God Is Sacred

"There is a pestilence upon this land. Nothing is sacred. Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history."

Roger the Shrubber

When I was a kid going to church, we were told to remove our hats and not run in the sanctuary by watchful ushers.  It was viewed by some as a sacred place, the "house of God," a consecrated location to draw near to God in worship, adoration and reverence.  In Webster's 1828 Dictionary the first entries to define sacred are:  "the sense is removed or separated from that which is common, vulgar, polluted, or open, public...holy; pertaining to God or to his worship; separated from common secular uses and consecrated to God and his service; proceeding from God and containing religious precepts."  The concept of a part of a building or hall being considered sacred in Christian circles perhaps comes from the example of the tabernacle or temple.  More likely it is merely a tradition of man borne out of a desire to honour God, albeit with the pitfalls of legalism.

It is good for man to recognise God is holy, and that believers have been made holy by faith in Jesus Christ.  Those wary ushers would do well to examine their own attitudes, words, motives and actions as conscientiously as they wore collared shirts when on duty and aimed to silence exuberant children with stern looks.  We live in a secular day when frankly nothing is viewed as sacred except the freedom of the individual, and the societal norms around dress, hair length, hair colour, tattoos and rock music--which were frequent points of contention between a traditional generation and my less traditional one--have largely disappeared.  In times past much of what was deemed sacred was drawn from tradition without substance, not having been produced by a personal relationship with the living God.  Now many of the traditional views have faded and thus the legalistic mirage of what was sacred has disappeared as well.

"Nothing is sacred," Roger the Shrubber said, and what he says is partially true.  Man has a way of making the sacred profane through idolatry when God is holy.  He is sacred, free from the pollution of sin and the wisdom of fallen man.  His word is sacred, having been divinely inspired and preserved by His power so man could be taught of our glorious Creator, realise our fallen state and place our faith in Jesus for salvation and redemption.  The sacred lies not in a building or in a hallowed place on this planet which will one day perish but in God Himself and the activity of people drawing near to Him in worship and adoration.  When a person bends the knee in prayer, when hands are raised to God in praise, when the word of God is proclaimed, when a heart submits in obedience and rests in God alone, these are sacred moments wherever we are because it is a soul uniting with the holy, sacred God in faith.  It is God Who must remain sacred in our eyes, for when we draw near to Him we stand on holy ground by His grace.

For this reason I believe during times of worship, whether we congregate in person or online, it is important to lead by example before children and adults alike to lay aside distractions.  It is not a time to check emails or record videos to post on social media.  If Jesus came to church I bet people today would ask for a selfie with Him!  How ludicrous when He is God, our Saviour and LORD!  Our aim should not be to occupy children who are capable of watching a favourite show when they too can learn to engage in worship.  Nehemiah 8:2-3 provides a good example of this when all the people gathered as one man to hear the Law of Moses read:  "So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. ³ Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law."  When a child is able to understand the dialogue in a TV show, they can hear the word of God.  This requires wisdom, training and discipline, and praise the LORD He is the master of all these and more.

Friends, do you see God as sacred?  Or has the grace of God or our familiarity with Him brought Him down to the level of what is common, worldly and exists for our benefit or enjoyment?  There are many warnings in scripture against profaning the name of God or His temple, and Ezekiel 44 speaks of how the role of the priests and Levites was to teach the people the difference between what is holy and profane, and their responsibility before God to observe this themselves.  It is no longer the Law of Moses which governs these distinctions under the New Covenant but the love and fear of God through faith in Jesus Christ.  We have been made holy by the power of the Gospel, and thus we are in Christ and He in us.  God is holy, and thus our worship, service and praise is sacred unto Him.

God Deals Bountifully

"I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me."

Psalm 13:6

Moses sang to God because He triumphed gloriously over his enemies, and David sung because God dealt bountifully with him.  God had heard David and delivered him out of His boundless mercy, and for this David rejoiced in the LORD.  I like how David said God "dealt bountifully" with him.  This "dealing" is not by chance like when cards are dealt in a game but speaks of God's merciful, purposeful and faithful dealings with those who trust in Him.  In baseball when a pitcher is dominant and mowing down hitters with ease, commentators, coaches and players alike say, "The pitcher was dealing today."  It is more than doling out what is expected or required but a generous demonstration of power and control without holding anything back.

God's dealings with mankind are bountiful according to His infinite and everlasting mercy and grace.  Psalm 103:8-12 reads, "The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. ⁹ He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. ¹⁰ He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."  The LORD has not dealt with us according to what our sin deserves but has expunged our sin and rendered believers righteous through the Gospel.  The stain and guilt of our sin is gone, having been washed clean by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Peter began his second epistle in 2 Peter 1:2-4 by speaking of how generous God's dealings are with those who are born again by faith in Jesus:  "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."  God has extended the offer of salvation, forgiveness and eternal life to all people.  Even as we must receive a gift before we can appropriate it for our personal use, so only those who humble themselves before God in faith are enabled by His grace to receive all things that pertain to life and godliness.  God does not exclude anyone from humbling themselves before Him or surrendering their will before His:  man excludes himself from the presence and gifts of God by his unbelief, pride and self-righteousness.

Many people go through life lamenting the "bad hand" they have been dealt, but God's grace is sufficient for us.  Jesus expressed God's intent for those who trust and love Him in Luke 12:32, "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."  According to God's divine power we have been given all in Christ, and we can sing with David how God has dealt bountifully with us.  What do we have we have not been given by God?  What can separate us from His endless love?  Praise the LORD He has dealt with us according to His mercy and grace and not according to our iniquity.

Victory Through Death

A few years back I had the privilege of visiting the historical location of the Alamo in Texas, a place where out-gunned and under-manned Americans took a brave stand in the face of Santa Anna during Texas' war for independence.  Davy Crockett and James Bowie were numbered among the men who held their ground with Colonel William Travis, a God-fearing man whose name I share.  During the siege  in 1836 Colonel Travis wrote a famous letter in which he signed off, "Victory or death."  In the post script he said, "The LORD is on our side," a testimony that he fixed his eyes on God beyond the reach of troops or cannon fire.  It sounds like Colonel Travis trusted God to provide for he and his men in this life and for his soul in the next should the fort fall, which it ultimately did.

In the battle to hold the Alamo there were only two options:  victory over the attackers, or death of the men who valiantly aimed to hold it.  What is remarkable is how a third option rose out of the ashes of defeat, for the courage and bravery those displayed to hold the Alamo became a rallying cry taken up by Texans in the fight for independence from Mexico:  "Remember the Alamo!"  A place marked by defeat and death became a symbol of courage to fight the good fight and to demonstrate the fortitude of those brave souls who gave their all for a worthy cause.

When Jesus went to Calvary, He demonstrated the miraculous ability to secure victory through death.  He did not fight to save His life but laid it down as a atoning sacrifice for sinners so all who trust in Him can have eternal life.  In dying and rising from the grave Jesus defeated death as Paul affirmed in 1 Corinthians 15:55-58, "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" ⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."  Observing the LORD's Supper is a fitting way to remember the price Jesus paid, the victory accomplished and to proclaim His death until He comes as a Saviour, Judge and King.

"Remember the Alamo!" was a rallying cry to fight courageously, and remembering Christ's victory through death fills us with gratitude and thanksgiving as we rest in the victory afforded us by Jesus.  Looking to Jesus keeps us from being weary and discouraged in our souls.  Let us thank God as we are steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the LORD, knowing our labour and sacrifices will not be in vain because Jesus has already secured victory through death.

Proclaiming Jesus

I am enjoying reading through the Gospel of Mark with the family after dinner.  Yesterday we read chapter 5 of Mark when Jesus cast out a legion of demons from a possessed man.  The demons begged Jesus would not send them out of the country, and He permitted them to go into a herd of swine feeding nearby.  When the people of the town heard what Jesus had done, saw the man sitting with Jesus in His right mind, they begged Jesus to leave the region.  Ironic, right?

As Jesus boarded the ship to leave, the man who previously was demon possessed begged Jesus to go with Him.  It might be surprising to the reader Jesus declined his request.  Mark 5:19-20 says, "However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you." ²⁰ And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled."  What Jesus did is an amazing, thought-provoking act in sending the man away with a clear directive:  to go home and tell his friends what great things the LORD Jesus had done for him.  This man was obedient to what Jesus told him, and through his witness all marveled at the power and compassion of Jesus Christ.

The transformation in the mind, body and soul of the previously demonised man was obvious, and it also speaks to the power of Jesus to protect people from what they have been delivered from.  This man did not need to read up on demonology or be versed in particular phrases to wield spiritual authority to return to the place and speak with people where he had previously been in spiritual bondage.  He was not put through a course of study or months of intensive discipleship classes before he was sent out as a harmless dove among wolves.  The power of God that delivered him from a legion of unclean spirits was the same power that kept him safe and gave eternal life, and Jesus had no trepidation in sending him out to declare the great things He had done for him.  He was alone but not alone, for God was with him.

Here is where we can have this wrong.  We put great emphasis on believers reading the word, being in fellowship at a local church, growing spiritually by learning as we follow Jesus in obedience--rightly so, all good things.  Instead of the typical "following up" to make sure a believer isn't falling back into old habits and being held accountable (perhaps even pestered!) to connect with fellow believers on a regular basis, Jesus gave this man the task of sharing with others the great things Jesus had done for him.  I suspect many people who make a "commitment" to follow Jesus or pray to receive Jesus in a church setting today do not know or cannot say exactly what Jesus has done for them.  They know facts about His death and resurrection, but do they know Him by spiritual regeneration?  Have they understood the great things Jesus has done for us and how He has had compassion on us?  Disciples of Jesus ought to look at their life and say to their family and friends, "This is how Jesus has shown compassion on me" and make a practice of sharing this reality as God opens our eyes to see His work in us day by day.

The bold proclamation by this man of what Jesus had done turned out to be more fruitful than the troubled townspeople who were shocked to see the once possessed man sitting by Jesus in his right mind.  The incident with the Samaritan woman in John 4 is illustrative here, for it was the testimony of the woman who alerted the men to come to Jesus to listen to Him.  John 4:41-42 reads, "And many more believed because of His own word. ⁴² Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world."  Our testimony of Jesus leads people to see and hear Him for themselves, and true believers become proclaimers.  There is no better way for a baby to learn to walk by trying to do it, and the way to live the Christian life is to believe and obey Jesus and to proclaim what He has done for us.  Having received Jesus by faith we are protected and empowered to share Him with others.  In doing so we are strengthened, our faith grows, the church is edified and Jesus is glorified.

Let's trust Jesus to prepare the hearts of those to whom we speak about Him.  Let's believe in the power of the Gospel to transform people from demon possessed to being sent out as a missionary in one day.  Let's have all confidence that God who saves us can also protect us, lead us, and provide all we need to grow and be spiritually fruitful.  Let's be those who tell others what great things Jesus has done for us and how He has shown compassion on us.