Andrew Murray Quote

A quote from Andrew Murray was recently shared with me from a friend battling cancer, and it is a great reminder how God is sovereign and good regardless of our health, circumstances, or feelings.  Because of the depth of suffering, pain, and sorrow we face in this life unless a person knows God they cannot accept this statement as remotely true.  But for those who know God, knowing they are known by Him, they can affirm the words of Andrew Murray when he wrote:

In time of trouble, say, first, He brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place; in that I will rest. Next, He will keep me here in his love, and give me grace in this trial to behave as his child. Then say, He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons he intends me to learn, and working in me the grace he means to bestow. And last, say, in his good time he can bring me out again. How and when, he knows. Therefore, say, I am here (1) by God's appointment, (2) in His keeping, (3) under His training, (4) for His time.

It is faith in God which allows us to walk in the love, joy, peace, and patience required to endure and press on.  Because God is faithful to His Word and His promises we can rest in Him even if the earth shakes and mountains are thrown into the sea.  This globe we inhabit will one day be dissolved in flame with everything on it, but those who hope in the LORD lack no good thing.  It may be that death is the passage we must travel to enter into eternal glory, but God's glory will not be tainted by the strain of the journey.  Though I have not experienced cancer, I have received great encouragement from passages like Isaiah 65:17-18:  "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. ¹⁸ But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy."

I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to new heavens and a new earth--plus a glorified body free from sickness, pain, and sorrow.  I almost shed a tear thinking about how good it will be to have God wipe away all tears from our eyes.  There is part of us that holds onto memories of this life, good and bad.  In the eternal state we will be perfected and know what we need to know.  Since we will not be God and know everything we will rejoice to be ever learning of our awesome God and resting in His truth without fiery trials and the burden of this perishing flesh.

Praise the LORD He is creating a joyful reunion for all those who fear His name, and we do not need to wait for eternity to experience His love and peace.  We have His comfort and rest today, if we will trust and seek Him, and we will also enjoy His presence forevermore.  It is only the Christian who can say regardless of the season, "All the time God is good!" and experience rest in our loving Saviour who is our life.

Sanctification Cooperation

"Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. ⁸ And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you."

Leviticus 20:7-8

God gave Moses His laws to deliver to the nation Israel so they might keep His covenant.  The context of these verses follow God saying He would set His face against those who did wickedly, defiled His sanctuary, or profaned His holy name.  The peoples of the ancient world worshiped demons and not God, even burning their children alive on altars before images made by hands of men.  God's people were not to imitate these abominable practices of the heathen, and were forbidden in the Law of Moses to make images or representations of man or beast lest their hearts turn from God in idolatry.  God sanctified His people, and thus they were to sanctify themselves.

To "sanctify" is to "cleanse, purify, make holy, to set apart, or appoint for sacred use."  The mistake people can make is to believe sanctification can or must be earned, yet scriptures reveal God sanctifies people by His grace--not based on performance.  God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants not because he, Isaac, or Jacob were more worthy or pious than others.  God called Abraham out of His goodness and Abraham responded with faith in God.  The sanctification available to whosoever will repent and trust in God must be received first, and only then can we sanctify ourselves.  Like a marriage relationship requires cooperation, communication, and contribution of both parties so does our relationship with God.  The Jews in the Old Testament were under the covenant of Mosaic Law, and Christians today relate to God through the new covenant made with the shed blood of Jesus.

We are justified by grace through faith and our sanctification is also a gift freely given we receive.  No effort of our flesh, no volume of sacrifices could earn such favour from the holy, almighty God.  God has made us holy and sanctified by the sacrifice of Christ, and therefore we ought to aim to live a life that is sanctified--set apart and appointed for God's use.  Paul wrote in Galatians 3:1-3:  "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? ² This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? ³ Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?"  After we are born again and converted there must be a continual reliance and trust in God marked by humility, not imagining we become worthy or acceptable by ourselves.  Gentiles in the early church, misguided in their zeal to please men, began to teach keeping the Law of Moses was critical to sanctification and salvation.

Now the Law remains good but God did not call Gentiles to live as Jews or for Jews to put aside their observance of Law as legalism.  Jesus kept the Law of Moses, but Christians are not sanctified by keeping the Law:  it is Jesus who sanctifies us by the indwelling Holy Spirit in real time.  It is the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth in keeping with the Bible and the law written on our hearts, no longer governed by words written on tablets of stone.  Remember the message Jesus preached on the mount when He called His followers to a standard far higher than that of Law, and we can only sanctify ourselves to achieve such humility and surrender to His will only after He first sanctifies us.  Having been sanctified by God, we by His grace and strength sanctify ourselves.  We do not receive the Holy Spirit by grace and then are perfected by our efforts.  It is God who works in us both to will and do of His good pleasure, and thus we crucify the flesh and mortify the deeds of the flesh in surrender to Him.

Human sacrifice to idols is an abomination before God, but having been raised to new life with Christ we are called to be living sacrifices.  Romans 12:1-3 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. ² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. ³ For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."  Let us not think there is any power in our flesh to sanctify ourselves, but having been sanctified through the Gospel we are transformed and helped to do God's will.  The sanctification partnership works when we die to self and the life of Jesus is lived through us.

The Positive Negative

I enjoyed catching up on a sermon preached by Bob Roche when I was away last week which focused on Zephaniah 3.  One thing mentioned that struck me was how a negative can teach a positive.  God summed up sins of His own people Israel in Zephaniah 3:2:  "She has not obeyed His voice, she has not received correction; she has not trusted in the LORD, she has not drawn near to her God."  Because Israel departed from the LORD sin was added upon sin.

Although God's people were perverse and polluted, stubbornly refusing to obey God's voice, this implies He continued to speak to them.  God continued to offer correction to His people despite their refusals.  God remained trustworthy and could be found by them if they would repent and seek Him with their whole hearts.  Isn't the loving pursuit of God amazing?  What grace, that He would continue to express desire for the restoration of people who shunned Him?

The failures of God's people could not be blamed on God remaining silent, His refusal to guide or teach, His reneging on the covenant, or Him abandoning them.  He continued to be faithful though His people were unfaithful.  Let us praise the LORD who seeks the redemption and salvation over all people, for He desires we would repent and turn to God for salvation.

Open Wide

"Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you! O Israel, if you will listen to Me! ⁹ There shall be no foreign god among you; nor shall you worship any foreign god. ¹⁰ I am the LORD your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it."

Psalm 81:8-10

The God who was faithful to bring His people out of Egypt provided for their needs, giving them manna from heaven and water from a rock.  Their survival was completely dependent upon God in the wilderness, and God met all their needs.  God bid His people open their mouths wide and He promised to feed them.  And this, my friends, requires faith.

Have you ever heard the loud chirping of hungry baby birds?  Whenever their mum or dad draws near, these helpless and blind birds spring to life.  Though they have no feathers to fly, they certainly are unhindered to make noise!  They instinctively open their mouths wide to eat whatever their parents drop in.  Baby birds are not picky eaters:  they do not push food around on plates, complain about temperature, or comment on how the flavour or texture is disagreeable.  They open their mouths wide trusting their parents to drop in healthy, nutritious food.

I wonder how many of us are willing to open our mouths wide, trusting God will fill it?  The Hebrews looked to idols they brought out of Egypt to provide sun, rain, and bountiful harvests.  They prayed to idols and not to God, opening their mouths to make requests of images who could not speak, hear, or save.  God lamented His people did not hearken to His voice.  Instead of receiving His Word in faith, they closed their mouths and hardened their hearts.  God has put in all people the triggers of hunger and thirst to ensure the needs of our physical bodies are met, and He also supplies the Bread of Life Jesus Christ who gives life for our souls.

As we follow Jesus the Good Shepherd, He leads us in green pastures and beside still waters.  All our needs are met in Him.  He satisfies our hunger with His Word, and provides us the Holy Spirit who is Living Water for our souls.  Let us open our mouths wide and trust He will fill them with good according to His promise.