A Christian’s Place Is On The Cross

Posted on by June 28, 2014
1

Romans 6:3-5 — Know you not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that from now on we should not serve sin.

We’re reading an Andrew Murray Devotional at bedtime at the moment. The burden of this month’s messages have been about the meaning of the cross, and Christ’s death, for a Christian’s life.
Somewhere along the way, as we read, this little tagline popped into my mind. I know it can’t be original, but I don’t remember hearing it, and it has increasingly resonated with me as we get through the month.
The idea carries a real challenge for us.
Jesus said that if we wished to be His disciples we should take up our crosses and follow Him. There’s a logical conclusion to that idea. Where do you think you are going with that cross? What’s going to happen when you lay it down?
It’s really uncomfortable isn’t it? Well, at least it is for me, I guess I can’t really speak for you! But if you’re anything like me, the truth is that you know you should be dead to sin, but you still sin, and you know you should be dead to the world, but sometimes you still get tangled up in worldly concerns.
The standard is, in human terms, hopelessly high. In my own strength I cannot possibly achieve it. Nothing in my life can be driven by my own desires. Everything must be driven by my Father’s desires. My time is never my own, but only ever at His disposal. My possessions are only to be used in His service, they are not my own. My death will not be my own, it will be in the manner He chooses, at His time, to suit His purposes. I cannot possibly live up to that in my own strength.
Day in day out, moment by moment, I should be seeking the filling of the Holy Spirit, drawing on His strength to carry my cross. I know that if I can be together with Jesus in His death, I will be together with Him in His resurrection. I’m trying …

 

The Road To Hell

Posted on by June 27, 2014
Reply

Mathew 7:13   Enter you in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Have you ever done something with the best of intentions, and have it go wrong, so that you become a hindrance and not a help? I have. In fact there are days when it seems like the story of my life. How does that work?
There are some interesting quotations around this area. The one most of us are familiar with is “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Dr. Johnson, the great English writer and dictionary creator is often given as a source — but it really goes back much further. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux is recorded as saying “Hell is full of good intentions or desires.” There’s another one that I really can’t find a source for but which also seems to be the point: “Hell is full of good meanings, but heaven is full of good works”.
As I’ve thought about this, I have realized that for me, at least, there are two issues.
The first is that sometimes the intentions are my intentions, and thinking about how I would value the results. That means I’m missing at least two points of view: that of the person I’m trying to “help”, and God’s!
The second is that it’s much harder for me to predict the results of my actions than it is for me to think of my well-intentioned “good deeds”.
So what should I do? How about I just give up, and stop trying to help? That idea surely has something to recommend it. If I don’t do anything, nothing can go wrong. Hmmm … Attractive, but wrong, I think. Jesus does not command passivity. Instead He says “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12 KJVA)
So if doing nothing isn’t the answer, how about I just go ahead and keep “helping”, and live with the pain when things go wrong? After all, don’t they say “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.” (That one’s attributed to Admiral Grace Hopper, one of my heroines.) I don’t think that’s the right answer either. It amounts to accepting I might cause harm — and I know that’s not right!
So what’s left? I’ve decided it’s a bit of a mixture. I know that just going ahead on the basis of my good intentions will surely lead to the hell of unexpected consequences. But doing nothing means passing up the chance to do some good. So I’m going to stop, and pray, and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance — and if there isn’t time, I’ll take that as a sign to do nothing!
How about you? How does this work out in your life? I’d like to hear!

The Flying Trapeze

Posted on by June 26, 2014
Reply

Hebrews 11:1 — Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Do you like circuses? I can’t remember the last time I saw one, but I know that I was less impressed by the animals and more impressed by the amazing feats of daring performed by the trapeze artists. 
In my high school years I attended what was considered  a “good” school for the area I lived in. We had two gymnasiums. The “New” gymnasium was not more than twenty years old. The “Old” gymnasium dated from before the second world war! In that dilapidated hall there were hung two pairs of trapezes, and we were encouraged to use them, and fly from one to another … launching ourselves into the air and hoping to connect at the other end. Of course we were only a few feet of the ground, and had rubber mats to land on if we missed our grab. Despite that it took all my nerve to make my hands let go of the fly bar and grab for the other.   
I was musing on faith today, and it came to me that the action of faith is something like flying from one trapeze to another. When we take that leap of faith, we let go of whatever we’ve been depending on and trust that God will catch us. We know He’s going to be there for us, even when we can’t see Him. In fact it’s not so much the way it was for me in the Old Gym as it is for those amazing circus artists. The trapezes are high of the ground, but when I let go I’m not aiming at a bar, but at a catcher who will reach out for me and grab me. I can rely on it.
It seems to me, too, that Jesus was the ultimate “daring young man on the flying trapeze”. He was obedient even to death on the cross. He launched Himself into eternity. On that cross He died, hanging, waiting for His Father to catch Him. There was a dreadful, agonizing, heart-stopping moment when it seemed He lost His essential certainty: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (There is a view that says the words were not words of despair, but words intended to make us better understand the need for Jesus’s sufferings, but I think that’s a stretch).
Jesus launched himself into death … and His Father caught Him and took Him up. We must do likewise, being buried in the likeness of His death and raised in the newness of life. Have you let go of the fly bar? 

A Man Of Good Character

Posted on by June 25, 2014
Reply

Genesis 6:8-9 — But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 

Noah was unique. He was “just” — righteous. It is the same word that God uses to describe His own righteousness. Noah wasn’t, if you will pardon the pun, just “just”, he was perfect. Now, that perfection does not imply that he was faultless – more of that later. But it does imply that he was a “complete” man. You could rely on his integrity. The term is the same as that used for sacrifices. They are “unblemished”, fit for the Lord. So was Noah.
Noah was perfect “in his generations”. The implication is that he was, amongst all those of his times, unique. He was surrounded by wicked people, and he alone was righteous. How difficult that must have been.
Noah shared a privilege that was surely almost unique with, I think, only two other men. He, like Enoch, was said to have “walked with God”. Although it isn’t said explicitly in the bible, perhaps the same might be said of Adam. That walking with God surely suggests a very close communion. Like Moses, Noah was surely a friend of God – and probably a friend of nobody else.
Could they see this about me, I wonder? “These are the generations of Ian: Ian was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Ian walked with God.” I don’t think so! My righteousness is not anything like so absolute, and my integrity not so complete. Fortunately, I have two advantages that Noah did not. There may be many wicked people in my generations, but there are plenty of righteous people too. I am not like poor, solitary, isolated Noah. Then, too, I have a clear understanding of where to take my sins. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).
Noah was a sinner. “And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.” (Genesis 9:21). I find that really comforting, for two reasons. First, even the best of us can do silly things, and fall into sin. Second, God’s not going to stop being my friend just because of the stupid sinful things I do. That’s really good news because I do a lot of stupid sinful things!
Sad to say, Noah’s drunkenness led to Ham’s disrespect — and that’s something else to know. Our sins can undermine the character of others. And I can’t help thinking that a man of good character didn’t make that mistake twice.

 
 

God Isn’t Like That

Posted on by June 24, 2014
Reply

2 Samuel 12:9-10 — Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

I read a devotion today — another man’s inspiration. Now it’s dangerous to disagree with another man’s point of view on these things (and he is a very distinguished man!) — but today I feel I must. The gist of the piece was “The little boy was good, because if he was good, he’d get ice cream, but if he played up — no ice cream. It’s not like that with God, He loves us no matter what we do, and will always welcome us back with open arms if we stray.”
No don’t mistake me — it’s absolutely right. God loves us unconditionally. But there’s a risk of making a connection that isn’t intended. The connections to be avoided are first that – somehow – the father’s (human) love is reliably connected to behavior and consequences and second that – somehow – the Father’s (divine) love has no connection to consequences. Both of these need to be treated carefully.
Let’s take the human issue first. First, of course, the assumption that human parents always love their children is sadly unfounded. Then the idea that the loving parent is always using consequences in the best interests of the beloved child is on rocky ground too. Maybe Dad was offering ice cream in the hopes that peace would reign long enough for him to watch the end of the game! Even the well intentioned parent doesn’t always get it right. God isn’t like that!
The divine side of the question is almost exactly opposite. God’s love is guaranteed. It is unconditional.
God only ever uses “consequences” because He loves us. 
God’s consequences are measured — the right consequences for each one of us, in our own particular circumstances.
The story of David’s sin with Bathsheba and its consequences is a good example. David killed Uriah with the sword and therefore the sword would not depart from his house. David committed adultery privately and would be shamed publicly. But God didn’t stop loving David, and when David had repented He gave him a son, Solomon. It’s an interesting name that can be interpreted “his peace”, “(God) is peace”, or “his replacement.”
God’s love is perfect. Man’s is not. Let’s be careful not to mix them up!

Restoration

Posted on by June 23, 2014
Reply

Joel 2:23-27 — Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

I love this passage in Joel’s book. Joel, like quite a few of the prophets, is personally anonymous. He’s “Joel, the son of Pethuel” and that’s about all we know of him for sure. It seems to me, though, that he was an educated man, and a man who loved the land — not, perhaps, as austere as some of the other prophets.
The whole book of Joel is beautiful but I’m not sure why I feel such a connection to this passage. It might be because I didn’t accept Christ as my Lord until I was forty seven years old. That’s a lot of years for the lotus to have eaten!
God promises to send the early and the latter rains. As well as the material blessing, the rains symbolize the return of righteousness to the land. Next he promises to return the “years” that the lotuses have eaten — the damage done by the lotuses was felt for several years. Now the good things lost in that time will be fully replaced — and the word used carries the sense of “legally restored”. The judge has promised!
Not only will the good things consumed by the locusts be restored, but the people will celebrate in abundance. They had brought shame to themselves and dishonor to the name of The Lord. Now He promises to wipe away the shame and to restore His name.
Finally, in the greatest promise of the greatest blessing, The Lord promises that He will dwell among His people.
This grand passage tells the story of grace in a few short
verses. When we go astray, God will discipline us if we are truly His children. When we repent, He will restore us. Better yet, there will come a day when He will restore His creation and dwell among us!
When I look at this portion of scripture, and then I look at my life — the former years and the later years — I know His grace in my life too. It’s a wonder, and I am grateful.

The Church Of The Broken

Posted on by June 22, 2014
Reply

Matthew 9:10-13 — And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Perhaps the devotions of the last two days have been a bit abstract, a bit far from daily life. If so, perhaps today’s will be a bit more “down to earth”. It’s inspired by something in one of the devotions Myra and I use every morning. Oswald Chamber’s “Devotions For A Deeper Life” can be a bit dour, even a bit harsh, but today’s reading sounded a beautifully compassionate note:

If our religion is only one of sunshine for the healthy-minded, it is no good, because many people throughout the world are not capable of enjoying sunshine. …
… But the wonder of our Lord Jesus Christ is just this: You can confront Him with any kind of person you like — no matter how wan and dejected — and He can put that person into a right relationship with God.

This is an amazing truth, and a key to understanding the nature of the Christian Church. All too often people on the outside believe that “goodness” is some kind of qualification for church membership. Sadly, some churchgoers even seem to agree with them — but nothing could be further from the truth! Jesus Himself made it clear.
This is a great encouragement to me. I wonder what sort of Christian you are? Are you the kind that is always full of peace and joy — living, as it were, always enjoying the sunshine? Are you the kind that always seems to be being rained on — always struggling, always falling, never feeling the sun? Or maybe you a Christian like me — generally sunny, but with occasional showers?
In His church Jesus lays a table and issues an invitation to dine with Him. Who does He invite? Not those who are secure, like the Pharisees, in their own “righteousness”. No, He invites “the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.” (Luke 14:21 KJVA). The position is nicely stated in a quotation whose origin is hard to trace but which was certainly used by Abigail Van Buren (“Dear Abby”) in a 1964 column: “The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.”
Isn’t it wonderful? No matter who you are, or what you’ve done, the doors are open!

Beyond Human Understanding

Posted on by June 21, 2014
Reply

Isaiah 53:5 — But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Honest theologians must, I think, admit that the best they can do is do the best they can to explain the things of God sufficiently so that we can have some understanding of the God with whom we are building relationships. (That was a long sentence — I hope it made sense!)
Consider this question of the Trinity. I like what the Moody Handbook of Theology says about it:

The Trinity of God is a doctrine that is fundamental to the Christian faith; belief or disbelief in the Trinity marks orthodoxy from unorthodoxy. Human reason, however, cannot fathom the Trinity, nor can logic explain it, and, although the word itself is not found in the Scriptures, the doctrine is plainly taught in the Scriptures.

This goes to the heart of our faith. Jesus said to Peter, “But what about you? Who you say I am?” It’s a question that has more to it than we might at first expect. Peter’s answer, of course, was “Thou art the Christ”. Jesus is God, the Son of God.
Jesus is God, the Son of God, part of the Trinity. That has some implications that, perhaps, we don’t always fully understand. Consider, for instance:

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8)

This passage is used as the basis for a scriptural doctrine — a debate, perhaps — about something called “Kenosis” from a Greek word for “emptying” which occurs in Philippians 2:7. The Greek says that Jesus “emptied” Himself — but what did He empty Himself of? Some theologians suggest He laid aside His Godhead. It seems the idea of the Trinity makes that impossible.
Then there’s that scandalous cross. Jesus “became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”. But who was it who died on the cross? Jesus, of course. But Jesus is a person in the Trinity. The Trinity is “three in oneness”. The persons are not separable. Where the Son is, there too are the Father and the Spirit. That idea rocked me when I first got it. The Father and the Spirit were on the cross too. From before there was time, that was the plan.
Do you understand all of this? I don’t. I don’t have the concepts, the words, the sheer range of knowledge to wrap my head around the things of God. My only consolation is that the more I study, the more I’ve come to believe that the same is true of the smartest theologians. The best that they do is provide us with wonderful tools to get closer to God — all of God. I shouldn’t be surprised, of course, because God tells us about Himself:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Does this mean I’m going to stop reading and studying? Not for a moment. In fact it just makes me hungrier … and teaches me that I need all the teachers I can get!

The Holy Spirit

Posted on by June 20, 2014
Reply

Ephesians 4:30 — And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Ephesians 5:18 — And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

In a piece a few days ago, I mentioned the Holy Spirit and His influence in my life and afterwards Myra commented that people don’t talk about Him much. As I reflected on what she had said I felt the truth of it, and I wondered why it was that this third person of the Godhead gets, as it were, less than His fair share of coverage. Scripture is full of information about Him, and even a brief survey shows how much we have to be grateful for.
The first thing that we might look at is that the Holy Spirit is the primary actor in what fancy theologians call “regeneration”, but most of us call “being born again”:

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. (John 3:5-8)

After we are born again, the Spirit living inside us is also responsible for making us holy. (The fancy word for that is sanctification):

… that I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. (Romans 15:16)

The Spirit gives us many wonderful gifts. A big one for me is peace:

… for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 14:17)

It is the Holy Spirit, too, that enables us to love one another:

… with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2-3)

Of course, the Holy Spirit doesn’t give us these great gifts for nothing — He also empowers us for mission:

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

The Holy Spirit is also our conscience — He convicts us of sin:

And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (John 16:8)

There’s also a wonderful part that the Spirit plays when we are at our wits end. He takes our needs and presents them to the Father on our behalf:

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)

Now I promise you I have only scratched the surface. The Holy Spirit does so many wonderful things. You can read about Him all through the Bible. So how come He doesn’t get the attention that the Father and Son get? Well I have a theory. It’s right there … “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”. We know about fathers, and the relationship with fathers. We know about sons, and the relationship with sons. Perhaps the problem is we don’t know about Spirits and how to relate to Spirits? However that might be, if you’re not as close to the Holy Spirit as you are to the Father and the Son you could spend some extra time reading about Him. I promise the effort will be worthwhile!

Enemies All Around

Posted on by June 19, 2014
Reply

Psalm 57:4 — My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

Have you ever had one of those days? You know … One if those days when nothing seems to be working out? When people you thought were friends have turned on you and seem to be to be working together to make you look bad? David would know how you felt. Psalm 57 is about a time when Saul and his followers were accusing him of all kinds of wickedness. Saul! Saul, who above all people should have been full of gratitude to him.
It is natural, when we are attacked, to strike back. It is natural to return insult for insult, slander for slander. David, though, responded differently. Like his Lord after him “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth:”. David chose a different path, he appealed to a higher court.
The next verse in the Psalm says, “Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.” It is a direct request to God to show, by His justice, how great He is. From here David will go on to restate his complaint and then calm himself, come before God in praise and finally repeat his appeal that God be exalted in justice.
I’m not sure why this is in my mind today. There have been times when people talked behind my back, but that’s not now. But I know that when it did go on, I didn’t show David’s grace under pressure. It really was remarkable. Look how verse 4 starts. It doesn’t say “when things are sorted out, I will lie down.” It says “I lie even among them that are set on fire”. David, knowing he us under vicious attack, lies down in the midst if his attackers, a lamb amongst lions. Charles Spurgeon comments:
Perhaps Saul and his band kindled a fire in the cavern while they halted in it, and David was thus reminded of the fiercer fire of their hate which burned within their hearts. Like the bush in Horeb, the believer is often in the midst of flames, but never consumed. It is a mighty triumph of faith when we can lie down even among firebrands and find rest, because God is our defense.
As I said, I don’t know why this was in my mind today. Perhaps you’re reading this, and feeling you’re under attack. If it’s you, can you take David’s place, and lie down and let The Lord take it? If you can, the rewards are great.