Celebrating Christ's Victory as One

Yesterday I watched a series of video clips that showcased spectacular plays to win football (gridiron) games.  One thing I noticed is when a player celebrated scoring a touchdown, everyone on the field who was part of his team celebrated too.  Linemen who had never caught a pass or scored a touchdown themselves looked as happy as the one who did because they were all part of the same team.  They all shared in the glory of victory.  This is one thing I appreciate about team sports:  it brings together people with different skills and levels of ability and joins them together to compete, to win or lose as a team.

It occurred to me that after a player scores the winning touchdown or breaks a record, they do not celebrate alone.  Teammates rally to congratulate the stellar play that resulted in victory the entire team and coaching staff, fans and a whole city celebrates.  It reminds me of the dynamic at work in the Body of Christ, which is the church, referenced in 1 Corinthians 12:26-27:  "And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. ²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually."  If my finger is throbbing with pain, the rest of the body notices and seeks to render aid.  When believers suffer, others in the church feel their pain.  Romans 12:15 says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."

A team plays as one when individuals put the team above themselves and also celebrates the accomplishments of each one.  A football game is full of one-on-one matchups, and individual victories pave the way for the success of the team.  The church is different in that Jesus our Head has already been victorious and always leads those who are in Him in victory.  As I saw football players celebrating together, I wondered if many times believers go it alone in the battles they face.  Strongholds were overcome by faith in Jesus when they refused to sin and chose to honour God in obedience.  Yet it is possible no fellow disciples of Jesus rally to them to encourage and exhort them to keep up the great effort because no one even knew a battle was taking place.  Of course Jesus knows about all the trials and struggles He allows, but He has seen fit to make us part of a Body and members of one another.  When we walk in victory it is only due to Jesus Christ, yet it is commendable and edifying to suffer with those who suffer, and rejoice with those who rejoice.

The encouragement and edification of the Body of Christ only functions as designed when we are in fellowship with other believers.  There are some who seek honour for themselves by perpetually lamenting their struggles or boasting in pride, yet our aim ought to be to honour Jesus Christ by loving one another.  Because we are members of one another, Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:29-32:  "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ 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."  We can only follow the "one another" commands by being in fellowship with Jesus and one another, and when we do so we glorify Him.

Vessels of Honour

One of the interesting aspects of shows like Antique Roadshow or American Pickers is when experts provide insight into the history of a painter, item, car or brand.  They explain how to tell the real deal from fakes and supply a valuation based upon what they believe the item is worth or what it could sell for at auction.  I am often impressed at their historical knowledge, the meaning behind makers marks on ceramics, art pieces and jewelry, and attention to details I never would have known to look for.

While the experts know a lot about the history or current market value of an item, one thing they never talk about is to predict what will happen to that watch, vase or painting 70 years from now.  They can suggest an amount to ensure an antique for, but they are not in the business of providing prophecies about where a set of silver flatware or a gold trinket will be stored.  No expert can claim to have this knowledge, but God does.  God used the vessels and dishes of the temple as an object lesson to demonstrate His all-knowing wisdom, and at the same time expose false prophets for their folly.

Jeremiah 27:19-22 says, "For thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, concerning the Sea, concerning the carts, and concerning the remainder of the vessels that remain in this city, ²⁰ which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem--²¹ yes, thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem: ²² 'They shall be carried to Babylon, and there they shall be until the day that I visit them,' says the LORD. 'Then I will bring them up and restore them to this place.'"  In the following chapter Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet claimed the vessels already taken by Nebuchadnezzar would be returned within two years.  Hananiah's word was proved false when they were not returned, and they remained in Babylon until the empire was overthrown by the Medes and Persians.  Then the remnant of Israel was sent back with the vessels of the sanctuary according to the word of the LORD.

How wonderful it is to have a God who is omniscient, who cannot be tricked or deceived by lies!  I am reminded of the teaching of Jesus how sparrows were of small monetary value but not one falls without God taking note of it.  Jesus said in Matthew 10:31, "Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."  The implication is if God knows where dishes will be taken and stored, if He knows when a sparrow falls, He knows precisely what is happening in our lives and where He will lead us.  He cares about us much more than vessels of brass, silver and gold; He loves us more than birds He created beautiful that fly and sing.  In 70 years who knows where my dishes will end up, but praise the LORD disciples of Jesus have assurance where we are going because He is preparing a place for us to be with Him forever.  By God's grace we are His treasures beyond price, purchased with the blood of Jesus.

Beauty for Ashes

When Jesus was bid to teach in the synagogue, He turned to where it was written in Isaiah 61:1-2a because this word was fulfilled in their hearing.  Jesus read what He previously dictated to the prophet:  "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ² to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."  Jesus stopped right there, for He was the anointed Messiah the Father promised to send to save His people from their sins.  Jesus came to preach the good tidings of the Gospel, to heal broken hearts, to proclaim liberty to captives of sin and death.  The special time God's people had waited for had finally arrived.

Jesus stopped mid-sentence for emphasis on what God had fulfilled in their hearing.  Isaiah 61:2b-3 continues:  "...and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, ³ to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."  The Jewish nation longed for vengeance to be taken upon their enemies, but the time was not yet.  The following verses, however, have been fulfilled by the sending of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit Who regenerates and fills disciples of Christ.  By the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary, the divine exchanges spoken of here are promises to receive, a miraculous reality of the Gospel.

For all those who mourn, there is abundant consolation in Jesus--consolation we are not always willing or able to receive due to unbelief.  The pain is so raw, the feelings of being overwhelmed or depressed so real, that the peace and joy supplied by faith in Christ are foreign to our experience.  As I prepared for the sermon this week and considered God's offer of beauty for ashes, I was struck by an awful scene involving Tamar who was violated by her own half-brother Amnon.  2 Samuel 13:19-21 says, "Then Tamar put ashes on her head, and tore her robe of many colors that was on her, and laid her hand on her head and went away crying bitterly."  Tamar put ashes on her head out of profound grief, mourning and loss.  A person near to her robbed her of her virginity and likely ruined her chances in that culture of marriage and motherhood.  The violent and grave sin committed against her brought great shame, and the following verse said she remained desolate in Absalom's house.

Ashes are the waste product of combustion, the fine dusty remnants of wood that was once a tree, alive and beautiful.  Jesus has come with the offer of comfort and consolation for those who mourn over what has happened to them or sin they are guilty of:  there is hope of peace with God for a Tamar or an Amnon.  Due to sin all our hope of relationship with God is lost, but through the Gospel Jesus makes us trees of righteousness for the glory of God, growing and fruitful by His grace.  We do not need to remain desolate and alone because Jesus offers comfort for those who mourn, gives beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.  The God who cleanses us of sin did not hide His face from shame but atoned for all so we could be forgiven and redeemed.

Notice it says God will "give them beauty for ashes."  Our preference is for God to undo what has happened or to take our ashes away.  By faith in Jesus was can receive the consolation when we are willing to exchange our ruined life for His perfect, abundant life.  Instead of holding our ashes of shame, bitterness and grief close to our hearts, lamenting all we have lost, faith in Jesus allows us to release it to receive His comfort, beauty with praise for God's goodness.  There is great beauty in the cross for those who have eyes to see it, for out of the painful death Jesus suffered new life for lost sinners was assured by the Gospel.  How God will redeem our mourning, ashes and heaviness I cannot say, but I know He is faithful to do so by His grace.  We have this on the good authority of God's word and find comfort for our souls.

God is Merciful

While there are people who undeservedly have a bad rap, God is the worst maligned of anyone.  He is infinitely good, righteous and glorious in all His ways, yet people find fault with Him.  Even God's own people don't always listen to Him or trust Him.  There is a persistent view that persists in churched people that the "God of the Old Testament" has a split personality with God revealed in the New Testament.  Nothing could be further from the truth, for the eternal God does not change.  Malachi 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob."  Hebrews 13:8 affirms the deity of our Messiah with this fitting description:  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

The mercy, grace and love of God is seen throughout all scripture because He does not change.  Recently during a study in Genesis I was struck by God's mercy towards Lot and his family in Genesis 19:15-16:  "When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city." ¹⁶ And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city."  God was under no obligation to save Lot, but He was inclined to do so due to His great mercy.  While Lot lingered, the angelic visitors reached out and took Lot by the hand and led he and his family to safety before Sodom and the cities of the plain were destroyed.

God's mercy is seen even in the destructive judgment God brought upon hardened, unrepentant sinners.  The global flood in Noah's day, the ruin of Sodom and the plagues of Egypt are cautionary events the wise will consider:  God will surely judge those who do wickedly and there is no escape from God who knows all.  At the same time God has provided a means of escape for those who will believe and trust Him.  He provided the Law of Moses as a tutor to take His people by the hand, objectively reveal their sin and need for forgiveness, and thus lead them to Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  The resurrection of Jesus from the dead shows He is able to give eternal life as promised, for the wages of sin that bring death were atoned for by His shed blood.

The depressed psalmist mused in Psalm 77:7-9:  "Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favourable no more? ⁸ Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? ⁹ Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah."  The answer Asaph to all these questions was simply, "No!"  When Asaph focused on his forlorn feelings, his troubles and all that was wrong, it skewed his view of God.  Troubles stirred up the dregs of envy, greed and unbelief in his own heart and exposed his folly.  His infirmity did not mean God had problems.  It was when he began to consider the wonderful works of God and to speak of them his perspective totally changed.  He remembered how good and awesome God always is, regardless of his changing emotions and feelings.

Psalm 77:13-15 extols the immutable God:  "Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; who is so great a God as our God? ¹⁴ You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples. ¹⁵ You have with Your arm redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah."  Both sections end with "selah" which means to reflect and consider:  what reflections do you tend to have concerning God?  Are you focused on the judgment of the wicked or the mercy shown to His redeemed?  The words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts say more about us than God who is good and does not change.  Let us declare His praise now and forever as His people redeemed by the Gospel.