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!

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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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A Friend of God

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Pete

This year I switched Bible translations for my morning devo’s. I’ve been a New King James (NKJV) guy for quite a few years. This year though, I decided to use the English Standard Version (ESV) as I work through my reading plan. Not a big departure really from what I’m used to, but I do find myself coming across phrases or ideas that I’d never “discovered” before in my reading . . . little “surprises” . . . “ah-hahs” . . . and in the case of this mornings “unexpected finding”, a bit of a “Thanks be to God!” blessing.

“The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He makes known to them His covenant.” (Ps. 25:14)

Friendship with the Lord. Now how’s that for a phrase to noodle on. In the NKJV and NASB it’s rendered “The secret of the LORD” . . . in the NIV it’s “The LORD confides”.

The idea behind the word is that of being part of an inner circle . . . a council of familiar conversation . . . an assembly of familiar friends . . . those who are confided in . . . those who are privileged to be “brought into the know”.

You can see where both translations are accurate, though each emphasizes something a bit different. The NKJV emphasizes the evidence of the relationship, the “secret” . . . the ESV emphasizes the relationship itself . . . the secret is for the inner council, those who know “friendship” with the Lord.

A friend of God. Friendship with the Lord . . . friendship with Jehovah . . . friendship with “the existing One”. That is the intimate relationship available for those who fear Him . . . for those whose sins are remembered no more (25:7) because of redeeming grace . . . for those who have been pardoned of their guilt (25:11), having been justified by faith. These are brought into intimate relationship with God.

To them He makes known His promises (25:14) . . . to them He makes known His ways, teaches them His paths, leads them in truth (25:4-5). “Who has understood the mind of the Lord?” asks Paul. “We have the mind of the Christ,” comes the response (1Cor. 2:16).

Brought near through the blood of Christ, we have entered the inner council . . . and the inner counsel . . . of Jehovah . . . of I AM . . . of the Creator of all things. His secrets, to the degree He has chosen to reveal them to men, have been made available to those who believe. And not to be left to ourselves to “decipher” the high and holy ways of a God who is beyond fully understanding, we have been given the very Spirit of God as a permanent, resident instructor concerning the things of the secrets of the kingdom of God. Yeah . . . that’s a good indicator of friendship.

And while “the secrets” are evidence of “the friendship”, the friendship goes so far beyond Revealer / receiver . . . more than Teacher / student . . . deeper than Master / disciple . . . but within this inner council there is fellowship . . . communion . . . a heart of God to heart of man connection . . . as He knows our frame (Ps. 103:14) and is familiar with our frailty and weakness (Heb. 4:15) . . . and as we come to know His heart and the full dimensions of His love for us (Eph. 3:18-19). And so, the relationship grows, as do all healthy relationships. “The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows!”

Oh, to be a friend of God. Not to presume on the relationship . . . but to ponder the privilege . . . to respond with a holy determination to remain faithful by His power and grace . . . to bow down and worship with a thankful heart. Thanks be to God!

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God Knows

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Pete

Started in on Exodus this morning. Who woulda’ thunk? When those boys sold Joseph into slavery . . . when Joseph interpreted that dream and was placed over Egypt’s “feast and famine” program . . . when the brothers were reunited . . . when Jacob & Co. moved down to settle in Egypt . . . when the family of Jacob grew into the nation of Israel — fruitful, multiplying, growing exceedingly strong, filling the land (Ex.1:7) . . . who woulda’ thunk that it would have ended up in ruthless slavery and oppression(1:13-14)? Cue your standard Sunday School answer . . . God!

“. . . and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel — and God knew.” (2:23-25)

Times were tough . . . beyond tough. The people groaned . . . they sighed and gasped in pain and grief. And they cried out for help . . . turned their faces heavenward . . . to what likely seemed to be a silent sky . . . and with whatever mustard seed of faith was left, they called out for rescue. And then, these observations about God . . . God heard . . . God remembered . . . God saw . . . God knew.

Now, they didn’t know that. Only from the vantage point of the divinely inspired Scriptures do we get this insight to another “dimension” at play. And these things were “written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom. 15:4).

Situation? . . . Apparently hopeless. Gas left in the tank of endurance? . . . Running on empty. Number of ways out? . . . About zero. Course of action? . . . Cry out! Basis for course of action? . . . That God is unchanging . . . the same yesterday, today, and forever . . . and so, He hears . . . He remembers . . . He sees . . . He knows.

God knows. How much comfort is there in that alone? Not that we presume on what God will do and when He will do it . . . but to be reminded that our Father knows, should be, in and of itself, such a source of encouragement. In our “dimension” it can feel overwhelming . . . no escape apparent . . . no end in sight. But to be reminded that God knows . . . is familiar not only with the details . . . aware, not only of the degree of affliction . . . but also intimately knows how we are wired and what we can bear . . . working all things together for his purposes in our lives. That’s the other dimension . . . God knows.

The Israelites would be delivered from Egypt. There would still a bit of “process” to work through . . . some doubts to deal with . . . frustrations . . . more burden . . . but delivered they would be. And sure, it would involve some time in the desert . . . some correction along the way. But God, who hears . . . God, who sees . . . God, who is faithful . . . God, who remembers His promise . . . God, who remembers His people . . . God, who is powerful to save . . . the God of Jacob . . . my God . . . this same God . . . knows the sufferings of His people and will “come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and bring them up out of the land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey” (Ex. 3:7-8).

Oh, to be reminded this morning that God knows. To be aware of that “other dimension” as we deal with the realities of “this dimension.” To not lose heart . . . but to cry out to the Him who hears, sees, remembers, and knows . . . and to know then, a peace that passes all understanding (Php. 4:6-7).

For our perseverance . . . for His glory . .

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Wonderful Grace of Jesus

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Pete

It was a conversation that had to be had. How “Jewish” did a Gentile need to become in order to be “really saved?” That was the question on the table. How much ritual was required for full redemption? How much practice was needed for proper salvation? How much uniformity was needed to have real unity? You can ask the question in any number of ways. In Acts 15 it was asked like this, “Is it necessary for Gentiles to be circumcised and to keep the law of Moses?” (15:2) It was a conversation that had to be had . . . and as “I listen in”, I am struck again with awe and adoration at the wonderful grace of Jesus.

Without being too harsh, it was probably a legitimate question. After all, the Jews’ world was being turned upside down . . . what, with a suffering Messiah rather than a reigning Messiah . . . and salvation through faith and not by the works of the law . . . and now, the Gentiles being preached to and welcomed into a common fellowship . . . it was a lot for someone who grew up in a long-standing “religious tradition” to take in and fully understand all the implications of.

So . . . really? . . . just repent and believe and receive Jesus substitutionary death on your behalf, and you’re in? Just like that? That’s it? Yeah, was the answer, pretty much!

After much deliberation and debate, Peter sums it up, “God determined that the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit . . . having cleansed their hearts by faith. And we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (15:7-11) That’s it . . . God’s determination . . . the power of the gospel . . . the exercise of faith . . . the sealing of the Holy Spirit . . . the transplanting of new hearts . . . all through the wonderful, matchless grace of Jesus.

To require anything else . . . to link salvation to conformance to the law of Moses . . . was to place a yoke on the neck of Jesus’ disciples. It would constrain . . . it would seek to control . . . it would attach a burden. But the salvation offered by Jesus was freedom from bondage . . . the only control prescribed was the control of the indwelling Holy Spirit . . . and the burden of the limit of human efforts was to be lifted as Jesus once for all carried that burden.

Not to say there wouldn’t be instruction on how to walk worthy of the calling to be “a people for His Name.” Not to say there wouldn’t be teaching on the manner in which a disciple of Christ should live . . . and how they should be transformed in their thinking. But this would be about living for Jesus . . . not about securing additional favor with God . . . and “sealing the deal” on their salvation.

And as I linger over this discussion, there is a warning here for me . . . a “watch out for” . . . a “be careful” about attaching man’s works to Jesus work on the cross. When the Son declared, “It is finished” . . . it was. We are saved by grace . . . and grace alone. And that, that it is by grace alone, is the other refreshed realization as I noodle on this conversation. Saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus . . . infinite grace . . . grace greater than my sin . . . all sufficient grace. It brought to mind an old hymn . .

V1. Wonderful grace of Jesus, Greater than all my sin; How shall my tongue describe it, Where shall its praise begin? Taking away my burden, Setting my spirit free, For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me. V2. Wonderful grace of Jesus, Reaching to all the lost, By it I have been pardoned, Saved to the uttermost; Chains have been torn asunder, Giving me liberty; For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me. V3. Wonderful grace of Jesus, Reaching the most defiled, By its transforming power, Making him God’s dear child, Purchasing peace and heaven, For all eternity; For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me. Chorus: Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus, Deeper than the mighty rolling sea; Higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain,
All sufficient grace for even me; Broader than the scope of my transgressions, Greater far than all my sin and shame; O magnify the precious Name of Jesus, Praise His Name!

Indeed . . . Magnify the precious Name of Jesus . . . Praise His Name . . .

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Part of the Song

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Pete

Psalm 22 really is an incredible journey. From “My God, my God why have You forsaken me” . . . to “I will tell of Your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.” From “All who see me mock me” . . . they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion” . . . to “You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you offspring of Jacob glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him.” From “I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joints . . . my strength is dried up like a potsherd . . . my tongue sticks to my jaws . . . they have pierced my hands and feet” . . . to “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.”

That it is a Messianic psalm . . . a prophetic psalm concerning Jesus . . . is clear from the opening words. Jesus links Himself to the psalm’s subject fulfillment as He cries from the cross, “My God, my God why have You forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46, Mark 15:34) To read the psalm and think about Jesus is not only appropriate, it is intended. The psalm provides insight into the suffering of the Son of God . . . it is a passage into the inner thoughts of the Lamb of God on the cross . . . and, it links the pain to the purpose. It shows that by way of the cross, there would be a crown . . . that because of suffering, there would be salvation . . . that through the pouring out of wrath, there would be the pouring out of worship.

It starts in the depths of the pit of despair and winds up in heights of the congregation of heaven It begins with the lone voice of a single forsaken Man crying to an invisible God . . . and ends with a myriad of offspring of Israel lifting their voices as they praise Him and worship Him and stand in awe of Him.

What an incredible journey!

And “the bonus” for me this morning? I found myself in the psalm . . . I looked in the picture and there I was . . . “back row, third from the right.”

“Posterity shall serve Him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn, that He has done it.” (Ps. 22:30-31)

There I am! That “coming generation” . . . part of the “people yet unborn.”

As David concludes his song . . . as it rises in grand crescendo . . . as the Lamb of God reveals He is also the Lion of the tribe of Judah . . . I become part of the song. A member of that generation . . . one of those people yet unborn . . . hearing of His righteousness . . . a righteousness secured by the Righteous One who paid the price for the penalty of my sin on that awful cross . . . a righteousness made freely available by the grace of a loving God . . . a righteousness deposited to my account through faith in the Shepherd Son of God . . . a righteousness being practically worked out in my life through the transforming Spirit of God. Oh, how I praise Him that he penned my name into the lyrics of the song!

“He has done it!” So concludes the song. The journey . . . from once-for-all Sacrifice to victorious Savior . . . all part of God’s redemptive plan . . . and it is finished.

Mine is to not only see myself in the song, but to join in the song . . . to praise Him . . . to glorify Him . . . to stand in awe of Him . . . to join those from all families of all nations who have seen themselves too in the song and worship before Him.

Pretty cool song, huh? . . .

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Keeping An Appointment

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Pete

Ka-bam! It happened again this morning . . . a few short words . . . found in a much bigger story and context . . . which transported me into a “wonder land.” Not “I wonder what’s happening” land . . . but, an “Oh the wonder of it all!” land. Nine words which send me back in time . . . with a fresh sense of awe as I recall the events of that time in my life . . . being reminded that even though it was happening to me, I only saw such a small part of all that was in play. For me, it was the feeble first steps of faith . . . the initial act of believing. The result was that I was brought from spiritual darkness into marvelous light . . . I was born again and made a new creation in Christ . . . my spiritual DNA was re-wired so that I became alive to things that I was so long dead to. But for God . . . there was a much bigger dynamic at play . . . it was about me keeping an appointment.

In Acts 13, Barnabas and Saul are sent out by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the word of God (13:1-5). And in Antioch, on the Sabbath day, they get an opportunity to preach in the synagogue (vv. 13-15). And preach it they do. Many leave that morning asking Paul to return next Sabbath for they wanted to hear more. And the following week “almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord”. But the Jews are filled with jealousy as they see the huge interest being shown in the renegade Pharisee and so they rise up in verbal opposition to him. And, in response, Paul says, “Since you thrust it (the gospel) aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles” (v.44-46). Now, check this out . . .

“And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” (Acts 13:48)

There they are . . . those last nine words . . . “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” From where they were sitting they were “receiving Jesus” . . . they were “asking Jesus into their hearts” . . . they were “coming to faith” . . . they were “accepting Christ as their Savior” . . . we have so many phrases to try and describe the point in someone’s life when they become a believer . . . but from God’s vantage point, they were keeping an appointment.

Oh, the wonder of it all! They exercised their free will to respond to the word they heard with belief. They elected to “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21) . . . they chose life . . . abundant life . . . eternal life. But, reveals Scripture, again, to this they were appointed. God, in His sovereign purposes and workings, had ordered it . . . He had ordained that they should respond in faith . . . even as He chose them in His Son before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy and blameless before Him . . . In love having predestined them for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace (Eph. 1:4-6).

Can I reconcile in my little mind the incongruity of my free will and His Sovereign determination? Not really. Am I convinced that Scripture teaches both to be true? Absolutely! Praise God, that the workings of God are not dependent upon my ability to fully comprehend them . . . or logically explain them . . . I’m thinking that’s part of what makes Him God . . . and me not. Instead I marvel anew, as I think back on that drive home that night so many years ago when I prayed my feeble little prayer . . . not even knowing that the “right words” would have been to ask Jesus to come into my life . . . but that night, in that car, with whatever words I came up with, I was keeping an appointment.

I didn’t know it . . . it really wasn’t mine to know . . . mine was simply to respond to what I was starting to understand with the mustard seed of faith that had been graced to me by the One who was calling Me through the One who had died for me? Mine was to believe . . . being saved by faith. His was to know that I also was keeping an appointment . . . scheduled from before the foundation of the world . . . to be revealed to me after I had entered the kingdom by faith . . . a “bonus” piece of knowledge concerning the eternal dimensions of the love of God . . . to be reminded of it again as I came across a small phrase in a story of a renegade Pharisee preaching the gospel . . . such that I might respond afresh in loving appreciation to such amazing grace. Hmmm . . . who knows . . . perhaps right now I’m keeping another appointment . . .

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The Name

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Pete

Hovering over Psalm 20 this morning . . . it’s a song for the king (v.9) . . . in the day of trouble (v.1) . . . seemingly a psalm reflecting an occasion where the people pray David out of the city on his way to confront his enemies. And at the heart of the psalm is “the Name” . . . the name of our God . . . three times reference is made to “the Name” . . . and in those mentions, there is some instruction for all of us who head out to battle . . .

“May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!” (v.1b). In the Name there is power . . . and authority . . . such that it is an active agent of protection. Literally the word is “to set on high” . . . the NKJV translates it “defend” . . . the idea of exalting someone above hostility. Though the king had readied himself and was prepared to go “head to head” in combat, ultimately, his protection would be through the defending power of the name of God. The people petition Him who dwells in the holy place of the sanctuary of Zion to provide support (v2.) . . . to sustain . . . to encourage . . . to strengthen. In the Name there is protection . . .

And in that protection . . . there is a confidence . . . a joyful expectation of deliverance . . . such that, as they head into battle, “in the name of our God [we] set up our banners!” (v.5). No sneaking behind enemy lines here . . . no going stealth . . . but with flags unfurled, they proclaim themselves the people of God . . . gathered to the name of God . . . and confidently (not arrogantly) marching into battle for God. They know that the Lord saves his own and will answer from His holy hill (v.6) . . . that “if God is for us, who can be against us” . . . that “in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:31, 37). The banner bears the name of God! To Him they rally . . . for Him they are prepared to stand . . . under Him they go forward . . . in Him they experience “the saving might of His right hand” (v.6b).

So, while “some trust in chariots and some in horses, we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (v.7). It is His Name that we’ll call to remembrance . . . for in that Name, and in that Name alone, is where our trust is. Despite our capabilities . . . regardless of our “natural resources” . . . ultimately we recognize that only in the Name are we able to engage the enemy . . . and to endure the struggle . . . and to emerge the victor. Our “chariots and horses” are not the things we rely on . . . it’s not about how smart we are . . . or how talented we may think ourselves . . . or how clever we can be . . . or how much wealth or brute strength we think we can bring to bear to power through the trial. No, instead we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

His Name . . . the Name above all names . . . is the Name of active and present protection. That Name which stirs the heart, is the Name upon which I raise the banner of proclamation . . . acknowledging that I enter the fray “in Him.” And in that Name — the Name I love to hear, and love to speak it’s worth — is the Name of a peace-filled expectation that I can do all things through the resources of Him who strengthens me (Php. 4:13).

“They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright” (v.8) . . . in the Name . . . because of the Name . . . and for the glory of the Name.

Amen.

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The Other Petition

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Pete

I guess if you were to ask me, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how familiar would you consider yourself with Psalm 19?” . . . I’d probably answer, “7 or 8” . . . mostly because of my familiarity with verses 7 through 11 . . . David’s great song concerning the Law of the Lord. The law being perfect, sure, right, pure clean, and true. The law which revives the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, and enlightens the eyes. The law which endures forever, is righteous altogether and is to be desired more than gold . . . and which tastes so sweet, sweeter than honey.

I’d say that I’m also familiar with David’s affirmation that the heavens declare the glory of God and that the skies above proclaim God’s handiwork (19:1). A call to look up, look way up, and behold the evidence and the magnificence of the Creator. And too, I’d say that I recall David’s petition that, before this God of glory, and through his consideration of the sweeter-than-honeycomb Word of God, that the words of the psalmist’s mouth and the meditations of his heart would be acceptable in the sight of his rock and redeemer LORD (19:14).

But if you had asked me what David’s other petition was in Psalm 19, I wouldn’t have recalled there was even a second petition . . . much less what it was. Check this out . . .

“Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!” (Ps. 19:13)

See God’s glory? . . . embrace God’s word? . . . seek to offer acceptable words and meditation? . . . then guard against sin.

It is the great detractor in the equation . . . it blinds eyes to the glory . . . it plugs ears and hardens hearts to the Word . . . it creates interference for meditation . . . deal with it.

And David speaks of “hidden faults” and “presumptuous sins”. I take it that the hidden faults aren’t so much sins which we willfully determine to commit in secret . . . aware that it’s wrong and so wanting to keep them undercover. Instead, I’m thinking the hidden faults are those things of the flesh, those things of the fallen nature, that are embedded within the heart and soul which, apart from any intention on our part, manifest themselves in outward acts displeasing to God. I think they may be the “deceitfulness of the heart” which is hard to know that Jeremiah speaks of (Jer. 17:9) . . . that stuff that David would ask God to seek out and reveal to him such that it would not be an impediment in “the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24). And so David asks God to search it out and clean it up.

And then, there’s the “presumptuous sins”. The sins sourced in pride and arrogance . . . the sins birthed from self-confidence and self-reliance on my own intellect and perceived ability . . . sins which come about from a “me first” rather than a “God first” or an “others first” sort of attitude. And these sins, says David, if not checked will dominate . . . will have dominion. Oh, how scary a thought is that? . . . for sin, birthed in pride, to have dominion over me . . . ugh!

And, it occurs to me, to think that I have the resources to fend it off myself is, in it itself, a presumptuous sin. David wisely looks to the Creator . . . meditatively calls upon the Author of the perfect law of Lord . . . “Keep back your servant from such sin.” Your servant . . . a humble title for a king to take . . . a lowly posturing for one who sits on a throne . . . a good start to battling presumptuous sin . . . a solid self-assessment from which to beseech Him who made you to also restrain you from going somewhere you don’t want to go . . . from entering into transgression, the cost of which is more than you can afford to pay.

Cleanse me from the underlying stuff . . . Keep from the arrogant stuff . . . Ok, so if this sticks, maybe my familiarity with Psalm 19 goes up to a “9” . . . more importantly though, if this becomes my prayer too, then, by His grace and the through the redemptive blood of Jesus, truly the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart will be acceptable in His sight . . . and declare too the glory of God . . . amen?

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