The Final Offering

A child born into royalty could take much for granted.  This child would not know hunger or cold like the starving daughter of a farmer whose parents cannot afford wood to heat their dwelling.  It must be a severe famine indeed to impact the palace kitchen of the king and queen.  The prince or princess would never know the feeling of a parent imprisoned or the need to help raise little brothers or sisters with servants at the ready.  The fact their father is the king would influence their perspective and attitude.  It would take losing everything to begin to realise how much of their lives was foreign to the rest of the subjects of the realm.

After coming to Jesus Christ as poor beggars, our heavenly Father has adopted us as His own children by faith in our Saviour and LORD.  Our humble background as street urchins creates a very different problem to the one raised in the luxury royalty affords:  we do not realise what is ours as children of God.  God has fitted us with a robe of righteousness and we use it for a dog's mattress.  Instead of drinking from the goblet of heavenly joy and peace we try to satisfy our thirst lapping from puddles fouled by the hooves of horses and donkeys.  We have the best teacher in Jesus and the Holy Spirit who has provided the word of God but we are not familiar with the material or God's patient methods of teaching.  We are more taken watching boys wallow in a street fight than comprehending spiritual truths that transform our lives from within.  A man who learned to navigate the sewers in darkness as a boy suddenly finds himself through the Gospel accepted, embraced, washed, and thrust into a life he never imagined as a child of God.

Before stepping foot into the palace a common person would have heard many things about the king, and a lot of them would be untrue.  There are many things he would continue to believe until he was corrected or learned by experience.  So it is for us who are children of God by faith in Jesus.  Religions and "spiritual" people are riddled with error when not grounded in Bible truth, and we are naturally hostile towards God and His ways.  The scriptures explain to the unregenerate the wisdom of God appears foolishness (I Cor. 2:14).  When we are born again our disjointed souls are snapped into the proper orientation--like when a dislocated knee is set.  Our eyes are opened to see lavish blessings we could not have dreamed were possible given our past.

One of these is found in the book of Hebrews.  The writer sets the stage by saying Jesus came according to the will of God to establish a new covenant which supersedes the Law of Moses.  Hebrews 10:10-18 says, "By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ¹¹ And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹² But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. ¹⁴ For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. ¹⁵ But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, ¹⁶ "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them," ¹⁷ then He adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." ¹⁸ Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin."

Isn't it amazing followers of Jesus have been sanctified through Him once for all?  Through Jesus we are perfected forever as those being sanctified.  God no longer deals with us according to our sin but the grace of God and just forgiveness through the Gospel.  Because He does not remember our sins and lawless deeds any more, having provided remission of these, "there is no longer an offering for sin."  There is literally nothing we can do to add to the sacrifice Jesus has made for us, no penance or lessons to be learned:  when Jesus said "It is finished!" it is true concerning the payment for our sins and acceptance into His fold by faith in Him.  After His resurrection Jesus taught His amazed disciples that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations (Luke 24:27).  The foundational precept of nearly all religions in this world emphasise what man must do to be accepted by God:  Christianity is unique in declaring what God has done so sinful men by faith in Jesus alone are declared righteous and sanctified.

Praise be to God for His marvelous love towards men!  We were lost and without hope in the world, had no power to save ourselves, blind and headed for hell, and the Light of the World shines upon us by the grace of God.  As citizens of heaven whose eyes have been opened let us open our hearts to receive the timeless truth of the Bible and the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth.  We are blessed for coming to Christ in faith at the first, but let us also go on with Him--growing in love towards God and more fully understanding the implications of our inheritance as children of God.  In light of what Jesus has done it is our reasonable service to offer ourselves as living sacrifices unto God, rejoicing to serve and glorify Him now and forever.

Heeding Wise Counsel

"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise."

Proverbs 12:15

The definition of a fool in the Proverbs is a person whose words and actions deny the existence of God.  Instead of looking to God for the right way he follows the impulses of his own heart.  The eyes of a fool are blind to the wisdom of God found in His word and sees no need for a so called "god" in his life.  The fool is unwittingly in a harrowing predicament and what is worse is he cannot see the danger of going his own way which leads to ruin.  When a boxer sees the glove coming he steels himself to absorb the shot, yet the fool does not notice the telegraphed punch his own folly brings like a hammer upon him.

There is a folly found in youth, a self-confident assumption of knowing all the important facts.  There is a folly found in older people too, a cynical attitude built on distrust and shattered expectations.  They risked following the counsel of others and found themselves taken advantage of.  The danger of heeding counsel is when the counselor is deceitful, corrupt, or just plain wrong.  In contrast to fools the wise are determined by their faith in God and reliance upon Him.  Solomon wrote in Proverbs 19:20-21, "Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days. ²¹ There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the LORD'S counsel--that will stand."  Blessed is the man who speaks with God, and more blessed is the one who hears Him.  It is the one who hears who is led by God in what to say and do.

God's word and counsel will stand forever.  To heed God's counsel is to walk wisely, and the idea of heeding is to hear, take to heart, and walk accordingly.  The implication of heeding God's counsel is it was not our natural impulse or desire.  This means humbling ourselves by laying aside our own ideas and plans with the intent to listen and do what God has said.  There is no shortage of advice concerning health, wealth, happiness, and fulfillment inside and outside the church, and even well-meaning people can lead us astray from God's will with their convincing arguments.  That is why it is critical for us to know God's word and not to deviate from His timeless truth in belief and practice.  Familiarity with the genuine helps us recognise cheap imitations.

Jesus said in John 10:27-30, "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. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. ³⁰ I and My Father are one."  Amid the confused multitudes of voices shouting for our attention, the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ speaks.  Do you recognise the voice of the One who has opened your eyes, the One who has become for us wisdom from God (1 Cor. 1:30-31)?  Let Jesus Christ be the One we seek, heed, and follow along with others who fear God.

Our Strong Confidence

"In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge. ²⁷ The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death."

Proverbs 14:26-27

Self-confidence is often viewed as beneficial but the Bible teaches preoccupation with self is a snare.  To put confidence in self is to put confidence in man, and Psalm 118:8 says plainly "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man."  Better than self-consciousness is for God's people to be cognisant of God's presence and promises.

Many of the things which provide self-confidence for people are transient and dare I say--vain.  I grew up watching sport with ads on television aimed at balding men and how re-growing your own hair bolstered confidence in the workplace or with women.  Other ads targeted men who still had hair and in the space of time it takes to shower an ageing fellow could be "back in the game" with hair, eyebrows, and beard devoid of unsightly grey.  Samson was a young man with flowing hair who had self-confidence and women in ample supply yet this misplaced confidence led him to ruin.

It is a good thing when our self-confidence is shaken because it shows we have been relying on ourselves, abilities, or listening to the praises of people rather than seeking and relying on the LORD.  In Christian ministry self-confidence is a snare because we can only serve the LORD and walk uprightly through faith in Him.  Woe to the man or woman who brims with self-confidence to do the LORD's work!  When the criticism is relentless, people leave the church because of you (and tell you this to your face), and you feel an absolute failure, what good with self-confidence do you then?  In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and in Him we have a place of refuge.

How liberating and wonderful it is to be free of the snare of self-confidence which leads to the fear of man and vain effort to please men.  Degrees of success, however, allow self-confidence to secretly wrap its coils around our hearts again.  The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life which gives us confidence our feet shall not be moved regardless of what happens to us because we stand by the grace of God on the foundation of Jesus Christ.  Having been called, chosen, and loved by God we submit humbly to His sovereign rule, bowing our grey and bald heads in praise and worship of One who alone is worthy.  He is our strong confidence Who endures forever.

The Freshness of the Old

While at Camp Kedron I had an amusing interaction with a camper.  Kids who did not bring Bibles were loaned a Bible for the duration of camp.  A older primary-aged girl came up to me and asked for a different Bible.  "Could I have a different Bible?  This one is old."  I glanced to see what version of Bible it was and found it was a contemporary English version.  Then I guessed what prompted her request:  that she noticed there was an Old Testament and she nodded.  I told her, "This Bible is perfectly fine for you.  In fact, you need to have the Old Testament to better understand the New Testament."  We live in a world where "old" is synonymous with "outdated" and "irrelevant," yet the the Old Testament contains fresh truth for those who glean among those ancient passages.

Today I read when God changed Abram's name to Abraham and made a covenant with him.  The first covenant God made with Abram required the sacrifice of animals the Spirit of God passed through.  God established an everlasting covenant with Abraham and his descendants by commanding he and all his household be circumcised.  It was a covenant sealed with his own blood as he cut away flesh in an area required for human procreation.  God promised in the space of a year Sarai (whose name God changed to Sarah) would conceive and give birth to a son to be named Isaac in their old age.  Genesis 17:23 reads, "So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God had said to him."  Abraham's faith in God, obedience, and submission to God's ordinance is a timeless and powerful example to all.

Circumcision of males eight days old was later incorporated into the Law of Moses and has been followed religiously by Orthodox Jews and others until this day.  God spoke of a new covenant which would supercede the old in Jeremiah 31:31-33:  "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- ³² not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. ³³ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."  This new covenant would not be limited to the Jewish nation only.  God offers this agreement freely by grace through faith to all people who trust in Jesus Christ and are born again by the Holy Spirit.  Instead of pride in our flesh followers of Jesus are humbled to have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them as a down-payment of their salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Abraham's willingness to circumcise himself, his sons, and all the males of his household has much to teach us today.  The Law alluded to physical circumcision as pointing to an inner work now made possible through the Holy Spirit.  Deuteronomy 10:14-18 says, "Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it. ¹⁵ The LORD delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day. ¹⁶ Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. ¹⁷ For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. ¹⁸ He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing."  In John 10:16 Jesus spoke of sheep from another fold He called to follow, Gentiles He called to follow Him so there might be one fold and one Shepherd.  Paul goes into great detail on this point in Ephesians 2-3.

Abraham did not earn God's favour by his obedience but willingly entered into it by doing as God said.  James 4:6-7 says, "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." ⁷ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."  Even as our love of God is practically shown towards our brothers, so our submission to God is evidenced in honouring governing authorities as it is written in 1 Peter 2:13-17:  "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, ¹⁴ or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. ¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men--¹⁶  as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. ¹⁷ Honour all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king."  If David would not utter a harsh word against the murderous King Saul, should we speak ill of or despise those God has put in authority over us?

The lesson impressed upon me from Abraham's response to God is one of humility, submission to God, and obedience--three themes often repeated in the New Testament.  There is hardly a word more grating to a proud and independent soul than the word "submit."  Abraham was required to submit to a delicate surgery by his own hand, and the believer who submits to follow Jesus Christ in faith is also required to trust God when obedience to Him stings.  Consider the sufferings of Jesus Christ on the cross, pierced hands and feet, heart skewered through with false accusations and scornful words.  Abraham circumcised himself and Jesus humbled Himself, took the form of a servant, and embraced the cross in obedience to the Father's will.  Those who believe will obey and those who humble themselves before God He will exalt.  Praise the LORD there is healing in our God evidenced by our risen Saviour Jesus, and beyond this life of endless testing eternal glory awaits.