Apr
2015

The Glory of the Lord

I have had an odd mixture of Scripture reading and church calendar this week. I have found myself reading through Ezekiel, and I have made some interesting connections in the juxtaposition of God’s destruction of Jerusalem and our celebration of Easter.

In Ezekiel, the glory of the Lord is seen leaving the temple, leaving Jerusalem, and bringing judgment to that great city for its sins against the covenant. Ezekiel’s life becomes a living “sign” of what is to come when God instructs him to live out what will come. We see God drawing near to his people — but drawing near in judgment and it is terrifying!

In James, we read in chapter 2 about the Lord Jesus Christ, the glory [of the Lord]. God once again drew near to his people, as Jesus came in to the world to seek and to save that which was lost. At Easter, we celebrate that Jesus came to proclaim the year of God’s favor (Luke 4:19). We marvel at God’s grace to pull sinners to himself and make us part of his family.

Lastly, I remember that Jesus in Luke 4 when reading the scroll skipped over the last phrase from Isaiah 61:2, “to proclaim the year of God’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God”. Jesus said the first half of that phrase was fulfilled in his time. We wait the fulfillment of the latter part when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead, to set things right, and to destroy death. Let us proclaim this great truth: God shows favor/mercy through Jesus. We cannot wait forever for Jesus is coming. Amen; come Lord Jesus!

Mar
2015

The Little Things

It’s the little things — the small tests — that always trip me up the most, that interfere with my daily Christian walk. I can bear the stress of a looming deadline at work or the big unexpected repairs at home or even an extended hospital stay. But ask me how well I handle dropping a spoon when setting the table or a yapping dog at 3:00 am, and I have to admit (sheepishly) that I do not handle it too well at all. Anger and frustration and cursing are all waiting for me at those times because it seems so much more controllable than a big calamity.

I wonder if our perspectives get messed up with our facade of control. It plays a big part in my own life when I worry over small things – as if there were a part of the universe in which I am actually in charge and have somehow failed to manage properly. I have to give up my self-appointed role as overseer of the universe; that job is already filled.

James is convicting not just because I do not hold the “long view” in my sight (God’s work for my perfection) but because I cannot control my tongue either. But to the first goal: we tend to think of endurance in the big calamities of life, but we forget the “long obedience in the same direction”. Our small daily decisions to follow Christ shape who we are — and what trajectory our life is on.

Mar
2015

A Revolution in Our Thinking

first-baptist-church-mosaic

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds (James 1:2, ESV)

James interestingly enough does not say “Be joyful” when you meet hardships. He knows that hardships are not pleasant; he knows that hardships can cause great sadness. The psalms, the great songbook of our faith, reflect the great depths of emotion that a person can have in serving God. But what James tells us is how to think, not how to feel.

Hardship and trial comes, and James wants us to have a certain attitude when the testing arrives. Because trials and tests, in whatever shape they may take, naturally imperil our persistence in faith. Our attitudes are critical to how we come out on the other side of the trial. He wants us to seek out a contentment in every situation, to pursue a “deep, steady, and unadulterated thankful trust” in God.

for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:3-4 ESV)

James explains his command to “count it all joy” by pointing out the purpose behind the trials and tests: they lead to endurance (steadfastness), and then endurance leads to maturity and perfection. This is no easy task; it seems downright impossible when we consider that Jesus said, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). However, God designs testing to result in our “long obedience in the same direction” (to borrow from Eugene Peterson’s book). We face tests that prove us, that refine us as silver and gold are refined, that purify our faith. Our Christian character is rounded out incrementally and through continual striving — in the tests we are given.

James tells us to have a lifestyle marked by increasing maturity. Increasing maturity draws us closer to God. And that is why we can think about joy during a test: we see the benefit in a more mature life, a purer faith, following Jesus (Heb. 12:1-2).

Mar
2015

An Overview of James

During the start of any book study, we take some time, before getting into verse 1, to discuss the book itself. Who wrote it? Why was it written? To whom was it written? What are the major themes?

Randy and I are using several different commentaries, but for the overview, I drew mainly from the Zondervan Exegetical on James by Blomberg and Kammell. It is well written and organized; I highly recommend it.

The bottom-line we drew from the book of James is below:

James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote the letter to the ethnic Jewish-Christian communities in Syria and Cilicia. James wrote his letter in the early to mid-40s A.D., meaning it is likely one of the earliest New Testament texts we possess! James focuses his letter on the issues facing the communities: trials and temptations; wisdom in speech and obedience; riches and poverty.

The presentation I prepared for the class is available. Download it and go through it again.

Mar
2015

The James Challenge

At the end of January, our Sunday school class began studying the book of James in the New Testament. I challenged the class to read through the book at least three times each week. The book has about 100 verses and can be read in about 15 minutes. Its directness and focus on practical Christianity has made it a favorite of men and women throughout the centuries.

If you accept this challenge, by the end of our study, you will have read James more than 30 times. By fully immersing yourself into the text you will come to truly know the text. You will deepen your understanding of James and the Christian life. Ask God to open your heart to his Word. Trust the Holy Spirit to illuminate the text and provide guidance and understanding.

Will you accept the challenge with me? We must shape our minds to Scripture (and not Scripture to our minds). And we do that by reading and thinking it over. I see something new to meditate on each time I read James, and I hope you will find value in combing through the book several times a week.

 

(Note: challenge idea came from Joe Carter’s post “How to Change Your Mind”, http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-to-change-your-mind1.)

Sep
2012

Memorizing Colossians

We began memorizing Colossians this week. Our mission, so to speak, is the commit Paul’s letter to memory in the next fifteen weeks. We should be done by Christmas.

I am excited about learning this book. Each week, I will post the verses we are learning. In between work and home, I will write up notes learned from my study — and from my partners, I hope to get their thoughts posted as well.

Paul teaches about the doctrine of Christ more fully and systematically than in his earlier epistles. Paul teaches about what they already have: a hope laid up in heaven, an inheritance with the saints, deliverance from the tyranny of darkness, a seat with the risen Christ. Against the false teachings facing the Colossians, Paul reminds them Christ had done all that was necessary for their salvation (O’Brien). From the ESV Study Bible, the key themes of Colossians are:
  • Jesus Christ is preeminent over all creation, Lord over all human rulers and cosmic powers (Col. 1:15–20; Col. 2:9–10; Col. 3:1)
  • God has worked through Christ to secure redemption and reconciliation for all who put their faith in him (Col. 1:13–14, 20–22)
  • Believers are in Christ and thus participate in a relationship of solidarity with Christ in his death on the cross, his resurrection from the dead, his new life, and his fullness (Col. 2:9–14; Col. 3:1–4)
  • Christ has defeated the powers of darkness on the cross, and Christians share in his power and authority over that realm (Col. 2:10, 15; see also Col. 2:8, 20)
  • Jesus is the fulfillment of Jewish expectation, and Christians now share in the heritage of the old covenant people of God through their union with him (Col. 1:12, 21–22, 27)
  • Believers are called to grow in maturity in Christ by getting rid of sinful practices and cultivating Christian virtues (Col. 1:10–12, 28; Col. 3:1–4:6)
Aug
2012

Salvation is God’s forte (Psalm 3)

I am continuing with Dale Ralph Davis’s book on the first twelve psalms, The Way of the Righteous in the Muck of Life. Psalm 3 is the first psalm with an attribution – “A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.” Starting in 2 Samuel 15, David’s trouble with Absalom reaches a climax.

David confesses to God that his enemies are many. His own son is against him. His valued counselor, Ahithophel, joins with Absalom (2 Samuel 15:31). His enemies grate on David, implying that God will not help, that he will not save. How does David react? He runs to that same God, cries to him in his anguish.

David fills his vision with God, meeting his enemies’ talk with the truth about God. God protects like a shield, both physically and spiritually. David claims God as his “glory”, a term denoting the ideas of weightiness, substance, and wealth. His kingdom is in jeopardy, yet David finds all he needs in the Lord himself. David left with his head covered (2 Samuel 15:30), but he was confident in God’s restoring grace. Lifting of the head hearkened back to the blessing on Israel (Numbers 6:24-26). Even as David left Jerusalem, he knew the Lord was accessible, answering from his “holy hill” (Psalm 3:4).

David enjoyed peace because of who God is. He felt immediate peace (“I lay down and slept”) and long-term peace (“I will not be afraid …”). The peace controls how he looked at the future. It is a peace that Paul commended to the Philippians – a supernatural peace from God (Philippians 4:6-7). David’s peace does not come because the turmoil around him ends; it comes because he rests in God’s peace … and then sleeps (Psalm 127:2).

David prayed for deliverance, for God’s work to be done on his enemies (Psalm 3:7). We are reminded that physical and spiritual salvation can be a nasty piece of work (Revelation 6:9-10). It is altogether God’s work though; we pray for God’s servants to be vindicated by God himself … but in his time. Salvation is God’s forte, his work and his decision, not David’s enemies.

Where does this leave us? We can identify with David; he acts as a representative of God’s people. As David came to the Lord in trouble, we do as well. As David faced enemies, we do too: our sin, our world, and our enemy, Satan. We too need to run to the Lord, as David did, even as our enemies whisper that God wants nothing to do with us.

Aug
2012

Where is history going? (Psalm 2)

Progressing from Psalm 1 to Psalm 2 expands from the individual person to the nations as a whole. Originally, this psalm was likely used in coronation ceremonies. The Davidic king was the Lord’s “anointed”. Yet, Psalm 2 points beyond a human king to the ultimate Son of David, Jesus Christ. He will be our focus.

The world, represented by the kings and rulers, is hostile to the Lord and his Anointed (“messiah”). We see in Acts 4:23-31 that this hostility spills onto the Lord’s people. Dale Ralph Davis asks, “What are we to make of this?” We understand that a proper worldview starts with this understanding: the world hates God, detests his Messiah, and despises his people.

But is there any consolation for the Lord’s people? Yes, God is unimpressed by this world-wide rebellion – he laughs at them all! Our consolation is grounded is this truth: God’s kingdom cannot be destroyed. God has installed his own king on Zion to rule over the nations. It may start visibly small, but will grow until it fills the earth.

God’s decree determines who will rule. The nations and rules have plotted, but God has decided and acted. God has appointed the king, with world-wide sway, who will be established in overwhelming force. The view of where everything is headed will act as glue for God’s people.

God offers the rebellious mercy if they come and make peace. They can avoid danger and experience joy, but it requires total submission to the Son. God is in the business of saving rebels. God is in control, which comforts us during persecution and urges us to share God’s mercy – which we rebels have already received.

 

Aug
2012

The Believer’s Life (Psalm 1)

Dale Ralph Davis, in his book The Way of the Righteous in the Muck of Life, says that this psalm tackles matters of supreme importance right at the start. Two ways, two destinies — essentially two humanities — are laid out before us. This psalm captures the direction, the description, and the destiny of the believer’s life.

In an earlier post, I wrote about the direction of a believer’s life. In Psalm 1:1-2, that direction is largely captured by what the righteous man or woman does not do. Yet there is also an aspect of what the righteous do: he takes signals for living from the law of God (the “torah“). The believer is preoccupied with the Word of God, working it into her very being.

The blessings that describe the believer’s life flow from living out of the Word of God. Psalm 1:3-4 describes the believer’s life as a life filled with stability (“planted”), marked by vitality (“by streams of water”), given to productivity (“yields its fruit”), established in durability (“does not wither”), and grown in prosperity (“prospers”). But we must not over-read what the Psalmist is saying. This psalm shares many qualities with wisdom literature. It uses stark contrasts at a summary level, with broad brush strokes but few qualifiers. Later psalms (such as Psalm 3 and 4) should disabuse of the notion that all is always well for the Christian.

The psalm culminates with two destinies; it is a very serious and solemn ending. The wicked have no justification, no communion with the righteous, and no hope. “The way of the wicked will perish.” Yet the destiny of the righteous is different. The Lord continually knows the way of the righteous. The God who cares for every step the righteous takes will also care when he steps into judgment.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)

Aug
2012

Read the Psalms on your knees

For any Christian for whom prayer is becoming formal and stereotyped, the Psalms provide a rich source of inspiration. It is true that to read the Psalms on your knees, as it were, can be a great boost to one’s prayer experience. The book of Psalms provides the most sustained and concentrated biblical expressions of prayer. There are two qualifications I would make to this recommendation to resort directly to the Psalms for prayer.

You can read the two qualifications he makes about praying the Psalms at the link below. Great insight into the significance of the Psalms for prayer.

via Read the Psalms on your knees | The Briefing.