February 10th, 2013
2 Chronicles 27
“Who Ya Gonna Serve?”
Bible Memory Verse for the Week: Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. — Psalm 105:3-4
Background Information:
- The stories of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah carry an important message for the Chronicler’s audience–each person and every generation is responsible to God for their behavior. The reigns of Jotham and Hezekiah are instrumental in demonstrating that a new generation need not be held hostage to the ungodliness they inherit from their predecessors. (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 572)
- Jotham’s reign illustrated for the post-exilic readers the blessings available for those who avoided the failures of Uzziah and imitated the fidelity of his son. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 401)
- The Chronicler’s message to his post-exilic readers is evident. Uzziah’s accomplishments during his years of fidelity occurred again in the reign of Jotham. Yet, Jotham was able to keep his powerful position because he remained faithful to God. In a similar way, post-exilic Israel was not bound to the pattern of sin and judgment characterized by previous generations. They too could be faithful to God and hope to receive blessings. . . . The Chronicler’s idealized portrait of Jotham offered hope to his post-exilic readers. Although Uzziah had lost all through infidelity, it was not necessary for the blessings of God to be temporary. Each generation had the opportunity to be faithful to the end and could pass their blessings to the next generation. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 402)
- (v. 2) The “corrupt practices” of his people are explained elsewhere in Scripture as consisting of sacrificial services carried out on Judah’s high places, with accompanying immoralities, idolatries, and superstitions (2 Kgs 15:34; cf. Isa 1-6, which pertains to this period). (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 524)
- (v. 3) A seal was discovered at Ezion-geber containing the name Jotham (BASOR 79, 13-15; 163, 18-22); if the individual named is to be identified with Jotham the king, it appears to have come from a period of his authority in the region prior to his sole rule and attests to Judah’s military success in the area during the reigns of Uzziah and Jotham. (Raymond B. Dillard, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 15, 215)
- (vss. 3-4) Jotham built the upper gate of the house of Yahweh and extended the walls of Ophel. His efforts to continue the progressive program of his father did not stop there; he constructed cities in the highlands of Judah probably as lines of defense to fall back upon in case of invasion. He erected towers and fortifications in the wooded areas; hidden in this word may be another of Uzziah’s activities, that is, a program of reforestation (cff. “to plant trees”). Jotham had learned much from his experience as coregent. (Jacob M. Myers, The Anchor Bible, 2 Chr, 156-57)
- (v. 3-6) The Chronicler’s review of Jotham’s reign applauds achievements on three fronts: his building program, his military success, and his consolidation of political power (27:3-6). (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 573)
- (v. 5) The amount of silver tribute received by Jotham noted here is staggering. Estimates for the weight of a talent range from 65 and 75 pounds, so that Ammon’s tribute was well over three tons. The kor (cor) is a unit of dry measure equivalent to approximately 6.25 bushels. Moreover, Judah’s upper hand over Ammon provided Judah with continued direct access to the lucrative King’s Highway. A seal including the name “Jotham” found at the port city of Tell el-Kheleifeh (Ezion Geber/Elath) implies that Jotham continued the control of this area reestablished by Uzziah. (John H. Walton, Zondervan Ill. Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Vol. 3, 353)
- (v. 6) A second point of contrast is in v 6, where Jotham’s strength is attributed to his careful obedience to God. The meaning is that obedience became the basis for his whole life. His strength therefore did not become a snare to him. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 222)
- (v. 9) The final demonstration of Jotham’s faithfulness to the end is the Chronicler’s report concerning his burial: “Jotham slept with his ancestors, and they buried him in the city of David” (27:9). Jotham is the first king since Jehoshaphat to be buried in the royal cemetery, the city of David, among the tombs of his ancestors. It is an honor befitting a king whose life, particularly when contrasted with his predecessors, is a model of faithfulness. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 206)
The question to be answered is . . . What can we learn from the Chronicler’s short report on Jotham’s righteous reign?
Answer: That even though he was going against the odds, and lived amongst a godless people, Jotham was able to walk steadfastly before the Lord his God. Jotham lived Coram DEO!
To live coram Deo is to live one’s entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God. — R. C. Sproul
Recently a friend asked me in all earnestness the same question. He asked, “What’s the big idea of the Christian life?” He was interested in the overarching, ultimate goal of the Christian life.
To answer his question, I fell back on the theologian’s prerogative and gave him a Latin term. I said, “The big idea of the Christian life is coram Deo. Coram Deo captures the essence of the Christian life.”
This phrase literally refers to something that takes place in the presence of, or before the face of, God. To live coram Deo is to live one’s entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God.
To live in the presence of God is to understand that whatever we are doing and wherever we are doing it, we are acting under the gaze of God. God is omnipresent. There is no place so remote that we can escape His penetrating gaze.
To be aware of the presence of God is also to be acutely aware of His sovereignty. The uniform experience of the saints is to recognize that if God is God, then He is indeed sovereign. When Saul was confronted by the refulgent glory of the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, his immediate question was, “Who is it, Lord?” He wasn’t sure who was speaking to him, but he knew that whomever it was, was certainly sovereign over him.
Living under divine sovereignty involves more than a reluctant submission to sheer sovereignty that is motivated out of a fear of punishment. It involves recognizing that there is no higher goal than offering honor to God. Our lives are to be living sacrifices, oblations offered in a spirit of adoration and gratitude.
To live all of life coram Deo is to live a life of integrity. It is a life of wholeness that finds its unity and coherency in the majesty of God. A fragmented life is a life of disintegration. It is marked by inconsistency, disharmony, confusion, conflict, contradiction, and chaos.
The Christian who compartmentalizes his or her life into two sections of the religious and the nonreligious has failed to grasp the big idea. The big idea is that all of life is religious or none of life is religious. To divide life between the religious and the nonreligious is itself a sacrilege.
This means that if a person fulfills his or her vocation as a steelmaker, attorney, or homemaker coram Deo, then that person is acting every bit as religiously as a soul-winning evangelist who fulfills his vocation. It means that David was as religious when he obeyed God’s call to be a shepherd as he was when he was anointed with the special grace of kingship. It means that Jesus was every bit as religious when He worked in His father’s carpenter shop as He was in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Integrity is found where men and women live their lives in a pattern of consistency. It is a pattern that functions the same basic way in church and out of church. It is a life that is open before God. It is a life in which all that is done is done as to the Lord. It is a life lived by principle, not expediency; by humility before God, not defiance. It is a life lived under the tutelage of conscience that is held captive by the Word of God.
Coram Deo …… before the face of God. That’s the big idea. Next to this idea our other goals and ambitions become mere trifles.
Living Coram Deo
“Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me” (Ps 51:9-12).
When news programs broadcast the arrest of wanted fugitives, it is not out of the ordinary for the accused to hide his face from the camera. We may never face the law after being on the lam, but surely all of us can understand why a criminal would want to hide his face. We do not want our misdeeds to be exposed to public scrutiny.
David’s plea for the Lord to hide His face in verse 9 of today’s passage is borne from the acute sense of guilt he experienced. Knowing that he has wronged his Creator in his sin with Bathsheba, David realizes his end will only be destruction if God looks on him with His wrath. To be exposed in our sin to the Lord’s gaze is a fearful experience, one that will undo us unless it is tempered with grace.
However, to be looked upon by the Almighty is not always a frightful reality. The stare David fears is one of wrath, but there is also the benevolent gaze of God. Mary, the mother of Jesus, for example, is overjoyed when the Lord looks upon her with favor and chooses her to bear the Messiah (Lk 1:46––55). The ancient Israelite knew the greatest blessing a person can have is Yahweh’s face shining upon him with grace (Nm 6:22––27). Paul looks forward to the day we will see God face-to-face (1 Cor 13:12).
The benevolent gaze of the Lord motivates David to ask that he not be cast out of God’s presence (Ps 51:11). True, he implores the Lord not to look upon His sin, but once he has repented he wants assurance God will view him with favor. This penitent king of Israel knew the sheer joy of living life—before the face of God. The Father can look at us with pleasure when we turn from our evil and endeavor to serve Him. His gaze should cause us to rejoice exceedingly before Him. To be cast out of His presence is lamentable, and the truly repentant will call upon the Lord to keep His love upon them even while knowing they are undeserving of it.
Verse 13 has Jesse’s son promising to teach other transgressors the ways of God if he is forgiven. Our forgiveness is a catalyst moving us to share the good news of salvation with others.
Coram Deo
In verse 10 of today’s passage, David begs the Lord to “renew a right spirit” within him. The “right” or “steadfast” disposition to love God affects our sin. We may go through extended periods of devotion, but when our love for Him grows cold, it is easier to fall into evil. If you are struggling in sin, search your heart and ask the Lord to help you love Him consistently. Delight in His presence today and remember that He looks with favor on His people.
Passages for Further Study: Dt 31:16–18; Ps 27:9––10; Lk 22:61––62; 2 Cor 4:14.
Such dissatisfaction with the world as it is is preparation for traveling in the way of Christian discipleship. The dissatisfaction, coupled with a longing for peace and truth, can set us on a pilgrim path of wholeness in God.
A person has to be thoroughly disgusted with the way things are to find the motivation to set out on the Christian way. As long as we think that the next election might eliminate crime and establish justice or another scientific breakthrough might save the environment or another pay raise might push us over the edge of anxiety into a life of tranquility, we are not likely to risk the arduous uncertainties of the life of faith. A person has to get fed up with the ways of the world before he, before she, acquires an appetite for the world of grace. (Eugene H. Peterson; A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society, 23)
It was a saying of Bishop Latimer to Ridley, “When I live in a settled and steadfast assurance about the state of my soul, methinks then I am as bold as a lion. I can laugh at all trouble: no affliction daunts me. But when I am eclipsed in my comforts, I am of so fearful a spirit that I could run into a very mouse-hole.” (J. C. Ryle; Holiness, 121)
OT word range for the NIV “steadfast” in 2 Chr 27:6 Strongs 3559. Koon OT References to Strongs # 3559
KJV = prepared NIV steadfastly, provide, supplied, restored, appointed, finished, armed, set, brought about, arranged, carried out, set . . . in order, erected, established, spread, set . . . in place, made ready, put . . .in place
The Chronicler uses the Hebrew word “koon” more than any other OT writer.
(Ex 23:20) “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.
(Nm 21:27) That is why the poets say: “Come to Heshbon and let it be rebuilt; let Sihon’s city be restored.
(Josh 4:4) So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,
(1 Kgs 5:18) The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram and the men of Gebal cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.
(1 Kgs 6:19) He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there.
(1 Chr 12:39) The men spent three days there with David, eating and drinking, for their families had supplied provisions for them.
(1 Chr 15:1) After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.
(1 Chr 15:3) David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to the place he had prepared for it.
(1 Chr 15:12) He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.
(1 Chr 22:3) He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed.
(1 Chr 22:5) David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.
(1 Chr 22:14) “I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the LORD a hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them.
(1 Chr 29:2) With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities.
(1 Chr 29:3) Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple:
(1 Chr 29:16) O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.
(2 Chr 1:4) Now David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.
(2 Chr 3:1) Then Solomon began to build the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David.
(2 Chr 8:16) All Solomon’s work was carried out, from the day the foundation of the temple of the LORD was laid until its completion. So the temple of the LORD was finished.
(2 Chr 17:18) next, Jehozabad, with 180,000 men armed for battle.
(2 Chr 19:3) There is, however, some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles and have set your heart on seeking God.”
(2 Chr 20:33) The high places, however, were not removed, and the people still had not set their hearts on the God of their fathers.
(2 Chr 26:14) Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire army.
(2 Chr 27:6) Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the LORD his God.
(2 Chr 29:19) We have prepared and consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz removed in his unfaithfulness while he was king. They are now in front of the Lord’s altar.”
(2 Chr 29:36) Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly.
(2 Chr 31:11) Hezekiah gave orders to prepare storerooms in the temple of the LORD, and this was done.
(2 Chr 35:10) The service was arranged and the priests stood in their places with the Levites in their divisions as the king had ordered.
(2 Chr 35:14) After this, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were sacrificing the burnt offerings and the fat portions until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the Aaronic priests.
(2 Chr 35:15) The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king’s seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made the preparations for them.
(2 Chr 35:16) So at that time the entire service of the LORD was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, as King Josiah had ordered.
(2 Chr 35:20) After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah marched out to meet him in battle.
(Neh 8:10) Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
(Est 6:4) The king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows he had erected for him.
(Est 7:10) So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.
(Psa 7:13) He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows.
(Psa 9:7) The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment.
(Psa 57:6) They spread a net for my feet—I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path—but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
(Psa 68:10) Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor.
(Psa 74:16) The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon.
(Psa 103:19) The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
(Prov 8:27) I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
(Prov 19:29) Penalties are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools.
(Prov 21:31) The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.
(Isa 30:33) Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.
(Ezek 28:13) You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
(Ezek 38:7) “‘Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them.
(Nahum 2:5) He summons his picked troops, yet they stumble on their way. They dash to the city wall; the protective shield is put in place.
(Zep 1:7) Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near. The LORD has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited.
The Phrase for the Day is . . . Coram Deo
Failure to prepare is preparing to fail. — Mike Murdock
Thomas A Kempis’s classic work, The Imitation of Christ, emphasizes a purposeful Christianity that strives for continued growth. He wrote, “Who hath a greater combat than he that laboreth to overcome himself? This ought to be our endeavor, to conquer ourselves, and daily to wax stronger and to make a further growth in holiness.” (Thomas A Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, I:3:3)
If life is a river, then pursuing Christ requires swimming upstream. When we stop swimming, or actively following Him, we automatically begin to be swept downstream. (Francis Chan, Crazy Love, 95)
What does 2 Chr 27 reveal to us about living coram Deo even in the midst of significant deterrents?:
I. Jotham walked STEADFASTLY before the Lord his God or coram Deo. (2 Chr 27:6)
If we truly grasped that when we sing we are praising him or praying to him, that we are in the presence of the King of Glory, and that we should have come to thank him, praise him, and ascribe worth to him (not to make ourselves feel better), we would begin to understand how important it is to know what we are singing. This is one reason, among others, that hymns have fallen out of popularity and use in many circles. It is because they require thought, and we do not want to think. “I come to church to be refreshed–not to work” is a common attitude. But proper worship does take work, thought, preparation, and action. (Philip Graham Ryken, Give Praise to God A Vision for Reforming Worship, 251-52)
The most memorable event in his reign is that “in the year when King Uzziah,” his father, “died,” and consequently in Jotham’s first year, Isaiah saw the Lord sitting in the Temple on the empty throne, and had the lips which were to utter so many immortal words touched with fire from the altar. Whether it were the effect of the prophet’s words, or from other causes, the little that is told of him is good, and he is eulogized as having imitated his father’s God-pleasing acts, and not having stained himself by repeating his father’s sin. (Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, 2 Kgs – Eccl, 207)
The secret of true strength lies in the continual recognition that life is lived “Before the Lord our God.” (Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, 2 Kgs – Eccl, 208)
This parallel surely raised questions in the minds of the original readers. Power led to pride and infidelity in Uzziah’s reign. Would the same happen to Jotham? The Chronicler quickly answered this question. Jotham continued with great power to the end of his days. The reason for this contrast is evident. Jotham walked steadfastly before the LORD his God. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 402)
If we realized, as we should do, the presence in all our little daily life of that great, sovereign Lord, there would be less skulking, less superficially performed tasks, less jerry work put into our building; more of our strength cast into all our work, and less of ourselves in any of it. (Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, 2 Kgs – Eccl, 209-10)
His success is attributed directly to the fact that he “walked steadfastly before the LORD (27:6). This unique expression is generally understood to be synonymous with the phrase “to set one’s heart on God” (cf. 1 Chr 22:19; 28:9; 2 Chr 30:19). (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 574)
Brethren! Our whole life would be transformed and glorified, and we should be different men and women if we ordered our ways as “before the Lord our God.” What meanness could live when we knew that it was seen by those pure Eyes? How we should be ashamed of ourselves, of our complaints, of our murmurings, of our reluctance to do our duty, of our puerile regrets for vanished blessings, and of all the low cares and desires that beset and spoil our lives, if once this thought, “before God,” were habitual with us, and we walked in it as in an atmosphere! (Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, 2 Kgs – Eccl, 208-09)
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION: What measures do we have available to us and what choices do we need to make today to allow us to live steadfastly before the Lord as Jotham lived . . . coram Deo?
A religion which costs nothing is worth nothing. (J. C. Ryle; Holiness, 77)
A- God has provided us with a variety of “Means of Grace” so we might seek Him and not be blown here and there by every wind of doctrine. (Dt 10:12; 1 Chr 16:10-11; Ps 34:10; 105:3-4; Mt 5:6; 7:7; Lk 11:9; Acts 2:42-47; Rom 1:11; Eph 4:1-16; 6:10-18; Col 3:1-17; see also HFM web-site “Means of Grace” coming soon?)
The ordered life is the established life. The life of impulse, chance, passion, the life that is lived without choice and plan, without reflection and consideration of consequences, the following of nature, which some people tell us is the highest law, and which is woefully likely to degenerate into following the lower nature, which ought not to be followed, but covered and kept under hatches–such a life is sure to be a topsy-turvy life, which, being based upon the narrowest point, must, by the laws of equilibrium, topple over sooner or later. It you would have your lives established, they must be ordered. You must bring your brains to bear upon them, and you must bring more than brain, you must bring to bear on every part of them the spiritual instincts that are quickened by contact with the thought of the All-seeing God, and let these have the ordering of them. (Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, 2 Kgs – Eccl, 211)
The Bible has a great deal to say about the need of obstinate persistence on the right road. “Ye did run well, what did hinder you?” “Cast not away your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.” “We are made partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end.” “He that overcometh and keepeth My words unto the end, to him will I give authority.” Lives which derive their impulse from communion with God will not come to a dead stop half-way on their road, like a motor the fuel of which fails; and it will be impossible for any man to “endure unto the end,” and so to be heir of the promise–“the same shall be saved,” unless he draws his persistency from Him who “fainteth not, neither is weary,” and who “reneweth strength to them that have no might,” so that in all the monotonous levels they shall “walk and not faint,” and in all the crises, demanding brief spurts of energy, “they shall run and not be weary,” and at last “shall mount up with wings as eagles.” A path ordered and a path persisted in ought to be the path of every Christian man. (Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture, 2 Kgs – Eccl, 212-13)
The Means of Grace in Christian theology are those things (the means) through which God gives grace. Just what this grace entails is interpreted in various ways: generally speaking, some see it as God blessing humankind so as to sustain and empower the Christian life; others see it as forgiveness, life, and salvation.
Methodist Theology:
In Methodism, the means of grace are ways in which God works invisibly in disciples, quickening, strengthening and confirming faith. So, believers use them to open their hearts and lives to God’s work in them.
According to John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, the means of grace can be divided into two broad categories, with individual and communal components:
Works of Piety, such as: Individual practice, prayer, fasting, searching the Scriptures, healthy living, communal practices, holy communion, Baptism, Christian Conferencing (or “community”) and works of mercy, such as: Service focused toward individual needs, good works, visiting the sick, visiting the imprisoned, feeding & clothing those in need, earning, saving, & giving all one can service focused toward communal/societal needs, the seeking of Justice; Opposition to Slavery.
Careful attention to the means of grace are, for Methodists, important in the process of sanctification as one is moved on toward Christian Perfection through the work of the Holy Spirit (Wikipedia.com “Means of Grace”)
John Wesley warned about people who despised means of grace because in church history so many had followed the outward signs only without a heart renewed by the Holy Spirit. Wesley defines means of grace: “By ‘means of grace’ I understand outward signs, words, or actions, ordained of God, and appointed for this end, to be the ordinary channels whereby he might convey to men, preventing, justifying, or sanctifying grace.” Wesley held to the following as “means of grace”: “The chief of these means are prayer, whether in secret or with the great congregation; searching the Scriptures; (which implies reading, hearing, and meditating thereon;) and receiving the Lord’s supper, eating bread and drinking wine in remembrance of Him: And these we believe to be ordained of God, as the ordinary channels of conveying his grace to the souls of men.”
For those who think “means of grace” are only the domain of Lutheran and Reformed theology, I suggest reading Wesley’s sermon. His understanding of sinners groaning under the weight of sin and alarmed by the wrath of God shows a far greater understanding of the gospel than is common today. He suggests to such ones that though God may providentially work in various ways, they should avail themselves of the means of grace: “And in the mean time, the sure and general rule for all who groan for the salvation of God is this, — whenever opportunity serves, use all the means which God has ordained; for who knows in which God will meet thee with the grace that bringeth salvation?” Wesley certainly did not hold to the “say this little prayer after me” version of salvation. (www.cicministry.org)
“One thing essential to growth in grace is diligence in the use of private means of grace. By these I understand such means as a man must use by himself alone, and no one can use for him. I include under this head private prayer, private reading of the Scriptures, and private meditation and self-examination. The man who does not take pains about these three things must never expect to grow” (J. C. Ryle, Holiness, 89)
The means of grace (prayer, sacraments, fasting, worship, praise, etc.) ARE NOT CAUSAL to our receiving the “sense” from God to be spiritually discerning. WHY? Because there is a trap here that WE are the reason for our spirituality. It is a gift from God. Not from ourselves.
(Jonathan) EDWARDS says: your sanctification is a work of God. There are no steps to do this. God just does it. Means are not causal, but they are necessary. God normally uses these means to do His work. BUT THEY ARE NOT CAUSAL!
Most people are trying to sanctify themselves by means of grace. In reality, we use the means of grace and allow God to do His work. God comes when He comes. Our task is to expose ourselves to the means of grace and WAIT! There is an element of mystery of this in allowing God to be God. We (in the Western nations) like a cause and effect religion. Do this and this will happen. God says no! He does His work when He wants. He is like the wind blowing. We do our job and wait for the wind to blow. Usually the light comes when we are using the means. Usually the taste of the honey comes to us when we are using the means of grace. But we must wait on God. Let God be God.
In other words, we are like a ship. We hoist the sails (the means of grace) and wait for God to send the wind. We don’t hoist the sail, and blow in them.
God always worked through means. Whether he sent an earthquake or a shortage of available land, God was still acting to remind humans of their spiritual needs. Through such forces God provided the soil for revival. God, through the Holy Spirit, also provided the means of grace, such as preaching the Word and the ordinances of the church, as means of tending the spiritual vineyard, as one biblical image put it. (Marsden; Edwards, 152)
“Whatever pretenses men make of thankfulness for the Word of God, however they speak of it as a privilege to have light and the means of grace, if they do not yield obedience to the light and conform themselves to the commands of it, they are practically unthankful and do in effect cast it behind their backs (Neh 9:26). (Roberts; Sanctify the Congregation, 127)
A single sin, however secret, when indulged, diffuses its corrupting influence over the whole soul; it depraves the conscience; it alienates from God; it strengthens all other principles of evil, while it destroys the efficacy of the means of grace and the disposition to use them. It is no less true of any community, that any one tolerated evil deteriorates its whole moral sense. (Charles Hodge; Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians, 86)
Though God in this threefold revelation has provided answers to our questions concerning Him, the answers by no means lie on the surface. They must be sought by prayer, by long meditation on the written Word, and by earnest and well-disciplined labor. However brightly the light may shine, it can be seen only by those who are spiritually prepared to receive it. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (A. W. Tozer; The Knowledge of the Holy, 14)
“Or why should we study hard and prepare to do meaningful work later on in life instead of having a good time now? Most important, why should we worry about God or righteousness or sin or judgment or salvation, if there is no beyond and “now” is all that matters?” (James Montgomery Boice, Mind Renewal in a Mindless Age, 75)
It is beyond argument that a man who has never been instructed in philosophy or in any branch of learning is a creature quite inferior to the brute animals. Animals only follow their natural instincts; but man, unless he has experienced the influence of learning and philosophy, is at the mercy of impulses that are worse than those of a wild beast. There is no beast more savage and dangerous than a human being who is swept along by the passions of ambition, greed, anger, envy, extravagance, and sensuality. Therefore, a father who does not arrange for his son to receive the best education at the earliest age is neither a man himself nor has any fellowship with human nature. (Richard M. Gamble, The Great Tradition, 363-64)
There should be no disconnect between spiritual and intellectual pursuits. The mind and soul are not enemies. They are allies. I don’t think you can be spiritual, in the truest sense of the word, without being intellectual. And I don’t think you can be intellectual, in the truest sense of the word, without being spiritual. As the mind expands, so does the soul. (Mark Batterson, Primal, A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity, 103)
The reason for this Bible centeredness is obvious: faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom 10:17). It is by the word that we are born again (1 Pt 1:23-25). We grow by the “pure milk of the word” (2:2). We are sanctified by the truth of God’s word (Jn 17:17). God’s word is profitable and equips us for every good work (2 Tm 3:16-17). God’s word is “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword…and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12). It is the sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17). It is the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16; cf. 1 Cor 2:4; 1 Thes 1:5). It performs its work in us (2:13). It is “like fire…and like a hammer which shatters a rock” (Jer 23:29). It does not return void, God says, “without accomplishing what I desire, / and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it” (Is 55:11). (Philip Graham Ryken, Give Praise to God A Vision for Reforming Worship, 275)
The public assembly is meant for the edification, the building up, the growth of the Christian. Neglecting to participate in the corporate life of the church or failing to actively serve and be served is a sure-fire way to limit our growth. Eph 4:11-16 offers a pretty strong argument that participation in the body of Christ is the main way in which Christ strengthens and matures us. When we serve others in the church, bear with one another, love one another, correct one another, and encourage one another, we participate in a kind of “spiritual maturity co-op” where our stores and supplies are multiplied. The end result is growth and discipleship. (Thabiti M. Anyabwile, What is a Healthy Church Member?, 91)
Even on the pinnacle of success and popularity, his head was cool, and his heart was clear, and his nerves were steady, for he prepared his ways before the Lord his God. (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 2 Chronicles, 123)
The reason for this success is of course clear to the reader, but 27:6 makes it explicit: “So Jotham became strong because he ordered his ways before the LORD his God.” Unlike the last three kings, who started out well but could not stay the course (see 25:2), Jotham is disciplined and committed. Specifically, he is committed to continually placing his decisions and actions before the Lord, to ensure that what he wills and does is in keeping with God’s will for his life. For us as for Jotham, this is not a once-for-all decision, but a daily struggle. That is why we need the support of the community of faith, and the discipline of continual prayer and reflection upon the Scriptures. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 205)
The apostle writes in 2 Tm 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
In other words, the Scripture, which is “breathed out” or inspired by God, has two general purposes: formative discipline and corrective discipline. (Thabiti M. Anyabwile, What is a Healthy Church Member?, 75)
B- God allows us to have our faith tested so we might become mature, complete and not lacking in anything. (Rom 5:1-5; 2 Cor 12:8-10; Eph 6:10-18; ; Jas 1:2-4; 1 Pt 5:10)
Suffering can prepare ordinary Christians for extraordinary service.
God prepares great men for great tasks by great trials. (J.K. Gressett as quoted by Patrick Morley, The Man In The Mirror, 290)
God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” — C. S. Lewis
Holy Scripture tells us that our progress in discipleship and spiritual maturity depends on the grace and will of God, not on our self-effort and strength. This is why the apostle Paul praises God for the growth of Christians (2 Thes 1:3) and prays to God for continued growth (1 Thes 3:11-13; Col 1:10). We are commanded to grow and to cultivate maturity and godliness (2 Pt 1:5-8; 3:18, for example), but all of our efforts are exercised in dependence upon God and with faith in him for the growth we seek. (Thabiti M. Anyabwile, What is a Healthy Church Member?, 87-88)
God intended man to live by trusting Him instead of making his own choices. Thus, when man acquired freedom of choice he acquired a curse. True freedom is serving God and trusting in Him. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths” (Prv 3:5, 6). (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Discipline, 119)
Jesus promised us that everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt (see Mk 9:49, NKJV). The desire for ease, comfort, and stress-free living is an indirect desire to remain an “unseasoned,” immature Christian. Struggle makes us stronger; it builds us up and deepens our faith. (Gary Thomas, Sacred Marriage, 129)
It is impossible to have spiritual maturity and pride at the same time. (Rick Warren; The Purpose Driven Church, 338)
Ralph Waldo Emerson on maturity: “I wouldn’t give a fig for simplicity this side of complexity. But I would give everything I own for simplicity on the other side of complexity.
I believe that maturity in Christ isn’t so much being good, but realizing how many places one lacks goodness. (Steve Brown newsletter, April 1998)
In these closing moments of this age, the Lord will have a people whose purpose for living is to please God with their lives. In them, God finds His own reward for creating man. They are His worshipers. They are on earth only to please God, and when He is pleased, they also are pleased.
The Lord takes them farther and through more pain and conflicts than other men. Outwardly, they often seem “smitten of God, and afflicted” (Is 53:4). Yet to God, they are His beloved. When they are crushed, like the petals of a flower, they exude a worship, the fragrance of which is so beautiful and rare that angels weep in quiet awe at their surrender. They are the Lord’s purpose for creation.
One would think that God would protect them, guarding them in such a way that they would not be marred. Instead, they are marred more than others. Indeed, the Lord seems pleased to crush them, putting them to grief. For in the midst of their physical and emotional pain, their loyalty to Christ grows pure and perfect. And in the face of persecutions, their love and worship toward God become all-consuming.
Would that all Christ’s servants were so perfectly surrendered. (Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds, 93-94)
“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree.” Psalm 92:12
Palm trees can endure storms: Strong winds will break ordinary trees.
The palm tree will bow to the ground and spring back then the winds have passed.
Palm trees can survive drought: Each palm root is the same size at its stem and its base; therefore, it cannot be pulled up easily.
Because palm trees send their roots deep into the ground, they are able to tap resources of nourishment that are not available on the surface.
The older a palm tree grows, the sweeter its fruit becomes. Ordinary fruit trees diminish their yield as they grow older. Palm trees do not bear fruit until they mature, a process sometimes requiring up to 50 years. As palm trees age, their fruit grows sweeter.
Palm trees can withstand abuse. While the hearts of ordinary trees are dead, the heart of the palm tree is alive. Because the life of the palm tree is on the inside, outward abuse does not affect its life or quality of fruit.
To Keep – To Toss
God wants to keep
Some parts of me and to toss
Out the other parts.
Why would He do this?
Because it’s necessary,
If I am to grow.
Like pruning a plant,
So it can produce fine fruit,
The plant’s less burdened.
A sharp knife cuts through
To remove the un-needed
Dead wood, that sucks strength.
Likewise, we’re refined
Of the un-necessary,
So we may produce.
Sometimes, refining
Is most uncomfortable,
Can hurt, in and out…
All kinds of stuff
Whether things, emotional,
Or habits, are weights.
They keep us tied down
From truly serving our God.
LIVE! Just toss “stuff” out. — Molly A. Marsh; 31 August 2010
C- Those who are “in Christ” have available to them the Spirit of God who guides, convicts, empowers, and rebukes Christians to become more like Jesus. (Dt 11:13-15; 30:1-6; Lk 24:49; Jn 14:16-17, 26;16:7-14; Rom 8:1-16; 2 Cor 10:1-6; )
The Greeks had long believed that the very concept of human excellence could be pursued only if man’s purpose was first known. Purpose and performance had to be tied together. But purpose had been lost, and technique and pleasure had replaced truth and morality. The pragmatic plague of “how to build” became more important than “how to be.” (Ravi Zacharias, Deliver Us From Evil: Restoring the Soul in a Disintegrating Culture, 38-39)
Every man is under God’s inspection. How truly did the ancients realize this (Ps 139; Jer 23:23, 24; 2 Chr 16:9; Job 34:22). We little consider this in the present day. (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 2 Chronicles, 123)
The Holy Spirit is involved in creation (Gn 1:2; 2:6); He is the motivating power of creation, humans, and animals (Job 33:4; Ps. 33:6; 104:29-30); He is the revealer of God’s message to God’s people (Jn 16:13-15); He applies the message of God in the lives of believers (Neh 9:20; Jn 16:12-13); He convicts the world of those things necessary for salvation (Jn 16:8-11).
The Holy Spirit is intimate with God’s people, calling them to God (Isa 61:1); teaching (Jn 14:26); bestowing salvation (Jn 3:5-8); giving faith, knowledge, wisdom and understanding (Isa 11:2; 1 Cor 2:14-16; 12:9); sustaining (Ps 51:10-12); giving assurance of God’s love and salvation (Rom 8:12-17); and reminding them of heaven (Rom 5:2, 5; Eph 1:13-14; Rv 22:17).
In the corporate manifestation of God’s Spirit, we see Him doing the work of unifying believers with Christ and each other (1 Cor 12:12-13; Eph 4:1-6); transforming them (2 Cor 3:18; Gal 5:16-25); granting gifts that build up the church, the body of Christ (1 Cor 12; Eph 4:7-16); giving the church wise plans (Acts 8:29; 13:2; 15:28); empowering the church in an effective witness (Acts 8:29); 1 Cor 2:4-5; Eph 6:18-20); giving Scripture and prophecy (2 Tm 3:16-17; Joel 2:28-32); molding the church and individual believers to holiness and sanctification (2 Cor 3:18; Gal 5:16-25; Eph 5:26-27 [implied]); and always pointing to Christ, the Head of the church (Jn 15:26-27; Eph 3:2-6).
When we are bound, the Spirit gives us freedom (Rom 8:2, 12-17); when we are afraid and depressed, the Spirit lifts us up (Jn 14:15-18); when we pray improperly, the Spirit interprets and intercedes for us (Rom 8:26); and when we need to be reminded of heaven and home, the Spirit does the work we need to get us “home” safely (Rom 8:11). The Holy spirit regenerates (Jn 3:3-8), indwells (Eph 5:18; Col 1:27), anoints (1 Jn 2:20), and baptizes the believer (1 Cor 12:12-13; Eph 4:4-6). Believers are admonished to not grieve (Eph 4:30) or quench (1 Thes 5:19) the Holy Spirit but to walk in Him (Gal 5:16).
The Bible has a number of symbols or images for the Holy Spirit. He is seen as oil (Jn 3:34), fire (Acts 2;3), a dove (Jn 1:30-34), a seal (Eph 1:13), and a guarantee (Eph 1:14). ( Steve Brown; Follow the Wind–Our Lord, The Holy Spirit, 24)
As Larry Crabb has pointed out, pretending seems a much more reliable road to Christian maturity. The only price we pay is a loss of soul, of communion with God, a loss of direction, and a loss of hope. (John Eldredge; The Journey of Desire, 61)
D- We must choose to serve Christ. Anything less than a wholehearted devotion to Christ ends up being no devotion at all. (Dt 4:29; 6;5; Josh 22:5; 24:15; Prv 3:5-6, 9; Mt 6:24; 10:37; 22:37; Mk 12:30-33; Lk 14:26-27; Rv chps 2-3 – especially 3:1-6)
If you put any conditions on your service to Christ (“I will serve you if”) then you are not really serving Christ at all but it is yourself you are serving. — Tim Keller
Vision comes when God determines you are ready to handle it. When the time is right, God will unveil the vision and will enable you to comprehend the vision. Your ability to grasp that vision is not a matter of human competence, but of spiritual preparation and a wholehearted yearning to obey the vision, no matter what the cost.
Only God knows when we are truly ready for the vision, for it will radically reshape every aspect of our lives, and it will have a special purpose.
It is hard for most of us to accept the fact that we have to let God control the schedule for when the vision is conveyed. (George Barna, Turning Vision, 37)
In God’s economy, breaking even is a total loss. Isn’t that the lesson in the parable of the talents? The servant with one talent broke even, and in my estimation that’s not half bad. But Jesus called him a “wicked, lazy servant.” Can I make a confession? That seems a little harsh to me. Part of me feels like Jesus should tone it down. But I’ve learned that when I think Jesus is wrong, it actually reveals what’s wrong with me. In this instance it reveals my incomplete and inadequate view of righteousness. The greatest risk is taking no risks. And it’s not just risky, it’s wrong. Righteousness is using all of our God-given gifts to their full God-given potential. (Mark Batterson, Primal, A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity, 143)
On the other hand, trusting God doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do our “homework.” Prv 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (italics added).
Implicit in the idea of not leaning on “your own understanding” is that you have already gained an understanding on which you are now told not to rely! Trusting God isn’t flying blind. Gain an understanding–know your product, study the economic trends, learn the likes and dislikes of your customers, improve your skills. But after you’ve done all that, don’t depend on the “strength” of what you know, but on God. (Patrick Morely; Ten Secrets for the Man in the Mirror, 48)
“What we need very badly these days is a company of Christians who are prepared to trust God as completely now as they know they must do at the last day. For each of us the time is coming when we shall have nothing but God. Health and wealth and friends and hiding places will be swept away, and we shall have only God. To the man of pseudo faith that is a terrifying thought, but to real faith it is one of the most comforting thoughts the heart can entertain.” — A. W. Tozer
The classic passage on the law of devotion is Lv 27:28: “No devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the Lord…shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the Lord.” Devotion is the wholehearted and irrevocable giving up to God of something which may never be taken back again. The person or thing becomes most holy to the Lord. (Andrew Murray, Receiving Power from God, 7-8)
First, we must say that joy is part of your duty. The Bible says, “Rejoice always” (1 Thes 5:16). And in regard to the duty of giving, it says, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7). In regard to the duty of service, it says, “Serve the LORD with gladness” (Ps 100:2). In regard to the duty of mercy it says do it “with cheerfulness” (Rom 12:8). In regard to the duty of afflictions, it says, “Count it all joy” (Jas 1:2). We simply water down the divine command when we call someone to half their duty. (John Piper, When I Don’t Desire God, 220-21)
A divided house cannot stand. But if so, how can civilized, let alone noble, life proceed? After all, surely everyone suffers from dividedness. Nobody loves God with a wholly pure and undivided heart. Nobody loves neighbors perfectly. Nobody’s marriage is quite free of contaminants. If dividedness tends to break us down, how do we manage to hold up and go on?
Ideally, by repentance and renewal of mind and heart–that is, by the grace of God working through spiritual disciplines and the support of others. (Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be, 46)
Every time a church family gathers for worship, we come as idolaters or recovering idolaters. We all fight allegiances to someone or something other than God that make a claim on our lives. To pretend otherwise is to be naive and unprepared for the serious work of realignment we need. (Mark Labberton, The Dangerous Act of Worship, 62)
God intended man to live by trusting Him instead of making his own choices. Thus, when man acquired freedom of choice he acquired a curse. True freedom is serving God and trusting in Him. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths” (Prv 3:5, 6). (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Discipline, 119)
Love to God will expel love to the world; love to the world will deaden the soul’s love to God. “No man can serve two masters”: it is impossible to love God and the world, to serve him and mammon. Here is a most fertile cause of declension in Divine love; guard against it as you would fortify yourself against your greatest foe. It is a vortex that has engulfed millions of souls; multitudes of professing Christians have been drawn into its eddy, and have gone down into its gulf. (Octavius Winslow, Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul, 56)
The Christian faith flies in the face of social Darwinism and its principles of perfection. Ours is not the “survival of the fittest” but the “survival of the weakest.” That is, those alone who come to terms with their spiritual impotence are granted the grace of God to persevere in his strength. You will fall. Stop trying to live the “victorious Christian life” and simply live, as you feed on God’s Word and grow by his Spirit. (Michael Horton, Putting Amazing Back into Grace, 213)
“In all his preaching of the kingdom of God, Jesus did not look for moral achievement in his followers, but for faith in himself. Clearly regarded Messianic faith as the key to spiritual growth. Paul has the same assessment. He resists the Galatians’ effort to add to faith a calculus of legal obedience as a new source of Christian maturity: “Did you receive the Spirit by observing the Law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? . . . Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard? (Gal 3:2-5 NIV) (Richard Lovelace; Renewal as a Way of Life, 133)
E- We should look to Jesus the Author and Perfecter of our faith. (Jn 13:15; 15:1-17; Phil 2:1-11; Heb 12:2; 1 Pt 2:21-25)
When you are pursuing love, running toward Christ, you do not have opportunity to wonder, Am I doing this right? or Did I serve enough this week? When you are running toward Christ, you are freed up to serve, love, and give thanks without guilt, worry, or fear. As long as you are running, you are safe. But running is exhausting – if, that is, we are running from sin or guilt, out of fear. (Or if we haven’t run in a while.) However, if we train ourselves to run toward our Refuge, toward Love, we are free—just as we are called to be. As we begin to focus more on Christ, loving Him and others becomes more natural. As long as we are pursuing Him, we are satisfied in Him. It is when we stop actively loving Him that we find ourselves restless and gravitating toward other means of fulfillment. (Francis Chan, Crazy Love, 104)
Ray Dillard, preaching his sermon, then drew on his scholarship and spoke in great detail about the enormous amount of preparation that took place for the Day of Atonement. A week beforehand, the high priest was put into seclusion–taken away from his home and into a place where he was completely alone. Why? So he wouldn’t accidentally touch or eat anything unclean. Clean food was brought to him, and he’d wash his body and prepare his heart. The night before the Day of Atonement he didn’t go to bed; he stayed up all night praying and reading God’s Word to purify his soul. Then on Yom Kippur he bathed head to toe and dressed in pure, unstained white linen. Then he went into the holy of holies and offered an animal sacrifice to God to atone, or pay the penalty for, his own sins. After that he came out and bathed completely again, and new white linen was put on him, and he went in again, this time sacrificing for the sins of the priests. But that’s not all. He would come out a third time, and he bathed again from head to toe and they dressed him in brand-new pure linen, and he went into the holy of holies and atoned for the sins of all the people.
Did you know that this was all done in public? The temple was crowded, and those in attendance watched closely. There was a thin screen, and he bathed behind it. But the people were present: They saw him bathe, dress, go in, come back out. He was their representative before God, and they were there cheering him on. They were very concerned to make sure that everything was done properly and with purity, because he represented them before God. When the high priest went before God there wasn’t a speck on him; he was as pure as pure can be. Only if you understand that do you realize why the next lines of the prophecy in Zechariah 3 were so shocking: Zechariah saw Joshua the high priest standing before the presence of God in the holy of holies–but Joshua’s garments were covered in excrement. He was absolutely defiled. Zechariah couldn’t believe his eyes. Ray said the key interpretive question is: How could that have happened? There’s no way that the Israelites would ever have allowed the high priest to appear before God like that. Ray’s answer was this: God was giving Zechariah a prophetic vision so that he could see us the way that God sees us. In spite of all our efforts to be pure, to be good, to be moral, to cleanse ourselves, God sees our hearts, and our hearts are full of filth.
All of our morality, all of our good works, don’t really get to the heart, and Zechariah suddenly realized that no matter what we do we’re unfit for the presence of God. But just as he was about to despair, he heard: “‘Take off his filthy clothes.’ Then he said to Joshua, ‘See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you…Listen,…I am going to bring my servant, the Branch,…and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day’” (Zec 3:4, 8-9). Zechariah probably couldn’t believe his ears. He must have thought, “Wait a minute, for years we’ve been doing the sacrifices, obeying the cleanliness laws. We can never get the sin off ourselves!” But God was saying, “Zechariah, this is a prophecy. Someday the sacrifices will be over, the cleanliness laws will be fulfilled.”
How can that be? Ray Dillard closed the sermon like this: Centuries later another Joshua showed up, another Yeshua. Jesus, Yeshua, Joshua–it’s the same name in Aramaic, Greek, and Hebrew. Another Joshua showed up, and he staged his own Day of Atonement. One week beforehand, Jesus began to prepare. And the night before, he didn’t go to sleep–but what happened to Jesus was exactly the reverse of what happened to Joshua the high priest, because instead of cheering him on, nearly everyone he loved betrayed, abandoned, or denied him. And when he stood before God, instead of receiving words of encouragement, the Father forsook him. Instead of being clothed in rich garments, he was stripped of the only garment he had, he was beaten, and he was killed naked. He was bathed too, Ray told us–in human spit.
Why? “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21). God clothed Jesus in our sin. He took our penalty, our punishment so that we, like Joshua, the high priest, can get what Rv 19:7-8 pictures: “Let us rejoice and be glad…Fine linen, bright and clean, is given [to us] to wear.” Pure linen–perfectly clean–without stain or blemish. Heb 13 says Jesus was crucified outside the gate where bodies are burned–the garbage heap, a place of absolute uncleanliness–so that we can be made clean. Through Jesus Christ, at infinite cost to himself, God has clothed us in costly clean garments. It cost him his blood. And it is the only thing that can deal with the problem of your heart. (Timothy Keller, King’s Cross, 82-84)
Some think they can’t do it; others refuse to change or grow. They simply lack the faith to step out and do something. “Where is your faith?” I wish to admonish them (and many times I do). “Don’t you believe that God will enable you to obey Him?”
The churches that mature in health and effect lasting change are the ones that come to God in brokenness and humility and beg Him to produce the obedience of faith in them. (Donald J. MacNair; The Practices of a Healthy Church, 231)
But those who do have the Holy Spirit and are now capable of worshiping in spirit do not worship in sprit if they do not worship in holiness. “Worship the LORD in holy array,” says Psa 29:2. The holy array that God required of the OT priests was that they dress in a very particular way and prepare themselves in minute detail before presenting their sacrifices. Likewise the priests who come before the Lord today–that is, all believers in Christ (1 Pt 2:9)–must also come in holy array. First and foremost, our holy array is the holiness of Christ. God receives our worship based upon Jesus’ having already offered to him the perfect sacrifice–himself–on our behalf. And all our subsequent worship of the Lord is received, not because we are now so sincere, but because the blood of the high priest Jesus has made it acceptable to God. (Philip Graham Ryken, Give Praise to God A Vision for Reforming Worship, 310)
F- We must never forget that we will one day give an account to God for every word, deed and thought. (1 Chr 28:9-10; Mt 12:36-37; 13:30-50; Lk 6:49; Rom 2:5-16; 6:23; 2 Cor 5:10)
A man’s conduct will be very different if he realizes that God’s eye is on him. He will avoid sin. He will bear in mind the love of his Father who is in heaven. He will try to please Him in thought as well as in deed. (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 2 Chronicles, 123)
Godwardness is the continuous shaping of our thoughts and deeds as under the immediate inspection of God. Let God be first in every consideration, consulted in every transaction, recognized and deferred to on all occasions and under all circumstances. (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 2 Chronicles, 123)
If you feel the call of the Spirit, then be holy with all your soul, with all your heart, and with all your strength. If, however, because of human weakness, you cannot be holy, then be perfect with all your soul, with all your heart, and with all your strength.
But if you cannot be perfect because of the vanity of your life, then be good with all your soul…Yet, if you cannot be good because of the trickery of the Evil One, then be wise with all your soul…
If, in the end, you can neither be holy, nor perfect, nor good, nor wise because of the weight of your sins, then carry this weight before God and surrender your life to his divine mercy.
If you do this, without bitterness, with all humility, and with a joyous spirit due to the tenderness of a God who loves the sinful and ungrateful, then you will begin to feel what it is to be wise, you will learn what it is to be good, you will slowly aspire to be perfect, and finally you will long to be holy. (Quoted in Peter van Breeman, Let All God’s Glory Through, 134)
Worship point: When we live coram Deo, purposeful worship is best expressed in a spirit of humility with a broken and contrite heart in recognition of just how far short we are from what God desires for us to be.
When you have pursued God in repentant helplessness, you will have worshiped. And every time you sense his embrace, your soul will shine the slightest bit brighter with his reflected glory, and you will be the slightest bit more ready to face what his life has in store for you. (Timothy Keller, King’s Cross, 122)
Making sure you recognize Christ’s presence in church each Sunday (Some suggested ideas to help you get ready).
During the week:
* I have mentally determined that Sunday morning with Christ in his church will be the
high point of my week.
* I have learned what the main text of the sermon will be and have meditated on that passage.
* I have prepared myself to sing God’s praises by reading through the hymns chosen for the service.
* I have carefully considered the offering I want to present to the Lord with gladness.
* I have prayed about inviting a friend who would benefit from being with me in Christ’s presence.
On Saturday:
* I have asked Christ to make me sensitive tomorrow to the needs of people in the body who are hurting.
* I have solved the “Sunday clothes hassle” by making sure that what I will wear is ready today.
* I have spent time in confession so all will be right between myself and my Lord when we meet tomorrow.
* I have determined to get to bed early so I will be refreshed and ready for church tomorrow.
* I have planned on sustaining the delight of this time with Christ and his people by guarding against Sunday afternoon infringements.
On Sunday:
* I have gotten up in plenty of time so I will not feel rushed.
* I have programmed my morning so I will not just arrive at church on time, but get there early.
* I have eaten a good breakfast, so an empty stomach will not detract from my worship.
* I have my Bible in hand plus a pen and paper for taking notes.
* I have left for church with a great sense of expectancy because I know Christ will be there. (Karen Burton Mains, Making Sunday Special, 109)
It is surely ironic that those who criticize the traditional forms of worship for their lack of spontaneity and of the Spirit often become the most careful planners of emotion. They seem to see no inconsistency between the Spirit and their careful planning and staging of worship, yet argue that carefully planned liturgies and sermons of traditional worship must be dead to the Spirit. They are skeptical that the Spirit will be present in the forms of worship that he revealed in the Bible, but are confident that he will be present in their human inventions. They seem never to fear that they are offering strange fire on the altar of God (Lv 10:1) or that they might be following Israel’s sincere and emotional worship offered to the golden calf (Ex 32). We all need to heed Robert Dabney’s eloquent warning about the danger of allowing emotion to be the judge of true religion and worship: “Blinded men are ever prone to imagine that they have religious feelings because they have sensuous animal feelings in accidental juxtaposition with religious places, words or sights. This is the pernicious mistake which has sealed up millions of self-deceived souls for hell.” (Philip Graham Ryken, Give Praise to God A Vision for Reforming Worship, 370)
Spiritual Challenge: Purpose to live your life coram Deo . . . before the face of God.
Jotham grew more powerful because he lived in a constant state of nurturing, preparing, providing and protecting his relationship with the Lord his God. He made sure that nothing could interfere with loving and following his Beloved. — 2 Chr 27:6 (Porter Amplified version)
Matthew 13:1-23 How well prepared is your soil to accept the seed?
In his insightful book The Root of the Righteous, A. W. Tozer titled one of his chapters “The Hunger of the Wilderness.” In it he writes:
Every farmer knows the hunger of the wilderness, that hunger which no modern farm machinery, no improved agricultural methods, can ever quite destroy. No matter how well prepared the soil, how well kept the fences, how carefully painted the buildings, let the owner neglect for a while his prized and valued acres and they will revert again to the wild and be swallowed up by the jungle or the wasteland. The bias of nature is toward the wilderness, never toward the fruitful field. (Chuck Swindoll; The Strong Family, 43)
As for me and my house we are going to serve the Lord. —Joshua 24:15b
Who ya gonna serve?
No one can serve two masters. — Matthew 6:24
Christ:
Coram Deo
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