifice for all sinners. More wonderful still is this message of salvation has been committed to those saved by Him, that we might distribute the Gospel and fragrance of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit throughout the world. No longer should we tarry, for the Holy Spirit has been given without measure. Who is sufficient for these things? 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 reads, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." Have you received? Have you tasted and seen that the LORD is good? He who has redeemed you has also made you sufficient to perform His will, for it is God who works in us both to will and do of His good pleasure. Share your life with others so they might receive and live!
The main reason for this command reaches beyond the satisfaction of physical hunger. It becomes even more clear in the following verse that the bread and wine were representatives of Christ's own body which would be broken and blood that would be shed. Matthew 26:27-28 says, "Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." After Judas left to betray Jesus, the remaining disciples were loyal to Jesus Christ. They believed that He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God sent to seek and save the lost. Their faith allowed them to enter into a new covenant with Jesus Christ through His blood which would be shed for all sinners. This teaches us that we must receive of Christ personally before we can effectively share Him with others. Later that night Jesus would be arrested, and the following day He would be crucified. At that point, the Holy Spirit had not yet been given without measure to Christ's followers.
After Jesus was risen from the dead, He appeared to them in John 20:21-22: "So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit." Jesus is the Living Bread come down from heaven, so all who repent and partake of Him through faith will live forever! Much more important than the feeding of the body is the saving of the soul. Jesus then sent His disciples to deliver this message of salvation to all people, even as He commanded them to distribute the five loaves and two fish to the multitudes from His hand. But Jesus told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they were baptised with the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:7-8 states, "And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." They were to spread the Gospel not only to those seated in groups of fifties, but to all people in all places of the earth where He would send them.
What wisdom of God, that Jesus would give thanks as His body was broken and offered as a sacrifice for all sinners. More wonderful still is this message of salvation has been committed to those saved by Him, that we might distribute the Gospel and fragrance of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit throughout the world. No longer should we tarry, for the Holy Spirit has been given without measure. Who is sufficient for these things? 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 reads, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." Have you received? Have you tasted and seen that the LORD is good? He who has redeemed you has also made you sufficient to perform His will, for it is God who works in us both to will and do of His good pleasure. Share your life with others so they might receive and live!
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