A Converted Soul

While preparing a sermon I have the practice of consulting with various commentaries to educate myself on what other notable believers have gleaned from the passage.  One of my favourite commentaries is one of the older ones I reference:  a condensed version of Matthew Henry's commentary penned in the early 1700's.  Perhaps one of these days I can acquire the full original version.  Every commentary penned by men has its flaws and limits, yet the concise volume remains instructive and insightful until today.  Today's reading was absolutely brilliant, a commentary on Jesus' words found in Luke 11:21-23:  "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. ²² But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. ²³ He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters." Here are Matthew Henry's words on the subject:

"When Christ cast out devils he was stronger than they, and could do it by force, and did it so as to ruin Satan's power.  Now this is applicable to Christ's victories over Satan both in the world and in the hearts of particular persons.  And so we may observe here,

(1) The miserable condition of an unconverted sinner.  In his heart, which was fitting to be a habitation of God, the devil has his palace; and all the powers and faculties of the soul are his goods.  The heart is a palace, a noble dwelling; but the unsanctified heart is the devil's palace.  All the prejudices with which he hardens men's hearts against truth and holiness are the strongholds which he erects for the keeping of his palace.  There is a kind of peace in the palace of an unconverted soul, while the devil, as a strong man armed, keeps it.  The sinner has a good opinion of himself, is very secure and merry; he flatters himself in his own eyes, and cries peace to himself.  Before Christ appeared, all was quiet, because all went one way; but the preaching of the Gospel disturbed the peace of the devil's palace. 

(2) The wonderful change that is made in conversion.  Satan is a strong man armed; but our Lord Jesus is stronger than he, see that manner of this victory:  he comes upon him by surprise, when his goods are in peace and overcomes him.  See the evidences of this victory.  First, He takes from him all his armour wherein he trusted.  Christ disarms him.  When the power of sin and corruption in the soul is broken then Satan's armour is taken away.  Secondly, He divides the spoils; he takes possession of them for himself.  All the endowments of mind and body are now converted to Christ's service.  Yet this is not all; he makes a distribution of them among his followers, and gives to all believers the benefit of that victory.  Hence Christ infers that, since the whole drift of his doctrine and miracles was the break the power of the devil, it was the duty of all to join with him, to receive his gospel and come heartily into the interests of it; for otherwise they would justly be reckoned as siding with the enemy (v. 23):  He that is not with me is against me." (Henry, M. edited by Church, L., 1974. Commentary On The Whole Bible By Matthew Henry. 14th ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, p. 1452.)

Praise the LORD for the overcoming power of Jesus Christ who is faithful and true, the eternal Word who rules in righteousness, mercy, and grace.  Our hearts have not only been swept clean of satanic defilement but have become habitations of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel.  When the Gospel goes forth the kingdom and power of Satan is shaken and the enemy of our souls is plundered.  A strong man fully armed is no match for our Saviour Christ who is the mightiest now and forever.  Isn't the work of conversion accomplished by Jesus marvelous?

God is Good and Wonderful

"Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!"

Psalm 107:8

God's will is often viewed as a nebulous unknown.  We can wonder what God's will is for a particular situation and can be unsure of how to best pray.  Our confusion grows when we are confident what God's will is and it seems the furthest thing from reality.  God has richly blessed us with His word that speak of His unchanging character, provides examples which show God's will often involves suffering for people He loves, and give directives we can follow by His grace.

Psalm 107 is a beautiful song which extols the greatness and majesty of God.  Four times he repeats the same exhortation that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men.  The goodness of God is beyond reckoning and His wonderful works to us without precedent.  God's goodness is infinite, yet we are finite in our perishing state on earth.  We are ignorant, forgetful, and run out of ideas when there are countless aspects of God's wonderful character yet to be praised.

When I was learning mathematics in school, seeing examples of a formula or process helped me understand how to do the work properly myself.  Similar to how I was taught by my maths teachers and professors, the psalmist gives examples of God's goodness we ought to thank Him for, what His wonderful works look like, and how we put this into practice.  After each repetition of this longing for men to thank God the psalmist provides and example we can put into practice.  Here is a list of things God has done and ways we can thank Him:

• Psalm 107:8-9:  "Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! ⁹ For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness."
• Psalm 107:15-16:  "Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! ¹⁶ For He has broken the gates of bronze, and cut the bars of iron in two."
• Psalm 107:21-22:  "Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! ²² Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing."
• Psalm 107:31-32:  "Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! ³² Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, and praise Him in the company of the elders."

God satisfies and fills the hungry soul with goodness.  Our lives which were once empty have been satisfied with the Bread of Life Jesus Christ and the Living Water of the Holy Spirit.  There is nothing good in us and God graciously fills us with Himself.  Like the children of Israel who were in bondage, God has miraculously delivered us from bondage and hell.  We languished without hope of salvation until Jesus crushed the head of Satan and set us free.  These are just the edges of His good ways all who are in Christ have experienced.

In thankfulness for all the goodness God has shown us, we are to "sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare His works with rejoicing."  We may at times feel justified to complain about our troubles or trials, yet it is better and more fitting for us to give the LORD a sacrifice of praise and proclaim His works rejoicing.  When everything seems to be going wrong, God smiles upon us with everlasting love we should celebrate.  This rejoicing and exalting of God is fitting not only in private time with God but in the public assembly.  Singing, prayer, and personal testimony in public and in the congregation are fitting ways for us to extol God and exalt Him.

"Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!"  Isn't our awesome God worthy of all the thanksgiving we can give?  Let us rejoice even our limited praise and thanks is accepted by our great God who loves us according to His grace.

What Cleaning Reveals

Examining our hearts in light of God's word is important for all Christians to do.  As I sat reading the Bible this morning, the light of the sun shining through the window illuminated floating specks of dust previously unseen by my eyes.  The sun's rays did not create the dust but revealed their existence.  God's word and the presence of the Holy Spirit work in a similar manner to reveal the conditions of our hearts.  Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  The Bible guides our steps and also provides insight into sin-darkened areas of our lives we never knew existed.

When we become serious about self-examination and take stock of our lives, the need for cleansing goes beyond what we initially see.  We may realise our tendency to exaggerate or curse but didn't notice our habit of gossip and harsh judgments.  I saw a great example of this yesterday when I mopped the predominately white tiles in our house.  As the clean damp mop moved over the surface, removed discoloured spots, and gathered lint it revealed tiny drops of white paint which were invisible when the tile was dry.  The moisture in the mop which lifted dust off the floor showed more than a mop was needed:  the paint was easily removed with a fingernail.  I could see the floor needed mopping, and the act of mopping compelled me to go even further for a quality clean.

A similar thing is true when we are born again and these unpleasant discoveries of the depth of our natural sinfulness becomes evident.  Though our sin is bad news praise the LORD He has provided the good news He is able to wash us clean of all sin and forgive us through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ once and for all.  We are new creations through faith in Jesus yet regular maintenance and even deep cleaning is necessary to maintain a healthy relationship with God.  The longer we live in a house the more potential there is to have dry rot, a roof or shower-pan leak, a pest infestation, spent globes, and grime on benchtops, cabinets, and power points.  Let us not be complacent in the cleansing of our hearts and our need to repent.  Intentional repentance and turning from sins shows us additional hidden sins must be confessed and forsaken.

On Being An Ally

One term I have heard often lately is the importance of being an "ally" to others.  Covenant Eyes, a screen accountability service, also uses the term for people to whom personal internet browsing data is sent to support and encourage healthy internet habits.  Alliances among nations and rulers unites separate groups with the aim to accomplish a goal together.  Both a verb and a noun, the term "ally" is defined as a noun by the Merriam-Webster dictionary in this way:  "a sovereign or state associated with another by treaty or league; one that is associated with another as a helper : a person or group that provides assistance and support in an ongoing effort, activity, or struggle."

Being an ally to support others in their struggles is a noble cause, but the term to me is impersonal and falls short of the ideal:  by their very nature alliances are created due to a cause or joint pursuit rather than the love of people.  Alliances are utilitarian and should the aim be achieved a new cause must rise up to maintain unity.  Alliances enable sovereignty a superficial unity whist enabling permanent separation to exist between the various groups.  These are the the thoughts which spring up in my mind when I hear of my responsibility to be an ally of people who suffer racial discrimination.  At best being an ally is a start but not a satisfactory conclusion for my role in the lives of others because it falls woefully short of the love of God.  More than an ally, I desire is to be a faithful friend to a person who has intrinsic value in themselves.

These musings caused me to consider if I live as a friend of God or I see Him as my divine ally to help me accomplish my aims.  It is possible those who believe in God to seek His power in a utilitarian way rather than humbling ourselves before our sovereign God as His servants.  God is much more than an ally who has power to stop bullies, judge abusers, or overthrow corrupt governments.  Jesus called His followers friends, even as Abraham was called a friend of God because of his faith and obedience.  John 15:12-15 says, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."  Jesus died for sinners and was proved to be their friend by His sacrifice and revelation of divine truth.

The love of God is foreign to this world of alliances, causes, and shifting sands of culture.  God's love and grace is extended to all people of every tribe, nation, and tongue.  God created us for relationship with Him and one another united by His love, joy, peace, and grace.  Jesus did not help us obtain forgiveness and salvation and then take little notice of us until our next struggle:  it is we who are guilty of doing this with Him.  Being an ally to help others in a worthy cause is great, but being a friend to others like Jesus is to us is far better.