Jesus the Creator

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Pete

Ok . . . so two posts does not a series make . . . but the conversation I had this weekend again comes to mind as I continue reading in Hebrews 1. That conversation having sparked something in me that thinks deep and hard on the implications of the coming of God in flesh . . . of Jesus being incarnate deity. And so I wonder . . . and I marvel . . . at how creation points to Jesus.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews is writing to . . . well . . . Hebrews. The question addressed, at large, being, is Jesus really the Messiah? Is He, in fact, the promised deliverer? Some who have believed, waver . . . and, it would seem others waver and have yet to believe. And so, the writer builds precept upon precept in a magnificent treatise as to that which points to Jesus as Messiah and to the Old Testament foreshadows that are brought to light in Him.

Thus, the author is inspired by the Holy Spirit to present, as evidence, a number of Old Testament scriptures which prophetically speak of Messiah . . . and, in so doing, reveal Him to be superior to angels and, in fact, reveal that He is the embodiment of God Himself . . . and, as such, the God of Creation.

You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of Your hands; they will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end.    (Hebrews 1:10-13 ESV)

Jesus was there in the beginning . . . He laid the foundation of the earth . . . the heavens are the work of His hands. John puts it this way . . .

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.   (John 1:1-4 ESV)

And Paul says it like this . . .

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.    (Colossians 1:15-17 ESV)

Sometimes I wonder if I don’t can shrink Jesus down to something that I think I can grasp and can get. But, pause for a moment and consider Him as Creator and He is unshrinkable.

To consider afresh that within Him dwells the fullness of deity (Col. 2:9) . . . and that, that same deity is the agency by which the heavens were made and the earth was formed . . . and it provokes awe-filled wonder and worship. It humbles the spirit . . . it quiets the soul . . . and the incomprehensible truth of God in flesh provokes praise. For it was while in that state, God in flesh, that He died for my sin. It was, as incarnate Deity, that Messiah provided the deliverance of the ages for all men and women . . . the deliverance from and sin and death.

Amazing love . . . how can it be . . . that Thou my God shouldst die for me . . .

All glory be to the One who laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning . . .

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God Incarnate

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Pete

Doesn’t really matter how much you try and guard against it, so often the awesome becomes far too common. I was reminded of this through a conversation I had with someone new to the kingdom of God. That the Spirit is working in this young man seems evident. How else does someone come to realize there is a God? And how else does someone come to the conclusion that Jesus is the Son of God, except the Spirit of grace is opening eyes to see, redeeming ears to hear, and replacing hearts of stone with hearts of flesh that they might start to understand the things of eternity?

And, as we talked about Jesus, it hit me again how drop-to-your-face awe-inspiring is my Savior. The young man talked of what he saw as the implications of Jesus being the “personification” of God. And it opened the door for me to share that Jesus was so much more than the personification of God . . . but that He was the incarnation of God . . . and I shared with him the verses I read this morning as part of my reading plan. Words that put the awe-o-meter off the scale!

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high . . . 
(Hebrews 1:1-3 ESV)

The implications of personification are that Jesus was a limited representation of the God of heaven. That, as man, while there might be things of God that would be evident in Him, such as God is love, that other things, such as God created the heavens of earth, would not be. How can a man create the universe? Exactly! Such, I pointed out, is the mystery of godliness . . . that God was manifested, not partially represented, but fully manifested in the flesh (1Tim. 3:16). Can anyone say, “Incredible!” This has got to be the definition of that which is truly awesome . . . how can we use the term for anything else?

God in flesh . . . Almighty Creator robed in the creation . . . Supernatural Sovereign birthed in all but too natural a manner . . . All-Powerful King of Kings manhandled by His enemies and nailed to a cross . . . the Author of Life suffering death. How do you reconcile that? How do you fully comprehend that? As one songwriter says, “It’s like trying to fit the ocean in a cup.”

He is not just the personification, but is the incarnation of I AM, the ever existent God. Through Him the world was created, as such He is Creator from eternity past. In Him is the radiance of the glorious splendor of a holy, holy, holy God, as such He is the Light of heaven. He is the exact imprint, the express image, the precise reproduction in every sense, of the very nature of God . . . and so, He defines love . . . and mercy, and grace, and steadfast faithfulness. He upholds the universe by the word of His power . . . all things being held together by Him . . . thus being the Omnipotent LORD of All.

And beyond all this . . . beyond all comprehension . . . He also, Himself, made purification for sins. The incarnate Deity offering Himself as the Lamb of God, come to lay down His life as a once-for-all sacrifice for the blight of all men. God in flesh, as if He hadn’t humbled Himself enough already, became obedient to death, even death on a cross . . . that we might know life . . . and life to the full! Now that is awesome!

O’ how common these things can become. It takes a conversation with a wide-eyed rookie trying to figure out what this faith is all about to remind a saint who’s been walking the walk for while of how amazing is the mystery of godliness. That it’s like trying to fit the ocean in a cup . . . and that there is nothing commonplace about Him.

O’ what a Savior! To Him be all glory, honor, and praise!

Amen?

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The Gospel Thing to Do

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Pete

By any stretch of the imagination, given the norms of the day, it was a huge ask. Slaves that ran away from those who had the legal right to them as servants were to be dealt with severely. After all it was kind of like stealing to take away the labor-hours that were rightfully, and legally, considered to belong to another. Not to mention, that it set a bad precedent for other servants who considered usurping the authority of their masters for their own personal gain. So, to ask a master to receive back a slave who had betrayed the trust, without retribution, was a big thing. To ask him to receive him back as “a brother” . . . that was an unprecedented thing to do. To ask him to do all this for the sake of another . . . that was the gospel thing to do.

Philemon, from what we can glean, was a saved man engaged in the things of the kingdom. He had a local gathering of believers meeting in his house (1:2) . . . he had a reputation for sharing his faith in the most practical terms . . . he had a track record of his love for Christ played out to others as “the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you” (1:7). Being on the “master” side of the master/bondservant economy, he was a man of some means on the earth . . . but he seemed to be aware that he was also on the “bondservant” side when it came to the things of heaven.

And so, with confidence, Paul asks him to go counter-cultural. Philemon’s bondservant, Onesimus, had gone rogue . . . had deserted . . . had been listed as AWOL. And, having ended up in Rome, Onesimus encounters Paul . . . and the gospel of Jesus Christ . . . and the reality of regeneration. Paul leads the runaway slave to Christ and becomes his spiritual father (1:10). And Onesimus, now a slave of Christ, remains with Paul in service to him in prison. But Paul determines to send Onesimus back to Philemon. Legally it’s the right thing to do. But more importantly, that the profound impact of the impact of the kingdom of heaven might be displayed, it was the gospel thing to do.

So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.     (Philemon 1:17-18 ESV)

Paul was an imitator of Christ. Paul was interceding for Onesimus as he knew His Lord has interceded for him. Receive him as you would receive me . . . charge his transgressions and debt to my account . . .

The appeal to Philemon to receive Onesimus back “no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother” (1:16) was on the basis of Paul’s redeemed character and on his relationship to the wronged master. Furthermore, any financial loss that Philemon may have experienced because of Onesimus’s desertion, Paul was willing to pay for, so that reconciliation might occur.

Sound familiar? Sound like the gospel?

The wages I owed for my transgression against a holy God, death, were charged to the Son of God . . . He who came as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world . . . He who paid the price in full on Calvary’s cross . . .where my sin was placed on Him. And the relationship I now have with the God I had turned my back on is because, by faith, I’m found by God to be “in Christ” . . . the Father receiving me as if He were receiving His blessed Son . . . Christ’s righteousness having been placed on me.

Radical reconciliation . . . that’s what Paul asked of Philemon . . . that’s what I enjoy with the God of heaven . . . because it was the gospel thing to do.

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An Intercessor

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Pete

Yesterday it was the name of Hadassah, aka Esther, that caught my attention. This morning it’s the faith of her cousin Mordecai. I’m guessing he was a lot older than Esther as he had actually been one of those who had been carried away from Jerusalem when it was razed by the Babylonians (Es. 2:6). He had lived through the siege and fall of God’s holy city . . . he had been among those trampled and then transported to a foreign land. He had seen a lot . . . he had lost a lot . . . he may have even spent his own time weeping by the rivers of Babylon as he remembered Zion (Ps. 137:1). But, it would seem, he never stopped believing that, though the people had been unfaithful to their God, their God had promised to remain faithful to them.

In Esther two, Mordecai’s cousin is chosen to be queen of King Ahasuerus, the Persian king now ruling over the provinces of Babylon. In Esther three, Haman rises to prominence in the king’s court and grows in his disdain for Mordecai and his people. Consequently, he essentially tricks the king into making an edict that will turn the Jewish world upside down.

The fourth chapter of the book of Esther records the Jews response to the king’s edict that, in all the king’s provinces, his subjects were “to destroy, to kill, to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month” (Es. 3:13). In every province there was great mourning among the Jews. There was a run on sackcloth and ashes as the people of God fasted, wept, and lamented before a heaven which had been silent for decades. And in the king’s city, Mordecai tore his clothes and joined the national lament. He also gets word to Esther that she must go before her husband, the king, and appeal for mercy on behalf of her people. Esther hesitates . . . you don’t just go see the king . . . depending on his mood, it could cost her her life. To which Mordecai responds . . .

“Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
(Esther 4:13-14 ESV)

Esther, says Mordecai, if you don’t intercede before the king, “relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from the another place.” The question for Mordecai wasn’t IF God would rescue His people but IF Esther would submit to being His means of deliverance. And I’m struck by the confidence a transported, culturally-assimilated son of Abraham has in the faithfulness of his God to deliver His chosen people. He had no doubt that God would somehow turn the tide on Haman and his wicked intent. The only thing He didn’t know, for sure, is who would be the intercessor . . . who would rise up as the agent of deliverance. But he was guessing it would be she who had access to the throne.

It would be crazy to liken any trial I have undergone to the apparent plight of the Jews at that time, but I can’t help be stirred by Mordecai’s faith . . . as well as be stirred by the reminder that, whatever my trial or testing, I too have an Intercessor with access, . . . with free, unrestricted access, to the throne of the God who has promised to faithfully gird up His people.

Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a High Priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.   (Hebrews 7:25-26 ESV)

Jesus, my Savior . . . Jesus, My Lord. Even now He is at the right hand of the Father interceding for His people. Relief and deliverance will rise for God’s people, I can be sure of that. Mine is to believe . . . Lord, help my unbelief. Mine is to look up as I bow down. Mine is to know afresh the God who saves to the uttermost.

Amen?

By His grace . . . for His glory . . .

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Myrtle

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Pete

Sometimes you find prophecy fulfilled where you least expect it. This morning I found it in a name. A name that jumped off the page when I read it. An ancient name . . . a former name . . . a name, mentioned only in passing, as it had been replaced with a new name. But a few minutes lingering over the name . . . and doing a bit of online concordance work . . . and it is a name that shouts out the glory of a Sovereign, promise fulfilling God!

Here’s the prophecy . . .

I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together, that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.   (Isaiah 41:19-20 ESV)

Though the prophet was called to proclaim judgment on an unfaithful people, he was also given words of consolation and assurance that the God who disciplined them would not forsake them. That though they would be given over to exile, they would not be forgotten in a foreign land. That though they would know a wilderness experience . . . though they would, once again, spend decades in a desert reality . . . that God would care for them and would protect them . . . so that they would “consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this.”

That provision would be through trees planted in the desert that had no business being there. God’s reminder of His ever-present care would be found in the wilderness through the beauty of out-of-place vegetation like the “the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive.” And this morning I found some myrtle . . . the fulfilling of a prophetic promise in the least likely of places. I found Hadassah.

Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai . . . who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. So when the king’s order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king’s palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women.    (Esther 2:5-8 ESV)

We know her, most commonly as Esther, her Persian name. But when she was born in the land of exile, when she drew her first breath in the barren land of God’s discipline, her parents had given her the name Hadassah, or literally, “myrtle.” She would be the beautiful flowering tree that had no place taking root and growing strong in the desert. Through the story of “Myrtle,” though God’s name would not be explicitly mentioned, it would be evident that the “hand of God” was present and active . . . His people would know that “the Holy One of Israel” had created a flowing tree to rise up as a shining star (Esther means star) in order to protect His beloved people.

Hadassah. What’s in a name? Lots!

It brings to mind another Name. A Name I love to hear . . . and love to speak it’s worth . . . it sounds like music in my ear . . . the sweetest Name on earth. A Name that also brings to remembrance thoughts of God’s great provision . . . of His never-forsaking presence . . . of His unceasing power . . . of His everlasting presence . . . and of His wilderness reviving promise. That sweet, sweet name of Jesus . . . hinted at by finding a bit of “myrtle” in a foreign land. Looking forward to the rest of the story.

To Him be all glory . . .

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The Guest of Sinners

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Pete

So . . . maybe I’ve been focusing on the wrong stuff when I come to the story of Zacchaeus, the rich chief tax collector, recorded in Luke 19. Typically he captures my imagination as this short and stubby guy with a sly, greedy grin plastered on his face as he extorts money from his own people. I wonder at the depths of the work of the Spirit in him as he throws caution to the wind in order to seek Jesus. Dignified businessmen, and not so dignified tax collectors, don’t typically hoist up their garments and run through a crowd . . . and certainly, you wouldn’t typically find them climbing trees. I’m often challenged by Zacchaeus’s intense desire to see Jesus. I have often thought I would benefit from the same “go all out” attitude to knowing the Savior.

But maybe I’ve been focusing on the wrong stuff for years. While the actions of Zacchaeus are “fun” to imagine, and the zeal of Zacchaeus is inspirational to imitate, maybe the point of the story is better captured by whoever “they” were that witnessed the Zacchaeus / Jesus encounter.

And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” (Luke 19:5-7 ESV)

As amusing as thinking about Zacchaeus running and climbing a tree is, how amazing is it that Jesus says, “I must stay at your house today?” How incredible is it that the great I AM would want to be the guest of man who is a sinner?” Kind of amazing . . . pretty incredible!

I don’t know who the “they” were, exactly, who were choked that Jesus would desire to visit with Zacchaeus. Not unprecedented that it would be the scribes and Pharisees (Luke 15:2), but not inconceivable that it was the crowd at large . . . those who had flocked to see Jesus themselves . . . those who would have no love lost for such a man as Zacchaeus. But whoever “they” are, I think they got the real significance of the Zacchaeus / Jesus encounter . . . that Jesus goes to be the guest of sinners. Unreal!

They grumbled . . . they muttered under their breath . . . with indignation, they quietly complained among themselves . . . what is Jesus doing going into the house of someone like him? And I find myself asking the same question. But “him” is me . . . and it’s not with grumbling, but gratitude . . . not muttering, but in amazement . . . not complaining, but with awestruck contemplation.

Jesus desires to be the guest of sinners. He Himself secured the means for the holy God of heaven to commune with sin-marred men of earth. As the Lamb of God, He offered Himself a once for all sacrifice for the tax collector’s transgressions . . . His blood was shed to cover the rebels’ iniquities . . . His life was given for His enemies’ aggressions. And to all who would desire to know Him, He says let me cleanse you and be a guest in your house. Come to me and I will come to you. Receive me as you are and I will remake you into what I created you to be.

Isn’t that really the main point of the story? I’m thinkin’ . . .

The Guest of sinners . . . the great Savior for all who believe . . . the God to whom belongs all glory!

Amen?

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His Journey to Jerusalem

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Pete

You can’t blame them for not getting it. It was so far off their radar . . . not even a blip on the horizon of possibility. Take Messiah . . . put Him in Jerusalem . . . during the time of the Passover, the remembrance of great deliverance . . . and while your imagination may ignite, you’re not thinking what Jesus said awaited Him.

And taking the twelve, He said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging Him, they will kill Him, and on the third day He will rise.”   (Luke 18:31-33 ESV)

They were going to Jerusalem. They were ascending to Mount Zion . . . the seat of the throne of the promised King. And, for the twelve, the evidence had become greater and greater that the One they followed just might be that King. In fact, as they neared Jerusalem, “they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately” (19:11). So, you can’t really blame them that though they listened to Jesus words concerning Himself, they didn’t really hear them. It was so not what they were expecting.

What conquering ruler would talk of being rejected by his people? What almighty sovereign would predict of being handed over to his enemies that he might be mocked, spit upon, and flogged? How could a promised eternal kingdom be reconciled with a king who would die. Such was the mystery of the Christ. Spoken of by the prophets . . . totally over the heads of the disciples.

The mystery that Messiah’s greatest victory would come out of, what would seem to be, His greatest defeat. That, while an earthly kingdom would be established at His second advent, the purpose of His first coming was to solve man’s sin problem. That, though a day is coming when He will descend from heaven to defeat and put down His enemies, on that day, the day He ascended from Jericho and approached the holy city, His thoughts were to the battle He would wage in order to conquer sin and death.

But His disciples “understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said” (18:34).

You can’t blame them for not getting it. But whoa to me if I, getting it, I ever get to a point where I am not moved by it. May the Spirit keep me from ever NOT BEING MOVED by the thought of God’s precious Son being delivered over to the hands of men for such shameful treatment . . . because of my sin. That it would never become commonplace that the Word who was in the beginning, and through Whom all things were made and are held together, divested Himself of all His heavenly glory and “made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Php. 2:7-8).

O’ that, unlike the disciples that I day, I might grasp it . . . and never lose my grip on it . . . the depths of love, and the abundance of grace, poured out because of His journey to Jerusalem.

. . . that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge . . .
(Ephesians 3:17-19 ESV)

To Him be all glory . . . amen?

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The Righteous

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Pete

I’ve fallen into kind of an interesting “coloring pattern” as I’m reading Proverbs this year. As I’ve headed into the “one-liner” portion of Solomon’s book of wisdom, for some reason (Can anyone say, “Holy Spirit?”), I’ve become fixed on “the righteous.” So far, in Proverbs 10 through 12, I have highlighted almost 30 verses that have to do with truths about, or promises for, “the righteous.” So far, at least, “the righteous” factor prominently in the wisdom of God.

For example . . . The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry . . blessings are on the head of the righteous . . . the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life . . . the wage of the righteous leads to life . . . the desire of the righteous will be granted . . . the hope of the righteous brings joy . . . the righteous is delivered from trouble . . . by knowledge the righteous are delivered . . . the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life . . . the root of the righteous will never be moved . . . the house of the righteous will stand . . .

And there’s more. Doing a quick check with my online concordance and, in the ESV, the term “the righteous” is found 57 times in the Proverbs.

I’ve been highlighting these verses because I think they apply to me. That I am “the righteous.” And why would I think that? Not because of what I bring to the table. But because of the gift of God made available to all who have become convinced of the gospel. The good news that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners . . . that He died for our transgression . . . paying the price in full . . . and that He rose on the third day as evidence that His atoning sacrifice was sufficient and that He had conquered sin and death. And in this good news, there is the righteousness of God made available to all who believe.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”   (Romans 1:16-17 ESV)

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but trusts Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness . . .    (Romans 4:3-5 ESV)

These proverbs I’m reading become so personal because of who I am in Christ Jesus. That, by faith, I am “the righteous.”

Amazing . . . Overwhelming . . .

Funny how reading some short one-liners on everyday practical wisdom can trigger such extraordinary heaven-ascending worship.

Such is what happens to “the righteous” . . .

All because of grace . . . all for His glory!

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Standing on the Inside

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Pete

I’m guessing that I’m not alone in sometimes wishing I could have been present at some event recorded in the Bible. That many of us, as we read parts of Scripture, pause, and, beyond just wondering what it would have been like to be there, we think, “Now, that’s something I would have loved to have experienced up close & personal.”

What would it have been like to witness the Red Sea parting (absent having a murderous hoard of Egyptian infantrymen descending upon you . . . I’ll skip that part)? Or, being in the crowd around Elijah’s water-drenched offering and seeing fire from heaven come down and consume it . . . and the look on the faces of the prophet’s of Baal as their fantasy gods are crushed by the God of heaven. How about hearing the voice of God thunder from heaven extolling the Son as Jesus is raised from the waters of baptism? And, has anybody ever meditated on the emotions that would course through your body as you encountered an angel at the empty tomb on that Sunday morning? I’m thinkin’ . . .

That’s where I’m at this morning after reading Nehemiah 8. No cataclysmic acts of nature here . . . no fire from the sky . . . no voices, or angels, from heaven. Just the Word of God opened and read . . . and all the people stood.

And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard . . . , And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday . . . And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. . . . And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood.   (Ezra 8:1-5 ESV)

What had begun as an effort to rebuild some walls bloomed into a moving of the Spirit to reclaim some hearts. Those who had put their hands to the work of God were now experiencing the hand of God at work in them. For sure, they had restored the foundation of Jerusalem, but God was just as interested in the relaying the foundation within them.

And so they called for Ezra, the man known as the man who knew the Word (Ezra 7:10). They called him to come before their assembly and read the Word of God. Nothing fancy. No forty-seven part series with a catchy title and cool graphic. Just the Word of God opened before the people. People with ears that were ready to hear . . . people who sought to know the Word of God, and the God of the Word . . . people who, when the Book was opened, stood in reverence and anticipation.

That’s the scene I imagine being part of. Ezra on a platform in the middle of the square. Reading the Holy Scriptures . . words of revelation . . . words of life. Reading from them from “early morning until midday”. And all the people standing. As if to say, “Speak, LORD! For Your servants are listening.” Oh, the moving of the Spirit that must have occurred that day.

And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.   (Nehemiah 8:6 ESV)

O’ to have been there!

But, in a sense, that opportunity is afforded me every day as I open my Bible for morning devo’s. And it’s afforded to me every Sunday as I gather with God’s called out people and hear again the Word of God proclaimed. And though I may be sitting at my desk . . .or in a pew or chair before a pulpit, I should be standing on the inside.

With heart ready . . . ears attentive . . . and all my being leaning in as God-breathed words (2Tim. 3:16) are read and expounded. And then, as the Word is received, let the worship flow . . . Amen and Amen!

By His grace . . . for His glory!

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They Prayed and Stayed

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Pete

We might give mental assent to the fact that it is entirely possible, even perhaps likely, that God’s work will encounter opposition. But, how often, when we encounter opposition, do we start to question if we’ve taken the right path or engaged in the right work? When things don’t go according to plan . . . when they don’t align with our expectations . . . we wonder if we missed discerning the will of God. When the going gets tough, we start wondering what went wrong. Now, to be sure, sometimes we can run our noses into a brick wall because we determined to zig when God has called us to zag . . . but it’s also true that sometimes the opposition is, in fact, an indicator we are on the right path and provides the exact context in which God reveals Himself powerful for His glory.

Such are the thoughts running through my head as I continue to read in Nehemiah this morning.

Nehemiah, a man of some standing and wisdom . . . a godly man of prayer . . . a man called to a great work—rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem . . . an obedient man who leaves the king’s courts to tackle the city’s rubble. A man with a plan . . . a man on a mission . . . a man with expectations of the great work that would be accomplished . . . a man who told others of “the hand of my God that had been upon me for good” (Neh. 2:18). A man who wastes no time putting the people to work. And the enemy wastes no time in seeking to frustrate his efforts.

At first, there were jeers from the naysayers. Mockery from those who despised the things of God. Big deal . . . sticks and stones . . .

But then, those who cast dispersions began to plot to take up arms (4:8). Words would give way to war. And it’s Nehemiah’s response to such opposition that grabs me this morning . . .

And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. . . . And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”    (Nehemiah 4:9, 14 ESV)

They prayed and stayed.

They trusted God and set a guard. The remembered the LORD, and determined to defend the land. And, though they prayed, they didn’t expect the opposition to be gone. Though they trusted in an awesome God, they also armed themselves and readied for battle.

And the work resumed (4:15-23). Half the workforce continued constructing the walls, and half held “spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail.” Those who carried on the work, also carried weapons . . . laboring with one hand, ready to defend against the enemy with the other. Those wearing tool belts also had a sword strapped to their side. Though they believed that “our God will fight for us,” they were ready to be God’s army.

As I respond to what I believe to be the will of God, I need not be surprised when things don’t go according to how I envisioned them . . . or be discouraged when I encounter opposition and struggles I never expected. But I need to trust in the God of my calling . . . I need to call out to the God who is great and awesome . . . I need to know that He will fight the fight for us . . . and I need to strap on the whole armor of God . . . with one hand doing the work, with the other ready for battle. I need to pray and stay . . .

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
(2Corinthians 4:7 ESV)

By His grace . . . for His glory . . .

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