Freely Forgive

The struggles we face as human beings are complex.  Past experiences, personality, mental, physical, and spiritual dynamics converge to create imposing, seemingly impossible problems.  Something God is teaching me which vastly simplifies issues I face is deciding I am going to do things God's way.  There are two basic ways to approach any problem:  we can follow the world's way, or the way God has revealed through scripture.

As we go through this life, stuff clings to us.  We need to change our clothes and wash our hands and bodies with soap.  Even if we avoided dirty things, our skin excretes oil and sweat.  Stress raises our heart rate and physical activity can produce unpleasant odours.  Not a lovely thing to think upon, but it is the truth!  In a similar way to our physical need for cleansing and hygienic maintenance, our life experiences can load us down with cares, worries, and baggage.  We can be beset with sinful thoughts, be overtaken by sinful actions, and become steeped in bitterness and unforgiveness.  The Bible says in 1 John 1:9:  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  Through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven and cleansed from all sin which has enslaved us.

The world makes forgiveness a very complex issue.  For Christians, however, our basis for forgiving others is according to how God has forgiven us.  God has forgiven us at His own expense, as each applies the shed blood of Jesus Christ to our hearts by faith.  He has forgiven us of all sin not because we deserve it, not because we have promised never to sin again in the same way, or because we have become trustworthy:  He forgives us by His grace.  If we struggle with forgiving others, we only need to think of how gracious God has been to forgive us from our sins.  We are not worthy of forgiveness.  But God has freely given us the wondrous gift of forgiveness and reconciliation unto Himself.  As we have freely received, we ought to freely give.

As usual, God puts the onus upon us.  We can never blame anyone else for us not forgiving them.  No matter how vile the transgression, how real the pain, how terrible the offense, Christians are called to forgive.  Our forgiveness is to be without limit.  We should forgive others in our hearts even before they ask for forgiveness.  Sometimes we can be tricked by Satan into thinking that those who have hurt us have not suffered enough for their wrongs and so our refusal to forgive is justified.  We will make them pay!  In doing so we blasphemously claim Jesus did not suffer enough on the cross for sin.  What a wicked charge, that Jesus did not suffer enough or that His sacrifice was unworthy.  We can be reluctant to forgive because of questions like, "What if they do it again?" or "How can I have assurance they really mean it when they apologise?"  Forgiveness requires faith:  faith not in the person who we must forgive, but faith in Jesus.  Though He never did anything wrong, Jesus knows very intimately how it feels to be wronged.

Jesus plainly says in Mark 11:25-26:  "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. ²⁶ But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."  If you value God's forgiveness of your sins, then you will forgive others if they sin against you.  When we refuse to forgive, we show how little we value God's forgiveness.  We see Christ's sacrifice and our own sins as being insignificant.  But when our eyes our opened to the enormity of our sins and glory in Christ's gracious sacrifice of love on the cross, forgiveness is a natural response out of love for God.  Even if you don't "feel" like forgiving someone, forgive.  Place your faith in God by doing things His way.  In doing so we experience the fellowship of His suffering as Christ draws us to Himself with arms of love.

The Point of Preaching

I have heard it said, "In preaching the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."  The phrase is a bit simplistic, but few would argue against the truth it contains.  It is very easy in preaching to be swept up in current events or follow the tendency to often harp upon a single string of non-essential doctrine.  The imperative in preaching is to preach the Word as led by the Holy Spirit.  Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:1-2, "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: ² preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching."  Those who are called to pulpit ministry are not called to invent new truths, but to be a heavenly reminder of God's truth as revealed in scripture.  Nehemiah 8:8 reveals the gist of what all preachers should strive for:  "So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading."  The distinct truths of God's Word are to be rightly divided into portions easily partaken of and assimilated to mind, heart, and soul.  Sermons are vehicles to move people to look upon Jesus Christ in His glory.

I am no expert in the craft of preaching, and this only fuels my desire to become better.  C.H. Spurgeon is a preacher whose books have done me much good, especially Lectures to My Students.  The words may be ink printed on paper, but there is much gold in those pages.  Here is a final portion of a lecture titled "Sermons:  Their Matter" (pages 79-80):

Of all I would wish to say this is the sum; my brethren, preach CHRIST, always and evermore.  He is the whole gospel.  His person, offices, and work must be our one great, all-comprehending theme.  The world needs still to be told of its Saviour, and of the way to reach him.  Justification by faith should be far more than it is the daily testimony of Protestant pulpits; and if with this master-truth there should be more generally associated the other great doctrines of grace, the better for our churches and our age.  If with the zeal of Methodists we can preach the doctrine of Puritans a great future is before us.  The fire of Wesley, and the fuel of Whitfield, will cause a burning which shall set the forests of error on fire, and warm the very soul of this cold earth.  We are not called to proclaim philosophy and metaphysics, but the simple gospel.  Man's fall, his need for a new birth, forgiveness through an atonement, and salvation as the result of faith, these are our battle-axe and weapons of war.  We have enough to do to learn and teach these great truths, and accursed be that learning which shall divert us from our mission, or that willful ignorance which shall cripple us in its pursuit.  More and more am I jealous lest any views upon prophecy, church government, politics or even systematic theology, should withdraw one of us from glorying in the cross of Christ.  Salvation is a theme for which I would fain enlist every holy tongue.  I am greedy after witnesses for the glorious gospel of the blessed God.  O that Christ crucified were the universal burden of men of God.  Your guess at the number of the beast, your Napoleonic speculations, your conjectures concerning a personal Anti-christ - forgive me, I count them but mere bones for dogs; while men are dying, and hell is filling, it seems to me the veriest drivel to be muttering about an Armageddon at Sebastopol or Sadowa or Sedan, of Germany.  Blessed are they who read and hear the worlds of the prophecy of the Revelation, but the like blessing has evidently not fallen on those who pretend to expound it, for generation after generation of them have been proved to be in error by the mere lapse of time, and the present race will follow to the same inglorious sepulchre.  I would sooner pluck on single brand from the burning than explain all mysteries.  To win a soul from going down into the pit is a more glorious achievement than to be crowned in the arena of theological controversy as Doctor Sufficientissimus; to have faithfully unveiled the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ will be in the final judgment accounted worthier service than to have solved the problems of the religious Sphinx, or to have cut the Gordian knot of Apocalyptic difficulty.  Blessed is that ministry of which CHRIST IS ALL.

Couldn't have said it better, brother Spurgeon.  No really, I couldn't!  Though there is only one C.H. Spurgeon, and I am not him, we serve the same Saviour who through the Holy Spirit makes every believer useful in this life and in that which is to come.  In Christ we live and have our being.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  May our preaching be an act of worship as we glorify Jesus Christ!

Blessed to Give and Receive

Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).  While this is most certainly true, there is also great blessing in receiving.  What do we have as Christians that we have not received?  We have received great joy in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Romans 5:11).  1 Corinthians 2:12 states, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God."  As we read God's Word, the Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and understanding.  All that we have has been freely given to us from God.

God has given us much that we have yet to receive.  There are often conditions which must be met before we can receive what God freely offers.  If we will be honest, we are not always initially willing to meet His conditions.  Whether it be pride, ignorance, or foolishness, no one hinders us from receiving of God's goodness more than ourselves.  A prime example of this is seen in the upper room when Jesus girded Himself with a towel, taking the lowest role of a servant, and washed the disciples' feet.  When Jesus approached Peter to wash his feet, Peter would have none of that!  John 13:6-8 tells us, "Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, "Lord, are You washing my feet?" ⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this." ⁸ Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me."

Given the culture of the day, it is unlikely that Peter took issue with someone washing his feet.  He took issue with the idea of His Master, Jesus the Messiah, washing his feet!  Being the Master, this should not be done!  Peter didn't understand.  It didn't make any sense.  He flatly refused to submit to Jesus washing him.  "You shall never wash my feet!"  Then Jesus said, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with me."  Being washed by Christ was a condition of identifying, following, and being a partaker in His kingdom.  After hearing this, Peter backpedaled.  If that was the case, Peter asked that Jesus wash not only his feet, but his hands and head.  Peter was loyal to Jesus and loved Him.  He did not want Jesus to embrace dishonour by stooping to the role of a slave, for He was the Son of God.  But those who would honour Christ must obey Him.  They must submit to being washed by Him.

John 13:12-17 reads, "So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. ¹⁴ If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. ¹⁶ Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. ¹⁷ If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."  When Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, He gave them a living illustration and example.  He was their Lord, supreme in authority being God made flesh.  Yet Jesus humbled Himself and washed the feet of the disciples.  He even washed the feet of Judas who would that very night betray Him.  Jesus came to earth not be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:25).  As His followers, Christians are called to go and do likewise.  We are called to serve, to give, and to allow others to minister to us in Christ's name.

In washing the feet of the disciples, Jesus did more than remove the dust from feet.  He set an example for all to follow.  There is no job too low for Christ's followers.  No matter the need:  whether it is cleaning toilets, washing feet, dumping a bedpan, praying fervently for an enemy, giving sacrificially, we ought to serve as Christ did.  The example of such a servant is seen in Paul's description of a widow in1 Timothy 5:10:  "...well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work."  We all admire those who are humble servants, graciously giving and serving in Christ's name.

But here's the rub:  all the things the woman did to serve were for people who were willing to receive.  Every time she did a good work in lodging strangers there was a stranger willing to lodge with her.  Every time this widow washed feet there were people who were willing to allow her to wash their feet.  All those afflicted people she relieved needed to be willing participants.  What if there were some who refused to allow this widow to serve them because she was an old widow?  Perhaps she generously offered money to people who refused to take it from her hand because she was on a fixed income!  Are there numbered among us those too proud to receive from a widow's hand?  What she does unto you she does unto Christ!  Should we rob her of such a great reward and testimony for God's glory?  Some of us are fine with receiving forgiveness and eternal life from Christ for our sins which at one time doomed us to hell, but we will not receive aid from a brother or sister freely offered for God's glory.  God forbid that we would even ask for help or allow anyone to know we are struggling!  If we will receive from God eternal benefits and blessings, shouldn't we be willing to receive them from others?

It is more blessed to give than to receive.  As we have received from the LORD, so let us give!  May we be those who are humble both to give and receive for God's glory.

THE Voice

Millions of people in Australia are waiting with great anticipation because tonight the winner for "The Voice" Australia will be crowned.  Week after week, contestants have competed in the televised show for the title. What made the show intriguing from other talent-based reality shows is the judges first heard the contestants with their backs turned.  The focus was on the voice, not on appearance or showmanship.  Both judges and the public have weighed in to advance singers to the final four.  Tonight the winner will be revealed, and it's a tight race anyone can win.

As I was reading the Bible last night, it occurred to me that as amazing and talented as those four final artists are, they could never be "The Voice."  They may sing with power, skill, and beauty, but none of them are deserving of the title.  Psalm 68:33-34 reads, "To Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old! Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice. ³⁴ Ascribe strength to God; His excellence is over Israel, and His strength is in the clouds."  Now THAT is the voice!  It is the One who spoke into the void:  "Let there be light!"  and there was light (Genesis 1:3).  Darren Percival or Karise Eden have nothing on God's voice!  His voice does not simply invoke emotion or stir the soul:  God speaks with power to create worlds and destroy them.

The Voice has been an international reality singing sensation.  Every single voice, those who sing beautifully or not, have been created by God.  As Creator, God deserves the glory.  Man tends to make idols of those he admires, but the idols are not worthy of worship.  It is God who has created such beauty and given human beings the capacity to appreciate it.  King Herod was a man who received such glory from men.  As he gave an oration Acts 12:22-23 says, "And the people kept shouting, "The voice of a god and not of a man!" ²³ Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died."  No matter how well someone sings or speaks, we ought to bow the knee only before God Almighty.

Another interesting occurrence is recorded after Jesus Christ was baptised in water by John.  Matthew 3:16-17 captures the moment:  "When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. ¹⁷ And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  God the Father spoke from heaven, confirming before many witnesses that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah.  If we will tune in on Monday nights at 7:30 on Channel 9 to watch "The Voice," how much more important is it to heed THE Voice of God?  Job 37:5 says, "God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend."

What is the voice of a man or woman before God?  He says in Job 40:7-14:  "Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me: ⁸ "Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified? ⁹ Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His? ¹⁰ Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, and array yourself with glory and beauty. ¹¹ Disperse the rage of your wrath; look on everyone who is proud, and humble him. ¹² Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low; tread down the wicked in their place. ¹³ Hide them in the dust together, bind their faces in hidden darkness. ¹⁴ Then I will also confess to you that your own right hand can save you."  Who can be compared to God?  There is none like Him, in heaven or on earth.  No one can thunder with a voice like God!

How gracious and good is God who put on human flesh so He would have a voice which could be heard and understood.  God does not only thunder from the heavens, but gives an invitation of salvation to all people.  John 7:37 reads, "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink."  Also in Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  Have you heard?  Listen to His voice today!