Doing All as Unto Christ

Zechariah 7 details an interaction of men who came to the house of God to pray and to inquire of the priests if they ought to continue fasting and mourning in the fifth and seventh months as had been their annual tradition during exile.  God answered with questions of His own in Zechariah 7:5-6:  "Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me--for Me? ⁶ When you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink for yourselves?"  The people embraced months of fasting and mourning but neglected to honour and obey God when they ate and drank every day.  They lamented being driven from their homeland but did not praise the God who had never left or forsaken them.

These men came to the priests because they found the periods of fasting and mourning burdensome--even unnecessary after their return to Jerusalem.  They wondered if there was any point to afflict themselves with hunger and God revealed they hadn't been doing it for His sake at all.  It had been an exercise of the flesh that lacked spiritual merit because they had not been eating and drinking for the LORD.  The principle held forth to King Saul is fitting here:  "To obey is better than sacrifice."  All the sacrifices a person can make are useless to find favour with God coupled with refusal to obey what He has clearly commanded.  If they had hearkened to the prophets God sent to warn His people before the 70 years of captivity, they could have been spared judgment and destruction they brought upon themselves.

Hear God's response in Zechariah 7:8-10:  "Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, ⁹ "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. ¹⁰ Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.'"  While debated over whether they should fast and afflict themselves for the fifth and seventh month, God desired they would cease from sin and walk in justice, mercy and compassion to one another every day.  God called for a continual fast from oppressing the widow, fatherless, stranger or poor.  He commanded them to stop scheming against their brethren.  What they did out of the fear of God and faith in Him was more important than any of the self-imposed restrictions they put on themselves.

God has made His commands clear and without a doubt like in Colossians 3:20-24:  "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. ²¹ Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. ²² Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. ²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."  If we say we love God, we ought to use our strength to honour and obey Him, loving others as He loves us.  We could fast for months without spiritual benefit should we refuse to heed Him.  Whether we eat, drink or fast, may it all be done unto the LORD in sincerity of heart before the LORD--not with an aim to please men or honour tradition.  May the fear of God and obedience to the LORD be our traditional practice, not because we are pious or religious, but because Jesus Christ is our glorious Master we serve with our whole hearts.

Hell and the Gospel

I have encountered what seems to me a strange phenomenon over the years:  a readiness to speak of the sublime glory of heaven but a reluctance among believers to frankly discuss the horrible reality of hell.  We do not hesitate to warn our children of the dangers of running into traffic or grabbing a hot frypan because we care for them, and thus to avoid discussions of hell which the Bible describes as real and forever as heaven is to embrace hypocrisy.  It is the love of God and others which compels us to answer honest questions about hell directly without sidestepping to ignore the subject.

I can understand how many Christians want to avoid being associated with a style of "hell and brimstone" preaching that gleefully and smugly condemns lost sinners to a tortured existence.  They would rather extol the pleasures of eternity in the presence of God than emphasising the horrors of hell.  There is nothing wrong with this.  But to avoid the topic of hell as if it is a source of embarrassment or unnecessary is to deviate from the example of Jesus Christ who spoke freely on the subject.  Jesus described hell in Matthew 25:41 as a place of everlasting fire "prepared for the devil and his angels."  In Mark 9 Jesus described the outer darkness of hell as a place where the worms of the tormented die not and the fire is not quenched.  This hideous backdrop makes the sure hope of eternal life through Jesus the exceedingly glorious option.

The Good News of the Gospel must include the very bad news that we are lost, condemned and doomed sinners deserving of hell before our holy, righteous Creator.  The Bible teaches out of love for us God intervened by dying in our place in Romans 5:8:  "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  By faith in Jesus Christ we are given the right to become the children of God, to be redeemed from the curse of sin and death, and the righteousness of Jesus is graciously imputed to us.  In love God warns us about hell so we need never go there!  People scour search engines about hell and are easily deceived and led astray, but the Bible tells us the truth Christians ought to take to heart and boldly proclaim.  There is no reason to shy away from questions about hell when God has revealed the truth about it and the Way of escape.

The late great artist Crosby recently tweeted of heaven, "The place is overrated."  I wouldn't view any tweet as an authority on heaven, nor Google searches or cartoon depictions.  The Bible is the absolute authority on life and the only Way to abundant life Christ's offers is by grace through faith--God's own testimony of the risen Saviour Who ascended to heaven in the presence of eyewitnesses.  Heaven is a place in the presence of our merciful, compassionate and glorious God with light, life and fullness of joy.  How wondrous it is, not only to be saved from the destruction of hell but to be provided a life now and forever with God in His glorious presence.  All praise to our faithful Saviour as Jude 1:24-25 says:  "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, ²⁵ to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen."

The God of Mercy

"Then the Angel of the LORD answered and said, "O LORD of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?" ¹³ And the LORD answered the angel who talked to me, with good and comforting words."

Zechariah 1:12-13

The LORD is merciful, gracious and compassionate regardless of the circumstances of life we face.  Faith in God according to His word sustains us to endure the most troubling situations.  The children of Israel struggled during 70 years of captivity in Babylon, and even angels wondered how long judgment would be poured out on the people and Jerusalem and Judah for their sins.  The good and comforting answer of God spoke volumes, for He remained merciful even in judgment.

The prophet mused from the belly of the great fish in Jonah 2:8, "Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own Mercy."  And they had.  The children of Israel filled their cities with the blood of the innocent whose cries reached to heaven.  Century after century the required Sabbath rest was denied from the land and servants were not released at the allotted time.  God was merciful in His judgment of Israel and continued to regard them as His beloved people, those with whom He had made an everlasting covenant.  Before, during and after the long season in Babylon God remained faithful, and His mercies did not fail.

Jeremiah proclaimed in Lamentations 3:22-24:  "Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. ²³ They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ²⁴ "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I hope in Him!"  God is faithful to keep His word because He is ever faithful--even to the faithless.  We aren't told exactly the words God used to answer the angel, but they were good and comforting just like He always is.  The people consumed with idolatry were spared destruction because God is compassionate and faithful.  He is worthy to be praised and hoped in.  Blessed is the one whose hope is in the LORD, whose portion is the infinite God Who does everything with mercy.

Clinging to Jesus by Faith

I was blessed to consider the Man who wrestled with Jacob until the breaking of the day.  This Man who met Jacob was the aggressor, seeking to make Jacob submit and tap out.  On and on they wrestled as Jacob tried in vain to escape the Man's grasp.  The prophet spoke of the irony of Jacob who grabbed the heel of his brother in the womb was suddenly grabbed by the Angel of the LORD in Hosea 12:3-5:  "He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and in his strength he struggled with God. ⁴ Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; he wept, and sought favour from Him. He found Him in Bethel, and there He spoke to us--⁵ that is, the LORD God of hosts. The LORD is His memorable name."

Jacob had been met by God in a vision at the house of God, and then Elohim wrestled with Jacob in God's camp.  When day began to break the Man touched Jacob's thigh and dislocated his hip.  Jacob's tactics changed at that moment, for instead of trying to escape he refused to let go until he was blessed.  He realised when he looked into the face of the Man when dawn began to break, he was looking into the eyes of the God of his fathers, eyes that are able to perceive all things.  It was apparent the Man Jacob clung to could not be held unless He wanted to be, and God blessed Jacob there and gave him the new name of Israel.  God desires to be grasped so He can bless and make His strength perfect in our weakness.

After Jesus rose from the dead John 20:17 reads, "Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'"  In great physical pain Jacob clung to the LORD for a blessing, and since Jesus has gone to the Father those who trust Him are thus enabled to cling to Him in faith.  Jesus told His disciples it was for their advantage He would leave them because the Holy Spirit would be sent to comfort, teach and help them.  The Holy Spirit Who regenerates us empowers us to serve God faithfully as witnesses of Jesus.  It is through surrender to Jesus we are made more than conquerors through Him who loves us and purchased us with His own blood.

Abide in Christ, believer, and cling to Him in faith even in your greatest pain.  Without doubt you will discover blessing in Jesus not found or obtained elsewhere, not by our efforts, but according to the riches of His grace.