The Convenient Time

We live in an age of convenience which boasts indoor plumbing, electricity on demand, fast and affordable transportation, and technology which has made instant communication across the globe possible.  Should we find something inconvenient we seek to make to process faster, easier, and more time-efficient.  But there are some things, regardless of innovation or technological advancement, could never be aptly described as "convenient" in an easy or simple sense.  Powdered coffee may be convenient, but it is far from (as we would say in Australia) a proper coffee.

According to Webster's 1828 edition, the word "convenient" is defined as, "suitable; proper; adapted to use or to wants; commodious."  It is evident by reading this definition it is subjective term.  One person might believe powdered coffee is perfectly suitable for a morning cuppa, but others would scoff at even the suggestion.  Suits are intended to be tailored individually to fit each wearer, but paying extra for this luxury to some does not seem convenient:  it is easier and cheaper to buy a suit off a rack.  It may be over the years the emphasis of the definition of "convenient" has moved away from what is proper and drifted to something adapted to our personal desires.  All of this thinking came from what Felix said to Paul in Acts 24.

After Paul was arrested and taken to Caesarea, he spoke at length with the Roman governor named Felix.  When no decision was immediately made concerning his case, during the period of his incarceration he met with Felix on many occasions.  Acts 24:24-25 reads, "And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. ²⁵ Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you."  There is it:  a "convenient time."  Righteousness before God, self-control as a fruit of the Spirit, and the coming judgment all people will face are all suitable and proper doctrines.  They are always proper concerning our personal self-evaluation:  how can a sinner stand before a righteous God?  Does not our lack of self-control condemn us?  What shall we do, knowing we will be judged according to God's holy standard revealed in scripture with eternity in heaven or hell at stake?

The words Paul spoke caused Felix to tremble in fear so great was his sense of conviction.  In light of Paul's reasonings he imagined there must be a more convenient time to address these inconvenient truths, so he sent Paul away and procrastinated for a more "convenient time."  The revelation of a righteous God, our sin, and the judgment to come are always convenient - suitable and proper for all men for all time.  They however can never be made convenient, as in "adapted to use or wants."  It is never preferred or easy for our flesh to repent of our lack of self-control, outbursts of wrath, or deceit.  If you are waiting for a convenient time like Felix was, perhaps you will also be like Felix who put off reasoning about these fitting subjects indefinitely.

Because Felix would not repent and receive righteousness through faith in Jesus, he remained in his sin.  He was a man blinded and corrupted by greed as Acts 24:26 reveals:  "Meanwhile he also hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him. Therefore he sent for him more often and conversed with him."  He sat in the seat of judgment and gave the appearance of interest in what Paul had to say, but his motive was a desire for a bribe.  If Paul would pay him off, though innocent of all charges, he would gladly set him free.  The ironic thing is the truth of the words Paul spoke were of infinitely greater value than money, for he shared the means of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus and the Gospel Felix could freely receive.  Judgment to come and the way of salvation cannot be adapted to our preferences, but are most convenient topics to lay to heart and address today:  today is the convenient day for repentance and forgiveness from God, the day we can be made righteous by faith.

Was it convenient for Jesus to die on Calvary?  At what point does having nails driven through flesh seem easy?  It was convenient in the sense it was suitable and proper Jesus should do the will of the Father and die as the Lamb of God to atone for the sins of the world.  God has made salvation convenient for us in adapting a suitable and effective way to salvation by grace through faith we could not earn for ourselves.  Communication through words is a funny thing because no matter how directly something is stated we can wriggle away to dodge the point.  Doing so when it comes to righteousness, self-control, and judgment is never in our interest because it is God's revelation of our need and His gracious supply if we will hearken, confess our sin, repent, and trust in Him alone.  Those who put off dealing with conviction of sin for "a convenient time" will find it never comes - because it is to be addressed today.

Jesus and Fulfilled Prophecy

The writers of the Gospels pointed out many times the life of Jesus fulfilled prophecy, like being born by a virgin, His birthplace would be Bethlehem, He would live in Egypt for a season, and be raised in Nazareth.  The odds of just these being true of anyone is beyond reckoning - and these are just a fraction of the prophesies fulfilled by Jesus!  In His death He also fulfilled prophesies:  He would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, rejected, pierced, lifted up, lots would be cast for His clothing, not a bone would be broken in death, and He would rise from the dead on the third day.  Again, the miraculous fulfilment of them all was only accomplished in the life of Jesus.

One fulfilled prophecy not often referred to is the accusing taunts hurled at Jesus as He hung on the cross.  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.'"  To those who witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus, this so-called "Saviour" needed saving Himself.  It is clear by the term "blasphemy" employed by Matthew he believed Jesus capable of being blasphemed, being God in human flesh.  They mocked His claims of being God, the Messiah sent to seek and save the lost.

See the similarities of a prophetic passage written by King David in Psalm 22 which begins with words Jesus spoke from the cross:  "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"  For all Jews well-versed in scripture this allusion would not have been unnoticed.  Now see the similarities between what the passers-by said to Jesus in Psalm 22:7-9:  "All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, ⁸ "He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!"  Isn't this incredible, that the ones who blasphemed and hated Jesus were ones who fulfilled scripture with their insults?  This shows me that even things meant for evil God can redeem for good.  God preempted their scornful words with His Word, and the answer of Jesus was not with words but with fulfilment of scripture by suffering and rising from the dead.

The testimony of prophecy fulfilled in the life of Jesus provides very strong and rationally unassailable evidence Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.  Though scoffers and mockers remain to this day, followers of Jesus take heart their Saviour Jesus is risen and living!  The One who endured suffering and shame provides comfort and rest for our souls that endures, and having been raised with Him through faith we press on in light of rational evidence of salvation and eternal life.

Do Not Fret

"Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. ⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret--it only causes harm. ⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth."

Psalm 37:7-9

Three times in the first 8 verses of Psalm 37 David wrote, "Do not fret."  Instead of fretting, we are called to rest in the LORD, to trust in Him, and wait patiently for Him.  We are to put off anger and wrath, knowing God will provide for us.  "Fret" isn't a word used often, and when I have heard it used it was almost synonymous with worry or anxiety.  As the context shows, fretting is more than worry but when we harbour indignant anger.

The Strong's Dictionary defines the Hebrew word translated "fret" as:  "to glow or grow warm; figurative (usually) to blaze up, of anger, zeal, jealousy; be angry, burn, be displeased, grieve, be (wax) hot, be incensed, kindle, be wroth."  Fretting is not being worried about the prosperity of the wicked, but to be angry about it.  It is to be agitated violently, to be worn away by scraping, to be chafed and irritated.  I read these verses yesterday, and guess what happened today?  God revealed old junk in my life I was still fretting over.  I had put things out of my mind, but the past continued to gnaw at me like mice chewing on wires and timber in the attic.

Just like a saddle improperly fitted will rub and wound the back of a horse, so circumstances and perceived injustice wears on minds and hearts.  Our fretting will always have a negative impact on others, bringing turmoil and harm.  When we are at rest in the goodness of the LORD and waiting patiently for Him in faith we do not need to fret.  We are called to cease from anger and forsake wrath, for in our anger we have said and done awful things we wisely regret.  Even as worrying cannot make a person grow taller, fretting never accomplishes good only God is capable of.

Here are the preceding verses in Psalm 37:1-6:  "Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. ² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. ³ Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. ⁴ Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. ⁶ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday."  Instead of fretting over others who get away with murder, we are to trust in the LORD and do good.  The wicked may flourish for a short season, but God who is our righteousness remains just.  He does not fret so why should we?

Our God In Heaven

When it comes to heaven and the eternal state, not much of the Bible is spent describing it because for us it is beyond description.  Our frame of reference is this world, but the new heavens and earth will be...new.  This is not like Toyota's new Camry which bears a striking resemblance to the previous model:  it will be beyond what our minds can conceive.  It is a world of perpetual day because God supplies the light.  It is difficult for us to imagine the biblical revelation that there is no sea, and New Jerusalem has gates made of a single pearl.  People say "pearly gates" because we cannot imagine an oyster that enormous, but God doesn't need oysters to create exactly what He wants.

We are creatures of schedules, routine activities, and special plans so therefore we have great interest in how this will look in heaven:  what will we do, who we will see, and how a daily routine might look.  Very little if anything is mentioned on this subject.  Somehow the idea has drifted around (probably bad theology from cartoons) our heavenly activities will be little more than sitting around strumming on harps.  But this is a myth with no basis in reality, for apart from the 24 elders seated around God on the throne there is no mention of benches, lounges, or pillowy clouds.  We sit because our legs grow tired, but who is exhausted in heaven? 

Because we are finite humans who live on earth I believe we often ask the wrong questions.  We obsess over the things or people we can idolise.  People in all seriousness ask if there will be golf or baseball in heaven.  They wonder about whether we will have dogs or cats as pets.  "What would heaven be without animals or sport?" people wonder.  This is simply answered:  infinitely better.  In asking such a question we are like hungry children who look forward to their morning gruel, for what could breakfast be without it?  Heaven is not eggs and bacon compared to gruel but an existence of complete satisfaction without hunger, thirst, crying, or even digestion.  What some consider the most important meal of the day will be consumed by the presence of the God who created, loves, and chose us to be with Him forever.

And that's another thing.  It is incredibly odd to me how people romanticise about people they will see and surprisingly Jesus is not always mentioned among them.  Entering the eternal state will not be like going to a party where you introduce yourself with a handshake or hug and gravitate to preferred company, food, or activities.  We imagine the queue to meeting Jesus like a two-hour wait to go on a ride at an amusement park and skipping it to hang with Moses and David - especially because we have some burning question to ask them.  Really?  Do we not realise heaven will be heaven - not because we will have mansions, crowns, or authority but because God is there and we saints by His grace will be glorified with Him?  What or who can rival the presence of God?  For our earth-entrenched minds, sadly, quite a lot.

Consider the testimony John witnessed of the four living creatures and the 24 elders in their worship-loop around the throne of God in Revelation 4:8-11:  "The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!"⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: ¹¹ "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created."  We cannot conceive not needing to rest, nor to have the supreme focus to worship God continually without respite.  To many it seems ridiculously boring, but that is the flesh talking.  God is worthy and we will delight to praise Him; He will be our central focus.  Crowns are symbols of royalty and authority, and to be in God's presence and not be consumed will be an everlasting thrill.

Let me encourage you:  don't try to dumb down heaven to earthly conceptions.  The scattered descriptions of heaven in the Bible barely scratch the surface because it would be completely lost on us.  When Paul had a heavenly revelation he declared it was unlawful for him to even speak of it - contrary to modern authors today who sell their stories.  What has been revealed makes us scratch our heads and wonder because it is foreign - yet glorious.  1 John 3:2 says, "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."  In what ways shall we be like God?  John didn't know, and neither do I.  But suffice it to say any conception we could possibly have of heaven is ridiculously poor.  The human intellect, creativity, and imagination has limits, but God will undoubtedly blow our feeble opinions and assumptions away with what He has prepared for us.