The Promise

Then they despised the pleasant land,
having no faith in his promise.
-- Psalm 106:24

The Israelites doubted God when he told them to go into the land of Canaan, the promised land and take it. They feared the powers of the world and stood in stiff necked unbelief before God.

God has promised me Paradise through his gift of faith, through the work of his Son.

Here I am. I stand on the edge of "the promised land." Paradise. Do I doubt his promise? Do I fear death?

Bad News

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight."

Matthew 3:3

The "good news" doesn't always seem so good if one doesn't understand the "bad news" that precedes it.  Many live today that do not comprehend the meaning and significance of what Christ has done. I would submit that often these unsaved people are unmoved by Christ's death and resurrection, even though they have heard about it, because they fail to see their depraved state and/or their inability to rectify the situation through self work.  They do not believe the wrath of God remains upon them (John 3:36,  Eph 5:6). In fact, many do not believe God has wrath toward anyone -- that he loves and will provide good things for all in the end -- irrespective of one's love for Him and behavior. The "bad news" is that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23), God hates and cannot dwell with wickedness (Ps. 5:4, 5) and the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). The wrath of God is therefore deserved by all. More "bad news" is that God's wrath must be exhausted for each sin that is committed by each one of us.  Therefore, if nothing absorbs God's wrath, we are in for a lot of pain -- and we deserve it.  This is the "bad news", that the wrath of God is coming, and his anger is aimed at us! As I was reading about John the Baptist this week, it appeared to me that John was the bearer of the "bad news" to his generation (and ours). He prepared the way of the Lord and made his paths straight by telling the people to repent and turn from their wicked ways because:  

"His (the Lord's) winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." (Matthew 3:12)

The fact is God's wrath for our sin can only be exhausted through punishment to us or to Jesus Christ. Every sin will be dealt with fully.  We can pay ourselves or Christ can pay for us, but someone will pay.  Who do you want to pay for your sins? Romans 6:23 begins with:  "The wages of sin is death" but ends with: "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." We can have eternal life only through faith in Christ and his propitiation (wrath absorption) as a gift.  Jesus comes after John and preaches the  "bad news" and the "good news", the gospel. 

I wondered this week how often we share our faith without really sharing the "bad news".  It seems "politically incorrect" in todays world to talk about hell or judgement. I know I often lean toward telling of the gospel without ever delving into the wrath of God.  But really, is not the "bad news" a necessary part of describing appropriately what Christ has done for us? John certainly thought so. 

Bread Alone

Man shall not live by bread alone but
    by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Matthew 4:4

I was struck by this verse this morning as I prayed. A number of things popped out to me. First, what does it mean to "live"? Obviously, all men need food to exist in our current state. Without it we would starve. But is this verse speaking of another, fuller life? Jesus said, "I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).  Paul said, "The righteous shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17).  And, Jesus again said, "I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6). Matthew 4:4 cannot be speaking of every man as not every man exists on this earth through sustenance on the word of God. So, I would submit that Jesus is speaking of a life that is unique to a believer and that that life is sustained, nurtured and/or advanced through a regular diet on the word of God and continues into eternity. The second observation I had was that Jesus is the Word of God. He is also the Bread of Life (John 6:48, 51). Not only is the scripture to be a regular source of life giving grace to a disciple, but Jesus himself is the ultimate fulfillment of scripture and the ultimate source of our "life". The third observation is that a follower of Christ can exist on worldly food without a reliance on scripture and Jesus. This is a often a life of dryness, worry and fruitlessness...a place I have ventured unfortunately long and often. Today, I am concentrating on feasting on Jesus Christ and His Word. What else is it that I need? 

Temptation

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
-Matthew 4:1

Observations:

1. Note that the Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness. The wilderness here is a difficult physical place, a desert.
2. Note that the devil tempts Jesus to sin. The Spirit does not tempt (James 1:13) but allows Jesus to be tested by Satan. Note also that temptation is not sin, and that Jesus victoriously passes the test.

Application:

1. God may at times lead us into a "wilderness" even when we are not living in purposeful sin. This is always for God's glory and ultimately for our benefit (Romans 8:28). If sinless Jesus Christ was led by God into the desert, should we be surprised if we find ourselves there?
2. We are tempted by the world, our own sinful flesh and the devil. Jesus was tempted and did not sin. So too, we can be tempted without sinning to the glory of God.

Weighed Down

But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation* and drunkenness and cares of life and that day come upon you like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell upon the earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the son of man.
-Luke 21:34-36

*Dissipation: wasteful expenditure or consumption; indulgence in sensual pleasure

If I stand, let me stand on the promise that You will pull me through, and if I can't, let me fall on the grace that first brought me to You.
-Rich Mullins

Lord, have mercy on me, a great sinner.

The Soldier

Lord, my purpose is to glorify you - that is to obey, serve, worship and believe you. (Note: to love you is to obey you). As a "soldier" for Jesus Christ then I should not get involved in any affairs that hinder or limit that purpose (2 Timothy 2). Outside interests are ok as long as they are not sinful (disobedience) AND do not interfere with my ultimate purpose.

Happiness

I have been meditating on Psalm 1 and thought I would share some of the things God has been showing me.  It is a beautiful Psalm with many nuggets to be considered.  

Psalm 1 First Part

Blessed is the man

   who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

   nor stands in the way of sinners,

   nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in the law of the LORD,

   and on his law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 1 contains the formula for happiness....

"Blessed" means to be happy and at peace.  So, the psalm notes that it is what a man or woman does or does not do that gives him or her happiness/peace.  First the psalmist reveals that a happy person does not listen to the counsel or advice of the wicked person and follow it.  Now we must define "wicked person."  I would submit to you that all people are wicked. All deserve hell.  There is none righteous, no not one.  But those who believe in Jesus Christ, trust in him for salvation, and obey his commands are credited with the righteousness of Christ and therefore are no longer wicked.  They sin accidently until the end times, but are counted as righteous.  So the wicked are the people who do not trust in and obey Jesus Christ.  We should not follow their advice.  Second, the blessed person does not "stand in the way of sinners."  This means they do not stand as if a sinner or act like a sinner.  In other words, they do not keep sinning.  They will fail but they are different from the people around them who stand as sinners do.  Next, the believers do not sit in the seat of scoffers.  To scoff is to compare oneself to another and think less of that person.  We are to love our neighbor as ourselves, and in reality, practically all comparison of one person to another leads to sin. We should avoid it. We should not even gather with those who scoff.  These are the things the happy person does not do, but then the psalmist tells us what we should do. 

The blessed person delights in the law of the Lord.  The law in this case means the word of God.  So, the blessed person loves the bible and likes to read it.  This is not necessarily something that happens the first time someone picks up the book.  It may take time.  But with familiarity and consistency a deep affection for God's word develops in those who believe and obey.  This can lead to meditation which is a type of prayer where a person considers and thinks about what God is saying in his word about people/me and about Him.  It is not that a happy person does these things.  It is that a person who does these things is made happy. For it is God alone who gives peace and satisfaction in life.  Just as we look to Him for salvation, we should look to him for satisfaction.

God will not go forth with that man who marches in his own strength.
--C.H. Spurgeon

Save Me, O My God

O LORD, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
many are saying of my soul,
there is no salvation for him in God.

Satan is my ultimate foe, wanting me
to doubt my salvation and to render
me ineffective.

But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,
my glory and the lifter of my head.
I cried aloud to the LORD,
and he answered me from his holy hill.

God protects against Satan,
evil men's schemes, useless
affliction and loss of salvation.


He restores unto me the joy of my
salvation.

I lay down and slept;
I awoke again, for the LORD sustained me.
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

Whom shall I fear if the LORD loves
me? Perfect love drives out fear and
God is perfect love.


I awoke because the LORD has
something for me to do on earth
today.

Arise, O LORD!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.

Salvation belongs to the LORD;
your blessing be on your people.


Psalm 3 with comments.

Men God Uses

RAY ORTLUND'S blog at the Gospel Coalition....

What kind of men does God use?

Horatius Bonar, writing the preface to John Gillies’ Accounts of Revival regarding the leaders of the First Great Awakening, proposed that men useful to the Holy Spirit for revival stand out in these nine ways:

1. They are in earnest: “They lived and labored and preached like men on whose lips the immortality of thousands hung.”

2. They are bent on success: “As warriors, they set their hearts on victory and fought with the believing anticipation of triumph, under the guidance of such a Captain as their head.”

3. They are men of faith: “They knew that in due season they should reap, if they fainted not.”

4. They are men of labor: “Their lives are the annals of incessant, unwearied toil of body and soul; time, strength, substance, health, all they were and possessed they freely offered to the Lord, keeping back nothing, grudging nothing.”

5. They are men of patience: “Day after day they pursued what, to the eye of the world, appeared a thankless and fruitless round of toil.”

6. They are men of boldness: “Timidity shuts many a door of usefulness and loses many a precious opportunity; it wins no friends, while it strengthens every enemy. Nothing is lost by boldness, nor gained by fear.”

7. They are men of prayer: “They were much alone with God, replenishing their own souls out of the living fountain, that out of them might flow to their people rivers of living water.”

8. They are men of strong doctrine: “Their preaching seems to have been of the most masculine and fearless kind, falling on the audience with tremendous power. It was not vehement, it was not fierce, it was not noisy; it was far too solemn to be such; it was massive, weighty, cutting, piercing, sharper than a two-edged sword.”

9. They are men of deep spirituality: “No frivolity, no flippancy . . . . The world could not point to them as being but slightly dissimilar from itself.”

No Satisfaction?

Dissatisfaction with life is most commonly a sign I want God's "stuff" instead of God. The main exception to this is when I desire a closer communion with God in my heavenly home.

Prayer

Today I sat to pray and had nothing. So I asked God to help me. Then I sat and "listened". One after another, God brought things and people to me to consider or for which to intercede. I had no agenda. I had nothing I wanted to accomplish in order to be more "spiritual". And I was filled with a great sense of God's love for me and even a sense on a couple of prayers that he was going to work in a mighty way to bring good. Thank you Lord for your goodness to me. May I sit like Mary at your feet and listen to your Spirit all the time. Amen