I Timothy 1:12-17
As we look through history, we can all pick out some really bad, really rotten people. In our own time there seems to be no shortage of those types of people. In your mind some particular people may have popped up, maybe a cruel despotic ruler, someone who has cruelly murdered his family, or hurt multiple children. There is no shortage of evil people. Now, if someone came and applied for the position of pastor, deacon, or other Christian worker at your church, would you consider them if they admitted they had been such a person in their past? Most congregations would not want to even give them an interview. Can a vile sinner get saved? Is there anyone who is too wicked to truly find salvation? And if they do, can their past prevent them from being used by the Lord? As we read our Scripture passage today, we will see what God’s Word has to say.
Our reading for today comes from a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, his protege and fellow worker in spreading the Gospel throughout Greece and Asia Minor. Paul was arguably the greatest missionary and evangelist in the early Church. We read in the Book of Acts of his missionary journeys, spreading the Gospel throughout the Mediterranean world, and we have many of his letters to the early churches he established in the New Testament which help to establish us in sound doctrine and Christian living. It would be difficult to find anyone who would argue that Paul wasn’t a great Christian, and yet there are those who would say that it would be “impossible” for some people to get saved, as they are just “too evil”. There are also some people who feel that they, themselves, have too bad a past to ever be accepted by God.
Let’s take a look at Paul’s past. Paul, who at that time was called Saul, was an enemy of the early church, hating Christians and the Name of Jesus. Saul was a devout Pharisee, and in the early years of the church he had the authority from the High Priest to go from village to village hunting down Christians and have them arrested and put to death (Acts 9:1-2; 22:4-5; 26:9-11). He was one of the most zealous of persecutors to the early church. Paul had scoffed at and blasphemed against Jesus and His teaching, and had hunted down and killed Christians. Can such a one as that get saved? Can God forgive, love, and use a person like that? As we see, yes He can! There is no one who is too sinful to be accepted by the Lord!
Paul had a miraculous conversion (Acts 9:3-8), and he became a most passionate and faithful witness and evangelist of the Gospel. Paul received Jesus’ forgiveness, and God used him in a mighty and special way. No one is too bad a sinner that they cannot be forgiven and used by God. If God would save Paul, who tried to destroy the church, then He will be willing to save anyone who believes. It is not because of our goodness that we are accepted by Jesus, but because of His love and sacrificial death on the cross.
The foundation of our eternal salvation is the free grace of God, as shown in the mission of Jesus. Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That was His purpose (vs. 15). No sinner is beyond His saving power, no matter how heinous they are! Jesus didn’t come just to show us how to live a better life, or challenge us to be better people. He came to bring salvation to those who call upon Him.
Paul turned from self-righteous works to faith in Christ alone. He knew and understood God’s grace. He knew that it was only because of that that he was able to preach the Gospel. Paul knew where he had come from, and he was moved by God’s love and mercy to praise Him (vs. 17).
No matter how shameful one’s past may be, God will still save anyone who comes to Him through His Son Jesus, and He will use them in His kingdom. Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:9-11), and he will keep reminding us of our past mistakes and sins. If you are a believer, you have been forgiven. Rebuke Satan and believe the Word of God. If you have never turned to Jesus for salvation because you feel you are just too sinful, remember that the whole purpose Jesus came was to save sinners (vs. 15). He will save you if you call upon Him. Do not wait another day!
Psalm 51
“I’m sorry!” These are words we often hear. We hear them from public figures, from friends and acquaintances, and from family. Sometimes when we hear the apology we might wonder if the person really means what they are saying. Are they truly sorry for what they did, or are they just sorry that they were caught? That is a good question, and many times what they are really sorry for is that their sin became public knowledge, that they were found out, and not truly sorry for what they did. Our psalm for this week is a psalm of repentance, of one man’s true and deep sorrow for the sins he had committed against others, and most importantly, against God.
The background of Psalm 51 is King David’s adulterous affair with Bathsheba. In addition to his role as king of Israel, David was also the commander in chief of his army. However, during one period of time when he should have been out leading his troops, David remained behind in Jerusalem. It was then that he fell into sin by having an affair with the wife of one of his top soldiers named Uriah. When he found out that Bathsheba became pregnant, David at first brought Uriah back from battle, so that the child might be mistaken as his. When that failed, David had Uriah put on the frontlines, and ordered him abandoned by his fellow soldiers, so that he would die (II Samuel 11).
Adultery and murder. These were the sins that David had committed. For a year David ignored his sins. He had taken Bathsheba as another wife, and he carried on as if nothing had happened. Finally the prophet Nathan, who basically served as David’s chaplain, confronted him about his sin, and David confessed and repented. As we see in the Scriptures, David’s confession was genuine, not one where he was just sorry he got caught.
As we go through this psalm of repentance, we see that David realized that, even though he knew he had wronged Bathsheba and Uriah, along with his own family, his ultimate sin was against God and His holy law (vs. 4). Sin hurts us and others, but it chiefly offends God because sin in any form is a rebellion against God. David knew his sin was not God’s fault in any way (vs. 5). The source of his sin was his fallen nature, which all mankind has.
Hyssop (vs. 7) is a leafy plant that priests used. They dipped it in either blood or water to sprinkle on people to ceremoniously cleanse them. David wanted to be cleansed from his sin and forgiven. There is only one way to deal with sin, and that is through the Blood of Jesus. Believers may, and will, fall into sin. However, if they turn sincerely to Jesus for forgiveness, He will forgive (vs. 9).
We can never lose our salvation if we genuinely came to Jesus by faith. However, we can lose the joy of our salvation because of sin (vs. 12). Confession and reliance on the Holy Spirit can return His peace to our lives. God wants us to be close to Him, and to experience His full and complete life. Sin that remains unconfessed makes that impossible. Confessed sin will bring back the joy our our relationship with Jesus. And then when forgiveness and restoration with God happens in our life, we need to reach out to others who also need forgiveness and reconciliation (vs. 13).
Ritual without genuine repentance is useless. Sacrifices without a right heart attitude were not acceptable to God (vs. 16). If our heart attitude is not right, outward actions will never please Him. We must be truly sorry for our sins, and genuinely intend to stop. God desires a broken and contrite heart above and beyond any sacrifices (vs. 17).
No sin is too great to be forgiven. God can, and will, forgive any sin. When we are at our lowest point, God is very close to us, and promises to save those who are crushed in spirit. He does not abandon us in our time of crisis, or in our darkest times.
Exodus 32:7-14
How quickly some people forget things, important things, such as significant events or crucial lessons one should learn. Consider people who so quickly forget the kindness and help that others have given them, or the person who continues to make the same disastrous mistakes in their life over and over again. In our reading today from God’s Word we see how the people of Israel quickly forgot the many wonders and miracles the Lord had shown them, fell into sin, and how the intercession of Moses spared their lives.
The setting of our passage in Exodus is at the base of Mt. Sinai where the people of Israel had gathered, while Moses went up upon the mountain in communion with God, receiving the Ten Commandments and the Law. Only a few short weeks before this, the Lord God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt. God had shown His power and love for the people by judging the Egyptians with the ten plagues, and then parting the Red Sea when He brought them out of captivity. They had all witnessed these miraculous events. Yet now they were sitting at the base of Mt. Sinai, getting impatient for Moses to return. What did they do? They decided to make an idol, a golden calf, and began to worship that.
How quickly they forgot the Lord God, who such a short while ago had brought them such a great deliverance! The people of Israel chose to worship something that their own hands had made, rather than the eternal God of the universe. They chose to worship something that had no power. They chose a relationship with a lifeless object over God. Didn’t it occur to them that only the day before, this golden calf didn’t exist, that they had fashioned it with their own hands? How could this idol have delivered them from Egypt? Do we ever do something similar by putting some material object or person on the throne of our heart, where only the Lord God belongs? When we do that we, too, grossly dishonor God. We should never turn to something that will one day be destroyed, and put that first and foremost in our lives. These things cannot help us when we are in need. Instead, choose the everlasting God.
When God saw that the people had so quickly fallen into idolatry He wanted to destroy the whole nation (vs. 9-10). God told Moses that He would raise up a great nation from him. What did Moses do then? This would be his great moment, a nation coming from his descendants. Instead of jumping at this chance, Moses chose to pray for the people, to intercede for them to God (vs. 11-13). Moses reminded God (who doesn’t need to be reminded, as He never forgets) of His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Because of Moses’ prayers, God relented of His anger and showed mercy on them (vs. 14). God did not change His mind like humans do. He changed His behavior to be consistent with His nature. When God wanted to destroy the people, He was acting consistently with His justice. When Moses interceded, God relented in order to act consistently with His mercy. God often tells people that if they change their ways He will not condemn them. When Moses preached to the people against their sin and the golden calf idol, most of the people repented. Thus God relented of His punishment, as He promised that He would.
Our Scripture passage today shows how powerful, important, and life-changing intercession can be (James 5:16). Frequently Moses stepped into the breach, interceding for the people of Israel, sparing them from the judgment they rightly deserved from the Lord. Many times throughout the Bible we see powerful intercessors - Abraham, Samuel, Jeremiah, Daniel, Paul, to name a few. That is something that God wants us to do, as well. He wishes for people to step in and be an intercessor for others, no matter how seriously into sin they may have fallen. Be a Moses, and intercede on behalf of others, that they would repent. As we faithfully intercede, God may have mercy on them, as He did on the unfaithful Israelites.
Luke 14:25-33
Counting the cost and commitment. Both are important qualities to have. How many people start a project, whether something small like a sewing project, or something larger like a home remodeling, but find out they do not have what it takes to finish it, whether money or commitment? In our Scripture passage from the Gospel of Luke, we read how important commitment to the Lord Jesus is.
As our passage opens Jesus was leaving one location to journey on to teach in another, some of the group followed Him. Jesus then turns to these people and gives some very hard lessons. Jesus’ aim was not to gather great, cheering crowds, but make true disciples. He did not adapt His message to please people, but plainly declared the high cost of discipleship. Many preachers today tailor their messages to please their congregation, giving sermons that make people feel good about themselves, and what they want to hear. Jesus was certainly not like that.
Jesus then says something that must have been rather shocking to these people, something that is still shocking to us today, if we misunderstand what He means (vs. 26). Jesus says here that if we do not hate our father, mother, spouse, and family, we cannot be His disciple. What did He mean? Do we really have to hate members of our family, those we really love, if we want to follow Him? Didn’t God tell us to honor our parents, and to love everyone, especially our family? Jesus was calling His disciples to cultivate such a devotion to Him that their attachment to everything and everyone else would seem like hatred by comparison. Jesus is saying that we cannot become His disciples unless we place Him as our top priority, which could cause unbelieving parents or other relatives to reject us. Some people have put off a total commitment to the Lord Jesus in order to please their family. Jesus doesn’t want people to give Him only half-hearted loyalty because of family.
Jesus proceeds to tell us that we need to take up our cross and follow Him (vs. 27). A criminal was forced to carry their cross to their execution site. This showed submission to Rome. Jesus was telling the enthusiastic crowd to really think through their supposed desire to follow Him. Following Jesus means total submission, perhaps to the point of death. We cannot take up our cross if our hands are full with our worldly passions, belongings, or desires.
The Savior then gives an example of someone who has a building project, and how he must have enough funds to complete it, or of a king who decides to go to war against another king, and how he should have a big enough army to do so (vs. 28-32). Not considering the cost of building, or inaccurate estimates may leave a building left half built. Will our Christian life be left abandoned because we did not count the cost of commitment to Jesus? Some possible costs one should consider are perhaps a loss of social status or wealth, loss of a career, control of their time, hatred by others, and loss of love from their family. The cost of discipleship is high. One must do a careful inventory before declaring their willingness to follow.
When we decide to follow Jesus, we must count the cost, give up worldly goals, and come wholeheartedly. Only those willing to carefully assess the cost of discipleship and invest all they have in God’s kingdom are worthy to enter (vs. 33). This is more than merely abandoning material possessions. It is an absolute, unconditional surrender. True disciples make no demands, hold on to no cherished sins, and treasure no earthly possessions. The commitment should be without reservations.
This was a hard saying for those who heard these words from the Lord Jesus, and it is no easier for us today. In summary of our lesson, Jesus taught that to be His disciple a person could not love anyone more than Him (vs. 26), could not love one’s life more than Him (vs. 26-27), nor be unwilling to give up all they have for Him (vs. 33). Let us lay all on the altar for Jesus.
Philemon 1-20
Today’s Scripture passage from this week’s Lectionary in the Book of Common Prayer comes from a short personal letter the Apostle Paul wrote to a fellow believer. Philemon was a wealthy man and probably an elder in the church of Colossae, which met in his house. At the time of his writing, Paul was a prisoner in Rome. While there he came into contact with a runaway slave named Onesimus, who had fled from Philemon, his master. At this time Paul was possibly under house arrest, and not in an actual prison, and he was allowed visitors. While meeting with Paul, he led Onesimus to saving faith in the Lord Jesus, and Onesimus was an immense help to him in various ways.
At this time, slavery was legal in the Roman Empire and throughout the whole world. In addition Onesimus had stolen from Philemon, and Paul knew this must be set right. Onesimus was afraid to go back, but now as a believer, he, too, knew that wrongs needed to be set right, and that was the purpose of this letter. Paul was seeking to have Philemon take Onesimus back with no harsh consequences, to welcome him back now as a brother in Christ. Paul had led Philemon to the Lord years earlier, and was in a sense his spiritual father. In addition, Paul was an Apostle, and had the authority to tell Philemon what was right to do. However, he appealed to him as a friend in love, to accept Onesimus back with love. Paul wanted Philemon’s actions to send a powerful message to the church about the importance of forgiveness.
Though afraid to return, Onesimus did the right thing and returned to Philemon. Running from our problems, like Onesimus did, will not solve them. We, today, should not avoid the difficulties of life, but instead obey God. Both Philemon and Onesimus needed to follow and obey God, the one to return and restore what was stolen, the other to accept the other back in love. God wants our willing and joyful obedience, not grudging submission. If we believe His way is best, we will have no trouble obeying Him.
The main theme in this Scripture passage is one of forgiveness and love. Philemon needed to forgive Onesimus for fleeing and for stealing either money and belongings, and to show Christian love to him. Onesimus needed to forgive Philemon for any harsh treatment he received. Paul sought to free both from anger, bitterness, wrong attitudes and behavior. He urges Philemon to offer grace rather than demand justice.
Has someone betrayed or offended us? Has someone walked away from us? We may need to learn the lessons that Philemon did. Christian relationships must be full of forgiveness and acceptance. We are to forgive and restore our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, even as Jesus has forgiven and restored us. As Christians, we should forgive as we have been forgiven (Matthew 6:12; Ephesians 4:31-32). Jesus calls us to treat the one we’ve forgiven as we would want to be treated.
The name Onesimus means “useful”. He had hardly been that to Philemon. But now Onesimus had been radically transformed by God’s grace. In his letter to Philemon, Paul uses a play on words (vs. 11). He told Philemon that Onesimus was once unprofitable or useless, but now he is profitable or useful. Before coming to Christ we were all unprofitable to God, but now, like Onesimus, we are profitable and useful to Him.
Another message in this letter of Paul to Philemon is that salvation is not determined or affected by a person’s station in life. God accepts anyone who comes to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ, whether they are rich or poor, well-educated or not, regardless of their race or nationality. God accepted the slave Onesimus just as readily as He accepted the wealthy Philemon. In Christ we are one family. No walls of racial, economic, or political differences should separate us. All fellow Christians are our equals before Christ, regardless of any differences in wealth, education level, nationality, etc. How we treat them reflects our true Christian commitment.
Psalm 4
Just about everyone can remember some times when they just couldn’t fall asleep due to worries and cares. There have been plenty of nights I have spent tossing and turning, the worries hounding my mind, and been unable to fall asleep, or times when I woke up after about an hour or so sleeping, unable to fall back asleep because the worries and fears attack any peace. David also experienced nights when sleep just would not come because of the fears and worries that he had.
Psalm 4 was written after one such night. The psalm could have been written after one such night during the many years he spent fleeing the murderous rage and attacks of King Saul, who sought his life. Perhaps it was years later, during the weeks and months when David’s son, Absalom, orchestrated a coup, forcing David to flee his capital city, Jerusalem, and fight to regain his throne. There must have been plenty of other times during his reign as king when worries, cares, and fears bothered him, and he couldn’t get to sleep. What did David do then? Did he get his doctor to prescribe him some sleeping pills? Did he drink several glasses of wine or other alcohol to make sure he was plenty drowsy, and to also drown those worries? Was the carpet in his bedroom all worn out from pacing back and forth night after night? Let’s look into Psalm 4 and see how David handled his worries and sleepless nights.
In the opening verses of Psalm 4 we see that David called out in prayer to God. First he recognized and acknowledged the proper relationship he needed with God, by calling Him “God of my righteousness” (vs. 1). Our God is a God of righteousness, and it is only through His righteousness that we have salvation and deliverance. He it is who delivers us from distress and troubles. David knew and acknowledged this in his prayers.
One of the many worries that David encountered numerous times in his life was attacks from enemies. For many years he was on the run from King Saul, and later his own son, in addition to fighting various nations as king. However, David knew that he could turn to the Lord for help (vs. 2-3). He knew that God would hear him when he called. Our enemies may have plans for us, but God’s plans for us are good (Jeremiah 29:11). For those who follow Christ, we can be confident, too. He has forgiven us through Jesus, and He will hear us.
David knew that our problems and concerns can make us angry. That is human nature, and he must have experienced that numerous times. We can lie in bed at night, and as we think of so many things, we can get angry. David tells us that it is okay to get angry, but we must not allow that anger to lead us to sin (vs. 4). As he would lie in bed, he allowed his prayers and meditations to calm him down. David also knew that more important than empty religious ceremonies was a right attitude of submission and obedience to God, along with heartfelt praise (vs. 5). God preferred the sacrifice of righteousness more than that of sheep and oxen. We now must come to God through the sacrifice of Jesus’ Blood.
When we go through difficult times, our enemies might taunt us, asking in a mocking way where our God is now, with all of our problems. They may imply that He has forsaken us. That happened to David, as well, but he knew that He hadn’t. David knew that God would give him rest in the midst of trouble, and pour out His blessings (vs. 6-8). We, too, can have total confidence in God in the middle of trouble. David knew that the peace that comes from God is more valuable than any material gain (vs. 7). He knew that joy is more to be sought after than just happiness. True joy comes from knowing and trusting God. Happiness is a result of pleasant circumstances. Joy is steady, as long as we trust God. Happiness is unpredictable. Joy defeats discouragement. Happiness tries to cover it up. Joy is lasting, whereas happiness is temporary.
At the end of another day of pressure, pain, and persecution David had this conversation of Psalm 4 with God, which led to relaxation. Despite difficult and stressful times, David was able to sleep well because he knew the Lord would keep him safe. During our sleepless and worrisome nights we need to put the same kind of confidence and trust in God to give us peace.
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Life is filled with choices. Every single day we make all sorts of choices. Some might be very critical, however many are rather unimportant. They are still choices. When we get up we decide whether we will eat breakfast or not, and if so, what we will eat. Eggs or cold cereal, coffee or cocoa. We decide what to wear, what to watch on TV at night, what book to read, and what movie to see. At work we might have to make some more critical decisions, such as which contractors to hire for the building we are designing, or which advertising firm to go with. We have to decide who to marry, or if we are going to marry at all, and whether to buy a house. All decisions we need to make throughout our life.
In our Scripture passage today God is calling us to make a very important decision, the most important decision of our life. This decision is one whose effects will last for all eternity. None of the choices and decisions I listed above are anywhere near this important, as they are not life and death decisions. However, the one God is calling us to make in our Scripture today is that important.
At the time this passage from Deuteronomy takes place, the nation of Israel has spent the last forty years passing through the wilderness, after having escaping slavery in Egypt. They are on the east side of the Jordan River, ready to enter the Promised Land. Moses gives them some final words before he dies, including this passage where he implores the Israelites to make the important decision to follow and obey Yahweh, the one and only God.
Moses presents the two choices to the people. They can choose life and good on the one hand, or they can choose death and evil on the other (vs. 15, 19). Choosing to follow Yahweh was life. Choosing to turn their back on Him and follow the pagan idols of the neighboring nations was to choose death. It was as simple as that. Did they want blessings and life, or curses and death? Though all of Israel was invited to take part in God’s covenant, only those who chose to obey that covenant agreement received His blessings. To choose against God brings emptiness, pain, and death. To choose God brings blessings, fulfillment, and life.
This is the exact same decision that Jesus calls on us to make. We are each given the opportunity to choose either life or death. The one who believes in Jesus has the promise of eternal life. The one who refuses to believe in Jesus, who does not ask Him to forgive their sins, and to be their Savior faces eternal death. Everyone has the same decision to make.
On the banks of the Jordan that day, some decided to follow Yahweh, and many did not. Some only half-heartedly accepted Him, but as soon as they moved into the Promised Land they succumbed to the temptations to follow the false pagan gods. Today we find the same. There are those who outright refuse Jesus. There are those who may claim to follow Jesus, but He is really only a name for Christmas and Easter, for weddings, baptisms, and funerals. Then there are those who wholeheartedly accept and follow Him. Those are the ones who have chosen life. The others have chosen death.
God challenges us to choose Him, to choose life and His blessings. He doesn’t force His will on anyone. God lets us decide whether to follow Him or to reject Him. In reality this is a life or death decision, one that will last throughout all eternity, a choice between an eternity in heaven or an eternity in hell. If you have not already made that decision, I urge you today to decide. Choose Jesus and choose life!
