Kept In God's Love

In the short but weighty book of Jude, believers are provided a strong exhortation to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints.  More than watching others like a hawk, Jude desired believers would continue to faithfully walk in the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ themselves without straying.  Unless we are holding fast to Christ in truth any effort to keep others in line will be a fruitless exercise in hypocrisy and will end in our ruin.

Jude reminded Christians of the judgment God brought upon erring angels and unbelieving people in times past as a warning of the danger of sin and apostasy.  He provided examples of those who corrupted themselves in Jude 1:11:  "Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah."  All these men acknowledged God's existence:  Cain conversed with God, Balaam was a genuine prophet of God, and Korah was a Levite called by God to the service of the tabernacle.  Despite this, the envious, murderous way of Cain led to him being cursed by God.  Balaam was greedy for money and honour, willing to curse God's people for a price.  He ended up being hewed down by the sword of Israel (Joshua 13:22).  Korah led a rebellion of 250 men against the LORD that directly led to his death when God caused the earth to open and swallow him.

These examples show having a relationship with God, being gifted as a prophet of God and being given authority and a calling by God does not ensure our hearts will remain steadfast in the faith.  Jude pointed out people like these could be found in their own love feasts, and the implication is it could be anyone--even readers who were shocked by this allegation.  In contrast to those who murmured, complained, walking according to their lusts, boasting, mockers and men-pleasers, Jude 1:20-21 exhorted:  "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."  As we walk in faith and obedience to Christ in love, we are to speak to God in prayer and look to Jesus for mercy.

If the book of Jude fills you with fear or trepidation of coming judgment, that is not the desired effect for a contrite child of God.  If it fell to our efforts to keep ourselves in the love of God, we would never achieve such a position nor would we be able to maintain in.  The book finishes with a flourish in Jude 1:24-25:  "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."  We are not worthy, and we are not able:  but God is.  Not only does God bid us stand by His grace and keep us from stumbling, but the LORD is able to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.  How glorious is our awesome Redeemer who keeps us in His love, builds our faith, intercedes for us in prayer and meets our gaze with mercy.

Jesus Changes People

Using the right tool for a job helps accomplish the task set before you.  I learned the hard way that using the wrong tool is not only ineffective and inefficient, but it can damage the tool so it doesn't work properly to do what it was designed to do.  I made the mistake of using a Crescent wrench (spanner) as a hammer to tap on a bolt, and the result of this was misshaped steel prevented the jaw from opening fully.  Knowing the purpose of a spanner helps to use it properly, but knowing what a tool is made to do doesn't prevent laziness inside of me that decided to use a spanner rather than fetch a hammer.

Therein lies the limitation of having knowledge and being educated:  it doesn't fundamentally change you.  Educating minds has value, but all the knowledge in the world cannot change your heart.  This is where education as an end falls woefully short of the way people desire it to work.  They prescribe education of the mind believing it will change people for the better.  People who can read warnings with an understanding language will not always make a conscious choice in light of the facts they know.  A driver in NSW does not need an advertisement on TV or a warning written on a bottle containing alcohol that it is illegal and dangerous to drink and drive.  People still do it, despite their education and training, because they choose to.

When the boys were little, we had a hollow red and blue plastic ball filled with golden shapes.  It was a fun activity for the little fellas when I dumped out the shapes and showed them how to fit them through the matching hole.  It was frustrating when a similarly shaped piece would not fit into the hole (I'm looking at you, pentagon and hexagon):  try as they might, they could not force it inside the ball.  Many people in the world, and I include Christians in the number, are frustrated when we prescribe education for what only spiritual transformation can accomplish.  It makes no sense to aim for rehabilitation when a person was never righteous to begin with.  Education and training cannot change a heart or soul for good:  only Jesus does this.

Saul of Tarsus is a great example of this.  He was a highly educated man in the Law of Moses, a theologian and Pharisee who was filled with pride and self-righteousness.  His violent hatred of Jesus Christ prompted him to do unspeakable evils to disciples of Jesus, went to great lengths to ferret them out and arrest them, and even approved of Stephen's murder--knowing full well the Law said, "Thou shalt not murder."  But after Jesus met Saul on the road to Damascus, he was born again and was transformed from the inside out.  He went from being Saul of Tarsus to Paul the apostle, sent by God to the Gentiles to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ without price.  He worked with his hands to support the ministry and patiently endured great suffering as he encouraged fellow Christians to persevere with joy.  Saul did not need a course in anger management:  who he needed was Jesus, and to put his faith in Him as LORD.

It is no surprise the world places great hope in education changing the minds of people, but to imagine it can change hearts or save souls is a fantasy.  For those who are born again through faith in Jesus Christ, the power that raised Jesus from the dead resides in us in the person of the Holy Spirit.  Hitting people over the head with the Bible or facts about the dangers of drink-driving never changed a mind or heart, but Jesus is able to change people for the better continually.  From the inside God transformed Saul to Paul and kept changing him, even as God continues to conform us into the image of His Son, Jesus.  How I love Jesus, and how I need Him to be changed.

Choose the Way of Life

"Now you shall say to this people, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death."

Jeremiah 21:8

When God's people in Jerusalem considered the prospects of fending off king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his army, they hoped for God's miraculous intervention.  Though they had strayed from Him, they wondered if He might do for them as He did in times past, to turn back their enemies and deliver them.  In the passage of Jeremiah 21 God responded there was no chance He would do this, for He had already determined it would fall for the grave sins committed there by His people.  Though the city would be destroyed, He still offered them the way of life and the way of death and allowed them to freely choose between them.

The prophet continued to speak the word of the LORD in Jeremiah 21:9:  "He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and defects to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be as a prize to him."  If people wanted to live, they needed to trust God to leave the stronghold of Jerusalem and defect to the Chaldeans who would lay siege to the city.  But if they tried to defend themselves by remaining in the city, they would certainly die by way of sword, famine and pestilence.  Faith in God marked by obedience to God, not in the pity of their enemies, was the way of life.  This was the narrow way of life few people who lived in Jerusalem chose.  Unbelief led to their demise they could not escape.

This was not the first time God put the way of life and the way of death before His people.  Moses said in Deuteronomy 30:15-16, "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, ¹⁶ in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess."  The way of life was to love God and walk in His ways, and God promised to bless them.  The way of life is both practical and spiritual.  The ironic thing is God's people, when on the cusp of entering Canaan, refused to enter due to unbelief and died in the wilderness.  Only Caleb and Joshua from that generation entered the promised land to receive their inheritance, an abundant life provided by God for those who trust Him.

How fitting it is that Jesus, being God made flesh, claimed to be the Way, the Truth and the Life.  

Luke 9:23-24 records the words of Jesus Christ to all:  "Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. ²⁴ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it."  This fits perfectly with the principle of life and death held forth in Jeremiah and Deuteronomy:  to try to save our lives will result in our eventual deaths, but losing our life for Christ's sake by being born again by faith in Him brings eternal salvation.  By Christ's death and resurrection He has consecrated a new and living way to draw near to God through faith in Jesus.  Faith in Jesus is the narrow way that leads to abundant, eternal life few find.  What grace God has shown us, that the way of life has been revealed to all.  The wise can choose this path because Jesus has become wisdom for us.

God Hears and Answers

Those who pray can attest to God's answers.  Just today I prayed God would help me deliver a message at church and He strengthened me to do so, and even directed the worship team to play songs that perfectly complemented the message.  It is wonderful to know God has even these small details in hand that magnify His generosity and greatness to those who believe.

This week I was reminded of a prayer God answered a long time ago in year 8 when I attended Emerald Junior High.  For the previous three years I had been homeschooled, and I felt a bit out of place joining people who had already experienced a year of junior high.  I was the only one I saw wearing pants and a shirt with buttons and collar, quite the contrast of other who wore shorts with much cooler t-shirts emblazoned with popular surf brands.

My prayer was a simple one:  that God would give me a friend.  I had not sat down in my home room seat long before God answered my prayer.  The fellow in front of me turned around with a smile and introduced himself, and extended his hand in a friendly greeting.  It turned out Derek was also new at school, having recently moved from Minnesota.  He was quite the sports enthusiast (as was I) and we hit it off immediately.  While I did make other friends over the course of the year in my various classes, Derek was undoubtedly my best friend at school that year--an answer to my prayer I doubt he was aware of.  I am most thankful to God for His provision and help, and I'm thankful to Derek for his kindness to me.

Derek and I parted the following year because we lived in different school districts, but God has continued with me to this day by His grace.  It is wonderful Jesus, the God who created all things, called His disciples friends.  This is a personal connection alluded to in Deuteronomy 32:8-9:  "When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. ⁹ For the LORD'S portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance."  The LORD's portion is His people, and those who have received the Gospel by believing in Jesus Christ are adopted into the kingdom of God, not merely as friends but as sons.  John 1:11-12 reads, "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name..."  This is more than we could have ever thought or asked for, all made possible by our Saviour Jesus who loves us.

Of all the things God chose to make His inheritance, He chose sinners who are born again by the power of the Gospel.  How great is the love of God for His children!  He hears our prayers and answers, graciously meeting our needs for salvation, providing a great friend for a year, or a beautiful song after a sermon.  Isn't the LORD good to us, beyond what we could have ever asked or thought?