God's Good Purposes

Today we sang in church, "You make all things work together for my good."  This is entirely biblical, yet it does not mean we always actually believe this is true.  If we believed this was true without fail, we would receive every trial and trouble in life as a gift from our good and gracious God.  There would be no angry venting over what frustrates us, bitterness over what grieves us, or complaining.  Fear, worries and anxiety over unknowns because of our God we know and knows us.  Like Paul's exhortation to the Philippians, believing God makes all things work together for good enables us to rejoice in the LORD always, even when we experience sorrow and pain.

In the moment we cannot change the feelings or emotions that flood through our bodies or the thoughts that pepper our minds, but the born again Christian can build our entire lives upon the reality of God and His word.  God has revealed His goodness, power and sovereignty over all in His word, and these facts enable us to reject ungodly thoughts and replace them with God-honouring ones.  Even our feelings can be addressed by examining our hearts with the aid of the Holy Spirit Who guides us into all truth.  Knowing God makes all things work together for our good is a decent start, yet examples from the Bible actually go further.  The death and resurrection of Jesus did not only work together for the glory of Jesus Christ, but for the good of all who trust in Him forever.

Romans 8:27-30 says, "Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. ²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."  This "working together for good" is connected with the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of born-again Christians.  Jesus makes intercession for saints (Christian believers) according to God's will, and we can be assured all things work together for good to those who love God.  We are those God knew before we knew Him, has predestined us to be conformed into the image of Jesus, and we are made His brethren--adopted into the family of God by faith.  Our future through Christ has been determined, and we are complete in Him.

Since God is working all things together for our good and His glory, we labour to do what pleases God.  The most fundamental work we can do, according to Jesus, is to believe on Him.  Regardless of how we feel or what happens (or seems to take forever to happen!), we can know God's good plans and purposes are being brought to fruition.  A thing that seems bad in itself, when coupled in context with good purpose, is acceptable to us--like the necessary incision of a surgeon who aims to cut out all the cancer.  Realising God and His ways and thoughts are above ours brings us to a place of contentment and rest in Him, even when we do not understand why God has allowed something or how to respond to it.  Praise the LORD He makes all things work together for good to those who love God, and may we be numbered among those who love Him because He is good.

Born Again and Belonging

A new baby being born is a significant event because a new person has come into the world.  This addition will have a huge impact on parents and family members for a lifetime.  The existence of one person has the power to make a difference in the lives of others long after their lives on earth are over.  Just yesterday I opened a book compiled of journals written in 1738 by John Wesley and I was positively affected by what I read.  Even when a child is conceived and sadly miscarried shortly thereafter, the parents will always remember what happened.

The teaching of Jesus to Nicodemus concerning the need of sinners to be born again to enter the kingdom of God is necessary and profound.  Being born again by faith in Jesus is a more incredible spiritual change as it is a physical change from a baby in utero to being a walking, talking adult.  Being born again is not gradual or progressive but in an instant going from being dead in sins to being raised to new life, made righteous by receiving the Gospel.  The Holy Spirit floods into our being, having been forgiven of all sin, deemed righteous by God's grace, and we are adopted into the family of God.  Our bodies retain the same flesh that is perishing, but our inward man is renewed daily by the presence of God within us.

Jesus addressed Jewish people in Jerusalem who were offended He claimed God was His Father, and they mocked Him as crazy and demon possessed.  Still, they wondered if Jesus actually believed He was the Messiah.  John 10:25-28 says, "Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. ²⁶ But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. ²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand."  Jesus identified Himself previously as the Good Shepherd, and the refusal of His hearers to believe Him showed they were not His sheep.  Some would write-off these unregenerate people as doomed to destruction in hell, and indeed they were.  But they did not need to remain that way!  They also could be born again if they would humble themselves and believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God!

In the preceding passage Jesus said in John 10:16:  "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."  Jesus is LORD of all and the Good Shepherd to Jew and Gentile alike.  Whosoever will receive Him is given the right to become a child of God according to His will (John 1:12-13).  There was hope by faith in Jesus even for those who rejected and crucified our LORD, for He died to atone for the sin of the world.  Every believer was once an unbeliever, and the end of the chapter illustrates well the power of Christ to change hearts and minds after He went beyond the Jordan in John 10:41-42:  "Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true." ⁴² And many believed in Him there."  People who took up stones to slay Jesus in Jerusalem later believed in Him beyond the Jordan.  These who previously were not His sheep were born again, accepted in the beloved and belonged in His fold (Eph. 1:6).  Praise God for the new birth provided by His grace!

We Remember Him

"They shall grow not old,

as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them,

nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun

and in the morning

We will remember them."

Ode of Remembrance

Yesterday I rose early and went with many others throughout Australia, New Zealand and across the globe to an ANZAC dawn service.  There may have been well over a thousand people who lined the streets in front of the cenotaph, standing in the dark chill of the morning for the sober occasion.  25 April is the anniversary of the first military action of Australians and New Zealanders in the first World War on the shores of Gallipoli.  It is also a time to remember those who have served and died in war for our nation.  It is a longstanding tradition to gather at dawn to remember them, lest we forget.

One thing that is always well done at the ANZAC dawn services I have attended is an explanation of what ANZAC Day stands for and why we gather.  The structure to the service is fairly predictable:  a welcome, prayer, hymns (favourites are "Abide with Me" and "Here's to the Heroes"), the recitation of the Ode, wreath laying as bagpipes are played, the Last Post is performed with a bugle, a minute of silence followed by The Rouse on the bugle, and the singing of the Australia and New Zealand national anthems.  A diverse group of people and families, young and old, united together in the street to remember and honour the fallen.  Next to a man standing at attention, his jacket adorned in medals and a sprig of rosemary, a mother tended to an infant in a pram.  It was wonderful to see this meaningful tradition being observed by parents who brought their children along.

Attending ANZAC Day dawn services is a common tradition for many that has been passed down through generations.  Anyone who goes to a service is reminded why we gather.  No one is there because it is a convenient hour, because of the quality of the amplification system, to be entertained by musicians, the rousing speeches by guest dignitaries or the angelic voices of a choir.  There was no comfortable seating available or air conditioning.  Those who gathered did so to remember the ANZACs and those who died in war and military operations.  When your mind is focused on this meaningful purpose for attending a dawn service, the discomfort of standing still for an hour on cold concrete, auditory pain of feedback through the speakers or the distraction of out-of-sync music and singers will pose no hindrance from returning the following ANZAC Day.

I feel the same concerning regular attendance to church where, with great fondness and admiration, we remember our LORD Jesus Christ who gave His life for us lost sinners.  If going to church is only a tradition and bereft of meaning or purpose, the quality of the sound system, comfort of the seats and air conditioning, and style of the preacher can deter us from continuing to attend.  Whether in church leadership or a parishioner, we can be drawn to focus on style over substance and actually be distracted from our primary focus:  to love, serve and worship God and one another in unity as the Body of Christ.  We gather for prayer, study and to sing praise, choosing to pour out our lives as a living sacrifice to God which is our reasonable service.  As people and families young and old met at the cenotaph at the break of dawn, so believers ought to frequently gather together to remember Him:  our Saviour Jesus.

Born Again to Be

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you."

Ephesians 4:31-32

Some are under the impression Christianity is little more than a list of "do's and don'ts" Christians themselves do not always live up to.  This view can be formed due to the personal experience of feeling condemned by professing Christians, the pricking of a  person's own conscience and the changes we observe in people due to personal convictions after receiving Christ.  This really does not begin to tell the story of what Jesus does in transforming a person from within.  It isn't a matter of doing but of being, and verses like this one in the book of Ephesians emphasise this continually.

It would be a mistake to reduce Christianity to following a checklist, as the Law of Moses proved without a doubt man is incapable to keep God's commands.  God gave the Jews His laws so they would realise they naturally were not righteous but wicked, and this awakened their need for atonement, forgiveness and salvation.  Paul said the Law of Moses was like a tutor that led them by the hand to Jesus our Saviour.  When a person believes in Jesus Christ as the Messiah--God in human flesh who died on the cross, rose from the dead and has ascended to heaven--is born again and receives eternal life.  By the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit both Jew and Gentile are then empowered by God to do His will and walk in obedience to Him.

Mankind is born a slave to sin, and it is Jesus alone Who sets us free from the penalty and power of sin.  Because of Christ's life in them, Christians are able to put off the sins of bitterness, wrath, evil speaking and malice because of who God has made us to be.  Notice how Paul wrote, "Be kind to one another."  This is more than showing kindness but being kind, a spiritual transformation having taken place.  As Jesus Christ has done for us, because we are in Him we are also free to do this for others.  Jesus said in Luke 6:36:  "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  Kindness and mercy demonstrated by Jesus is not something we try to do but the way we are and can be because He is in us.

This "being" is something God desired from His people from the start as written in Deuteronomy 18:13:  "You shall be blameless before the LORD your God."  Jesus doubled-down on this in Matthew 5:48:  "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  We all know we are not perfect, and no amount of effort can accomplish this.  I grew up playing with superhero action figures and read comics that demonstrated the "powers" of each hero.  Superman had x-ray vision, could fly and had incredible strength because he was Superman.  He also had weakness to kryptonite his enemies often exploited.  It was not a challenge for Superman to use his powers, and it was impossible to change his weakness because of who he was and his planet of origin.  The only way for Superman to be able to overcome kyptonite was to avoid it or by the help of others.

This picture of helpless Superman is fitting for all mankind, for we are all born doomed to death because of our sin.  It is only by being born again by Jesus we are made new creations, having been freed from the power of sin and death by our Saviour.  We can now live as the people God has created us to be:  kind, compassionate, forgiving, merciful and perfect in God's sight.  Because we have been changed on the inside, we are commanded to put off the sins of the flesh and intentionally labour to follow the example of Jesus Who always did the will of His Father in heaven.  It is God Who works in us both to will and do of His good pleasure.  People outside the kingdom of God can see the effort we make to avoid sin and the good we do as oppressive rules to follow rather than expressions of the reality of Christ in us and we in Him.  Praise the LORD for the opportunity to be born again, to be free indeed from the tyranny of the sin, the flesh and Satan.