epcblog

Devotional thoughts (Monday through Thursday mornings) from the pastor of Exeter Presbyterian Church in Exeter, NH // Sunday Worship 10:30am // 73 Winter Street

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Psalm 47

Who has the right to give a command to everyone everywhere? Among sinful men, we have learned that the concentration of power in even the best ruler that the earth has to offer is dangerous. He may resist many temptations that come with being lifted up above those around you, but how will the next person do who takes His place?

God is entirely good and supremely powerful. It is safe and right for Him to reign over all. He is the Creator, the Sustainer, and the Judge of all the earth. He calls on everyone, everywhere to worship Him.

“Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!” Exuberant expressions of praise are called for. When men demand such things of their countrymen or of subjugated peoples, there may be coercion involved, and external force provides the motivation to produce outward signs of adoration when the hearts of those who look like worshipers tell a different story. But the true Lord of the earth is calling upon a willing people to worship Him. He is seeking those who respond to Him with joy in the depths of their souls.

The Lord, the Most High, is to be feared. He is the Creator. He is so far above us in glory, wisdom, and might, that it is inconceivable that we would approach Him without reverence. Yet this fear can be deeply consistent with joy and love in those who are at peace with the One who is the great King over all the earth.

It is a shock to the mindset of natural man that Israel's God would be the one true God, demanding absolute loyalty and the fullest worship from all the nations. But where are the other gods of the earth? Are they not the product of the minds and hands of men? Or are they fallen angels that deceive and destroy people, demanding ultimate worship that is not theirs by right, and suggesting that the Word of the Lord need not be followed? Israel did not make the God of Israel. The one God of all creation chose Israel to be the people from whom the Messiah would come.

That Jewish Messiah has come, and He is a part of the One Godhead. The Lord Himself became Man in order to make peace for His people. Now, because of the death of Christ, who is our peace with God, those who begin with the fear of the Lord, can come before Him with great joy, and discover that His perfect love casts out all fear. We are accepted by the God we worship, and are even called sons of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We have a land that is better than Canaan in Christ. The subdued peoples of the earth have been grafted into the people of the Lord. They bow the knee to the God of Jacob and trust in the great Son of David, and they are marked as the chosen people of God. Together with Jews who have faith in the Messiah, they have a heritage as those who are in Christ. The heritage of their adoption into the line of kings has overwhelmed their birth heritage. No longer should a Jew bother to claim his identity in the tribe of Benjamin or Ephraim. Nor should a Gentile insist that he was first and foremost an Ethiopian. We are in the household of God through a child of Judah and a Son of the living God. This is the new heritage in which we boast.

Our King descended from heaven in order to accomplish our redemption, but now He has returned to the place of highest rule, the Jerusalem that is above. He will come again just as His disciples saw Him go away, on the glory clouds of His divine presence. He has gone up with a shout in His resurrection majesty, and He will return with the sound of the final trumpet, as heaven comes to earth, and God makes all things new.

This is a worthy plan that answers the deepest longings of our hearts. We are not having a bad man hoisted upon us as our ruler and our god. We do not have to pretend to be happy about someone we secretly despise. We have come to see our need for a Redeemer, and are grateful that the Lord has willingly accomplished what only He could do.

Since Adam's sin entered this world, we have lived in a place of misery and death. Everything we try to accomplish faces the wall of futility, and every man feels the grief of brokenness, though some suppress the knowledge of their great need for help.

God has come to rescue us. What is there not to love in Him? Is there something wrong with Jesus that anyone needs to reject Him? Is love to be despised? Is the worship of God through Christ an offense to human dignity? We were made to be image-bearers of God. That image was fatally marred in Adam. But now we have been healed in Christ, and we are sons of God.

Let us then sing praise to our God with all the earth. Let the Jew not be offended that the Gentiles have been saved. Is it offensive for the God of the world to save the world? Rejoice in your God. The same grace that has chosen and saved the Gentile, has also chosen and saved the Jew. Do not reject Jesus, the true Son of David. He is the eternal King of the Jews, and millions from every tribe and tongue and nation have found Him to be a God of love.

Now the princes of the peoples of all the earth gather as the people of the God of Abraham. This is only right, since Israel's God has always been the one true and living God over all. He will be highly exalted forever and ever.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Psalm 46

“I am weak, but Thou art strong.” The songs of the church frequently contain this important realization. This is one of the lessons that we learn through suffering. It is part of having a full life to be humbled by the events that take place in that life. Part of what it means to be a worshiper of God is to gain an increased awareness of the Lord's Almighty strength, and then to rest upon Him, believing His promises.

Anyone who has any experience of true worship and faithful obedience should be able to relate to the first verse of this psalm: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” These words do not promise us that we will quickly get everything that we want exactly when we want it. But the Lord will be the One we can run to and the Rock that we stand on even at a moment's notice if we will trust Him in everything.

The verses that follow are not the common experience of everyone who calls upon the Lord, though they are a very worthy goal. When the earth begins to give way, when bullets are flying everywhere and men are dropping to the ground, when disaster strikes a city, and life changes for millions in the course of a few brief seconds, almost everyone is afraid. To be different then this because of who we trust, to have a quiet heart when thousands are frantic, that would be unusual. To have that peace under trial, not because of personal courage, but because of our secure faith in Almighty God would be very commendable.

Think of what you would feel like and what you would do if the earth began to give way, or if you saw an entire range of mountains tossed into the air and cast into the ocean by some unseen hand. For a community of worshipers to honestly be able to say “We will not fear” in such a situation would be more than extraordinary, it would be utterly beyond our experience as people who live on this troubled planet.

Perhaps that is a clue for us. Is there a congregation that has a frame of reference that is different than ours? Are there worshipers in another place who have such security where they are that they really could trust perfectly in the Lord even if mountains were moved from their foundations before their very eyes?

There is a city like that, and it is called here “the city of God.” There is a river in that city. It proceeds from the strength of the death of Christ for all the inhabitants there. See Ezekiel 47 and consider the meaning of the water that comes forth from the place of sacrifice in the temple.

“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.” This is “the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her.” And that is why “she shall not be moved.” She sees tumult in other places, but she knows that she is perfectly safe.

To swim in that river now! To have the streams of it flowing around our homes... that would be heaven on earth, and the fullness of the Holy Spirit. To have that stream within us like a never-ending fountain, that would be eternal life.

God dwells in His heavenly city. He is there with all of her inhabitants. But here is a fact worthy of your present contemplation: You are already a citizen of that city, your name is written there, and you are there even now when you gather in true spiritual worship in Jesus Christ who is the connection between heaven and earth.

You are also in this present world. True spiritual growth, true increase in godliness, true Christ-likeness, would be to live now in this world as one who had the peace of the age to come informing your heart.

Will nations still rage? Yes, kingdoms will rise and fall over the decades of your life. Some of that tumult may have a very direct impact upon you. But if you know that when men have done all they can to you, you will surely be in a place where there is a river that makes the whole city glad, then that faith will help you to know that God is your refuge and your strength even now.

Your God is not only the King of heaven, He also has sovereign power over the earth. When He utters his voice, the earth melts. This God is with us. Israel's God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is Immanuel, God with us, who has atoned for our sins by His own blood. After He accomplished our great redemption in the person of His Son, He returned again to the heights of heaven. Our names are written in the palms of His hands. This God, the King of the Jews, is our fortress, and the fortress of Jews and Gentiles all over the earth who call upon His Name. To trust is His saving work for us, and to know that He reigns from heavens heights does make a difference in our spiritual courage. This kind of courage is more than a natural disposition, or a behavior that is passed along through instruction from Father to Son. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

Come to heaven now in the gathering of those who call on the Name of God! Come and consider His power over all the earth, and believe in Him. Be still before Him, despite the present trial that has unsettled you. Know that the Lord is God. He will be exalted among the nations, He will be exalted in the earth! This God over all, the Lord of hosts, is with us. The God of Jacob is our mighty fortress.

“Little ones to Him belong. They are weak, but He is strong.”

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Revelation 8

When Christ, the Lamb, opens the final seal on the Lord's scroll for the Age of Resurrection, we are expecting nothing less than God's Grand Finale. Instead, since the Lord is not finished yet with John's book of apocalyptic visions, we soon find that we have seven trumpets, and then there will be seven bowls that must be poured out upon the earth, as we will see in a later chapter.

But just for a moment, just for half an hour, let everyone keep silence before the Lord. We are in the house of God. We must not offer the sacrifice of fools. We place our hands over our mouths, and we take in this moment.

It is amazing that the Almighty has a place in His divine ordering of all things for our prayers. There is something here that seems impossible. We do not know the beginning from the end. We were not there when God laid the foundations of the universe. We have so little understanding of the entire realm of heaven. Yet this is part of the majesty of God's sovereign rule. He invites us to pray, and He uses our prayers, all while working out His own unchangeable will. Yet it would be wise if we would listen for half an hour before we speak about what we cannot possibly understand.

Think of all the prayers that one parent prays for just one child. Through all of those prayers, sighs, and tears, he still cannot really know what the Lord's purpose is in granting him the blessing of that child. Yet he continues to pray, and God somehow uses it. Those prayers ascend to the throne above, but the Lord has much incense that he gives to the angelic host to burn alongside the many prayers of devout men and women, and even the prayers of little ones. Somehow, through the Lamb, our prayers, which must so often be way off, are perfected before they are brought before the Lord.

It is from the prayers of God's people on earth, as they are perfected and then rise to the altar of God in heaven, that something else now comes forth from heaven and is cast down upon the earth. The angel takes fire from the altar, where the incense-covered prayers of God's people had ascended, and he throws that fire upon the earth.

Whatever happens now, could it be that it bears little resemblance to the original cries and tears of the one who was originally calling out to God from his bed at night? He did not know enough to ask for the things that needed to happen. We ask for peace and prosperity. God hears His beloved children, perfects their prayers with the sweet smell of incense, and down from the altar come several more years of war, and even considerable loss of life. No one asked for that. Our prayers went up and were used by God. But what happened to them? The mystery of God's decrees are a better answer than what we imagine to be best.

What follows in Revelation 8 is the story of nearly fatal judgments upon the world. If a table has three legs, you cannot cut off one and suppose that your furniture is still stable. The trumpets are blowing now. First a third of the earth is burned up. With the second trumpet a third of the sea turns to blood. Then the third angel blows his trumpet and a third of the water becomes bitter. With the blowing of the next trumpet by the fourth angel, a third of the light from the heavenly host in the skies turns to darkness.

The last verse of the chapter warns us that there is more to come. Already the impact of the Lord's judgment is devastating. The power of heaven, a power that came from the very center of existence there, a power that springs from the altar where the blood of Christ speaks a good Word for our lives, a power that has somehow come from our own prayers in a way that we cannot understand, is now bringing about something that no one knew to be right but God.

The world after the fall of mankind in Adam, is a place of much trial. There is trouble on land and sea. There is even trouble in the skies. One tsunami can result in the death of millions. One evil leader can destroy a whole nation in just a few short years. How are we to view these calamities?

Most people live with a very impersonal view of how the world works. They imagine that troubles just happen. They have come to understand that the incidental collision of natural forces causes the hurricane. They will not see the hand of God in the events all around them.

We who believe that God is working out His eternal purpose in Christ have embraced the fact that the judgment that we deserved came down from another realm and landed on the body and soul of one Man who became our Sin-Bearer. We don't understand that very much more than we understand why an earthquake destroys one city and leaves another untouched.

We prayed for grace and mercy, and for relief from the ravages of the fall. What came back to us from heaven was Christ the Son of God dying for our sins. We have come to trust Him on this matter of our eternal salvation. Now we must also trust Him concerning the way He answers our other prayers in this strange era of loss. It would be impossible for any good result to come from any man having absolute sovereignty so that his every imperfect desire was instantly and completely granted to him. The Lord has something much better in mind for us. He will bring about all of His own holy will, and He will use us as His servants in the process.

We have trusted Him concerning the death of His own Son. We can trust Him now concerning His disposition of all of our heartfelt requests, even on the day when it really does seem like the sky is falling. Let all mortal flesh keep silence for a time.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Revelation 7

While we wait for the Lord of glory to open the seventh seal, we are given more of the story of the church during the New Testament era. It is not only about those who die for their faith. The whole number of the church is being gathered and built up above.

Heaven is in charge of the progress of the Lord's kingdom upon the earth. The agents of destruction are not allowed to go beyond their orders. They are held back until all of the redeemed are marked as those who belong to Him.

The servants of the God of heaven receive a mark on the forehead, a symbol for John's eyes of the invisible seal that we need more than any other mark that man can give to us. We must have the circumcision of the heart, the sealing of the Holy Spirit, which is the possession of all who truly belong to the Lord.

The number of the sealed is first presented to us as the fullness of Israel. The number 12, like the number 7, is used in this book as a number of completeness. Here we have a very large number that comprises the whole of the Israel of God: 12 times 12,000, which is 144,000. The number of a full military unit, 1,000 is now filled out to the perfection of 12,000 for each of the 12 tribes. The symbol of the fullness of the number is paramount, even if God must adjust details of the 12 tribes in order to get there. The tribe of Dan is not included and Joseph is split into two tribes (Joseph and Manasseh) in order to achieve the correct result.

The tribal structures of the Israelites have not been maintained in any purity or with any true historic awareness down to our present generation, but that is not the point at all. The importance of these numbers is to assure us that there will be no one missing from the Israel of God in the fullness of His heavenly kingdom.

The same story of the fullness of the church is then told a second time in the verses that follow, but with a different vision. Now John sees a great multitude beyond our ability to number. They come from every nation, every tribal heritage, every people group, and they speak every language. They are all in heaven before the throne of God and before Jesus, the Lamb of God, who has taken away the sins of the world. They all have the white robes of heavenly purity and beauty. They live in a realm of perfect peace, and they know and proclaim that God is the Author of their salvation.

This is the fullness of the church. Both of these symbolic pictures tell us the same story. God has a plan that includes all of His chosen people. Not one of them will be lost. Yes, the martyrs have their own special mention in the prior chapter, but all who belong to Christ will praise Him in the heights of heaven.

The number of those who are to be the inhabitants of heaven is not a small number. It will include many men and angels, and they are gathering there even now as they await the fulfillment of the Lord's purposes. Then all of the temple of the Holy Spirit will come to earth with our great King. Until that day, the number of the citizens of heaven continues to grow, and all the Lord's servants are worshiping Him together in a place that is not lacking for rest and joy.

Here below we know that there will be war, famine, pestilence, death, and the grave. Here there are enemies of Jesus and His church. Here new martyrs are being added to the number through the hatred and cruelty of those who bring grief and trouble to so many through their murderous threats and schemes. But there is, even now, the rest of the story, a better story, where faithful servants are brought to a place of glorious worship. There they reign with the Lamb, aware of the continued warfare on earth, but overcome with the greatness of the Majesty on high.

On earth now we have one kind of church that has a habit of one posture before God, and another set of true worshipers, perhaps in another country, with another culture, and they won't have anything of that first posture, or that kind of song, or religious ritual. But in heaven it is a different story. There they have angels, elders, living creatures, and expectant holy ones, and they all fall on their faces before the throne of God, ascribing salvation to God and to the Lamb. And they are saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Where did all of these people come from? They came from the tribulation of the New Testament era. They suffered for the Name of Jesus, but now their trials are over. They have been purified through the blood of the Lamb. The death of Christ has taken away their guilt. Every stain of uncleanness that they once had is now gone.

They came from places like Ephesus and Sardis, from Thyatira and Philidelphia, but now they are with Jesus where He lives and reigns. And they are happy in Him. No one can harm them there; no war, no hunger, no disease, no natural disaster, no enemy, and not even any of their own faithlessness or sinful confusion. They are with the Lamb of God, the Good Shepherd of the full number of Israel, “and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

This too is a part of the story of the church, and it is part of the message that John sees when Jesus opens the sixth seal. Seeing the heavenly church through John's vision is a great help to us as we seek to be faithful on earth now in a time when suffering and mourning are still a part of our common experience.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Revelation 6

And then it happened. The ascended Lord, who was worthy to take the scroll and to open the seals, opened one of those seals.

According to God's plan, there was great power in that action. Prior to that moment, Jesus had to be born, live without any sin, achieve victory on the cross, rise from the dead, and ascend into heaven. Now as the Ruler over all, He sets in motion the next chapter in the eternal purpose of God.

As these seals are opened, and we have six opened in this one chapter, we explore with John the contours of the New Testament era. What is it that characterizes this age of Pentecost, when God is gathering His people? We know that one day the trumpet shall sound, and the Lord will come with all the heavenly host and will tabernacle with us forever. But what will it be like until He comes?

The opening of the first seal tells us that during this age a powerful messenger will somehow go out from heaven on his war horse and he will conquer. The rider on this white horse will have a bow and a crown. Our King has been given authority over all the earth, and He is coming forth in battle. Regardless of everything else that we see and experience in other New Testament books, in this vision, and in our lives, Jesus is King, and He will win.

But how will He win, and what will it be like to live in the war zone? Will it all be over in a moment? Apparently not, since the second rider, the one on the red horse, seems to bring the ravages of warfare upon the earth. The King of Peace was victorious through His death, yet we are wrong if we think that this victory means that during the age of the New Testament the lion will already lie down with the lamb. No, there will be much war, and this is presented to us as something that has come forth from throne of God in heaven.

When armies are slaying each other, more than soldiers end up feeling the pain. The third rider is on a black horse, and he announces economic distress. This will not be a time when we should immediately expect to see the prosperity of heaven everywhere on the earth. There will be many people who will not have enough to eat. If a quart of wheat costs a day's wages, how will you feed your family? What will it be like for the destitute who have no work and no source of income? How safe will the rich feel if the poor are without adequate food? The direction that comes forth from heaven indicates specific facts that we should consider representative of the millions of details contained in the decrees of God causing there to be loss of grain in one place and time and oil and wine yet available there or in some other place.

We have war, economic distress, and famine in this age. The next steed from above is a pale horse. On that animal is one rider and then a second close behind: death and then the grave. Christ has risen from the dead, yet there will still be much death before the plan of God has been completed. The sword, famine, disease, and even wild beasts will each do their sad damage. And there will be mourning throughout the earth.

Suddenly with the opening of the fifth seal we move above the earth. Yes, the world will be a place of some distress, but what will be happening in heaven to those who have finished their days below? We don't know everything about everyone, but we are told that those who are slain for the Word of God and for their witness of faith are close to the very center of heaven, and they are concerned about events on earth. They speak to God as the Sovereign Lord, and He answers them. They know that there is nothing lacking in Him; He is holy and true. They are eager to see justice accomplished. They were unjustly killed by the Lord's enemies, and they know that He will avenge their blood.

He grants to each of them a white robe, but we are not told what that robe is. Is it a reminder of the their righteousness of Christ, or is it an indication of their own physical reality above? We observe that these martyrs can be seen in heaven. They also speak and are heard. They are resting there from their difficult labors on earth that cost them their mortal lives. Now they must wait until the fulness of the Lord's plans for this age are accomplished, including others joining them who will also make a great sacrifice for the Word of God and for the testimony of faith that they have lived out.

The chapter closes with our victorious Christ opening the sixth seal. This seems to bring us to the tumultuous events connected in the Old Testament with the final Day of the Lord; cataclysmic signs in the heavens, and a great shaking of the earth. The mightiest leaders will be entirely unsettled to the very core of their souls by what God will do. They will know that these events are not the result of impersonal forces or chance. In John's vision they make mention of the “face of Him who is seated on the throne,” and “the wrath of the Lamb.” They would like to be hidden from God, but the day of His wrath has come.

In between the ascension of Christ and the day of the Lord's vengeance, Christ is working out His mighty purposes on earth with a spiritual warfare that we could easily misunderstand to be a failure. There is much strife between nations, hunger, trouble, and persecution. The Word of God is being proclaimed, and Christians are living out a testimony of faith in an environment that is not entirely hospitable. Some are even dying for the King who died for them. But through it all, heaven is being built up with a mighty host of those who have finished their days below, and the Lord Jesus Christ is reigning.

Don't give up. The Lord is surely winning.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Revelation 5

In heaven, men and angels are giving glory to God in everything they do. John sees this and he hears of the holiness and worthiness of the Lord, which should be beyond dispute. And while we expect and know that everything in heaven is right and good, we are amazed to witness through John's eyes a drama that causes him to weep bitterly.

God, on His throne in the heights, allows John to witness a passionate drama that is central to the unfolding of the entire New Testament age. The Lord has a scroll that is perfectly sealed which must be opened if the events of this era are to move forward. This scroll is in God's hand, and if it is to be opened and the key events of providence and redemption are to proceed, a worthy man must be found, someone from the descendants of Adam and Eve who is able to take the scroll from the hand of God and to open its seals.

The tears in heaven come forth from John's eyes because of this fact: There is no one who is worthy. There is no one who is judged by God to be worthy enough to open the scroll; not Job, not Enoch, not Elijah, not Moses, no one.

Why is that a significant fact? At the end of the unfolding of that scroll is the culmination of all the decrees of Almighty God. The end which God has planned is very good, but we will not get there unless the events that rightly lead to it are first unveiled. If the history of mankind on earth cannot be opened up in heaven, then the end will not come.

But no one could be found who was worthy for this monumental task. This is why John began to weep loudly. His reaction is especially surprising since he has been preaching the perfections of Christ for these many years. He knows that Jesus is perfect. He knows the solution to the heavenly dilemma. Yet he is caught up in the drama and passion of heaven, the love there for what is right, and the deep sadness of the deadly unworthiness of mankind. It is a fact that in all the millions of image-bearers that have come from the union of Adam and Eve and their descendants, there had not been one person who had the righteousness, wisdom, power, and love necessary to take the scroll from the hand of God and to open what had to be opened.

But now one of the elders, one of the twenty-four, comes to John with words that announce something that the apostle already knew: “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Jesus is descended from Judah, the son of Jacob. The tribe of Judah is the tribe of kings, and Jesus of Nazareth, the descendant of King David, is the true King of the Jews. He is not only the expected eternal King promised from the line of David; He is also the Root of David, for He is the Son of God.

He is the one right Man, but He is also the Victor in the greatest struggle of human history. He has conquered the devil. As the promised Seed of the first woman, Eve, Jesus has now crushed the head of the serpent. He has defeated evil, misery, sin, and death, and has won the kingdom of heaven for all those who look to Him for their salvation. He is the only Redeemer of God's elect.

While he is the conquering Lion, He is also the King of Peace, and the Lamb of God, who was slain in order to take the debt of a great host of people who had violated the commandments of God. The worthy Lamb has given His life for those who were very unworthy. But now one Lamb has accomplished everything necessary to be our Good Shepherd, and we are His sheep.

He was slain, but He has the power of an indestructible life. He truly died, but now He lives forever. This Jesus has ascended to where He was before in the heavens, and He who has conquered, can now open the sealed scroll that will bring about the rest of the heavenly visions that John will see.

Our ascended Lord has all power and authority. He has the perfect might of seven horns, and the full knowledge and awareness of seven eyes. He is full of the Holy Spirit which He has sent forth into all the earth to grant faith and life to the Lord's chosen people.

When He takes the scroll, the life of the New Testament church and the future of the world are set in motion according to God's sovereign will. All of heaven worships Him just as they worship the Ancient of Days. They fall down before Him and offer up through Him the prayers of His suffering people on earth.

The worshipers in heaven are aware of the tribulation on earth, but they are able to see the current struggle through the eyes of perfected faith. Therefore they sing of the worthiness of the Lamb, and the glory of the cross, through which the people of God were ransomed from all over the world. They see the struggle but they know the end of every life of faith. God has made His people into His Kingdom. They are His priests. They shall reign on the earth.

Everyone in heaven, millions and millions of men and angels are singing about the worthiness of Jesus Christ. They know that He will receive blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever, together with the Father and the Spirit. They add their own “Amen!” to what they are certain is right. We are happy to lisp our agreement here below, and we are thankful for this Word of the victory of Jesus, who is our door to a world of eternal life.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Psalm 45

What is our connection to the King of heaven, the Lord over His worshiping people? Is He someone who has what we want, who can be persuaded to give us daily happiness if we say the right words and do what He commands? That would make Him like a rich elderly relation. If we marry the wrong person, or disgrace His Name, we could be disowned. If that were the way we were encouraged to think about the Lord, we would need to at least pretend to love Him and respect Him in order to stay in His good graces, but we would not consider our relationship truly warm or close, only necessary.

God has something else in mind for us. He is our Husband, and we are His bride. He cleaves to us and will not let us go. He is our delight, and He rejoices over us with singing. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

It is good for us to reflect on this good relationship. If we will continue to love our Messiah King and God even when we do not seem to receive from Him all our immediate requests, we will demonstrate a genuine admiration of and affection for the Lord that can only be proven through the tests of adversity.

The theme of the Messiah, our Savior, the Ruler of the Kingdom of God, and the Husband of the Church, stirs up our souls with captivating love. He is so worthy of our highest praise. We address our hearts and our voices to Him who knows the truth of what is in a man, and who loves us with an everlasting love.

What is so great about our Lord? He has the beauty and splendor of perfect holiness, wisdom, and power. Grace proceeds from His lips. We hear His words of forgiveness and restoration and are reassured that He is ours and we are His. He is loved perfectly by His divine Father because of His spotless achievements that were necessary to secure our salvation. He laid down His life for us, and He has taken it up again.

Our heavenly Husband is a mighty warrior. He can protect us from every adversary who would desire to sift us as wheat. More important than our prayers to Him are His prayers for us. He keeps us in a pathway that only He fully knows. At the end of that journey, we will be with Him in the glory of His palace. He will not allow us to permanently fall into the hands of the one who would seek our eternal death. We are His chosen bride, and He loves us.

Not only does He care for us, He also maintains an environment in heaven, a world to come of perfect truth and righteousness. On earth, He is teaching us the value of meekness, and is leading us in a good way, though through times of testing and growth. He is able to perform extraordinary wonders, and will defeat all His and our enemies at just the right time.

This Messiah King is God the Son, and His throne is forever and ever. There is nothing lacking in His eternal purpose. We wait to see His kingdom come, and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Our Husband/King rejoices to find us growing in holiness, because His heart loves righteousness and hates wickedness. He has been anointed by His Father with the fulness of the Holy Spirit, the oil of gladness. To be near the Son of God is to see the beauty of holiness and to take in the most lovely fragrance of righteousness. His kingdom above must be the most wonderful combination of inner beauty and solid outward majesty far beyond that of Solomon.

The Lord's people here may face distress for a moment, but He has a lasting place for us above, a mansion of glory. The musicians are tuning up for our arrival even now. He will not leave His beloved ones to suffer forever at the hands of our enemies. He knows that we are of the dust, and He will take us to safety in a moment if He judges that to be best according to His eternal purpose.

There we will be in the finest company of those who have gone before us. Now on earth their bodies may rest in the grave, but in heaven they are with the King of Glory.

In the present clouds of trial and discouragement, some are tempted to have second thoughts about our King. Do we need an extra word of recommendation, a reminder from the One that our souls really do love? Have we forgotten how to sing hymns while chained in prison? That can happen. Not everyone is as strong as Paul and Barnabas at Philippi. Some weep on their comfortable beds at night and they entertain doubts about ivory palaces that cannot yet be seen. They pray for the salvation of others and grow weak with longing. They want answered prayers more than they want the divine Husband of their dreams. Even they will not be abandoned by Him, though their hearts become so severely damaged that they hardly know their Lord.

We need not hurt ourselves today with such discouragements. Our King who died to save us lives forever to bring us home. He does love us. Forget your life here on earth for a moment and even your highest joys that you have known in the past. Gaze upon your Husband King through the Word given to you this day. He is making everything beautiful in its time, even you. You will be fruitful and blessed in His house. Love Him, long for Him, sing to Him, and find a present joy that begins to overwhelm the moment of darkness that has so tried your soul.

Bow to your Lord. The future He has won for you is full of the richest blessings. He is powerful to save to the uttermost, and He delights in you.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Psalm 44

People need help!

We can think about what God has done for others in the past. The whole worshiping community can consider together the great events of our common deliverance. God did rescue His people when they were slaves in Egypt. The Lord did send His Son to deliver us from death and hell, and Jesus did demonstrate His accomplishment of that greatest salvation through His resurrection from the dead. When we think about these facts of history we are reminded of God's power and His love for His people.

Yet we still have troubles, and we still need help. It is one thing to be rescued from bondage. It is another to figure out how to live after that in a dark time.

God delighted in His people, and He gave them a job to do. They were to take the land according to His command. But He was the one who drove out the inhabitants of Canaan so long ago. Yet as long as this age continues, every monster seems to have more than one head. Cut one off and the thing still lives. Help in the past is not enough. We need help today. We need God to be King for us. He must defeat our enemies now, or we die.

We can know that Christ has defeated sin and death for us. We can believe that He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him. Yet it is disturbing to discover that the good that God is working has so much evil and pain in it. Apparently this is for the best. Still, we need help.

If we win some obvious victory today, we know that it is the Lord who has ordained it. If we have the energy to fight on, it was God's strength working through us, and He should be thanked for this. When we face another foe on a different day, we cannot trust in our own strength or in our superior firepower. We trust in God.

Therefore we cry out to the Lord in a time of extreme distress. And if the Lord cannot be found, if God has rejected His people, how will we survive? When the God of Jacob finally moved to close up the Old Covenant way, when the time had come for the exile of Israel and Judah, and when hundreds of years later the moment finally came for the message of His grace to go far beyond the borders of the Promised Land, something had to die in order for a new covenant community to be born. The same will be the case when the time for the return of Christ has come.

In that day church people will be crying out to God, wondering why He is not answering their prayers. Could it be that something bigger and more glorious is about to happen?

There is no denying that churches will be rejected. Every day dwindling groups of worshipers wonder why God's providence did not include their own plans of growth, or at least survival. They could have done such good works in their community! But now they feel as if God has rejected them. They are disgraced in the eyes of their neighbors. Ministries fail and must be closed. Evil springs up from within the number of those who proclaim the Lord's Name, and the faithful remnant are discouraged and confused. The worst oppressors seem to be winning.

We are brought to a frank consideration of the mystery of the providence of God, as was the apostle Paul who faced such vicious persecution in the establishment of the Christian church in the first century Roman world. He quoted from this psalm when he wrote these words: “You have made us like sheep for slaughter.”

Yet he reflected on the fact of Christ's victory, and the glory of faith in a day of loss, and he concluded that through it all we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us, and that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Read Romans 8.

We simply do not understand the providence of God. How can we, when the best Man died the worst death so long ago. Yet there was a purpose in the cross after all, and what seemed inexplicable has now become the glory of the church.

Yes, Israel seemed to have been sold to her enemies for a pittance. Neighboring nations more evil than they were laughing at the people of God. Countless New Testament servants have seemed to die alone with no one comforting them or counting them as people of worth. They seemed to lose. Their own strength failed at last.

We need help today. Therefore we remind God of what He already knows. We turn to the Lord again. Where else can we go? In Him we find the words of life.

Loss and despair are not only the experience of those who have forgotten the Lord. That we could understand. Disgrace finds the righteous who are seeking diligently to follow God's commandments and to walk in the Spirit. This is what we wonder about.

But it does help to remember the cross, and the most faithful One, the sinless One, who died there for us. And our perplexity does lead us heavenward to a place and a time beyond the here and now. And somehow we do find the strength to carry on. It must be the Lord after all who is with us. And we conclude that God has a purpose that we cannot yet see, and that “for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

Though our souls have been brought low, we look up as we cry out to God again. And we are convinced one more time that He will not utterly abandon us. He is not sleeping. He has not forgotten us. He will rescue His people. He is the Lord of steadfast love.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Revelation 4

One of the grave difficulties of the present life on earth is that no door to heaven is particularly apparent to our eyes. The eyes of faith know that our Messiah is the door to heaven. Our ears have heard this Word, and our hearts believe, and yet there is doubt, and there are troubles. Death is a vicious enemy. By that foe we lose sight of those we love for a season, and even our faith may seem to lose sight of Jesus. We would love to have a door open to heaven, but God has chosen to strengthen us by the Word, rather than by a vision.

John received the heavenly vision during his time of suffering for the Word on the island of Patmos. The old apostle did hear a voice calling Him up Jacob's ladder. It was a voice like a trumpet, promising to show him “what must take place after this.” “This” was not defined. Like Daniel of old, the timing of events was not given to him in the way that we might like. The true answer for the longings of our hearts are not in secret revelations of the pace of future agess, or even in messages from dear ones who have departed. True peace comes from a person, the One who sits on the throne who is so far beyond us, and yet is so committed in love toward us. There is radiant glory around His throne, and angels and glorified people are there from Israel and from the church. Most of all God is there, and He is worthy.

The angelic creatures are singing forever before that most exalted throne: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” God is set apart from creation as the fountainhead of all existence. The leaders of the people of God are eternally acknowledging that any crowns that they possess are entirely due to the matchless perfection and love of Jesus.

Heaven is full of the worship of Almighty God. But what is the content of the praise of men and angels in that place where worship is perfect? What is it that people are singing about there? The songs that John heard begin with this theme of the worthiness of God.

God is the source and definition of everything that is right and good. God is so worthy that when any part of the created order does not give Him praise, something is very obviously wrong. We don't always sense this in our cloudy way of thinking about such things here below. But whenever the fog of earth clears through the rays of heavenly glory, there cannot be the slightest doubt that the Lord is worthy.

This great being who created and sustains all things, this God who has worked our redemption at great cost to Himself, this Giver of every good gift is not only the One Uncaused Cause. He is our Lord and our God.

All of heaven is engaged in giving God all glory and honor, and He is happy to receive the full worship of His people. Whatever His beloved children are doing now in that better place, it is all worship. Whether they eat or drink or whatever they do, it is all to the glory of God.

Why can't we see the full rightness of that now? What has so darkened the hearts of mankind that some would hate Almighty God? How sad it is that the world would prefer to worship the creature rather than the Creator, and that even the redeemed would forget the Redeemer days without number.

We certainly are without excuse. From the earliest moments of human existence, what can be known about God was obvious from all that He created. His eternal power and divine nature are well known. Yet we suppress the knowledge of the truth in unrighteousness. Our impulse that we alone direct our lives without interference from the Creator and Sustainer of the universe is so overwhelming that we are prepared to pretend that God does not exist in order to protect our own pretense of sovereignty over our lives.

Then we face loss, sorrow, misery, death, and many other indications that our supposed control over our own lives is clearly not absolute. Coming to grips with the facts of normal disappointment in a world that God has subjected to futility can be a very important step in our realization of the obvious. We are not in charge after all. We are not the Lord. We are not God. We did not create all things. All things do not exist by our will or for our purposes.

Any worthiness we have is borrowed from the Supreme Being who is Himself perfectly worthy. If we are looking for a way to rediscover a sense of value, it will not come from the denial of God. A better way for us is to consider that we belong to the Lord. In particular, the Son of God has established our real worth by His willingness to suffer and die for us, so that we might live with and for Him forever in heaven.

Heaven's light can bring clarity to our distracted lives even at this very moment. It is so good to remember that the Lord is God and to consider His great worthiness. We look to the day when our every thought, word, and action, will be faultless worship directed perfectly toward our great God. May we stretch toward that hope in the perfections of Jesus Christ who has become for us a sure door into the glory of the life to come.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Revelation 3

The King of heaven, full of the Holy Spirit, speaks to the churches from the throne room of God in the heavenly assembly. Won't we listen to Him? We have touched upon four of His messages in the prior chapter. Now we complete these extraordinary letters with the final three churches.

The fifth of the seven churches is the gathering of Christian worshipers in Sardis. There are some churches that people assume to be almost nothing at all, yet in the sight of God they are very important. There are other churches that everyone has judged to be very alive, yet they are dead in the Lord's eyes. The church in Sardis is in this second group. They have works, but what are these deeds? God views them as incomplete.

Even giving a child a cup of cold water in the Name of Jesus will not be forgotten by the Lord. But far greater works that Christians do in order to be noticed lack something in God's eyes. So many things that people seem to accomplish will be swept away in the coming judgment, for they are not done in Christ, whose work alone will remain. If we abide in Jesus, our labor in Him is not in vain.

The resuscitation of the church in Sardis needs to follow on old pattern for God's wandering people. Remembering is where it starts. What have you heard in the past when you received the Word of the Lord? If you can remember, then keep what you know to be the sound pattern of good words. Is almost everyone in the church asleep? It is time to wake up. If we want to walk in white in the land where Christ reigns as those whose names are in the book of life, then we must hear the voice of the Shepherd who calls His sheep to follow Him.

The second to last church is in Philadelphia. The One who has the key to the heavenly temple, the great Son of David, has a Word that will strengthen them in their trials. If the church in Sardis seems powerful but is dead, the church in Philadelphia seems weak, but they are standing firm in faith. It is a great blessing to stand in the day of trial. Have you faced severe affliction, but finally kept the faith? Praise God for His power that gives you the strength to keep on going when so many would have been tempted to curse God and die.

The Lord's justice will bring a vindication to the faithful, and a confirmation of His own electing grace. But we have been too quick to speak against the churches when we do not have the truth. Have we accused others or denigrated their ministries as if Christ could not make them stand? There certainly is a place for protecting one's own assembly from an evil leaven that is spreading throughout those who name the Name of Jesus. But there is a line that it is unwise to cross where we delight in pointing out the faults of other churches. Do we really know the things that make up our not so subtle accusations? Best to keep silence and not speak against the Lord's bride if at all possible.

Let the Lord say it if some group is a synagogue of Satan. He has perfect knowledge of these matters. We are usually just guessing. One day those who were full of accusations against true assemblies of the Lord's people will have to bow before the feet of those they once denigrated. Imagine that! Best to not be on the wrong side of that vindication.

The Lord loves His church. In Philadelphia the church has endured trouble. There are more trials coming upon His church everywhere. May the Lord grant us a healthy measure of patient endurance. Better still, will he fold us in the hem of His garment and keep us from a day that would be more than we could bear? May He keep us in Him until He makes us a pillar in His living temple in that glorious city coming down out of heaven.

Finally, to the minister or angel who serves as the messenger to the church in Laodicea: God's Yes and Amen has something that we need to hear. This Jesus is always faithful and true, but the church in Laodicea is neither cold nor hot towards Him. How could it be that so soon after the resurrection of the Lord, with an apostolic eyewitness like John for their encouragement, that this church could be lukewarm about Jesus Christ? If we imagine that the first century church did not struggle with a lack of love for God or apathy concerning the things that matter most, the Word of the Lord corrects us on that assessment. When Christ says that they are lukewarm, He is not referring to their words, but their works. Throughout these letters Jesus says, “I know.” Here He says, “I know your works.” Are we lukewarm about Jesus? He knows our works. And what could it mean that He would spit us out of His mouth? Please keep us, Lord!

But when we imagine that we are rich, and everything is going well, just as Moses warned Israel, we are in danger of forgetting our God. The spiritual situation in the church in Laodicea is very troubling. They are in critical condition, but they have decided that they are stable and resting comfortably. What they need is more trouble from external trials. That will wake them up to their need for their Lord. As it is, He is on the outside of their worship assembly, knocking on the door. Won't anyone let Him in? Will we have our love feast without the presence of the One who purchased the meal with His own blood?

The church will have tribulation. There will be trials. We need the Savior with us if we are to persevere. In all the churches, in every generation, in every city and town, we need the Christ who died for us, who is now ascended to His heavenly throne. With Him we have salvation and a sure purpose. Though we suffer, we shall live, and we will be with Him forever. He who has an ear, let him pay attention to the warnings in this final book of the Bible. Hear what the Spirit says to the churches!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Revelation 2

The Ascended Jesus has a word for the churches. He writes to the messenger or “angel” of each church, the one who is charged to bring the Word of the King to that place.

First, to Ephesus: the One who is the God of creation and the Companion of His people tells the brothers and sisters there that He knows their past, and He knows where they are today. They have a heritage of hard work in the Lord. They have been willing to discern the difference between false and true teachers, and they have endured the attacks of those who will not abide in the truth. Yet they once had a love for their Lord that has somehow cooled.

This is a serious defect. Will they humble themselves before the Word of God and return to their first love? Will they repent and do the works that they did at first? These works of worship and service were fruits of true love for Christ. Do they still remember what it was like to love Him and to follow His commandments?

This drift away from true life with Jesus is an enemy to any congregation, and it must be conquered. In the Paradise of God above, the One who is the Tree of Life and who hung on the cursed tree of the cross, has never stopped loving them.

Second, to the church in Smyrna: the Man who died and came to life has a Word just for them. He knows their suffering and their poverty. Does that help you today to know that Jesus is aware of what you have endured for His Name? Some who consider themselves the only true Jews are telling this church in Smyrna that they are nothing, but in the eyes of the Messiah King they are something.

Jesus knows that they are about to suffer some more, but the duration of that trial will be comparatively brief. The eternity of God's blessings for His servants are beyond measure. If you suffer for a generation now, just think of it as ten days. It is a brief test that will soon be over, and God has not lost His sovereign authority for even a moment.

Third, to the church in Pergamum: These beloved children of God are in a dangerous place. They need to listen carefully to the One who has the sharp two-edged sword of God's Word. An enemy is nearby, a fallen angel that considers their city to be the place of his throne, and maybe he is right. Yet the witness of the Lord must continue even there. Will these brothers hold fast to the Name of God, or will they deny Him? They have the example of Antipas who gave his life for Christ in earlier days. Men like that should be remembered and imitated as they follow the King who died on a cross.

A place where Satan seems to reign is going to be a difficult place to live. The church there must expect that false teachers will be leading many toward immorality. They cannot be safely tolerated. They seem to have the keys to the city, but is their master really Christ, as they pretend? The church will need to be alert in the face of great spiritual danger. If they have already moved in a path that leads away from Jesus, it is time to turn back home and to travel toward the heavenly Zion again. In even the most demonic place, Christ will reign. What else can it mean when He assures His disciples that all power and authority have been given to Him?

Are you in a place of spiritual danger. Listen to God's Word. Take in the bread from heaven lest you be turned aside from the One who knows you and loves you. He has a Name for you in heaven. Won't you keep going on your journey?

Fourth, to the church in Thyatira, the Son of God has something to say. He knows what they do and who they are. He knows the depths of their souls and all their actions. He knows their works, their love, their faith, and their growth in humble service. But will they allow some Jezebel to ruin the church. She claims that she is the most spiritual woman, and that she knows the secrets that only God knows. But she is teaching a lie, and living out the unclean life. Somebody please stop this woman before she destroys the church. Is everyone afraid of her? Why? Christ is in you. Take courage.

Patience is good, but this woman has been given time to repent, and she is still doing her works of dangerous evil. The weak will be led astray unless someone has the boldness to stop her. Where are the leaders who are charged with protecting the church, feeding the flock, and saving them from ravenous wolves? They must find the strength of the One who was willing to face down the worst of adversaries.

This woman, or the movement that she stands for, will bring the Lord's discipline upon a church, discipline that could mean loss of life, if not a complete separation from the community of salvation. Even a small move toward transgression can be deadly. Evil is a lying harlot, and she needs to be confronted.

There are some in Thyatira who have not fallen for the filth that has infected so many. They need to step forward and be faithful if they care about their own lives and the life of the Christian movement in that city.

Christ died that we might have life, even abundant life. He did not face our hell just to see us back in the chains of immorality and error. Those who are aware of the danger we face in this age must cling to the Savior and His Word of grace. We will reign with Him over the nations. May we stand firm in His truth to the end, until that day when the Morning Star appears, and death must finally and utterly give way to the glory of eternal life.

Revelation 1

We need the whole counsel of God, every word in the Bible. But not every word is equally clear. In each passage we should start with what may seem obvious before we go on to those things that are more confusing. We should use the most plain biblical passages to help us in our interpretation of those passages that are difficult to understand.

With that word of caution, it is simply not the case that everything in the last book of the Bible is impossible to interpret. The book is a revelation after all; something is being revealed. Though some of the sections may seem to conceal more than reveal, God, through Christ, through an angelic messenger, through the Apostle John, had many plain things to say to the people of seven actual churches known to the apostle in the first century.

We would be in error if we thought that all of the words of this book were about very distant events. God says that this revelation is about things that “must soon take place.” While the exact timing is not given, we should consider these words to be of importance to those who lived and died toward the end of the first century after the birth of Christ, and through them and their struggles and perseverance, to us.

Much of what God communicated to His people through this book was presented in the form of signs to the apostle using vivid imagery, where every image should not necessarily be forced into a specific meaning, but where general points of great importance to the churches are pressed upon the hearts of the people in a different way than the letters of Paul or the gospels might accomplish. There is something here clear enough for the church to hear and understand so that they will be blessed in their exposure to this Word. It is a testimony of the ascended Christ that is worthy of our careful consideration and obedience.

In every generation since the coming of Christ, the church has faced significant challenges. This book takes those challenges very seriously, but it also considers the grace and peace that comes to us from Christ in heaven to be more important than any threatening power on earth. Christ is so completely full of the Holy Spirit, that He who is, was, and is to come, is said to have the seven spirits around His throne, with the number seven used throughout this book to symbolize the fullness of whatever it describes.

The Spirit-filled, ascended Christ, who through His resurrection has become the firstborn of the dead in this new resurrection era, is the ruler over all the kings of the earth. We serve this glorious Christ who loves us. Has He freed us from our sins by His blood? Yes, He has. Has He made us into the kingdom of God that He proclaimed to Israel during His earthly ministry? Yes, He is doing this now. We are a priesthood of servants to God, presenting our worship to the Lord and serving Him with our lives. But we are looking to the day of His return, together with all who believe in His coming. Then every eye will see Him.

This Christ, the Alpha and Omega, the eternal Son of God, once knew John as the young disciple who leaned on his Lord's chest on the night when the Messiah instituted the Lord's Supper. Now he is an old man facing exile for his faithful labors as a servant of the Word. Suddenly the living Word is there in person before him, not as the lowly Jesus of Nazareth who went throughout the villages of Galilee preaching and teaching the Kingdom, but as the ascended Son of God, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, Almighty God, the One who is, who was, and who is to come.

Is the Son of God still a Man in heaven? Yes, but a resurrected man, and presented to John with features that tell us about His greatness. He has come to His beloved disciple on the island of his exile in the strength of the Day of the Lord and in the glory of heaven. He has come to tell the churches to patiently endure through this era of tribulation. He has come to command that they stay with Him through it all, and to promise again that He will stay with them through the worst that this current age can hurl at them. The words that He will speak are important. They are to be written down for the churches.

He appears in the midst of the fullness of the church, the seven lampstands in heaven. Jesus is with His churches now. He is the Son of Man, but not as Isaiah spoke of Him when he wrote, “He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.” Now He is awesome in splendor. He is in charge, and He is Almighty. He is God. He is not young, but He is far from feeble. His eyes know all and are ready to perform perfect divine judgment. He will not be stopped. He is above all the tumult of a dangerous earth as the One who is accomplishing His great purposes, even in the midst of the suffering and struggling churches for which He gave His blood. He has eternity in His hands. He is the Word of God and He speaks from heaven to the churches. His brilliance and glory show Him to be the bright sun of heaven.

John falls at His feet as though dead. Of course he does. Yet Jesus still brings words of peace to His servant and through him to His church, even today. “Fear not.... I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” The Jesus who died for us is reigning over everything, and we need not fear what men, angels, death, or hell can do to us. Our Jesus is in charge. Take courage this day, and persevere in the pathway of righteousness for His Name's sake. The Lord of the resurrection rules over all.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Jude

The man Jude who writes this brief letter identifies himself as the brother of James. Both James and Jude were sons of Mary and Joseph, and thus were half brothers of Jesus Christ. Jesus was a Son of Mary, but Joseph was not His father. Conceived by the Holy Spirit, He was the eternal Son of God. Neither James or Jude draw attention to their familial connection with Jesus. Calling themselves servants of Jesus Christ, like us they were sons of God in Christ Jesus, called by God, beloved in God the Father, kept by Jesus, and kept for Jesus.

This exalted position that we share with these two men as recipients of the mercy and love of God springs from our common salvation. Who can imagine a more wonderful connection with God than what we already have in Christ? And yet not all the news is good. Although Jude would like to dwell further on our privileges as believers in Jesus united together in worship as citizens of heaven, he feels compelled to write about the danger the church faces from false teachers. He must contend for the faith that was given to all of us once for all time. This true faith can never change, but our understanding of it and appropriation of it can grow or recede. Our experience of faith diminishes through the poor example set by those who claim to believe the truth, but are teaching and living a lie.

Some take the message of grace and pervert it into a strange justification for their own lives of immorality. They do not really have God or Christ. They live for themselves and bow the knee only to their own sensuality. Their lies and snares are as old as God's Israel, the Lord's son who turned against Him in the wilderness and faced a discipline that included the death of an entire generation. Older still is the story of the angelic “sons of God” who were insubordinate to the Father, winning for themselves eternal chains in gloomy darkness. Whole cities, like Sodom and Gomorrah, were wiped off the face of the earth, servings as signposts of the future judgment of everlasting fire. Do you really want to be your own god and king? Will you ignore the will of God and insist on your own pleasure, hiding under a cloak of supposed grace? The fake outer garment only makes the inner deviance more disgusting, like the strange makeup on the elderly Jezebel, or a ring in a pig's snout.

But in every age there have been great spiritual personalities who have made proud boasts. Some insist that they have secret knowledge of angelic realms, and contend that they can safely speak against powers that they do not really understand. This is not the humility of the One who calls us to follow Him in the love of the cross. Could it be that Satan might fall from heaven more readily because of the secret gift of a poor widow or because of the praise that springs from an infant's faith? Could these expressions of true worship mean more than all the pronouncements of proud men who claim to know so much? And when it comes to pretensions of great spiritual experience and insight, must we presume to speak to powers of darkness? Decency limits us to more sober words, such as these: “The Lord rebuke you.” That is more than enough to say.

Pride, pride, pride! What a killer of men! Where are all the great men of renown today? Where is Cain who was so proud that he had to murder his brother to prove something? Where is Balaam who needed to be rebuked by an animal lest the strange prophet misrepresent God and speak lies? Where is Korah, who was offended by the position of others in the Lord's assembly, claiming that Moses and Aaron had gone too far? This deadly pride will stain and damage the church until the Lord of Glory comes Himself to put a stop to evil imposters. The Lord who bought the church with His blood will come again to judge the living and the dead with thousands of mighty angels. Who can stand in that day? We must heed the warning that Jude gives to us in this letter. It will not be safe for us to follow loud-mouthed boasters and malcontents who show favoritism to others only to gain their own advantage. These men cause divisions within the churches with their scoffing insolence. They are devoid of the Spirit of God.

Why would God allow these imposters to have any position in His church? But the Lord knows His good plan. The best thing for any of us to do is to humble ourselves before Him, and to follow the better example of those who are not loud, proud, deceptive, and immoral.

Positively, we should listen to the Word and give ourselves to prayer. And is there any reason why sermons need to veer so far away from what the Scriptures have said? Is the Bible so uninteresting that we need to be entertained with everything else? How are we going to be built up in the Word if our ministers refuse to deal with the passages that God has left for our growth in faith? Pray, brothers and sisters! Pray for a day of humble preaching that does not exalt the ambassador, but glorifies the King who died on the cross! And then listen to that good Word of Jesus, and keep yourselves in the love of God. Wait for Jesus, and have mercy on weak people who doubt. Snatch others from the fire, knowing the danger of the sea of worldliness that is both outside and inside the church.

Most of all, put your hope in God. You will again praise Him. See Psalms 42-43. When you feel the nausea of your own moral decay, remember that Jesus died for your sins, and that the Lord is able to keep you from stumbling. One day He will present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, because of the unfailing righteousness of His Son. To God be the glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Yes, glory, majesty, dominion, and authority to the King of the new heavens and the new earth, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen and Amen!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

3 John

Life in the church on earth is not always easy. We were warned about this by the Lord, and the evidence in Acts and the New Testament epistles has demonstrated to us that church trouble was a reality from the beginning years of conflict in Jerusalem, continuing on with the movement of the gospel throughout Israel and into the world of the Gentiles. It is also abundantly clear that church problems are not merely coming from outside persecutors, but also from leaders within the church who have gone ahead of God into strange doctrines and disobedient patterns of living.

When the apostles write about these wrenching situations they show their deep concern for the health and life of the body of Christ. Sometimes this concern requires decisive action for the correction and even removal of a beloved leader in a particular church if that man has forgotten that the church belongs to Jesus and not to him.

This is any easy mistake for people to make who are so invested in the progress of the Lord's kingdom. We hope that all that is necessary is a word of correction that will restore humility, reason, and spiritual discernment. But if that correction proves ineffectual, it may be necessary for a person to step aside from his position of leadership, at least for a season.

The mixed message of church vitality and church trouble traveled from person to person in the ancient world, as visitors from one church had occasion to visit another. As people served together over the years, relationships of trust developed, and hidden problems of pride and misconduct began to be apparent. This is the way that things always happen in a fallen world. But normal is not always acceptable, and some problems require a response.

Sometimes we hear good news that people are walking in truth. This does not mean that their lives are free from adversity, but over time they respond faithfully to trouble by the grace of God. They demonstrate their love for Christ, for the Word, and for the family of God by welcoming those who truly come in the Name of the Lord, provided that they have been sent forth from a trusted source. A reasonable way of demonstrating approval historically has been the carrying of a letter of recommendation. If John sent traveling preachers and teachers to a church with such a letter, he would have expected that those individuals would be treated with all respect and love as trusted servants of the Lord, though they may have been strangers to those who were greeting them in this new location. To ignore this apostolic communication was a tremendous affront. To habitually put such visitors out of the church was evidence of significant sin and insubordination against the authority of Christ who had sent John forth as His apostle. Those with John's approval should have been received well by the church and sent on their way with provisions for their journey to the next location where they would serve, just as one would have treated Christ Himself. A love for the Lord and His truth demands this.

Yet there have always been leaders in the churches who have forgotten their place, and who insist on putting themselves first, even above Christ. Think of the audacity of a man like Diotrephes, mentioned by name in this letter, who would not acknowledge the authority of the apostle! John intended to correct this man in person during his next visit to that church. He announces in this letter that he will speak to him about specific offenses. This man was talking against John and forcing the apostle's messengers out of the church. He also persecuted anyone who would welcome John's associates, and insisted that they be put out of the church as well. There is a need for church leaders to be careful about who comes into the church expecting to teach instantly. We saw this point in 2 John. But any necessary restriction can also be taken too far. If a pastor insists that he is the only man who can teach in the church, he has forgotten whose house this is. He needs to remember again who gave His life that we might live. Jesus owns the church. No one else has absolute authority over the body of Christ.

This kind of arrogance must be stopped, or people will assume that this is what strong leaders are supposed to do in the Lord's household. Yes, they must be strong in protecting the flock from error and immorality, but they must be meek in submitting to apostolic authority, now contained for us in the Scriptures, and submissive to true authority in the church out of reverence for Christ. If an arrogant man will not be corrected on this matter, he is not only a poor shepherd of the flock; he has not really known God. We need to lead as Jesus led; protective of the weak, but correcting the proud who presume that they are kings over the Lord's temple. If the true King of the church was humble enough for a cross, are we who follow him to continually talk about our position, our authority, our special garments, and all our privileges? This is unseemly behavior. We should correct ourselves on these matters quickly before the Lord has to restrain our ugly pride in His own way.

Thankfully the Lord does provide for His church men who are true examples of Christ-like love and service. One Demetrius is mentioned here. He is a safe man to follow, and so is the apostle John who commends Him. But let us especially follow Jesus, who has granted to us the apostolic Word recorded for us in the New Testament. Let us turn away from all showy pride. It will kill us and others, and it is not becoming of one who claims to follow a King who died for His flock on a cross.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

2 John

Jesus is the Elder who truly governs the church. He has chosen to express that governance through other servants who shepherd the flock. His servant John writes as one of the Lord's apostolic ambassadors. He calls himself “the elder,” and he writes to the church as a chosen lady together with her children.

We who gather together in worship to call upon the Name above all names are God's lady and the Lord's family. We have been chosen by Him for a special life of truth, love, and obedience to the Lord's commandments. This love is relational and imitative. John calls Jesus the Son of the Father in truth and love. John is the elder who has learned to imitate Jesus in truth and love. He urges that life upon the church, the elect lady, and the relationship and imitation continue as the church grows with the inclusion of more and more of her children.

This is not merely an outwardly reality that is read as a rule of wisdom. The Christian way is based on an abiding presence in the life of the church. The Lord God dwells within us and moves us to walk in truth, love, and obedience. His message is alive in us, and He is in us, and will be with us forever. Because of the certainty of the promises of God secured for us in the life and death of the Son of God, grace, mercy, and peace will be with us. These have come from heaven, from the Father and the Son, and they will not be taken away.

As the church travels together toward our heavenly home, we face considerable spiritual danger. Some, but not all, within the body of Christ are walking in the truth. Others have turned away from it, and their continued presence in the church, together with their intention to be received as messengers of Christ, has created a religious environment that requires our serious attention.

We have to hear again the Lord's commandment that we love one another. This is an old word of instruction to us, since love has always been the way for those who would live in joyful subordination to the King of glory. Yet now it is as a new commandment, since the Lord of love has come to earth and has died for our sins. As we hear the message of the cross and believe, it is as if we have discovered true love for the first time.

Some have rejected that love. They have turned away from the truth of Jesus, the Son of God who came in the flesh. They may claim to have one or more of these Christian virtues of truth, love, and obedience, but they do not have the Son of God, so they cannot possibly have the gospel gifts that come to the church from heaven.

The fact is that even in the first century of New Testament church life, the Apostle John could plainly state that “many deceivers have gone out into the world.” What was the sign of these deceivers, these antichrists? They would not confess that Jesus the Messiah had come in the flesh. They stumbled over the Stone that the Old Testament religious leaders had also rejected.

Can it be that the eternal God became man? Yes it can be and is the case. It was necessary that our atoning sacrifice would be man in order to die the death that men deserved. Christ died as a man for men. But it was also necessary that he would have the power of an indestructible life as the unchangeable Son of God. There can be no doubt based on the Scriptures of the Old Testament prophets, that the One who came to save us would have to be “God with us” and “the Lord our righteousness.” No one else who could work the salvation that we needed. Therefor He Himself dressed for the battle of the ages, coming here to work the righteousness that the Father required. But it was also expected based on the Hebrew oracles that the Messiah would live and die as a true mortal man, and that he would be raised again as a resurrection man. See Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22.

Some have rejected this message, and John warns the church to watch out for such deceivers. Everyone in the church should keep an eye on his own soul, and the leaders of the body of Christ in any city must protect the Lord's sheep from false prophets and teachers. They may be good-looking, intelligent, fun-loving, insightful, and skilled at presenting a compelling message. But if they will not hold to the doctrines of Christ, agreeing with all of the Scriptures concerning His person and works, then they are dangerous troublers of the body of Christ, who must be stopped before they destroy the ones they claim to love and serve.

Do not be content to see false teachers dismantle the Lord's temple and demolish His spiritual house. Let those who would speak for Christ stay with the approved and sound words handed down to us through the apostles, now contained for us in the New Testament. If they reject this Word, they have neither the Father nor the Son.

Such presumptuous apostles of error are not even worthy of being admitted into the Lord's church. The one who invites them in to God's house to promote their errors takes part in their destructive and wicked works. Christ did not come to destroy His people, but to build them up into a holy temple, a living letter of the Holy Spirit.

Let us hear the word of the true Son of God, and embrace Him in the warmth of true relationship. Let us give Him the respect of sincere imitation. Let us walk in truth and love in obedience to the Lord's commandments. The Lord has bought us with His blood. May we never abandon Him.

Monday, July 12, 2010

1 John 5

The Apostle Paul tells us that all creation is waiting in eager expectation for the unveiling of the fullness of the resurrection world and particularly for the revealing of the sons of God. But John indicates that we already have some sense of who is in the Lord's household. The family resemblance is not yet physical, but it is seen in how we live. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has new life from above granted by God, and that life is not only in the faith that we profess, but also in the love that we live out for each other. Those who have been born of God, love the family of God.

Love has always been the fulfillment of the Law. In the true sons of God, love for God and love for one another are closely aligned. As we dedicate our lives to true love of God, love for the family of faith will grow, for God is at work in us.

This is the commandment of God for all who are determined to receive His love and to show their love for Him as He desires: We must love each other. This is not some horrible burden as if we had been asked to make our way to the moon and back. God gives us the incomparable love of the cross in Christ, and he asks that we receive that love and imitate it in some small way that He opens up before us. That opportunity of imitative love is a gift to us, and not a cause for complaint.

This is the victory that has overcome the world: the love of Christ, and we have that love planted in us, for we have been born from above and granted a new faith, a seed of heaven which will work itself out in good time. Already we believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Surely it is His intention to make us more like Him. What can this mean but a greater display of His powerful love?

Praise God for the One who came by water and blood! He came through the water of a true human birth, but now by His atoning death, by His sacrificial blood, He has revealed to us a new world of life. Imagine, this heavenly life traveled back home again to Paradise through the road of the cross! That cursed death on the tree has now yielded perfect fruit for the healing of the nations.

The Spirit of God in the resurrected Christ now testifies to us of the power of the cross, and assures us that we are sons of God in Him. We have the water of the birth of Christ as a man, and our baptism reminds us of our new birth in Him. We have the blood of Christ that cleanses and brings life through the cross, and we remember our communion in the body and blood of our Lord at His sacramental table. We have Christ in us by the Holy Spirit, granting faith that will not be stopped until the full fruit of love appears in us and through us. This is resurrection living, and true heavenly worship. The water, the blood, and the Spirit; all three have now touched us and empowered us in new life as sons of God in Jesus.

This is the testimony of God in us, even through our present adversity. But what can we say if someone does not believe that God has given us life in His Son Jesus Christ? Such a person does not yet have that life, because they do not yet have the Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

John writes these words not to condemn anyone, but to give assurance to those who do have the Son of God. He wants his brothers and sisters who believe in the Name of the Son of God to know that they have the true seed of heaven, and title to the fullness of the tree of life in the Paradise of God. They have eternal life. To know this is to have confidence; not a brash arrogance that is quick to speak against others, but a gentle assurance of faith, a faith that learns to ask in the knowledge that we will receive.

We know that some are committed to a hardened unbelief. They reject the doctrine of the divine Christ coming in the flesh as Jesus of Nazareth. They do not acknowledge the power of the cross or believe the truth of heavenly life in His resurrection. Only God can rescue them. Their salvation is not merely a matter of our asking. They are captives in the prison house of sin and death until God should give them a new birth according to His own eternal plan. That life for the dead must come to them by the preaching of the Word as God chooses to bring such a person to Himself. It is impossible for us, but possible for God.

This is beyond our confidence in asking and receiving, as in the case of the church finding daily forgiveness through the instrument of our prayers for our brothers and sisters in the faith. This hardened rejection of Christ the Son of God is a sin that leads to death. What can any man do about that? But there is sin that does not lead to death, and yet still requires confession and forgiveness. See James 5. We can pray for this forgiveness for the repentant, and know that God will surely grant us what we have asked him on behalf of a brother in need.

It is our every expectation that the One who came by water and the blood, the One who has given us the testimony of truth by the Spirit, will be with us in our battle together against sin. He will protect us from evil, and lead us away from temptation. The whole world is in the power of the evil one, but God will not abandon us to that enemy. May He grant us continued understanding that we might more readily distinguish the truth from deadly error. And may we walk in the light, as He is in the light, and love one another by the power of the cross, keeping ourselves from dead idols that can never save us.

Thursday, July 08, 2010

1 John 4

God the Son came in the flesh. God the Son is now one with the Man, Jesus of Nazareth, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, but is also the Son of Mary. Even after His death and resurrection, Jesus the Messiah (or Christ) is still God the Son and is still the Man Jesus of Nazareth. He is not two people, but one, fully God as well as fully man.

It is permissible for a person to be a Christian and to admit that this is more than he can really understand. It is not permissible to be a Christian, particularly a Christian teacher, and to reject this doctrine of the Son of God come in the flesh. It is not acceptable to teach something less than this in the church. Some instruction that insists on being called Christian must be rejected. It does not teach what the Bible teaches regarding the doctrine of Christ. We cannot always agree with everything. Either the Bible is right about Jesus, or those who have some other view on the person and work of Christ are right, or neither of them are right. We have come to believe that the Bible is right. We cannot affirm understandings of the Lord that contradict the Bible.

In every age, the church must test the spirits of those who would be teachers according to the established deposit of Scripture that God has given us. Those who reject the doctrine of Christ are not from God, for they are against the One who is the beloved Son of the Father and the child of Mary. God is for Christ. His enemies are anti-Christ.

We might wish that everyone in this present age agreed about the doctrine of Christ, but they do not. The difference is very basic. It comes from the source. One doctrine of Christ is from God, and those who embrace that message demonstrate that they are from God. A false doctrine of Christ is not from God, it is from the world, and those who embrace that false message are not from God, they are from the world. There is a difference in the spirits. One is the spirit of truth, and the other is a spirit of error.

Because we speak of error, of the devil, of antichrist, do we think that we have permission to treat those who disagree with us as less than human? Is God calling us to a life of angry hatred? No, God is love. We especially need to love one another. Not only is the true doctrine of Christ from God, the true way of living out that doctrine, love, is also from God. If we want to know what love is, we can do no better than to look to the cross. This is the way that the love of God was manifest to us. The cross sprung from a heart of divine love. Looking upon the elect of God in our helpless condition, the Lord saw our need before we were even born. He assessed our own inability and His singular ability, and determined in love to meet our need in a way that would secure our eternal well being. We could not really live without living through Him. That necessitated the sacrifice of His coming, living, dying, and then bringing forth the age of resurrection upon the heavens and the earth. Now we can live, since He lives, and we are able to live through Him.

This great divine love had to come from God first before it could ever be expressed in us. It is a costly love, requiring that Jesus the Son become the propitiatory sacrifice for those who belong to Him. If God loves us this way, if His love is the source of love, and if that greatest of all loves has touched us, we certainly should love one another. This love of one another is merely an appropriate reverence for the Son of God, and for His cross.

Throughout this letter the Apostle has been writing to the church about the Spirit of God. It is by the Spirit of God that we believe and that we love, and the Spirit of God at work within us moving us along in faith and love is the proof that we belong to the God of love. The Spirit is the deposit within us of a world of love, and of the God of that world.

By the Spirit we believe that Jesus is both the Son of God and the Savior of the world. By that same spirit we confess belief in Christ and we live a life of heavenly love consistent with the love that we have received from God. By this Holy Spirit we continue in the love of God.

The chain of saving events that will end with our vindication on the day of judgment began in eternity past with love of God. God, who is love, loved us. Long after God began the works of creation and providence that will one day find consummation in your participation in the life of the new heavens and new earth, you came to the realization that God loved you, and that the death of Christ on the cross was for you. It was very late in that chain of divine purpose when you first loved God. He had been loving you for a long, long time before you were even born. Today His love is being lived out through you. How wonderfully powerful is the plan of God! Now we do not need to live in the same fear of God which His love at first awakened in us. Our understanding of the love of the cross and the efficacy of the atoning work of Christ has cast away all fear.

As we obey His call to love, we grow in our confidence about the day of His return. As we respond to His call to love our brother, who we can see, we are brought to a greater confidence concerning the love of the invisible God for us that was with God in the beginning. God is love, and God has always loved you. Live out His love by loving one another.

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

1 John 3

As we give our lives to God and to others as servants, we are told to think of ourselves as children in His family. This is an extraordinary privilege that is now ours according to the plan of God's grace. The one and only Son has won for us this exalted position.

We are God's children even now, though the family estate is currently above in heaven, and we are here below in the world. This family standing in God's home comes with a warning. Though God is sovereign over all things in heaven and on earth, the children of God in the world should not anticipate that everyone will love us. If we consider for a moment the suffering that our Lord faced from His own countrymen during His days here below, we should not be surprised that people will not always care for us.

One day this situation will be different. We may not know everything about life in the present heavens, but we do know that when Jesus appears, we shall be like Him, because we will see Him as He is. This is our great and secure hope, and we who have this hope are to live accordingly. We are in love with the ultimate Man of purity. Therefore we purify ourselves now as we wait for His appearing.

The pursuit of purity is a noble endeavor. It requires that we choose to embrace the heavenly life every day. The alternative to this is a jarring disconnect between what we say that we love and the sin that we pursue. If Christ came to take away our sins, and we insist that we adore Him for this, how can it make any sense that we would continue in old habits of lawlessness?

There are many ways to say it, but the reality is the same. We need to walk in the light, to live as children of God, to practice righteousness, to pursue purity, to live the life of heaven now, and to follow Jesus. If we have been rescued from our former slavery to the devil, then we need to move away from sin. Our excuses and delays in repentance are not conducive to our true happiness.

The devil has been sinning from the beginning. The results of the rebellion of angels and men can be seen all around us. It is an old story of misery, shame, guilt, and loss. But now the Son of God has appeared. His death on the cross looked like another chapter in the old story of the defeat of what is good. Yet Christ's death and resurrection have destroyed the works of the devil. We are on the side of the greatest victory possible in Jesus Christ.

That victory is already at work within us, and it cannot be entirely contained in some private space of individual spiritual life. Christians have been leaving behind signs of heavenly victory everywhere they go for many centuries now. The love of God, the power of the cross, the hope of the Spirit, these good evidences of life are leaking out of our souls into homes, schools, prisons, businesses, and everywhere else where we live the quiet life of godliness.

But what message leaks out of us if we continue to make a practice of sinning? Isn't this the worst challenge that the church faces, not the press of persecution, but the indifference that comes from worldliness in our midst? But if God's seed is in us, and we hear a Word of freedom, life, and justice in Christ, something starts sprouting up within us that cannot easily be held back. As that seed starts to germinate, there will be growth, and eventually fruit. This is how we know the children of God and the children of the devil. The children of the devil do not practice righteousness, and they do not love the Lord's family.

Cain and Abel were brothers in the same family. Yet one was of the devil, he envied his brother, and envy yielded murder. Abel was murdered, but it was Cain who was walking in death.

Christ laid down His life for us. Because of His death, whether we live or die, we can now walk in life. That's why when we see our brother in need, the love of God living within us opens our hearts and sends our hands into action, providing for the one we love. This is how the body of Christ shines forth in life in a world of frequent and significant disappointments. This is how heaven springs forth from the souls and bodies of those who have been born from above. Why should we close our hearts? Are we not together in the Lord's family? Don't we love one another? “Little children,” John writes, “let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

This can all be so difficult to hear, and if we are honest about it, our hearts may begin to condemn us. Is that self-accusation, even that impulse of self-condemnation, an indication that we are not God's children after all? No, if our hearts condemn us, we have a recourse that we flee to that is greater than our own hearts. We run to God, who knows everything. Nonetheless, we should seek a life of honest and humble confidence before the Lord. That life can only come to those sons of God who are truly His servants in caring for His beloved bride.

If we have this quiet confidence, we will call out to Him in prayer and He will answer because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. Do you have room in your heart for this understanding of how God works? These are His plain words of encouragement to you, and they are good words. No matter what, whether your heart condemns you or not, believe in the name of God's Son Jesus Christ and love one another. This is God's command, and His way is surely the best way for all of His children.