Favor Found

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Pete

It is the classic conversation. God to man . . . man to God. It has the feel of an encounter similar to that of Jacob when he wrestled with the Lord, when he refused to let go without a blessing . . . when he had “striven with God” and prevailed (Gen. 32:22-31). But for Moses, his “wrestling match” didn’t involve a physical dust up but a “Friend to friend” discussion . . . and didn’t result in any bones being permanently displaced, rather ending up with one who had found favor knowing greater favor found.

Context (Ex. 32:1-33:11) . . . Moses on mountain . . . people getting antsy . . . poof! . . . golden calf . . . idol worship . . . God’s wrath roused . . . Moses intercedes . . . God relents . . . God says, “Go to the land I’ve promised you. I’ll send an angel before you. But I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people” . . . not good enough for Moses . . . start the dialogue.

Moses is not satisfied to move forward with a God who is distant and so, leveraging his “face to face” access to the Lord (33:11) he says, “If I have found favor in Your sight, show me Your ways that I may know You in order to find favor in Your sight” (33:13). Moses wanted more . . . he wanted the favor he had already found to be multiplied. He wanted that favor to open the door to knowing in greater depth the ways of His God in order that He might continue to find favor in His sight. Nothing stagnant about this relationship. Favor can beget more favor if there is a pursuit for the ways of God, if there is a thirst for knowing God . . . not just knowing about Him, but actually knowing Him . . . “let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD” (Jer. 9:24).

And it doesn’t stop there with Moses. God promises His presence will go with Moses and the people (33:14) . . . and Moses says, “Yeah!!! If Your presence isn’t with us then what’s the point of going on? How will it be known I have found favor in your sight if You are not with me? Is it not your Presence which makes your people distinct from all others?” (33:15-16). The presence of God . . . that’s what makes God’s people His people. And so, the favor found in being called by name, becomes the favor of knowing Him, becomes the favor of His ever-abiding presence. This is favor found . . . but, for Moses, he sought greater favor.

God, You know my name? Thank You. You’ll make Your ways known to me so that I may know You? I bless You. Your presence will go with me and I will know rest? Praise be to You, God. But one more thing, Lord . . . if I have found favor in Your sight . . . “Please show me Your glory!” (33:18)

Oh, how I love this guy! He is Oliver to the nth degree, “Please Sir, I want some more.” Or, perhaps better said by the songwriter, “Fill my cup, Lord . . . I lift it up, Lord! Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.” He had found favor . . . but would not be satisfied until greater favor was found . . . until He saw the glory of God. He knew communion with God . . . He was promised to be shown the ways of God . . . He was promised the presence of God . . . and it created a thirst for the glory of God.

And I can’t help but think this should be the “normal Christian life”. That those who have been shown the grace of God should want to more deeply know the God of grace. That those who have been instructed in the way of God would desire to encounter the God of the Way. That those who have found favor would seek first the kingdom of God that they might know favor found. Favor found in the glory of God. Favor found for the glory of God.

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The Hand Off

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Pete

Paul was pretty sure this would be the last time he would see them . . . and, they too knew in their hearts, that this would be the last opportunity to be fed by the one who had led them to Christ . . . had helped them establish the church in Ephesus . . . had been their rock as they dealt with matters pertaining to shepherding the flock of God. Paul met with the elders of the church at Ephesus this one last time that he might once again encourage them . . . that he might warn them . . . that he might instruct them . . . that he might commend them into the care of another (Acts 20:17-38).

And what grabs me this morning is “the hand off.” Paul had been a foundational part of the establishment of the church at Ephesus. He had spent the better part of two years based in Ephesus speaking “boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God” (19:8-10). As the number of believers grew, and a local leadership was established, he no doubt also taught them concerning the implications of walking in a manner worthy of their calling (Eph. 4:1). Even after he left, you sense that Paul stayed in touch . . . keeping up with the growth of the church . . . sending words of encouragement to the body of believers through different messengers. But now, as they met at Miletus, there was a finality . . . a realization that they would not see his face again . . . a void created which needed to be filled . . . and thus, “the hand off.”

“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” (Acts 20:32)

Paul didn’t have a hand-picked successor . . . he didn’t send in another preacher or teacher . . . he didn’t leave them a bunch of DVD’s or some online curriculum . . . instead he handed them off to God and to the word of His grace.

I think Paul was realistic in terms of the part he had played in the establishment and development of the church at Ephesus. For many, if not most, he was their “spiritual father” . . . he was the source of their light . . . and the voice of their truth. But I also think that Paul never lost sight of the fact that this was the risen Lord’s work and not his . . . it was Christ’s church (Matt. 16:18) and not his . . . it was the living God who was taking these living stones and building for Himself a holy temple, a place where He could dwell by the Spirit (Eph. 2:20-22). And so when it came to saying a final good-bye . . . when it came to entrusting them into the care of one who could “take the work to the next level” . . . Paul “handed them over” to God and to His word.

Oh, the confidence Paul had that this was a work of God . . . and that what God was able to start, God was able to complete (Php. 1:6). And the trust Paul had in “the word of His grace” . . . that living, active, sharper than any two-edged sword, word of God (Heb. 4:12) . . . able to accomplish God’s purposes in the lives of believers . . . “packaged” with a “Tutor”, the living, indwelling Holy Spirit who would lead them into all truth (John 16:13). Paul believed that between the living God and His living word, the family of God at Ephesus had all they needed to be built up and to fully realize the inheritance they had been set apart for.

And, in a sense, I too have been commended to God and to His word. Sure, I have the support of a solid church family . . . a committed leadership who seeks to direct the flock . . . a gifted pastor-teacher who faithfully proclaims and teaches the word . . . some close friends who act as “iron sharpening iron” in my life . . . but when all is said and done, the degree to which this Christianity thing becomes real is the degree to which I entrust myself to the One who called me and saved me and the degree to which I pursue His fruit-producing seed, the Word of God. It is foundational . . . it is the essence of growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2Peter 3:18) . . . it is the means by which I’ll know the inheritance. Oh that I might leverage “the hand off” on a daily basis . . . by His grace . . . and for His glory . . . amen.

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Steadfast Love

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Pete

So far, it’s the biggest difference I’ve noticed about reading the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible. You won’t find this two word phrase in the New King James (NKJV) . . . nor in the New International Version (NIV) . . . nor in the New American Standard Bible (NASB). It seems to be an ESV distinctive. I’ve encountered the phrase eight times so far in my Genesis / Exodus readings and seventeen times in the thirty-three psalms I have read so far. And after being in the ESV for a little more than a month . . . and after having been “captured” by this phrase these 25 times . . . I like it . . . and I think it’s accurate . . . and more important I believe it is true. Oh praise God for His “steadfast love!”

Using my online Bible program here’s what I’ve discovered. The original word, chesed, occurs 241 times in the Old Testament. For NKJV readers, it is most commonly translated “mercy” (149 times), “kindness” (40 times), “lovingkindness” (30 times), or “goodness” (12 times). In the ESV however, it is rendered “steadfast love” 191 times.

But it’s not about the numbers . . . and it’s not about it being an unique attribute of the ESV translation . . . it’s about nature of my God . . . and the wonder of His “steadfast love.”

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you. (Ps. 33:18-22 ESV)

Isn’t my hope in the steadfast love of God? That unwavering heart God has for His people which prompts Him to be merciful, not giving me what I deserve . . . . which causes the Lord to show grace and unmerited favor, lavishing on me what I don’t deserve. It is the steadfast love of the Lord that compels Him to show kindness and lovingkindness to those who, apart from His steadfast love, are unlovely.

My hope isn’t in my own merit . . . my own strength . . . my own attributes and characteristics. My hope is in the steadfast love of my God, and in Him alone.

It is steadfast love that compelled His Son to divest Himself of all His heavenly glory and humble Himself as a man and to death, even death on a cross (Php 2:8). It is steadfast love that pursued me when I was yet dead in sin and an enemy of God (Rom 5:8,10). It is steadfast love that is patiently and persistently completing the work He has begun in me (Php. 1:6) when He made me a new creation (2Cor. 5:17) and determined to conform me to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29).

My hope is in His steadfast love. My cry is that His steadfast love would continue to be upon me.

O’ the blessing of knowing His steadfast love!

I think I’m gonna like encountering this phrase another 166 times. But more importantly, that I would love the God of such steadfast love . . . with all my heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:3) . . . for His glory . . . amen.

Posted in Psalms | 1 Comment

The Forty Day Fade

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Pete

There’s part of me that just doesn’t get it . . . and part of me, unfortunately, that does. I read something in Exodus this morning that kind of blew me away. One of those things that, although I know I must have read it before, I never noticed it until today. One of those things that has me scratching my head as I think ahead to what I know is going to happen. I’m amazed this morning by the thought of the forty day fade.

Check it out! I never knew this . . . After Moses receives from God the ten commandments and the other laws covering altars, slaves, restitution, social justice, the Sabbath, and the festivals (Ex. 20:1-23:19) . . . after he is told to exhort the people to faithfully obey the voice of God (23:21, 22, 25) . . . after he is promised God’s presence and power in the conquest of the promised land (23:23-32) . . . after Moses comes and tells the people all the words of the Lord and the people respond, “All the words the Lord has spoken we will do” (24:3) . . . after the covenant is sealed with blood (24:8) . . . then Moses, Aaron, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel are invited up on the mountain to seal the deal with a meal.

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

Okay . . . so they saw the God of Israel. Don’t know the exact form . . . obviously not the full out glory of God or they would have been dust . . . but the fact remains . . . they were in the presence of God . . . they knew it. The vision they had was clear . . . they saw His feet on a pavement of sapphire stone . . . they knew the ground they observed was holy ground. It says they beheld God, and ate and drank . . . talk about your up close and personal communion. Sensory overload? Perhaps. An out of this world experience? Literally. Life impacting? I’m thinking.

But as I read this my mind goes into “fast forward” mode. Zoom ahead forty days from this “wine and dine with the Divine” encounter . . . and there’s this same Aaron fashioning a golden calf to represent “your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt” (32:4-5). This same Aaron who had been one-on-one with God, and had beheld the sapphire-like glory of His dwelling, has the gall to cast Him as a cow . . . an inanimate cow. That’s not the One he had supped with!

And what amazes me is that the failure occurs less than six weeks after the feast . . . that he caves to the peer pressure only forty days after visiting the courts of God Himself. During that time Moses had been called back alone to the mountain for more “teaching time” (24:12-18) . . . and during that time the people had forgotten their covenant . . . and Aaron had lost site of his encounter. Talk about the glory fading . . . and in just forty days.

And that’s the part I just don’t get . . . and yet, do. While I want to show righteous indignation at how quickly Aaron goes from the mountain top of blessing to the pit of sin and stupidity, I can’t . . . ’cause I kind of get it. I don’t exactly know what it is about this human condition, but I don’t get very good “gas mileage” on past “encounters” . . . they seem to fade way too quickly . . . and what I need to do is keep “topping up the tank.” Sure Moses had been gone for over five weeks . . . but all they needed to do was look to the mount and see the cloud of the glory of God still hovering over it . . . and know that God was present and working. I too know what it is to get distracted . . . or disillusioned . . . or derailed . . . but I also can look to where I know God has said He’ll be found. I can look to His Word . . . I can look to His people . . . I can go into my closet knowing that He has promised to be found in “the secret place” (Matt. 6:6).

The trick, it seems to me, to avoiding the forty day fade is to not go forty days without beholding God . . . to not allow four days to pass without knowing communion with Him . . . to, by His grace, not go four hours without hearing His voice through His ever-indwelling Spirit. It’s to see His feet on a daily basis . . . to behold the sapphire pavement of His presence . . . to take a bit of time to go back up on the mountain and dine with Him . . . for our perseverance . . . and for His glory . . . amen?

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Book Burning

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Pete

It was more than just their literature going up in flames that day . . . it was their hobby . . . their private pursuits . . . perhaps even, their livelihoods. The scrolls were valuable to those who were fascinated with the world of black magic . . . to those who experimented with trying to contact “the other side” . . . with conjuring up spirits from realms they probably had very little understanding of. The value of that which burned that day was 50,000 pieces of silver . . . perhaps in the neighborhood of $10,000 today if a piece of silver is understood to be a drachma. Whatever the dollar value, it was lots . . . and you got to know that it had an impact on both those who burned and on those who watched them burn.

And these few verses in Acts 19, vv. 18-20, have me thinking about the need sometimes to make a clean break with practices and activities that once were just part of doing life. The “many” who burned their books that day were believers (v.18). They had recognized their need of salvation. . . . by God’s grace and through faith, they had embraced Jesus as their Savior . . . they understood, to some degree, that they had been brought into a new kingdom, one not of this world, . . . and now, now they were trying to figure out what it meant to live in that kingdom . . . what it meant to live under the authority of the Lord who inhabited them through His Spirit. And today . . . it involved book burning.

The fact that this bon fire activity is recorded right after the incident involving the seven sons of Sceva, itinerant Jewish exorcists who had undergone a whoopin’ at the hands of some evil spirits, I’m thinking is significant. Word had got out about the encounter . . . Jesus they knew . . . Paul they recognized . . . but to these evil spirits, the seven sons of Sceva and their “power” was a joke. And, as the word started to circulate, fear fell upon the people and the Lord Jesus was extolled (Acts 19:13-17) . . . and the believers who were used to “playing” in this arena realized that it needed to be a thing of the past.

So, these children of God confessed their practices . . . they openly divulged that they dabbled in “magic arts” . . . they agreed with God that such pursuits were wrong, were sin, . . . and they repented . . . time for a 180 degree turn. And the evidence? . . . burn the books. Not sell the books and try and recoup some of the losses, but burn the books . . . get rid of them . . . get rid of them publicly . . . stand for the things of the kingdom.

Christianity was making a difference in the lives of people. Or, as Luke records, “So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” (19:20)

The turning continued. They had turned to Jesus on the day of salvation . . . and they continued to turn as they understood more the implications of that salvation. As the word increased . . . as believers grasped more of what Christ had done and what they had been saved into . . . the “turning” continued . . . and so did the burning. The Word increasing . . . minds changing . . . people confessing . . . books burning.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2Cor. 5:17).

Oh, the danger of thinking I’ve got it nailed . . . that all the changing in thought patterns that needs to be done has been done . . . that all the repenting that needs to occur has occurred. Oh, that the word of the Lord would continue to increase . . . that my redeemed mind might continue to be brought into marvelous light . . . and that the word would prevail mightily. Oh, that I, by God’s grace, would know what of that “old man” still needs to be dealt with . . . that the pursuit of “the new” might loosen the grip on “the old” . . . no matter the cost . . . or the perceived value of the books. Oh, that I might have eyes to see and ears to hear concerning those books that still need to be burned . . . for His glory . . . amen.

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In the Middle of the Story

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Pete

Sometimes it happens . . . you’re reading the Scriptures and you find yourself in the text . . . not just observing it, but interacting with it . . . or rather, it interacting with you. It probably isn’t very good “rules of interpretation”, but as you read, the “literal context” fades and the words you’re reading are being spoken directly to you. The “historical object” of the teaching is displaced and you find yourself in the middle of the story . . . you become the subject of the teaching. And though, it might seem an “unconscious act”, I’m wondering if it isn’t one of the ways the Spirit energizes the word of God such that it becomes “living and powerful.” I had one of those “living and powerful” encounters this morning.

Address? Matthew 13:10-17. Context? Jesus teaching His disciples in parables . . . in particular the parable of the sower. Familiarity factor? Pretty high. I’ve read this passage once or twice before . . . have heard it preached on once or twice before. Maybe that’s why I “drift” from seeing it as a conversation between Jesus and the disciples who were with Him, and find myself reading it as Jesus talking to this disciple . . . sitting in this chair . . . some 2,000 years later. They ask Him, “Why do you speak in parables?” And instead of answering them, He speaks to me . . .

“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven . . . For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance . . . blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:10-12, 16-17)

And I am overwhelmed with a sense of privilege . . . and with a sense of thanksgiving for His grace.

To me it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. In His sovereign, gracious determination, He purposed to remove the scales from my eyes . . . to take the plugs out of my ears . . . to replace my heart of stone with a heart of flesh attuned to the things of God . . . and has let me in on the secrets of heaven. Once dead to the things of God because of the permeating presence of sin, through His blood He redeemed me . . . through His Spirit he re-birthed me and rewired my spiritual DNA, bringing me into an awareness of things that transcend this earth . . . that transcend the here and now . . . things concerning the kingdom of heaven.

And for the one who has, more is given . . . abundantly more. Oh, there is so much more to know of Him and His ways . . . but, I also know so much more now than I did when this journey began. Faithful, by His grace and enabling, with little . . . given more. Acting upon limited understanding . . . graciously given more understanding. It’s what makes the Word of God a life-long pursuit. It’s depth’s never fully plumbed . . . it’s treasures never completely discovered. There’s an abundance to be discovered . . . to be revealed . . . to be leveraged in the process of transforming me through the renewing of my mind so that I might discern the ways and will of God (Rom. 12:2).

And the secrets which have been revealed . . . and are being revealed . . . are things that many seekers of God in past ages sought to understand. I was reading in Exodus this morning, as well . . . and of the greatest of all prophets, Moses, “whom the LORD knew face to face” (Deut. 34:10-12). But despite His face to face relationship with the God of glory and all the signs and wonders he was privileged to participate in, He left this earth not knowing perhaps the greatest secrets of the kingdom . . . the nature of Messiah . . . the means of eternal deliverance from the bondage of sin . . . the dynamics of fellowship with God through the indwelling Spirit. Though Moses told the people that God desired a “treasured possession among all peoples” and a people to be to Him “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:5) . . . Moses could not have imagined the church . . . the body of Christ . . . the bride of the Lamb . . . the living, breathing, worshiping, habitation of God through the Spirit.

Yup, a bit overwhelmed. What privilege . . . what responsibility . . . what a blessing! And there I am, right in the middle of the story . . . by His grace . .. and for His glory.

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Knowing the Lord of the Glory

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Pete

So . . . here’s the question that’s kind of going through my mind this morning as I continue to track the Israelites as they leave Egypt . . . “Did they not see the pillar of cloud?” You know, the pillar of cloud that was the manifestation of God among them . . . the pillar of cloud that was evidence of the LORD going before them to lead them along the way . . . the pillar of cloud by day which became a pillar of fire by night so that they could sojourn 24/7 as needed . . . the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night which did not depart from before the people (Ex. 13:21-22). Did they not see the pillar of cloud when they grumbled and complained to Moses?

Or, am I to imagine that they kind of turned their collective backs on the cloud and whispered to Moses, “Psst! Moses! We’re thirsty! What are you going to do about it? What kind of deliverance is this?” Or, did they pull Moses into a tent, away from the cloud, “Hey! . . . You! . . . We’re starving to death! At least when we were in Egypt we sat by meat pots and ate bread to the full . . . sure we were slaves and in bondage and oppressed, but at least when we got home at night, if we could stay awake, we had something to eat. Whaddya’ gonna do about this?!?” Did they not know that God was among them? Did not they not get that He who had arms powerful enough to deliver them from the slavery of Egypt also had ears powerful enough to hear their grumbling? I’m guessing not.

And what really brought this home were a few verses in Exodus 16 this morning:

And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. And the LORD said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'” (Exodus 16:10-12)

They saw the glory of the LORD . . . that is, they looked at the pillar, they were aware of the cloud . . . but they still didn’t know the LORD their God. Though they had seen the deliverance of the LORD when they walked out of Egypt, they didn’t quite get the LORD’s purposes to also deliver them to “a land flowing with milk and honey” (13:5). They were aware of the power . . . but they were dense to His presence. They saw the cloud . . . but didn’t connect it with His care. They had the light of the fire at night . . . but didn’t recognize in it the faithful determination of God to never leave them nor forsake them. And so, they grumbled. They grumbled about bitter water . . . they grumbled about gurgling stomachs . . . they grumbled at Moses . . . they grumbled at Aaron . . . and, though they thought they could hide from the cloud, they, in fact, were grumbling against the LORD (16:8).

They saw the glory of the LORD . . . but they didn’t know the LORD of the glory.

And so the Father, in patient faithfulness says, “I’ll feed you . . . I’ll give you drink . . . then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.”

Oh how, He wants to be known by His people. How He wants to be trusted by those He has redeemed. How he wants us to turn our face to Him in times of struggling and trouble . . . rather turn our backs on Him as we complain and/or try to figure it out on our own . . . somehow thinking He doesn’t hear and doesn’t care.

Oh, to be a people that, having seen the pillar of cloud, recognize the presence of God. Having been faithfully led by Him in the past, look to Him for direction for the future. Having had their greatest need met by Him through deliverance, would turn to Him first for the next need . . . and the next . . . and the next. Oh, that we might see the glory of the LORD and then acknowledge Him, in all our circumstances, as the LORD of the glory. Amen?

Posted in Exodus | 1 Comment

That They Should Seek God

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Pete

“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore” . . . that’s what Paul might have been thinking (well, not exactly . . . he hadn’t seen Wizard of Oz . . . but maybe something like that) as he walked through Athens. Say what you want about the Jews of that time, but one lesson they had learned from the past . . . one thing that had stuck after the Babylonian captivity, was “No Idols!” Israel had become an idol-free zone . . . at least the sort of idols made of gold and silver. And so, for this boy from Jerusalem, religiously trained in the elite courts of the Pharisees, for him to be walking around Athens and seeing it jam packed with idols, it was a enough to provoke the spirit within him (Acts 17:16). But, it also provided opportunity . . .

And so Paul engages the philosophers and “wise men” of the city as he talks to them of one of their objects of worship . . . in particular, the empty altar . . . the altar bearing the inscription, “To the unknown god.” And so, what they worshiped as unknown, this Paul would proclaim to them (17:23).

He is the God who made the world and everything in it . . . the Lord of heaven and earth . . . One who does not live in temples nor is served by humans as though He needed anything. Instead, He gives life to all mankind . . . and has done so ever since He determined to form the nations from one man at the dawn of creation. And His intent throughout the ages has always been “that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him” (17:24-27).

There has been set within the heart of men and women a spiritual GPS pre-programmed with God as “Home”. Solomon says that God has put eternity into the heart of man (Eccl. 3:11) . . . Paul would write to the Romans, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Rom. 1:19-20) God has designed man that man should seek God.

Oh, that we respond to the inner calling to seek God. Whether “sinner” or “saint” . . . whether still looking for the way, or having entered through the narrow gate and navigating our pilgrim path . . . that we might be seekers of God. Intent on knowing Him who has made Himself known.

And while, for a time, it was like groping in the dark, in these days He has clearly “marked the map.” Type in “God” on His “google maps” and you’ll get Jesus crying out, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Not only has the way been revealed, but “GPS assist” has been invoked as, while we are to seek Him, He has determined too “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). As we cry out to Him, He calls out to us (1Thess 2:12) . . . as we look for the path, the Shepherd gently calls to His sheep, “Follow me” (John 10:27) . . . as we determine to draw near to Him, He, in turn, draws near to us (James 4:8).

God has desired that all mankind should seek Him. And for those of us that have “made initial contact” . . . those who have believed in the Son, been forgiven of their sin, and have been adopted into His family . . . God’s purpose for us remains the same . . . “that they should seek God.” To seek first the kingdom of God (Matt 6:33) . . . to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (1Tim. 6:11) . . . to count all things loss for the surpassing worthy of knowing Him (Php. 3:8) . . . to press on “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Php. 3:14).

Oh, to be a seeker. To push the “Home” button on our internal GPS, put pedal to the metal, and run the race set before us!

So long Kansas . . .

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The Blood

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Pete

So I’m trying to imagine what it was like that day. Six hundred thousand households all packing up . . . hundreds of thousands of blemish-free, bleating sheep going silent as their throats are slit and their blood is pored into catch basins . . . men of all ages busy making paintbrushes from hyssop, all with the same “honey do” chore on their list — paint the doorframe with the blood of the lamb . . . hundreds of thousands of houses with blood smeared over their door frames . . . an entire nation having a “last supper” — all feasting based on the same menu plan: roast lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs . . . and then waiting. And at midnight the Lord descends and strikes down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt . . . save for those houses where the blood had been applied . . . the awesome God of terrifying judgment skips over those houses . . . for, He had promised, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Ex. 12:13).

Oh, what a weird scene to imagine for those outside of Christ . . . for those still in darkness . . . for those whose spiritual DNA still lies dormant. Ah, but for the redeemed . . . for those saved through faith by the grace of God . . . for those “made alive” to the perfect ways of God . . . it is a scene packed with meaning. The lamb . . . the blood . . . the feast . . . the Passover . . . the escape . . . it’s an exodus to be identified with. For too, the redeemed have applied the blood of a spotless lamb, judgment has passed over, and they have escaped . . . bound too for a promised land.

Sounds cliché? Perhaps. True? You bet. And all because of the blood.

That night, theirs was a “temporary fix” . . . the blood shed then was just the beginning of centuries of atoning sacrifices to pay the penalty of sin . . . for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Heb. 10:4). But the precedent had been set — without the shedding of blood there could be no forgiveness of sins (Heb. 9:22). And too, the stage was set for a once-for-all-sins and once-for-all-time final sacrifice . . . the blemish-free, spotless offering from heaven itself . . . Immanuel, “God With Us” . . . the Son of God . . . He, who John the Baptist identified as, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

“For Christ our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1Cor. 5:7). The blood shed . . . available to all who would, by faith, apply it to the doorframe of their lives . . . securing not only forgiveness of sins and thus escaping the penalty of sin . . . but too being delivered from Egypt and from the bondage of the power of sin . . . and being destined for a place being prepared for His own, where eventually we will escape the presence of sin. It’s the believer’s own “mini-Exodus”. And all, because of the blood.

What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

My Savior has secured eternal redemption . . . not by means of the blood of animals, but by His own blood (Heb. 9:12). Christ offered Himself without blemish to God on my behalf . . . and, as such, the blood of Christ has purified my conscience from dead works so that I might serve a living God (Heb. 9:14). And through the blood of Christ, I have confidence to enter the holy place . . . and to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith . . . holding fast the confession of my faith without wavering (Heb. 10:19-23). All because of the blood.

Oh precious is the flow . . . that makes me white as snow . . . no other fount I know . . . Nothing! Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Posted in Exodus, Hebrews | Leave a comment

Reaching Out to the Cheap Seats

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Pete

It’s easy . . . and, in fact, intended . . . to focus solely on the major players of the drama played out in the first part of Exodus. There’s the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who, determined to be faithful to His promises, has declared it time to deliver Israel’s descendants from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. Then, there is Moses . . . the favored prophet of God . . . the reluctant spokesman for God . . . but not so reluctant that he doesn’t talk back with God concerning his feeble speech and concerns about standing before the most powerful man in all of Egypt. And, finally of course, there is Pharaoh . . . powerful, arrogant, heart of stone. And so the stage is set . . . the players in place . . . and the drama unfolds. But what of the bit players? . . . what of the extras? . . . what of the “innocent bystanders” . . . those Egyptians on the side lines? . . . those far from the action in the “cheap seats?”

As I read Exodus 7 through 9 this morning I’m struck by an “under current” . . . a sub-plot, if you will. Sure the main event is the confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh and the plagues from the hand of God sent to “encourage the right behavior” from the heart-hardened despot. But from the beginning of the conflict God makes known a purpose beyond just getting His people out of Egypt. Check this out . . .

“The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them (7:5) . . . Moses said, ‘Be it as you say [the frogs will be gone tomorrow], so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God’ (8:10) . . . But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth (8:22) . . . For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth . . . so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth (9:14, 16).”

While it was about a tongue tied prophet . . . a hard hearted Pharaoh . . . and a mighty, mighty God of promise . . . it was also about the bit players. While Moses went face to face with Pharaoh . . . and Pharaoh dared to stand toe to toe with God . . . God showed Himself mighty to those on sidelines, as well. And I’m thinking that this epic confrontation was not only for the redemption of Israel, but too for all those who had “ears to hear.” Here’s what got me on that track . . .

The seventh plague . . . hail . . . such as had never ever been seen before in Egypt (and I’m guessing nowhere else either) . . . hail stones that were more like hail boulders . . . so big and so fierce that it could kill men and livestock. Moses, as has been the case with previous plagues, foretells the judgment. And he even warns Pharaoh, his servant, and his people to get their livestock and themselves out from the field and into safe shelter otherwise, to be caught in the hailstorm, would be to die (9:19). And it says, “Then whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses” (9:20). There it is . . . they believed the word of God . . . they responded with a fear of God . . . the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 9:10) . . . the means of salvation, at least from the hail . . . and, perhaps, justification and redemption as their belief is counted to them for righteousness (Gen. 15:6).

Just bit players . . . no names watching from the cheap seats . . . but responding to their growing understanding about the awesome God of the Israelites. And in this I see the grace of God. While delivering His people . . . and dealing with Pharaoh . . . He makes Himself known . . . proclaims His name in all the earth . . . reaches out to lost masses revealing He is LORD . . . that there is none like Him . . . none like Him in all the earth. And there are those who would respond . . . who would fear the LORD . . . believing that His word is truth . . . responding to whatever limited revelation and understanding they possess . . . taking cover as He says . . . and I wonder, if they too were not eventually released from their bondage . . . the bondage of sin.

How great is our God? How vast are His purposes? How long is His arm to save? To Him be glory . . . for there is none like Him in all the earth . . . may His name be proclaimed . . . amen?

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