A Reliable Source

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Pete

I hate getting lost. For me, few things are worse, than needing to be somewhere and finding that I don’t know where there is. My frustration level increases when the directions I’ve been given are bad . . . especially when they are from a “reliable source.” In the past few weeks I have been failed by “Google Maps” . . . not once, but twice! If you can’t trust Google Maps, who can you trust?

This morning I’m reading in Psalm 119 . . . one of my favorite parts of my reading plan . . . one of my favorite portions of Scripture . . . a love letter consumed with the word of God . . . all 22 stanzas . . . all 176 verses. And this morning I’m reminded that the Scriptures are really my “reliable source” . . .

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law. I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not Your commandments from me!
(Psalm 119:18-19 ESV)

I am a sojourner on the earth . . . or, as Peterson puts it, “I am a stranger in these parts” (MSG). This world is foreign territory . . . I’m just a temporary inhabitant trying to make my way from here to there. There are so many roads available to go down . . . so many destinations advertising for me to visit . . . so many “attractions” willing to take my treasure . . . so many potholes to try and avoid . . . so many ditches to stay out of. There’s also so much to be enjoyed . . . so much to encounter as it bears the mark of the Creator — though tarnished by a world in rebellion . . . so many opportunities to “talk to the locals” about my homeland . . . to invite them to become sojourners as well and to set their face toward eternity.

But I need good directions . . . a trustworthy guide . . . a GPS I can have confidence in . . . a reliable source that will help me navigate. LORD, says the psalmist, hide not Your commandments from me! Open my eyes, LORD, that I might see wondrous things from Your law. That, my friends, is my reliable source.

Oh, that I would be gripped with the reality that this world is not my home . . . that this is not the final destination . . . but that I would be “looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” . . . that my desire would be for a “better country, that is, a heavenly one” for God has prepared such a place for me (Heb. 11:10, 16). And, in so recognizing that I’m on a journey in hostile territory, cry out to God for direction . . . seeking His mind and wisdom in navigating this place. To look for a travel guide that allows me to journey in such a way as to reflect my true heritage . . . to walk in this world without losing the distinctiveness of the one for which I am destined.

That my morning by morning plea would be, “Open my eyes . . . show me wondrous things in Your word.” That I would consciously invite the illuminating work of the Spirit within me . . . that I would be expecting fresh instruction for the day . . . that I would have eyes to see and hears to ear concerning the path that is mine as an ambassador for Christ . . . that I would sojourn in the day with confidence, knowing my way has been “mapped out” by a reliable source.

Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.   (Psalm 119:24 ESV)

Who needs Google Maps?

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Taking Inventory

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Pete

Sometimes you need to take inventory. It’s needed in the business world . . . I have a big project to do, do I have the resources? It’s needed in battle . . . what military assets are at my disposal? It’s needed in long distance running . . . have I taken in enough calories and water to make the distance? It’s needed in long distance driving . . . how much gas do I have in the tank? And, for me at least, it’s needed in trying to do life in a way that’s consistent with my profession as a follower of Christ and in a way that’s pleasing to my Lord.

Frankly, there are times when I worry that I’m running on empty . . . times when I wonder if I can sustain it. Ephesians 1, in my mind, is the perfect inventory for such times. Every time I read Ephesians, it’s a like reunion which ends in revival . . . like coffee with a good friend, always ending in encouragement and renewal. It’s a reminder of the heavenly account that’s been set up in my name . . . a reminder of the vast implications of being “in Him” . . . a reminder of the “glorious grace with which He has blessed us in the Beloved” and the “riches of His grace which He lavished upon us” (v.6, 8).

And the extent of such grace is captured in one glorious promise . . . one beyond-comprehension truth . . . one out-of-this-world inventory . . .

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places . . .    
(Ephesians 1:3 ESV)

Break it down. What am I to do? Bless God. How come? Because He has blessed me in Christ. With what? Every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies.

Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him . . . predestined for adoption as sons through Christ . . . having been redeemed through His blood and knowing the forgiveness of our trespasses . . . part of a plan for the fullness of times when all things will be united in Him . . . having obtained an inheritance . . . predestined according to the Sovereign purposes of the God who works all things according to the counsel of His will . . . sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, the guarantee of the inheritance which one day we will possess (1:1-14).

That, my friends, is just a sampling of the spiritual bounty that is the child of God’s . . . just a high level cut at our inventory . . . a quick reminder of what it is we have to draw on . . . an insight as to what is in the storehouse for the child of God, the possessor of every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. Not just some . . . not just a few . . . not just most of them . . . but EVERY spiritual blessing. Blessings not sourced in positive thinking . . . or disciplined living . . . but flowing from heaven itself . . . streamed from the living water before the throne of God . . . poured out on those He as brought into relationship with Himself.

Sometimes I need to take inventory. And it’s not the stuff that’s earth-resident that’s going to make the difference. And it’s not about what I bring to the game . . . not about my capabilities . . . not about my smarts . . . not about my power. But it’s about who I am in Christ . . . and what I possess in Him. That’s the inventory that makes the difference . . . that’s the storehouse to draw upon. The riches of His glorious grace . . . lavished on us . . . sourced in heavenly places . . . to be drawn on for earthly purposes.

And all for the praise of His glory . . .

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On My Side

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Pete

“Whose side are you on?” How many times have I asked that question or been asked that question in my lifetime? Sometimes in the context of a debate . . . which position are you taking? Sometimes in the context of a sports match up . . . as in, which team are you cheering for? Sometimes in the context of a conflict . . . where declaring a side meant taking on an opposition.

And it seems to me that there are a couple of ways that someone can be on a side. One is as a passive observer . . . the other, as an active participant. In the one case, I take a position . . . in the other, I take action. I can be on someone’s side believing what they believe and standing for what they stand for but letting them do the footwork. Or, I can be on their side as in linking arms with them . . . as in exerting effort with them . . . as in doing battle with them.

This morning, as I read Psalm 118, I hear the LORD being asked, “Whose side are You on?”

The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. 
(Psalm 118:6-7 ESV)

If I’m okay appropriating the psalmists words, then the LORD is on my side . . . He is with me (NIV) . . . He is for me (NLT). And not as in “He’s rooting for me” . . . but as in “He is my helper.” God is engaged . . . present in my struggles . . . active in my battles. God is not just watching from the stands . . . He is not on my side as One who cheers me on hoping I can prevail in my own strength. Rather, He is on my side as One who has drawn alongside . . . as One whose power has been made available to me . . . as One who is involved in the fight through the active agency of His Holy Spirit within me.

He is on my side as a Father actively supports His child . . . He is on my side as a Potter whose hands intimately and intricately interact with the clay . . . He is on my side as an already victorious Conqueror who “has my back” in the conflicts of life.

To think that God is on my side is amazing . . . to know that God is on my side as my helper . . . beyond words!

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.   (Psalm 118:8-9 ESV)

Sometimes, when taking it in the teeth, it’s easy to feel like you’re going it alone . . . to wonder if anybody’s on your side. In the midst of the fight there are times when you feel like you’re losing the battle . . . victory seems impossible . . . your determination is about done . . . your strength is about gone . . . apart from some help, you just don’t know how long you can stay in the game. In those times how we need to hear the LORD say through the Spirit, “Who’s on your side? I’m on your side? Who’s your support? I’m your support! Where does your help come from? It comes from Me!”

I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.   (Psalm 118:13-14 ESV)

On my side . . . thank You, LORD!

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My, My, My

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Pete

As I read 2Samuel 22 I can’t help but think, at first, that David seems pretty self-centered. If I’m counting right, in my ESV bible, the word “my” or “me” is used upwards of 75 times in these 51 verses. But even though David’s “song” is centered around himself, it’s really not about him . . . even though he’s in the middle of it all, the glory goes to Another. If I were to summarize this chapter, I’d take a verse from another Psalm — “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” or, as the NLT puts it, “Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things He does for me” (Ps. 103:2). Even though it centers on “me” it’s all about giving praise to “He.” In particular what stood out as I read this song of David was his “my, my, my” focus . . .

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my Savior; . . . . But the LORD was my support. . . . For You are my lamp, O LORD . . . This God is my strong refuge . . . The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock, and exalted by my God, the Rock of my salvation!

                                                                       (2Samuel 22:2-3, 19, 29, 33, 47 ESV)

Check out that list again! My, My, My! We taught our kids when they were small not to say “mine” all the time . . . chuck that out the window . . . when it comes to the God who has promised never to leave us nor forsake us . . . when it concerns the God who has promised to give us strength to do all things . . . this One who is mighty to save . . . and mighty to sustain . . . and mighty to deliver . . . and mighty to do all that He has promised . . when it comes to Him, bless the Lord for My, My, My!

For David, he had known the “best of times and the worst of times.” Anointed king . . . yet, exiled to caves as others sought his life . . . slayer of the giant, victor over his “tens of thousands” . . . yet, victim to lust and defeated by one beautiful woman on a balcony. Righteous at times . . . yet, wretched at others . . . composing songs of victory and praise . . . yet, writing dirges from a spirit crushed by the wages of sin. He had been there, done that . . . . . . knowing the heights of victory and the agony of defeat. Yet in it all . . . one great constant . . . my God . . . my Rock . . . my Deliverer . . . my Shield . . . my Refuge . . . my Support . . . my Lamp . . . my Savior! . . . my Rock! . . . my Salvation! Oh, blessed be my God!

I’m no David . . . my story is no David story . . . but David’s God is my God . . . His Savior is My Savior . . . the same yesterday, today, and forever. And it seems to me, that I’d do well from time to time to reflect on His works on my behalf . . . and to own Him afresh as My, My, My. Not that I’d be consumed with how blessed I’ve been, but how great my God is. Not that I’d think that I’m something deserving of such favor, but that I’d be reminded of His grace and faithfulness and might. Not that I’d become self-righteous, but that He would become all-in-all receiving blessing, honor, glory, and praise.

How amazing is it that the God of Creation would be “my” anything? Answer: Pretty!!!!

He is My, My, My . . . oh, the wonder of my Salvation . . . oh, the blessing of knowing my Rock . . . oh, the comfort of leaning on my Support . . . oh, the confidence in following the way shown by my Lamp.

Let the recollection of God’s mighty works on my behalf produce a fresh sense of awe and of appreciation . . . and then will I cry out, “Bless the Lord, O my soul!”

. . . amen!

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Lift the Cup!

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Pete

It’s a good question . . . one that perhaps isn’t asked often because of grace . . . yet probably should be asked more . . . because of grace. The very concept of grace reminds me that there’s nothing I bring to the work of salvation . . . no merit . . . no righteous acts . . . nothing I can do. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins . . . the rescuing from darkness . . . the securing of the soul for eternity . . . every aspect and every iota of salvation relies upon the finished work of Christ upon the cross on my behalf. Mine is to confess the need for such a work . . . mine is to believe that such a work is sufficient to cleanse me from all sin . . . mine is to humbly bow before the One who is my Savior and own Him as Lord. Mine is to receive the gift by faith . . . apart from anything that I might think myself capable of doing. So maybe that’s why the question isn’t asked as often as it should be . . .

What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits to me?   (Psalm 116:12 ESV)

But the question isn’t what shall I render to merit His benefits for me. Rather it’s a question that asks how can I respond to the benefits of God’s grace? . . . what can I return? . . . as the recipient, what can I give back to the Giver? Again, not that the rendering of anything I have somehow pays off the debt . . . or that by giving something back to God He somehow becomes more justified in forgiving me in the first place. Instead, the rendering is a recognition of the mercy of God in not giving me what I deserve . . . an acknowledgment of the grace of God in imparting to me that which I didn’t deserve . . . an appreciation of the righteousness of God freely given to me in and through His blessed Son. What shall I render to the LORD?

I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.   (Psalm 116:13 ESV)

This is the only place in Scripture where this exact phrase, the cup of salvation, is used. And the Psalmist says, “I will lift it up and call on Your Name.”

Brings to mind a lifting of a glass as part of a toast . . . as part of honoring an esteemed guest . . . as part of recognizing a noteworthy accomplishment. It also brings to mind the lifting of the cup of the drink offering . . . poured out over the sacrifice . . . turned to steam as it hits the flame . . . ascending heavenward as a sweet smelling offering. And certainly brings to mind the taking of the cup around the Lord’s table . . . a bittersweet remembrance of the sufferings of the Lamb of God . . . of the poverty He endured . . . that I might know the riches of heaven.

It’s a cup of remembrance . . . a cup of honor . . . a cup of thanksgiving.

And the contents of the cup? . . . the substance of the offering? . . . the nature of the fine liquid lifted toward heaven? . . . it is my salvation.

So much to get caught up with in “doing life” in general . . . so much trying just to do the Christian life . . . that sometimes our salvation becomes “old news.” Meetings to attend . . . songs to sing . . . messages to hear . . . duties to fulfill . . . prayers to pray . . . fellowship to enjoy . . . as someone has once said, “Run, saint, run!” Sometimes, I just need to be still . . . take a breath . . . come back to the basics . . . Jesus loves me this I know . . . For God so love the world that He gave His one and only Son . . . Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

Oh that I wouldn’t wait for the first Sunday of the month to take the cup of remembrance and reflect on the price paid for my salvation. That I might take up the cup of salvation on a regular basis and pour it upon the altar of sacrifice expressing heartfelt thanksgiving for the His wondrous work of grace in my life. That I might take the cup of salvation . . . hoist it heavenward . . . and declare, “Great are You, LORD!”

Lift the cup . . .

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A Child of Promise

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Pete

They wanted to be under the law. They had been hooked by the lie that what had begun in the Spirit now needed to be perfected in the flesh. They had bought into the “old math” that Jesus’ work on the cross plus our efforts in the flesh equals salvation. The law had been intended as a “guardian until Christ came” . . . a restraining force until the way of faith and freedom was revealed. Never capable of justifying people before God, the law, instead, was to point the way to need for a justification accomplished by Another and appropriated by faith alone. But they wanted to be under the law . . . relying on their best efforts, they worked so that they might live like sons of slavery . . . rather than rest in being children of promise.

Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. . . . Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.   (Galatians 4:21-23, 28 ESV)

Like Isaac, I am a child of promise. Born against all the odds . . . humanly speaking, without a chance of being brought into the family . . . unable to work my way “to the top” . . . with no heavenly capital of my own to buy my way in. The only entrance . . . the only means of becoming a member of the family . . . was through the determined purposes of God . . . through His Sovereign intention to call to Himself a people . . . to make them a holy people suited for His holy presence . . . to fit them for His family through the righteousness of His Son . . . and thus, to adopt them as sons and daughters . . . making them heirs according to promise.

Sometimes I just need to sit back and take in that I am a child of promise . . . born again not for slavery and obligation but made a new creation in Christ Jesus for freedom and gratitude-fueled obedience. Mine is not to be a law-driven labor to validate or secure the place prepared for me in heaven, instead mine is to be a rest in the finished work of the cross of Christ. My sacrifices and efforts come not from a desperate need to do the right thing so that God might be justified in showing me favor . . . instead, by His grace, I place myself on the altar as a living sacrifice as a response to His abundant grace and the justification that comes by faith through His Son.

I don’t think it’s natural to live as a children of promise. The flesh, the ego, the sense that you pay-your-own-way, all conspire to want some sort of law that I can check off to satisfy a need to earn my way. “Uh, uh,” says Paul, “That’s what children of flesh do . . . that’s how kids of the slave woman are driven. But you have been born through promise . . . born according to the Spirit . . . not children of the slave but of the free woman . . . like Isaac, children of promise.”

For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.   (Galatians 2:19-21 ESV)

A child of promise . . . by the grace of God alone . . . for the glory of God alone . . .

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Do Your Best!

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Pete

“Do your best, Pete!” When I was a kid, that’s what my mom would always say as I headed off to school in the morning. My parents were pretty low key about the “goals” they had for me . . . at the end of the day they simply wanted me to work up to whatever potential I had. There’s something very sad about unrealized potential. Something that seems wasteful when someone low-balls their goals . . . something that can even be frustrating about those who settle for “good enough” rather than for what they are capable of.

You sense that Paul was frustrated on a number of levels as you read his letter to the churches in Galatia. He was upset that false teachers had come in behind his planting of the gospel and had distorted it . . . had sown grace-strangling weeds among the seed of the good news . . . had shackled those who should be embracing freedom in Christ with the handcuffs of the law. You pick up also that Paul was a bit bent out of shape with these “foolish Galatians” who had allowed themselves to be “bewitched” by these fast-talking religion-peddlers such that they lost sight of Christ (3:1) . . . Paul shows a bit of exasperation at the foolish, muddled up thinking that was being embraced, “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (3:3)

But even more Paul seems to be in excruciating agony over the lost potential . . .

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? . . . my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.    (Galatians 4:8-9, 19-20 ESV)

Christianity for Paul was not about a creed . . . not about a set a practices . . . but about new life in Christ. Being rescued from judgment by the redemptive work of Christ on the cross is worthy of eternal gratefulness . . . having a place prepared in heaven by the Son is cause for unending praise . . . but even more than these things, there is the potential for Christ to be formed in the believer. That’s what Paul went for!

Think about it . . . saved by the grace of God in order to be a mold for the Son of God . . . for the purpose of bearing His nature and image. That’s the potential for a believer. That potential existing not in ourselves, but in our new selves . . . new creations in Christ . . . powered by the presence of God’s Holy Spirit placed within us . . . having been given all the tools we need to participate in the divine nature (2Peter 1:3-4) . . . to have Christ formed in us.

That was Paul’s “home run” . . . so much so, that he would contend for it within the lives of those he had led to Christ even if it meant going through “the anguish of childbirth” again. He wanted them to be all they could be in Christ . . . actually He wanted Christ to be all that He could be in them . . . that they would be so morphed (i.e. formed), that Christ’s character and heart and mind would be evident in them and through them. And not just for their blessing, but more importantly for His glory.

How sad for potential to unrealized. How doubly sad when it’s the potential infused in a redeemed man or woman to bear the image of Christ.

I’m in awe afresh as I consider the potential . . . again, not because of who I am, but because of who He is . . . not because of what I can do, but because of what He has promised to do in me . . . not that I should boast, but that He would be brought delight and pleasure in what He has made of this lump of clay.

He has started a work in me that He desires to complete . . . to form Christ in me. Mine is to submit to that work . . . mine is to desire the finished product . . .

Do your best, Lord! . . . for Your glory . . . amen.

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Who Looks Down

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Pete

As much as I can get jazzed by finding “hidden gems” in unexpected places, as I did this morning in 2Samuel 14:14 . . . or appreciate and am encouraged by solid theological arguments, such as Paul makes concerning the law, the promise, and faith in the latter portion of Galatians 3 . . . sometimes it’s the simple reminders of a great God that touch resonate deep within my soul. Basic truths which hit home in a fresh way . . . fundamental attributes of God which kick the mind and heart into meditate mode as I try to grasp the implications of the nature of God for what’s going on around me. This morning, I’m just noodling on what it means that my God is a God who looks down.

The LORD is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens! Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?    (Psalm 113:4-6 ESV)

On Monday, I received an e-mail concerning a co-worker whose daughter was involved in a very serious car accident . . . the list of injuries were extensive. He was away from home on business when the accident occurred . . . I couldn’t imagine getting a worse phone call from home . . . or a more difficult plane ride back across the country. On Tuesday, we had dinner with my youngest daughter who had, the day before, returned from Haiti. We spent the entire time together listening as she talked about her up-close encounters with the heart-wrenching realities of a people, and the orphaned children, still reeling from an evil dictatorship and from a devastating earthquake. And then yesterday, an item came through on our churches prayer chain . . . an 18 year old high school senior . . . one of a graduating class of 84 students at a local Christian school . . . who was also involved in a serious car accident — hit by a drunk driver . . . in critical condition . . . for whom the next 24 hours would be critical as she her condition was “touch and go”. Heavy sigh!

And this morning, thanks to a Bible reading plan . . . a Bible . . . and the Spirit of God who promises to lead us into truth . . . I’m reminded that my God is the God who looks down.

The One who is enthroned above all nations . . . He whose glory surpasses the wonder of heavens . . . is the One who humbles Himself and looks down on the happenings of earth. He is not distant nor disengaged . . . He is not unacquainted with the tragedies and trials of our world. Though sometimes He, in His sovereign grace, “raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap” (113:7) . . . in other circumstances, His purposes are apparently best served by withholding His all powerful hand. I don’t know the “whys and wherefores” . . . but what I do know is that He is the One who looks down.

“How wonderful are those words of Isaiah, ‘For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’ Heathen philosophers could not believe that the great God was observant of the small events of human history; they pictured him as abiding in serene indifference to all the wants and woes of his creatures. ‘Our Rock is not as their rock’; we have a God who is high above all gods, and yet who is our Father, knowing what we have need of before we ask him; our Shepherd, who supplies our needs; our Guardian, who counts the hairs of our heads; our tender and considerate Friend, who sympathizes in all our griefs. Truly the name of our condescending God should be praised wherever it is known.” — Spurgeon

All glory to Him who looks down . . .

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A Decision

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Pete

They were getting more and more frustrated. The chief priests and council had hit the wall with Jesus. Enough was enough! They had found Him in the garden . . . they had seized Him with their guard . . . they had brought Him to the high priest . . . and many were willing to stand up and bring some accusation against Him that would seal His fate. But they couldn’t find two liars who could agree on what the accusation was! Aarrggh!!!

False witness after false witness stood accusing Jesus . . . but they couldn’t get their stories together. And, of course, the law said that a man could not be condemned by a single accusation but that it was to be by the aligned testimonies of two or three witnesses. But they couldn’t find two lying men who could tell the same lie!!!

Finally, the high priest seizes the stage and takes matters into His own hand. He directly confronts Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” (Mark 14:53 NLT) But Jesus kept silent . . . no reply . . . nothing worth refuting . . . no point in declaring innocence for trumped up charges. And then the moment came . . . the high priest comes out with a straight question . . . and Jesus replies with a straight answer . . .

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”    (Mark 14:61-62 ESV)

There it was . . . the defining moment . . . not an accusation . . . but a declaration. Not a criminal offence . . . but a prophetic reference.

Jesus said, “I am! . . . I am the Son of Man! . . . I will be seen in majesty and authority at the right hand of God . . . I will come one day with the clouds of heaven.” “Yes,” Jesus declared, “I am the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One!”

And all that was left was for men to make a decision . . . to decide what they would do with His declaration. Would they believe it or would they reject it?

And decide they did! The high priest dramatically tears his clothes and says, “There! Got ya’! That’s enough to condemn You! Blasphemy! You being a man claim to be God! The verdict? Guilty! The judgment? Death!” And taking their cue from the high priest some then began to spit on Him . . . and they blind-folded Him . . . and they beat Him . . . and they mocked Him.

Bad, bad, bad, decisions on their part. How I cringe at thought of these fools abusing Jesus, the Son of God. They were in His presence . . . they heard His claims . . . they were aware of the evidence which backed up His claims . . . but they decided to reject . . . and spit . . . and beat . . . and mock. Ouch!!!

And Jesus took it! Amazing!

He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not his mouth.    (Isaiah 53:7 ESV)

The Lamb of God was determined to die for the sin of the world . . . for my sin . . . and so He took it.

The Son of Man . . . the Christ . . . had revealed Himself . . . had determined to obey the Father even to the death on a cross . . . all that was left . . . all that is left, today . . . is for men and women to make a decision . . . to decide what they will do with Jesus. And, by His grace and patient working in my life, I made a decision years ago . . . a decision to believe that Jesus is who He said He is . . . to believe the revelation of Scripture that He has atoned for my sin through His death and resurrection . . . and to believe that one day He’ll return for me.

And so, I believe in the Son . . and I bow the knee . . . and I bask in His grace . . . and, one day, I will behold His glory . . .

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The Heart & The Cross

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Pete

What a jerk!! No, what a two-faced liar!! No, what a hypocrite!! No, what a murderer!! Ok . . . so I’m reacting to 2Samuel 11 and the well known account of David’s sin with Bathsheba. It’s starts with a look . . . leads to lust . . . ends up in bed . . . results in pregnancy . . . involves a cover up plan which doesn’t work because Uriah is a righteous man . . . and then is “resolved” through mass murder ( check out 11:17, “And Uriah was killed along with several other Israelite soldiers.” – NLT). David blew it! . . . and he blew it in the worst way!

But then I read verse 27, “But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord”, and I think to myself, “Self, that seems somewhat understated.”

In fact, it seems kind of disproportionate to the LORD’s reaction to another king’s transgression. Remember King Saul? He didn’t commit adultery . . . he didn’t murder anyone to cover up his sin. Instead, he disobeyed God . . . he rebelled against God’s authority. And what was God’s response? . . . “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments” (1Sam 15:11). God thus determines to take the kingdom away from Saul.

And I’m thinking, “So what’s the difference?” It’s can’t just be the sin . . . it has to be something more. It’s the heart . . .

Saul’s heart was not wholly devoted to God . . . in fact as would be proved again and again, Saul’s heart was really devoted to Saul. His sin was the sin of self-determination leading to rebellion. Instead of doing what God had asked, Saul repeatedly said, in effect, “No! I’ll do it my way.” Rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft . . . stubbornness is like idolatry as it sets up our will against Gods. (1Sam 11:23) Saul rejected God . . . God rejected Saul.

So, back to David . . . what’s going down here? There is no minimizing the extent and horror and degraded behavior associated with David’s actions. As I linger over this sordid tale it should turn my stomach . . . it did David’s (check out Psalms 32 and 51). But when David was confronted with his sin, when he was found out, there were no excuses on his part . . . only confession, “I have sinned against the LORD” (2Sam. 11:13a). The man with a heart after God, was contrite and broken.

Now, it’s not like there would be no judgment or consequences for his actions . . . the baby would die and David’s family would implode. But David was not rejected of God. Why? Because of his heart. It’s the bottom line desire of weak flesh that God looks at. David desired to live for God . . . he didn’t live perfectly . . . but he lived for God. And when he crashed and burned . . . in a real big way!! . . . God knew David’s heart.

But there’s another factor that allows God to look beyond David’s transgression in order to consider his heart . . .

And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die”   (2Samuel 12:13b ESV)

There’s the cross . . . “the LORD has put away your sin” . . . literally, “the LORD has caused your sin to be passed over.” There’s the Lamb . . . there’s the blood . . . there’s the finished work of Christ . . . sufficient to atone for all sin . . . even David’s . . . sin committed centuries before Christ came to earth . . . even mine, sin committed centuries after.

David’s heart of repentance was necessary . . . but apart from the blood of atonement, repentance has no foundation on which to be responded to . . . “for the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). But mix repentance with the shed blood of the risen Christ and you have redemption (Rom. 3:24).

David crashed and burned hard . . . and there would be dire consequences for him and for his family . . . but David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22) . . . and the blood of Jesus Christ was sufficient to cleanse him from all sin (1John 1:9).

The heart and the cross . . . and the grace of God. To Him be all glory.

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