It Is Turned!

Posted on August 23, 2024 by Pete

There it is! Found it!

Have been reading in Esther for the past few days. Fascinating story, but no mention of God. Mesmerizing plot development, but not a hint of Messiah. But there, in chapter 9, there it is — the gospel as clear as day.

Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them.

(Esther 9:1 ESV)

The reverse occurred. The opposite occurred (NKJV). Quite the opposite happened (NLT, CSB). It was turned to the contrary (NASB). The tables were turned (NIV, MSG). Read it in whatever translation you want, and there’s the good news. Drop the mic!

Esther a nobody ends up a somebody. Mordecai of the shadows ends up in the spotlight. Haman who lived to exalt himself ends up honoring his enemy, and the gallows built by him end up receiving him. The Jews who were to be eliminated by government edict are rallied and defend themselves by government edict. The reverse occurred.

Tell me that isn’t our story of redemption. A sinner declared a saint. Enemies of God adopted as sons and daughters of God. Those once dead in sin now made alive in Christ. Once without hope, but then, quite the opposite happened.

And the translation that captures it best for me this morning? Young’s Literal Translation.

And in the twelfth month—it is the month of Adar—on the thirteenth day of it, in which the word of the king, even his law, hath come to be done, in the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to rule over them, and it is turned that the Jews rule over those hating them—

(Esther 9:1 YLT)

It is turned!

Do you detect a familiar ring in that phrase? I do.

When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished,” and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

(John 19:30 ESV)

This morning I can sit here and confidently say, “It is turned!” because Jesus sacrificially hung there and declared, “It is finished.”

It is finished, and thus, it is turned. The lost are found and the dead are made alive. The weak are made strong and the foolish are made wise. And jars of clay convey the glory of God.

Yes, praise God, it is finished — the price once-and-forever paid for all.

Yes, praise God again, it is turned — a poor, bankrupt, debtor to sin has become an heir of eternal riches.

Chew on it. Rejoice in it. Cling to it.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Sharing Your Faith

Posted on August 22, 2024 by Pete

I think it’s the only time you’ll find the phrase in your bible. And here’s the thing, it’s not talking about witnessing, it’s talking about works.

I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

(Philemon 1:4-6 ESV)

The sharing of your faith . . . That’s the phrase I’m chewing on this morning, and this is the only place it’s served up.

Context? Paul’s writing and Philemon, a rich guy and slave-owner, is receiving. Writing how come? Paul’s gonna appeal to Philemon to take back an AWOL slave, Onesimus. A lost slave who Paul led to the Lord when, “by chance”, they crossed paths in Rome. How radical is the ask? Pretty radical! Runaway slaves would have normally been beaten back into forced labor not welcomed back as brothers in family love.

So, why does Paul think there’s even a chance of Philemon honoring his request? Because Paul’s heard of Philemon’s love for the saints and his faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. He knows about every good thing that is in us now that “us” is in Christ. And he’s counting on that every good thing in Philemon to be the fountain from which good things flow from Philemon. Paul calls it the sharing of your faith.

The old King James refers to it as the communication of faith. It’s the exhibiting, the embodiment, the proof of faith.

Communicating the faith . . . that’s what Philemon would be doing by not only reconciling with Onesimus but by regarding him also as a beloved brother (v. 16). Philemon would be embodying the gospel by receiving a sinner for the sake of another who was willing to pay for any wrongs and make right any debt that was owed (v.17-19a).

Sharing his faith not only through “a reason for the hope” that is in us (1Peter 3:15), but also sharing his faith out of the store of every good thing that is in us. In us because Christ is in us.

James would have supported Paul’s ask.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

(James 2:14-18 ESV)

Sharing your faith. Sometimes it’s as simple (or as hard) as living out the faith. As straight forward as witnessing through our works. As mundane as stewarding every good thing that is in us as service to others around us. For the sake of Christ.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Easy? Nope. Necessary? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Posted on August 21, 2024 by Pete

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way . . .

This morning, an exhortation in Titus has me wondering what the world would be like if the church were simply to trust and obey. But I’m also noodling on the fact that, at least in some matters, it’s impossible to obey unless we trust. This morning’s case in point? Perfect courtesy to all people.

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

(Titus 3:1-3 ESV)

Paul’s instructing Titus on how to teach his church (Tit. 2:1). A lot of “to do’s” and “to be’s” in these last couple of chapters. One in particular has got me thinking. Show perfect courtesy toward all people.

I tend to be wary of all-encompassing words like “perfect”. Tend to be skeptical of all-inclusive terms like “all”. Are those words used to really say what they seem to say, or are they used as just altruistic hyperbole in order to get our attention by setting a stretch-goal no one really believes is achievable with the hope that it will evoke some level of effort resulting in some degree of obedience which would be something better than nothing? Is that how it’s intended? I’m guessing not. I don’t think God’s word works that way.

So, when it says show perfect courtesy toward all people, I’m guessing that’s really what it means. And that’s what got me thinking and why I’m chewing on what it would like for the church to really live out perfect courtesy toward all people.

The word the ESV translates courtesy is the word for gentleness, mildness, or meekness — as in the fruit of the Spirit is gentleness (Gal. 5:23). So, we’re to show all meekness to all men.

Note too the charge is made in the context of the instructions to speak evil of no one and to avoid quarreling. Hmm . . . Speaking evil of others . . . quarreling . . . sounds remarkably like our current cultural moment. So, do you understand why I’m trying to imagine what it would like if we as the church simply purposed, by God’s enabling grace, to trust and obey?

What would it look like if our engagement in what’s often referred to as “the culture wars” was marked by an absence of slander and a refusal to verbally brawl, but instead marked by showing perfect courtesy to all people? Perfect courtesy, as in authentic gentleness and real humility. Toward all people — yeah, “all” as in “all” people. Those on our side and those on the other. Those who embrace our platform and those who embrace another platform. Those who fit nicely into our echo chambers and those who just create an irritating dissonance. Not that we don’t contend for truth, we just don’t do it by trashing others — any others, and all others — who are blind to the truth. And how come? For we ourselves were once foolish . . .

Avoid quarreling . . . Kind of hard in a culture so defined by, and used to quarreling. Kind of hard but kind of what the Spirit says is the right thing to do. So trust and obey.

Show perfect courtesy toward all people . . . Easy? Nope. Necessary? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.

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An Old Man for Jesus

Posted on August 20, 2024 by Pete

It’s not very often I laugh out loud when I read something in my bible. This morning, I almost did. And that because, for the first time, as I read in Titus, I realized I was reading something specifically addressed to me. Not really a laughing matter . . . but kinda’ . . .

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

(Titus 2:1-2 ESV)

Older men . . . That’s what caused a double take, evoked a smile, and produced a chuckle. Paul’s writing to Titus about old men, about aged men. Oh brother! Paul’s writing to Titus about me!

I say, “Sixty-five” and it sounds old. I look at sixty-five in the mirror, and it kind of looks old. But, I do sixty-five and I don’t feel old . . . whatever old feels like.

But, if I’m gonna be real, I am one of the older men Paul’s talking about here. So, listen up old man, ’cause the word of God made alive by the Spirit of God is speaking to you — specifically to you — this morning.

And that which Paul presents as the old man’s “to be” list is in fact that which accords with sound doctrine. It’s resulting behaviors that should be born from right beliefs. The fitting fruit of following Jesus. The persona produced from persistently participating in the sanctifying work of the Spirit. For us aged men, it’s the way of those who have determined, by God’s grace, to be disciples.

Being an older man doesn’t mean I can be a coasting man, or a drifting man, or an I-don’t-care-what-others-think-of-me man. My work’s not done, the race is not yet won. I don’t get to retire, for the good fight still needs to be fought. I don’t get to self-select for the sidelines for there’s still a stewardship entrusted to me.

What I do get to do, however, is present as one who has a few years under his belt and has learned a thing or two about following Jesus. To be someone with tales to tell about what it’s meant to deny one’s self and take up a cross (Mt. 16:24); with stories to share about dealing with perpetual thorns of weakness (2Cor. 12:7-9); with a narrative of need for a Savior as much today as when I first believed (1Tim. 1:15).

Paul tells Titus to remind us old guys that character counts. And that character comes only through Christ. And that character needs to be communicated. Because Christ-created character is needed in the community of believers and as salt and light in the world.

Oh Father, fulfill Your promise to conform me (Rom. 8:29).

Oh Spirit, continue Your work to transform me (Rom. 12:2).

Oh, blessed Son, how I need You to sojourn with me, as we (Gal. 2:20) live out what it looks like to be an old man for Jesus.

Only by Your grace. Only for Your glory.

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Remember Me

Posted on August 19, 2024 by Pete

Apparently, back in 2011, I thought I had resolved the tension I feel when reading Nehemiah 13. I didn’t. This morning, I find myself still struggling with what to take away from the last chapter of Nehemiah.

My bible titles the chapter, “Nehemiah’s Final Reforms.” Final, as in his last attempts at reform. Not final, as in those attempts took and thus there’s been no more need for reform. On the precipice of 400 years of silence (the gap between the last word of God given in the Old Testament and the first words dawning in the New), we have what we know will be a futile attempt to legislate obedience and enforce righteousness.

Even though, back in Nehemiah 10, the people had promised to live by the law of Moses and committed themselves to not intermarry, to not conduct business on the Sabbath, and to not neglect the support of the temple, in Nehemiah 13 the house of the Lord is “forsaken” (13:10-11), Jerusalem’s Sabbath business is booming (13:15-16), and intermarriage has become so common in some sectors that HSL classes (Hebrew as a Second Language) have become a thing (13:23-24). Cue Nehemiah’s ministry of confrontation (13:11, 17, 25).

And it’s not that I struggle with the idea that people-powered obedience is unsustainable, nor that government-enforced righteousness is non-transformational. It’s Nehemiah’s prayers that I wrestle with — that they are so personal.

From the get-go, Nehemiah has been a praying guy. Good on him! Oh, that I would be more of a Nehemiah. But it’s the shift in his prayers from “we” (Neh. 1:4-7) to “me” that I’m chewing on (gnawing on? gnashing on?) this morning.

Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for His service.

Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of Your steadfast love.

Remember me, O my God, for good.

(Nehemiah 13:14, 21b, 30b ESV)

Remember me, O my God, for good . . . That’s how 13 chapters of rebuilding and reforming ends. Is that appropriate? Or is that problematic?

While, at first, I find the prayer problematic in that it seems self-centered and selfish, I know from what’s recorded of the life of Nehemiah that personal well-being and recognition wasn’t what motivated him. After all, he was a cupbearer, a pretty risky, self-sacrificing occupation. And he left the ease of his king’s courts to go and undertake the arduous reconstruction of his God’s city. What’s more, he endured through opposition. Rebuilding the city walls was no gimme task. Even when he is made governor, he doesn’t act like a typical self-aggrandized, self-serving, governor (Neh. 5:14-19).

And then, after rebuilding the walls with stone, he intentionally seeks to rebuild the people with Scriptures (Neh. 8). After building the walls, he then seeks to re-boot sacrifice in the temple and re-establish worship in the heart. No, I don’t think this is one of those leaders who’s made leading about himself.

So then, what about the “me” prayers?

Maybe they are less about his ego and more about eternity. Less about focus on self and more about faith in the future. After all, though the walls which he had built around Jerusalem stood firm, the ways which he had tried to implant within the people seemed fruitless. If Nehemiah’s motive for doing what he did was a lasting earthly legacy, at best he was only partially successful. But if what drove Nehemiah to do what he faithfully did was a certainty that “your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matt. 6:4, 6, 18), then maybe petitioning God to remember isn’t such a bad prayer to pray. For all his “life’s work”, the walls of Jerusalem would eventually again topple, and the hearts of the people would perpetually remain fickle. Thus, his life’s work was not for reward in this life, but in the belief of a life yet to come.

So, was Nehemiah’s prayer really a faith prayer? Of faith in the certainty of future hopes yet to be realized? Of faith in the infallibility of God’s steadfast love one day actualized? Of faith in the surety that what is done on earth would in heaven be monetized (Matt. 6:19-20)? I’m thinkin . . .

We may not see the results of our efforts as we’d like to see them, but we can rest in the assurance that He will remember us for good.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

(1Corinthians 15:58 ESV)

For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His name in serving the saints, as you still do.

(Hebrews 6:10 ESV)

Because of grace. For His glory.

Give me Father, a purpose deep,
In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife,
Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn,
And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone,
Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,
Now let me say,”Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call,
I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

~ C.T. Studd ~

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Love For This Present World

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Pete

If it meant he loved money more than he loved Jesus, I think I can distance myself from the guy. If it meant that he loved “the pleasure of sin for a season” (Heb. 11:25 KJV), more than he loved the righteousness of the kingdom forever, then I think I can stand apart and maybe even cast a disparagement or two. But if Demas’s real issue is that he simply didn’t want to die, then it gets a little more uncomfortable for me.

Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

(2Timothy 4:9-10 ESV)

Paul knows that the fight is almost over, that the race is about done, and that all that remains is “being poured out as a drink offering” (2Tim. 6-7). The end is near, he will die at the hand of the Romans. And so, he writes to Timothy, “Come to me soon.” I need some encouragement. I need some support. And, bring my books and parchments, because I need to finish strong. So, come to me soon. Because Demas has deserted me.

And why did Demas, this once beloved co-laborer in the gospel (Col. 4:14, Phm. 1:24), bail on Paul? Because he was in love with this present world.

Don’t know why those are the words that struck a chord this morning (yeah, I do . . . thanx a lot, Holy Spirit), but they have.

I can’t count the number of times I have read about, studied, or heard a message on Demas’s desertion of Paul. And as I think back, I believe I’ve most often reacted to this verse with a shake of my head, a “Tsk, tsk” on my lips, and a certain sadness in my heart at the apparent 180 taken by this once faithful follower. Abandoning Paul, I’ve thought most often, must have been because he abandoned the kingdom.

But what if Demas went back to Thessalonica and continued to encourage the saints? What if he still read his bible, prayed for people, and witnessed faithfully? What if he was anything but an apostate but was, instead, simply not ready to die?

To hang with Paul was to be in danger with Paul. To serve alongside the persecuted was to run the risk of being persecuted. To support one sentenced to death was to risk being caught up in the execution. What if Demas just felt he still had too much to live for?

What if being in love with this present world simply meant that he had a wife he wanted to love, kids he wanted to see graduate, a daughter he wanted to walk down the aisle, and grandkids he wanted to one day spoil? What if, while in his head he believed along with Paul that “to live is Christ and die is gain” (Php. 1:21), in his heart he wasn’t yet fully abandoned to “the gain” but still held tightly on to some dreams?

I don’t know. But couldn’t loving this present world just mean that he still really wanted to be present in this world and that continuing in Rome put that in jeopardy? I’m thinkin’ . . .

If so, then it hits a little closer to home — this present home.

Oh, that my mind and my heart would be increasingly fixed “on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col. 3:2). That the Spirit within me would bring into sharper focus the fullness of my salvation before me so that my faithfulness would not be constrained by a love for this present world.

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace

~Helen Howarth Lemmel~

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Wise for Salvation (2019 Rerun)

Posted on August 14, 2024 by Pete

It’s a formula. May not look like it at first glance, but it is. We might not like to think that formulas should have a part in the Christian life, but sometimes they do. And, as Paul get’s ready to finish the good fight and leave the battlefield; as he prepares to receive the prize having finished the race, he reminds his son in the faith, Timothy, of the sufficiency of the Scriptures. And, of the formula.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

(2Timothy 3:14-17 ESV)

Chewing on 2Timothy 3:15 this morning.

It’s one of those “shadow verses.” Maybe not lesser known, necessarily, but probably lesser noticed, frequently, as it lies in the shade of 2Timothy 3:16, that mega-verse which declares “All Scripture is God breathed . . . “

And what caught me is the formula. Do you see it?

The Sacred Writings + Faith in Christ Jesus = Wise for Salvation

Literally, at the time Paul wrote this, the sacred writings, or as other translations render it, the holy Scriptures, refer to what we now call the Old Testament. Take those God-breathed writings, Paul says, add faith in Christ Jesus, and you have the understanding of God’s plan of salvation.

Jesus, having been foretold and foreshadowed in the writings of Moses and the Prophets (Lk. 24:27), is the key to unlocking the door. He is the filter through which the mystery of God’s redemptive plan is manifest. Take the Scriptures, apply faith in Christ Jesus, and, through the illuminating agency of the Holy Spirit, you have wisdom concerning salvation.

To be sure, Paul, in referring to the role the Scriptures played in Timothy’s childhood, was referring specifically to making wise as to the attainment of salvation. But, given that salvation is not a once-and-done life event–for, not only were we saved in the past from sin’s penalty, but we are being saved in the present from sin’s power and, will be saved at some future day from sin’s presence–the sacred writings, through faith in Christ, are able to make us wise also for the working out of our salvation (Php. 2:12-13). Thus, they are “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

So, to be “wise unto salvation” (KJV)–our salvation past, our salvation present, and our salvation to come–we still need to be acquainted with the sacred writings–and ALL the sacred writings, both Old and New Testament–and anchor them to what we believe concerning the Person and the Work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

If we don’t do that regularly, if we neglect to do it frequently, then, I fear, we just become dumb unto salvation. (I guess “unwise unto salvation” would be the nicer way to phrase it).

Without intentionally feeding on the Word of God, without really believing what we say we believe about the Son of God, we’re going to sub-optimize the gift that is ours through redemption. The abundant life Jesus came to give (Jn. 10:10) will be, at best, the so-so life. The paths He has promised to direct (Prov. 3:5-6) won’t be found. The power that He has said would be available won’t be present (Matt. 22:29). The peace that He has promised (Php. 4:7) won’t be realized.

It’s not rocket science. But, it is looking to me like a formula.

The Sacred Writings + Faith in Christ Jesus = Wise for Salvation

O Father, help us to hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt. 5:6). Give us a taste that we might see the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8). Feed us through Your Word. Fuel our faith in Your Son through Your Spirit. And make us wise for salvation.

By Your grace. For Your glory.

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Presumptuously

Posted on August 13, 2024 by Pete

It’s a long word in a long summary that catches my attention this morning. A long word used only a few times in the Old Testament but twice in this morning’s reading in Nehemiah. A long word which captures a perhaps less thought of aspect of sin — an aspect, however, that maybe should be noodled on more. A long word — thirteen letters, five syllables (I think) — worth chewing on.

In my bible, the heading for Nehemiah 9 is The People of Israel Confess Their Sin. The walls have been rebuilt, the people have been regathered, and the word of God is being reread (Neh. 8). And the light of the Law of Moses reveals clearly the depths of darkness which saw a people delivered from Egypt eventually sent into exile in Babylon. And so, Nehemiah gathers the people for corporate confession.

Before confession is made, though, context is set. The first part of Nehemiah 9 (verses 5-15) begins with worship, with standing up and blessing the God who alone is LORD. Of acknowledging Him as Maker of heaven and earth. Of remembering Him as the Chooser of Abram and his seed. Of knowing Him as the Promise-Keeper who pledged a land for His people. Of praising Him as the Deliverer who brought them out of Egypt. Of thanking Him as the Sustainer who gave them bread from heaven and water from the rock in the wilderness.

And then, that dreaded word . . . “But”! That awful word . . . “Yet”.

“But they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey Your commandments. . . .”

“And You warned them in order to turn them back to Your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey Your commandments, but sinned against Your rules, which if a person does them, he shall live by them, and they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey.”

(Nehemiah 9:16, 29 ESV)

And there’s that long word . . . Presumptuously.

After all God had done for His people, after He had miraculously delivered them and had faithfully provided for them and patiently sought to direct them, they in turn acted presumptuously.

Other bible translations render the original word as acted proudly or acted arrogantly. But the ESV reserves that translation for the Egyptians (9:10), enemies of God who knew God only through “signs and wonders” and who refused to humble themselves before His great power (9:10). For God’s people, those who knew God through covenant and deliverance, their rebellion sourced in pride and arrogance was akin to acting presumptuously.

Having known God’s power to release from bondage, they would use their freedom to freely pursue the ways of the world. Having received from God’s good hand abundant blessings, they would take it from there and do as they please. Having benefited from God’s gracious gifts, they would go on to somehow convince themselves that these gifts were really the fruit of their own efforts and merit. And so, rather than humble themselves, rather than cling to the promises and desire to be obedient, they acted presumptuously.

Yeah, it’s a long word. But if I’m honest with myself, apart from God’s patience and grace, it’s a short path from walking out of Egypt and then being sent to Babylon for a timeout — the path of acting presumptuously.

Oh, that my pride might not lead me to take for granted His provision. That my arrogance would not quench a desire to respond to His abundance.

Only by His grace. Only for His glory.

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The Lord Knows

Posted on August 12, 2024 by Pete

Two pieces of teaching come together this morning, one from Jesus and the other from Paul. Kingdom teaching connected to comfort teaching.

First, Jesus is asked by the Pharisees (like they really wanted to know) “when the kingdom of God would come.” Whatever they expected a heavenly kingdom to look like, they pressed this supposed heavenly king — who looked nothing like what they expected a heavenly king should look like — when’s it gonna be here? And Jesus says, in effect, the problem is with your expectation.

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

(Luke 17:20-21 ESV)

The kingdom of God is in the midst of you . . . It’s not a “look, here it is”, or a “behold, there it stands” sort of kingdom. It’s a kingdom “within you” (NKJV, NIV). It’s an inside thing. Not a brick-and-mortar reality, but a soul-known reality.

Okay, that’s problematic, isn’t it? For a people who live life through their five senses, a soul sensed reality can be kind of hard to grasp . . . literally . . . pun intended. The kingdom of God is here, but not “in ways that can be observed.” So, how you gonna know what’s kingdom and what’s not? Or, perhaps more difficult yet, what’s kingdom and what’s counterfeit-kingdom? That’s where Paul’s words are comfort words, words worth chewing on.

But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. . . . upsetting the faith of some. But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

(2Timothy 2:16-19 ESV)

But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows who are His” . . . That’s the materiality of an immaterial kingdom. That’s the ruling embodiment of a reign embodied within. That’s the earthly physicality of heavenly spirituality . . . The Lord knows.

That’s the seal of the kingdom’s firm foundation. That’s the signet stamped within the bedrock of all we are asked to believe about a kingdom which has already come but is not already seen, a kingdom which is now but not yet. That the Lord knows, fully and exactly, where the “in the midst of you” actually is. That He has no problem knowing where His reign and His rule have been established. No question about those who are His. No confusion about who is being conformed increasingly into the likeness of their King — King Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

A lot of stuff I may not know about the kingdom, but the Lord knows. As someone who now “sees in a mirror dimly” (1Cor. 13:12) and struggles some days trying to distinguish and discern the heavenly kingdom’s dynamics from our worldly kingdom’s dysfunction, I can rest in the reality that the Lord knows.

And isn’t that what it means, at least in part, to walk by faith? I’m thinkin’ . . .

The kingdom of God is in the midst of you . . . Oh, what words of hope!

The Lord knows those who are His . . . Aah, what words of rest and comfort!

So, while the kingdom of God may not be a 5-sense kingdom, I can yet trust in the Lord with all my heart, that other sense, that spirit-to-Spirit connected sense. And, I don’t have to try to lean on my own understanding. Because He is Lord — the Lord who knows who are His — I can acknowledge Him in all my ways, confident He will make straight my paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

By His grace. For His glory.

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A Faith that Dwells

Posted on August 8, 2024 by Pete

This morning, it’s a verse in 2 Timothy that has me thinking. Thinking about a faith that dwells.

Opening his letter to Timothy, Paul begins with some personal musings.

I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.

(2Timothy 1:3-5 ESV)

They had spent a lot of time ministering together. Though technically Paul was more the teacher and Timothy the student, their relationship was far more reflective of that of a father and his son as they shared many an experience together co-laboring for the gospel. But now they were separated. Paul being salt in a Roman prison, Timothy charged to contend for the light in a local church. And Paul writes to his young protégé with fondness and longing. He tells him that he prays for him, that he thanks God for him, and that he remembers him — remembering the tears that Timothy shed at their last goodbye, remembering the sincere faith, the faith that dwelt in him.

A sincere faith. The real deal. Sincere. True. Authentic faith. A saving faith. A sacrificing faith. A serving faith. A sustaining faith. Not a flash-in-the pan faith, but an enduring faith. Faith for the long-haul. The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1 NKJV).

A sincere faith that dwells. A belief always abiding. A trust ever remaining, even through testing and trials. A hope at home within the heart of the believer. Not just an “occasional visitor” (thanx William MacDonald), but a forever friend. An integral part of his regenerated and reconstituted spiritual DNA.

An abiding faith, isn’t that what we all want? A foundation-providing faith, ever present and with no fear of failure? It’s power not in how much of it we can muster up, but in what our faith is placed upon. An ever-present trust in the steadfast love of a God who is, in His very essence, love. A remaining assurance of the unfathomable condescension of His Son who came to earth and of His forever finished work of taking on Himself our sin and paying the wages of sin we could never pay. An experience-confirmed conviction that the Spirit of God really was freely given us upon first believing and remains always the active agency for all that divinely dwells within — a sincere faith included.

Truly, we are not saved only by faith, but we are just as saved for faith. “As it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.'” (Rom. 1:16-17).

Oh, for a sincere, unpretentious, authentic faith. Oh, that it would dwell in me as the always-present fruit of the fullness of God’s wondrous salvation.

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.

Amen?

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