A Divine Partnership

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Pete

As I read the short epistle of Jude this morning I’m reminded that God has determined that the way of the believer from salvation to glorification is a divine partnership.

The bulk of the letter is a warning to believers concerning those who would infiltrate their ranks. They are “people have crept in unnoticed” . . . who would seek to “pervert the grace of God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (v.4). They “blaspheme what they do not understand” (v.10) and are those who have “walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion” (v.11). In short . . . bad news!

That their destructive potential resides in the midst of believers is evident for Jude says “they are reefs (or blemishes) at your love feasts” (v.12) . . . they are literally “at the table.” They are “grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage” (v.16). They are “worldly people, devoid of the Spirit” (v.19). Their cancerous apostasy and error pops up in the midst of companies of believers. What they say might sound good . . . maybe even be a “breath of fresh air” seemingly revitalizing the old, out-of-date, Christianity we’ve become critical of. But, at it’s core, is error . . . and heresy . . . and even blasphemy. It doesn’t line up with Scripture . . . seeks to redefine purity and holiness . . . and questions Jesus’ deity. And in the midst of these dangers, Jude presents a two-fold game plan to recognize and reject these false voices in our midst — this divine partnership I’m noticing.

First, he exhorts us “to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (v.3). The root word for contend is “agonize” and here the word is “super-sized” so that it has the idea of “really agonizing!” A term used of those contending in gymnastic games . . . striving to prevail . . . fighting against adversaries. So, in part, it’s up to us to pursue and hold on to the faith. It is my responsibility to know the word of God such that the heresy of these charlatans is recognized. I need to be a pursuer of truth and not settle for what my itching ears want to hear. I need to stand firm in what God has revealed and not be drawn away through some critical spirit which promotes division and opens me up to someone’s “new message.”

And I fear that we might view this as some theoretical “pie in the sky” type of exhortation and not recognize it as a vital posture we need to take now. These false teachers are in our Christian bookstores. They are setting up “evangelical” churches. They are being read on the internet. They are being funded by born again believers. Oh, how we need a spirit of discernment as we shop in the vast market place of literature and podcasts and eloquent preachers . . . those who claim to have a new, fresh spin on the “old, old, story.” We need to be like the Bereans who, after hearing Paul preach, “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11)

But it is not left solely to us . . . praise God! . . . there’s a partnership at play. Amidst the backdrop of this war for truth . . . in the context of us contending for the faith . . . Jude begins and ends his letter with a reminder that God is contending for us as well. Jude says that we are those who are called and are “sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ” (v.1 NKJV). And he closes his letter with the promise that God “is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy” (v.24).

IT is God’s battle too! And, if God is for us, who can be against us? But, because God is engaged in our preservation and sanctification, doesn’t mean that we have license to coast in our faith . . . to be complacent concerning the truth. Instead it should be our motivation to do battle for the truth knowing that the God of truth has promised to bring the victory.

We contend . . . He preserves. We fight for the truth . . . He keeps us from stumbling. We seek Him above all . . . He presents us faultless before the presence of His glory. My heart’s desire . . . His eternal promise that the work He has begun in me, He will complete (Php. 1:6). My holy determination . . . His divine preservation. My grace-infused grappling . . . His glory. What a divine partnership.

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24,25 ESV)

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Jesus Is LORD!

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Pete

It’s not an image I’ve ever noodled on before . . . not something that I’ve considered. When I think of the “parade” that walked out of Egypt, I don’t immediately think of Him being part of it. While I’ve “seen” God the Father presiding over the exodus . . . and have imagined Moses out front leading the way . . . that Jesus, God the Son, was an active participant, I don’t think has ever really struck me. Until this morning . . . thanks to the ESV . . .

“Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” (Jude 5 ESV)

In the NIV, the NASB, and the NKJV, the translators all render it that “the Lord” saved the people out of Egypt and later judged those who did not believe. Only the ESV (and the NLT interestingly enough) choose to go with some of the older manuscripts (apparently) that specifically use the word for Jesus. That’s been one of the benefits of reading out of the ESV this year . . . on a number of occasions, passages, which I might have otherwise just glossed over, jump off the page because the wording is unfamiliar and/or the thought conveyed differently focused than what I’m used to. Such is the case this morning with Jude 5 . . .

So, rather than debate the accuracy of translation or which manuscripts to use, I instead ask myself, “Is it true?” . . . was Jesus the one who led the march out of Egypt . . . and later buried the bodies in the wilderness of those who refused to enter the land of promise? Uh . . . yeah! . . . if for no other reason, than it is the mind-bending implication of the mystery of a Triune God.

Now, you don’t find the name Jesus in the OT . . . that name uniquely associated with the incarnation . . . with God become flesh. But to be reminded that “the Son of God, in His eternal divine nature, was active in the world from the beginning of creation, long before his incarnation” (ESV Study Bible note), is to again be awestruck by all that Jesus is. That not only was He present and active in the deliverance of seed of Abraham from Egypt . . . but that He was also present when God said, “Let Us make man in Our image” (Gen. 1:26) . . . that, in fact, He was the very agent of Creation Himself (John 1:1-3, Col. 1:16-17).

And it becomes all the more incredible when I contrast that idea of Jesus in the cloud by day and the fire by night (Exodus 13:21) with the image presented of Him in my reading in John this morning . . .

“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside His outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.” (John 13:3-5 ESV)

Really? Is this the same Jesus? Is the man stooped before the dirty feet of flakey disciples really the same Deliver of a nation from the bondage of Egypt? Is this man bent down in meek humility the same one who crushed Pharaoh with compelling displays of His might and power through the plagues? Is the one who got eye to eye with the sheep He called into His fold the same Sovereign who drove Moses to his face on the Mount as spoke with such holy authority that it resonated as thunder? Yes . . . yes . . . yes . . . and again, I’m thinkin’!

Oh, that I might continually be reminded through “little surprises” like this ESV translation of the awesome nature and character of the One who died for me . . . who delivered me . . . who desires to commune with me . . . who is building a place for me, that I might forever be with Him.

Jesus is LORD! O’ that I might comprehend more fully what that means . . . by His grace . . . for His glory . . . Amen?

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A Showdown

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Pete

I really don’t remember the last time I watched one of those classic westerns where the guy in the white hat takes on the guy in the black hat. Where, on some dusty, deserted main street the two stand mere paces from each other in a final showdown. They look each other in the eye . . . the “bad guy” confident he can draw his six shooter faster than the one before him . . . the “good guy” KNOWING he can.

John 13 marks the beginning of the end. Jesus knows that “His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father” (13:1). And what kind of grabbed me this morning is the manner in which the Spirit through John clearly identifies the “behind the scenes” spiritual dynamics . . . the fact that there was about to be a once-for-all-eternity cosmic showdown . . .

At one end of the street is the devil — diablos, the enemy of God, the prince of darkness, the ruler of this world. And his “behind the scenes” work is that he has already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus (13:2). The MSG says, “The devil by now had Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, firmly in his grip, all set for the betrayal.” Lucifer, fallen angel of God, could see his plan coming together. The Pharisees’ were already determined to put Jesus to death (John 11:53) and with Judas’ indignation at Mary’s costly act of worship and Jesus’ rebuke (John 12:3-8), Satan had the opening to “enter his heart” . . . to load the final bullet in the chamber. It was really all that the devil had hoped for, his plan was falling into place, the Son of God would soon be his. Satan had the power of death at his disposal and soon he would draw his weapon and take out the Holy One. Or so he thought.

Facing His enemy, eye to eye, Jesus of Nazareth. God manifest in flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, soon to be taken up in glory (1Tim. 3:16). Jesus, “the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see.” (1Tim. 6:15-16). Jesus, the meek and lowly, in the upper room with “His own” . . . loving them to the end (13:1) . . . garment laid aside, his robe girded about Him, towel in His hand, kneeling before mere mortals, washing their feet.

Oh, Satan gleefully anticipated Jesus’ end . . . certain that he had Him right where he wanted Him . . . “Oh,” Satan thinks, “If He only knew what’s coming . . . ” But John tells us that Jesus did know. Jesus knew His hour had come (13:1). He knew that just has He had come from the Father He would soon be returning (13:3). He knew that, though the cross awaited Him, so did victory . . . that He would triumph in this cosmic showdown.

Jesus knew that just as “the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14). He knew that soon He would disarm the powers and authorities, making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Col. 2:15) . . . that He would die, be entombed, and three days later rise from the dead as the absolute, undisputed Champion of God — returning to the Father having completed the work He was sent to do. Game . . . set . . . match!

Jesus knew it then . . . and I know it now. Oh, the victory I share in today because the One robed in white defeated the one who commanded death. The devil is defeated . . . death is defeated . . . sin no longer has dominion.

Jesus knew the hour had come . . . that it was “high noon” . . . that this world wasn’t big enough for the two of them . . . and, obedient to the Father’s will, He gave of Himself, as the ultimate sacrifice . . . as the death-defeating “shot” heard throughout eternity.

Praise You, O’ Savior!! “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Cor 15:57). Amen?

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A Collision

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Pete

Sometimes, as I make my way through my reading plan in the morning, two of the passages on my list may seem to compliment each other . . . and sometimes they just seem to “collide.” This morning, I encountered a collision . . .

I’m continuing to work my way through Job’s great debate. Job, a righteous man like no other of his time . . . a man who, by God’s own testimony within His heavenly “inner circle”, is declared to be “a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil” (Job 1:8, 2:3). And Job’s debate is waged on two fronts. On the one front, Job goes back and forth with a trio of less-than-comforting comforters who insist that Job must deserve the devastation he has encountered. On the other front, and much more frustrating for Job, is the debate he wages with a God who remains silent. Job desires, and often demands, an audience with the One who has “closed His net about me . . . has walled up my way, so that I cannot pass . . . has set darkness upon my paths . . . has stripped me of my glory and taken the crown from my head . . . has kindled His wrath against me and counts me as His adversary” (Job 19:6-11). But for all of Job’s “why’s?” and “how come’s?”, heaven remains silent . . . nothing . . . zilch . . . nada . . . “Behold I cry out . . . but I am not answered” (19:7).

So, here’s a blameless righteous man bearing unimaginable affliction with absolutely no clue as to why . . . with no communication (yet) from the One who knows why . . . dealing with the valley’s of life as a mystery . . . not knowing why or for what purpose. Next reading . . . bring on “the collision” . . .

The book of Daniel presents another guy . . . not so righteous . . . in fact a barbaric, violent, ruthless, self-absorbed, megalomaniac king who is his own god. And for this guy, there seems to be a direct hotline set up from heaven itself. The “guy” is King Nebuchadnezzar . . . the “hotline” is Daniel . . . and the reasons for his “ups and downs” are clear “that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men” (Daniel 4:17, 25, 32). Like Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar goes through the ringer, too. Driven from among men . . . reduced to life as a beast . . . eating grass like an ox . . . his body wet with dew . . . his hair growing as long as eagle’s feathers . . his nails as long as bird’s claws . . . off his throne . . . and off his rocker! (4:33). But he was given advance notice as to the reasons why.

You read Daniel and you see God’s determination to reveal Himself to this pagan king. God shows Himself as the God who “reveals mysteries” (2:29, 47) when Daniel accurately relays to the king the details of the kings first dream and its meaning. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to bow to the king’s idol, God “visibly” shows up as the fourth man in the fire, making known that He is the God who delivers, . . . the king correctly concluding, “there is other god who is able to rescue in this way” (3:29). And this morning, in Daniel 4, the king is informed beforehand of what will befall him and for what purpose . . . that he would know that ‘the Most High rules.”

And I sit back and ask, “How come?” How come Job, the righteous man, is put through the ringer and doesn’t hear a peep from heaven (yet)? How come Nebuchadnezzar, the creep, who deserves everything coming to him, is given a personal tutor to spell it all out for him and lead him, almost hand-in-hand, to the very footstool of the throne of the Most High God?

And in this “collision” between the stories of these two men, there is one Sovereign God who works His purposes in His way. The degree and the timing as to when and how He reveals the mysteries of life are at His discretion. Ultimately, however, it all serves to make Him known . . . to reveal His glory . . . and to declare His amazing grace.

And I shouldn’t be “more amazed” at the grace shown to “the creep” than I am to the “blameless and upright” man. Both are sons of Adam . . . both in need of God getting their attention . . . both needing to come to a place where, before the throne of Mighty God, they bow their knees and adoringly submit themselves to the God Most High. Hmmm . . . maybe not such a collision after all . . .

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A Revealer of Mysteries

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Pete

The story is classic . . . King eats too much before bedtime . . . king goes to sleep . . . supper starts fighting back . . . king has weird dream . . . king calls his magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers . . . king tells them the weird, digestive induced visions he had during the night . . . the court jesters get all creative and come up with a good tale on what the king’s dream means . . . king feels important that even his cramped colon can produce such great truths . . . king’s counselors feel important that they could be so wise as to interpret gastric goings on . . . game, set, match . . . we’ll play again another day. But in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign (Daniel 2:1), the rules of the game were to take a sudden change . . . and the stage was set to introduce to a pagan king a Revealer of Mysteries

On that night, the dreams was different. They were vivid and they were troubling to the core. Not just about some tossing and turning, but shake-you-to-your-core frightening, so that there was no sleep to be had. And the king wanted answers . . . no game playing . . . he wanted the truth . . . he wanted to understand what it was all about and so, he called his “wise men” to him and required that before interpreting the dream that they demonstrate they were really in the know by first recounting the dream to him. Nope . . . uh, uh . . ain’t going to happen . . . “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh” (Daniel 2:10-11).

Well, they got it part right . . . no man was going to meet the king’s test. But, there is a God who dares to dwell among flesh . . . the God who seeks to redeem those He created in His own image . . . the God who desires to tabernacle with His people . . . the God of heaven . . . the God who is a Revealer of Mysteries.

If you go just on repetition alone, the core message of Daniel 2 has got to be that the God of heaven (2:18, 19, 28, 37, 44) is a Revealer of Mysteries (2:19, 28, 29, 47). Sure, we can get caught up with Daniel’s prophetic interpretation of the the king’s dream, but if we step back just a bit, how amazing is it that the God heaven has determined to reveal the secrets of heaven to mere mortals? I’m thinkin’ pretty amazing!

I can be so comfortable with the concepts of the faith . . . that Christ is God come in the flesh . . . that Jesus died and rose again the third day as an atoning sacrifice for all my sin — past, present, and future . . . that righteousness is credited to all who believe Jesus is the Lamb of God and own Him as Lord of All . . . that Jesus is even now preparing a place for us and that our mortal bodies will give way to immortality . . . and the list goes on.

But this morning “comfort” gives way to awe. That the God of heaven . . . He whose ways are higher than my ways . . . He whose thought are so beyond anything I could conceive . . . that He would reveal, by His grace, the secrets of the kingdom to a person of darkened understanding . . . that He would illuminate our minds to grasp in some measure such out-of-this-world revelation.

It occurs to me, that by God’s grace, I’m kind of like Daniel in that the God of heaven has revealed to me deep and profound mysteries . . . that, by His grace, He has given me the mind of Christ (1Cor. 2:16) . . . that, through His abiding Spirit, He leads me into truth.

Oh, that I might respond like Daniel and bless the God of heaven . . . the Revealer of Mysteries!

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
    to whom belong wisdom and might.
 He changes times and seasons;
    He removes kings and sets up kings;
 He gives wisdom to the wise
   and knowledge to those who have understanding;
He reveals deep and hidden things;
   He knows what is in the darkness,
   and the light dwells with Him.
 To You, O God of my fathers,
    I give thanks and praise . . . ”     (Daniel 2:20-22 ESV)

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Love One Another

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Pete

There’s no escaping it . . . no “wiggle room,” really. It’s a command to be obeyed . . . but, more than that, it is a command to be embraced . . . because, for those who do, it has a way of maintaining a fresh and vital relationship with the God who, Himself, models the command.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. . . . Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. . . . And this commandment we have from Him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (1John 4:7, 11, 21 ESV)

So . . . do you get the sense that perhaps believers should be lovers of other believers? It seems that one of the most compelling evidences of someone truly being born of God is that they have an authentic love for the people of God . . . that one of the most vivid indicators that Christ is being formed in a person is the degree to which they love the sheep just as the Good Shepherd does . . . that one of the most powerful witnesses that someone is truly in relationship with God is found in the relationships they pursue with other believers.

“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1John 4:12, 16 ESV)

It seems to me that John’s saying there is a vital link between our relationship with God and our relationships with the church . . . not the building . . . not some “place of worship” . . . but with the church, the body of Christ, those brought out of darkness into marvelous light that they might be to God a “special people.” And if that’s true . . . if there is this correlation between loving one another and abiding with God . . . maybe that’s why the enemy has perpetuated the lie that “going to church” is more a matter of convenience than it is a matter of maintaining an authentic relationship with the Savior of our souls. Maybe that’s why, for so many, Sunday mornings are more a matter of “clocking in and clocking out” than they are about touching base again with a community from which they draw energy and encouragement as they are ministered to . . . and, as they minister to others.

As I hover over this passage this morning, I wonder how people can be growing . . . or even maintaining . . . an abiding relationship with God without pursuing loving relationships with other believers. Maybe it’s the old stagnant pond analogy . . . if water just flows in but never flows out, that fresh water eventually loses it’s sparkle. Instead, if we obey His command and love one another, “out”, just as we have known His love, “in”, the “flow” of God’s love through us keeps us in vital communion with the Source of Love . . . for “God is love.”

Oh, what a tragedy for believers not to connect with a fellowship in which, more than just being fed, they can also pour out their lives into others.

Certainly, the Word of God is important if we are to grow in Christ-likeness. And prayer is vital if we are to engage God in real relationship. But, if we sell short the importance of fellowship — not just because of what we can get, but because of the avenue to love on one another — then, I fear, we’re sitting on a three-legged stool with only two legs.

It’s a command . . . it’s an imperative for abiding . . . it’s a privilege. Beloved, let us love one another . . amen?

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Sit Back in Wonder!

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Pete

It’s not something I would have expected. Not something that would have been intuitive to me. Not something that, if I were laying out the plans for the Millennial Kingdom, I would have necessarily thought to include. In fact, it’s something that causes me to pause . . . something which, at first, seems out of place . . . something that I feel I need to re-read it to make sure I’m getting it . . . and then, to sit back in wonder . . .

“And he said to me: ‘Son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: These are the ordinances for the altar . . . ‘ ” (Ezekiel 43:18 ESV)

This morning I continue to “power my way” through this detailed description of what appears to be a future temple of God . . . the temple that’s rebuilt during “The Millennium”, that future time, after Christ’s return, when He rules as King on the earth for 1,000 years. Ok . . . so during the Millennium there’ll be a temple . . . no problem so far. The temple and its surrounding structures are big . . . they are precisely designed and described . . . you can imagine them to be magnificent . . . and, no surprise, the temple is the filled with the glory of God and is the center piece of millennial worship. Again, so far, so good . . . just what I might expect.

But then . . . and here’s where my head starts to hurt . . . I get to Ezekiel 43:13 and it starts to describe the dimensions of really big altar that is present . . . and my brow furls . . . and the question marks start popping over my head. Isn’t the altar the place where sacrifices are made? Yup! And that’s just what you read about in 43:19-27 . . . sacrifices and burnt offerings. So . . . if Christ is the “once for all sacrifice” (Heb. 7:27, 9:12, 10:10) — and He is — then why are there sacrifices during His Millennial reign? Why the offerings and shedding of blood after the cross? Hmmm . . . so I sit back in wonder.

Maybe they serve the same purpose as the Old Testament sacrifices . . . they are a shadow, a divine object lesson, that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins (Heb. 9:22, 10:18) But, unlike the OT sacrifices which foreshadowed Christ to come as the final sacrifice for sin, these future sacrifices look back and serve as a vivid portrayal and reminder of the price paid by the King who now sits enthroned over His kingdom. Kind of like a “Lord’s Supper” . . . maybe like Communion . . . but bigger . . . more vivid . . . less left to the imagination.

Think about it. How powerful a reminder would that be? Seeing blood sacrifices made on the altar outside the Holy of Holies and then looking over to Your King and realizing that He who sits on the throne was, Himself, the sacrifice for you so that your sins might be atoned for . . . that you might have a place with the redeemed . . . that you might now boldly enter His Holy presence!

And I’m wondering if it isn’t an indication that God intends that His people never get too far from remembering that a price was paid for their salvation . . . that a sacrifice was required for their redemption . . . that blood was shed that they might be given garments of righteousness.

And if that’s true . . . and I think it is . . . how important and how precious should the Lord’s Supper be for us today? Whether we gather around bread and wine every week, or once a month, or four times a year . . . as often as we eat of the bread and drink of the cup, we are to recall a sacrifice . . . we are to remember an altar . . . we are to focus afresh that without the shedding of blood we would be strangers to the realities of being part of His kingdom . . .

And when we take time to consider blood poured out on altar for us, it should cause us to sit back in wonder . . . and then bow down in worship . . . amen?

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Kind of a Big Deal

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Pete

It’s not so much about what I read this morning, as it was about what it made me think of. I kind of had to power through Ezekiel 40 and 41 . . . kind of like I did in Exodus . . . kind of like I did in 1Kings . . . kind of like reading a divine blueprint. Literally! It was the blueprint of the tabernacle in Exodus . . . of Solomon’s temple in 1Kings . . . and of a temple, yet to grace this earth, in Ezekiel. And this future temple, which I think exists during the millennial kingdom, is a temple “on steroids.” Bigger . . . if I’m grasping it correctly, much bigger . . . than Solomon’s temple . . . than Herod’s temple . . . than anything I can really imagine. And it gets me thinking that having a temple on earth is kind of a big deal to God . . .

It was the 25th year of the exile when “the hand of the Lord” came upon Ezekiel and he was transported “in visions of God” back to the land of Israel where he was escorted by “a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand” (Ezek. 40:2-3). Talk about your divine pre-building inspection! Instead of being given a set of plans to read, Ezekiel is given a vision to behold and experience . . .

“And the man said to me, ‘Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.’ ” (Ezekiel 40:4 ESV)

The impact of this magnificent, jaw-dropping temple was better felt than just tell’t. With his eyes and ears, Ezekiel was to experience this yet to be constructed temple. He would walk about and behold it’s vastness . . . he would listen intently to his guide’s description and commentary . . . the dimensional details he would record. But beyond this, he was to set his heart upon what he was being shown . . . to fix his mind on more than just the instructions of the temple . . . but to also consider carefully the implications of the temple . . . ’cause the temple is kind of a big deal.

From the time of Moses and tabernacle . . . to the pinnacle of Israel as a nation and the architectural wonder of Solomon’s temple . . . to the priority of rebuilding the temple after the Babylon captivity . . . to the future day of Ezekiel’s vision and this temple “on steroids” . . . God desires a structure on earth where His glory might dwell . . . a place on “terra firma” where His presence might be known. So, if it’s such a priority to have a holy of holies here on earth, where’s the temple today? That’s the line of thought, reading in Ezekiel, that brought to mind another temple written about in Ephesians . . .

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in Whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22 ESV)

As magnificent as that millennial temple will be . . . as “over the top” as it’s sheer size and construction will be . . . there’s a pretty impressive temple being built today. The “materials” are living stones . . . purchased by the blood of the Lamb . . . hewn by the sanctifying work of the Spirit . . . put in place by the same God who meticulously architected the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple and the temple of Ezekiel’s vision . . . that it might serve the same function as these other temples. That it might be a dwelling place for God . . . a habitation of His glory. Behold, the church . . . the living temple of the living God!

How jazzed should that make us feel? Pretty!

Having a temple on earth is kind of a big deal to God . . . being the temple of God on earth is kind of big deal . . . amen?

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Radical Surgery

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Pete

This morning I’m reflecting on a past surgery. I’m not thinking about the operation where they pieced back together my femur . . . nor am I musing on the scar that tells me I am gall-bladder-less. Nope . . . instead, I’m thinking about the intricate procedure that was undertaken on my heart. Wasn’t performed by doctors in a hospital . . . no visible marks that would indicate “someone went in” . . . but a radical, life-changing procedure nevertheless . . .

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules.” (Ezekiel 36:25-27 ESV)

While I recognize the specific context is Ezekiel’s prophetic word to the house of Israel . . . God is “practicing” this “procedure” on people today . . . it’s a “procedure” I’ve been through myself . . . and to say it’s life changing would be such an understatement.

Only one person in the entire realm of all that which exists who can pull off such an operation — the Creator . . . the re-Creator . . . the Great Physician. According to His Sovereign purpose . . . His amazing grace . . . His unfathomable power . . . He determines to change out the hearts of those who come to Him, by faith, for life-saving, radical surgery.

The “prep” involves cleansing . . . the sprinkling of clean water on the patient. It is the water of the Word that convicts of sin and convinces of a need for a Savior. It is water which finds it’s power in the shed blood of Jesus which is able to cleanse us from all sin. It is water that, when it enters a man or a woman, creates an inner spring of living water that cleanses from the inside out.

The dirt of the past dealt with by cleansing water, the Great Physician then undertakes His specialty, which forever alters “the patient” for the future. They are given a new heart . . . and new spirit. Removed is the heart of stone . . . the heart hardened by sin . . . the heart deadened to feeling the touch of God . . . the heart incapable of pumping that which is true life, “and life to the full,” through the body. Dead hearts are replaced with living hearts . . . hearts alive to the things of God . . . hearts that beat the very rhythm of heaven . . . hearts that yearn and long for a home never seen . . . hearts that teem with a love that is literally out of this world . . . hearts that are suitable to host the very Spirit of the living God Himself!

Think about it! What an unbelievable process is salvation! So much more than sins forgiven — though, if that were the extent of my salvation, that would be more than I deserve and enough for which to praise God for eternity. But more than sins forgiven . . . more than getting cleaned up . . . it is a new nature implanted . . . a new set of DNA activated that connects with the things of a kingdom not of this world . . . a new set of ears to hear and a new set of eyes to see . . . all emanating from a heart of flesh . . . and the Spirit who takes up residence in that transplanted heart. Talk about radical surgery!

And what’s the reminder of this life saving operation? It’s not a scar . . . but it’s the fact that a thirst for His word and a desire to obey exists. Not that I am as faithful concerning the Word as I should be . . . or as obedient as I should be . . . but the very fact that, in some measure, I desire the things of God and the approval of God, reminds me that there’s a new ticker in this aging body.

Praise God for radical surgery . . . for a new heart . . . for His glory . . . amen?

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Part of His Flock

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Pete

Ok . . . there may be other combinations of Old Testament and New Testament passages that form as powerful an impact . . . but they don’t come to mind right now. The Ezekiel 34 / John 10 pairing has got to rank as one of the most powerful combos in my reading plan . . . almost makes me want to just quote both of them here and be done . . . with the tag line . . . “Thank God I’m part of His flock!”

In Ezekiel 34, God blasts the shepherds of Israel . . . those entrusted with the spiritual care of the people of God. He blasts them because they fed themselves instead of feeding the sheep . . . they placed themselves above the sheep . . . they neglected the sheep in order to pursue their own interests . . . they viewed the sheep as a means for them to profit. That kind of shepherd behavior (or lack thereof) sure seems to tick off the Lord . . . but more importantly, His gaze is consumed with the lost sheep . . . and so He acts . . .

“For thus says the Lord God: Behold I, I myself will search for My sheep and will seek them out . . . I seek out My sheep, and I will rescue them . . . I will bring them out . . . I will feed them . . . I Myself will be the shepherd of My sheep . . . I will seek the lost . . . I will bring back the strayed . . . I will bind up the injured . . . I will strengthen the weak . . . I will feed them in justice . . . I will rescue My flock . . . And I will set up over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be a prince among them . . . And they shall know that I am the LORD their God with them . . . And you are My sheep, human sheep of My pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 34:11-31 ESV)

Does God have a heart for sheep? Is He in the flock-building business? I’m thinkin’!

Fast forward a number of centuries, and, in John 10, Jesus is in debate with another set of shepherds of Israel, the Pharisees . . . and declares . . .

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep . . . I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me . . . I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd . . . My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me . . . I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand . . . My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:11-29 ESV)

How much does God care for lost sheep? Enough to send His Son to lay down His life for lost sheep. How much does God desire to bring lost sheep into relationship with Himself? Enough to go out Himself to find them . . . through His Son, the King of the line of David . . . through His Spirit, convicting men’s spirits of their sin and wooing men’s souls to Himself. To what extent is God committed to shepherding His flock? To the uttermost . . . feeding those who are hungry . . . rescuing those who stray . . . binding up those who break down . . . strengthening those who are weak. How long does God want to be with His flock and His flock with Him? Forever . . . for eternity . . . through eternal life . . . no one able to snatch one His sheep from His hand.

And I hear the Shepherd’s voice this morning. And I sense the Shepherd’s heart. And I “snuggle in” before my day begins and simply enjoy the Shepherd’s presence. Glad to be a sheep. Grateful that, by His grace, I have heard His voice. In awe again of the depths to which He pursued this wayward lamb, that I might know the blessedness of being part of His flock. Not because I’m a particularly good sheep . . . but because He is the Good Shepherd.

Thank God I’m part of His flock! . . . it’s all by His grace . . . it’s all for His glory . . . amen.

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