Five Kingdom Parables

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-50

The Gospel reading for today from this week’s Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer presents five short, brief parables, each revealing a different facet of the Kingdom of Heaven.  Through these specific parables Jesus is teaching of the supernatural growth of God’s Kingdom, the transforming power of the Gospel, along with the surpassing worth of salvation, and then the final separation of the righteous from the wicked.  Some of these very short parables might be familiar to you, others not as much so.  Let’s take a look.

The first parable in this set is the Parable of the Mustard Seed (vs. 31-32).  The mustard seed is quite small.  Though technically not the smallest seed in the world, it would have been the smallest that Jesus’ audience would be familiar with.  Though tiny, the mustard plant would typically grow to 10-12 feet tall, with woody branches that birds would rest on.  This was an example of a small beginning to a large outcome, which also describes the early Church.  It started with just a handful of disciples and quickly spread all around the world.  The farmer plants the seed, but it is God who causes the seed to germinate and then grow to its size.  The Kingdom of God expands because God is at work (Acts 2; Matthew 16:18).  This mustard tree or plant is big enough that people easily see it, just like the Church’s testimony should be seen and visible by all.  Just as the birds come and rest in the mustard plant, the nations and peoples of the world can find refuge in the Kingdom (Ezekiel 17:23).

The second parable is the Parable of the Leaven (vs. 33).  Leaven is a substance like yeast or baking soda, which when added to the flour will make it rise.  Frequently in the Bible yeast symbolizes sin, but here Jesus uses it positively. to illustrate its influence and penetration.  Compared to the amount of flour, the yeast added is just a very small amount, yet it is very important to the making of bread.  The yeast works invisibly but thoroughly.  It makes all the difference in the world, for without it your bread recipe won’t work.  Likewise, the Kingdom of God works internally and quietly, transforming everything it touches.  God’s Kingdom changes hearts from the inside out (II Corinthians 5:17).  It permeates families, cultures, and societies.  Like yeast, the Kingdom works quietly, unseen, and slow, but it is always effective.  Once planted, it will accomplish His purpose (Isaiah 55:11).

The next parable Jesus told in this series was the Parable of the Hidden Treasure (vs. 44).  In this parable a man finds a treasure in a field, so he sells what he has in order to have enough money to buy the field.  The treasure is so important to him that he is willing to give up his belongings in order to obtain it.  His sacrifice is not reluctant, it is joyful.  The value of being part of God’s Kingdom is like that treasure.  It is worth giving up all that the world considers valuable in order to obtain it.  Genuine salvation produces a willingness to forsake anything that competes with Jesus.  This man was happy when he bought the field.  Salvation is not a loss, but a gain (Philippians 3:7-8).  As believers in God’s Kingdom, we should treasure Jesus above all earthly possessions or ambitions.

The fourth parable that Jesus told at this time is the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price (vs. 45-46).  In this parable a merchant was looking over beautiful pearls, and found one of great value.  Like the man with the field, he also sells all he has to obtain this pearl.  He doesn’t go after all of the pearls, just the one.  Likewise, there is only one true Savior, not many (Acts 4:12).  Jesus is not one option among many.  He is the only pearl worth our life.  This merchant was searching for a valuable pearl, just like those who seek truth and find Jesus.  Like this merchant and the man with the field, following Jesus requires surrender (Luke 14:33).  If we want to follow Jesus, we cannot be stuck on the things of this world.  It costs everything to follow Jesus, but once we do, we realize He is worth more than everything else.  Nothing this world offers will ever satisfy us as much as a relationship with Jesus.

The final parable is the Parable of the Dragnet (vs. 47-50).  In this parable Jesus uses a familiar fishing scenario for the people, one where fishermen throw a large net into the sea and after a brief while it is pulled in again.  The fishermen then sort out the catch, separating the good fish from the bad.  The Kingdom ends with the final judgment, with the eternal separation of the righteous and the wicked.  Jesus explicitly interprets this as the end-time judgment.  At this time the angels will divide the saved from the lost (Revelation 20:11-15).  There will be no second chances.  This judgment is irreversible.

These parables present a full picture.  The Kingdom begins small, works quietly, is worth everything, and will end in judgment.  Knowing this, we need to live with eternity in view.  We need to be sharing the Gospel with urgency.  There are many in the “net”, but not yet among the redeemed.

Our Intercessor

Romans 8:26-34

Have you ever stumbled over your words, not knowing exactly what you wanted to say?  Perhaps you were on the phone with someone from the customer service department and you were having a difficult time trying to explain something.  You wished you could just hand the phone to someone else to handle it for you.  Maybe it was in school and you had to go speak to the well-known, renowned professor.  You wished you could send your much more eloquent and charming friend on your behalf.  There are times when we feel that way when we are praying.  Can we just hand it over to someone else to handle?  St. Paul gives us the answer to that in our Scripture passage today.  Let’s see what God’s Word has to say.

We have had studies from the eighth chapter of Romans three times this month, and today is our fourth sojourn into this chapter, and next week will be our final one.  There is a lot of good, “spiritual meat” in this chapter.  Last week Paul had spoken about both creation and believers groaning with what they are going through, and today he adds a third groaning, that of the Holy Spirit on behalf of us (vs. 26). When does this happen? As I mentioned earlier, there are times when we face a very critical situation, or are carrying a very heavy burden, and we know we need to go to the Lord in prayer.  We want to go to Him in prayer, but we don’t know what to say.  It is then, as Paul says, that the Holy Spirit steps in and helps our human weakness, especially our inability to pray as we should.

Even when we can’t find the words to pray, the Holy Spirit is there, taking our requests before God.  He holds on with us, strengthening our prayers with silent, wordless intercession.  Rather than stumbling over our words, praying the wrong things, or just making a mess of our intercessions, the Holy Spirit’s intercession is perfectly aligned with God’s will (vs. 27).  Even when our prayers are confused, weak, or misdirected, the Holy Spirit prays rightly.

Next follows a verse that many people count as one of their favorites, and is often quoted when going through a difficult time.  Verse 28 assures us that whatever we are going through, the Lord will work it out for our good.  “All things” includes suffering, trials, persecution, weakness, and even our ignorance in prayer.  With how often we hear people quoting this verse, we might think that it is a cliche.  It is not, though.  It is a theological guarantee rooted in God’s eternal plan.

However, we must remember that this verse does not apply to everyone.  Paul stated that things work together for good to “those who love God”.  As we know, there are millions everywhere who do not love God, and this verse would not apply to them.  It applies only to believers, to Christians.  However, for Christians, whatever the reason for our trial, we can know that God has a purpose in that adversity, and that He has allowed it for our good.  When a bad event passes through God’s permissive will to affect us, He will bring good from it.

As we continue on in our Scripture passage we see that it is God’s desire that we are conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus (vs. 29).  It is God’s goal to make believers like His Son.  He is continually working to shape our character, conduct, and conversation.  Although God is the one who accomplishes the transformation, we have some responsibility in the process.  If we don’t cooperate with Him, the world will squeeze us into its mold, and we will miss the great plans God has for us.  As we are conformed to the image of Jesus, we will increasingly learn to be obedient to God and His Word.

The word “if” in verse 31 would be better translated as “since” because there is no question whether He might or might not be for us.  God is definitely for His children!  And since He is, no enemy - human, demonic, or circumstantial - can thwart His saving purpose for us.  God gave His Son for us, which is the greatest gift ever (vs. 32).  And because He did, He will “freely give us all things”, giving everything necessary for our salvation and perseverance.

Satan is right there, though, trying to bring accusations against us to God (vs. 33).  Scripture calls him the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10), but his accusations cannot stand because God justifies us.  There is no higher court in existence which can overturn His verdict!  There are four reasons why no one can condemn a believer (vs. 34).  Jesus died, paying the penalty for us.  He rose again, conquering death.  Jesus is now at the right hand of God, holding the place of authority.  And He is there making intercession for us, continually pleading our case.  As we see now, we have both the Holy Spirit praying for us, and also the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ!

A Godly Life in an Ungodly World

Psalm 119:121-136

This world is not an easy place, especially for a genuine believer, one who truly wishes to faithfully follow God and His Word.  If one isn’t following along with what popular society says, not only will there be harsh ridicule, but in many places there can be actual oppression.  Our psalm for this week is a portion from Psalm 119, the longest psalm, and actually the longest chapter in the Bible.  In this passage of Scripture we read the cry of a righteous servant living in an unrighteous world, clinging to God’s commandments as his only stability.

In the first half of this portion of the psalm the unknown author appealed to God’s justice, and asked Him for deliverance from his oppressors. The psalmist was a committed believer who was afflicted by those who opposed God, yet he remained faithful.  He was persecuted, yet he kept himself anchored in God’s Word.

As our portion of this psalm begins, the author asserted his integrity (vs. 121).  He wasn’t trying to say that he was sinless or perfect in God’s, or even his own sight.  He was appealing to God based on the fact that he knew that God was faithful to His covenant, and that he was committed to try and walk in obedience to the Lord.  Because he was committed to Him, he pleads with the Lord that He not abandon him to his enemies, who were also the enemies of God.  This oppression is serious, and he asked God for a pledge or guarantee that He will rescue him (vs. 122).

God doesn’t always answer our prayers immediately, the moment we pray, and that was also the case with our psalmist.  He was waiting, actually exhausted from waiting for God’s answer (vs. 123).  This is an example of the faithful endurance of a believer longing for God’s deliverance in a hostile world.  He doesn’t point to anything good in himself to deserve God’s help.  Instead he appeals to God’s mercy (vs. 124).  It is only through His grace and mercy that we receive anything good.

In the middle of his prayer for help, our psalmist declares how he loves God’s Word (vs. 125-128).  God’s people are aliens in enemy territory, and only the Bible can protect them from the lies of the oppressor.  However, we must accept all that God’s Word says about all things.  If we love the truth then we must also hate the false (vs. 128).  Today, just as in the psalmist’s day, evil has become so rampant that divine intervention is urgently needed.  We see morality collapse all around us, and long for God to act (vs. 126).

In the second half of this portion of Psalm 119, we read of the psalmist’s wonder at God’s Word, and how he prayed for spiritual illumination and God’s mercy.  God’s Word, the Bible, is our light in this increasingly dark and sinful world (vs. 130).  Earlier in this psalm, the author has told us how the Bible is a light for our path (Psalm 119:105).  Just as we need light to see where we are going so that we don’t trip, if we follow God’s Word we are less likely to trip and stumble through life.  The Lord Jesus called Himself the Light of the world (John 8:12).  With Him we never need to walk in darkness.

The Psalmist also speaks of how he longed for, even panted for God’s Word, like someone who is desperately hungry or thirsty (vs. 131).  This is reminiscent of Psalm 42:1-2, where the Sons of Korah spoke of how they longed for God, just as a thirsty deer longs for the cool water of a brook.  He depends on God’s mercy, and asks for the Lord to guide each step of his throughout life (vs. 132-133).

Again, he prays for the Lord’s deliverance from persecution (vs. 134).  We need this to be our prayer, as well, as we seek to stand for truth in a world that is increasingly hostile to Biblical authority.  The psalmist prays for God’s favor to fall upon him, just like a king’s benevolent face would turn with a smile upon a subject that he will bestow an honor upon (vs. 135).  This echoes the priestly blessing that Moses instructed Aaron and his sons to give to the people of Israel (Numbers 6:22-27).  The psalmist closes this portion of the psalm by recording how he weeps over sin, not just his own, but the sins of others (vs. 136).  This is the heart of a godly person, that they grieve over the world’s rebellion against God.

As we look back over this Scripture, we see that a godly Christian who seeks to follow the Lord will stand firm in righteousness, even when he is surrounded by evil.  The psalmist lived faithfully despite oppression, and so must we today.  We, like him, must love Scripture more than earthly treasures.  Gold will fade, but God’s Word endures forever.  We should be praying for God to act in a sinful world, praying for revival, justice, and for Christ’s return.  In doing so, let the sin we see so rampant in society break your heart.  A tender heart is a mark of true holiness.  This whole psalm, Psalm 119, is a model of a godly life in an ungodly age.

The Walls of Jericho

Joshua 6:1-25

We like to think that we are intelligent, rational, and logical people.  If we have a goal, job, or project that we need to accomplish, we will think out the most rational and logical way to complete that goal.  So if someone comes along and suggests something really bizarre, really outlandish as a way to achieve this job or project of ours, we are not likely to set aside our logical way to follow their crazy ideas.  In our Scripture today, though, we read of a skilled military leader who set aside all normal battle plans for something that anyone, military or not, would consider rather peculiar to say the least.  Let’s take a look at this account in the Old Testament.

The forty years of wandering in the wilderness after the Israelites dramatic exodus from Egypt was ending, and the people were now prepared to enter and take possession of the land the Lord had promised them.  In the earlier chapters of the Book of Joshua, the people had crossed the Jordan River, and they were now camping near the first city that the Lord had told them to take possession of, the city of Jericho.  God had chosen Joshua to follow Moses as the leader of the people after Moses’ death.  Joshua was also a skilled military man, and was the leader of their armies.

Shortly before our Scripture passage, Joshua had sent two spies into the city of Jericho to find out about the city and its people.  There they met Rahab, and learned that the people of Jericho feared them (Joshua 2:8-11).  Now, as they were preparing to enter the land, this walled city was “securely shut up”, meaning that it was locked down in fear (vs. 1).  Fortified cities at this time often had walls that were a dozen or more feet thick, were several stories high, and had massive wooden doors leading in and out of the walled city.  The people of Israel would have been afraid, too, as this was their first battle in the Promised Land, their first city of conquest.  Would they succeed or be soundly beaten?  They were dependent upon God.

Joshua came to the Lord in prayer before they set out to do battle, and this was when He gave Joshua the orders of how they were to go about conquering Jericho (vs. 2-5).  These orders must have sounded so bizarre to this military leader that he must have wondered if he heard correctly!  They were to march around the city once per day for six days.  There were to be seven priests carrying seven trumpets of rams’ horns.  On the seventh day they were to march around the city seven times.  Then the priests would blow the trumpets, the people shout, and the walls would fall.  Why such a strange method?  Why not just batter down the gate, enter, and start fighting the people, like every other battle was done?  This strange way was given to show both the Israelites and all the Canaanites of the land that this victory was totally from God, not the people.  This was to show everyone that Yahweh was Israel’s God, and He was giving them the land.

Notice here in verse 2 that God speaks of the victory as if it is an already accomplished fact.  In God’s eyes, the victory was already won, and they were to think that way, too.  However, they were to obey even when the command seemed irrational.  God’s commands are not suggestions.  Obedience is required even when His ways defy human logic.  When the Lord calls us to a task that seems unreasonable, we have two options.  We can obey Him, even though we don’t understand what will happen, or we can become fearful and attempt to find a way out.  Joshua trusted the Lord, disregarding all of his military experience, and adopted God’s bizarre battle plan.

Joshua relayed God’s instructions, and Israel obeyed without complaint (vs. 6-14).  The people of Jericho were probably laughing at what these seemingly silly people were doing.  But God was making something dramatically clear - both to the Canaanites and to Israel.  These were His people, and He alone was giving the land to them.  On the seventh day, Israel marched seven times, and when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua commanded the people to shout (vs. 15-20).  Instead of shouting in jubilation after God gave them their victory, the Israelites shouted in faith before the walls fell.  This is not a myth or a metaphor.  It is a literal, historical miracle, demonstrating God’s power.

Why was there such severe judgment? (vs. 17-21).  The wickedness of the Canaanite people was extreme (Leviticus 18; Deuteronomy 12:29-31).  God is holy and He judges nations.  Israel was not acting out of cruelty, but in obedience to God.  Sin is serious, and God’s holiness demands judgment.  Rahab and her family were spared because she believed God’s Word and also she had sheltered the spies (vs. 22-25).  God saves those who believe, regardless of their background.  Rahab became part of Israel, and she was in the lineage of Jesus (Matthew 1:5).  Even in judgment, God extends mercy to those who believe.  Salvation is always by faith.

The world will say that we are crazy for following what God tells us in His Word, the Bible.  However when we do, He will ensure that we get the victory.  Jericho fell exactly as God said it would.  Like Joshua, we need to be listening to what God is telling us to do.  Read and study His Word, and pray.  Then do as instructed.  Obey the Lord.  He always honors obedience.

The Wheat and the Tares

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

An imposter has infiltrated the organization.  That is sometimes the plot of suspense movies or books.  Sometimes that happens in real life, too, with enemy agents spying on government agencies, getting into major corporations to attempt a takeover, or just sneaking into clubs where they don’t belong.  In today’s Gospel reading we see an infiltration, one sent by a specific enemy, and what our Lord has to teach us about it.

In our Scripture, Jesus told His disciples the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, in which He explained what will happen within the kingdom as the Gospel spreads throughout the world.  In this parable the Lord spoke of a man who sowed his field with good wheat seed, but in the dark of night his enemy comes and sows tares in the field (vs. 24-30).  Tares are a noxious, poisonous weed that looks very similar to wheat in the early stages, but is distinguishable when mature.  After the plants start growing the workers see that there are tares among the wheat, and ask if they should pull them out.  The owner tells them to wait until harvest, so that the good wheat won’t accidentally get pulled out along with the tares.  At that time the wheat is gathered for the harvest, but the tares are gathered and burned.

Jesus then proceeded to tell the disciples the meaning of this parable (vs. 36-43).  The Sower is God and the wheat seeds are Christians which are planted all over the world.  The enemy is Satan, who plants counterfeit believers, who are actually unbelievers, in among the true believers.  Satan opposes the work of Jesus, and is trying to undermine the work of the Church by placing his own people, the tares, among the good wheat, the true believers.  These tares, though, will be cast into eternal punishment, whereas the true believers will shine in God’s eternal kingdom.

What does this parable mean to us today?  Jesus wants us to know that Satan is intentionally trying to corrupt the Church.  He intentionally plants people who make false professions of faith, counterfeit Christians into the church, planting deception, and attempting to guide true believers down a wrong path of false belief and practices.  This is done subtly, not openly or obviously.  One such false belief is that Satan doesn’t really exist, but Jesus makes it very clear here, and throughout the Gospels,  that he does exist and is an active enemy.

The workers in God’s field asked whether they should go in and pull up these tares right away before they cause damage to the good wheat.  They want to purify the field immediately, but Jesus forbids it.  Just as tares are often very difficult to distinguish from the wheat, so too unbelievers who are falsely claiming to be Christians, who go around subtly trying to spread false beliefs, are often difficult to tell apart.  However, in the end they will be revealed, and God will separate them at the end.

Satan has been, and still is currently sowing weeds among the good seeds in God’s garden.  There are weeds in the church today!  They closely resemble the wholesome wheat, but are planted by Satan.  His purposes are always to do damage and destroy God’s purposes, and we should be aware and prepared.  We need to be like the Christians in the Berean church, checking every teaching we hear with the Scriptures (Acts 17:10-12).

The Lord does not want us to be the ones who do the weeding, as we might pull out what we thought was a tare, but it was really wheat.  Though we need to be careful with whose teachings truly line up with the Word of God, only God knows the human heart.  He alone can make a true judgment.

We may wonder why God does not weed out the wicked people and evil from His world, but we can be thankful that He is more intent on preserving His people until the harvest.  The presence of tares does not hinder the wheat from growing.  The true wheat will survive despite the tares being mixed among them.  There are pretenders in the church, and we must not let them influence our faith.  Instead, we should be influencing theirs.

Not everyone who says they are a Christian really is one.  There are false “Christians” that Satan has planted inside our churches.  We need to be careful of them, but leave the final judgment to Jesus.  He will send His angels to separate them, and then the wicked will face eternal fire, but the righteous will shine in glory.  This parable is both a warning and a comfort.  God sees, God knows, and He will judge perfectly.  Jesus closed this parable as He did many parables, with the statement “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”  Are we listening to Him?

Present Pain But Future Glory

Romans 8:18-25

Suppose some fairytale genie were to grant you, just as you were becoming an adult, a lifetime of happiness, no worries, living in an ideal location, doing what you would always have dreamed of doing, just a perfect life for the rest of your life.  However, in order to obtain this you would have to go through a very brief, less than a minute, of bad pain.  Would you do it?  I think most of us would.  What is one minute compared to a lifetime, perhaps 70 or more years, of a perfect life?  Equally so, what are a handful of years compared to an endless eternity?  This hypothetical scenario is similar to what St. Paul speaks of in our Scripture today, as we continue on in the eighth chapter of Romans.

Paul begins this portion of Scripture with teaching that the various sufferings that we all go through throughout life are insignificant compared to the future glory that God will reveal (vs. 18).  He doesn’t deny the existence of suffering.  We all know it is real, however it is temporary.  The glory of the believer’s future eternal life is certain.  It is immeasurable, and it will be forever.  Whatever problems or pain we are going through won’t last forever, but we will.  Compared with eternity, what is 70, 80, or 90 years?  It is like a millisecond.  Paul tells us to look beyond the present to the promised future.

There is coming a time in the future when God’s children will receive their glorified bodies, and will be presented and shown as His redeemed people (vs 19).  This will be at the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus and His Millennial Kingdom.  As Paul states, this is something that creation itself longs for because its own restoration is tied to our glorification.

Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden didn’t just affect them and mankind.  It also affected all of creation - other animals, plants, the weather, all of creation (vs. 20-22).  They all fell, as well.  The Fall in the garden brought decay, death, and disorder into the physical world.  There were no weeds in the Garden, nor thorns and thistles.  There were no birth defects, violence, nor poisonous animals or plants.  There were no tornados, hurricanes, nor all the earthquakes we have seen lately.  Creation is now in “bondage of corruption”, but it will one day be delivered when Jesus returns and establishes His kingdom.  People may say that the earth’s future is destruction, but that is not true.  Creation’s future is freedom.

Paul uses language here, that of moaning and groaning, that echoes that of childbirth, which is pain with a purpose.  All of the natural disasters, the decay, disorder, and death are evidence of creation’s groaning.  This groaning is not hopeless, it anticipates its new birth.  The physical creation is awaiting its renewal.

Creation isn’t the only thing that is groaning.  As believers groan too (vs. 23).  We groan because we are waiting for “the adoption and the redemption of our body”.  The adoption will be the full and final experience of being God’s child.  We also eagerly await the glorified body that was promised at the resurrection.  The Holy Spirit guarantees this future inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14), and He produces the longing for Christ’s return in us.  We groan because we know that this world is not our final home.

We were saved into hope (vs. 24-25).  This hope is not wishful thinking.  It is a confident expectation grounded in God’s promises.  Hope that is seen is not hope, so therefore believers wait with patience.  We hope and wait for our future resurrection and the return of Jesus.  We hope and wait for the restoration of all of creation and our glorification.  This hope fuels our endurance of all we might currently be going through.

We can endure suffering with confidence, knowing our future is glorious beyond comparison.  Let us lift our eyes from the pain of the present to the glory of the future.  Suffering is not the final chapter.  Redemption is.  We groan, all creation groans, but it should be filled with hope.  Jesus will return, creation will be restored, and we will shine with Him in glory.  Let us anchor our hope in God’s promises, not in our present circumstances.

A Prayer of David

Psalm 86

Our psalm for this week has the subtitle of  “A Prayer of David”.  Seventy-five of the psalms were written by David, exactly half.  Many of them were prayers of his, prayers for help.  David did not have an easy life, as he spent many years on the run from King Saul, who tried to have him killed.  Even after becoming king, things weren’t always easy, so there were many times where he needed God’s help.  We don’t know what specific circumstance was behind today’s psalm, but it is one that we can all relate to.  Let’s take a look.

As a believer who loved and trusted in Yahweh, we see in this psalm that David approached Him in prayer with humility, dependence, confidence in His character, and an unwavering loyalty to Him alone.  We see here how a child of God should pray when pressed by trouble.  David had a special or desperate need which he presented to the Lord.  He then spoke the truth about God’s character, which is why he knew he could come to Him.  Then he surrendered himself to trust in His love and care.

David began his prayer to God in a position of humility (vs. 1-4).  His statement of being “poor and needy” referred to spiritual poverty, not necessarily to financial poverty, especially if this was written while he was king.  The Lord will respond to us if we come to Him in humility (James 4:6; Psalm 34:18).  David’s claim of being “holy” was not a contradiction of being humble, nor a boast of spiritual pride.  Instead he was saying that he had set himself apart for the Lord, that he was devoted to Him, not that he had sinless perfection.

David recognized his lack of ability to help himself, and that God alone was adequate.  He prayed for God to preserve him, to save him, to be merciful to him, and for God to rejoice his soul.  These requests show that his prayer was not in his own self-confidence, but that his confidence, trust and belief  was in God.  David proclaimed that God was his God, and that he was his servant.  He knew that God was merciful, and he really needed His mercy.

Now our psalm shifts from petition to David putting his confidence in God’s character, in who He is (vs. 5-10).  David knew that God is a good God.  He not only does some good things, He is good.  This is something that we need to not only know in our head, but to believe in our heart.  He also proclaimed that God is ready to forgive.  This is a foundational doctrine in our faith.  God’s forgiveness is abundant and accessible.  Yahweh is also plenteous in mercy.  His mercy is not rationed out, to where we only get so much, and that is it, and that some days we may run out of the limited mercy apportioned to us. Instead, God’s mercy is overflowing.  David also knew that God is a God who answers prayer.  He expected God to act because He has acted on his behalf many times before.  Our God is incomparable.  As David said, “Among the gods there is none like You”.  Yahweh has no rivals and no equals!  David wanted God alone to be glorified in the victory He would give.

The next section is the spiritual center of the psalm (vs. 11-13).  David wanted instruction from the Lord, not merely deliverance.  He prayed that his heart would be united to God.  The human heart is naturally divided, pulled by fear, by temptation, and by distraction.  A divided heart leads only to instability (James 1:5-8), because we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24).   We need to have single-minded devotion to God.  We also need to have a proper and reverential fear of God’s holy Name.  This is not terror, but a reverence, loyalty, and obedience to Him, which is unfortunately lacking in so many churches today.  David wanted a single heart that feared the Lord, learned from Him, obeyed, and praised Him.

David finally got around to describing his crisis (vs. 14-17).  There were proud men who had risen against him, and violent men who wanted to kill him.  They had no regard for God.  David didn’t dwell on them.  Instead he focused on God’s character again, repeating that God is full of compassion, He is gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.  This echoes what the Lord said when He passed before Moses on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 34:6-7).

Lastly, David asked God for a visible sign of His favor, not for pride, but so that his enemies would know that God was with him (vs. 17).  We, too, should so desire that God would be working in our life, so as to be a testimony to others, particularly the unsaved.

David’s prayer today was humble and persistent.  It was God-centered and rooted in Scripture.  David also expected God to answer him.  Our prayers should be this way, as well.  Though we should honestly speak to God about our needs or the crisis we are in, we should even more so focus on His character, as David did.  The most difficult situations we face can become doorways to a deeper relationship with Jesus.  This begins when we call on Him to help us in our trouble, and also to lead us each day in His way.  As with David, the Lord hears our cries for help.

Compromise

I Kings 11:1-10

Have you ever known someone who seemingly had everything going for them, but then they threw it all away because of a very bad and foolish decision?  Many of us know of someone like that, or perhaps that person is yourself.  In our Scripture for today we will take a look at someone who had been abundantly blessed by God, but then willfully threw it all away through the wrong decisions he made.  Let’s take a look at who this is, and what his wrong decisions and choices were.

The person that I am referring to is King Solomon.  He was the son of King David, and succeeded him to the throne after he died.  Solomon was a young man when he came to the throne.  Twice in his life he had very specific encounters with Yahweh, the God of Israel.  The first time was shortly after coming to the throne (I Kings 3:5-14), and the second was after he had dedicated the Temple which he had built (I Kings 9:1-9).  During this first encounter with God, the Lord asked him what he would like, as He would give him anything he requested.  Rather than asking for riches, a long life, or victory over all of his enemies, Solomon asked for wisdom to effectively rule over the people.  God was so pleased with Solomon’s request, that not only did He give him more wisdom than anyone else, but He also gave him everything that he hadn’t asked for.

So where did Solomon go wrong?  That can be answered in one word - compromise.  God had given the people the Law through His servant Moses, and one of the laws was that the people were not to take any foreign, pagan spouses to marry (Deuteronomy 7:1-4).  However, Solomon thought that he could compromise.  As we read in our Scripture, he married many foreign women (vs. 1).  Perhaps he thought that since these were royal women, these marriages could be considered okay for the political alliances they would bring.  These were not merely political alliances, as he had affection and attachment to these pagan women, which would soon lead to his spiritual downfall.  Solomon had misplaced affection.  Affection is never morally neutral.  Loving what God forbids leads inevitably to spiritual decline.

Solomon, with this compromise, was in direct disobedience to God’s Word (vs. 2).  God had clearly spoken.  The king’s sin was not ignorance, but was willful disregard to the Lord’s Word.  God had warned that these pagan women would turn their heart away from Him.  Solomon believed that he could handle this compromise, but he couldn’t.  No believer is strong enough to resist the consequences of disobeying God’s clear commands.

This wasn’t just a little compromise, or a one-time occurrence.  Solomon married not just one, two, or even three pagan wives.  He married 700 of them, along with 300 concubines (vs. 3).  This was not merely excessive, it was rebellious.  This was also in direct violation of Deuteronomy 17:17, where God said the king was not to have multiple wives.  This was not an innocent action that didn’t really matter.  Sin always grows.  What begins as a small compromise becomes a dominating force.

These women turned Solomon’s heart away from Yahweh.  The heart is the battleground.  Solomon did not lose his wisdom, he lost his devotion to Yahweh (vs. 4).  A divided heart is the beginning of apostasy.  Compromise begins when we ignore God’s instructions and follow the world’s practices.  He might have thought that every other king had foreign wives, why not him?  Then we start loving people, activities, or other things more than we love God, and soon we find ourselves pursuing what He has forbidden.  If we don’t heed God’s discipline, we’re in danger of losing what He intended for our lives, just as what happened with Solomon.

The worst thing that came through Solomon’s compromise with marrying these pagan women was that he allowed them to set up altars to their heathen, pagan gods, and not too long after that Solomon began joining these wives in their worship of these gods and goddesses.  He didn’t merely tolerate idolatry, he participated in it (vs. 5-7).  Ashtoreth was a goddess of fertility and sexual immorality.  Milcom (also known as Molech) was associated with child sacrifice.  Solomon built altars to these pagan gods on the hill east of Jerusalem, likely the Mount of Olives.  This began the country’s downward slide into public, nationwide idolatry, which would eventually lead to their captivity in Babylon.  His sin affected the nation.

God’s anger was righteous and personal (vs. 9-10).  Twice He had appeared to Solomon, which was an extraordinary privilege.  Yet Solomon turned from the very God who had blessed him.  God’s warning had been clear.  Solomon’s wisdom did not protect him.  His heart was turned because he allowed influences that God had forbidden.  He had heard God’s voice and received His promises, yet he fell.  No amount of blessing replaces obedience.  Partial obedience is disobedience.  Solomon obeyed God in building the Temple, but disobeyed Him in personal holiness.  He didn’t fall in a day.  He drifted slowly, one small compromise at a time, and his sin affected the entire nation.

No amount of wisdom, blessing, or spiritual experience can substitute for obedience.  Solomon’s heart was turned because he loved what God forbade, ignored God’s Word, and allowed ungodly influences to shape his life.  As believers we are called to wholehearted devotion, separation from sin, and faithful obedience to God who has spoken clearly in His Word, the Bible.

The Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

I remember back in the mid-sixties when I was in first grade, the teacher gave each student a seed to plant in a paper cup of dirt and we placed them all on the windowsill of the classroom.  I believe it was some type of a bean seed.  This was to be a very rudimentary lesson in botany.  All of us first graders would eagerly watch our paper cups, wondering whose would be the first to show a growing plant breaking through soil.  We all wanted our little seeds to grow!   There is Someone else who has planted seeds, many seeds, and is eager for them to germinate and grow.  We read about this in our Scripture from St. Matthew’s Gospel today.

Today we are going to look at Jesus’ parable of The Sower, one of His more familiar parables.  Jesus frequently taught the crowds of people through parables, simple stories used to illustrate spiritual lessons.  On this day Jesus and His disciples were along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and a large crowd of people had gathered to hear what He had to teach.  In order to be better seen and heard, Jesus stepped into a boat and told them the Parable of the Sower (vs. 1-9).

The sower was walking through his property and had a bag of seed.  As he walked, he grabbed handfuls of seed and tossed them randomly everywhere he walked.  Some of the seed fell on the wayside, which was hard ground.  There they were ready food for the hungry birds.  Some fell where the ground was stony and very little soil.  Because they couldn’t develop much roots the plants didn’t get much nourishment or water, and quickly died in the sun.  Some of the seed fell among weeds, where the plants would get choked out and could not thrive.  Lastly, some fell on good soil and produced a good crop.

What did this parable mean?  Was it just a lesson in being more careful in planting your seeds?  When Jesus was away from the crowds, He explained to the disciples, who were eager to learn what this meant (vs. 18-23).  The Sower is God, the seed is His Word, and the various soils are the different people in the world.  The wayside hearer may hear the Gospel, but they do not understand, and the devil snatches God’s message away from them (vs. 19).  This is the unregenerate, hardened heart.  It is not that the seed is bad, but instead it is the soil which is unreceptive to it. They have no interest or care in anything to do with God.  Satan opposes the reception of the Gospel, and will actively remove the Word from unprepared hearts.

The stony ground hearer represents one who responds emotionally and quickly to hearing the Gospel, but does not have a root (vs. 20-21).  When trials come they will fall away.  They make a profession of faith, but do not genuinely have Jesus in their heart.  Genuine salvation will produce endurance, but having temporary enthusiasm is not true salvation.  God uses trials to strengthen our faith.  Each test makes our faith stronger.  Those who don’t truly believe will fall away when afflictions arise.  To go through suffering and remain true to Christ testifies to others about our salvation.

The third type of soil is the one filled with thorns and weeds (vs. 22).  The seed, the Word of God, is crowded out by the cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches. When we have competing loyalties in our heart, the worldly ones will usually choke out God’s Word.  Worldliness and materialism are deadly enemies of true discipleship.  This hearer never bears fruit, which is another mark of false conversion. Thorns grow naturally, but spiritual fruit does not.  Believers must actively resist distractions and worldly desires.  Fruit is not optional, it is the inevitable result of new birth.

The good soil represents those who hear God’s Word, understands, accepts God’s offer of salvation, and bears fruit (vs. 23). Fruitfulness is the evidence of genuine salvation.  True believers will vary in fruitfulness, but all will bear some fruit.  True salvation produces transformation.  True believers hunger for the Word of God and bear fruit.  These four soils explain why not all who hear the Gospel are saved, and why not all professions of faith are genuine.

We may wonder about the method that the sower of the seed used, as it seems random and indiscriminate.  The sower doesn’t take each seed one by one and plant them in individual holes he made.  He grabs handfuls and throws them left and right, across all types of soil.  The Sower is God.  He has no time to waste, and He wants the entire field, the entire world, to get the seed of the Gospel.  He throws it everywhere, into prisons, schools, and homes, to the rich and the poor, the educated and not, to everyone.  God wants every human to know that He sent His Son to die for their sins.  He wants you to know about Jesus, and then bring forth a harvest in your life.

A Christian's Identity

Romans 8:9-17

How can you or others tell if you belong to any certain group?  For some groups members are issued a membership card which they might have to show when entering the building.  Others might have a password or a PIN to get in.  Members of some gangs have a specific tattoo that is done.  How can we or others know for certain that we are a Christian and belong to the Lord Jesus?   This is something that Paul wrote about in his Epistle to the Romans, which we will read about today.

In our Scripture for today which Paul wrote to the Church in Rome, he touches on the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the assurance of salvation, and the believer’s identity as a child of God.  We read here that there is a clear distinction between the saved and the unsaved, and the defining mark of a true Christian is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

So how does one know a true Christian?  Is it because they attend church services and have their name registered as a member of a certain church?  That is not a good indicator, as just because one attends church does not make one a Christian.  A garage is meant to hold a car, but you can find many other things in a garage besides a car.  Is the fact that one’s parents and grandparents are Christians a good indicator?  No, that is not a sign.  God does not have grandchildren.  Paul teaches here that every true believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit.  The Apostle draws a sharp line in verse 9, that if any person does not have the Spirit of Christ, then he does not belong to Him.  This is not optional.  It is the dividing line between the saved and the lost.  The Spirit’s presence proves salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14), and His absence proves lostness, no matter one’s profession.  This is a supernatural work in which God places His Spirit within the believer at the moment when they place their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul then contrasts the believer’s dead body, which is still subject to mortality, with the living spirit which is made alive by Christ’s righteousness (vs. 10-11).  A Christian’s body is still fallen, still aging, and is still tempted.  However our inner man is alive, regenerated, and is responsive to God. And the blessing is, our future resurrection is guaranteed.  The same Spirit who raised Jesus will raise us.

The Apostle continues by teaching that believers owe the flesh nothing (vs. 12-13).  We are told that we need to put to death the deeds of the body. We cannot do this by willpower, but only through the power of the Holy Spirit, His ongoing work of sanctification in us.  Paul warns us that if we live after the flesh we will die.  This is not a loss of salvation, but evidence of never having been saved.  True believers will show evidence of sanctification.  They will show spiritual fruit in their life.  We will not be perfect, but we will be walking in the right direction.  The Holy Spirit produces real change in one’s life.

When we are saved, not only do we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, but we also become a child of God (vs. 14-17).  We are no longer a slave to sin, but a child of God, belonging to Him and adopted into His family.  As a child of God we have the privilege to call God “Abba”, which is an intimate term meaning “Daddy”.  He isn’t a far-off, distant parent to us.  Instead, He is like a loving daddy who greets His children with open arms and a warm embrace.  The name “Abba” for God assures us of His loving attentiveness to our prayers.  It conveys both the tenderness and security of our relationship with God, our Heavenly Father.  God is the sovereign Lord of the Universe, however, through His Son, He became as approachable as any doting human father.

We have a very clear assurance of salvation in verse 16.  The Holy Spirit testifies through Scripture, conviction, comfort, and transformation that we are saved, and our own spirit, the renewed inner man, responds in faith, as well.  Together they affirm that we are a child of God.  This assurance is not based on our feelings, which can change from day to day, even moment to moment.  Instead it is based on the Word of God, on the Holy Spirit’s witness, and the evidence of sanctification.

Because of the finished work of the Lord Jesus upon the cross, we are now one with Him, and co-heirs of His glorious inheritance (vs. 17).  We inherit a relationship with God, as we are His heirs.  We also inherit Christ’s glory, as we are joint-heirs with Him.  We inherit His coming kingdom, and resurrection life.  As a Christian, our future is literal, physical, and glorious, knowing that we will reign with Jesus in His coming kingdom.

The One Who Hears Prayer

Psalm 65

We all want to be heard, especially when we have a problem.  At the customer service desk at the store we want a helpful and understanding person there to help us.  When we call the help line we don’t like to be put on hold forever, only to end up having to talk to a computer.  King David never had to deal with that, but he had numerous times when he definitely wanted someone to hear his cries for help.  Fortunately, the One he turned to was One who would hear him, and will hear us, too, if we know who to turn to.

In our psalm for today, David reveals from the start who it is that would hear him in time of need, and that is Yahweh, the God of Israel.  There were plenty of other “gods” that he could have chosen, as the foreign nations all around him had numerous pagan idols that they bowed down to, and he could have turned to one or more of them for help.  So why did he turn to Yahweh?  David answers that question in verse 2.  He knew that the Lord God of Israel was the only one who “hears prayer”.

David knew that neither Baal nor any of the other pagan Canaanite gods ever heard the prayers said to them, and certainly could never answer or help anyone.  If I go outside and talk to a rock, pouring all my troubles out to it, will it hear and help me?  If I talk to the log in a fireplace, will it hear and answer my prayers?  No!  Do any of the false gods that people around the world worship ever honestly answer the prayers said to them?  Again, no!  As David stated, when mankind (“all flesh”) realizes that Yahweh is the only God who hears prayer, they will come to Him.  He is not a distant or passive God, either.  He hears and answers prayer.

Because the Lord hears prayer, He is worthy of praise (vs. 1).  He alone is worthy of worship, which is rooted in His holiness and covenant relationship with us.  We should praise and thank Him for His care of us all throughout our life.  We should also praise and thank the Lord for providing atonement for our sins (vs. 3).  We can never cleanse ourselves from our sins, but we do not need to despair, as God Himself has provided divine atonement and cleansing through the substitutionary death of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  St. Paul reminds us that in everything we are to give God thanks (I Thessalonians 5:18).  Those who do, and who come to Him in worship, will be blessed (vs. 4).

The ends of the earth need to hear about the God of grace and glory.  He reveals Himself to them in creation, but they must be told the good news of salvation (vs. 5-8).  God answers our prayers with awe-inspiring, fear-producing acts of power.  He is the God of salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth, and the One who will judge all nations.  His power is displayed in creation.  It was Yahweh who established the mountains, and who stills the roaring seas.  He is actively governing the world, and the universe is a witness to His glory.

God deserves our praise and worship for sending the rain, filling our rivers, and watering our fields (vs. 9-13).  The fields provide food for the flocks and all mankind.  We are completely dependent upon God’s faithfulness and love for us.  We can find joy in God’s goodness at the beginning and end of each day (vs. 8).

As we close this psalm for the week I ask do, you know the only One who hears and answers prayer?  Are you wasting all of your effort in crying out to a nonexistent, false deity who is as helpless as a rock or dead wood?  Or are you trusting in another person, or even yourself, to get you out of the trouble that you are in?  All too often the problems we are in are of our own or another person’s making, so how can they help us?  The only One who hears and answers prayer is the Lord God.  Have you turned to Jesus and accepted His salvation from sin?  If you have, then you have the right to approach His throne, coming to Him in prayer, as He will hear your cries.  

God's Invitation to Us

Isaiah 55

In many places around the world inflation has increased, and the cost of food and drink has become much more expensive in the last several years.  So, if you heard that there was someone giving away free food, and good quality food too, wouldn’t you go and take advantage of this opportunity?  Why pay many dollars for meat or bread when you could get even better quality for nothing?   Yet there are people, for whatever reason, who will do just that, and not just for physical food, but even for the much more important spiritual food.  In our Scripture for today we read of both an invitation and a warning that God has given to us through His prophet Isaiah.  Let’s take a look, and see if we have been ignoring that invitation and the warning from God.

Isaiah 55 follows the great Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 53.  The Servant has suffered, died, and risen as seen in chapter 53.  Now the blessings purchased by the Servant are offered to all, as we read in today’s chapter.  We also see here that God offers salvation freely, but only on His terms, which include repentance, seeking Him while He may be found, and submitting to His Word, which never fails to accomplish His purpose.

As our Scripture opens, we read of the free offer of salvation that God has given (vs. 1-3).  This is a universal invitation, to everyone who thirsts.  God calls all who recognize their spiritual need to come to Him.  Salvation is given freely.  It cannot be earned, as it is received by faith.  People are continually running after and spending money on that which is not genuine “bread”, pursuing satisfaction from the world, when instead they can find real satisfaction and spiritual nourishment through Jesus.  God has given us the solution to spiritual hunger, and that comes through hearing and obeying His Word.  Salvation is free, but it is exclusive.  It only comes through God’s appointed Messiah.

Continuing in our Scripture we read of the Messiah and His global mission (vs. 4-5).  God speaks of the Messiah here as being a witness to the people, a leader and commander, and One who will draw nations to Him that did not know Him.  Jesus Christ is the authoritative leader, not one option out of many.  Through Him, the Gospel would reach Gentile nations, fulfilling God’s plan for worldwide salvation.  Jesus is not merely a moral teacher, He is God’s appointed ruler, and all nations will answer to Him.

Isaiah continues by giving us God’s urgent call to repentance (vs. 6-7).  There is a sense of urgency here, as there is a limited window of opportunity.  Salvation will not always be available, as judgment will come.  The window of opportunity will one day close.  In accepting God’s salvation, we must have repentance.  The wicked must “forsake his way”, and the unrighteous man “his thoughts”.  When we respond, God will have mercy.  He will abundantly pardon.  God’s forgiveness is lavish and complete.  However, repentance is not optional.  Too many preachers today think that talk of sin and repentance is not necessary.  They teach that God loves us just the way we are, and we don’t need to change.  The Bible clearly states that we must turn from sin and turn towards God.  No one is saved without forsaking their own sinful ways and thoughts.

Many people want things according to their way of thinking, and this includes how they think God and salvation should operate.  They think their way of thinking is correct, and that God and His Word are not logical.  They want things to be “fair” according to their way of thinking.  However, that is not the way it is.  God’s ways are higher, holier, and wiser than human reasoning (vs. 8-9).  Human philosophy, psychology, or whatever the current cultural trends are cannot define truth.  Only God’s Word reveals His ways.

Next, Isaiah proclaims the power of God’s Word (vs. 10-11).  God’s Word is effective, unstoppable, and always fruitful.  Just as rain produces growth, God’s Word produces spiritual life.  God pours the rain all throughout the world, and in like manner He has also poured out His Word throughout the world, as well.  Isaiah speaks of the inerrancy and sufficiency of the Bible.  God’s Word will accomplish exactly what He intends, never failing and never erring.  His promises never fail, His commands are perfect, and God’s purposes will always succeed.

Our Scripture ends with seeing the joyful transformation that God will bring (vs. 12-13).  There is joy and peace for the redeemed of God, along with all of creation responding to His salvation.  God will bring a reversal of the curse, where instead of thorns we have fir trees, and instead of briers we have myrtle trees.  Salvation brings an inner transformation in those who have accepted Jesus, and He will also bring a future restoration to all of creation.  This will happen in the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus.  Are you ready?  Have you accepted God’s free offer of salvation personally for yourself?  Come to Him today while the offer is still open!

Come Unto Me

Matthew 11:25-30

Many of you, particularly those in the United States, may be familiar with the song by the 19th century U.S. composer Stephen Foster, “My Old Kentucky Home”.  There is a line in the third verse of that song that goes  “Just a few more days for to tote the weary load”.  That line speaks to anyone who is tired from the heavy load, the heavy burden of physical work, and also troubles, concerns, and worries that we all face throughout life.  Where can we find rest or reprieve from this heavy load?  It seems that there is none, and that the load just gets heavier and more weary as life goes on, and there will be no rest until we are lying horizontal in the grave.  That does not need to be the case for the Christian, one who follows the Lord Jesus Christ.  In our Scripture for today from the Gospel of St. Matthew we read an invitation that the Savior gives for us to come to Him and give up our heavy burdens.  Let’s take a look at our Scripture from the last several verses of chapter 11.

In our Scripture we read a brief prayer of praise that Jesus gives to the Father, a declaration of His divine authority, and then follows with a gracious invitation to sinners.  Recently the Lord had sent out the disciples on a mission trip to bring His Gospel to various villages, and when they returned they gave their report, and Jesus called out woes to the cities that had seen His miracles but had refused to repent.  In His prayer, Jesus called the Father “Lord of heaven and earth” (vs. 25).  This affirms God’s absolute authority over all creation.

He declares that spiritual truth has been hidden from the wise and prudent, but revealed to babes.  The “wise and prudent” are the self-righteous, the intellectually proud, and all those who trust in their own understanding.  The proud cannot understand spiritual truth.  Spiritual truth is not discovered by human intellect, but is revealed by God.  However, Jesus declares that it has been revealed to “babes”.  These are the humble, the teachable, and those who recognize their need.  God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).  God’s plan of revelation is not accidental.  It is intentional and pleasing to Him (vs. 26).

Next we read of Jesus’ exclusive authority and revelation (vs. 27).  Jesus has been given all authority - authority over salvation, over judgment, authority over revelation, and over creation.  This is a powerful testimony to Jesus’ deity.  He possesses all authority and uniquely knows the Father.  Jesus is the exclusive mediator between God and mankind.  He is the only way to God (John 14:6).

Now we come to the Lord Jesus Christ’s gracious invitation to us (vs. 28-30).  This is a personal, direct, and compassionate call to us to come to Him.  Jesus does not say to come to religion, or come to works, or come to philosophy.  He says “Come unto Me.”  Jesus calls all those who are burdened by sin, those who are exhausted by the self-effort of trying to earn a way to heaven, and those who are weary from life’s trials.

Jesus promised that if these people will come to Him, He will give them rest.  They will find the rest of peace with God.  They will find strength for obedience to His Word, and relief from guilt, fear, and striving.  Jesus urges us to take His yoke upon us and learn from Him.  A yoke implies submission, obedience, and a partnership with God.  Christ’s yoke is not freedom from responsibility, but is freedom from bondage.  The world’s yoke may sound light, but it leads to sin and slavery.  Jesus’ yoke of obedience to His Word may sound heavy, but it leads away from error and into eternal joy.

Jesus is “meek and lowly in heart”.  He is gentle and humble.  He is accessible and  compassionate towards sinners.  When we walk with Jesus, He will bring us ongoing rest.  His burden is light because He carries it with us.  Because of Jesus’ life we can be certain that our Heavenly Father cares about us.  God’s love extends over us, and He wants us to come to Him with our burdens and pain.  Don’t allow trials to cloud your thinking about God’s deep concern for you.  Jesus’ presence doesn’t make us immune to struggles, but it does promise us comfort and rest during our trials.  His presence provides a refuge where we can lay down our heavy loads and catch our breath.

Do you carry burdens that tire you out, burdens that deprive you of needed rest?  Set aside resentment, bitterness, and complaints.  Bring your burdens to Jesus and accept His invitation to find rest.

No Condemnation

Romans 7:21-8:6

I enjoy occasionally watching courtroom dramas on TV, whether it is a fictional series or an actual court case that has been allowed to be televised.  There is always one dramatic point, and that is when the verdict comes in.  The defendant will stand and they will find out whether they have been acquitted or found guilty, whether they are now free or condemned.  The condemned one finds out what his sentence will be as condemnation is proclaimed.  However, what if something very surprising and shocking happened, that the judge set the guilty one free since his own son was going to take the punishment, and that the guilty received no condemnation?  We would say that was preposterous and would never happen!  It did happen, it happened for each one who has accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior, which we will read about in today’s Scripture.

As we begin our study of this passage from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, we read about a struggle that anyone who has been a Christian for any length of time deals with, and that is the struggle between our old nature and our renewed, new nature (vs. 21-25).  Our old nature, our “flesh nature”, still desires to do the ungodly things that we used to partake in before we gave our lives to Jesus.  Our new nature, on the other hand, desires to follow the Lord and His Word.  These two natures battle inside of us, just like a game of tug-of-war, each one trying to pull us in their direction.

As Paul describes, the principle or law of sin is still active in the believer.  Whenever he desires to do good, evil is still present.  Even though we are genuinely saved, the sin nature still remains and resists holiness.  Our new nature, renewed by the Holy Spirit, loves righteousness, and longs to obey God.  But the old nature, following the law of sin, fights against this, trying to drag us back towards sin.  This is the believer’s ongoing battle, where the flesh and Spirit oppose each other (Galatians 5:17).

Paul saw this happening over and over again, and it was discouraging.  He cried out for help in this inward battle of tug-of-war (vs. 24).  This was not a cry of despair, but of longing for final victory, as he knew Who could deliver him.  Paul knew that Christ alone delivers from sin’s power and ultimate presence.

Before we accepted Jesus as our Savior, each one of us was on the side of evil, following what it dictated in our life.  If our life remained unchanged, we would rightly be getting the sentence of eternal condemnation.  Things are different for the believer and follower of Jesus.  Though they had committed plenty of sins before being born again, some of them possibly quite terrible, and still occasionally being pulled back into sin, they now, through the grace and mercy of the Lord taking upon Himself their sins, receive no condemnation (vs. 1).

The believer’s standing before God is completely transformed.  They do not receive less condemnation, they receive none at all.  Jesus bore the condemnation that we deserved, therefore God cannot condemn those united to His Son.  We may have to suffer from some discipline for our sins, but we will not be eternally condemned.

Before salvation, sin and death once ruled in the believer’s life like an unbreakable law.  But the Holy Spirit’s power is stronger, liberating the believer from sin’s power and control (vs. 2).  The Law of Moses could teach, command, and reveal God’s holiness, but it could not empower obedience.  God accomplished what the law could not by sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and condemning sin in the flesh.  Because Jesus fulfilled the law, all believers who are walking in the Spirit, fulfill its righteous requirement.

When Jesus went to the cross on our behalf, He lifted the blame from our shoulders, and made us righteous before God (vs. 3-4).  We do not need to feel any condemnation of sin.  Those feelings do not belong.  They come from Satan.  Our sins are wiped clean, and we are chosen and loved by God.  Condemnation is reserved for those who reject the Lord (John 3:36).

There are two ways for mankind to live (vs. 5-6).  The unsaved have their mind set on sin and are hostile to God.  This will lead to spiritual death.  Believers who are walking with God and who have a Spirit-governed mind will find life and peace.

As we look back over this Scripture, we realize that the presence of sin, even in a believer’s life, is real and active.  For victory over this ongoing condition, we must depend on the Holy Spirit, not our own self-effort.  Human effort cannot produce holiness.  Jesus Christ alone can deliver us from sin’s power.  Genuine Christians can rest in their standing in Christ, as no condemnation means full acceptance and security.   We are set free from ever being condemned for our sins.

Reasons to Praise God

Psalm 145

Our psalm for this week, Psalm 145, is one of eight acrostic psalms in the Bible.  An acrostic psalm is one where each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  Acrostics have been used for years to help teach young children their alphabet - A is for apple, B is for bear, etc.  Sometimes acrostics are used to help in memorizing a list or group of things.  When I was a young girl in school, we learned the planets in order by an acrostic - “My very energetic mother just sent us nine pies” for Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (back when Pluto was considered a planet!).  Today, however, rather than the whole alphabet, I am only going to focus on the letter “G” in our psalm.  In this psalm of praise by King David, we will look at several attributes of God that David praises Him for, each beginning with the letter “G” - greatness, grace, goodness, glory, and generosity.  Let’s take a look into our psalm.

In opening, David commits himself to praise God every single day, throughout his whole life (vs. 1-2).  Before one wonders how they could keep that up every day, David gives us many things to praise God for, besides just material blessings.  He begins to praise the Lord for His nature and His many character traits that He displays for us each day, several which begin with “G”.  The first one is the Lord’s greatness (vs. 3).  When we consider God, He is beyond the range of physical human experience.  He is immeasurable and beyond human comprehension.  God created the whole universe, each galaxy, each star and solar system, by the word of His mouth.  He created each animal and plant with their complexities and differences.  That shows awe-inspiring greatness!

The second characteristic of the Lord that we can praise Him for is His grace (vs. 8, 17).  God’s grace is often coupled with His mercy, as they go hand in hand.  Grace is God bestowing upon us blessings that we don’t deserve, and mercy is withholding the punishment that we do deserve.  He knows our every step, word, and deed, and yet forgives us, showing mercy when we turn to Him.  We experience God’s saving grace when we call upon His Son Jesus for salvation, when we fear Him and call upon Him in truth (vs. 18-20).  God’s grace and mercy are evidence of just how much He loves us.

Another characteristic that begins with “G” is the Lord’s goodness (vs. 9).  Believers, in particular, receive God’s saving grace and mercy, but His goodness is evident to all of mankind.  God’s goodness is universal, and extends to all creation.  Satan tries to get us to believe that God is not good, that He does not love us.  Just look around you, and you can see that is a lie, that it is not true.  God is kind and compassionate to all of His creation.  As Jesus told us, God makes the sun and the rain to fall on both the evil and the good (Matthew 5:45).  Because of God’s love and goodness shown to everyone, it should lead sinners to repentance (Romans 2:4).

The next one is glory (vs. 11-13).  This psalm gives a cosmic proclamation that God’s Kingdom is glorious, powerful, and everlasting, enduring through all generations.  God’s glory is so overwhelming that no one can look upon Him and live.  Even Moses could only look upon His back (Exodus 33:18-23).  Prophets, such as Isaiah and Daniel, fell face down before the glory of God.  God, in all of His glory, holds absolute rule over history, nations, and individuals.  God’s Kingdom is not symbolic.  It is real, eternal, and grounded in His authority.  As believers, we need to live under His kingship, not cultural trends.  God’s glory, power, and authority provides stability in a chaotic world.

Our God is a generous God (vs. 14-16).  He upholds the fallen, feeds all living things, and satisfies the desires of every creature.  This is not a vague goodwill, it is divine specific caring.  God actively sustains His creation and cares for His people.  As believers, we can trust Him with our daily needs, and His care is never unjust or arbitrary.

In closing, we can praise the Lord for His greatness, as He is infinitely majestic.  We can praise Him for His goodness, as He is kind and compassionate, and also for His glory, since He rules eternally.  As Christians we need to cultivate daily praise, along with teaching the next generation to do so also.  When we live a life of praise, we have the Lord’s help in every situation.  No wonder David blessed the Lord so much!