Listen to Me

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Pete

Was awake earlier than I had hoped this morning. So, did a “double portion” of my reading plan. And reading Psalm 80 and Psalm 81 back-to-back provided context for a conversation between God and His people that I would have missed otherwise.

Psalm 80 begins with the poet of God’s people desperately crying out to God, “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel.”

Though they had been a vine brought out of Egypt and planted in a land of promise, things had gone south. Though they had once taken deep root and born much fruit, as the songwriter looks around, the walls are broken down, all who pass by pluck the fruit, and the wild beast of the forest ravages the vineyard at will.

The people had given God their back. God had responded by feeding them with “the bread of tears.”

And so, the psalmist pleads again and again . . .

Restore us, O God;
   let Your face shine, that we may be saved!

(Psalm 80:3 ESV)

Three times this petition is found in the song.

Cause us to return, Lord. Turn us back. That we might know again Your face. That we might walk again in Your light. That we might be delivered again. Liberated again into the freedom You intended when You first redeemed us from Egypt’s cruel bondage. Restore us, O LORD. Let Your face shine. That we may be saved!

Then we shall not turn back from You;
   give us life, and we will call upon Your name!

(Psalm 80:18 ESV)

And then I read Psalm 81. And again notice a lyric repeated. But this time it is the response of the Great Shepherd:

Hear, O My people, while I admonish you!
   O Israel, if you would but listen to Me! . . .
Oh, that My people would listen to Me,
   that Israel would walk in My ways!

(Psalm 81:8, 13 ESV)

Listen to Me. Cease with Your vain calls to worship. Don’t think for a moment that mindless, rote celebrations of My works is the way to favor. I don’t need to hear again the praise and trumpets of people who “honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” Rather, you need to hear Me. To listen to My voice. To follow My counsel and not the leading of your stubborn hearts. To walk in My ways. To be still and know again that I am God. Oh, that My people would listen to Me.

Perhaps when we sense a silence from heaven it’s not because God has ceased to speak, but we have ceased to listen. We’re not in His Word. We’re not really interested in His way. We just want things to be easier and know His favor.

And so we cry, “Restore us, O God!” To which God may be responding, “Listen to Me, My people!”

I am the LORD your God,
    who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

(Psalm 81:10 ESV)

What a promise! How often is the cause of a sense of His failure to shine on us the result of us having turned our back on Him. We don’t have His face, because we have not given Him ours.  But when we give Him our face, when we open wide our mouth, He will fill it.

When we seek Him wholeheartedly, He will be found. When we ask Him sincerely, He will respond. When we knock at His door earnestly, we will find that, all the while, He has been waiting at our door patiently, ready to come in and dine with us, and open the doors of heaven to us.  Our hearts burning again within us as we hear again His voice speaking to us.

Listen, My people!

Yes, Lord!

By Your grace. For Your glory.

Posted in Psalms | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

His Promises Never Fail

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Pete

The verses gave pause as I read them this morning. A reminder of the goodness and faithfulness of God, yet a reminder of my inclination to not fully enter into that goodness and faithfulness. A reminder that while there is victory in the Lord, I still need to engage the enemy. A reminder that while God has done the work, mine is still to enter fully into His rest. A reminder that while I may fail to fully appropriate His promises, His promises never fail.

Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that He swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as He had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

(Joshua 21:43-45 ESV)

And so the “Take the Promised Land” campaign concludes. Kings defeated. Enemies devoted to destruction. Land allotted. Cities divvied up. Well . . . mostly.

As I read these verses I remembered that, at least on a couple of occasions, enemies were not removed (13:13, 16:10). That some cities were yet to be occupied (15:63). That clean up still needed to occur. So how could it be said that “all the land” was given and that “all their enemies” had been given into their hands?

Because they were in the promised land. Though they were yet to possess it all, the LORD had already given it all. Just as promised. Through they were yet to have fully moved in, possession had been fully determined and rest on every side had been provided. Just as God had sworn to their fathers. Though there were still enemies in their midst, God had already given them all into their hands. They just needed to engage the enemy.

There is no sense that God had failed in anyway to deliver on His promises, only a recognition that the people were yet to fully appropriate them. The land was theirs. The cities were theirs. The rest was theirs.

God’s good promises were fulfilled. All came to pass. The work was finished. And theirs was to continue to fully enter into that finished work.

Any sense of shortcoming was not a failure to fulfill the promise but a failure to fully enter into the promise. Not a matter of God’s inability to deliver, but of man’s need to pursue and appropriate.

The divine record stands:

Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

Any perceived deficiency concerning the promise is our issue not, for God is faithful and His word is sure.

Let God be true though every one were a liar.   (Romans 3:4 ESV)

The work is finished. Jesus said so (Jn. 19:30) . . . and it is impossible for God to lie (Heb. 6:18). What’s more, the promises are fulfilled in Him–“Yes and Amen” (2Cor. 1:20).

Mine is to, by faith, pursue all that has been promised in Christ, through Christ. Faithfully entering into the land He has promised. Courageously doing battle with the enemies He has defeated. Confidently entering into the rest He has provided.

Knowing with assurance that His promises never fail.

By His amazing grace. For His all-deserved glory.

Posted in Joshua | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Abide Always in the Shadow of the Cross

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Pete

The message of Asaph’s parable seems clear: if we will not remember, then we are bound to rebel. If we will not reflect often on our history, inevitably we will revert back to our folly. To fail to focus continually on God’s mighty deeds is to fallback repeatedly to relying on our own wisdom and power. And so he begins his song with this lyric:

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
   incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
I will open my mouth in a parable;
   I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known,
   that our fathers have told us. (Psalm 78:1-3 ESV)

Asaph would have God’s people reflect on “things we have heard and known.”

Psalm 78 is a retelling, and a re-retelling, of Israel’s story of great deliverance, their grievous grumbling, their undeserved restoration, and their repeated rebellion. Three times Asaph declares this indictment against them: “They tested God in their heart” (78:18). Again and again they sought to prove whether or not God was a God to be bowed to “and provoked the Holy One of Israel” (78:41). Though they had known great deliverance, “yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies” (78:56).

Despite the mighty works done in Egypt by “the Most High God their redeemer”; despite His great provision of water and “the bread of angels” in the desert; despite His continued compassion as He “atoned for their iniquity” and “restrained His anger often”; they tested God again and again.

How come? Because they failed to remember. Busy with the present, they forgot the past. Though abundantly blessed, they wouldn’t make time to bow. Consumed by satisfying their own sensual desires, they neglected pursuing their high and holy calling. Enamored with the world, they lost sight of the way. Settling for being people of the flesh, they became less and less a people of faith.

. . . because they did not believe in God
   and did not trust His saving power. (Psalm 78:22 ESV)

And far from judging these ancient people of God, I know I am looking in a mirror.

“Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love. . . ”

(Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Robert Robinson)

How I need to remind myself often of my deliverance. How I need to rehearse frequently the love of God shown on the cross, and the power of God displayed through the empty tomb. How I need to recall, again and again, that though I was once dead in trespass and sin and separated from Christ and a stranger to the promises, God, being rich in mercy, made me alive together with Christ (this would be a good time to read Ephesians 2).

He opened my ears to the Word. He opened my eyes to the cross. He opened my heart to receive conviction of sin. And He opened the way of faith–to know a righteousness declared and imparted, which I could never deserve nor manufacture.

If Asaph’s parable says anything, it says, “Remember!”

Remember purposefully, remember deeply, remember often. Lest you wander . . .

How I need to be in His word continually. How I need to be with His people regularly. How I need to take of His table thoughtfully.

How I need to abide always in the shadow of the cross.

. . . but tell to the coming generation
   the glorious deeds of the LORD, and His might,
   and the wonders that He has done. (Psalm 78:4 ESV)

By His grace. For His glory.

Posted in Psalms | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

No Footprints

Posted on April 2, 2018 by Pete

There were no footprints in the sand. None as they looked at the impossible path before them. None evident as, by faith, they trekked amid walls of water around them. None as they looked back and saw only water where once there had been enemies behind them. No footprints. But abundant evidence of God’s presence.

I’m hovering over Psalm 77 this morning. Whatever the “day of trouble” the songwriter is experiencing, it has the psalmist crying aloud to God. Seeking Him earnestly. Stretching out his hands, he groans towards heaven. His soul refusing to be comforted until connection is made. Meditating on his only hope of rescue until his spirit faints.

But, it would seem, . . . crickets. Silence. No relief in sight. Nada.

And so his soul “made a diligent search.” In order to get through his current situation he would purpose to remember God’s past deliverance. As a means of enduring misery and weakness he would ponder again God’s mighty deeds and works.

Your way, O God, is holy.
   What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
   You have made known Your might among the peoples.
You with Your arm redeemed Your people,
   the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah (Psalm 77:13-15 ESV)

In his day of present trouble, the songwriter recalls the day of past redemption. When the going got tough, the knowing got renewed. The God who had delivered from bondage, was the same God who could and would deliver from bad days. And this too, without footprints.

Your way was through the sea,
   Your path through the great waters;
   yet Your footprints were unseen.
You led Your people like a flock
   by the hand of Moses and Aaron. (Psalm 77:19-20 ESV)

No footprints. That’s what jumped out at me this morning as I read this song of desperation and the battle to bring every thought into captivity so that hope might not be lost.

When the waters of the great sea saw God, they were afraid, “indeed, the deep trembled” and drew back. And though the “skies gave forth thunder” and “lightnings lighted up the world” and “the earth trembled and shook,” yet there were no footprints. As Pharaoh and his day of trouble descended upon them, theirs was to walk “the path through the great waters” and follow “the way through the sea” though, beyond Moses and Aaron, there was no tangible evidence of God’s leading.

A reminder to me this morning that sometimes there are no footprints in the sand.

Yet, to remember our deliverance in the past–that which we have done this glorious resurrection weekend–is to recognize anew His unfailing presence in our current circumstance.

We are not people of footprints, we are people of faith. Not a blind faith. But a faith founded and fortified by the revelation of an unseen God through His Word and the reality of the many intangible evidences of His merciful and powerful hand in season after season throughout our lives.

No footprints? No problem.

I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
   yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.
I will ponder all Your work,
   and meditate on Your mighty deeds. (Psalm 77:11-12 ESV)

By His grace. For His glory.

Posted in Psalms | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Found Faithful

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Pete

Ours is a celebrity culture. In the world, and in the church, we have a way of gravitating toward those we perceive to be something special. We want to be part of a following. We love being in a parade with our favorite leader at the front. True today, true back in the first century.

Case in point, the church at Corinth. And their celebrity crushes were causing tension and division in the church.

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or ” follow Apollos,” or ” follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”

(1Corinthians 1:10-12 ESV)

They all had their t-shirts: Paul’s People . . . Apollos’s Apologists . . . Cephas’s Seekers. The real spiritual ones sported “In Christ Alone.” If Facebook had been a thing back then, someone would have set up a page for people to “Like.” If tweeting had been around, each would have had their own following . . . quotable quotes running rampant throughout the Roman world. Camps being created. Tribes being carved out. All with their respective celebrity leader.

Good for follower-ship. Not so good for fellowship. Great for raising up heroes. Pretty hard, though, on maintaining harmony. Helpful for creating champions, not so helpful for building up the church.

So, with all the pressing issues Paul has to address with this body of believer, he starts there.

And, as I continue my reading in 1Corinthians this morning, I notice what I think might be a helpful clue on how to avoid some of our celebrity tendencies. It’s starts with a proper perspective.

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

(1Corinthians 4:1-2 ESV)

This is how we should be regarded, says Paul, how we should be seen, how we should be considered, “don’t imagine us to be something we aren’t” (MSG) . . . but see us for what we really are–servants and stewards.

To be sure, we are called to be leaders in the church, but don’t put us out in front or your parade. We are not here to conduct the symphony, but to use that which God has entrusted to us, even if it’s playing second fiddle. We are not here to lord it over anyone but to serve Christ. Not here to amass a great following, but to dispense the gospel of grace. Don’t divide over us, but imitate us. Be servants. Be stewards. Be found faithful.

Be found faithful. That’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

It’s not about the followers. Not about being noticed. Not even about having something to show for your efforts.

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.

(1Corinthians 3:5-8 ESV)

The planter’s seed is buried, not much to look at or gloat over. The waterer’s water is absorbed, not much to show for his efforts. But that which is faithfully sown, that which is diligently nurtured, God takes and turns into a harvest of His own determination. And so, the Father gets the credit. His Son, the true celebrity.

And the servant? He rests in his labor knowing that God will reward Him justly in a coming day. The steward? His prize realized when he hears his Master say to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Mt 25:21).

Our celebrity divisions fade as we realize we’re all just servants and stewards.

Our need to justify a following, or seek recognition, ceases when we desire only to be found faithful.

Found faithful. That’s enough.

By His grace. For His glory.

Posted in 1Corinthians | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Infants in Christ

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Pete

As I hover over my reading this morning, honestly, I don’t know how much patience I might have had with them. For all they knew, it seemed to make relatively little difference. For all the time Paul had spent with them teaching the word of God to them (18 months according to Acts 18:11), they didn’t seem to get it. So why bother? I might have been prone to think, “Enough effort spent here . . . let’s move on!”

Paul wasn’t blind to the spiritual condition of the believers at Corinth. Three times in my reading this morning he refers to them as people “of the flesh” (1Cor. 3:1-3). Under the control of their instinctive appetites. Dominated by their surrender to the desires of their sensual nature, as what they could see, hear, touch, taste, or smell acted as the predominant influencers in their lives. People of the temporal, seemingly disengaged from the eternal–almost solely motivated by trying to maximize their here and now with almost no thought of their there and then. Driven more by what would make them feel good than what they knew to be true.

As such, Paul says, though they were his brothers and sisters, he could not address them as “spiritual people.” As people of the flesh, they were infants in Christ. Able only, at best, to digest milk and pabulum. Unable to process solid food. Marked by jealousy and strife, and that being perhaps the least of the issues of this highly dysfunctional family of believers, Paul has no problem discerning, nor any hesitation asserting, that they were “behaving only in a human way.”

If I had been Paul, with all that I had poured into them, and with all they knew of the foundations of the faith, I’d have been frustrated. In fact–true confession time–I found myself frustrated as I noodled on these Corinthian ninnies.

And maybe Paul was a bit exasperated. However, as is evidenced by the fact a 1Corinthians exists, Paul did not give up contending for them. Though they were infants, he would encourage them to grow up. Though they were slaves to their sensual nature, he would remind them of how to be free in the Spirit. Though they lived as people of the flesh, they were still his brothers and sisters in Christ.

Honestly again, my first inclination was to post something decrying people of the flesh and the need to get our act together. But something . . . or perhaps Someone . . . brought to mind what Paul had penned earlier concerning these people of the flesh.

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in Him in all speech and all knowledge–even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you–so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

(1Corinthians 1:4-9 ESV)

And I guess what grabs me is that, while these believers had a long way to go and should have been further down the path already, it didn’t change the fact that they were in Christ Jesus. That they were recipients of grace. That even though they abused and misused the riches and gifting they possessed in Him, He would still sustain them to the end, guiltless in that day. That while they may have been flakey, their God is faithful. That though they lived for themselves, He had still called them into fellowship with His Son. That while they may have lived as people of the flesh, they never ceased being forever loved in Christ.

Not to excuse their behavior. Not to neglect addressing the many issues they were dealing with as a congregation. Not even to, perhaps, apologize for being a little frustrated. But always remembering that though they acted like babies, they were still infants in Christ.

And as such, they were to be contended for. To be patiently taught and encouraged so that God, in His kindness and commitment to them, might lead them to repentance. To be rebuked–not in order to judge or condemn, but that they would be restored and mature.

Though they were people of the flesh they were still God’s field and God’s building (1Cor 3:9). Though they were babies, they were still God’s temple, holy, and indwelt by God’s Spirit (1Cor. 3:16).

Paul knew that. He wanted them to know it to.

Because of God’s grace. For God’s glory.

Posted in 1Corinthians | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

I Know a Secret

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Pete

I know a secret. Most times I forget that I have privileged “insiders” knowledge because most of the people I hang with do too. Nevertheless, I reminded this morning that I know a secret.

It’s an ancient secret, hidden wisdom decreed before the ages. Not ordered by men of intellect or power, but a secret sourced in God Himself. Something beyond understanding. No eye able to have seen, no ear fine-tuned enough to hear, no heart of man creative enough to have imagined, “what God has prepared for those who love Him.” It was a secret formed long before any of us arrived on the scene. And I know the secret.

I know it not because I’m particularly bright or spiritually savvy. Not because I’ve climbed mountains in search of truth or was even particularly open to truth beyond the truth I felt was good enough for me. No, I know the secret because God chose to reveal it. I know the secret because of an encounter of the divine kind–one that continues to this day, one that I so often take for granted.

For who knows a persons thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

(1Corinthians 2:11-12 ESV)

I’m chewing on 1Corinthians 2 this morning. Amazing, really!

God has brought me into His confidence, having revealed things beyond what I could ever have conceived of on my own. Hidden wisdom made known. An unimaginable mystery disclosed. The revelation of “the things freely given us by God” through “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (2:2).

And all this through the Spirit. God Himself, third member of the Trinity, the One who “searches everything, even the depths of God” (2:10). And knowing all that the Father has determined, understanding fully the implications of the Son’s finished work on the cross, the Spirit visits us and allows us to know it, at least in some measure, too.

The problem of man’s unholy propensity, and the good news of a righteousness by faith. Awareness of our bondage to sin and death, and an awakening to the redemption and reconciliation through a Mediator. An understanding of what it means to be created in the image of God and what it can look like to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. An abiding sense that this world is not our home and a tangible longing for a place being prepared for us. Even amid the trials, testings, and struggles of the life, an eye to the future with “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow . . . Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!” (Thomas Chisholm, Great Is Thy Faithfulness)

And how do we know all this? The Spirit. That we know these things should be a continual reminder of the presence of God and of His active agency in our lives. The old, old story . . . the “pat answers” . . . the Christian-ese cliches . . . all that which is so familiar and can seem so common place, testimony to the spiritual dynamic we are apart of.

. . . these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

(1Corinthians 2:10 ESV)

 

I know a secret. And, if you know Christ, you do too? And that, through an ever present interaction with the Spirit of God.  How mind-blowing is that?

Because of grace! For His glory!

Posted in 1Corinthians | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Sandals

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Pete

Evidently, sandals can tell you a lot about someone. Whether it’s what you do with yours or what you aren’t worthy to do with another’s. In two of my readings this morning sandals are mentioned. Both, I believe, relating to the Son of God–one incident pre-incarnation, the other post. But both reminding me of something of His glory.

When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man was standing before him with his drawn sword in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us, or for our adversaries?” And He said, “No; but I am the Commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” And the commander of the LORDs army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

(Joshua 5:13-15 ESV)

The transfer of power from Moses to Joshua was complete. Joshua had been exhorted by God to be strong and courageous. Joshua had been encouraged by God as the men sent to spy out the land reported back that the hearts of the inhabitants were “melting away.” And Joshua had been exalted by God as everyone saw that at his word the Jordan had stopped flowing so that Israel could enter the promised land.

But as they prepared to take Jericho there was one more thing needful for Joshua to be reminded of before entering the fray. That though he would lead the army, it would be the LORD who fought the battle. So Joshua is introduced to the One from heaven who in righteousness judges and makes war (Rev. 19:11). I think what Joshua saw was a Theophany, an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ. The Warrior on the white horse. Him who is called Faithful and True. And while His glory is masked somewhat, at His name, “I am the Commander of the army of the LORD,” Joshua knew the only response was a facedown one. And when he asks what to do, God’s Warrior Son says, “Take off your sandals . . . for to be in My presence is to be on holy ground.”

Then, I’m reading in Mark . . . and sandals are mentioned again.

Now John was clothed with camels hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes He who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

(Mark 1:6-8 ESV)

By Jesus’ own testimony, among those born of women there had arisen no one greater than John the Baptist (Matt. 11:11). But whatever notoriety John might have had, his “greatness” paled in comparison to the One he had come to proclaim. He too would be content to be barefoot at his Master’s feet. His awe and esteem for the Christ keeping him from even presuming to be worthy of performing the most menial task on His behalf.

Sandals. Ours to be taken off on holy ground. His to be consider too high for us to even touch.

Such is the attitude of reverence due the Son of God. Such is the veneration worthy of the One who goes into battle before us.

Whether it was before the walled city of Jericho, or the enemy of our souls, He is victor in the battle. Whether that battle was to be won by causing Canannite walls to fall or by being lifted up on a Roman cross, the Commander of the LORD’s Army has promised to go before us, to be with us, never to leave us nor forsake us.

And ours is to worship at His feet mindful that to abide in His presence is to enjoy privilege beyond full understanding.

Our sandals off. His unworthy to be untied. Even as we stand on holy ground.

Such is the wonder of grace. To Him be all the glory.

Posted in Joshua, Mark | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Grace Abounded All the More

Posted on March 23, 2018 by Pete

Honestly, for me Deuteronomy 29 through 31 has to be one of the most depressing and troublesome parts of Scripture. On the outskirts of the promised land. A new leader in place. A new rallying cry to gather unto: “Be strong and courageous!” (31:6, 7, 23). A new promise to cling to: “He will not leave you or forsake you.” (31:6, 8) Blessing beyond measure to anticipate. The world literally given to them and at their fingertips to possess. And all the people needed to bring to the table? Obedience. To choose the way of life, “loving the LORD your God, obeying His voice and holding fast to Him” (30:20).

And it’s not like the commands were beyond their reach. Not like they had to play some cosmic guessing game as to how to obey and realize the promise.

“For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. . . . But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.”

(Deuteronomy 30:11, 14 ESV)

Yet, given their sin corrupted spiritual DNA, failure was certain.

Even as they prepared to enter the land, God knew what they were inclined to do (31:21). That the people would rise “and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant that I have made with them” (31:16). Heavy sigh!

So much potential. Yet even more certainty that they would come up way short. Heavy sigh, again!

So why bother? Why does God allow it to play out? Why let them take the land if the land will become a snare and trap for them? Why let them posses it if eventually they will be driven from it? Something from my readings in Romans comes to mind . . .

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(Romans 5:20-21 ESV)

While this part of Deuteronomy is hard to read, it serves to remind me of the brokenness created by sin. The commandments themselves aren’t too hard, but though the spirit might be willing, the flesh is weak. While the seeds of eternity might have been planted in our hearts (Eccl. 3:11) so that we should desire the kingdom of heaven, the pleasures of this world sweep the seed away, luring us with a siren’s call to embrace them. While we know that our Creator should be our king, we find our affections drawn to the creation so that we’re inclined to worship it instead (Rom. 1:25).

But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.

God will allow this promised land disaster to play out so that He might set the stage for the better promise. A promise founded not on a new land but on a new life. A promise not contingent on obedience as a requirement, but a promise which evokes obedience as a response. A promise sourced not in the will of man but in the will, and power, and grace of God.

. . . then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you, and He will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you. . . . And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

(Deuteronomy 30:3, 6 ESV)

God would call them out of their sin-broken lives. He would restore their fortunes and show great compassion to them. He would gather them. And He would circumcise their hearts.

The flesh crucified and the Spirit given.

Enmity with God replaced with love for the LORD.

Death defeated . . . “that you may live.” Full and complete provision made through the finished work of the cross. Eternal life secured through Jesus Christ our Lord.

A righteousness from God revealed, “from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith'” (Rom. 1:17).

As dark as this portion of Deuteronomy is, it only sets the stage for the Light of the World to be revealed.

And the heavy sigh of failure gives way to the hope founded on His faithfulness.

For grace abounded all the more.

To God be the glory.

Posted in Deuteronomy | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fully Convinced

Posted on March 22, 2018 by Pete

Hovering over Romans 14 this morning. Funny thing, this Christian freedom we have. While we are free as to the law, yet we are bound by consequence. Nothing is unclean in and of itself, and yet everything can be unclean if a person sees it that way (v.14). One has freedom to partake, and honor the Lord as he does, another to abstain, and honor the Lord as he doesn’t (v. 6). Free in Christ, yet not free to live for ourselves (v. 7-8). Free in Christ, but not free to stumble a brother (v.21). Free from religious requirement, yet required one day to give an account before the bema seat of God for all that we’ve done (v. 10-12).

While, if the Son makes us free, we are free indeed (Jn. 8:36), it’s not the freedom to do as we please . . . even if “as we please” is permissible.

So, while Christian freedom might sound pretty appealing, it can also be a bit confusing. While we might think we can romp about as we desire, we actually need to carefully watch our step.

How then, do we know what we’re free to do and not so free to do?

Well, in addition to running everything through the filter of “as unto the Lord,” and weighing everything as to its potential to knowingly stumble a brother, what I’m chewing on this morning is the “fully convinced” filter.

One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. (Romans 14:5 ESV)

Christian freedom, it seems to me, is intentional freedom. Freedom that is thought through, biblically weighed, and conscientiously exercised. Freedom born not out of a lack of boundaries but founded on a premeditated conviction.

We need to be able to recognize when we are in the grey zone. When what we think we’re free to do others might think otherwise. And in those areas spend enough time aligning our desired actions with our core beliefs. Paul says that we should exercise our freedom within the context of our faith, “For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (14:23). So we need to pass it through the fully convinced filter.

Ours is to be thoughtful. Ours is to be intentional with every freedom we exercise. Ours is to be fully persuaded. Fully persuaded within ourselves.  Fully persuaded before our God.

The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.  

(Romans 14:22 ESV)

We have been given the Word of God. We have been given the mind of Christ. We have been given the Spirit who leads us into truth and convicts of sin. Ours then, is to intentionally engage them as we weigh our actions in light of our liberty and in light of His kingdom.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

(Romans 14:17 ESV)

Let freedom reign. Let us be fully convinced.

By His grace. For His glory.

Posted in Romans | Tagged , , | 1 Comment