The natural minds of fallen men simply and profoundly hate the truth about God. Some that frequent churches and attend religious services are no different—full of religion they despise the truth revealed in the Bible. The peerless character of the one, true, and living God is too holy and His intolerance of sin too exacting for the worldly person’s taste; indeed, the world delights to worship lesser, more manageable gods.
The truth about God Almighty is too hard to handle unless one has peace with Him on His terms. His terms are plainly stated in the gospel of Christ and nowhere else. His gospel is plain and narrow: “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). The Lord Jesus’ understanding of Himself was that He alone was (and is) the only “way” by which sinful people can be restored to real communion with God. The “way” to eternal life is that narrow according to Jesus. Either we put our trust in Him or we perish.
One Redeemer
Jesus is Lord, not a moral teacher. He did not come to show us how to be nice. He did not come to inform us that we too can become gods. Rather, He is the eternal God who became Man in order to redeem us. None was more compassionate, but He did not come to merely demonstrate compassion. He came to accomplish redemption, to purchase His people by His blood! “To save His people from their sins” by His spotless life and obedient death on the cross; to conquer death and darkness by His death and resurrection from the dead!
Some prominent celebrities, religious and secular, along with innumerable New-Age types lend their voices to condemn the biblical gospel as too narrow. They favor ‘another gospel,’ along with its anathema (see Galatians 1:6-10); one that tells of many ways to God and many doors through which ‘good people’ may enter heaven. Nationally-renowned religious heroes who once preached Jesus Christ and faith in His Name as the only way of salvation (see John 14:6) have begun to whistle ‘another gospel’ tune, becoming even more beloved and more highly-honored—apostate though they be. Sad and sickening, the shipwreck some have made concerning the faith!
More than a Local Savior
He is not merely “the way” for those who hear the gospel; Jesus is the only way for any person to be reconciled to God. Those who suggest that some who never hear will be ‘saved’ because they are ignorant of the gospel and that will render them unaccountable in the Judgment, they lie against the truth! If that were so, then the only guaranteed-successful evangelism program would be to leave everyone as ignorant as possible and never mention Jesus to anyone—but ignorance does nothing to diminish a sinner’s corruption of heart. Ignorance does not remove accountability and sin still fully deserves the righteous wrath of God, whether or not we ever hear the gospel. To hear the gospel is a mercy from God, for it is only by resting our soul’s hope in Jesus Christ that we are saved from the wrath due unto us for our sin (see Acts 4:12). It is by faith alone that we savingly embrace Jesus our Sin-bearer.
A Line of Nonsense
Just how numb are people’s minds; can people not tell when they are being fed a line of nonsense? Are we unable to discern light and darkness? Know the difference between truth and falsity? Can we not recognize the disparity between the gospel according to Oprah and the gospel according to Jesus?
When some people talk about Jesus and the gospel they engage in such intellectual dishonesty as would land them in jail if they used the same measure of truth in a court of law. For them Jesus and the gospel are subject to definition-at-will, which always results in misrepresentation and dishonesty. The ‘Jesus’ they describe is not the Christ revealed in Scripture, and yet they give the impression that their representation is consistent with the testimony of the Bible, when all they have correct is the spelling of His name. They display abysmal ignorance, profound incompetence, or incredible dishonesty. Their ‘Jesus’ is nothing more than a reflection of their own sentimental, religious feelings; and that has nothing to do with anything that matters.
What Matters
What the truth is matters. (Jesus is “the truth.”) Who God is matters. (Jesus is God.) Our true spiritual condition in our fallen nature, that matters. (We are spiritually dead and alienated from God by nature.) How we can be right with God and forgiven of our sins matters. (Putting our trust in Christ, we will be justified and forgiven.) Whether Jesus Himself thought there was more than one way for people to know God matters. (He didn’t.) Whether or not the Bible is the Word of God matters. (It is, fully and utterly.)
What Oprah thinks about these things matters not. Not only is she not an expert on Christianity, her understanding of the gospel message is comparable to that of an illiterate incompetent. Anyone who can read the Gospel of John, chapter 14, verse 6 (with even minimal comprehension) will know more than she does. She is wrong to say that she is a Christian who believes that there are many ways to God and heaven. A Christian by Jesus’ definition would believe Jesus to be who He says He is—not a way, but the one and only way by which a sinner can be reconciled to God. To reject Jesus’ claim as the exclusive Savior is to reject Jesus Himself.
The Exclusive Savior
Only Jesus Christ, crucified and raised from the dead, can save any sinner from spiritual death and unending hell. No amount of human reasoning can change this reality. Jesus alone can deliver us from the power and penalty of sin. There are no other saviors, no other ways to God and heaven. There is one Name by which we must be saved, one Person who can transform our lives for time and eternity. Only the Father can reveal Christ the Son to us (Matthew 16:18); only Christ the Lord can reconcile us to the Father (John 14:6). And only the Holy Spirit can make us spiritually alive (John 3:3-8), giving us eyes to see and hearts to believe. Do you know what it is to be saved by Jesus Christ, the one and only Savior?
Help from the Inspired Word
“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:8-12 NKJV)
“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” …” (Matthew 16:13-18 NKJV)
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
What is Your Christian Testimony Worth?
A credible testimony of true and saving faith in Jesus Christ is a treasure to be earnestly desired, carefully secured, and tenaciously guarded. There are so many frauds and false brethren, that a well-established, credible gospel witness is worth something. Just how much is yours worth?
What are the components of a credible Christian witness? First, there is a public profession of faith formalized in one’s baptism. By our baptism we profess something. We declare to the church and to the world that we are Christ’s and that He is ours by grace alone through faith alone. We profess that grace has made a change in us and that we have begun to follow the Lamb as our Lord and Master. Second, there is discipleship. This is what builds the credibility of one’s profession of faith, that it is real and genuine and, truly, of the Lord’s doing; as the Lord’s brother said, “I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18).
Discipleship has been called “a long obedience in the same direction” (Eugene Peterson). Pastor A. N. Martin wrote a small booklet, “A Life of Principled Obedience,” addressing discipleship and the ongoing grace of sanctification in a believer’s life. Disciples discipline themselves for success. Disciples are scholars who hear and heed their mentor. If we know Jesus Christ in saving faith and repentance, then we have responded obediently to His gospel and have become His disciples. Without evident discipleship, there is also no evident saving grace.
So, the primary components of a credible testimony are, (1) our outward, public profession declared in our baptism and, (2) our discipleship lived-out day by day as we follow Christ and obey His Word. Every day that we conduct ourselves in the disciplines of God’s grace, the credibility of our Christian witness is more firmly established.
None of us are perfectly consistent in our following Christ; consistently inconsistent is more often the case. We all make missteps and mistakes and we all sin in ways every day, so all too often our discipleship does not shine. Some days are better than others and some days are just plain terrible when it comes to our faithful obedience to Christ, and those days end with shame and tears and in deep repentance. Still, the promise of our Lord makes us certain that He will hear and forgive and give us more grace heaped upon grace, helping us to find our way back to the path of obedient, determined discipleship.
How Are You Running?
Paul writes, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NKJV).
Very likely alluding to the ancient Olympic Games, the Apostle urged the Corinthian believers to live their lives in such a way that they might obtain the prize. But what was “the prize?” It was an imperishable garland, a conqueror’s crown. But what is it, after all? Nothing other than the smile of God; His approval of the way we conducted ourselves during the course of our lives.
Do you not long to hear your Savior say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23)? That, beloved ones, is “the prize” awaiting a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. But who among us is nearly as faithful as we should be? So, shall we despair of ever pleasing our perfect Lord because we are imperfect in this life? No, we are to believe the promises of the gospel. Our offerings of true, albeit imperfect, obedience presented to Christ in faith will be accepted because of His once-for-all, perfect obedience sanctifying our earnest, yet feeble and imperfect, attempts.
He is Watching & It Really Matters
Is it possible that the Lord Jesus who calls us to be His disciples would not take notice of our discipline, or the absence thereof? Paul knew that his Lord was watching every moment! He was sure that in order to win “the prize” he must run the race “according to the rules” (2 Timothy 2:5), according to the truth of the gospel.
Paul did not want to be “disqualified” after running so far for so long. Disqualified from what? He wanted to live with the sort of discipline that, on its merits, would prove that he was indeed a true child of God, a true disciple, a true Apostle. Many imposters had made their empty claims, but ultimately proved themselves false by the way they ran the race, not according to the truth of the gospel, but according to their own bogus set of rules. But Paul was the real deal. He was the genuine article. The grace that saved him was not impotent, cheap grace. It was sovereign grace, indeed.
Paul’s purpose was to succeed, to win, to receive that imperishable victor’s wreath that would proclaim throughout eternity that he had purposely lived for the glory of Christ Jesus. How do you think of your Christian life? Do you see it as a race that you must run with integrity and a race to be won? How much value do you place on running your life’s marathon “according to the rules” of the gospel, in “principled obedience” to Christ? Too many think of Christian life as a sprint when it is more like a marathon.
Shipwreck, Train-Wreck, a Tangled Mess
Paul wrote to the young pastor Timothy about numerous people who had “made shipwreck” concerning “the faith” (1 Timothy 1:18-20), mentioning two of them by name. A shipwreck was a terrible tragedy, especially in those days; with the loss of cargo, with great damage to the ship or the loss of it altogether, not to mention the loss of life that was often involved. To “make shipwreck” concerning the faith of the gospel was nothing short of tragic; it was to suffer great loss.
“Hymenaeus and Alexander” (v. 20) had apparently persistently spoken blasphemies against the Lord and the truth of the gospel. There was some hope that they might “learn not to blaspheme” and be recovered to the church, but because of their blasphemies they had been excommunicated from the church. The church made it clear that those two men were no longer in the communion of the saints; they were under the church’s discipline in hopes that they might repent and be restored. Their sinful blasphemy had resulted in their making shipwreck concerning the faith, and they stood to lose everything by being proved nothing more than false, lying professors of gospel faith; unsaved men.
If the Apostle lived in this day and time he might have used a different analogy to describe the mess some professing believers make of their lives because of cherished sin. I recall once seeing a train-wreck as a child. There were overturned train cars and loose coal strewn everywhere. Years later my brother bought a mint-green Chevrolet in near-mint condition (what a car!); within a couple months one night the car stalled at a railway crossing and along came the train. About a mile or so down the tracks someone with some sort of machinery peeled the crumpled wreckage off the front of the train; so much for mint condition. What a picture! What a mess we can make of our lives in a matter of minutes!
Whether a shipwreck, train-wreck, car-crash, or some other tragic picture of loss and ruin—let us, every one, beware the devastating power of cherished sin. O, the wretched tendency to blaspheme, to prefer our sin over our Savior! Let us all beware and redouble our resolve; a credible witness of faith in Christ can be spoiled in such a short time!
Don’t Care What Anyone Thinks
When someone is in the process of ruining his life and spoiling his Christian testimony, he is likely to think or even to say, “I don’t care what anyone thinks! It’s nobody’s business but my own.” Such an attitude only reveals the mighty power of sin’s grip.
To the suffering believers of the Christian Diaspora, Simon Peter wrote strange words; strange, in that he wanted them to care how their lives were perceived by people around them, even those unbelievers who persecuted them and called them evildoers. “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:11-12 NKJV).
The Tragedy of a Credible Testimony Forfeited
The forfeiture of a credible Christian witness by behavior that undermines that credibility—what a tragedy! What loss! What is our credible testimony of faith in Christ worth? Is cherished sin worth what it is going to cost? When our “good name” is destroyed because of persistent love of sin and refusal to obey God, will we care then? Indeed, the pleasures of sin are only “for a season.” And then what?
Are we, at this moment, determined to obey the Lord Jesus Christ with all of our hearts? If there is even one sliver of doubt, then let us beware. Truly, “sin crouches at the door,” patiently waiting for an opportunity to seize us and drag us off to some out of the way place, away from the gospel, away from the church, away from everything familiar, to rip and tear us limb from limb—bringing our whole life to utter ruin and leaving us to wallow in our own blood and to suffer unspeakable misery under guilt and shame. How Satan would delight to see any one of us forfeit our credible testimony; in exchange he would happily let us bear the infamy of a hypocrite to our grave.
Let us hear the Word of God and love it and live it, all by grace. Value your credible Christian witness. Desire it, secure it, guard it. If you have lost it, seek by God’s forgiveness and grace to recover it for His glory. May our Lord give us grace to run well and to finish strong! –TSA
Help from the Inspired Word
“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another. "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:17-32 NKJV)
What are the components of a credible Christian witness? First, there is a public profession of faith formalized in one’s baptism. By our baptism we profess something. We declare to the church and to the world that we are Christ’s and that He is ours by grace alone through faith alone. We profess that grace has made a change in us and that we have begun to follow the Lamb as our Lord and Master. Second, there is discipleship. This is what builds the credibility of one’s profession of faith, that it is real and genuine and, truly, of the Lord’s doing; as the Lord’s brother said, “I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18).
Discipleship has been called “a long obedience in the same direction” (Eugene Peterson). Pastor A. N. Martin wrote a small booklet, “A Life of Principled Obedience,” addressing discipleship and the ongoing grace of sanctification in a believer’s life. Disciples discipline themselves for success. Disciples are scholars who hear and heed their mentor. If we know Jesus Christ in saving faith and repentance, then we have responded obediently to His gospel and have become His disciples. Without evident discipleship, there is also no evident saving grace.
So, the primary components of a credible testimony are, (1) our outward, public profession declared in our baptism and, (2) our discipleship lived-out day by day as we follow Christ and obey His Word. Every day that we conduct ourselves in the disciplines of God’s grace, the credibility of our Christian witness is more firmly established.
None of us are perfectly consistent in our following Christ; consistently inconsistent is more often the case. We all make missteps and mistakes and we all sin in ways every day, so all too often our discipleship does not shine. Some days are better than others and some days are just plain terrible when it comes to our faithful obedience to Christ, and those days end with shame and tears and in deep repentance. Still, the promise of our Lord makes us certain that He will hear and forgive and give us more grace heaped upon grace, helping us to find our way back to the path of obedient, determined discipleship.
How Are You Running?
Paul writes, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NKJV).
Very likely alluding to the ancient Olympic Games, the Apostle urged the Corinthian believers to live their lives in such a way that they might obtain the prize. But what was “the prize?” It was an imperishable garland, a conqueror’s crown. But what is it, after all? Nothing other than the smile of God; His approval of the way we conducted ourselves during the course of our lives.
Do you not long to hear your Savior say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23)? That, beloved ones, is “the prize” awaiting a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. But who among us is nearly as faithful as we should be? So, shall we despair of ever pleasing our perfect Lord because we are imperfect in this life? No, we are to believe the promises of the gospel. Our offerings of true, albeit imperfect, obedience presented to Christ in faith will be accepted because of His once-for-all, perfect obedience sanctifying our earnest, yet feeble and imperfect, attempts.
He is Watching & It Really Matters
Is it possible that the Lord Jesus who calls us to be His disciples would not take notice of our discipline, or the absence thereof? Paul knew that his Lord was watching every moment! He was sure that in order to win “the prize” he must run the race “according to the rules” (2 Timothy 2:5), according to the truth of the gospel.
Paul did not want to be “disqualified” after running so far for so long. Disqualified from what? He wanted to live with the sort of discipline that, on its merits, would prove that he was indeed a true child of God, a true disciple, a true Apostle. Many imposters had made their empty claims, but ultimately proved themselves false by the way they ran the race, not according to the truth of the gospel, but according to their own bogus set of rules. But Paul was the real deal. He was the genuine article. The grace that saved him was not impotent, cheap grace. It was sovereign grace, indeed.
Paul’s purpose was to succeed, to win, to receive that imperishable victor’s wreath that would proclaim throughout eternity that he had purposely lived for the glory of Christ Jesus. How do you think of your Christian life? Do you see it as a race that you must run with integrity and a race to be won? How much value do you place on running your life’s marathon “according to the rules” of the gospel, in “principled obedience” to Christ? Too many think of Christian life as a sprint when it is more like a marathon.
Shipwreck, Train-Wreck, a Tangled Mess
Paul wrote to the young pastor Timothy about numerous people who had “made shipwreck” concerning “the faith” (1 Timothy 1:18-20), mentioning two of them by name. A shipwreck was a terrible tragedy, especially in those days; with the loss of cargo, with great damage to the ship or the loss of it altogether, not to mention the loss of life that was often involved. To “make shipwreck” concerning the faith of the gospel was nothing short of tragic; it was to suffer great loss.
“Hymenaeus and Alexander” (v. 20) had apparently persistently spoken blasphemies against the Lord and the truth of the gospel. There was some hope that they might “learn not to blaspheme” and be recovered to the church, but because of their blasphemies they had been excommunicated from the church. The church made it clear that those two men were no longer in the communion of the saints; they were under the church’s discipline in hopes that they might repent and be restored. Their sinful blasphemy had resulted in their making shipwreck concerning the faith, and they stood to lose everything by being proved nothing more than false, lying professors of gospel faith; unsaved men.
If the Apostle lived in this day and time he might have used a different analogy to describe the mess some professing believers make of their lives because of cherished sin. I recall once seeing a train-wreck as a child. There were overturned train cars and loose coal strewn everywhere. Years later my brother bought a mint-green Chevrolet in near-mint condition (what a car!); within a couple months one night the car stalled at a railway crossing and along came the train. About a mile or so down the tracks someone with some sort of machinery peeled the crumpled wreckage off the front of the train; so much for mint condition. What a picture! What a mess we can make of our lives in a matter of minutes!
Whether a shipwreck, train-wreck, car-crash, or some other tragic picture of loss and ruin—let us, every one, beware the devastating power of cherished sin. O, the wretched tendency to blaspheme, to prefer our sin over our Savior! Let us all beware and redouble our resolve; a credible witness of faith in Christ can be spoiled in such a short time!
Don’t Care What Anyone Thinks
When someone is in the process of ruining his life and spoiling his Christian testimony, he is likely to think or even to say, “I don’t care what anyone thinks! It’s nobody’s business but my own.” Such an attitude only reveals the mighty power of sin’s grip.
To the suffering believers of the Christian Diaspora, Simon Peter wrote strange words; strange, in that he wanted them to care how their lives were perceived by people around them, even those unbelievers who persecuted them and called them evildoers. “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:11-12 NKJV).
The Tragedy of a Credible Testimony Forfeited
The forfeiture of a credible Christian witness by behavior that undermines that credibility—what a tragedy! What loss! What is our credible testimony of faith in Christ worth? Is cherished sin worth what it is going to cost? When our “good name” is destroyed because of persistent love of sin and refusal to obey God, will we care then? Indeed, the pleasures of sin are only “for a season.” And then what?
Are we, at this moment, determined to obey the Lord Jesus Christ with all of our hearts? If there is even one sliver of doubt, then let us beware. Truly, “sin crouches at the door,” patiently waiting for an opportunity to seize us and drag us off to some out of the way place, away from the gospel, away from the church, away from everything familiar, to rip and tear us limb from limb—bringing our whole life to utter ruin and leaving us to wallow in our own blood and to suffer unspeakable misery under guilt and shame. How Satan would delight to see any one of us forfeit our credible testimony; in exchange he would happily let us bear the infamy of a hypocrite to our grave.
Let us hear the Word of God and love it and live it, all by grace. Value your credible Christian witness. Desire it, secure it, guard it. If you have lost it, seek by God’s forgiveness and grace to recover it for His glory. May our Lord give us grace to run well and to finish strong! –TSA
Help from the Inspired Word
“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another. "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:17-32 NKJV)
Monday, June 23, 2008
"The Great Tribulation"
“These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14)
Here is the only occurrence of the phrase “great tribulation” in the Bible. The scene portrayed is that of a numberless multitude of redeemed sinners from every segment of humanity, all standing in the presence of the sovereign God and before the Lamb, our Lord Jesus. All are clothed in white robes, symbolic of absolute righteousness. They each have palm branches and strong, loud voices with which they praise God for His free and priceless gift of salvation from sin, death, and hell (vv. 9-10). At the sight, the heavenly audience, composed of angels, elders, and living creatures, falls down joining in worship to the Lord (vv. 11-12).
This was part of the vision John saw. Then one of the twenty-four elders asked John to identify that sea of humanity dressed in pristine robes and to tell from where they came (v. 13). Correctly assuming the question to have been asked only so that the true answer might be given, John deferred to the knowledge of the elder who told him who they were and where they had been.
The people dressed in white, holding palm branches of peace, shouting glory for the salvation they had received through the cross-work of the Lamb—these are the ones who came out of “the great tribulation.” What was “the great tribulation” out of which they came? What did the elder mean; what did the Spirit of Jesus intend by this expression; what was meant by “the great tribulation?”
"Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”" (Revelation 7:13-17 NKJV)
The Difficult Journey of the Redeemed
The people who “come out of the great tribulation” are born-again Christians from all the earth in all ages from the Apostle’s time until Jesus’ return. The vision portrays God’s church robed in white, enjoying peace and worshipping joyously in the presence of God, giving glory to God and to the Lamb. These are Christ’s churches all gathered together in one, who have entered heaven’s glory by way of “the great tribulation.” Our pilgrimage through this world is called by this sobering designation. Once dressed in defiled garments of sin and shame, John saw us all wearing clean clothes; once polluted by sin, we are now robed in the perfect, imputed righteousness of Jesus. By obedience to the gospel, we have washed our robes in His blood and they have become white. It doesn’t seem like something that could happen, but it has. Dirty robes washed in Lamb’s blood, now as white as snow.
Tribulation is trouble and stress and struggle; such is the life of the true child of God as he pursues the will of God in a hostile world. Those described as having “come out of the great tribulation” are all the redeemed purchased by Christ and forgiven through faith in Him. Although there are also joys and victories and delights along life’s journey, “great tribulation” still accurately describes a Christian’s life in this world. If there is a more apt description, one wonders what that would be. Truly, some believers suffer more than others. Some suffer unto death as martyrs, while other children of God seem to live in relative ease; but all of God’s people, in some sense, endure great tribulation through life.
Sin, Satan, and the world all oppose the believer. Remaining sin, sin not yet mortified (put to death), sin that still finds a place in our hearts and actions creates all manner of trouble (see Romans 8:12-14). God deals with His redeemed ones as with deeply loved sons and sometimes visits harsh discipline on them when they walk in disobedience. Temptation pursues us, and all the worse when we give the devil an opportunity by not faithfully obeying the Word of God. And while we still have much to learn, how can we plead ignorance? We already understand so much that we do not yet perfectly obey. How dishonest to plead ignorance, while we boldly sin against clearly revealed truth! God knows our hearts and even our imperfect conscience bears witness against us.
Satan, the devil, our adversary truly exists. He is real and evil. He opposes everything that is good and everything that glorifies God. He is against us if we are for God. Against him we must stand, wearing spiritual armor with bravery and resolve and faith (see Ephesians 6:10-18).
Further, worldly men who love neither God nor His truth often plague the people of God in many ways. They add trouble to tribulation as they undermine all that is good and worthy and noble. When we would attempt righteousness, there is always a worldly voice to shout us down or to criticize our failings. “Love not the world,” John wrote. Worldliness only adds grief and sorrow to the tribulations of true believers. Indeed, it is a difficult journey “from faith to faith” and “from glory to glory” (Romans 1:17, 2 Corinthians 3:18).
Heaven, At Last
Because of God’s grace, because of what the Lamb did in bearing away our sins, throughout the endlessness of eternity the redeemed people of God will always be in His presence, serving Him all the time—worshipping and exalting His Name and giving glory to the Lamb. The reality we will experience is God’s presence all the time, indicated by the expression, “day and night in His temple.” The living God will occupy our existence, filling our souls to the full with His own presence. We live by faith and will die in faith, and we all are more than conquerors through the Lamb who loved us. Then “great tribulation” will be no more.
Our everlasting home will be peace and comfort. Unlike the journey through this world in which God often permits His people to endure hardship, in that day there will be no hunger anymore. Never again will God’s people thirst or be drained of their vitality and sapped of their strength. No longer will we be exposed to the parching powers of the sun, beating down upon us until we are utterly spent and exhausted. No; for then we will follow the Lamb and He will guide us to rest alongside gushing fountains of perpetual refreshment. “The great tribulation” will then be past. God Himself will dry our tears; tears that often filled our eyes during the difficult journey through affliction. Never again will weeping be heard among the redeemed, for never again will sin or sorrow or disappointment come. Truly, in that moment heaven is begun.
“And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:15b-17).
Here is the only occurrence of the phrase “great tribulation” in the Bible. The scene portrayed is that of a numberless multitude of redeemed sinners from every segment of humanity, all standing in the presence of the sovereign God and before the Lamb, our Lord Jesus. All are clothed in white robes, symbolic of absolute righteousness. They each have palm branches and strong, loud voices with which they praise God for His free and priceless gift of salvation from sin, death, and hell (vv. 9-10). At the sight, the heavenly audience, composed of angels, elders, and living creatures, falls down joining in worship to the Lord (vv. 11-12).
This was part of the vision John saw. Then one of the twenty-four elders asked John to identify that sea of humanity dressed in pristine robes and to tell from where they came (v. 13). Correctly assuming the question to have been asked only so that the true answer might be given, John deferred to the knowledge of the elder who told him who they were and where they had been.
The people dressed in white, holding palm branches of peace, shouting glory for the salvation they had received through the cross-work of the Lamb—these are the ones who came out of “the great tribulation.” What was “the great tribulation” out of which they came? What did the elder mean; what did the Spirit of Jesus intend by this expression; what was meant by “the great tribulation?”
"Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”" (Revelation 7:13-17 NKJV)
The Difficult Journey of the Redeemed
The people who “come out of the great tribulation” are born-again Christians from all the earth in all ages from the Apostle’s time until Jesus’ return. The vision portrays God’s church robed in white, enjoying peace and worshipping joyously in the presence of God, giving glory to God and to the Lamb. These are Christ’s churches all gathered together in one, who have entered heaven’s glory by way of “the great tribulation.” Our pilgrimage through this world is called by this sobering designation. Once dressed in defiled garments of sin and shame, John saw us all wearing clean clothes; once polluted by sin, we are now robed in the perfect, imputed righteousness of Jesus. By obedience to the gospel, we have washed our robes in His blood and they have become white. It doesn’t seem like something that could happen, but it has. Dirty robes washed in Lamb’s blood, now as white as snow.
Tribulation is trouble and stress and struggle; such is the life of the true child of God as he pursues the will of God in a hostile world. Those described as having “come out of the great tribulation” are all the redeemed purchased by Christ and forgiven through faith in Him. Although there are also joys and victories and delights along life’s journey, “great tribulation” still accurately describes a Christian’s life in this world. If there is a more apt description, one wonders what that would be. Truly, some believers suffer more than others. Some suffer unto death as martyrs, while other children of God seem to live in relative ease; but all of God’s people, in some sense, endure great tribulation through life.
Sin, Satan, and the world all oppose the believer. Remaining sin, sin not yet mortified (put to death), sin that still finds a place in our hearts and actions creates all manner of trouble (see Romans 8:12-14). God deals with His redeemed ones as with deeply loved sons and sometimes visits harsh discipline on them when they walk in disobedience. Temptation pursues us, and all the worse when we give the devil an opportunity by not faithfully obeying the Word of God. And while we still have much to learn, how can we plead ignorance? We already understand so much that we do not yet perfectly obey. How dishonest to plead ignorance, while we boldly sin against clearly revealed truth! God knows our hearts and even our imperfect conscience bears witness against us.
Satan, the devil, our adversary truly exists. He is real and evil. He opposes everything that is good and everything that glorifies God. He is against us if we are for God. Against him we must stand, wearing spiritual armor with bravery and resolve and faith (see Ephesians 6:10-18).
Further, worldly men who love neither God nor His truth often plague the people of God in many ways. They add trouble to tribulation as they undermine all that is good and worthy and noble. When we would attempt righteousness, there is always a worldly voice to shout us down or to criticize our failings. “Love not the world,” John wrote. Worldliness only adds grief and sorrow to the tribulations of true believers. Indeed, it is a difficult journey “from faith to faith” and “from glory to glory” (Romans 1:17, 2 Corinthians 3:18).
Heaven, At Last
Because of God’s grace, because of what the Lamb did in bearing away our sins, throughout the endlessness of eternity the redeemed people of God will always be in His presence, serving Him all the time—worshipping and exalting His Name and giving glory to the Lamb. The reality we will experience is God’s presence all the time, indicated by the expression, “day and night in His temple.” The living God will occupy our existence, filling our souls to the full with His own presence. We live by faith and will die in faith, and we all are more than conquerors through the Lamb who loved us. Then “great tribulation” will be no more.
Our everlasting home will be peace and comfort. Unlike the journey through this world in which God often permits His people to endure hardship, in that day there will be no hunger anymore. Never again will God’s people thirst or be drained of their vitality and sapped of their strength. No longer will we be exposed to the parching powers of the sun, beating down upon us until we are utterly spent and exhausted. No; for then we will follow the Lamb and He will guide us to rest alongside gushing fountains of perpetual refreshment. “The great tribulation” will then be past. God Himself will dry our tears; tears that often filled our eyes during the difficult journey through affliction. Never again will weeping be heard among the redeemed, for never again will sin or sorrow or disappointment come. Truly, in that moment heaven is begun.
“And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:15b-17).
Friday, June 6, 2008
RASH WORDS
“My Words Have Been Rash…” (Job 6:3 NKJV)
By Timothy S. Adkins
Have your words ever been rash? Have you ever spoken as an impetuous fool, either before God or to men, when crushing burdens weighed upon your soul? When heaven’s books are opened will rash utterances from your lips appear, that you now vainly wish had never been thought, much less spoken? Yet somehow your battered soul seemed incapable of holding back its flood. Have you felt ashamed to speak another word to God in prayer? He knows all that you said in those moments and what you meant. Indeed, He knew our thoughts before we distilled them and while they were still formulating He knew our rash words.
In pain and puzzlement, “my words have been rash,” too. Yet, amazingly, there is still comfort even in the midst of what feels like a gross failure of faith. Faith still believes and hopes during the dark storm as much as when skies were blue and clear. In spite of the struggle and heart-rending disappointment, it is still true that God is incapable of erring. And, yes, all of this, all that now hurts, was always part of His plan. His purpose is pure and good and for my good, whether or not I feel it to be true. It is true. My quivering faith trusts His heart when His ways are utterly baffling. There is peace in His love when His ways make no sense to me.
In times of suffering, whether of body, mind, or spirit, we believers so often believe faintly. Not that we doubt God’s ability to intervene and to powerfully change the course of our lives anytime He wills; we know that He is El Shaddai, God Almighty. We believe in His utter independency and absolute power; our belief remains unshaken although less than the grain of mustard seed. We know He will be Himself as He is declared in His Word. His attributes and character are comforts in the very worst of times. When the storms are raging and the torrents sweeping life away, He changes not. The presence of the storm or the flood does not announce a change in His mind, but yet another path superintended by love and grace and wisdom beyond us.
Our problem is to correctly discern His will. Interpreting providence as it unfolds is not an exact science. God never changes in His being, but He is not predictable. The God who defined Himself as “I AM” is not subject to our definition. He cannot err or fail or be less than He is, and He does as He pleases and all He pleases. All of this we believe and doubt not. Yet, the comfort and assurance that we long for is often absent.
At the thought of losing his beloved Benjamin also, after having already lost Joseph to Egypt, old Jacob cried, “All these things are against me.” Whereas all of those painful things were for his ultimate salvation and the preservation of his entire family, at the moment his heart was broken. God’s love would mend his heart and Jacob would know joy in another day. But on that day, as he watched Benjamin’s form grow smaller as he walked toward Egypt, the old man must have thought that he would never see another good day in this world.
Some of David’s psalms prove that our believing hearts are not the first to feel as though God has stopped listening, that He has not been paying attention to what’s been going on, and that He must not care that our hearts are burdened and bleeding. How did life come to such a place? “My soul is among lions…they have prepared a net for my steps” (Psalm 57:4, 6). “From the end of the earth I call to Thee, when my heart is faint” (Psalm 61:2a). “My soul thirsts for Thee…in a dry and weary land” (Psalm 63:1). “Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord” (Psalm 130:1).
Lions…snares…the end of the earth…a dry and weary land…out of the depths! Such is the story of so many of God’s beloved children. Consider Hebrews 11. There was not a fainting flower among them or even one who enjoyed a life without intense trial. As for those who portray “the victorious Christian life” as always prosperous and an always hopeful affair, can they not read?
These psalms graphically show that the life of faith will sometimes be lived with frightful danger near at hand. A true believer may sometimes find himself at the very end of the earth, peering off the very precipice of death, feeling all alone, and crying out to God. Instead of the well-watered plains of Goshen, even the most faithful believers may live in parched places that dehydrate their very souls. Instead of treading the heights, they walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Not surprisingly, they are not always the most cheerful lot; to some they seem unspiritual and unthankful. They seem preoccupied and much too difficult to encourage and even bitter. They are like the captives of the 137th Psalm who, in bitterness of soul, could not bring themselves to sing the Lord’s song beside Babylon’s stream so far from home and so far from peace.
Truth be told, many of God’s dear people look to Him with mystified expressions. There is no doubting His faithfulness. He will fulfill His promises: “You have magnified Your word above all Your name” (Psalm 138:2). But we do often wonder whether we have correctly understood what His promises in Scripture (made to others) truly mean for us. How may we rightly appropriate the truth to our lives?
Many seem to find multiple promises in every verse and then treat them all as personal guarantees; as if all that God said to Abraham or David or Noah or Jonah was intended as a direct personal message. Others see the character of God revealed in scriptural accounts and indeed find some promises to which they tenaciously cling; certain that the same God who dealt faithfully with His people then will also deal in love and grace with us now. So these look to God trusting His heart, although perfectly puzzled at His providence.
Have we misread God’s will? Why is He so silent? Or has He spoken and we have not heard? Are we wrong to expect specific answers to our specific prayers? Has He truly promised to grant all that we ask? What about those times when we put our wishes into His mouth and call our wishes divine promises?
Too many people think they have God all figured out. Truth is, He does all that He wants to do, on His terms, according to His wisdom. No one can dictate to Him or demand anything of Him. He does all of His will; He cannot deny Himself. The sooner we understand, the better and more peacefully our hearts may rest.
“Then Job answered and said: "Oh, that my grief were fully weighed, and my calamity laid with it on the scales! For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea — therefore my words have been rash. For the arrows of the Almighty are within me; my spirit drinks in their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.” (Job 6:1-4 NKJV)
He suffered for reasons known to God. The angels that heard the heavenly proceedings knew. Even the one for whom hell was first set on fire knew more about Job’s circumstances than he did. He had no clue as to why so much was happening, nor why there seemed to be no response from God. None of God’s providences made sense to him. Property destroyed, children dead, body in ruins, Job yearned for death as one longs for a cherished friend. But death would not come. He could not see how life was worth living anymore; and why would a merciful God not just let him die and have rest from this life of misery. All life held now was grief and suffering; and, as far as he could see, it was all for no fathomable purpose.
From all Job could tell God had painted a target on him. How else could all of those things have befallen him? He didn’t understand anymore than we sometimes do, why certain things happen. Is He not the sovereign Lord of history? Does He not rule the present and the future? Does He not govern the comings and goings of men and microbes; directing, orchestrating, and overruling when and where and how He pleases? Ultimately, whatever the means, it was God that ordained all of this ruin for Job’s life, reducing him to less than dust.
The painful, poisonous barbs sticking out of Job’s body and spirit were God’s arrows. But WHY? What had so provoked God that He would deal so harshly with him? Had Job sinned grievously? Had his hypocrisy stirred up God’s wrath? His friends were certain that he had provoked God to punish him; as they knew God to be, they were sure that He never did things like this to one who didn’t deserve it.
Terrified by calamity, buried by grief, miserable Job longed to know just where the mercies of God were now? He felt that God was hounding his very life, chasing him like a frightened rabbit now caught in burning underbrush; refusing him a peaceful moment to swallow a mouthful of spit.
To read of Job’s inner and outer terrors and to think of his sorrows makes most of us ashamed to whine. Just how much have we suffered? Have we endured a tiny fraction of what Job suffered? Still, we wonder as Job wondered: how could God possibly be honored by the cold, hard providence that unfolded? Unlike Job, we are not so exceptional and accomplished in grace that God would deal with us as with him. It is not faith and faithfulness on display in us nearly as much as weakness and fear. So what’s in this for God? Is there glory, praise, vindication? Are the multiplied sorrows for our growth in grace or for our humiliation? Are they for any purpose that we might begin to grasp before we reach heaven?
Why does it seem that He prefers not to grant a single request out of the hundreds held up before Him? Why does it seem that Heaven’s mind is steeled against those who have been so loved? Jesus taught us that, if we who are evil know how to give good gifts to our children, much more will our Father in heaven give good gifts to us. So, why does it seem that the heavens are brazen and that God will not be persuaded by our pleading? He has emboldened us to pray and given to us boldness to hope for an answer beyond imagination; but we cannot dictate His answer. O that our faith might not waver! Again to have a truly expectant faith! But we have been disappointed; asking and not receiving, and not understanding even now why His answer was “no.”
Have we misunderstood? Has delusion taken hold? Did not our Savior instruct us to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking at our Father’s door? But when does faith take on the nature of presumption? How long do we ask and seek and knock before we perceive that God has answered with “no” or “not yet?” It is not always an absence of faith to determine, at length, that the desires of our hearts must not be the desires of His. If our ways are not His ways and our thoughts are not His thoughts, why are we surprised when our desires sometimes don’t match His desires for us? Acquiescence is not unbelief. Submission to God’s providence is not surrender to hopelessness.
Sometimes mistaken, certain that we are not, we may earnestly pray for what God has not willed. Still, we must not become disheartened. God is yet God. We are mere men. Prayer is worship, not prescribing what God will do and when He will do it. Prayer is hope. It is trust given a voice. Faith can take “no” for an answer when it is God’s answer, for true faith wants nothing that He is not pleased to grant from His heart.
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). We say we know this; but do we? If it is true that nothing is outside the scope of God’s infinite wisdom and sovereign power, then why do we still live with white knuckles, holding on for dear life? Why do we not rest completely secure? The mountain that stands between us and the peace we long for, let it be removed and be cast into the sea! Drown mountain, drown!
O that our faith might embrace His faithfulness! And with a greater vigor than that with which we once clung to our fears! Thanks be to God that He forgives all our sins through Jesus Christ, including the sins of a rash tongue and a trembling faith. “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared” (Psalm 130:3-4). –TSA
By Timothy S. Adkins
Have your words ever been rash? Have you ever spoken as an impetuous fool, either before God or to men, when crushing burdens weighed upon your soul? When heaven’s books are opened will rash utterances from your lips appear, that you now vainly wish had never been thought, much less spoken? Yet somehow your battered soul seemed incapable of holding back its flood. Have you felt ashamed to speak another word to God in prayer? He knows all that you said in those moments and what you meant. Indeed, He knew our thoughts before we distilled them and while they were still formulating He knew our rash words.
In pain and puzzlement, “my words have been rash,” too. Yet, amazingly, there is still comfort even in the midst of what feels like a gross failure of faith. Faith still believes and hopes during the dark storm as much as when skies were blue and clear. In spite of the struggle and heart-rending disappointment, it is still true that God is incapable of erring. And, yes, all of this, all that now hurts, was always part of His plan. His purpose is pure and good and for my good, whether or not I feel it to be true. It is true. My quivering faith trusts His heart when His ways are utterly baffling. There is peace in His love when His ways make no sense to me.
In times of suffering, whether of body, mind, or spirit, we believers so often believe faintly. Not that we doubt God’s ability to intervene and to powerfully change the course of our lives anytime He wills; we know that He is El Shaddai, God Almighty. We believe in His utter independency and absolute power; our belief remains unshaken although less than the grain of mustard seed. We know He will be Himself as He is declared in His Word. His attributes and character are comforts in the very worst of times. When the storms are raging and the torrents sweeping life away, He changes not. The presence of the storm or the flood does not announce a change in His mind, but yet another path superintended by love and grace and wisdom beyond us.
Our problem is to correctly discern His will. Interpreting providence as it unfolds is not an exact science. God never changes in His being, but He is not predictable. The God who defined Himself as “I AM” is not subject to our definition. He cannot err or fail or be less than He is, and He does as He pleases and all He pleases. All of this we believe and doubt not. Yet, the comfort and assurance that we long for is often absent.
At the thought of losing his beloved Benjamin also, after having already lost Joseph to Egypt, old Jacob cried, “All these things are against me.” Whereas all of those painful things were for his ultimate salvation and the preservation of his entire family, at the moment his heart was broken. God’s love would mend his heart and Jacob would know joy in another day. But on that day, as he watched Benjamin’s form grow smaller as he walked toward Egypt, the old man must have thought that he would never see another good day in this world.
Some of David’s psalms prove that our believing hearts are not the first to feel as though God has stopped listening, that He has not been paying attention to what’s been going on, and that He must not care that our hearts are burdened and bleeding. How did life come to such a place? “My soul is among lions…they have prepared a net for my steps” (Psalm 57:4, 6). “From the end of the earth I call to Thee, when my heart is faint” (Psalm 61:2a). “My soul thirsts for Thee…in a dry and weary land” (Psalm 63:1). “Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord” (Psalm 130:1).
Lions…snares…the end of the earth…a dry and weary land…out of the depths! Such is the story of so many of God’s beloved children. Consider Hebrews 11. There was not a fainting flower among them or even one who enjoyed a life without intense trial. As for those who portray “the victorious Christian life” as always prosperous and an always hopeful affair, can they not read?
These psalms graphically show that the life of faith will sometimes be lived with frightful danger near at hand. A true believer may sometimes find himself at the very end of the earth, peering off the very precipice of death, feeling all alone, and crying out to God. Instead of the well-watered plains of Goshen, even the most faithful believers may live in parched places that dehydrate their very souls. Instead of treading the heights, they walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Not surprisingly, they are not always the most cheerful lot; to some they seem unspiritual and unthankful. They seem preoccupied and much too difficult to encourage and even bitter. They are like the captives of the 137th Psalm who, in bitterness of soul, could not bring themselves to sing the Lord’s song beside Babylon’s stream so far from home and so far from peace.
Truth be told, many of God’s dear people look to Him with mystified expressions. There is no doubting His faithfulness. He will fulfill His promises: “You have magnified Your word above all Your name” (Psalm 138:2). But we do often wonder whether we have correctly understood what His promises in Scripture (made to others) truly mean for us. How may we rightly appropriate the truth to our lives?
Many seem to find multiple promises in every verse and then treat them all as personal guarantees; as if all that God said to Abraham or David or Noah or Jonah was intended as a direct personal message. Others see the character of God revealed in scriptural accounts and indeed find some promises to which they tenaciously cling; certain that the same God who dealt faithfully with His people then will also deal in love and grace with us now. So these look to God trusting His heart, although perfectly puzzled at His providence.
Have we misread God’s will? Why is He so silent? Or has He spoken and we have not heard? Are we wrong to expect specific answers to our specific prayers? Has He truly promised to grant all that we ask? What about those times when we put our wishes into His mouth and call our wishes divine promises?
Too many people think they have God all figured out. Truth is, He does all that He wants to do, on His terms, according to His wisdom. No one can dictate to Him or demand anything of Him. He does all of His will; He cannot deny Himself. The sooner we understand, the better and more peacefully our hearts may rest.
“Then Job answered and said: "Oh, that my grief were fully weighed, and my calamity laid with it on the scales! For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea — therefore my words have been rash. For the arrows of the Almighty are within me; my spirit drinks in their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.” (Job 6:1-4 NKJV)
He suffered for reasons known to God. The angels that heard the heavenly proceedings knew. Even the one for whom hell was first set on fire knew more about Job’s circumstances than he did. He had no clue as to why so much was happening, nor why there seemed to be no response from God. None of God’s providences made sense to him. Property destroyed, children dead, body in ruins, Job yearned for death as one longs for a cherished friend. But death would not come. He could not see how life was worth living anymore; and why would a merciful God not just let him die and have rest from this life of misery. All life held now was grief and suffering; and, as far as he could see, it was all for no fathomable purpose.
From all Job could tell God had painted a target on him. How else could all of those things have befallen him? He didn’t understand anymore than we sometimes do, why certain things happen. Is He not the sovereign Lord of history? Does He not rule the present and the future? Does He not govern the comings and goings of men and microbes; directing, orchestrating, and overruling when and where and how He pleases? Ultimately, whatever the means, it was God that ordained all of this ruin for Job’s life, reducing him to less than dust.
The painful, poisonous barbs sticking out of Job’s body and spirit were God’s arrows. But WHY? What had so provoked God that He would deal so harshly with him? Had Job sinned grievously? Had his hypocrisy stirred up God’s wrath? His friends were certain that he had provoked God to punish him; as they knew God to be, they were sure that He never did things like this to one who didn’t deserve it.
Terrified by calamity, buried by grief, miserable Job longed to know just where the mercies of God were now? He felt that God was hounding his very life, chasing him like a frightened rabbit now caught in burning underbrush; refusing him a peaceful moment to swallow a mouthful of spit.
To read of Job’s inner and outer terrors and to think of his sorrows makes most of us ashamed to whine. Just how much have we suffered? Have we endured a tiny fraction of what Job suffered? Still, we wonder as Job wondered: how could God possibly be honored by the cold, hard providence that unfolded? Unlike Job, we are not so exceptional and accomplished in grace that God would deal with us as with him. It is not faith and faithfulness on display in us nearly as much as weakness and fear. So what’s in this for God? Is there glory, praise, vindication? Are the multiplied sorrows for our growth in grace or for our humiliation? Are they for any purpose that we might begin to grasp before we reach heaven?
Why does it seem that He prefers not to grant a single request out of the hundreds held up before Him? Why does it seem that Heaven’s mind is steeled against those who have been so loved? Jesus taught us that, if we who are evil know how to give good gifts to our children, much more will our Father in heaven give good gifts to us. So, why does it seem that the heavens are brazen and that God will not be persuaded by our pleading? He has emboldened us to pray and given to us boldness to hope for an answer beyond imagination; but we cannot dictate His answer. O that our faith might not waver! Again to have a truly expectant faith! But we have been disappointed; asking and not receiving, and not understanding even now why His answer was “no.”
Have we misunderstood? Has delusion taken hold? Did not our Savior instruct us to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking at our Father’s door? But when does faith take on the nature of presumption? How long do we ask and seek and knock before we perceive that God has answered with “no” or “not yet?” It is not always an absence of faith to determine, at length, that the desires of our hearts must not be the desires of His. If our ways are not His ways and our thoughts are not His thoughts, why are we surprised when our desires sometimes don’t match His desires for us? Acquiescence is not unbelief. Submission to God’s providence is not surrender to hopelessness.
Sometimes mistaken, certain that we are not, we may earnestly pray for what God has not willed. Still, we must not become disheartened. God is yet God. We are mere men. Prayer is worship, not prescribing what God will do and when He will do it. Prayer is hope. It is trust given a voice. Faith can take “no” for an answer when it is God’s answer, for true faith wants nothing that He is not pleased to grant from His heart.
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). We say we know this; but do we? If it is true that nothing is outside the scope of God’s infinite wisdom and sovereign power, then why do we still live with white knuckles, holding on for dear life? Why do we not rest completely secure? The mountain that stands between us and the peace we long for, let it be removed and be cast into the sea! Drown mountain, drown!
O that our faith might embrace His faithfulness! And with a greater vigor than that with which we once clung to our fears! Thanks be to God that He forgives all our sins through Jesus Christ, including the sins of a rash tongue and a trembling faith. “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared” (Psalm 130:3-4). –TSA
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