Learning to Rejoice in the LORD

The word of God is living and powerful to instruct people concerning God and His ways.  The Bible is able to pierce us to reveal our motives, exposes our thoughts, rebukes sinful attitudes and teaches us what is acceptable to God.  In reading and studying the Bible a single word can speaks volumes to our hearts, and a verse understood in context and rightly applied is of more value than gold.  It is by faith in God we are given understanding, not the other way around.  If we try to understand the divine truths of the Bible without first submitting to God by trust in Him, we will remain ignorant of many things.

This remains true of Christians who have followed Jesus as disciples for some time and have knowledge of doctrine and familiarity with scripture.  Knowledge does not mean we are walking by faith in God and in the light of His love, grace and goodness.  A good fruit tree can be beset by beetles, have branches broken by a storm, be stricken with fungus and have dead wood that must be cut off.  A lot of emphasis in Christian circles is to determine if a person is "saved" or not when the reality of salvation is evidenced by the transformation of being born again and bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  In time over many growing seasons an unknown tree will be known by its fruit, and the words we say and things believers do provide a testimony God is in us and we are His by grace through faith.  Even Judas was able to put on a good show that convinced the apostles, but God looks upon the heart.

One of the awesome things about following Jesus as LORD and King is everything He asks us to do He enables and empowers us to do.  In our flesh where there is no good thing that arises able to do God's will, He proves Himself sufficient by grace.  There are some things I have never been able to learn, like advanced maths and physics.  It is one thing to know facts but it is another to become a new creation in Christ who learns to love, forgive, submit and be content--to become the person God wants you to be.  After Paul rejoiced in the LORD in prison, having learned to be content in all situations of life, he wrote in Philippians 4:12-13:  "I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. ¹³ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Paul learned to rejoice in the LORD whether he was abased or suffered need, regardless if he was full or hungry.  He didn't look at a scrumptious meal and say,  "God is good today!" as if God was not as good when his stomach groaned in pain when he was starving.  Paul rejoiced in the LORD when people messaged him and sent gifts and rejoiced in the LORD when he felt lonely and disgraced.  Friends, have you learned this?  You might think, "How can anyone learn that?"  This is the context of Paul's oft-quoted statement:  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  God can teach us what we cannot learn ourselves.  Followers of Jesus can learn to rejoice in the LORD always and to be content everywhere an in all things.  Such a God-honouring perspective is not one natural to our flesh but is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit within those brought forth to new life by the Gospel.

"Everywhere" and "in all things" provides us an opportunity to exercise faith in Jesus that works for the glory of God as we learn to rejoice in the LORD.

Araunah the Jebusite

David erred in numbering the people of Israel and they were visited with three days of severe pestilence that left thousands dead.  2 Samuel 24:16 reads, "And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "It is enough; now restrain your hand." And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite."  God was gracious to spare His people when the angel stood by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.  This is interesting because this means he was a non-Jew, an inhabitant of the city of Jerusalem previously called "Jebus" before David conquered it.  It seems mercy was extended to inhabitants to a city who taunted David it could be defended by the blind and lame, for Araunah the Jebusite lived within Jerusalem who even had a threshing floor of his own.

When God directed king David to erect an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (whom God called by name), he went to purchase the plot of land.  Araunah saw the king coming to him and he bowed before him in respect.  2 Samuel 24:21-23 reads, "Then Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" And David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people." ²² Now Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood. ²³ All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "May the LORD your God accept you."  I like the KJV rendering of verse 23:  "All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king..."  A person need not be a king to give like a king.  Araunah's life and all he had was a testimony of the kindness, mercy and generosity of the God and king he served.

How does a king give?  An earthly king gives generously out of abundance, for the entire kingdom is at his disposal and the people are his subjects.  God is the KING OF KINGS and gives out of the infinite stores of His love, grace and mercy.  Kings were apt to offer "up to half" of the kingdom, but see what God's desire is for those who seek Him in Luke 12:32:  "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."  Imagine, a sheep of the flock being given the kingdom to enjoy the presence and goodness of God forever in glory!  The picture of Araunah the Jebusite being generous to give as a king to his king, having found favour in the sight of God and David, is a picture of how those adopted in the family of God ought to honour Him in giving of ourselves.  Our lives and all we have are gifts from God made suitable for His use by God's grace, and as we have freely received may we freely give.

Bound By Mercy and Grace

When reading and interpreting verses of the Bible, it is important to consider the immediate context.  Many erroneous doctrines and practices have resulted when verses are made to stand alone that are supported by preceding and following verses.  This would be like demolishing the walls on a two-storey building without consideration of how it would eventually reduce a habitable dwelling to rubble--with unsuspecting people inside!

On the subject of offences in the church, in Matthew 18 Jesus taught how believers were to go to the party who trespassed against them (for instance, by deceit and theft) and seek reconciliation.  If the offender was unwilling to humble himself to admit fault, another believer was to go along to confirm the truth as a witness.  Should the offender still stubbornly justify himself, their sinful case was to be told to the believers in the church.  If the person refused to submit to the judgment of the church, then the guilty party was to be viewed as a heathen with whom they did not share faith in Christ or the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Believers are bound to follow Jesus Christ and abide in humility, love, grace and unity with the brethren.  Should they refuse to do so, they are loosed from the bonds of fellowship.

It is in this context Jesus said in Matthew 18:18-20:  "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."  Jesus taught that where His people were He was in their midst, and as they walked in submission to Him and one another there would be common ground and agreement.  They could hold people accountable or release them from their responsibilities as part as the Body of Christ, the church.  What follows is very important, for Matthew related an answer Jesus gave on the subject of forgiveness.  The point is not so much how much a transgressor owed, but the obligation of believers to forgive one another.  Very important!

The picture of loosing and binding is employed in this parable where a master loosed his servant of the burden of a massive debt he was unable to pay.  The servant's response was to grab a fellow servant by the neck and demand payment of a small sum, and when the man did not pay he had him bound in prison.  Needless to say when the master received word of the ungrateful conduct of the servant he loosed from the debt, he was very angry.  Jesus explained what followed in Matthew 18:32-35:  "Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. ³³ Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' ³⁴ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. ³⁵ So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."  The graceless conduct of the sinning servant was reported to the master by fellow servants, and he was held to account.  After being loosed for his debt he remained bound with greed and selfishness, and thus he was bound by the master and delivered to the torturers.  Knowing Jesus Christ has forgiven us quickens us to forgive others in light of His grace.

Now "binding" and "loosing" has taken on a whole different meaning to some Christians who teach due to their authority as those anointed by God they have power to bind or loose whatever they want, whether it be loosing from physical infirmities or binding demons.  We must realise it is Jesus Christ alone who has the power to bind and loose because all power and authority is His.  When Simon the sorcerer offered money to receive power that all he laid hand on would receive the Holy Spirit, Peter offered a strong rebuke in Acts 8:20-23:  "...Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! ²¹ You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. ²² Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. ²³ For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."  Peter sensed Simon was bound by iniquity, and Peter did not loose him from it, nor could he:  Simon was required to humble himself in repentance before God and it was Jesus who would forgive and loose him.  Simon asked Peter to pray for him, and it does not seem he did.  Why should he if the man would not repent of sin and pray himself, unwilling to confess his bitterness and iniquity before God?

In Luke 13 Jesus loosed a woman who had a spirit of infirmity 18 years who could not stand up straight.  Without fanfare Luke 13:12-13 says, "But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." ¹³ And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God."  After being loosed from her infirmity by Jesus, the woman glorified God.  The ruler of the synagogue complained that Jesus healed the woman on the Sabbath day.  Luke 13:15-17 reads, "The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? ¹⁶ So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound--think of it--for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" ¹⁷ And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him."  Jesus, the LORD of all and of the Sabbath, put all His adversaries to shame (Satan included!) by His wisdom, power and glorious things He did.

Jesus is the One who blinds and loosens, and as we have been freely forgiven we ought to forgive.  According to God's grace and wisdom He has placed the Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth, to help and teach us to know Jesus Christ.  Those in the church have not been given authority to bind and loose as we please but to humbly approach Him in prayer together, united in His love.  We are the ones who needed to repent and be set straight (and still do!); we are the ones who ought to rejoice and glorify God.  In Christ we are no longer at the mercy of the devil or those who have wronged us, for in the presence of Jesus today we always find mercy and grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

His Wonderful Life

In the American classic movie It's a Wonderful Life, George Bailey was one who gave up on his dreams of travel to help others in his small town of Bedford Falls.  He and his newlywed wife sacrificed money saved for a honeymoon trip to keep the family-run business afloat.  When dealt a cruel financial blow through the incompetence of a relative who worked for the business, George was overwhelmed with the debt, a house full of energetic kids, had too much to drink and crashed his car.  After being harshly told he was worth more dead than alive, George began to believe the lie.  He despaired of his life as he looked down into the icy water running under the bridge.  All thoughts of ending his life were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a splash and a cry for help which caused George to spring into action to help a drowning man--who turned out to be his guardian angel in a human disguise.

Clarence (the angel) gave George Bailey his wish of never being born.  By doing so the eyes of George were opened to the massive difference the life of one person can make on people and a whole town.  George thought he was going mad when he saw his hometown was no longer Bedford Falls but Pottersville, a grim town filled with calloused debauchery.  Upon visiting his mother, who didn't recognise him at all, George was shocked to discover his younger brother had drowned under the ice during an accident without his help and thus never became a war hero.  The house he and his family previously enjoyed was cold and dark, and his wife led a solitary existence without the joyful smile which he had taken for granted.  Oh, how George prayed to live again, and his prayer was answered.  George raced back to his wrecked car in Bedford Falls with family who loved him and friends who rallied to help him.  Even petals in his pocket were a welcome relief for a man who for a short while saw an unhappy, ugly world where he had never been born.

When I consider the difference one man made in the city of Bedford falls in a Hollywood film, I realise it is nothing compared to the real transformation Jesus Christ makes in the life of a believer.  By extension the life of Jesus in us has made a transformational difference in our households, workplaces, families and society.  It would be a most unhappy thought to consider for any amount of time how different our lives would be without Jesus.  It is a cop-out to simply say we'd be dead (which is accurate) as it does not account for all the alterations God has made and continues to make in our hearts, minds and perspectives.  To be loved!  To have hope!  To belong and have a eternal home prepared for us!  Having experienced the forgiveness, joy and peace that transcends understanding we are forever changed from the inside out.  Apart from the Gospel and the indwelling presence of God we would have settled down into an oppressive hell of our own making, a slow death beset with hopelessness, futility and grasping for the wind.  To see ourselves without Christ is to look upon a stranger we shudder to even associate with.

The difference Jesus makes in the life of a person is so profound it cannot be stated by anything less than being born again.  One of my favourite descriptions by my friend whose wife trusted Jesus as her  Saviour said, "She's a totally different person, better."  Friends, can political or religious beliefs do this?  Can activism, athletics, music or poetry fundamentally make you a better person and change you from within?  It would be a mistake to see following Jesus as something a person does like going to church, reading the Bible or praying:  Jesus brings about divine transformation within all who trust in Him that results in a new perspective, new desires and new satisfaction.  Jesus totally changes us for better and for good.  It is like a blind person seeing clearly for the first time, the lame man leaping to walk, a person deformed by leprosy being cleansed and accepted in society, and the dead being raised up to a new life.  It's a Wonderful Life is a delightful story that hardly scratches the surface of the personal transformation Jesus brings Who is wonderful beyond compare and calls us friends.  Wonder at the new, eternal life Jesus Christ has provided, believer, and rejoice to share His life with others.