An All-Nighter

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Pete

Sleeping in church isn’t anything unusual. I’ve observed some of the best. My all-time favorite was a brother who would cross his legs . . . open up his bible upon his knee . . . place his chin in between the thumb and forefinger of one hand . . . steady that same arm with the other arm which crossed his belly and held the elbow . . . tilted his head down as to be reading the scriptures . . . and gone-zo! No embarrassing head dip . . . wasn’t distracting to the preacher . . . in fact, it may have encouraged the brother speaking to look out and see one who seemed so intensely bound to the text. Epic!

Not judging those who sleep in church. I know some extremely hard-working people who max out during the week and who’s greatest desire is to be with God’s people when God’s people gather. Sometimes the two collide and you end up with a snoozer (hopefully not a snorer). And, not unprecedented in the early church. Read of a sleeper this morning. But he crashed (in more ways than one) because the preacher was a bit long winded . . . and God’s people didn’t want it to stop. He fell asleep because they did an all-nighter.

If you’re not familiar with the story, check out Acts 20:7-12. Paul’s in Troas for seven days. On the first day of the week the believers gathered together to break bread. Looks like it was their custom to meet on Sunday to remember the Lord . . . sound familiar? I’m thinking it was an evening meeting . . . they gathered for a “love feast,” an evening meal culminating in the Lord’s table . . . and then Paul’s speaking . . . and he goes on and on . . . and nobody’s leaving. It says “he prolonged his speech until midnight.” And as the night goes on . . . and the midnight candles are burning . . . and the room gets stuffy . . . “a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer.”

The young guy didn’t know my friend’s technique . . . not very stable in the window . . . and he falls out of the third story window to his death. But, in God’s grace, and for God’s purposes, the apostle is given power to raise the young man back to life . . . and they return to the meeting . . . and continue to fellowship together . . . and fellowship and converse yet longer. The Holy Spirit has the author of Acts record that they met until daybreak. They pulled an all-nighter!

So what’s the main event in this story? That God showed Himself powerful in the midst of a gathering of believers by raising one from the dead? Probably. But what has me thinking is perhaps a bit more of the mundane. I’m noodling on the example of a gathering of God’s people who so wanted to be together . . . who so desired to remember the Lord around His table . . . who were so hungry to be taught by God’s gifted teacher . . . who were so jazzed by the fellowship they enjoyed . . . that they hung out all night together . . . even if some just couldn’t keep their eyes open.

When the fellowship is sweet, you just don’t want it to end. When the presence of God is evident, no one’s heading for the door early.

I can think back to all-nighters. Not church meetings per se, but time spent with brothers-in-Christ discussing, wrestling with, and savoring the ways of God and the dynamics of our pilgrim walk. As we chewed on the things of God together, our hunger increased . . . and nobody wanted to call it a night.

O’ that there might be something of that dynamic whenever God’s people come together. Not that we necessarily do all-nighters (I don’t usually make it past 9:30 p.m.) . . . but that we’re so into meeting with the saints under the cover of the presence of God that no one’s rushing for the door after meeting. That we’re not checking our watches as the preacher hits the 25 or 30 minute mark, but that we have a sense of being fed by the Spirit Himself and our response is that of “Please Sir, can I have some more?” That the fellowship is sweet . . . and we have a sweet tooth.

Aspirational? A big unrealistic? Perhaps. But better than falling asleep in a third story window. Amen?

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They Beheld God

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Pete

Apart from the grace of God, how dull is the heart of man? Apart from the illuminating work of His blessed Spirit, how darkened is the mind of man? Apart from the Son’s risen life imparted to those of faith, how dead is the soul of man? These are the questions that come to mind as I read in Exodus of 74 men who encountered God as close as one can encounter God. And yet, for 73 of them, I know that the impact of such an encounter will quickly fade . . . that each of them will play loose with the glory they beheld . . . that for each of them there will be an epic fail. And far from judging them, it is a reminder of the plight of unregenerate man . . . a reminder that there, but for the grace of God, go I.

Then He said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar.” . . . Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel. There was under His feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And He did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.   (Exodus 24:1, 9-11 ESV)

I’m captured by the thought that these 74 men beheld God . . . and ate and drank with Him. What must that have been like? To have gazed upon as much of God’s glory as could be revealed without it incinerating them? To have encountered bodily the essence of the divine? To have tried to process through 5 inadequate senses the Majesty of Him who sits on heaven’s throne? What was it like? And then to think that they would eat and drink in His presence . . . that they would know such communion with Almighty God. What was it like?

You’d think it would be absolutely life changing. That with such a close encounter of the divine kind these men would be more attuned with the things of heaven . . . that these men would be super followers of the LORD . . . that these men, who had beheld God, would be so much more in tune with God. Apparently not.

In just 40 days, Aaron, his sons, and the 70 elders will be bowing down to an idol fashioned by their own hands (Exodus 32). Though they had beheld God’s glory, they would trade it in for the “glory” of earthen metal. Though they had communed with the one true God around a table set and hosted by God Himself, they would soon set their hearts on dancing around a fake god, ascribing to it their deliverance. Really? What’s wrong with them?

The same thing that is wrong with all of Adam’s race. When it comes to the ability to grasp the things of the Almighty, we are all stillborn . . . dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-3) . . . intuitively knowing only how to walk after the course of this fallen world . . . driven by the passions of the flesh . . . subject to our darkened minds. Even should we behold the glory of God . . . sup with Him, as it were, on the mountain . . . apart from a change in our spiritual DNA, we are incapable of processing the impact and implication of such an encounter.

They beheld the glory of God . . . they communed over a meal in His very presence . . . but even that wouldn’t be sufficient for them to know God . . . or to determine to live for God. To know God . . . to live for God . . . is only possible through the grace of God. Grace that atones for sins . . . grace that rescues from judgment . . . grace that imparts a new nature . . . grace that writes His law upon the hearts of the redeemed . . . grace that sends His Spirit to form within His own the image of His Son.

They beheld God . . . they would soon worship a cow. Not judging . . .

Just in awe of the power of the gospel . . . to save men and women . . . to open eyes and unplug ears . . . to take hearts of stone and reconstitute them as hearts of flesh . . . that we too might behold God . . . and believe God . . . and by His continuing grace, seek to live for God.

To Him be all glory . . . now and forevermore. Amen.

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Favor for a Lifetime

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Pete

Psalm 30 is a song David composed for the dedication of the temple. An offering of praise to Him who had determined to dwell in the midst of His people. A psalm of reflection . . . recalling a time when David was so ill, that he thought he might die . . . remembering a time when he, because of his prosperity, he had become so arrogant and self-sufficient, that He sensed that God had hid His face from him . . . recounting how, in both circumstances, he cried to the LORD and the LORD mercifully responded. There may have been weeping for a night, but joy comes with the morning (v.5) . . . his mourning had been turned into dancing (v.11) . . . his sackcloth removed and replaced with clothes of gladness (v.11) . . .

For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime . . .    (Psalm 30:5a ESV)

What David understood as the LORD’s anger, the child of God knows to be His loving Father’s discipline (Hebrews 12:5-11). Whether an extended time of sickness due to the weakness of our flesh . . . or a protracted time of anguish of the soul due to the weakness of our spirit . . . whether disease or sin . . . God will use these but “momentary afflictions” for the perfecting of the work He has begun in us. For His favor is for a lifetime.

So often it is in our weakness, and through our suffering, that our absolute dependence on Him is rekindled. Our prayer life becomes as vital as it’s ever been . . . our earnestness is taken to the next level . . . our hunger and thirst for the face of God as acute as we’ve ever known it.

Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me. When you seek Me with all your heart, I will be found by you, declares the LORD . . .    (Jeremiah 29:12-14a ESV)

And it is in that condition, when all desire is but desire for Him, that He reminds us of His desire for us. It is then that joy starts to supplant weeping . . . that, though our flesh may still be weak, our mourning turns into dancing . . . that though the consequence of our sin might remain, the sackcloth is exchanged for gladness. That we remember that His favor is for a lifetime.

As is often the case, and as David experienced in his sickness, there may be healing and recovery. And, as is always the case when tripped up in transgression, for those who humble themselves and repent of their sin, there is forgiveness through the blood of Jesus and the forever finished work of the cross. For His favor is for a lifetime.

And when the healing comes . . . when fellowship is restored . . . then “sing praises to the LORD, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name” (30:4).

His grace is sufficient. It is abundant grace. Grace which is able to sustain during illness. Grace which is able to secure during waywardness. Grace which is able to cause the soul to soar when there is contriteness.

The discipline is but for a moment . . . but His favor is for a lifetime . . . and time beyond a lifetime.

To Him be all glory . . .

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Who’s Testing Who?

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Pete

I’m reading in Exodus this morning. God has shown Himself full of power to Pharoah. God has shown Himself full of grace, through the Passover, to His people. The children of Israel have been delivered from Egypt . . . and Pharoah’s army has been destroyed by the Red Sea. The celebration party has been had and now it’s about the day-to-day business of pursuing the promised land. And between here and there, it’s about doing life in the desert. And as they head out from the Red Sea, God determines to test His people . . . and His people, unfortunately, default too quickly to testing their God.

God uses the wilderness as the place where He tests those He has redeemed out of bondage. The word translated “test” has the idea of “trying” something. It’s the word for “assay,” for proving the characteristic or nature of something and its associated qualities. For His people, God tests their obedience. He knows Mt. Sinai is coming . . . that He will deliver to those He has called to be His own, the framework and statutes necessary for mortal men to know communion with their eternal God. And so, in anticipation of the full-on commandments and statutes, God starts small . . . using the hardships of the wilderness . . . and the basic need for food . . . as His proving ground.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.”    (Exodus 16:4 ESV)

The rules of engagement are simple. The people need food everyday. God has owned them His people and knows their need. Everyday He will rain down bread from heaven to meet that need. Everyday the people are to gather what they need for that day . . . they are not to hoard it and keep some in storage just in case the bread doesn’t show up on the next day. On the sixth day, they are to gather twice what they need, so that on the Sabbath, God’s declared day of rest, there is no need to rain down bread and no need to be out gathering it. Simple? Yes. Easy? Not for some.

Some failed the test. Some tried to keep the manna over night . . . either because they didn’t trust the Lord to provide the next day, . . . or because they didn’t want to depend on the Lord for their daily bread, . . . or because they were too lazy to go to the Lord every day for their provision. And some, went out to gather on the Sabbath, though God had said He would provide for them to rest. Some failed the test . . . some were proven and found wanting . . . the impurities of disobedience revealed in God’s laboratory of His call to faith.

But as I read on in Exodus, I noticed that the people also presented a test for God of their own.

And [Moses] called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”   (Exodus 17:7 ESV)

Grumbling quickly became a core skill for the God’s delivered people. Complaining about a lack of food and water soon surfaced as a defining attribute of the congregation. Contending, quarreling, and questioning the Lord’s presence and care for them became an all too common theme of their interactions with Moses. And, the Scriptures say, because of it, they tested the Lord. They were trying His character . . . proving His nature . . . assessing His attributes.

And in response to their grumbling, God provides bread from heaven and water from a rock. Grumbling is met with grace. Complaining is met with compassion. On-going quarreling is met with daily quotas. That’s the nature of our God. Not that He can be tried and presumed upon forever. He will also judge rebellion which doesn’t yield to grace. But God is patient with those delivered from Egypt . . . and seeks to make Himself known even in our most basic of needs . . . responding to our murmurings of discontent with His gracious daily provision.

Oh, may I grumble less . . . and glory more in His grace. Amen?

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His Heritage

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Pete

When I was in elementary school I had an aunt who called me “Speed.” I don’t know that I was any faster than other kids . . . I do recall taking home a few blue ribbons from our school’s “Sports Day” . . . but I don’t know that I was really any faster than anybody else. But, because I was called Speed, I thought I was faster. Not gonna lie, I liked being called Speed. I thought it was a special name, and so, I thought I was kind of special.

Throughout the Scriptures God has sprinkled various “special names” for His people. They’re one of the things I’m on the lookout for as I work my way through my reading plan. Found one this morning that’s given me reason to pause and reflect.

Oh, save Your people and bless Your heritage!
    Be their shepherd and carry them forever.      (Psalm 28:9 ESV)

By His Spirit, through David in this case, the LORD gives us some insight as to how He regards His people through this “special name.” God’s people are God’s heritage . . . or, as it’s translated in other versions, His inheritance.

Literally, the word is “possession” . . . the idea being of something that will be possessed, as in land that will be occupied . . . thus, something inherited. And the idea of God’s people being God’s possession or heritage isn’t unique to Israel and the Old Testament. Peter, by the Holy Spirit, writes, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

I sit here and noodle on the idea of being part of God’s heritage . . . a portion of His inheritance . . . and, to be honest, I feel kind of special. O’ the wonder that God would desire to want such as I as part of His possession. That God would even notice, much less desire, that those, like myself, who were once marked by their transgression should now be deemed to be part of His treasure is awe beyond awe. To consider that, though I was once an enemy, I am now part of His heritage, is blessing upon blessing in and of itself.

But the other thought that fills my mind . . . and impacts my heart . . . is that I am His possession. I am not my own . . . I was bought with a price . . . and now, I belong to Another (1Cor. 6:19-20). I am His property . . . purchased by the blood of His precious Son . . . redeemed through the work of the cross . . . re-lifed by the power of His Spirit . . . I am His, and His alone.

Special names can make you feel kind of special . . . but with them come a special responsibility. I don’t think I ever lived up to “Speed” . . . but by God’s grace I desire to live like His heritage . . . desiring to walk in a manner consistent with being Someone Else’s possession . . . offering myself daily as one who has been bought by Another.

His heritage . . . by His grace . . . and for His glory.

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God’s Petition

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Pete

All too often, I confess, it’s mostly a one way dialogue. I make known my requests to God and trust Him to answer in the manner and timing that best aligns to His sovereign purposes. Or, I cry out to the Lord in times of trouble believing that the God of all comfort can bring a peace that passes understanding. Or, I might simply offer praise and worship, imagining it as an offering ascending to heaven as a sweet smelling aroma, and that He receives with it delight. Whatever the nature of my prayer, I think, most often, I’m in the “me-to-Him” mode. This morning, a verse in Psalm 27 caused me to pause. If I’m reading it right, it reverses my most common approach to communion with Him . . . it’s more of a “Him-to-me” dynamic. In a sense, I get to answer God’s petition.

Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;
   be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, “Seek My face.”
   My heart says to You,
         “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”      (Psalm 27:7-8 ESV)

David believed . . . and he knew from past experiences . . . that God was His help in time of need. In the day of trouble, the songwriter was confident that the LORD would hide him in His shelter . . . conceal him under the cover of His tent . . . lift him high upon a rock (27:5). So, when the enemies of David arose, so too, the cries of David to His God also arose. I get that pattern of prayer.

But then David recalls a request from God, seek My face. In a sense, the tables are turned. You desire my benefits?, says the Lord, then desire my presence. You want Me to draw near to You? . . . then draw near to Me. You desire that I come alongside you in Your world? . . . then pursue Mine.

Spurgeon put it this way, “If we would have the Lord hear our voice, we must be careful to respond to His voice. The true heart should echo the will of God as the rocks among the Alps repeat in sweetest music the notes of the peasant’s horn.”

Not that the Lord demands a quid pro quo . . . I will, if you will. Not that we need to perform or pursue to a certain level before He will respond. Nor is it that He needs anyone on earth to seek Him in heaven. But that, because of His steadfast love and through His abundant grace, He desires that His creation might know their Creator. That those who were created for fellowship with the Divine might realize the reality of such fellowship. And that, for those in need, they might find all that they need in Him. And so, petitions the LORD, “Seek my face.”

It’s God’s desire . . . it’s His “ask” . . . it’s His petition, in a sense, that men would seek Him . . . more personally, that I would seek His face.

And my privilege and delight is for me to respond to God’s petition . . . to echo back His desire . . . for my heart to say to Him, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”

By His grace . . . for His glory.

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What We Worship We Draw Near To

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Pete

Had lunch with a buddy yesterday . . . he wore his Denver Broncos gear . . . punk! Talk about drawing some attention! A guy who was leaving the restaurant and opened the door for us, the one wearing a Seahawks jersey, spit out in disbelief, “Broncos!?!” . . . the girl who seated us, wearing her Seahawks t-shirt, did a double take when she saw my buddy’s jacket. And then, I thought our waiter was ready to pay for our food himself as he went on about how he’s been a die hard Raiders fan his whole life and thinks Seahawks fans are fair weather fans . . .so go Broncos! Brother!

That sparked a conversation between my buddy and I as we waited for our lunch. Something like . . . how, for many people, the game has given way to becoming a god. The players are revered . . . the 12th man flag has become a banner under which people find their identify . . . the logo has become a coat of arms to which men and women pledge allegiance. And the stadiums . . . well they are the temples. My buddy mentioned the lengths to which some will go, and the price they will pay, in order to travel across the country to be there this weekend, because “I need to be with my team.” Brother, again!

Don’t get me wrong. I am more than intrigued by the big game this weekend. There will be a gathering at our home Sunday afternoon to enter into the madness a bit. I think it would be great if the home town team should win the game. But, it is just a game.

So, why am I going on about this? Reading in the Psalms this morning, I reminded that I shouldn’t be surprised by some of the over-the-top behaviors of some fans because what we worship we draw near to.

O LORD, I love the habitation of Your house
      and the place where Your glory dwells.         (Psalm 26:8 ESV)

David loved going to the temple. The place where the LORD’s glory dwelt was the place He wanted to draw near to. God’s presence should draw God’s people. Where He is found in the midst, is where we should want to be found as part of the gathering. We draw near to that which we worship. The “main event” on Sunday isn’t the “big game.”

There’s a much bigger deal happening this Sunday than the Super Bowl. Should the Lord not come before then, the people of God will be assembling under the banner of God, to know the presence of God, through their worship of God. The holy temple formed by living stones “being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Eph. 2:22) will come together . . . and the sacrifice of the fruit of our lips, praise, will ascend as a sweet smelling aroma to heaven’s throne room . . . the word of God will be proclaimed and the Spirit of God will lead us into truth . . . and the glory of God will descend. No price of admission to be paid . . . our entrance secured through the blood of the Lamb. Ours is but to come . . . ours is to draw near. O’ how I love the habitation of Your house, Your living house, the place where Your glory dwells, O’ Lord.

I’m all for watching the game . . . but it’s just a game . . . and it’s gods are no gods.

So pumped by the anticipation of drawing near again to the glory . . . of gathering with the redeemed . . . for our God is God alone.

Doesn’t really matter what logo we bear on our clothes . . . but that the people of God would bear the stamp of His kingdom on our lives . . . and that we would love the habitation of His house . . . and pursue the place . . . no, that we would pursue the people where His glory dwells. That what we worship would be known by what we draw near to.

Amen?

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An Open Heart

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Pete

She was a seller of purple and she was a worshiper of God. You get the sense she was a respected business person. You know that she was a seeker of the kingdom . . . though, she likely knew nothing of what that meant. For all she had, a thriving business, a good reputation, a functioning religion, what she didn’t have was new life. She didn’t even know she needed new life. She had not heard the gospel . . . was likely unaware of her need for repentance . . . probably had never been able to put her finger on her underlying problem, sin. And, if she had recognized the problem before, she certainly had no idea what to do about it. Enter Paul, and the Word of God preached. Enter the Spirit of God, and the Word of God understood.

One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized . . .    (Acts 16:14-15a ESV)

I’m reminded this morning that our salvation is fully, and wholly, the gracious work of a loving God. Not only did Jesus pay the price for sin . . . but, through His Spirit, He also pursues the sinner. And, more than just provide the gospel to a lost world, He also opens hearts to receive and believe that it truly is good news.

The word for “open” here has the idea of something being “opened thoroughly” . . . drawn asunder . . . divided. The Lord, through the active agency of the Holy Spirit, splayed the heart of Lydia that she might understand and heed the message of the gospel. Whatever the barriers may have been . . . pride due to her success . . . self-sufficiency because of her income . . . spiritual lethargy because she had the “spiritual part” of her life covered . . . or, just a contentment with where she was in life because she didn’t know that anything better existed . . . whatever those barriers, whatever those doors, the Spirit of God demolished them . . . the living Christ kicked them down . . . and her heart, through the grace of God, was opened to heed the gospel proclaimed by Paul.

God, through the Spirit, is the active agent in bringing believers to faith in Christ. The Lord Jesus, through the Spirit, is the pursuer of lost sheep, the seeker of lost souls, furrowing hard ground that seeds might be sown which put down deep roots and bear much fruit unto eternal life. The Spirit, one with the Father, sent by the Son, is He who makes the Word of God living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword . . . opening wide the heart to receive the good news of sins forgiven.

O’ may the wonder of God’s initial act of grace, the opening of our hearts to believe, never cease to amaze us. May we never get so far along in this pilgrim journey to somehow take credit for having entered into it. May we often offer awe-filled worship to the One who opened our hearts to pay attention to His Word . . . who opened our eyes that we might see and believe.

An open heart. It was the initial act of grace . . . it is the continuing evidence of grace.

All glory to God for an open heart . . .

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The Brothers

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Pete

In a sense, I didn’t need to be reminded this morning in my daily readings, that the church is a family. That’s been the topic of our Equipping Hour (formerly our Adult Sunday School class) for the past few weeks. We’ve been talking about family matters and considering why family matters. But that believers are called to be the family of God and that, as such, they are to regard themselves as a family, hit home afresh this morning as I read Acts 15 and observed two words used repeatedly.

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings.” . . . And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. . . . And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” . . . but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.   (Acts 15:22-23, 32-33, 36, 40 ESV)

There was debate amongst the early church. Given that, initially, the gospel had gone to the house of Israel and that the first believers were Jewish, when God, through Peter, showed that the good news was for all people, even Gentiles, it created a bit of stir. Those outside the law given through Moses were receiving and believing the message concerning the Messiah . . . they were, by faith, acknowledging Christ as Savior and Lord . . . they were being saved . . . they were receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit . . . they were in.

But they weren’t circumcised “according to the custom of Moses” . . . so how “in” where they really? Thus, the council meeting at Jerusalem. Thus, the determination by the apostles, through the discernment given by the Holy Spirit, that requiring the yoke of the law to be placed on the neck of the Gentiles, which the Jews themselves were unable to bear, was not part of the salvation deal. Thus the affirmation that salvation is through the grace of the Lord Jesus alone (15:11) . . . end of story.

And so, “the brothers,” those of Jewish background, wrote a letter to “the brothers,” Gentiles, formerly referred to as “the dogs” (Matt 15:26-27). And so, leading men of the church in Jerusalem went and “encouraged and strengthened the brothers” in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. And so, the brothers who were formerly “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise” (Eph. 2:12), sent off in peace the brothers with whom they had now been reconciled into one family through the cross of Christ. And so Paul determined to visit the Gentile brothers and were commended by the Jewish brothers to the task and “to the grace of the Lord.”

Jew and Gentile . . . one in Christ. Circumcision and non-circumcision united as children of God.

The church is a brotherhood. More than congregants, we are a family. More than members on a roll, we are brothers and sisters on a journey.

Thank God for the brothers . . . and the sisters.

To Him be glory in the church . . .

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For the Sake of Another

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Pete

Fact is, he didn’t deserve it. The honor given him in his death seems disproportionate to the manner in which he had conducted most of his life. The funeral was over the top. But as I noodle it, I realize that it was over the top for the sake of another.

So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It was a very great company.   (Genesis 50:7-9 ESV)

Jacob had made his boys promise him that they would not bury him in the land of Egypt. Instead they were to bury him in the family burial plot, the cave bought by Abraham where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah were buried. Interesting that Jacob doesn’t allude to it the land God had promised to him . . . but maybe I’m being too tough on Jacob. While it was still the land of promise and not yet the land possessed, that’s where Jacob wanted to be laid to rest.

But I was struck by the big deal that was made over his transport back to the land and his burial. I get it if Joseph and his brothers and their families escorted the body back to Canaan. I’d understand them mourning over the death of their father. But check out the entourage that accompanied them. All the servants of Pharaoh . . . the elders of Pharaoh’s house . . . the elders over the land of Egypt . . . chariots . . . horsemen . . . Moses records that it was “a very great company.”

Imagine the most elaborate state funeral you may have seen on the television . . . JFK’s or Princess Di’s funeral comes to mind. I don’t think any of them compared to the pomp and ceremony afforded Jacob. Imagine the entourage of chariots and horses escorting the elite of the Egyptian government who themselves had determined to escort the body of Jacob. Consider the sheer number of people joined together to form a processional that would march for days in honor of a man most of them didn’t even know.

And had they known him, would they have gone to such great lengths? A schemer who extorted his brother’s birthright and conned him out of the firstborn’s blessing. Careless on his wedding night allowing his father-in-law to “slip one under the covers” . . . literally. Ending up as little more than a manipulated and hired-out stud for his two wives and their two handmaids. Though he fathered 13 children, he doesn’t seem to have been a very consistent father to his children . . . favoring the second youngest, he caused ugly division and dissension within his house. Not to be too hard on Jacob . . . you know, one finger pointing at him, three fingers pointing back at me . . . but on the surface, he didn’t deserve the honor given him at his death.

But as I noodle on it, I think that’s the point. Though his sons may have returned to Canaan to bury Jacob out of obligation to their father, the courts of Pharaoh joined in the funeral procession because of another, Joseph. Because of who Joseph was . . . because of all that Joseph had done for Egypt . . . for him, they would go over the top in mourning and burying Jacob. The great company that would escort Jacob was there for the sake of another.

Isn’t that the gospel? Honor given those who don’t deserve it for the sake of another? Isn’t that our hope? That we will be welcomed into the very presence of God . . . that the rejoicing in heaven which occurred on the day we first believed (Luke 15:7), will culminate in a great wedding feast of celebration hosted by the Lamb Himself . . . not because of who we are or what we’ve done . . . but for the sake of another . . . the greater Joseph . . . Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Thank God for over the top grace shown to those who don’t deserve it. All for the sake of another . . .

Amen?

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