Psalm 17 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 17) Part 3

God is generous.  David’s prayer here is against the ungodly.  It is against the “wicked who despoil” him.  It is against his “deadly enemies who surround” him.  They have “cold unfeeling hearts, their mouths speak proudly, they surround him in his steps, they set their eyes to look down upon him.“  Have you ever known people that way?  They set traps for you.  They speak proudly over you, as if they are better.  They seek your position, your job, your possessions, your life to destroy it.  They speak harmfully against you and look at you with condescending and proud eyes.  They seek you as a lion lurking about in the fields waiting for its prey.

How do you respond to such?  Those who seek to defame your name, though it may be righteous.  Perhaps they don’t seek to defame you directly, but they seek to harm your family, your kin, your close friends and loved ones.  How would you respond then?  What if you had unlimited power, unlimited resources and infinite wisdom in order to dispose of such people?  How would your respond then?

David speaks of God in this passage, seeking justice from Him, knowing that He is just, that He is righteous, that He is all powerful, that He has all of His infinite resources available and all wisdom in order to use those resources to the best of His ability in bringing justice upon those who would strike out against the “apple of His eye.”  And yet this all powerful, fully sufficient, all wise God does not strike back first.  Certainly there are many cases in which judgment comes swiftly to those who seek to defame the good name of the Lord or His people.  But for others the mercy of God is seen in His long suffering.  Even in His generosity by which He grants good to all of mankind.

And what greater good can God grant than the precious gift of children.  Children to love, children to nurture, children to inspire, children to revitalize, children to carry on their name.  And God in His general mercy to all, provides children to those who are His enemies.  This is what David speaks of when he speaks of the “men of this world, whose portion is in this life, and whose belly You fill with Your treasure, they are satisfied with children, and leave their abundance to their babes…”  For the ungodly and profane, this is their portion.  And it is a great portion in deed.  Children are a blessing from the Lord.  The fruit of the womb is a reward to men under the Sun.  And yet for those who seek to harm the righteous, those who are called by the name of the LORD, it is their only portion.  They may enjoy the satisfaction of the womb while they continue under the Sun.  But once they breathe their last, their enjoyment will be complete.

For in the afterlife, there is no more mercy available to those who scorn the name of the LORD.  There is no more grace.  There will be no chance nor opportunity for penance.  There will only be judgment.  And in this the righteous, even as David does here, may find comfort.  That God is not unjust so as to forget the hardships that His people endure at the hands of sinners.  Even in seeing the prosperity that they seem to enjoy in this life.  Even the prosperity of having their wombs filled with His treasure, little children.  Even when there are many who do believe and who are faithful, who may go a lifetime without such treasure.  It is the goodness and generosity of our God, the LORD that allows for this.  He grants them treasure on this side of eternity, He suffers long their arrogance, their self seeking and sinful indulgences.  He allows for them to persist in their constant belligerence towards His people until the day that He choose to “arise, to confront them [and] to bring them low.”  On that day, they will sleep and awake to His judgment.  In His generosity towards those who love Him, His promise to them is not necessarily that they will visibly see His judgment of the ungodly on this side of eternity.  But that there will come a day when we “shall behold His face in righteousness, [when] we shall be satisfied with His likeness when we awake.”

While it is still today, let us walk as children of our gracious and merciful heavenly Father.  Let us seek to do good to those who seem to desire harm for us.  Let us seek to show love to them, generous and abundant; though in their sin they may seem to escape the judgment of God here and now, though in their sin they may seem to enjoy much of what our hearts may desire, let us seek to be generous in our love now.  If perhaps God might grant them repentance.  Because we know their end.  We know that in the end the judgment of God will come swiftly and without mercy.  And let us persist in our love, however it may be rejected, entrusting ourselves to the God who has promised to refresh us in the end with His abiding righteousness, with the satisfaction of His likeness when we awake.

Make that your ambition this new year.  Not to harbor feelings of resentment or anger towards those who have wronged you, and who seem to prosper in what they do.  But to rejoice in a generous God who is leaving room and time for their repentance.  Entrust yourself and your generosity towards them to Him who judges rightly and who will ultimately reward you with His good grace.

Maranatha!

I believe.

1 Corinthians 15:1-8

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,  by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,  and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.  After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.”

This is the testimony of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthian Church.  This is what he believed.  This is what he taught.  I am no different than him, who spoke nearly 2000 years ago concerning the fact of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection attested by the Scriptures and the other Apostles.

I have written previously concerning certain thoughts that I had around Easter.  Somehow I feel that this Easter has crept up on me.  It is certainly one of the most important celebrations in the Christian faith.  Much of what Paul mentions in the rest of I Corinthians 15 has to do with the literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  His point in a nutshell is that if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead then our whole faith is in vain.  Thus Easter is greatly celebrated among those who believe.  It is a time to reflect upon the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf, the heinousness of our own sin that drove Him to the cross, the great love that kept Him there in the midst of such hostility and mockery at the hand of sinners like you and I, and His victory over sin, death and the grave when He rose triumphantly just three days later.  Appropriate words fail me now to describe the joy that I ought to feel as I reflect upon my own weakness, tendency to rebel against my Wonderful, Merciful Savior.

There ought to be much jubilation.  There ought to be great celebration.  Sadly many who believe approach Easter as if its just any old holiday.  Perhaps there is dressing up, perhaps there is the purposeful endurance of hours in a hot church before a dispassionate preacher droning on about the significance of how many Angels were at the tomb or that women received the message of the resurrection first (among other things).  And once they’ve made it to church on Easter, they check this spot off their list and return to their usual sporadic church attendance.

My point here is not to down anyone.  My point here, as I check my own heart, is to remember that at the heart of my faith is a set of truths.  It is not the celebration of a “holiday” or a the warm and fuzzy feeling associated with the spectacle that many make of Easter (bunny rabbits, chocolate and such).  It is the recognition and heart affirmation of a set of truths that all who claim to be a part of my faith ought to hold to.  And those same set of truths dictate (some more directly than others) how we approach these holy days,  who we ought to be toward one another and toward all men.  And more than that, these set of truths point to a Man.  The only Man in whom there is true life.  And the only Man under heaven of whom it may be said that believing in His name leads to salvation.

Paul said it first and best here in the above passage “the gospel which I preached to you, which you also believed, in which you stand, by which you are saved…[is] that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures and that He appeared to [many].”

I am a Christian.  As a Christian I affirm that…

I believe that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is a real person.

I believe all of the Bible to be fully trustworthy, authentic and truly the Word of God to man.  As the Word of Creator God, it is fully capable and does predict the future and accurately record historic events.

I believe that Jesus died for my sins according to the Scriptures (the Old Testament in the Bible).

I believe that Jesus was buried in a tomb because He was genuinely dead.

I believe that Jesus rose again on the third day according to those same Scriptures.

I believe that Jesus appeared to over 500 people including the Apostles ( who walked with Him during His life, and would have known Him intimately), and that they accurately recorded their testimony about Him in the New Testament of the Scriptures.

And I believe that my faith in Jesus Christ of Nazareth will not be in vain because He has risen from the dead and will literally return to the Earth, as sure as He came the first time, and that He will finally make me fit for His Glorious Kingdom.

There is much more that I could say.  For now I will conclude with this.  I believe because He lives.  Had He not risen from the dead, there would be no hope in Christianity.  There would be no power to change us from being dead in sin to have life before God, thus saving us from His Wrath.  And there would be no confidence in the Word of God to accurately predict the future on the basis of God’s Almighty control of all things.  But again, because He lives, all of these things are yes and Amen.

Romans 10:9-11

“if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;  for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.  For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” “

I have put my complete faith in this man, the LORD Jesus Christ.  I invite you to do the same.

Even so, Come LORD Jesus!

Coram Deo thought: The death of pride

The Christian life is full of a thousand little deaths.  The death of pride in one’s heart is probably one of the most frequent…or at least should be.  “This I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Paul wrote this in the context of a discussion of God’s mercy towards the Church.  He has been merciful to us, in abundance in Christ; and therefore we should present our bodies to Him as a sacrifice.  He goes on to say that this sacrifice entails offering up our bodies to His body through the gifts which He has given us in the Spirit.  This Paul says is a service that we ought to render with humility.  The spirit of humility then is a necessary response to the contemplation of God’s mercy in salvation.  As we recognize that our salvation is truly the mercy of God, our minds are being transformed and as our minds are transformed our lives will reflect a greater awareness of our dependence upon Him, gratitude towards Him and humble service to our brethren who are also recipients of God’s mercy.  Mercy serves to place us all on the same level playing field.  None of us have earned God’s mercy, mercy itself being what is undeserved.  And all of us in Christ and even apart from Christ are recipients of God’s mercy at all times.  All that we have and all that we are is as a result of God’s mercy towards us.  this one doctrinal truth I believe should revolutionize our lives.  Paul viewed it as that which should produce a complete transformation of life for new believers.  Here are just a few ways in which mercy should transform our lives.

Our life should be sacrificial.  There ought to be a true and lasting pursuit towards sacrifice.  So often in life we pursue that which is our right.  We pursue that which leads to comfort for us.  Our society is extremely comfort oriented.  But the mercies of God should impel us to sacrifice.  None of what we have is our own.  None of what we have and what we are is given to us for our own sakes.  Therefore it should all be freely offered back as a sacrifice to God.  Furthermore we ought to look for opportunities to sacrifice what we have for the sake of others.  We should not be quick to hold on to what we have.  We should be quick to give because what has been given to us is not for us alone.  And all who are around us = our brothers sand sisters in Christ – regardless of what they have or have not worked for (materially speaking) are recipients of God’s mercy as we are.  And therefore we ought to be quick to share and to give whatever it is that we have for the glory of God.  My family has received great benefit from many who have understood this principle.  And we endeavor to exemplify the same to others and before our children.  “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Our life should be service oriented.  God has given us a measure of grace.  That measure of grace is to be used for the sake of His body which is still on earth.  That measure of grace has been left to us for the sake of building up His body and therefore we must make every effort to determine what grace the Lord has left for us and to use that grace with fervency “not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord” v 10.  To do any less would be disobedience to the Lord who called us by His grace to serve.  A servant should do nothing less than that which is reasonable for a servant to do.  That is to serve.  A servant should not just serve when they know that they will reap in return.  A servant does not just serve when it will be easy for him to do so.  A servant does not expect gratitude or appreciation.  A servant serves because it is his lot in life and because he is a servant.  A servant serves because he has a master whom he desires to please.  Because when the master is pleased the servant will be blessed.  It is not the joy of the servant which is in the mind of the master but his own joy.  And his joy means good for the servant.  His displeasure means wrath.  A servant’s life is unremarkable.  It is not full of pleasure and extra luxuries.  Our society scoffs at the terminology “servant.”  Man desires to be servant to no one.  Our society declares that it is not the one who serves who is greater but the one who is served by others.  Jesus said on the contrary that the one who would be great in His Kingdom must be a servant to all.  Jesus said of Himself that he came to “serve and to give his life a ransom for many.”  Are the subjects of the Kingdom greater than the King?  If the King had to spend His earthly life as a service to the will of His Father in Heaven, how much more should we who are infinitely less in honor than He?  It is not wrong for a person to have luxuries or to be entertained by them.  However the true believer who is rich in this world is commanded to hold loosely to what he has and to always be ready to give to others who are in need (I Tim 6:17-19).  Furthermore why would one who has true riches in Christ desire or pursue that which is fleeting and temporary?  It would behoove one to question the motives of their own heart in pursuing or actively striving to maintain these things for any other sake than to impart them to the body as needed.

Our life should be sober. Again, the gospel is the great equalizer.  The mercy of God in salvation is His withholding what we truly deserve which is only death for our rebellion from Him.  One who understands the gospel doesn’t see themselves as deserving anything good.  Perhaps we understand and fall back on the assurance that God is working for our good in this life.  However we don’t expect for God to give us any good as if there has ever been a time in which we actually deserve it for our own sake.  We are children of God.  We are children of the King.  We are His beloved.  However that is all by His mercy and not because He is obliged to give us anything. A sober life is seen in three ways.  1)  Our thoughts towards outsiders, unbelievers, obstinate ought to always be that of mercy.  Even for those who are harsh, unbearable, obstinate and even hostile towards us or the cross.  We are to consider the mercy of God to us who were just as they dead in our sin toward God.  “But God,” as the scripture says “on account of his great mercy” made us alive together with Christ.  And so He may for them according to His time and His will.  2)  Our thoughts towards one another in the body of Christ should be that of mercy.  We ought to consider one another, regardless of faults, in light of God’s mercy.  There is no room for complaining about anothers fault as if we deserve only good.  Again, the one who has truly understood God’s mercy knows that it is not the bad that we should marvel at for that is what we deserve.  But it is the good things which also come from above, that we should marvel at.  When we are treated as servants by a bother or sister, that should not shock us.  However when we are blessed above and beyond that of a servant, when we are given the King’s ransom; then we should marvel, then we should stand in awe.  Even to be treated as a servant is God’s mercy to us.  God is sovereign over all, thus we know that even the foolish decisions of others which may hinder us are all under God’s providential gaze.  Thus it is not to others that we should turn but to God in calamity, not so as to find fault but to reaffirm our dependence upon Him and to thank Him for the mercy which He shows us with our very existence and much more in those times of trial.  Furthermore, He has mercifully granted us that we should have gifts to give to one another for the good of the body.  And when we do not serve the body with those gifts we are spurning the mercy of God and showing disdain for it.  3)  Our thoughts about ourselves ought to be lowly.  We are what we are by God’s mercy.  We have nothing with which to boast in ourselves.  God has been merciful to us and continues to be merciful to us by upholding His creation and His own integrity in faithfulness towards those whom He has wed to His Son.  Any good that we have or that we are is not as a result of our work but God’s work in us (Phil 2:13, Eph 2:10).  Furthermore, possibly the greatest mercy which God has shown to us is that He enables us to glorify Him.  What joy does the standard bearer have in raising the banner of his country or king?  What joy is there on the lips of the bride at the praise of her groom on their engagement?  What joy does a parent have to announce the birth of their firstborn?  We who are recipients of the salvation of the Lord may have great joy in announcing the glory of our King who has overlooked our transgressions and paid our infinite debt by His own grace and the life of His Son.  Paul said that by our transformed minds,” by our sober thoughts of God’s mercy in our lives…we may “prove that which is good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  What a blessing we have by God’s mercy to proclaim to this deaf and dead world the good and acceptable and perfect will of God?!

We pray “thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”  Our heavenly Father’s response to our prayer is to show us mercy that we may in turn proclaim His excellencies to others that they all may behold the glory of the Lord and to know His will (I Peter 2:9).

Grace at Work

“I thank him who has given me strength for this, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged faithful by appointing me to this service, though I formerly blasphemed and persecuted and insulted him, but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” I Tim 1:12-14

Watching the grace of God at work in someone else’s life can be pretty exciting.  Watching it unfold in your own life can be sometimes overwhelming and humbling.  In the past 7 days I have preached my first wedding and funeral.  Life is full of so many highs and lows and as a Preacher, you must be prepared for all of it.  That the Lord would use me to encourage and exhort some who are beginning their lives together in marriage is extremely humbling.  And just 12 hours later hearing word that in my own family, tragedy…that which is common to all men…had struck, and that my cousin had died suddenly.  And that day my Aunt asked me to speak at his funeral.

A servant obeys his master.  I am a servant.  The Lord commanded and I went.  It was difficult and frightening, knowing that there were many at both of these events who did not know the Lord.  It is always a frightening thing to me to step into the place of “teacher” knowing that we shall receive the “stricter judgment” and that there is life and death hanging in the balance.  But the Lord carried me, His servant, through it all.  Through the challenging and humbling words delivered at the Wedding, and also through the tumultuous and emotional words delivered at my cousins funeral.

I even saw the grace of God at work in my attitude throughout this past week.  I’ll suffice it to say that there were a number of things done and said in the process of planning the funeral by some folks who are supposed to be Christian, which was thoroughly disappointing and discouraging to the family.  And it was personally offensive to me as a servant of the Gospel to be associated with those people.  Paul often spoke of those who would peddle the word of God for gain.  In Phil 1, he mentioned some of those folks who “preached Christ” in order to bring harm to him, while he was in his chains; or else for their own gain.  I don’t even think that these people know Christ, much less can preach Christ.  But they have the pursuit of their own gain in good order.

At any rate, please, if you remember, pray for my family.  Pray that God’s Grace would be more than abundant in the gospel, which was presented – in spite of some – that it would penetrate the hearts of my family to provide comfort and that they might come to know eternal life which is to “know God and Jesus Christ whom He had sent.”  John 17:3

Death

My cousin died this past weekend. Death never gets easier. As long as I live, separation – while I can comprehend from a theological perspective – will always cause grief. It is inescapable. We all grieve in different ways and at different times…but we all must grieve.

My grief struck me today when I was at work. I was doing fine until I was reminded of something about my cousin. It was hard for me to hold back tears. He used to stay with my brother and I…I guess baby sit us, though we were all relatively close in age…at least he and my brother are not too far off. But he used to hang with us alot…we even used to go over my aunts house to hang with them alot. And he would play video games with my brother and I all the time…he even lived with us for a bit when we were all older. Strange what things you don’t consciously think about until separation occurs. Then all the thoughts come flooding back…because they are gone.

We were never really meant to be alone. When God created man in the garden he said that it is “not good” for man to be alone. I don’t think that he meant that solely with regards to marriage. I think that He never intended for us to face separation.

It is our sin that separates us from God and from each other. And that is why it is so painful. Paul said in I Cor 15, that the “sting of death is sin.” And that so because there is a punishment which awaits those who have never been reconciled with God prior to death.

“But,” Paul continues, “thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” My heart goes out to my family. And I pray for my family that they would also have my hope. My hope is in the Lord. It is not in long life. It is not in a good life – financially or otherwise. My hope and trust is that at the end of my life, my Lord Jesus Christ will lead me to victory, from the grave to the home of His Eternal Father in heaven.

Please pray for us. Pray that the Word would go forth on Saturday.

Responsibility

Most people simply do not want to accept responsibility. I was talking to someone the other day about their life, and it seemed that at every point this person was shifting the responsibility for the way that they are onto someone else. If it wasn’t some potential suitor, it was their parents…and I’m sure if I had allowed to conversation to continue it would have been something else. The one thing that I have continued to come back to with this person is based on the old definition of “insanity.” Insanity is doing something repeatedly the same way but expecting different results. Well, if you haven’t addressed the issue of your own heart before the Lord and how your heart has or has not changed based on your knowledge of Him; then you will continue to get the same results out of life.

You could, of course, continue to blame things on others and even to look to others to solve all of your problems…and rest assured you will continue to get the same results from life. Or you could turn to the One who is able to solve all of your problems…not just to meet your felt needs, not just to make you feel good about yourself…but to address your most basic need. That is the need to see your own personal sin.

You are a sinner. You have made choices in your life that you will be held responsible for. God will examine your life. Not the life of your parents, friends, co-workers or that person who wronged and hurt you so deeply all those years ago. You.

And you need a new heart. You need a new way to view life. You need a new mind with which to think about life and with which to make decisions. And what mind is better than the mind of the One Man who has ever made ever decision perfectly, without fail in accordance with the will of His Father who is in Heaven? What better life to imitate…not just imitate, but to be forever and intimately identified with and molded to than the One whose life could not be held in the grave because it was so pleasing to God?

Which path will you take? The path wherein your life continues to be in your own control, under your own direction, in your own power and at whose end is only death, misery and condemnation. Or, the path wherein your life is crucificed, the path wherein your life is reborn, the path wherein you are no longer enslaved to your former lusts to do the will of the flesh, leading to death but wherein you are enslaved to the will of God to do righteousness. Furthermore, it is the path which has already been trodden for us. It involves tears, not of disobedience and shame, but of obedience and glory. It is the path which accepts responsibility and penalty of its own sin; but also trusts in the Gracious One who made payment for our sin for the glory of God and our good.

7 Sayings of Christ on the Cross, Saying #2

Below is the “second saying” of Christ on the Cross from Luke 23:33, 39-43 that I presented at our Good Friday Service.  I have edited it slightly since the service, noticing some things that I missed.  It was an encouragement and a blessing to hear from 6 other brothers what the Lord laid upon their hearts concerning the words of Christ on the cross.

As I awoke this morning, in thinking about the gravity of Christ’s crucifixion, I wondered how utterly tragic it must have been for the disciples on Saturday.  We talk plenty about Friday and Sunday morning…but rarely about Saturday.  What do you do…what do you say the day after the death of someone whom you love so dearly?  What do you say to a person who has lost so much the day after their loss?  Certainly there are feelings of uncertainty.  Perhaps still a great deal of shock.  And I would imagine the feeling that one was dreaming it all and that they would see this person again very soon.  For many this is the case.  For many today loved ones pass on…sometimes suddenly, and sometimes quite slowly…but I would imagine that the shock and pain are equally real.  And the response to that pain is often quite dismal.  I spoke with a fellow today at work who mentioned that his brother had been in a comma-like state for almost a year.  Doctors and nurses had written him off, but all of a sudden, just this week he awoke and has been completely aware and almost like normal ever since.  For him, before the phone call from his brother, there was no hope.  And for many who lose loved ones, either tragically to death or else to some pseudo death-like state, they are often left without hope.

But God, being rich in mercy, did not allow for His people, for the disciples of His Son to be left without hope.  He did not allow for them to remain on Saturday.  Saturday turned into Sunday, as night turns into day.  Loss is real.  Pain because of loss is real.  But God has promised something so much better for those who are His Son’s.  God has promised hope.  That is part of the message of the cross and the resurrection.  Death is real.  Sin is real.  And the penalty for sin is real.  But as real as sin and as real is death, so hope is made real through the death of Christ for our sins.  And that because death was finally defeated, while life and immortality were brought to light by the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

If you are without hope in the world today, I remember you today, and I implore you, turn from your way to the Hope that God has provided for us in Christ.  It is a living hope…and it is a living hope because He lives.  “Praise God because He has caused us to be born again to a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  I Peter 1:3

Luke 23:33, 39-43

³³ When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. … ³⁹ One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” ⁴³ And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

In business, there are models for just about everything. There are…business models, leadership models, sales models, customer service models…and I bet there are models for how to appropriately use models. Models do a lot for training. In particular, models help to give every employee a standard by which to operate. Furthermore models are used to promote success. If it works, it is used so that others may benefit and also be successful.

This “word” of Christ also provides us with a model. It is a model for salvation. This is not a new model, its the same one that God has been using since the beginning of redemptive history and it is the same model which we know has existed in His mind since before time. This model is the model that all must adhere to if they desire salvation and it is the only model that works. There are three elements to this salvation model presented in the passage. This is not an exhaustive list of the elements of salvation but merely works as a part to represent the whole. The three elements of salvation are quite simple. You can remember it with three C’s. First there is God’s Choice. Second there is God’s Change and third there is God’s Character. I’ll describe these from the passage and then draw a brief conclusion.

The first element of this model is that salvation is God’s choice. V 33 indicates for us that salvation is God’s choice. It refers to the way in which Christ was crucified, being crucified in between two criminals. Mark 15:28 quotes Isaiah 53:12 indicating that Christ’s crucifixion in between these two criminals, identified as thieves, was in fulfillment of God’s plan. God said that it would happen this way. In this, our attention is also drawn to the point of Isaiah 53 in that Christ died as a substitute for the sins of God’s people. In other words, God predetermined that Christ would suffer and also how Christ would suffer. One final note, looking forward to God’s choice, we note that these two represent the whole of all who behold salvation. There are two different responses. One responds with mockery, while the other responds in faith. One is thusly ignored by Christ, while the other is granted Salvation.

The second element of this model is that salvation involves God’s change. What do I mean by that? Consider vs 39-42 again. These two men were identified as thieves. And from the lips of one of the men, they were justly condemned. There was no mistake. They were both sinners, and they both deserved judgment, not just judgment from the rulers of the earth who crucified them; but judgment from the One who rules both Earth and Heaven. So why was one granted access into the Kingdom while the other wasn’t? I alluded to it earlier. The one hurled insults at Jesus commanding that he save himself and them from death on the cross. Clearly his heart did not understand the judgment of God for sinners, nor that it rightly fell on him. The other thief rebuked the first in acknowledgment of his own utter sinfulness and rightful condemnation. He did not make excuse for his sin. He did not blame his upbringing or society. And he did not ask for relief. He knew that he sinned and that his death was justified because of it. His only desire and plea was that Jesus grant him access into his kingdom after he suffered for his sins. His response gave evidence of the sort of change that God does and that God requires in the heart of any who would believe.

The third and final element of this model is that salvation involves God’s character. Character is functioning as a noun in this sense not an adjective. The character is none other than Jesus Christ. And it is faith in this Character, this Man, that is the basis for God’s salvation. He is, as was mentioned in point one, the substitute for the sins of God’s people. He is the guilt offering according to Isaiah 53:10. v 6 of that Isaiah passage reads: “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way but the Lord has placed on him the iniquity of us all.” In that verse, turning our own way is not an admirable quality. The world loves and exalts those who do things their own way, those lone rangers, those trail blazzers and… “mavericks,” but not so for God. God has His own way to which we are all held accountable and by which we are all judged. And He has His own character, His own man by whose righteous standard we are to be judged. And that is Jesus Christ Not only is He the substitute for sins but according to vs 42-43 of our passage, He is the Lord of the Kingdom. The thief said remember me when you come into “your” kingdom. Not someone elses, not “your Fathers” though that would have been accurate too. He is the King of God’s Kingdom and therefore it is rightly called His Kingdom. And Jesus’ response affirmed His Lordship of the Kingdom, as He grants immediate access for this one to the Kingdom. He didn’t have to ask his father first. He didn’t have to pray about it. And he didn’t have to give him a waiting room in purgatory until something opened up in paradise. He was able to grant immediate access because the Father had already given Him authority to do so.

So what model are you following for salvation? Perhaps you’re here tonight and you’ve never really considered that. I’m sure that this will be further explained before the end of tonight but understand that salvation is not what you make of it. Salvation is not merely knowing to call Jesus Savior. The first thief called Him “the Christ,” but as I mentioned, was not saved. Furthermore, it is not merely coming to Church on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Its all about what God has determined in His plan. It is all about God’s choice, it is about God’s effectual change in the heart of man. And it is about faith in God’s character, Jesus Christ, whom He has appointed as both Savior and Lord over all men.

Again, what model are you following? What way will you choose? Will you continue in your way like the first thief and face the end of your way which is death? Or will you turn to God’s way as did the second thief and be received to Him through Christ in paradise?

Psalm 13 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 13)

God is a Merciful Savior. How can a man endure strife and difficulty from among his peers/enemies?  How can a man endure heartache and sorrow to such a degree that sinks him into great despair and depression?  By remembering that God is a merciful Savior.

Hear the cry of the Psalmist “how long O Lord, will you forget me forever…how long will you hide your face from me?” How long will God be far from me?  Hear the despair in his heart.  Hear the rejection.  He has been wronged by his enemies.  They have fought against him and seem to be prevailing.  God is his hope and this he knows for certain.  But it seems that his God has turned his eye from the situation temporarily.  In moments of despair, we can certainly feel that way.  Particularly those of us who know God and who maintain our integrity before Him knowing that He is the “rewarder of those who seek Him.” We are those who seek His righteous face in righteousness and so to experience such heartache and despair, such torment from one’s enemies can be utterly confusing to us.  We ask, why?   Why now, why us? If God is for us, then how can this be against us?  And how long will He cause me to remain in this distress?

Furthermore, he says “how long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily.” From this we notice two things.  First is that despair can cause one to feel alone.  And second is that this despair often lasts for days on end.  That it makes him feel utterly alone daily, we notice that he says “how long shall I take counsel in my soul…”  He takes counsel in his own soul, perhaps to just cheer himself; but most likely because there are no others for him to turn to.  Perhaps he feels that no one else can fully understand his struggle. He is alone in his distress with no one to call upon.  And so within his own heart, he sinks and sulks.   That the despair seems to last for days on end, he says “how long shall I…have sorrow in my heart daily?” This despair is constant and pressing.  Day after day he awakes to it.  It walks with him through the day.  It beckons him moment by moment.  It causes him to recall his every action, every thought, every deed to know whether or not he has mistakenly wronged another; that perhaps the attack is justified.  Sometimes perhaps it causes him to wonder why he should care to uphold his integrity at all.  And why should he be so concerned with striving for righteousness if this is his lot.  Or perhaps it causes him to justify himself within his own heart like Job, as if he does not deserve such an attack and as if God doesn’t have any right reason for it.  Of course God doesn’t need to justify Himself any more to us than He did to Job.

He pleads with God for relief as he says “consider and hear me, O Lord my God, enlighten my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say ‘I have prevailed against him;’ lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.” At times this distress causes us to plead with God to hear our cry.  And yet it seems that he doesn’t.  We ask for him to vindicate us lest those who “trouble” us rejoice at our fall.  We ask for God to “enlighten” us so that we may know the reason for such distress; but it never seems to come.   (Though we know that knowing the reason for the trial will probably not bring us comfort.)

So how does this man overcome despair?  He says “But I have trusted in your mercy, my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.  I will sing to the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with me!” First, we notice that he overcomes because he is one who trusts in the mercy of God.  In his heart, he knows that God is a God of salvation.  It is only those who are truly the Lord’s possession who can say this.  It is only those who have this type of faith who speak of the Lord as One who is a merciful Savior.  Furthermore, in his heart, he knows that because God is a merciful Savior and because God desires praise from His people, that God will bring salvation to him.  We see this from his choice of words I “have trusted…my heart shall rejoice…I will sing…”  These are words of one who is assured that the God whom he serves is a Savior who is able to bring salvation according to His mercy to those who are His.

Evil does abound.  Attacks come from all sides.  We may be tempted to think that when we are attacked, that it is personal.  Particularly if the attack is personal.  That is, if it is done through a trusted and close relationship.  However, we must remember that God is sovereign, even in our suffering.  And that even in those personal attacks, He has purpose.  I know a brother who is under such an attack.  And it is in the context of relationships that were trusted to him.  At least some of those relationships were very dear to him.  And for that reason, these attacks have caused him great distress.  But to him, I would say that difficulty of this sort is never merely about him.  And though it be personal, and though it be difficult (I speak this as one who has never experienced what he has); this particular difficulty has a greater scope.  For it involves the body of Christ and the body of Christ is always under attack by the evil one.  And though we don’t like to think that our brothers and sisters can be used by the evil one for his purposes; we must recognize that he will use any and every opportunity to attack the people of God and men of God who stand before the people as an example daily.  With that said, as difficult as these trials are he/we can persevere and we shall persevere because God is a merciful Savior.  And He is One who is able to accomplish His salvation plan for His people regardless of what may occur in the process.  Furthermore, that He may and does use these difficulties in our lives to continue to shape and mold our hearts to trust Him as the merciful Savior that He is.  And not only to trust Him; which would be enough, but to long for His eternal rest, which He has promised to those who trust Him and who also endure.  That our hearts would continue to be prepared, not for the temporary rest that we may enjoy here, but for His eternal rest.

If you are His and you are enduring such an extraordinarily difficult trial in which you may feel that God has temporarily turned His back on you, that this trial is unwarranted, that your attackers do so without cause,  and perhaps that there is no one who can truly relate to what you are experiencing; then I exhort you to remember in whom you have trusted.  He is a “Wonderful, Merciful Savior”…a “precious Redeemer and Friend” as the song says.  He is the Creator of the World, and yet is One who has chosen to forgive our transgressions against Him and to live in our hearts.  If He has done this; what ultimate good would He withhold from you?  And if this has befallen you; then you must trust that this is a part of His plan to bring about your ultimate good.

Perhaps you who endure such a trial are not ones who must be reminded to forgive.  Perhaps you are not ones who must be reminded to forget…or even that you are ones who need to be reminded to endure.  You’ve learned a great many lessons.  You have maintained your integrity before the Lord in this situation and even in handling the trial which has resulted.  But perhaps you could use the reminder that the God whom we serve is a Wonderful, Merciful Savior. And that this is His plan for you, and anyone else involved.  And therefore, perhaps what you have done is not the problem.  Perhaps who they are and who you are is not the problem.   But rather, this is about who He is and what He is doing in this situation for all who behold it.

Will you praise Him for it?  Do you believe that He is a Wonderful, Merciful Savior?  In this situation, which you know is His doing, is He still wonderful?  And do you believe that He is a Merciful Savior to you?  If you do; then you must rejoice!  You must sing!  Because He will deal bountifully with you.

Suffering and difficulty

I won’t claim to have experienced the greatest suffering and difficulty that life may bring.  I know that I am far from it.  Sure I have had difficulty and frustration in life but I know that there are many others who experience daily physical, emotional and spiritual pain and even persecution for the cause of Christ.

But the more I think about it, I am becoming convinced that God intends for pain to act as a cleansing agent for those who are His.  We are not of this world.  We are aliens and sojourners.  But sometimes we forget this.  Sometimes we are persuaded to think of this life as our sole reason for existence.  We think of this world as our home and its joys as the greatest or best that there is…

But, beloved, God has promised us so much more than that.  He has promised us an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, unfading and which is reserved for us in Heaven, an inheritance which He has promised to keep us safe in order to receive, according to 1 Peter.  That is what we have to look forward to.   That is our hope.  We do not hope like the rest of the world that things will “just turn out okay.”  We do not hope against hope or hope in hope…whatever that means.  We hope in the eternal rest and blessing that is promised to those of us who are in the Son whom the Father has given all things.  We hope in Christ and His return.  We hope in the day that He ushers in Peace, Justice, Righteousness, Prosperity; the time where there will be no more wars, no more turmoil, no more uncertainty, no more tears, no more sorrow, no more sickness and no more death.  That time will not happen until after our Lord returns for us.  Therefore that is what we hope for.  We hope for His return and we look forward to it.  We have no other hope.   We have no greater thing to look forward to.

When suffering and difficulty come…do not fret…be not anxious, nor be afraid.  Think of it as the Lord’s way of continuing to prepare you for His rest.  If you are sick or dying, do not fear.  Think of it as the Lord’s way of shedding you of your earthly tent so that you may finally put on your heavenly one.  If you are without…fill in the blank…in this life; think of it as the Lord preparing your heart to desire more the riches that are imperishable, not defiled by sin and everlasting.

Maranatha!

Psalm 8 – 150 Days of Purposeful Meditation (Day 8)

God is…

I am in awe of this Psalm.  Each time I’ve read it lately, I’ve had to give pause at this one thought that the Psalmist is seeking to convey.  Though he has many different points, I think that there is one main thought.  Namely that God, as great as He is and as great as His works may be, would take interest in us.

Many take note of the sun, moon and stars and marvel at their wonders for wonders sake.  They look at the great expanse of the universe and are aghast at the multitude of brightly shining stars in the heavens.  They may even stand in awe of the manifold nature of the plant and animal kingdoms.  They are right to find these things compelling.  But they fall short of what is truly worth their wonder because they fail to mix their wonder with faith.

The ungodly do not believe that there is a Creator.  And because they do not believe that there is a Creator then there is no reason for them to consider His reason for creating.  It would be natural to wonder what purpose a person has in creating one thing or another; but if something were created solely by accident, then there would be no right reason to wonder.

Yet, we who understand that something, particularly something with such complexity, could not possibly have come about without an initial cause; believe that the cause is in fact a person with a plan and purpose at heart.  Furthermore that this person’s plans and purposes include us, who – as great as we think we are – in the big scheme of things are really only a small part of His vast created universe; is truly a thing of wonder.  It would be something like us building a vastly complex ant farm in which there were little ant cities, towns and countries; placing a few small ants in the farm, at various locations, and then tending to each one’s particular real need.  (I say real need to distinguish from the “felt needs” that some of my brothers and sisters believe that we ought to cater to in order to reach some with the gospel.  Real needs are those things which God determines are our needs…paramount is our need for Him in the gospel and not necessarily temporal ease.)  I’d give them charge over the entire farm, placing other “inhabitants” of the farm under their charge. Then I’d give them a special relationship with me above all of the other inhabitants of the farm.  Such that they can communicate with me and I with them, they can know me relate to me.

Crazy huh?  I mean, why on earth am I taking time to build an ant farm of such complexity for these ants to inhabit?  Why not just give them a mound of dirt?  Why would I take time to see that each of their needs is met?  Why would I even give them charge over the farm?  Just because its called an “ant farm?”  And why would I give them of all the inhabitants of the farm, the opportunity to know me?

“Oh Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth.”  When was the last time that you thanked God, worshipped God, praised God; because He has chosen to bestow His grace upon you?  Before you understand why its so great that God has chosen to bestow grace upon you; you must first understand how incredibly worthless you are.  Thats where most people miss it.  Pop pshychology will tell you that you are to be made much of.  Pop culture will tell you that your wants/desires are most important.  God’s grace teaches us that we have nothing to offer and everything to lose; but that He has chosen to purchase our good with the death of His own Son.  His grace teaches us that there is no one righteous; but the One who had no sin and was made sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  God’s grace teaches us that it is not our name that ought to be made much of; but that it is His.  For He alone is worthy of praise for the grace that He has bestowed on us, who are but dust.

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name, in all the earth!