Peaceable Fruit of Righteousness

"Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. ¹² Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, ¹³ and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed."

Hebrews 12:11-13

The writer of Hebrews exhorted Christians not to be faint or become weary of God's chastening for sin, for it was not a rejection of them but their wickedness.  His divine correction affirmed they were God's beloved children, and this ought to be a cause us to rejoice greatly.  Jesus endured great hostility from sinners against Himself, and with Christ in us Christians can endure hostility from sinners as well as God's chastening by the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Being chastened and disciplined is painful, yet by faith in God it will work to yield pleasant fruit in our lives:  the peaceable fruit of righteousness.  Being chastened and corrected for sin trains God's people to learn to lay aside every weight and the sin that easily ensnares us, and God is faithful to help us run the race He has set before us with endurance as we look to Jesus.  Training to learn a new skill, to improve in a sport or the mastery of an instrument requires practice and repetition.  It is easy to develop bad habits, thus frequent correction is required for us to learn the fundamentals.  As we learn to surrender our lives to Jesus in obedience to His instruction, God will cause our lives to yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness and holiness.

The writer of Hebrews says in light of this, we ought to strengthen hands which hang down and the feeble knees.  Training can be exhausting, and repeated failures can be demoralising.  We can feel down and overwhelmed by the extent of our sinfulness and chastening from God even though it is for our good.  We can focus on how sinful we are when our eyes ought to be fixed on the sinless Saviour.  The hanging hands and feeble knees can be descriptive of individuals as well as a body of believers, for we are members of one another.  Everyone is at a different stage in their spiritual growth, and in our growing seasons we can help bear the burdens of the weak, encourage and edify them with godly living.  Verse 13 says Christians ought to make straight paths for our feet so what is lame may be healed rather than being dislocated.

A dislocated foot renders a person unable to stand or walk at all due to debilitating pain.  The first part of James 3:2 reminds us, "We all stumble in many things."  It is easy to stumble when we did not notice a kerb or we failed to lift our feet high enough over uneven ground.  These sort of things happen at times to everyone who walks--and is spiritually true concerning our walk of faith.  Choosing to follow Jesus and walking in His steps according to guidance of Scripture and the Holy Spirit promotes healing of lame ankles.  In a spiritual sense we are all lame, and by the miraculous power of Jesus and the Gospel we are empowered to live God's way that works to restore our health and strength.  Rather than despising God's chastening, we ought to submit to Him so our lives will produce the peaceable fruit of righteousness.

Our Goals and God's Destinations

During discussion groups at church camp, one of the questions I wanted to ponder more deeply is how our goals are often different to God’s intended destinations.  As people living in this world, our goals relates to here and now—to what will be passing away.  We seek God’s guidance in decisions we make, not realising every trial and circumstance of life we wish could change can be used by God to change us.  We set our sights on making money, having a successful career or what we will do after retirement when God is working spiritually to make us wiser, reliant upon Him and quicker to obey His word every day.

For Christians, we know our home is in heaven.  Ultimately God will call us come to be with Jesus forever, and we will enjoy the presence of the LORD glorified free from sin, sorrow, pain and death.  One thing about goals we often make is they are quantifiable.  We work towards buying a house, earning a raise, or winning the competition.  So we save, exert ourselves and train hard, hoping to obtain our goal.  Our goals can also be arbitrary, limited by our perceived abilities or opportunities.  We imagine what we can accomplish and work for it, forgetting God routinely does what is impossible and unthinkable.

One theme we have discussed at camp is in Hebrews 12:1, that we ought to lay aside every weight and sin that easily ensnares us and run with endurance the race God has set before us.  The Christian walk is not followed by charting our own course but following Jesus closely, submitting to Him by faith and obedience.  We never know the circumstances God will allow in our lives or the scenery we will observe along the way, but we can know the end result of following Jesus is good and glorious.  The blessings and benefits we have in Christ are not just for heaven but for the journey as we pass as pilgrims through this life.  Though we can stubbornly have our goals in mind, God is faithful to bring us to His desired destinations by sanctifying us to be more like Him.

John 6:16-21 contains a wonderful picture of how receiving Jesus results in Him bringing us to His desired shore:  “Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷ got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. ¹⁸ Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. ¹⁹ So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. ²⁰ But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” ²¹ Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.”  Jesus had gone to a mountain by himself, and the disciples found themselves in the dark night rowing for miles against the wind.  Initially they were startled and afraid to see Jesus drawing near to them, but when they willingly received Him into the boat immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

Willingly receiving Jesus changes everything.  In the case of His disciples, the difficulty of the task of rowing was overshadowed by the miraculous power of Christ to do immediately what they could never have done.  At the same time, the toil and trouble is not without purpose, for God is able to use the journey and process to build our faith, inspire our confidence in Him, and entrust ourselves to His guidance.  Those who fear God and heed His word will be greatly helped to go beyond reaching our goals and experience God’s miraculous power in and through our lives.  We can spend a great deal of energy trying to achieve our goals and labour to change the course of our lives rather than simply trusting and obeying Jesus today!

Being Baptised

When it comes to Christians being baptised, I have seen varying levels of emphasis.  The common extremes are problematic, that it is necessary for salvation or because it is not required for salvation it is unnecessary!  The Gospel is clear the salvation of sinners is by grace through faith in Jesus alone, and baptism is necessary for obedience.  Jesus commanded His disciples to proclaim His death by receiving communion together and also said in Matthew 28:19-20:  "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen."  Both receiving communion and being baptised in water are symbolic of what Jesus has accomplished for us, outward acts pointing to Christ's inner works.

John the Baptist came baptising in water, and his baptism was one of repentance.  Jesus was baptised by John not on account of sin but to "fulfill all righteousness" and provided an example His disciples were to follow.  When Jesus was baptised and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, it revealed to John, Israel and the world He was the promised Messiah (John 1:32-34).  Being baptised in water is more than a ceremony or public declaration, for it identifies people as followers of Jesus.  In our modern day the public aspects of this act of obedience can become a hindrance to actually doing it because baptisms can become complicated, scheduled social events that bear little resemblance to the Christian practice observed in the book of Acts.

As I leaf through the pages of Acts, being baptised was the first baby step of faith a believer took after repenting and trusting in Jesus as Saviour.  There were no sign-ups, classes to complete or hoops to jump through.  Quite simply, baptism was something done right away--and it was something church leaders and those being born again desired and were happy to do without delay.  Here are some examples in the book of Acts:

• 3,000 people were baptised on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem in Acts 2:41:  "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them."

• The Ethiopian Eunuch met by Philip in Acts 8:36-37:  "Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" ³⁷ Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."

• Saul of Tarsus after his conversion in Acts 9:18:  "Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized."

• Cornelius and his household after the Holy Spirit came upon them in Acts 10:47-48:  "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" ⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days."

• Lydia and her household were baptised after believing in Acts 16:14-15:  "Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. ¹⁵ And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." So she persuaded us."

• The Philippian jailer and his household in Acts 16:30-33:  "And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" ³¹ So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." ³² Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized."

• About 12 men in Ephesus were baptised in the name of Jesus who previously had been baptised by John in Acts 19:4-5:  "Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." ⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."

This pattern we observe in the New Testament of born again Christians being baptised immediately has not always been a practice in modern churches.  There are differences in the way people are baptised and where is considered acceptable, but the most important thing is we obey our Saviour to make disciples and baptise believers in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things Jesus has commanded us.  Baptism is a good first step of obedience to Jesus and should not be reduced to an afterthought or based on how we feel.  Paul wrote baptism illustrates how we have been raised with Christ and the profound change He has made in our lives going forward in Romans 6:3-4:  "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

A Simple Touch

This morning I read the passage where Daniel had been fasting for 3 weeks and saw a vision of a glorious man by the Tigris river.  The men who were with him did not see the man but quaked with fear and fled, whilst Daniel beheld the man and fell on his face in a deep sleep.  Suddenly a hand touched Daniel, and he rose to his hands and knees, for he still lacked strength to stand.  The angelic messenger spoke in Daniel 10:11, "And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling."  Having been without bread and wine for weeks, coupled with the glorious vision, Daniel's weakness was apparent.

After the delivered the message, Daniel looked to the ground and was unable to speak.  Daniel 10:16-19 reads, "And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, "My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength. ¹⁷ For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me." ¹⁸ Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me. ¹⁹ And he said, "O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!" So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me."  Daniel was touched on the lips by an angel and was able to speak, though he was rendered weak from the experience.  Again, he was touched and strengthened by the angel who told Daniel not to be afraid, reminded him he was loved, spoke peace and exhorted him to be strong.

There were a couple of occasions when Jesus was ministered to by angels who are spirits sent by God to do His will.  After Jesus endured a fast that spanned 40 days and temptation from the devil, Matthew 4:11 says:  "Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him."  When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest and crucifixion--while His disciples slumbered--Luke 22:43 says, "Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him."  When Daniel and Jesus were alone and physically weak, angels were sent to minister to and strengthen them.  With Jesus Christ as our Saviour, Christians know we can be without fear because we are beloved and Jesus is our peace; in our weakness His strength is made perfect.  Our ability to be strong in the LORD and in the power of His might is graciously provided by the Holy Spirit.

While Jesus can use angels to strengthen us, He is also able to use words from the Bible, brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ the church, or anything He wills to remind and encourage us to press on in faith and obedience to Jesus.  We are called to be like Daniel, admitting our weakness before the LORD and our brethren, delighting in God's love expressed to us by any instrument He chooses.  I remember fondly years ago I was greatly encouraged by a brief lunchtime visit where friendly fellowship with a brother in Christ, a toasty and a lap dog was used greatly by the LORD to lift my spirits by that personal touch.  By faith and reliance upon Jesus who chooses to employ a personal touch from God's people, God strengthens us to speak and stand.  Isn't it more miraculous God can use a born again believer to convey His love with a personal touch than an angelic messenger?