This song doesn't obviously mention Easter, but then, as it mentions the joys and benefits of a relationship with God though Christ, it's actually all about Easter Sunday...
Sunday, 31 March 2013
Saturday, 30 March 2013
Saturday
Saturday must've been the worst day. Trying to quietly observe the Sabbath, whilst making sense of yesterday's events would've been a struggle, to sat the least. We know that at least two of the disciples were making escape plans, maybe others were planning to leave at sunset, hoping their old lives would except them back.
But today, Easter Saturday, we know only hope because of the cross, when the disciples knew only despair. Hear these words from John Piper, from 'Faith in Future Grace.'
But today, Easter Saturday, we know only hope because of the cross, when the disciples knew only despair. Hear these words from John Piper, from 'Faith in Future Grace.'
God strips every pain of it's destructive power. You must believe this, or you will not thrive, or maybe even survive as a Christian, in the pressures and temptations of modern life.
There is so much pain, so many setbacks and discouragements, so many controversies and pressures. I do not know where i would turn if i did not believe that almighty God is taking every setback and every discouragement and every controversy and every pressure and every pain and stripping it of it's destructive power, and making it work for the enlargement of my joy in God.
The world is ours, life is ours. Death is ours. God reigns so supremely on behalf of His people that everything that faces us in a lifetime of obedience and ministry will be subdued by the mighty hand of God and made the servant of our holiness and our everlasting joy in God.
If God is for us, and if God is God, then it is true that nothing can succeed against us. He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all will infallibly and freely with Him give us all things - all things - the world, life, death, and God Himself.
Romans 8:32 is a precious friend. The promise of God's future grace is overwhelming. But all important is the foundation. Here is a place to stand against all obstacles. God did not spare His own Son! How much more, then, will He spare nor effort to give me all that Christ died to purchase - all things, all good?
It is as sure as the certainty He loved His Son.
Future Grace, John Piper, P114
Friday, 29 March 2013
Wednesday, 27 March 2013
The Imprecatory Psalms
The following is inspired by Gordon Wenham's book, 'The Psalter Reclaimed.' Go buy it.
What do we do with the imprecatory psalms? How can we amen a prayer that asks God to dash the heads of babies against a rock? Or that our accusers would be cloaked in shame so that it would soak into their bones? This sentiment disturbs our quiet times doesn't it? But how are we supposed to engage with these Psalms? If we're serious about the Bible, we can't just strike off the things that make us uncomfortable, or there would be very little left.
So what do we do with the imprecatory Psalms?
We could take a popular approach, and say that they are simply the remnant of a pre Christian view of God. The leftovers from a time where law ruled instead of grace, and should be ignored as such. But the problem with calling them left overs, is that it means that someone left them over. We can't believe that the Psalms included every single song written by the Hebrews, obviously, so for some reason, these unpleasant prayers or songs or praises were left in the Bible. Why?
How can we read these Psalms like Christians? What do they teach us? First, it's worth remembering that the imprecatory Psalms are simply strong laments. Jesus prayed through the Psalms of lament as He went from the upper room to the cross, but we live in a lament free society. The first world prosperity Gospel holds that anyone who damages my self esteem is guilty of sin. We don't lament very often, we don't wail. Our popular songs are upbeat, Christian radio stations want to create 'an atmosphere of positivity.' Laments are odd to our ears. And where laments are odd, imprecations will be odder still.
But these odd prayers are Christian scripture, just like the rest of the Old Testament, since we're there, so what do we do with them?
Firstly, these Psalms help us identify how serious sin is. Our sin. As Judges ends with the sin inside the camp, so taking these psalms on our lips should make us think about the sin in our camp. How have we oppressed, and let down, and marginalised? How does our life look under the white hot glare of Christ's gracious perfections? Are we praying these Psalms as the aggrieved or the aggressor? They help us see how God feels about personal sin, and about institutional sin.
These Psalms wake us up to God. Just like pain plants a flag in our lives to show us that all is not well, so the imprecatories plant a flag in scripture that all is not well within our hearts, our institutions, and our creation. In a world anaesthetised by religion and numbed by entertainment, these Psalms shake us awake.
The imprecatory Psalms help us to empathize with Christians all over the world. With Christians who are being persecuted, with Christians who really have been that poorly treated and really are that justly angry about it. They give us a window into a world where the choice is not 'which multi million dollar sanctuary do I visit this week,' but 'do I keep my family, or do I go to church?'
We need the imprecatory Psalms, and the fact that we feel so uncomfortable with them probably shows us just why we need them. We need to be woken up from our doze about sinful things. We need to see the damage that sin, both personal and institutional does to those sinned against. We need to know how God feels about sin. We need the imprecatory Psalms so that we can pray for our brothers and sisters across the world suffering for their faith. So that we, in some small way, can feel the injustice they face, and the way it makes them feel.
And we need these Psalms to spur us on the share our faith, to preach the Gospel. Why? Because for those outside of Christ, 'come Lord Jesus,' is the most imprecatory Psalm there is.
What do we do with the imprecatory psalms? How can we amen a prayer that asks God to dash the heads of babies against a rock? Or that our accusers would be cloaked in shame so that it would soak into their bones? This sentiment disturbs our quiet times doesn't it? But how are we supposed to engage with these Psalms? If we're serious about the Bible, we can't just strike off the things that make us uncomfortable, or there would be very little left.
So what do we do with the imprecatory Psalms?
We could take a popular approach, and say that they are simply the remnant of a pre Christian view of God. The leftovers from a time where law ruled instead of grace, and should be ignored as such. But the problem with calling them left overs, is that it means that someone left them over. We can't believe that the Psalms included every single song written by the Hebrews, obviously, so for some reason, these unpleasant prayers or songs or praises were left in the Bible. Why?
How can we read these Psalms like Christians? What do they teach us? First, it's worth remembering that the imprecatory Psalms are simply strong laments. Jesus prayed through the Psalms of lament as He went from the upper room to the cross, but we live in a lament free society. The first world prosperity Gospel holds that anyone who damages my self esteem is guilty of sin. We don't lament very often, we don't wail. Our popular songs are upbeat, Christian radio stations want to create 'an atmosphere of positivity.' Laments are odd to our ears. And where laments are odd, imprecations will be odder still.
But these odd prayers are Christian scripture, just like the rest of the Old Testament, since we're there, so what do we do with them?
Firstly, these Psalms help us identify how serious sin is. Our sin. As Judges ends with the sin inside the camp, so taking these psalms on our lips should make us think about the sin in our camp. How have we oppressed, and let down, and marginalised? How does our life look under the white hot glare of Christ's gracious perfections? Are we praying these Psalms as the aggrieved or the aggressor? They help us see how God feels about personal sin, and about institutional sin.
These Psalms wake us up to God. Just like pain plants a flag in our lives to show us that all is not well, so the imprecatories plant a flag in scripture that all is not well within our hearts, our institutions, and our creation. In a world anaesthetised by religion and numbed by entertainment, these Psalms shake us awake.
The imprecatory Psalms help us to empathize with Christians all over the world. With Christians who are being persecuted, with Christians who really have been that poorly treated and really are that justly angry about it. They give us a window into a world where the choice is not 'which multi million dollar sanctuary do I visit this week,' but 'do I keep my family, or do I go to church?'
We need the imprecatory Psalms, and the fact that we feel so uncomfortable with them probably shows us just why we need them. We need to be woken up from our doze about sinful things. We need to see the damage that sin, both personal and institutional does to those sinned against. We need to know how God feels about sin. We need the imprecatory Psalms so that we can pray for our brothers and sisters across the world suffering for their faith. So that we, in some small way, can feel the injustice they face, and the way it makes them feel.
And we need these Psalms to spur us on the share our faith, to preach the Gospel. Why? Because for those outside of Christ, 'come Lord Jesus,' is the most imprecatory Psalm there is.
Monday, 25 March 2013
Here's Your King
Probably the best way to read Judges is quickly. Move through it at pace, and then the awful themes become clearer. The repeated refrain that there was no king in those days, that everyone did what was right in their own eyes, the systematic moving through of the tribes of Israel, none of them left untouched by rebellion and poor leadership. Even the best of them are pretty rotten.
There are many things that these dark days of Israel's history teach us, but the desire of the author, probably Samuel, is to help us understand that without a King, the people perish. A Heavenly King of course, we need Jesus to be the King of our lives and passions and desires, but an earthly King as well.
And not the one that Samuel was serving under at the moment. If the sceptre was never to depart from between Judah's feet, why was there a Benjaminite on the throne! A Benjaminite, from the tribe spoken of in such despicable tones at the end of Judges. Samuel says no, he says that Kings don't come from Benjamin, they come from Judah. And then, as he dips his quill in his ink, and asks again for help, he turns the page, and tells us about Ruth. And he says, this Israel, this is where Kings come from.
I love the story of Ruth. It's a beautiful short story all on it's won. Love and romance, death and tragedy, intrigue and unexpected plot twists, it's got it all. It also has the coolest guy in the Old Testament for a hero. Boaz. Say it slowly and in a deep voice. Bo-az. So how is it about Kingship? Well has the end of the story ever confused you? It has me. Where do Ruth and Boaz go? Our two starcrossed lovers just disappear, and we're left with Naomi, sweetly bouncing her grandson on her knee. And a genealogy. One that takes us from Perez, though Boaz, to David. King David. This where your Kings come from Israel, Judah, not Benjamin. Where do Ruth and Boaz go? It doesn't matter, they've served their purpose in this tract on the benefits of a Davidic King.
So Israel, that's where your King should come from, but what should he do? He clearly shouldn't be like a King od the other nations, to ask for a King like that was a sin, and Saul wasn't doing a great job in teaching his people the law. Israel, your king should be like YHWH, like Boaz in fact.
What does Boaz do? He greets his bride as she comes in from the wilderness. He provides for her and protects her. He spreads his wings over her, even though he has no cause to. He loves her. They are betrothed, and he goes outside the city (Outside. The. City!) to fight off other suitors. Then they marry, and they can look at each other and say, I am my beloved, and my beloved is mine. Israel, choose a King who will do these things, who will take, and love, and sacrifice and fight for you.
Israel had to choose a King like that, and so do we. We need a King who accepts us from the wilderness, hairy, sweaty and unattractive. A king who will spread His wings over us. Who will nourish and protect us. Who will take us to Himself, who will leave the comforts of the city to win us. Who will be married to us forever.
It's no wonder Spurgeon called Jesus 'our glorious Boaz.'
There are many things that these dark days of Israel's history teach us, but the desire of the author, probably Samuel, is to help us understand that without a King, the people perish. A Heavenly King of course, we need Jesus to be the King of our lives and passions and desires, but an earthly King as well.
And not the one that Samuel was serving under at the moment. If the sceptre was never to depart from between Judah's feet, why was there a Benjaminite on the throne! A Benjaminite, from the tribe spoken of in such despicable tones at the end of Judges. Samuel says no, he says that Kings don't come from Benjamin, they come from Judah. And then, as he dips his quill in his ink, and asks again for help, he turns the page, and tells us about Ruth. And he says, this Israel, this is where Kings come from.
I love the story of Ruth. It's a beautiful short story all on it's won. Love and romance, death and tragedy, intrigue and unexpected plot twists, it's got it all. It also has the coolest guy in the Old Testament for a hero. Boaz. Say it slowly and in a deep voice. Bo-az. So how is it about Kingship? Well has the end of the story ever confused you? It has me. Where do Ruth and Boaz go? Our two starcrossed lovers just disappear, and we're left with Naomi, sweetly bouncing her grandson on her knee. And a genealogy. One that takes us from Perez, though Boaz, to David. King David. This where your Kings come from Israel, Judah, not Benjamin. Where do Ruth and Boaz go? It doesn't matter, they've served their purpose in this tract on the benefits of a Davidic King.
So Israel, that's where your King should come from, but what should he do? He clearly shouldn't be like a King od the other nations, to ask for a King like that was a sin, and Saul wasn't doing a great job in teaching his people the law. Israel, your king should be like YHWH, like Boaz in fact.
What does Boaz do? He greets his bride as she comes in from the wilderness. He provides for her and protects her. He spreads his wings over her, even though he has no cause to. He loves her. They are betrothed, and he goes outside the city (Outside. The. City!) to fight off other suitors. Then they marry, and they can look at each other and say, I am my beloved, and my beloved is mine. Israel, choose a King who will do these things, who will take, and love, and sacrifice and fight for you.
Israel had to choose a King like that, and so do we. We need a King who accepts us from the wilderness, hairy, sweaty and unattractive. A king who will spread His wings over us. Who will nourish and protect us. Who will take us to Himself, who will leave the comforts of the city to win us. Who will be married to us forever.
It's no wonder Spurgeon called Jesus 'our glorious Boaz.'
Friday, 22 March 2013
The Great Promise
I love the great promise of Matthew 24:14. This Gospel will be preached to all nations, and then the end will come. Is there a sweeter 'and then' in all the Bible?
Jesus doesn't say the Gospel should be preached, or might be preached, or could be preached, He says it will be preached to all nations, and then the end will come. And we know Jesus is coming, we know the end is coming, so we know that the Gospel will fill the Earth as the waters fill the sea.
Nations doesn't mean Canada, Mexico and Brazil, but language groups or ethnic groups. The Gospel will be preached in and to every language, and then Jesus will return. So there's no fence sitting in the Christian life. There's no waiting around to see who wins, and then jumping in, we commit to pray, participate and proclaim.
We commit to pray. Jesus told us to. When He looked at the fields white for harvest, He didn't tell us to go, he told us to pray. How we pray for the end is how we gauge our passion for Jesus return. We don't prepare for His return with rapture wallcharts and collecting tinned food. Neither do we prepare for His return by doing nothing about it. We pray, maranatha, come Lord Jesus.
As we pray, we participate. We take part in the life of our local church, we commit our time and our treasure and our talents to what our church is doing. We share our faith with our friends, we let them know that we have found a feast in the wilderness, we ask them to come with us, because we will do them good, we tell them of our beloved and invite them to enjoy Him with us. We pray and we participate.
And we proclaim. The Gospel isn't true because it works, but it does work because it is true. It changes people, and so, because know the Gospel overcomes, we share the truth of it with people. We're not worried about being slurred because we believe in one God and one way to Him, we go and we lay down our lives to share the Gospel, like the millions before us have.
Is the great promise of Matthew 24:14 making a difference in your life? Are you praying? Are you participating? Are you proclaiming?
Jesus doesn't say the Gospel should be preached, or might be preached, or could be preached, He says it will be preached to all nations, and then the end will come. And we know Jesus is coming, we know the end is coming, so we know that the Gospel will fill the Earth as the waters fill the sea.
Nations doesn't mean Canada, Mexico and Brazil, but language groups or ethnic groups. The Gospel will be preached in and to every language, and then Jesus will return. So there's no fence sitting in the Christian life. There's no waiting around to see who wins, and then jumping in, we commit to pray, participate and proclaim.
We commit to pray. Jesus told us to. When He looked at the fields white for harvest, He didn't tell us to go, he told us to pray. How we pray for the end is how we gauge our passion for Jesus return. We don't prepare for His return with rapture wallcharts and collecting tinned food. Neither do we prepare for His return by doing nothing about it. We pray, maranatha, come Lord Jesus.
As we pray, we participate. We take part in the life of our local church, we commit our time and our treasure and our talents to what our church is doing. We share our faith with our friends, we let them know that we have found a feast in the wilderness, we ask them to come with us, because we will do them good, we tell them of our beloved and invite them to enjoy Him with us. We pray and we participate.
And we proclaim. The Gospel isn't true because it works, but it does work because it is true. It changes people, and so, because know the Gospel overcomes, we share the truth of it with people. We're not worried about being slurred because we believe in one God and one way to Him, we go and we lay down our lives to share the Gospel, like the millions before us have.
Is the great promise of Matthew 24:14 making a difference in your life? Are you praying? Are you participating? Are you proclaiming?
Wednesday, 20 March 2013
And Love Your Neighbour (Mark 12:28-44 Pt 2)
That’s
why loving Jesus shows that we’re saved, but why does loving others show that
we’re saved? Jesus gives us two reasons. A positive example in verses 41-44,
but first, a negative example in verses 38-40. Let’s read those verses together
READ. What do the scribes like? They like honor, they like greetings, they like
attention. They like to come first. They can’t put God first, because they are
putting themselves first. They want the greetings and the seats of honor. These
men want everyone to know who they are, they want to come first. Them. Not God.
They can’t love God because they love themselves too much.
Maybe sometimes we’re like that. We want attention, we want the praise, we want the focus to be on us and our achievements. The scary thing is that these scribes would have totally agreed with what Jesus said to the scribe in our first passage, but it didn’t make any difference to their lives, and they were far from the Kingdom of God. They did not love God. They made long prayers that everyone loved, but because they were for show they meant nothing, they fell to the ground like a lead balloon. So will your prayers if they are for show and not for God. They devoured widow’s houses. That doesn’t sound great does it? They exploited widows instead of helping them, making money off their poverty, rather than helping them as they were supposed to do.
This should scare us a little bit. These guys looked great to everyone. They followed all the rules, did their devotions, never missed a youth activity, were always in Sunday School, but Jesus condemns them, because in their hearts they were first, not God. James tells us that faith without works is dead. This is what he means. All the good works in the world mean nothing if God is not first in your heart.
So to go back to our question at the beginning. How can i know i’m saved? You can know you’re saved if your life has a single devotion in it to put God first.
Putting God first means putting others first, and it means putting yourself last. It means that, as we saw last week, we give to God what is His. That means everything.
It
means that we know faith in Jesus is better than sacrifices and burnt
offerings, because Jesus sacrifice is better. It means we have a faith in Jesus
that puts others first, rather than ourselves. It means that we have a faith in
Jesus that gives Him everything we have, no matter what it’s worth.
It means that the Christian life is always about someone else before it’s about you. The Christian life is about God, and then it’s about others. So what is your life about? What is the focus of your life? That’s how you can know whether or not you are really living in the Kingdom, whether or not you’re really saved.
Maybe sometimes we’re like that. We want attention, we want the praise, we want the focus to be on us and our achievements. The scary thing is that these scribes would have totally agreed with what Jesus said to the scribe in our first passage, but it didn’t make any difference to their lives, and they were far from the Kingdom of God. They did not love God. They made long prayers that everyone loved, but because they were for show they meant nothing, they fell to the ground like a lead balloon. So will your prayers if they are for show and not for God. They devoured widow’s houses. That doesn’t sound great does it? They exploited widows instead of helping them, making money off their poverty, rather than helping them as they were supposed to do.
This should scare us a little bit. These guys looked great to everyone. They followed all the rules, did their devotions, never missed a youth activity, were always in Sunday School, but Jesus condemns them, because in their hearts they were first, not God. James tells us that faith without works is dead. This is what he means. All the good works in the world mean nothing if God is not first in your heart.
If
you come first in your life, God can not come first in your life. real faith,
Kingdom faith, saving faith puts God first, and puts others first. It doesn’t
think of itself very often, it thinks of God and others a lot.
Saving
faith looks like the widow we meet in verses 41-44. READ. The two coins she put
in the offering plate were worthless. Together they were 1/64th of a days wages
for a builder. They would have made no difference to the running of the Temple,
but they would have made a huge difference to her life is he’d kept them. Jesus
tells us that she put in all she had to live on. What was she going to do the
next time she got hungry? She had thrown away her life for the sake of God, and
others.
This
is what Jesus wants us to see as a real example of someone who is saved.
She
had real devotion, not pretend prayer. She didn’t wait for her house to be
devoured, she put God first, and gave everything to Him. can we say the same?
We may not think we have much, but do we give to God what we do have? Are our
plans different because of Jesus? They should be. This women would have known
that her pennies were basically worthless, but she knew that in the Kingdom of
God nothing is worthless. Whatever gift, or talent, whatever you can offer, can
not be worthless, if you give it to God.
So to go back to our question at the beginning. How can i know i’m saved? You can know you’re saved if your life has a single devotion in it to put God first.
Putting God first means putting others first, and it means putting yourself last. It means that, as we saw last week, we give to God what is His. That means everything.
It means that the Christian life is always about someone else before it’s about you. The Christian life is about God, and then it’s about others. So what is your life about? What is the focus of your life? That’s how you can know whether or not you are really living in the Kingdom, whether or not you’re really saved.
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