The Opposite of Hate

Posted on January 8, 2019 by Pete

I once heard it said that the opposite of love isn’t necessarily hate as much as it is indifference or apathy. The argument being along the lines that if a father saw their child in imminent danger and, though not hating them per se, did nothing to intervene, that would be unloving. I get the argument. But, not gonna lie, if someone turned the question around and asked me what the opposite of hate was, I’d probably be pretty quick to respond, “Love!” That is until a verse in Psalm 11 gave me something to chew on this morning.

The LORD tests the righteous, but His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

(Psalm 11:5 ESV)

I’m no Hebrew poetry scholar–not even close–but have been exposed a little to those who are and so it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s some fancy-schmancy name for the literary structure in this verse. Something like contrasting literary structure. Nah, not fancy-schmancy enough.

Anyway, there’s a pivotal word here. The word but. And it divides the verse into two sections putting them, by the very nature of the word but, in contrast with one another. That it’s dealing with contrasting opposites also seems evident in that the first part of the verse deals with the righteous and the latter part with the wicked.

So, given that the last part of the verse talks about the verb to hate, seems logical that the first part of the verse would deal with the opposite of hate. And what I’m noodling on is the fact that the verb there isn’t love but the verb to test.

The wicked God hates, but the righteous He tests. He examines them. He scrutinizes and proves them. Like a precious metal, He assays the righteous, trying the quality of their righteousness and turning up the heat in order to drive out the impurities.

True statement? Born out by other “witnesses” in Scripture? I’m thinkin’ . . .

For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives. . . . For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

(Hebrews 12:6, 11 ESV)

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

(1Peter 1:6-7 ESV)

So David says, in effect, the opposite of hate is testing. And that because being tried by God is evidence that not only does God love us just the way we are, He also loves us so much He can’t leave us just the way we are.

The righteousness He imputes to us through Christ, is the righteousness He lovingly cultivates in us through trials. Thus, He allows the crucible of trial and suffering to prove the reality of His regenerative work in us. By permitting the heat to be turned up in our lives, He reveals the dross and, through the sanctifying work of His Spirit, continues to skim off the impurities.

Only as we truly believe that God loves us by testing us can we “endure hardship as discipline” (Heb. 12:7 NIV).

Only as we trust in His loving purposes for us as His children would we dare to pray:

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

(Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)

Love me, O God, and test my righteousness.

By Your grace. For Your glory.

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On My Account

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Pete

Hovering over the Beatitudes this morning. Simple laws of the kingdom. Laws concerning what renders someone blessed, what makes someone happy. Not laws as in edicts to be followed in order to reside in the kingdom, but laws as in dynamics which are at play for those who have been brought into the kingdom. Kind of like the laws that govern the natural, these are the laws of cause-and-effect in the supernatural.

Poor in spirit? Blessed . . . for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mourning? Blessed . . . for they shall be comforted.
Meek? Blessed . . . for they shall inherit the earth.
Hungering and thirsting for righteousness? Blessed . . . for they shall be satisfied.
Merciful? Blessed . . . for they shall receive mercy.
Pure in heart? Blessed . . . for they shall see God.
Peacemakers? Blessed . . . for they shall be called sons of God.
Persecuted for righteousness’ sake? Blessed . . . for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Reviled and persecuted? Blessed . . . for your reward is great in heaven.

And what catches my attention in particular is the last beatitude. Or is it the last two beatitudes? Said differently, are there nine beatitudes or actually eight with the last one repeated for some reason.

And if the last beatitude is actually stated twice, how come? Could it be that the kingdom law of persecution is repeated at the end in order to, at least in part, provide a key to understanding all the Beatitudes?

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven . . . ”  ~ Jesus

(Matthew 5:11-12a ESV)

“On My account.” That’s what I’m noodling on. Is that the key that the unlocks the promised blessings in God’s economy?

Is the last beatitude repeated in order to shed light on a foundational truth for all the beatitudes? That not everyone who suffers for some righteous cause will see the kingdom, but for those who do so because of Jesus. Who do so “on My account.”

That not everyone who mourns will know comforting, now and into eternity, just because they mourn. But the promise is for those who mourn for the sake of Jesus.

The kingdom of heaven not necessarily assured for anyone and everyone who is contrite in heart and broken in spirit regardless of the reason or motivation, but for those who are poor in spirit on His account.

Meek because of Jesus? Hungering for righteousness just as He is righteous? Merciful in His name? Desiring to be pure in heart for the sake of Christ? Peacemaking in order to emulate the One who made peace for us? Then blessed are you. Happy are you. For the life of Jesus flows through you. The dynamics of the kingdom are in you. And the promises of blessing are for you.

I don’t know. Maybe there are two persecution beatitudes. But I’m chewing on them this morning as though they are one. One great promise revealing one important key to how the kingdom of heaven operates. And that, “on My account.”

Blessed always on account of His grace. Blessed only for the sake of His glory.

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A Great Recipe

Posted on January 4, 2019 by Pete

Okay, I’m not really into spiritual recipes. You know, take so much of this, add so much of that, sprinkle with a pinch of this other thing, let bake for so long, and, voila, you’ll have a winning outcome every time. Don’t really think that’s the way it works. Not that quantifiable or that predictable. But, not gonna lie, a couple of verses in Acts 4 this morning are screaming to me of a combination of ingredients that, when they come together, I’m thinkin’ God’s gonna bless.

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

(Acts 4:32-33 ESV)

Great Community + Great Power + Great Message = Great Grace. Sounds like a great recipe.

The full number of those who believed were one. Not just some of them, all of them. And not just in alignment on an accepted statement of faith, but knit together in heart and soul as to the implications of such a faith. Brothers and sisters in the truest sense. I got your back, you got mine. The family looking after the family. A great community, obeying the Lord’s great command, and providing a great witness to the reality of the gospel.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
~ Jesus ~

(John 13:34-35 ESV)

What’s more, the Lord had promised that, when He left, He would send Another, just like Him, to empower them–the Spirit of truth (Jn. 14:6). One who would teach all things to them (Jn. 14:26). One who would bear witness of Christ’s redemptive work through them (Jn. 15:26). A community eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit (Eph. 4:3) is gonna know something of the reality of the power of the Spirit. A great power upon a great community.

And that great community, with such great power, stewards no greater message than the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Behold the grave clothes lying flat! Talk to the 500+ who encountered the risen Christ. Want proof that the work on the cross was sufficient? that it really was finished? Hear God’s, “Amen!” to Calvary as it echoes through the walls of an empty tomb.

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.”

(Luke 24:5b-6 ESV)

Great community. The evidence of the life-changing dynamic of the gospel. Great power. The Spirit sourcing the life-invading power of the gospel. Great message. The resurrection an unshakeable foundation for the life-giving reality of the gospel.

. . . and great grace was upon them all.

The favor of God. And favor with the people.

God’s blessing the gospel where the gospel is lived out and proclaimed. People drawn by the Spirit to the gospel where gospel implications are evident and authentic.

And we, as the church, get to participate. By His enabling, we get to live in great community. Through His presence, we get to be conduits for great power. According to His word, we get to be ambassadors of reconciliation sharing a great message. And in all this, experiencing His great grace.

Not really into spiritual recipes. But thinking this is something worth chewing on.

Because of His great grace. Only for His great glory.

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An Egyptian Servant, A Hebrew King

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Pete

They couldn’t have been any more different. First, she’s a her and he’s a him. Furthermore, she was an Egyptian. He was a Hebrew. And she was bottom of the food chain, a servant of Abraham and his wife, Sarah. While he was the big kahuna, king of Israel, a son of Abraham who served no one but God alone.

But in my readings this morning what hits me is their similarities. Both were in dire straits.

She was forced to flee the safety of her place of employment after her mistress “dealt harshly with her” (Gen. 16:6). And that because she had “looked with contempt” on her barren boss after having been required to conceive a child by her boss’s husband. Baby wasn’t her idea. Being arrogant about it, though, wasn’t such a good move. And so she finds herself homeless, helpless, and in desperate need.

As for the king, we aren’t told the specifics of his situation. Whatever the cause, he takes responsibility, accepting the need for rebuke and discipline (Ps. 6:1-2). But that it was also desperate is made crystal clear (6:6-7). He was weary with groaning. Every night he flooded his bed with tears. His couch was drenched with his weeping. His eyes wasted because of grief. Whoever his enemies were, and whatever they were doing to him, this descendant of Abraham, ascended to the throne of Israel, was at the end of himself–just like the nobody house servant of Abraham was at the end of herself.

Seems trials and tribulations are a great equalizer. But I’m also thinking they are a place ripe for an encounter of the divine kind with the God who listens to our affliction.

And the angel of the LORD said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has listened to your affliction. . . .” So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me.”

(Genesis 16:11, 13 ESV)

. . . for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer.

(Psalm 6:8b-9 ESV)

God had listened to her affliction. He had heard the sound of his weeping. That’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

She was in the wilderness thinking she was alone (Gen. 16:7). He was in his palace crying out to God, “But LORD, how long?” (Ps. 6:3b). But both became keenly aware of the God who sees and the LORD who listens.

For her, it was through an angel. For him, it was by faith. She came to know more about Abraham’s God. He grew to know more of what it meant to trust in the God of Abraham.

Different people. Different life stories. But the same God . . . the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8).

The God who listens to afflictions. The God who sees our hardship. The One who looks after us.

Sometimes seemingly silent, but always hearing the sound of our weeping. Sometimes taking longer to intervene than we’d like, but the One who is not deaf to our pleas and is ready, willing, and able to accept our prayer.

Behold our God!

The God who is gracious to me (Ps. 6:2).

The God to whom all glory is due.

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An Old Song

Posted on January 2, 2019 by Pete

Hovering over the opening verses of Psalm 5 this morning. Familiar and yet, thanx to the Spirit, surprisingly fresh this morning.

In 1975 a guy by the name of Bill Sprouse Jr. put the first three verses of Psalm 5 to music. (I know, David had done that a few years before then, but David didn’t have the Authorized Version to work with.) A few years after that, the guy in this chair was regularly singing Bill’s version of Psalm 5 with a group of “young people” whenever they gathered. I’m guessing that, next to John 3:16, probably among the first portions of Scripture I ever memorized.

Meditating on it this morning and I realize (I think for the first time since switching from the NKJV to the ESV in 2011) that the translation I’m reading now is different than the lyrics I sung years ago.

Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto Thee will I pray. My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up.

(Psalm 5:1-3 KJV)

Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to You do I pray. O LORD, in the morning You hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

(Psalm 5:1-3 ESV)

It’s that last phrase that I’m chewing on. Directing my prayer vs. preparing a sacrifice. Looking up vs. keeping a watch.

I do a bit of e-enabled comparison of translations and some e-enabled Hebrew lexicon work and am thinking the ESV is probably the more accurate translation. And it’s got me thinking again about the importance of morning prayer when it comes to setting things up for the rest of the day.

Asking God to consider our meditation or groanings in the morning; petitioning Him to hearken or give attention to our words; believing that our God is a God who desires to be engaged in our lives and is ready, willing, and able to hear our voice; should compel us each morning to lay out the pieces of our lives on an altar in His holy presence and then watch closely for His interaction with those pieces.

More than just looking up and directing our prayers heavenward, so often feeling like they never really get past the ceiling, we instead set forth our praise and petitions for God to descend upon and make contact with as He wills. Rather than trying to force things up, we simply arrange our stuff before Him–all our stuff, the good, the bad, and the ugly–and ask that His fire come down and envelope it.

And then we watch. We look out for. Like a watchman we set ourselves to observe closely. We lean into the day, peering into what is yet to transpire, expectantly looking for how the God who hears our prayers will interact with our pieces.

We watch. We wait. We trust. Having entered His house again through the abundance of His steadfast love (5:7), the love manifest in and through His Son. Taking refuge in His promised protection (5:11). Blessed as we rest in the covering of His all-sufficient, shield-like favor (5:12). Rejoicing as, under our breath, we sing again that old song, if even in the old way . . .

O Lord, in the morning, will I direct my prayer. Unto Thee and will look up.

By Your grace. For Your glory.

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Image Bearers

Posted on January 1, 2019 by Pete

Created in His image. Now that’s something to chew on.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

(Genesis 1:26-27 ESV)

When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. Male and female He created them, and He blessed them and named them Man when they were created.

(Genesis 5:1b-2 ESV)

And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image.

(Genesis 9:5-6 ESV)

As I continue to venture into the book of beginnings it would seem that, among the foundations being laid for the redemption story, us being created in the image of God is kind of important. If repetition in these opening chapters of Genesis is meant to drive anchors into the bedrock of our faith, then, along with God being established as Creator, that we were created in His image has profound implications.

Among those implications, as image bearers of God it isn’t good for us to be alone (Gen. 2:18). God has never been alone. From eternity past He has known the sweetness of fellowship within His triune being. As the definition and source of love (1Jn. 4:8, 16), God has always had the opportunity to “be Himself” as the Father has loved the Son since before the foundation of the world (Jn. 17:24 ESV). Thus, creating something in His likeness, God created something wired for communion. Wired to be loved. Wired to love.

What’s more, as I read in Genesis 9 this morning, because God created male and female in His likeness, there is also an intrinsic value placed on them as image bearers. Apart from having ever done anything, or even being able to do anything, simply because they are image bearers they are set apart. Elevated in status above the rest of creation. To have dominion over every living thing. Their life highly regarded above every living thing. Worthy of protection. Of whom, the shedding of their blood demands a reckoning. And why? For God made man in His own image. That fact alone demands respect for every human being.

But what of image bearers in rebellion? Of those made in the likeness of God seeking instead to be like God? Of those created for communion with the Creator choosing instead to worship the creation rather than the Creator? What are the image bearing implications then?

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”   ~ Jesus

(John 3:16 ESV)

How big a deal is to be made in the likeness of God? So big that God would send His Creator Son to take on creation’s weakness in order to redeem those created to bear His image. His blood shed because of our sin. The reckoning for our death-causing transgression laid upon Him so that we might be reconciled with our image bearing purpose. New creations, with a new heart, a new life, and a new power, replacing the old man’s corrupted likeness of God. A new work begun in us through the Spirit of God. His Spirit conforming us to the image of His Son that we would again bear the likeness of our God as we were designed to (Rom. 8:29).

Created in His image. Kind of a big deal? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Big enough to unleash unfathomable grace.

For our good and for His glory!

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The Creator Who Makes Things Very Good

Posted on December 31, 2018 by Pete

After a great week with my kids and grandkids, it’s also kind of great to be back at my desk this morning. Opening a new bible, preparing a new copy of my reading plan, putting my bookmarks in place, sharpening my colored pencils, and anticipating another year, Lord willing, of feeding on His word in the morning.

I read the cover of my reading plan and let the words sink in: “In the year ahead, ask God each day to speak directly to you from the Scripture portions you read. Be expectant, and let your continual exposure to God’s Word reshape your attitudes and behavior as you gain a better understanding of every part of His written testimony to us.”

Expectant. That’s the word. Expecting an encounter of the divine kind each time I open His Word. Believing that as I read and meditate I am being transformed by the renewing of my mind. Engaging in His work of conforming me to the image of His Son. Expectant.

And as I hover over my readings this morning what I’m reminded of is that my God is a creating God.

God’s creative nature clearly revealed in Genesis as He makes the heavens, the earth, and everything on the earth. His fingerprints of bringing things, even things without beginning, into being as I read in the opening verses of Matthew the birth story of the Savior through a meticulously engineered genealogy and a miraculously conceived child. His creative nature appearing again in Acts as there I find the beginnings of the eternally prevailing church of Christ.

Our God is a God who creates. And, praise be to God, a God who, with abundant grace, re-creates.

And what God makes . . . He makes good!

And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.

(Genesis 1:31 ESV)

I’m chewing on the rhythm of creation. God determines. God declares. God deliberates.

The Creator determines to create. Taking a mass without form and void of life and systemically shaping and populating it. Making a world alive with creatures and people He desires to interact with.

He then declares His creation into being. Repeatedly God says, “Let there be . . .”

And then–and this is what has really grabbed me this morning–God pauses and deliberates. He reflects and contemplates over what He has just created and whispers, “It is good.” On the sixth day even more so. After all has been made, delighted, He nods His head and proclaims, “This is very good!”

God is a creator and what He creates is good, very good. And though marred by the fall, though corrupted by man’s disobedience and transgression, God determined to redeem, restore, and reconcile His sin-assaulted creation. And that through a new creation. And that through His Son, the Word who was in the beginning, the Word who is the Maker of all things (Jn. 1:1-3).

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself . . .

(2Corinthians 5:17-18a ESV)

In Christ? Then I’m part of the new creation.

Imperfect? Yup. Still trying to figure out this pilgrim way? You know it! Not there yet? Yes sir!

But good? Even very good? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Not because of who I am or what I’ve done, but because of who He is, the Creator who makes everything He makes very good.

I’m His work in progress. Possessor of the promise that the work He has begun in me He will complete (Php. 1:6). Confident that He is able to present His bride to Himself “in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27).

Created to be very good. Very good in Christ. Very good through Christ. Very good for Christ.

All through over-flowing and all-sufficient grace. All for His glory.

Amen?

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You Come Too!

Posted on December 21, 2018 by Pete

Not gonna lie, there’s something satisfying about finishing up my reading plan each year. And it’s not so much a feeling of self-satisfaction. But it’s the kind of satisfaction you experience after having consumed a great meal at a great banquet put on by a great host. From appetizer to dessert it has been an experience. Memories of the different tastes and flavors linger as you push away from the table, lean back, stretch out your legs, and rub your belly. Fed full and satisfied.

This Book is a feast. Quality (not just quantity) food for the soul. Nothing bland about it. Every course unique. The overall story, however, amazingly cohesive and tied together.

I’m anticipating that next week will be hard to maintain routine as we all head up to the homeland to hang out together for a few days celebrating the birth of our Savior and reflecting on the many reminders of the goodness and faithfulness of our Father. So this morning, I’m savoring the last bites of this great feast I’ve enjoyed over this past year. And the last taste I get from the Book is the promise reminding me that, surely, Jesus is coming soon!

And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place.” “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” . . .

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing My recompense with Me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” . . .

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”

(Revelation 22:6-7, 12-13, 20 ESV)

There’s a lot up for debate when it comes to the prophetic visions John saw and recorded in this book. But one thing is crystal clear. The promise repeated three times in these closing verses. Jesus is coming again . . . and soon!

And the satisfaction of having consumed this present meal pales with the anticipation of a coming day. Knowing that the food of faith served up on this small desk each morning one day will give way to a marriage supper hosted in heaven at a massive table by the Lamb Himself. That what the Spirit brings to the imagination each morning, the Son will soon display before our eyes for all eternity.

For we shall behold Him! For surely He’s coming soon!

And so the Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!”

The one who has ears to hear says, “Come!”

All God’s people cry, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

And so, ending another year by anticipating a new year that could be the year when we see Him face to face . . . and having tasted and seen the Lord is good and thus hungering for the full-meal deal . . . we respond afresh to His invitation:

And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

(Revelation 22:17b ESV)

Having been reminded that He is coming soon, we resolve, by His enabling, to come even now. Bringing our thirst, knowing anew that He will satisfy it with His flowing river of life. Without price, remembering again He has paid for it, once for all, through the flowing fountain of His blood.

And so, even as we cry, “Come, Lord Jesus!” His Spirit speaks to ours whispering, “You come too!”

And this too evidence of His eternal grace. And this always for His everlasting glory.

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Behold the Lamb . . . Forever!

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Pete

I’m reading the second to last chapter in the Bible this morning. The end of the story, the beginning of eternity. And what strikes me is the number of times John, in his prophetic heavenly vision, refers to “the Lamb.” Five times Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, is seen as the Lamb in this chapter.

And you’d think at this point, the Lamb motif could be done. That the divine persona reminding us of Jesus dying on a cross could be retired. After all, the sacrifice was once for all, the work finished, the Son resurrected in power and glory, His glorious appearing a reality. Yet, John looks at the One in the midst of the throne and . . . still the Lamb.

In fact, though you might expect that Jesus as the Lamb would be most often mentioned in gospels, it isn’t. John is the only gospel which “beholds the Lamb”–and that only twice (Jn. 1:29, 1:36). But when John beholds the Lamb in Revelation, it occurs some twenty-four times! Jesus is the Lamb forever!

And chew on it a bit, and you perhaps understand why. Without the Lamb and His sacrifice there is no eternity for anybody. Apart from the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8), there is no salvation. Without the shedding of blood there are no names written in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 21:27).

And so we behold the Lamb, and will behold the Lamb forever.

Meditating on this, the thought of forever the Lamb seemed familiar. A vague recollection that this wasn’t the first time I had been struck by this. Sure enough, back in December 2009, I was moved to wonder and worship at finding, again and again, the Lamb in heaven.

I know it makes this a pretty long post, but thought I’d include those 2009 thoughts as a morning meal supplement.

Behold the Lamb . . . forever!!!

By His grace. For His glory.

————————–
Forever the Lamb

It occurs to me this morning that when Jesus “made Himself of no reputation” and took “the form of a bondservant” and came “in the likeness of men” . . . when He let Himself be “found in appearance as a man” and “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Php. 2:7-8) . . . that He was entering into an eternal humility. This was not some temporary identification with the lost creation, but was an act that would define Him throughout eternity.

I’m reading Revelation in 5 this morning. The Omnicolor glow of Revelation 4 is still fresh as a scroll appears in the hand of “Him who sat on the throne.” The Almighty lifts up the scroll and an angel’s voice echo’s throughout heaven, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” (5:2). And no one, at first, steps forward . . . no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll . . . or even look at it (5:3). But then, behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David . . . He has prevailed . . . He is worthy to take the scroll and unveil its justice (5:5).

And that’s what you kind of expect of Messiah, isn’t it. A Lion . . . mighty . . . powerful . . . awesome to behold. A King . . . after the line of David . . . majestic . . . Possessor of all authority . . . indisputable right to reign. That’s my Lord! But when John looks upon Him, what does he see? “And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain . . . ” (5:6).

There in the middle of the glory of heaven . . .with the throne upon which Almighty God is seated, surrounded by winged beasts declaring His holiness, on one side, and the face-planting, worshiping elders on the other . . . in the middle of it all stands the Lion of Judah . . . the Root of David . . . the image of the invisible God . . . the One by whom all things were created . . . the One in whom all things consist . . . the One who is the head of the church . . . the One whom the Father has determined would have the preeminence in all things (Col. 1:15-18) . . . and how is He seen? . . . as a Lamb as though it had been slain.

What does that look like? Physically I know that His face was beaten beyond recognition . . . that His back was laid open with a scourge . . . that His hands and feet were violated with spikes driven through them . . . that His side was pierced with a spear. Yes, He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities (Isa. 53:5), but you’d think that after being resurrected . . . that after ascending to heaven . . . that after having taken His place at the right hand of the Majesty on High . . . that this would somehow be behind Him and He would “go back” to being King of kings and Lord of lords. But, just as He never stopped being the Lion of Judah or the Root of David when inhabited flesh for 33 years, so too, He has taken on Himself an eternal humility as the Lamb that was slain. The King of kings will always be the Lamb that was slain.

And when we behold Him . . . for sure, we will see His majesty . . . we will recognize His power . . . but, we will also behold Him as the Lamb. Visibly, throughout eternity, He will be recognized as the One that was slain. Forever, when we look upon Him, there will be a facet of His being that reminds us of the love of God. Heaven, in all it’s omnicolor glory will not shield the reality of the price paid that we might be purchased for Him . . . nor will we want it to. For it will be blessing beyond imagination to hear “the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands and thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’ ” (5:12)

Oh, the eternal humility of Christ . . . forever the Lamb that was slain . . . forever the object of our worship . . . “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” (5:13) . . . amen!

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My Servant

Posted on December 19, 2018 by Pete

The storm was over. The throbbing pain of sore infested limbs had ended. The pounding sorrow of having lost family, fortune, and his fair name had subsided. The relentless waves of accusation after accusation by his miserable comforters had ceased. The whirlwind of God’s face to face correction had calmed. Certainly there had been weeping for a night, but joy was to come in the morning–the latter days of Job blessed by the LORD more than his beginning (Job 42:12).

And as I hover over the closing chapter of Job this morning what strikes me is that, when all was said and done . . . and done and said . . . Job had never ceased being the LORD’s.

After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as My servant Job has. Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to My servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And My servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as My servant Job has.”

(Job 42:7-8 ESV)

My servant Job. Repeated four times. The awesome God of creation making it clear for all who have ears to hear that, though Job’s frustration and vexation spilled over into arrogant demands for arbitration and, as such, required a much needed confrontation, Job was still God’s guy.

Though the clay had raised his voice to the Potter, he never stopped being a vessel molded in order to show the riches of the glory of the Molder (Rom.9:19-24). Though the crucible of suffering had revealed dross in his heart, it was so that the faithful Refiner might present Job “without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation”, shining as light in the world (Php. 2:14-15). Through it all, Job never stopped being God’s servant.

Even as I chew on that relationship, that of a servant, I’m reminded of what privilege it is to be a servant of God.

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

(Psalm 84:10 ESV)

But then, I remember too that we have been counted as so much more than servants.

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”   ~ Jesus

(John 15:15 ESV)

Not just servants, friends.

And not even just friends but so much more.  Redeemed that we might receive adoption as His children. God having sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying “Abba Father!” Thus, no longer slaves–through we gladly submit and serve as such–but instead a son, a daughter, and, as such, an heir through God (Galatians 4:6-7)

Always His servant. Forever friended by Jesus. Never not being owned as a child of God. Even through the storm. Even when we go where we shouldn’t. Even when we cross the line.

Our God promising to complete the work He has begun in us (Php. 1:6).

Our God determined to raise up people purchased by the blood Jesus, and fashioned into the likeness of Jesus, so that He might proclaim, “Have you consider My servant!”

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.

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