Grace For The Journey

  In my blogs, I normally take a verse or passage of Scripture and expound it to help us grown in the grace and knowledge of Christ.  However, since we are in the midst of dealing a worldwide pandemic, I felt led by the Lord to deal with the problem of evil in the world.  The “problem of evil” has been an issue that has been encountered by every single human being that has ever lived in this world.  Whether it is viewed as a philosophical problem or an experiential one, it is faced by us all.  Here is a summary of the basic philosophical problem, which, as I see it, is based upon at least four undeniable facts:

1. God is supremely good and just.
2. God is omniscient.
3. God is omnipotent.
4. Evil is in the world.

The problem that is proposed for Christians, who agree with each of these four assumptions, comes in pointing out the apparent inconsistency of asserting these attributes of God while facing the truth of the existence of evil in the world.  For example, since evil exists in the world, and God has the power to deal with it, then it is thought that He must not be truly good or else He would deal with it.  Or, since evil exists in the world, and God is supremely good and just, then He must lack the power to deal with it.  Or, perhaps God is supremely good and has the power to deal with evil, but He either doesn’t know about it or simply doesn’t know how to deal with it, in which case He would not be omniscient.

The eighteenth century philosopher David Hume, citing the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, set forth the problem of evil succinctly by asking three questions about God: “Is He willing to prevent evil, but not able?  Then He is impotent.  Is He able but not willing?  Then He is malevolent.  Is he both able and willing?  Whence then is evil?” (Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Part 10, 1779).

That, in a nutshell, is the philosophical problem of evil.  It is an age-old problem with which philosophers and theologians have struggled for millennia.  But even if many have not taken the time to think much about the philosophical problem of evil, I am certain that there has never been a person who hasn’t dealt with it as an experiential problem… at least to some extent.  After all, the experiential problem of evil stares us in the face in one way or another every day.

For many today and throughout history, the problem of evil has represented the most serious objection to the Christian faith.  Some very brilliant philosophers have thought that this problem conclusively refutes belief in the Christian God.  But not only professors of philosophy – ordinary people, too, often feel this problem deeply.  You don’t have to be a sophisticated philosopher to doubt the reality of God when a loved one is going through terrible suffering or a pandemic is threatening your health.  At such times the “problem of evil” is not so much a learned argument as it is a simple cry of the heart, “How could a loving God allow this?”

Does God give us an answer to this problem in Scripture?  That is what I would like for us to consider in today’s blog.  Although we do not have time to examine all of the pertinent passages of Scripture on the matter, I hope to focus our attention upon a number of key texts that show us something about God’s relationship to evil.  In the process I hope to show what a Biblical response to the problem of evil really is, even if it is not the kind of answer that many would like or that many might suspect.  We will look first at some key Old Testament passages and then at some key New Testament passages.

Old Testament Passages

We will look first at Joseph’s response to the evil actions of his brothers in selling him into slavery.  This event is summarized in Genesis 45:5 where David says to his brothers, “But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. [See also Psalm 105:17).  Joseph acknowledged that through the evil action of his brothers God was working His own good purposes.  He clearly saw God as in sovereign control even over their evil actions.  In fact, he later asserted the same point even more forcefully.  In Genesis 50:15-20, when Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: ‘I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.’  Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.’  And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.  Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, ‘Behold, we are your servants.”  Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?  But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.’”

Once again Joseph acknowledged God’s sovereign control over evil as a part of His own good plan.  He also clearly distinguished between the evil intentions of his brothers and the good intentions of God, even in the very same act.  This much Joseph understood, even if he could not explain to his brothers how it could be so.  Apparently, he knew that, whatever else was true, he could not deny either God’s sovereign control or His goodness.

So, whatever our response to the problem of evil, it cannot be a denial of God’s sovereign control even over evil events.  Nor can it be to make God the author of sin in any way.

A proper response to the problem of evil

Always places the blame for sin

Upon wicked human beings

And never upon God.

We will see this approach reinforced several more times as we examine a number of other key Scripture passages.

Next, we will need to take a rather lengthy look at Job’s response to the evil against him, together with his interaction with God that followed.  After all, if there is one book in the Bible devoted to wrestling at length with the problem of evil, it is the Book of Job. The book begins with God pointing Job out to Satan and permitting Satan to do evil against him.  He permitted Satan to work both through natural disasters and through the instigation of evil acts by human beings in order to destroy Job’s family (except for his wife) and all that Job possessed, as well as to bring a terrible disease upon Job.  With this background in mind, look with me at Job’s response:

Job’s initial response in recorded in Job 1:20-22, “Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.  And he said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there.  The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.’  In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.”

Even though he had suffered many evils against himself – evils that the reader knows that Satan was ultimately behind and that had been permitted by God – Job still did not accuse God of any wrong.

He clearly recognized that God

Is sovereign even over these evil things

And that they could not have occurred

Except as a part of God’s plan,

But he also knew that this does not mean

That God is to be blamed for the evil.

So, again, we see that a response to the problem of evil must not rob God of His sovereignty over all things, but neither should it to lead us to accuse Him of any evil. Rather, in responding to the problem of evil . . .

We must acknowledge

That God is

Sovereign over it

And permits it

As a part of His plan

In such a way

That He is never

To be blamed for it.

It would be nice to have a solution to the problem of evil, but not at any price. If the price we must pay is the very sovereignty of God, the faithful Christian must say that the price is too high.  After all, it is of little importance whether any of us discovers the answer to the problem of evil. It is possible to live a long and happy and faithful life without an answer.  But it is all-important that we worship the true God, the God of Scripture. Without Him, human life is worth nothing.

Such was the attitude of Job.  However, as his suffering the effects of evil continued, he did get upset with God and challenge Him to explain Himself.  In fact, we might say that Job demanded an answer from God to his own experiential problem of evil.  Consider, for example, the following statements of Job:

Job 10:1-3, “My soul loathes my life; I will give free course to my complaint, I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.  I will say to God, “Do not condemn me; show me why You contend with me.  Does it seem good to You that You should oppress, that You should despise the work of Your hands, and smile on the counsel of the wicked?”

Job 19:6-7, “Know then that God has wronged me, and has surrounded me with His net.   If I cry out concerning wrong, I am not heard. If I cry aloud, there is no justice.”

Sadly, although he initially – and correctly – refused to blame God for the evil against him, at this point Job’s suffering, grief, and anger got the best of him.  But he will end up repenting of having spoken such things. First, however, let us notice one more brash statement by made by Job:

Job 31:35-37, “Oh, that I had one to hear me!  Here is my mark. Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, that my Prosecutor had written a book!  Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, and bind it on me like a crown; I would declare to Him the number of my steps; like a prince I would approach Him.”

However, when God did manifest His presence to him, Job started singing a different tune!  God declared that it was not Job who would do the questioning, but that He Himself would question Job.  Look at God’s confrontation of Job in order to see what I mean in the following passages:

Job 38:1-5, “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: ‘Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?  Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.  Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.  Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?’”

God then went on to speak of many of His great works, and He challenged Job to explain them and asked Job if he himself could do them.  In other words, God did not respond directly to Job’s demand for an answer to the problem of evil. Instead, He rebuked Job for having demanded an answer from Him in the first place! Listen to God’s challenge to Job:

Job 40:1-8, “Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said: ‘Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?  He who rebukes God, let him answer it.’  Then Job answered the LORD and said: ‘Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You?   I lay my hand over my mouth.  Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.’  Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, ‘Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me: Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?’”

God then challenged Job in much the same way that He had already challenged him.  But still God did not give any answer to the problem of evil.  Once again, He simply rebuked Job for his arrogance in demanding an accounting from Him in the first place.

This is hard to take.  Like Job, we usually expect something else when we ask for an explanation of the problem of evil.  This doesn’t even seem like an explanation.  But in this case, this is bitter medicine that we need to take.

When we are faced

With the problem of evil,

We need to remind ourselves

Who we are and who God is.

We are in no position to judge Him; we have no right to demand an explanation from Him.  He is Lord.  That is our first answer to the problem of evil.

But what was Job’s final response?  How did he react after God rebuked him?  We find his response in Job 42:1-6, “Then Job answered the LORD and said: ‘I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.  You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.  Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’  I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.  Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

So, in our response to the problem of evil, we must never forget . . .

• That we are fallen creatures and that God does not owe us any explanation at all for what He does.
• We must learn the lesson of Job’s life and of the book that bares his name.

That lesson is –

That God is aware that we struggle

With the problem of evil

And that He has chosen

Not to give us the kind of answer

That we often think we need or deserve.

Instead . . .

• He expects us to trust Him and to worship Him on the basis of His previous works and revealed character.
• He expects us to trust that He is good even if we can’t understand all that He does.
• And, when we become angry and begin to think that He owes us the kind of explanation we so often think we need, then we must do as Job did and repent of our sinful attitude towards Him.

In tomorrow’s blog, we will look at New Testament passages that will help us develop a Biblical response to the problem of evil.

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

2Corinthians 4:7– “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always havng all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.”

 

Grace For The Journey

The Bible says in Psalm 130:1-3, ‘”But of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD; Lord, hear my voice!  Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.  If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?  But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.”

Have you been burdened and overwhelmed with your sinfulness?  Do you wrestle with feelings of guilt and  condemnation from the sins of your past? Do the sins you battle in the present overwhelm you with hopelessness and despair?  The Psalmist had cried out to the Lord for forgiveness and redemption. “If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?”  The Psalmist is not using universal guilt to excuse or minimize his own sinfulness. He is not saying, “Yes, I am sinful, but so is everyone else. So no big deal. Everybody does it.”  Rather, he is overwhelmed with his own sinfulness and confesses his sinful with all of Israel and all of humanity.  He also includes you and I in this universal verdict, when he asks rhetorically, “who could stand?”  The answer, of course, is “no one.”  If the LORD counted our sin against us or judged us according to our sin, we would have no standing before Him.  The Bible says in Isaiah 64:6, “all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.”

We are without excuse.  As Paul wrote in Romans, “our mouths are stopped.”  We have no answer to give in our defense.  We, with the whole world, are guilty before a holy and righteous Judge.  James wrote that “whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”  And yet, don’t miss that the psalmist writes of “iniquities.”  He is overwhelmed by the guilt of numerous iniquities.  One sin would condemn us, and yet there are so many.  We are not merely charged with one crime, but with an innumerable list of offenses.  If the LORD should mark them, who could remain standing in the face of such an indictment?  I look at  my life and I see the countless failures and sins.  I have only one hope – that Jesus Christ shed His blood for my soul.  He is my only consolation after all these years.

Although we should not excuse ourselves or minimize our guilt, we may take comfort in the Psalmist’s words for several reasons:

1) Because we are not alone in feeling this burden.

The psalmist was also overwhelmed with his own sinfulness.  He expressed with his words the weight of the burden that we feel and the reality of our sinful condition, and yet he had hope of redemption.  As Paul expresses in Romans 8:23, “we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”  The Psalmist likewise eagerly anticipated redemption through Christ.  His hope was in a sacrifice for sin, which had not yet been made.  We look back to a payment for our sins, which has already been made by Jesus Christ, and forward to our glorification when we will be forever free from the burden of our own sinfulness.

2) We should take comfort in that the Psalmist says. 

His question, “If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand” is a conditional statement through which the Psalmist hints to us that the Lord will not judge everyone according to his or her sins.  The answer to the rhetorical question which he uses as his base of argument is a resounding, “No one could stand!”  You could not stand; I could not stand.  But he says, “If You, LORD, should mark iniquities,” leaving us with hope.

3) We should take comfort, for here God gives us the full assurance and comfort for which our souls so deeply long. 

His next declaration creates a big difference:  “But . . . there is forgiveness with You.” There is forgiveness with the LORD for those who hope in Him.  As Paul wrote in Romans 3:20-21, “By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin, but now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.”  We cannot stand before the Lord in our filthy rags, soiled and stained with the filth of our own sin, but we can stand before Him forgiven and clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who was without sin and bore our sin and the wrath of God for our sin on the cross.

Dear reader, do not seek any righteousness in yourself.  For you will not find it.  Do not try to excuse or justify yourself by your works, for they are insufficient efforts, iniquitous and flawed.  Do not condemn yourself for your sins, for you can be forgiven.  Look to Jesus for your righteousness and your justification.  He is your only hope.  The Bible declares in Psalm 2:12, “Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.”  If you are in Christ, you were saved by grace and you must continue in grace.  The Gospel is as much for you today as it was when you were born again after hearing it and responding to it.  Let this Good News sustain you.  When Jesus cried out and breathed His last on the cross, the Bible says, “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth quaked and the rocks were split.”  The shockwaves of that earthquake reverberated in your conversion and must reverberate down the whole path of your sanctification until you are forever glorified.

Look again at verse 4, where David is led to say, “There is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.”  This statement seems odd.  It seems that forgiveness would take away our fear rather than kindle fear in us.  Indeed, when we receive Christ’s forgiveness by faith, we are relieved of our terror of God’s judicial wrath, but we are left with a righteous fear and awe of the One who can send body and soul to hell, but sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins.  What this says to us is, we cannot rightly worship God without the knowledge of His grace.  We would either ignore Him without fear, or our despairing terror would lead us to have an unhealthy fear Him.  Having, however, escaped His wrath through the blood of Jesus Christ, we are left in awe and wonder of His justice, power, and grace.  And we are left to fear the loving discipline of the One who bruised the servant when He could have poured out His wrath upon us.

An example of the fear we should have of His discipline is exemplified in Jesus’ instructions to the paralytic that he healed in John 5: “See you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”  We do not know what sins the paralytic had committed, but we do know that he walked away with the knowledge that if he continued in these sins, the Lord would severely discipline him.  Resting in God’s grace will instill in us a righteous fear – not a despairing fear or a despising fear, but a worshiping fear th8t will produce godly satisfaction and obedience.

This is God’s Word for today,

This is Grace For The Journey

Rest and be glad in it!

Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith …”

2 Corinthians 9:7, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always havng all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.”

Grace For The Journey

  We need to know the greatness of God’s forgiveness.  That is what the Psalm we are going to look at today teaches us.  In Psalm 103, David what the Lord to so work in His mind and heart that he will never underestimate the power of being forgiven by God.  We have a tendency to underestimate the power truth.  I confess that there are times when I do.  Because of this tendency to underestimate God, I am continually being surprised at what He does.  He constantly surprises me in the people He chooses to forgive and save.  He is always amazing me at some display of his power.

One problem with underestimating God is that it places limits on what I may seek from the Lord or what I may ask Him to do.

A cure for this problem

Of underestimating God

Is to become aware of

What God has done

In the past.

From His past acts we can learn something of His behavior.  David points to this in verse 7, “He made known His ways to Moses, and His deeds to the people of Israel.”   He has in mind both the things that God did and the things that God said.  The verse that follows is a restatement of something God said to Moses in Exodus 34:6.  As Moses met with God on the mountain to seek the restoration of the sinful nation to the favor of God, God said, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”

Evidently this Psalm grew out of the meditation of David on that statement of the Lord to Moses.  What does this mean in my experience if this is who God is?  It means we must never underestimate the forgiveness and mercy of the Lord God of Israel!

It is probable that the Psalmist focused on the mercy and forgiveness of God because that is what we are most likely to underestimate.  This is also the most serious underestimation.  If you underestimate the power of God, this would be serious – but not necessarily eternally fatal.  To underestimate the forgiveness of God could affect you eternally and could have serious consequences for all of those that you love.  Let’s look into what the Bible says about this great reality.

Don’t Underestimate The Readiness Of God To Forgive.

This was the heart of the word that Yahweh spoke to Moses on Mt. Zion. Israel had committed a terrible transgression against the Lord.  While Moses was on the mountain receiving the law of the Lord written on the tablets of stone, Aaron had allowed the people to make a golden calf and to defile themselves in the sensual worship of the idol.  Moses knew of the judgment of the Lord and knew that the transgressors deserved all that Lord might pour out.  He came to the Lord with an appeal for mercy.  God granted mercy and rewrote the tablets of the law.  Moses is still not sure, so he appeals again for the Lord to go with His people on their journey.  It is then that the Lord speaks this revealing word.  The heart of it is that the Lord is ready to forgive always.

1. We know of His readiness to forgive because He is compassionate.

The “merciful” is a word that is used of the feelings of a parent toward a child.  Are we not inclined to deal with our own child with more compassion than we are the children of a stranger?  Have you not noticed how a mother can distinguish the cry of her child from that of any other child.  So it is with the Lord.  Israel was His son by faith as we are so He would be compassionate toward them and us.

2. We know He is ready to forgive because He is gracious.

This word is obviously related to the word “grace”.  This means that He is inclined to forgive us what we do not deserve.  It is because that He is gracious that He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  Have you not found this to be true?  If He had dealt with Israel, as they deserved, they would have been destroyed before the golden calf.  He is ready to forgive!

3. We know He is ready to forgive because He is slow to anger.

This does not mean that the Lord is incapable anger.  Rather it means that anger is never His first response.  He is slow to anger.  Paul described agape love as being “not easily provoked.”  This is surely true of the love of the Lord for us.

Because this is true, He will not “harbor His anger forever.”  Are you not glad that the Lord is not like some people you know?  Once you offend them, they never forget.  They have a memory longer than the proverbial elephant.  They will always harbor a little anger in their hearts against you.

4. We know He is ready to forgive because of the greatness of His love.

The reason for all of this is stated so grandly in verse 11, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him.”  This is a poetic attempt to state just how great God’s love is for His people.  The word translated “love” is one of the great words of the Old Testament.  It is sometimes translated “mercy,” or “lovingkindness,” or just as love in this case.  When you consider everything that is involved, it is the basic explanation of God’s readiness to forgive.  It is rooted in His lovingkindness.

Our parents probably influence us more than we realize at this point.  Some of you grew up in a home that was full of anger.  You were constantly in fear of provoking your parents to anger.  They would become angry at the least provocation.  You tend to project that parental image on to God, so you are inclined to underestimate how ready God is to forgive you.

You tend to think

That He will forgive

Only if you do something

Outstanding to deserve His forgiveness.

You cannot imagine that

He would forgive you

Freely and gladly.

But He does.

Jesus illustrated this truth about God in an unforgettable way in the parable of the Waiting Father.  When the prodigal son fearfully returned home, rehearsing his speech as he walked along, to his surprise the Father ran to meet him.  The Father had bestowed forgiveness upon him almost before he could ask for it.  Do not underestimate the readiness of God to forgive.

Don’t underestimate The Completeness Of God’s Forgiveness.

When God forgives, He forgives completely.  In beautiful poetic language David puts this truth before us in a manner that we can never forget.  We have a tendency to underestimate the completeness of God’s forgiveness.

But notice what the Bible tells us . . .

1. He removes the sin completely.

Verse 12 declares, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgression from us.”  The thing removed in this case is our transgressions.  This word that is commonly used for sin in the Old Testament is a relational word – it almost always has reference to our relationship to God.  It refers to “a willful deviation from, and therefore rebellion against the path and life God has designed and desires.”  So . . .

The thing removed is not some mistake

That we may have made.

Rather it some deed of rebellion

That deliberately went against

What we knew to be

The will of God in the matter.

In this case the person

Has personally done something

They knew to be wrong.

God so completely removes our sin that it will never be found.  How far is from the east to the west?  You know that we can measure the distance from the north to the south, but the distance from east to west is eternal, infinite.  If you start on a journey to east, unless you turn around, you will return to your starting point and will still be going east.

What a glorious truth about out sin!

God will move it so far from you

That it will never be found.

Your memory may find it.  Your accuser may find the memory of it in order to bring an accusation against you, but the sin it itself is gone, gone forever.

How can He remember it if it is gone!

2. God removes the punishment for the sin completely.

In his Expository Dictionary, W. E. Vine, indicates that the word “transgression” can be used for the punishment for the transgression as well as the transgression itself.  Surely the Lord intends for us to see both here.  When he removes the transgression, the punishment for that transgression goes with it.

When we apply the light of the New Testament to this Old Testament statement, this makes a lot of sense.  We know that Jesus Christ bore our sins in His body on the cross, and that there He suffered the punishment that our sin deserved.  So indeed, God has completely removed the punishment for the transgression through the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ.

3. God restores the relationship that sin has broken completely.

It is noteworthy that the next statement in the Psalm refers to our relationship with the Father. Verse 13 states, “As a father has compassion on His children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.”

Jesus illustrated this truth so beautifully in the parable of the Waiting Father.  When the Father forgave the prodigal, he was restored fully to his position as a son in the family.  The robe, the shoes, and the ring symbolized this to him and to all the family.  He was back in the full favor of the Father.  All of the privileges of sonship were restored to him.  Don’t underestimate the completeness of the Lord’s forgiveness.

Don’t Underestimate The Impact Of God’s Forgiveness.

In the word that God spoke to Moses on the mountain that became the basis for the Psalmist’s thoughts, there was one ominous note that has frightening implications.  After the clear word about His readiness to forgive, God added: “Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished, he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:7)  Is that not a frightening possibility?  If you do not receive the forgiveness, which God is so ready to give, then the punishment for the sin will extend to our children and grandchildren for as many as four generations.

Contrast this word from the mountain that Moses received with the word written by the Psalmist in verse 17, “But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts.”  This a reference to those who have experienced God’s forgiveness.

1. His forgiveness will impact your personal life.

This psalm opens with a call for praise and thanksgiving to be offered to God.

One of the blessings

To be celebrated before

The Lord with thanksgiving

Is that of forgiveness.

God is the One who “forgives all your sins.”  To know His forgiveness is to have your heart filled with peace and joy before the Lord.  It will set your heart to singing of the goodness of the Lord.

A man was rehired to fill a position from which he had been fired.  There was such a radical change in the man, that a fellow-worker asked him what had made the difference.  The man shared with his fellow-worker a tragic story.  While he was in college, he was a participant in an initiation for some freshmen.  They took them out to an isolated country road and made them stand in the middle of the road.  He was to drive a car toward them at a high rate of speed.  The freshmen where to stand in the road until they received a signal to jump.  He had the car going about a hundred miles per hour as he approached the young men.  He could see the terror in their eyes.  When the signal was given, they all jumped out of the way except one.  The memory of that boy’s death was with him continually.  It affected everything about his life.

One day some months earlier, after he was fired from his job, a strange woman came to his home.  She looked faintly familiar, but he did not recognize her.  She introduced herself as being the mother of the boy that he had ran down.  She said to him, “For years I have hated you for what you did to my son. Recently however I gave my life to Jesus Christ, and he forgave my sins. I have come to tell you that I forgive you for what you did to my son, and that I want you to forgive me.”

He explained to his fellow-worker, “What I saw in that woman’s eyes so touched me that it gave me permission to become the person I might have been if I had not killed the student.”  It was something that changed his life for good.  Don’t underestimate the power of forgiveness to impact you for good.

2. His forgiveness will impact your family.

Are you aware of how negatively your lack of forgiveness impacts your family?  You are not a free person within.  Guilt and shame bind you.  You are void of the activity of the Holy Spirit in your life and He is the one who blesses others through you.  Your grandchildren may not know of your transgression, but they will know that something is wrong in your life. When God forgives you, they will be able to see that the lights of heaven have been turned on in your soul.

3. His forgiveness will impact your ministry to others.

In another Psalm (Psalm 51), David acknowledges that he will not be able to help others until the Lord has forgiven him.  He will not be able to teach transgressors their ways.  But when you are forgiven, you will be restored to a place of available service.   Don’t underestimate the impact His forgiveness will have on you!

In 1830 George Wilson was caught robbing a mail train.  He was tried and sentenced to death.  President Andrew Jackson decided to pardon him and sent an official with the news.  But Wilson refused the pardon.  The officials did not know what to do with the man so the case was sent to the Supreme Court and Chief Justice Marshall decided that the pardon was null and void.  He wrote that the pardon was just a piece of paper until the person being pardoned received it.  If that person refused it, then there was no pardon.

The only thing that will keep you from receiving this wonderful forgiveness from God is your unwillingness to receive it. Ask for and accept God’s forgiveness today so you can experience the miracle of forgiveness and enjoy the marvel of forgiveness.

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

 

Grace For The Journey

  In AD 251, a plague struck the Roman Empire.  We now believe it was measles, but then it was a devastating, mysterious illness that seemingly struck at random and ravaged the population.  No one knew why or how the disease spread, so fear was wide-spread. It was recorded that five thousand people were dying every day just in the city of Rome.

In the modern age, disease is not so mysterious.  But it’s incredible how much the human spirit remains the same.  Much like thousands of years ago, the response to the threat of a pandemic is fear that leads to panic. Costco, Sam’s, and Wal Mart routine now ran out of water and toilet paper in a matter of minutes after stocking.  We cannot turn on the news without hearing of the coronavirus.  I am saddened to find that Christians are among those who are falling prey to the rising panic.

But in AD 251, Christians were the one segment of the population who fared much better than any other.  The average Roman, believing that the plague was the judgment of the gods, would, as Dionysius recorded, “[push] the sufferer away, and [flee] from their dearest…hoping thereby to avert the spread and contagion of the fatal disease.”  Thucydides reports that many “were afraid to visit one another…they died with no one to look after them; indeed there were many houses in which all the inhabitants perished through lack of any attention.”

Christians responded differently.  Trusting in God’s promises of eternal life, they turned to care for the sickest.  The ironic result is that the mortality rate of Christians was significantly lower because their care for one another gave a chance for the measles sufferer to recuperate, whereas those who isolated would inevitably perish from neglect even if they survived the ravages of the disease.  Because they did not fear death, the Christians lived.

Are Christians responding any differently to the news of coronavirus than the average person?  If Sam’s or Costco or Wal Mart is any indication, then the Christian fears death as much as anybody else does nowadays.

Where is our peace?

Where is our selflessness?

Have we no assurance

In the face of the unknown?

I am not advocating we abandon common sense. Obviously, everyone  needs to do what everyone that is being recommended by health authorities to halt the spread of disease. But . . .

I am asking you to give yourself a faith check.

If you call yourself a follower of Jesus

And COVID-19 strikes fear in your heart,

Ask yourself why?

What does that say about your perspective

On life and its purpose?

What does that say about where

You place your hope and assurance?

For the early Christians, Jesus loomed large in their vision.

• They trusted that Jesus embraced others in love, even as they suffered.
• They loved others and embraced them in love, even as they suffered.
• They trusted that Jesus is King and thus no twist and turn of history was a surprise to him.
• They trusted that death did not have the last word because Jesus had defeated it, and that their destiny was with him eternally.

If Jesus, in all His

Beauty, wisdom, and grace,

Does not capture our hearts

Like He did theirs,

Then our hearts will

Be captured by fear.

The annals of history show, time and again, that the way of Jesus, of self-giving and sacrifice, is not a pie-in-the-sky philosophy that has no bearing in life.

It’s actually the best,

Most practical way to live.

Society functions best

When we consider the needs

Of others above our own;

It unravels when we seek first our needs.

We only need to look at

The example of Christians to see this.

I pray that the coronavirus advances no further, but should it continue its advance, will we Christians differentiate ourselves from the rest of the world in our response?

• Will we be the voice of peace in the midst of panic?
• Will we be the ones who serve one another and share resources, or will we horde and isolate?
• Will we have hope when others despair?

Our response will not only

Be a matter of the soul,

It may very well be

What makes a difference

In our communities.

And as we walk through this time of uncertainty together, please remember that we can be certain of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ, and show that love to others as we live out what it means to be “for our neighbors.”  So please take this opportunity to call and check in on your neighbors, or those you know who are elderly or live alone.  Offer to bring food to those who are sick and can’t go out.  Be a comfort to them in the midst of fear.  Meet people where they’re at.  Be different and be faithful. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

The Bible says in Psalm 119:165, “Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing causes them stumble.”  Inasmuch as my blog has been designed to provide varied and meaningful words of encouragement to you over the years, at this time I want to be very intentional about speaking to this unprecedented and wildly uncertain time we are currently facing due to the Corona-virus pandemic and the anxiety we are all feeling while we are amid Covid-19.

In just a few short weeks, the daily routines of our lives have been turned upside down and inside out.  To be sure, this caught all of us by complete surprise.  But we can take comfort in the fact that it did not catch our God by surprise.  Some 2,700 years ago, God spoke to the prophet Isaiah, saying, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.  This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations” (Isaiah 14:24, 26).  He also told Isaiah, “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things” (Isaiah 45:7).  Jesus told us that not a bird falls to the ground apart from the will of God (Matthew 10:29).

While you and I are feeling uncertain

About the days that lie ahead of us,

There is absolutely no doubt or confusion

In the mind of the Sovereign Lord.

In light of all the instructions issued by national, state and local governments, we as a church have cancelled our services and activities but we have not cancelled church.  We now engage in our Lord’s Day worship via live stream at 10:15 a.m. with a trimmed down worship team of less that 10 people.  We are also seeking to remain in “contact with our church family members through deacon family member ministry and our Bible Study Class care ministry.  We are doing the best we can to minister and watch out for one another.

We are navigating through uncharted waters.  We, the people of America, have never seen anything like this.  So, the question that has been on my mind and in my heart as a pastor is this:

How can we have a Godly peace

When we are amid Coronavirus pandemic?

The answer, of course, is to look past the pandemic to see our Prince of Peace, who gave us these very encouraging words: “Peace I leave you; my peace I give to you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

The peace the world offers to us is based on circumstances.  When things are going well, we have peace; when things are going badly, we are troubled.  But . . .

The peace that the Word of God offers us

Is not based on circumstances, but on Christ,

Who changes not and whose compassions never fail.

Our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

True peace, a godly peace, is built on the sure,

Solid foundation of the Word –

Both the written Word and the incarnate Word.

When we look to the Lord, “The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Now more than ever, let me encourage you to stay in the Word and pray to the living Word, knowing that “He himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14).  Let’s stand in that peace and share it with others.

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

 Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

Grace For The Journey

 ‘What’s in it for me?’ is a question we often hear.  What can I gain if I enter this business arrangement?  What advantage is it for me to embark on this journey.  Very likely, you ask yourself every Sunday when you go to worship, ‘What am I to gain from attending worship today?  If I go to the trouble of cleaning myself up, if I drive to the church, and if I subject myself to a room that is full of people but devoid of air-conditioning – if I do all of this – can I expect to actually gain something?

If we are honest when inspecting our motives for decision-making we will find we are asking this very question, ‘What’s in it for me?’.

I recall reading one preaching manual that instructs preachers to make use of this principle. The author explains, ‘Nobody sleeps while he expects to hear something to his advantage . . . Never have I heard of a person going to sleep while a will was being read in which he expected a legacy, neither have I heard of a prisoner going to sleep while the judge was announcing his verdict. Self-interest quickens attention. Preach (therefore) . . . on pressing, present, personal matters, and you will secure an earnest hearing’

In Psalm 27 there is instruction that is pressing for us to hear, and there is application that is immediate for us to apply.  My aim is to convince you of this. The text appears to you as a plain looking suitcase and my job is to open the suitcase, and to unpack for you the beautiful garments folded inside.

Unfortunately, this is where many have come to believe that the Bible is boring and irrelevant.  Parishioners come to worship looking to be clothed with a garment designed by the Almighty only to have a locked suitcase thrown at them from the pulpit. Admittedly, the failure of the average parishioner to experience gains from Sunday worship has often been the result of poor preaching.

Commenting on this, Spurgeon wrote, “I heard one say that a certain preacher had no more gifts for the ministry than an oyster. And, in my own judgment, this was a slander on the oyster; for (the oyster) shows great discretion in his openings, and knows when to close.”

I readily confess that substandard preaching is often the cause of parishioners leaving worship devoid of the spiritual nourishment. What should also be confessed, however, is that . . .’’

Some parishioners attend worship

Seeking the wrong thing.

Or, at the very least,

Some parishioners come to worship

Seeking something less than

What God intends to provide.

Surely, our reasons for coming to worship are many, and varied. And some of these reasons are more noble than others.  Many enjoy the music; many appreciate the children’s and youth ministries, and many get something out of the sermons and that is a good thing.

In Psalm 27 . . .

King David raises the bar for us.

David’s example challenges us to seek more from Sunday morning.  In Psalm 27 . . .

David lays before us

What should be

The primary objective

For our Sunday worship.

In verse 4, David declares, “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to meditate in His temple.”  We should notice that David did not literally ask for “one thing”, as the text reads, but quite a few things.

• David asks that he might “dwell in the house of the Lord” – Verse 4.
• He asks the Lord to be “gracious” to him – Verse 7.
• David asks to be taught the “way” of the Lord – Verse 11.
• And finally, he asks that he not be delivered “over to the desire of (his) adversaries” – verses 12.

Since David is clearly asking for many things, why does he say, “One thing I have asked from the Lord“?

When David uses the word “one“

He is not talking

About quantity, but priority.

David is praying

For a great many things,

But the “one thing”

He must have is

The presence of God,

And so this is what

David seeks most earnestly

(Verse 8).

May I ask you, is fellowship with the Triune God your deepest desire?  It is then we can be joyful even if we are denied every earthly comfort.  If our reputation suffers, if our material resources dwindle, if our health deteriorates, if we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we can still exclaim that we fear no evil because God promises to be with us.

Notice also that this is not a prayer for heaven.  Unlike the prayer for heaven we see at the conclusion of Psalm 23, David says in Psalm 27 that he desires to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life” (verse 4).  David wants to “behold the beauty of the Lord” today, tomorrow, and every day of his life.

The fact that David desires God above everything, and that he desires God every day is significant.

The power of David’s statement, “one thing I seek” would be diffused if David only wanted fellowship with God some of the time.

The implications for us are clear.

• Our desire for fellowship with God must not simply be a Sunday desire.
• Our desire for communion with God must not simply manifest itself at a Bible study or a prayer meeting.
• Our desire for communion with God must not be limited to when things are going well.

We, too, should desire to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of (our) life.”

Does this describe you?  Is fellowship with Christ the primary thing that you want from God?  Perhaps you’re not sure.

Based on what I see in Psalm 27, three things will be evident if you are earnestly seeking the presence of God.  The order of these evidences is dictated by the text.

The first evidence, praise, is clearly seen in, not only the first 3 verses, but also in verse 6, “I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy, I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.”

Those who desire God above all else will have an irresistible urge to sing His praises.  You will sing His praises in the car; you will sing His praises in the shower just as readily as you sing them in a church pew.

If constant praise is evidence of one who is earnestly seeking God, what is the counter-evidence of this desire?  I once heard a minister observe that “when you look at the average Christian congregation, they look like an audience of bulldogs baptized in lemon juice.”  I can tell you from experience that this minister is not being unduly harsh.  As a student minister I got to visit many churches and I’m afraid I have come across more Christians then I would like to admit who resemble bulldogs baptized in lemon juice. By contrast, Christians who desire fellowship with God above all else will be marked by joyful praise.

The second evidence of a person who desires God above all else is prayer.  This comes to us in verses 7 through 12.  This evidence should not surprise us – if fellowship with God is our top priority, it logically follows that we will spend a great deal of time conversing with Him.  Who would believe me if I said Kay, my wife was the most important person in my life if I never spoke to her or spent time with her?  You see then, the time we invest in prayer is an indication of just how serious our commitment to God is.

The third evidence of the primacy of God in our lives is patience. We see this in verse 13, but even more explicitly in verse 14, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.”

Admittedly, the connection here may be less obvious than the other two evidences. It is easy to see that, if God is the priority in our lives, our lives will be marked by praise and prayer – but also by patience?  What does “waiting for the Lord” have to do with having single-minded devotion to Him?

Beloved, is it not true that our ability, or inability, to wait for something reveals the extent of our competing loyalties?  The fact that we are impatient at the checkout that we would rather be at home with our family or somewhere else entirely.  The fact that we are impatient in the bank lineup reveals that we have something left to do of greater importance.  We lead busy lives, and, in our busy lives, we find it difficult to be patient when encumbered by less important activities.

What then does it say about the level of our Christian commitment if we are unable to wait for the Lord?  The commandment to “Wait for the Lord” tests our single-minded devotion to Him.  Do we treat worship as something to get through as quickly as possible so we can get on to more important things?  Or, when we are worshipping the Lord, do we act as if this is what we were made for?

More simply put, are you too busy for fellowship with the Lord?  I think back to when I was an older child and my dad would take me and my brother to the minor league baseball game and I in our town.  My habit was to run ahead, as I was eager to get to my seat, but I could only go so far because my dad was the keeper of the tickets.  I would then drop back to ask for my ticket and, upon his refusal, I would run ahead once more.  But there I was again, unable to get to my seat . . . so back to my dad I went.  My priority was to watch a baseball game.  My dad’s priority, however, was to spend time with me.

Is this not an accurate description of our relationship with our Heavenly Father?  We want to run ahead and enjoy the things God has made available to us.  But our Heavenly Father means to give Himself along with His gifts.

God’s great desire is to have communion with us.  Our focus, however, is often misplaced.  Instead of loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we find ourselves desiring the things the Lord has made available to us.

We run ahead to get the things, but David calls us back, “Wait for the Lord,” he says. There is something better to be gained than things.

God’s greatest provision

For His creation is Himself.

Obtaining lasting joy depends on our union with God; genuine happiness depends on having an ongoing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is what we were made for. We were made – not for things – we were made to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

Grace For The Journey

Today, we will look at Psalm 27 as we continue to seek God’s wisdom, direction, and comfort during this coronavirus pandemic.  As we read the words of this psalm, we pick up on the imagery of a battle being portrayed in these verses.  Words like “enemies” and “foes” in verse 2; “host” in verse 3; “war” in verse 3; and “enemies” in verse 6 all speak of warfare.  Phrases like “though an host encamp against me” and “though war should rise against me” in verse 3 speak of a battle being waged against David.

It appears that he is in a difficult situation.

There are a lot of things he is facing

That he does not understand;

There are a lot of things he is facing

That are overwhelming and very concerning to him;

There are a lot of things that are uncertain

About his present and future situation.

Yet, it is also very clear from reading these verses

That even in the midst of the frightening

And unsettling news and events

That he is hearing about and facing,

David still has hope.

Hope is a powerful thing.  G. K. Chesterton said, “There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.”  Emily Dickinson, in one of her poems said, “Hope is a thing with feathers, / That perches in the soul.”  O. S. Marden said, “There is no medicine like hope . . .”  Martin Luther said, “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.”

Here is how the dictionary describes hope, “to have a wish to get or do something or for something to happen or be true, especially something that seems possible or likely.”  Hope from the world’s viewpoint is just what that definition describes.  The world sees hope as a wish or a desire.  Hope, for the world, is a longing for something that may or may not take place.

The Bible teaches us

A vastly different

Definition of hope.

Listen to the words of Jeremiah 17:7, “Blessed is the man that trusts in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.”  Hear also Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”  The world says that hope is merely a fond wish or desire.  But . . .

The words used for hope

In the Bible

Tell a different story.

They teach us

That hope is

“A deep settled confidence

That God will

Keep His promises!”

Now, I know you have battles; but do you have hope?  Are you resting in the sure confidence that God will do just as He has promised He would?  That is the essence of hope and hope is a possession we all need to be sure we own in large quantities.

I want to look into these verses today and show you, from God’s Word . . .

Why you and I have

a reason to hope

In the Lord.

Notice where our hope comes from and what hope will accomplish in our lives:

Our Confidence In The Lord Provides Hope.

David begins his psalm of hope by declaring his personal faith in the Lord.  Notice the three-fold use of the word “my” in verse 1.  David has a personal relationship with God.  This is the basic foundation for hope.

Verse 1 tells us that . . .

David has confidence in the person of the Lord.

David tells us that God is his “light”, his “salvation,” and his “strength.”  There is a tremendous blessing in these three titles attributed to our God.

As light, God delivers His people from darkness.

The Bible says the greatest way God has done this is through the redemptive work of Christ.  Colossians 1:13 says, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.”  Not understanding what is happening in our world right:  Wish you know more so you could be more at ease?  Hope in God – As Light, He guides our steps – (See Psalm 37:23; 119:105; John 16:13).

As salvation, God delivers His people from damnation.

Jesus says in John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears My word, and believes on Him that sent Me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”  Wondering what might happen to you or your loved ones?  As we face the unknown, the most important issue everyone must face is, “What have you done with Jesus?”   Jesus tells us in Luke 12:4-5, “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell!”  Wish you could be rescued  from danger and death?  Hope in God – As Salvation, He secures our Souls – (John 10:28; 1 Pet. 1:5; John 6:37)

As strength. God delivers His people from defeat,

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:57, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ;” and in 2 Timothy 4:18, “And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.   To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!”  This should cause us to proclaim with David in Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow fo death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Is your heart fearful and overly anxious?  Hope in God – As strength, God guarantees our success – (Isaiah 54:17; Romans 8:37; 2 Corinthians 2:14)

These three great characteristics of God serve to give us hope even in the midst of every struggle or battle!  Because of Who our God is, we need not fear any enemy that should arise against us.  Satan himself is no match for our sovereign God!

Verses 2-3 tell us that  . . .

David has confidence in the performance of the Lord.

David declares that his present hope in the Lord rests upon that which the Lord has done for him in the past.  God did not fail him then, and He will not fail His child today.

That same confidence is ours today!   The God we serve is unchangeable (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8).  He is the same God with the same power that He has always had.  He has never, and He will never change.  Because He has been faithful in the past, we can count on His being faithful now.

Think of all the things He has done:

• The victories He has won; the enemies He has vanquished;
• The mountains He has moved;
• The victories He has won.

Think on these things and remember that the God who performed countless wonders in the past is still that same God today!   That should give His people hope!

Verse 4 tells us that . . .

David’s commitment to the Lord provides hope.

Not only does living by faith give us hope; but also living faithful to the Lord provides a measure of hope that cannot otherwise exist.  David mentions three goals in this verse.  These three goals all arise from a single commitment to serve the Lord faithfully from a heart of love.  Notice how David’s commitment to the Lord manifests itself.

He is committed to lingering near the Lord.

David wants to spend his entire life in the house of the Lord.  He wants to be in that place where the Lord dwells and where the Lord’s presence is real.  This is a theme David repeated in Psalm 84:1-4.  There, David envies the little birds that make their nests around the tabernacle.  They can be near the house of God all the time, while David cannot.  He has a desire to be where God is; to be in that place where God is worshiped and honored.  That is his heartbeat.

That ought to be our desire as well.  We need that same passion to be where the Lord is honored and where He is worshiped.  Of course, we have the church and we are commanded to be in attendance, Hebrews 10:25.  But, I think this is talking more about that there ought to be a desire to find that place of closeness and intimacy with the Lord.  We can have that place where we can linger in His presence all the days of our lives.

If there is a genuine desire to be near Him, it will manifest itself in clear action.  There will be a commitment to prayer and to the study of the Word of God.  There will be a commitment to public and private worship.  Those who want to linger near the Lord will find a way.  And, when we make a move toward Him, He will make a move toward us (James 4:8).

He is committed to loving the Lord.

David wants to “behold the beauty of the Lord.”  That is, he wants to “seek His face.”  You see, not only is David committed to being where the Lord is; but he is also committed to knowing and worshiping the Lord.  That is a worthy goal for life!

This should be the goal of every believer as well.  If we are going to worship the Lord, we are going to have to do it His way.  Jesus told us how to worship in John 4:24.  As we yield to the Spirit of God and worship God for Who He is as He is revealed in the Word of God, we will be engaged in the business of loving Him.  How long has it been since you just loved on the Lord?

He is committed to leaning on the Lord.

David also expresses his desire to call upon the Lord; to commune with God; and to make requests of God.  This is another image of worship.  David here declares his utter dependence upon the Lord for the necessities of life.  David looks beyond his own abilities and sees the limitless provisions of the Lord.  Therefore, he wants nothing more than to be able to call upon the Lord

What a limitless resource we have been given in prayer!  We are invited to pray (Jeremiah 33:3; Matthew 11:28).  We are promised that God will hear and answer our prayers (Isaiah 65:24; John 14:13-14; John 16:23-24).  Therefore, let us also learn to lean upon Him!  Instead of worry and fear, let us learn to turn to the Lord.  He will see to our needs (Philippians 4:6-7; 19).  He will never fail us nor will He ever turn us away empty-handed (Matthew 7:7-11).

Our commitment to Him provides hope in the day of our battles.  As we linger near Him; love on Him and lean on Him, we can have the absolute confidence that He will see to our needs and to the things that would cause us to worry.

Verses 5-6 tell us that . . .

David’s comfort in the Lord provides hope.

David discovered that God has a sheltered place for His people.

David tells us that the Lord will hide him in His pavilion.  A king’s pavilion was a tent that was erected in the middle of the army’s encampment.  The tent was then surrounded by an army of brave soldiers.  With all the host of the army camped about, the king’s pavilion was the safest place on the battlefield.  Those who were fortunate enough to be allowed to enter the king’s pavilion were protected by the soldiers and entertained by the king during the battle!  (Note: The word “hide” means “to treasure away.”)

As the battles of life rage about us, we are safely tucked away in our King’s pavilion.  The Bible tells us in Colossians 3:3 that “your life is hid with Christ in God!”  Could there be a safer place in all the universe?  Of course not!  Those who have entered God’s pavilion are protected by Him and, even while the battles rage around them, they are entertained with the peace and joy of the King Himself.  This is promise to those who will abide in that close place!  No enemy can penetrate the defenses and enter this private place.  It is protected from the enemy!

The assurance of His sheltering place allows us to weather the storms of life with hope.  This was what allowed David to face Goliath.  This was the confidence that kept Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  This was the assurance that gripped the heart of Daniel!  This was the knowledge that allowed Paul to continue, even when he suffered greatly (2 Corinthians 12:7-11).

David discovered that God has a secret place for His people.

The word “tabernacle” brings to mind the place of worship.  The “secret place” refers to the “holy of holies.”  That place which was off limits to all but the High Priest, and he could only enter there one day per year, and the only with the blood of an innocent sacrifice.  It was a place that other men entered under the penalty of death.

Yet, it is that secret place, to which God takes His precious children.  The Holy of Holies was a place where the very presence of God dwelt and the glory of God could be seen.  It was there that God took David during the battles of his life.  It was there David found himself shut up with God and shut off from the world around him.

In a king’s home, this place referred to the private apartment of the king.  It was a place no one could enter unless they did so at his bidding. To do otherwise invited instant death.  (Note: The word “hide” means “to conceal”.)

It is amazing that there is a place of solitude in a world filled with people.  There is a place that you and I can flee to during the crushing battles that rage about us.  A place that affords us quiet, peace and the profound presence of God.  Those who have learned to abide in Him have been to that place and know the glory of it.  It is a place where the enemy dares not follow.  It is a place reserved for those who love the Lord their God. Have you ever been to that place?  That place where God meets with you and you alone.  That place where all else falls away and you are left with Him and Him alone?  That is the place He invites those who abide to enter!

Stephen was in that place at the moment of his death (Acts 7:55-56)!  Paul was in that place during his life (Acts 27:23; 2 Corinthians 12:1-4).  It is possible for us to enter that sacred, secret place where the world dims away and God becomes larger than everything else!

David discovered that God has a secure place.

David has the assurance that even when life threatens to overflow him, the Lord will set him on a rock, a place that is unchangeable, powerful and immovable.  Of course, this Rock he refers to is none other than the Lord Himself (Psa. 40:1-2).  The rock referred to in these verses is a “great craggy rock.”  It is a rock that juts far above the battles going on at its feet.  It allows those who ride its heights to rise far above the tumult beneath!

This is the gift to all those who know Him!  We are promised that we have a place of refuge that will lift us far above the stormy seas that would threaten to drown us.  Like the eagle, who takes refuge above the storm until it has passed; those who abide in Him are given grace that bears them higher than the storms and keeps them safe until danger has passed (Isaiah 40:31). Those who wish to rise above there circumstances are given wings to do so!

Notice the passive nature of all the things mentioned in verse 5.

All of these things David mentions

Are not things he does to himself;

But they are things done

To him by the Lord.

The believer is required

To do nothing

But be in

A close relationship

To the Lord.

These things are done

By the Lord for His child.

David discovered that God has a special place for His people.

David says that he will worship the Lord; he will praise the Lord; because of the things the Lord has done for him.  Because the Lord has lifted him above the battles; because the Lord has hidden him away in the secret place; because the Lord sheltered him away from the terrors all around him; he will praise His name!

What a lesson to us!  When hope has turned to reality in our lives; when the Lord has come through for us again and delivered us from the enemy; we should be quick to praise Him and offer to Him the worship and adoration He deserves.  When He brings us through our battles, He will put us in a special place from which we can exalt His lovely Name (Hebrews 13:15)!

Are you fatigued and fearful from what is going on in the world today?  Of course you are!  But, in the midst of your battles, do you have hope?  Do you have the deep settled confidence that everything is going to be alright?  If you do praise the Lord, for He has already brought to that special place of blessing from which you can offer praise to His name.

But, if you lack that hope this evening, it can be obtained.  How?  You can do this by . . .

• Reaffirming your confidence in the Lord;
• Renewing your commitment to the Lord;
• Resting in your comfort in the Lord.

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

Grace For The Journey

Many, if not most, of us have been monitoring the situation concerning the spread of the Novel Coronavirus.  As pastor of a local church I have been keeping a close watch on developments.  We have asked our church family and guests to follow the precautions recommended by the medical experts.

At such a time as this, it is natural to be worried and scared.  It is normal to be anxious about our health, as well as the well-being of our loved ones.  As a husband, father of four girls, and a grandfather, I get apprehensive about my family’s health and safety.

We also become fearful because the situation can make us feel helpless and not in control.  Yes . . .

We can be diligent about taking care;

Buhere is so much that

We either do not know of or cannot help.

It is tempting to give in

To discouragement, fear, and anxiety.

Therefore, along with protecting our physical health, we should also reflect on the state of our spiritual health.  Specifically, what is our spiritual response to the coronavirus?  May faith, not fear, fuel the way we respond to the uncertain circumstances!

What should we respond to God’s faithfulness?

1. We can trust God with our worries and anxieties

We can be honest and humble before God.  He knows us; He remains absolutely sovereign; He knows what we are going through.  This is the reason why we can cast our anxieties on Him.  Yes, we can cry out to God in prayer, but we also must keep our hearts fixed on Him.

Not only does God care for us,

But He is also in

Complete control

Of all situations,

Contingencies, and circumstances.

God has not been caught off guard

By this virus outbreak.

The Bible says in Psalm 91:1-2, 5-6, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say to the LORD, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’… You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.” 

During this time when

We just don’t know

The outcome of what

We are facing,

It is important

To concentrate on

And deepen

Our personal relationship

With the Lord.

In Psalm 27:1, and 4-6 the Psalmist sums up what we need to be doing during this and every crisis, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? … One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.  For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.  And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle, I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.”

There are many who are telling us not to be overly worried or afraid.

The greatest way to do that

Is to strengthen and deepen

Your daily relationship with

Your Savior and Lord.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 3:5-8, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.  Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil.  It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.”

2. We rejoice and hope in Jesus’ victory over death

Remember and rejoice in the truth that our Lord has conquered the grave!  Because of what Jesus has done through His life, death, and resurrection, death has lost its sting.  In Christ, we have the sure hope of glory.  If we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.  Thus, we no longer need to fear disease and death.

So, don’t lose sight of God’s great salvation.  If God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?

God has nour trialAnd should God call us to walk through the fire and flood, we can be certain that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Viruses will not have the last word.  In an open letter calling for prayer from Christians around the world, an anonymous Wuhan pastor wrote: “Christ has already given us His peace, but His peace is not to remove us from disaster and death, but rather to have peace in the midst of disaster and death, because Christ has already overcome these things.”

3. We serve others and encourage them to also trust God

Fear, like a virus, can be contagious.  We must avoid fear mongering and spreading fake news that will only stoke further anxiety.  Instead . . .

As God’s people,

Should we not

Hold forth

The Word of life

To a fearful world

With even greater

Clarity and compassion?

We have a responsibility to take wise and necessary precautions to safeguard the health of ourselves and our loved ones.  But let’s also be mindful of our calling . . .

To be salt and light in the world.

Our self-protection should

Not become selfishness.

We should not be reckless,

But we should not be unfaithful either.

We have an opportunity as well as a stewardship from God to be His witnesses in the world, and to be His channels of grace and encouragement to others.

In the 16th century, the German reformer Martin Luther ministered during a time when a deadly plague emerged in his town.  He wrote that those in ministry “must remain steadfast before the peril of death.”  Even as Luther urged his readers not to recklessly expose themselves to danger, he also challenged Christians to take up opportunities to serve Christ.

The Bible tells us in Matthew 25:36-40 that at the last judgment, Jesus will say to His people, “I was sick and you visited Me.”  To which, believers will ask, “When did we see You sick…and visit You?”  And the King will answer, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.”

Let us therefore display the love of Christ by serving and encouraging others, for we can be sure that in the Lord our labor is not in vain.

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

 

 

Grace For The Journey

  In yesterday’s blog we talked about how there are times in the Christian’s life when we feel utterly inadequate.  There are times when trouble comes and we simply can’t cope, we are in too deep, but we learned that “My God will meet all your needs out of his glorious riches in Christ.”  But there are other times when our inadequacies show through in different ways, other than just being inadequate to face trouble.

• The times we had an opportunity to share the gospel and we didn’t know what to say, or how to answer them.
• When we are asked to speak or teach and we know our presentation and words weren’t great or even incomplete.
• When we have a conversation with a friend and we want to point to God’s help and hope but we stumble and stutter because we feel so inadequate.

If we let this sense of inadequacy get to us, then the devil will have been successful, and we will be driven to despair, and not attempt anything again.

It’s refreshing to hear the apostle Paul, and man immensely gifted, and experienced – he was trained as well as anyone could be trained, and yet, he asked, “And who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:16).

The verses we will look at today deal with times when our efforts are marred by our mistakes, and when our labor is insufficient due to our shortcomings.  And in both cases, we see a wonderful truth that Paul lays down in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

Gods provision extends

To our inadequacies

As well as our needs.

Yesterday we looked at, and began to learn from, 2 Kings 4:38-44, how God provides two Old Testament miracles that help us see two powerful truths.  We dealt with the first truths brought out in this passage: 1) Christ Can Overrule Our Mistakes.

Today we will look at the second encouraging truth:

2) Christ Can Supply Our Inadequacies.

There are other times when we haven’t made mistakes, and we aren’t in trouble, but we are overwhelmed with a feeling of our utter inadequacy.

• Perhaps you are talking to someone, and as they pour out their heart to you and tell you of what they are going through or have come through, you feel, “Lord what have I got that can help this person?” And if they aren’t a Christian, and you listen to all their troubles, you find yourself thinking, “Lord, all I have is the gospel” and it seems very small and very inadequate. Their problems seem to swamp your experience.
• Or perhaps you get an opportunity to speak to someone about Christ, and as you talk they have more questions than you have answers and you find yourself wishing you knew more, and thinking “I’m so inadequate.”

In verses 38-41 the Bible shows us . . .

There is hope and encouragement

For us because

God is at work

In all our circumstances.

A man comes from Baal-Shalisha.  It used to be called Shalisha, but it had become a place of Baal worship, a pagan town.  Yet, even in this pagan, godless town there was a godly man.  And this godly man is out harvesting his grain, and the way the two miracles are joined together here it would seem still to be the time of famine. Yet as he harvests his grain, and as he grinds the corn to make flour, he is reminded that the first-fruits belong to God. And because he is a godly man he is determined to obey.  Now God had said that the first-fruits were to be taken to the temple, and given to the priests.  Yet, the land was now following Baal, and the king was sponsoring the priests of Baal, and had forbidden the worship of the Lord.  So, what is he to do?  He decides that since he can’t obey the letter of the law, he will obey the spirit of the law.  And he takes some bread and some grain and treks quite a distance to the servants of God at Gilgal.  And there he presents it to Elisha.

That is faithful service.  And here . . .

We see sometimes

How God provides –

Help can arrive to

God’s beleaguered people

From unexpected source.

There was a famine, food was hard to come by, although over at Baal-Shalisha things seem to have been a bit easier, and from the place where there is food, God sends to the place where there isn’t.  And here we see also . . .

The duty of believers

Who are experiencing plenty

To look out for those

Who are in need,

Not just nearby,

But far off.

Here is faithful and thoughtful service.  He has already made some of his grain offering into bread, so that it is of immediate use to the prophets.  And he has left some as corn so that they will be able to make bread as the days go on, because if he made it all now, it might have become stale.  Here is a thoughtful believer.

And yet when he arrives, he finds that his thoughtfulness in serving God has backfired a bit.  Perhaps he should have made all the grain into bread after all.  Perhaps even then it wouldn’t have been enough.

But he is about to learn a marvelous lesson:

What looks impossible to us,

Is not impossible to God.

Where our resources

Are at their end,

God’s haven’t even begun

To be exhausted.

Elisha heard God say. “There is enough.”  And the impossible met God’s Word, and the servants, the man from Baal Shalisha, and the prophets found out that God’s Word is more certain than what is before our eyes.  God supplied.  God provided.  The inadequacy of the man’s offering was overruled.

From this . . .

• We learn that when we give to God, or when we seek to serve God with what little we have, we just don’t know what sort of a miracle we will end up being involved in.
• We learn that when we labor for God and we are disheartened by our inadequacies, our insufficiencies, our shortfall, and our complete lack, that our God is able to supply what is lacking.

When we stand before someone whose life is falling apart and the gospel seems such a paltry thing to be telling them, we learn that God can take that gospel and use it to fill all their needs.

When we bring our 20 loaves of Bible knowledge to a person who has 100 deep and searching questions, we learn that God is able to take our answer and make them sufficient.  Go ahead and speak . . .

• God can take what you say and use it to start someone thinking.
• He can take it and apply it to their conscience and their conscience awakes and starts to accuse them
• He can take what you say and bring to mind things they heard long ago.

Christ can supply our inadequacies.

Oh, how we need to learn this lesson!  When we are weak then God is strong.  The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

When we are insufficient

Then we are in an ideal situation

To find that God is sufficient.

But how?  By calling on God,

By acknowledging our

Weakness and our inability.

At almost every turn we see that our Savior is much greater.

Elisha fed 100 men                                      Jesus fed 5000

Elisha had 20 loaves.                                  Jesus had 5.

Elisha had some left over                           Jesus had 12 basketfuls

Elisha did it by God’s power                       Jesus did it by His own power.

God is God.  And He is the same yesterday today and forever. And when we are in need, or inadequate, or mistaken He will provide.

And we see here also in these two miracles a picture of the gospel.  A man whose deadly mistake is covered over by God, and a man whose offering was utterly inadequate and God provides what is needed.

Some of you reading this blog need to hear this.  How you are living your life at present is like this man in the first miracle.  You think you are doing good, but in fact you are in grave danger.  You think you are gathering up treasure for yourself in Heaven, when in fact all the good that you do will condemn you to Hell. You need God to work a miracle.  You wouldn’t be foolish enough to eat poisonous plants, but you are gobbling the poisonous leaves of the tree of good works.  You are badly mistaken.  And the poison will kill you forever.  You need Christ to transform what is poisonous into what will give life.  You need to go to Him like the prophets did and ask Christ to change you, save you, and rescue you from this spiritual death.  Let God cover your mistakes, your errors, your faults, and your sins with His blood.

Like the man in the second miracle bring your life’s efforts to God. and say, “Lord, here are all my decent works that I have done with my life.  They will never be sufficient to please God.  Had I a hundred lives to live and fine tune each one of them, I could never get it right.  I need You to provide the righteousness that I have failed so badly at.  I ask Your forgiveness; give me Your life and power; provide for me too!”  And if you do, you will find that God will provide, and Christ will cover your sins with His blood, and will replace your good works with His perfect righteousness and you will be able to stand accepted before God .

We learn here that our daily needs, whether its bread, or stew matter to God.  And we learn that God will need all our needs “according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”  We learn that he will not always do it in the same way.

These miracles that we have looked at in this chapter point us forward to the day when we will see the wonderful richness of God’s provision in all its glory!

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

Grace For The Journey

  Gladys Aylward, missionary to China more than fifty years ago, was forced to flee when the Japanese invaded Yangcheng.  But she could not leave her work behind.  With only one assistant, she led more than a hundred orphans over the mountains toward Free China.  During Glady’s harrowing journey out of war-torn Yangcheng … she grappled with despair as never before.  After passing a sleepless night, she faced the morning with no hope of reaching safety.  A 13-year-old girl in the group reminded her of their much-loved story of Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea.  “But I am not Moses,” Gladys cried in desperation.  “Of course you aren’t,” the girl said, “but Jehovah is still God.”

When Gladys and the orphans made it through, they proved once again that no matter how inadequate we feel, God is still God, and we can trust in him.

There are times in the Christian’s life when we feel utterly inadequate.  There are times when trouble comes and we simply can’t cope, we are in too deep, but we learned that “My God will meet all your needs out of his glorious riches in Christ.”

But there are other times when our inadequacies show through in different ways, other than just being inadequate to face trouble.

• The times we had an opportunity to share the gospel and we didn’t know what to say, or how to answer them.
• When we are asked to speak or teach and we know our presentation and words weren’t great or even incomplete.
• When we have a conversation with a friend and we want to point to God’s help and hope but we stumble and stutter because we feel so inadequate.

If we let this sense of inadequacy get to us, then the devil will have been successful, and we will be driven to despair, and not attempt anything again.

It’s refreshing to hear the apostle Paul, and man immensely gifted, and experienced – he was trained as well as anyone could be trained, and yet, he asked, “And who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:16).

The verses we will look at today deal with times when our efforts are marred by our mistakes, and when our labor is insufficient due to our shortcomings.  And in both cases, we see a wonderful truth that Paul lays down in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

Gods provision extends

To our inadequacies

As well as our needs.

In 2 Kings 4:38-44, God provides two Old Testament miracles that help us see two powerful truths.

1) Christ Can Overrule Our Mistakes.

In Verses 38-41, the Bible describes a time when there was a famine in the land.  Famine was God’s judgment on the wicked nation of Israel.  Is famine always God’s judgment on any nation? No.  But in Israel’s case it was part of Israel’s national constitution – the covenant.  In His covenant with Israel, God had decreed blessings for obedience and curses for abandoning God’s ways. Famine was one such sign of God’s wrath.  And so, there was famine in unbelieving Israel.  We read in these verses that the godly prophets also experienced the famine

Elisha arrives and is teaching the prophets and he instructs his servant to put on a big pot of stew.  One of the prophets heads out into the fields looking for extra herbs to put in to bulk it up a bit, and to add some flavor.  He finds a wild vine, gathers several gourds from it, and hurries back to the kitchen.  He doesn’t take the effort to find out what kind of fruit it is.  He chops them up and dumps them into the stew.

Then the rest of the prophets come in, and the meal is served out. It is not hard to imagine the pleasure on the face of the prophet as they get a little extra in their bowls.  But then a shout goes up, “There’s death in the pot!!”  Whether someone recognized the poisonous vegetable, or whether they had taken a taste we don’t know.  But in an instant, they go from having a great meal to eat to not having anything to eat.

That doesn’t sound too serious to us.  Normally they could just prepare another one.  But these are days of famine.  Food is scarce.  Providing food isn’t a matter of spending a few moments in a supermarket and additional minutes in front of the stove or oven.  It may take a large part of the day to gather enough food together to make a meal.  All that effort has been wasted, but more important, precious food has been spoiled.

How do you think that young prophet feels now?  I am sure he might have had thoughts like, “I should just have stayed in bed today.  I can do nothing right.  Now everyone’s upset with me. I always get it wrong.”

And then Elisha stands up.  He asks for flour.  He dumps the flour into the pot and then stirs it in.  I am sure the young prophets are wondering, “What difference will that make?”   The vegetables are still in the pot.

We shouldn’t think of this

As some sort of magic,

Nor should we think of Elisha

As some sort of early scientist

Who has figured out that

The properties of this flour

Can neutralize the effects of this poison.

It is just another visual symbol

That it wasn’t Elisha that changed the stew,

It was from miracle-working hand of God.

It was a symbol that the men would remember all their life, as they ground the corn to make flour, as they used flour to bake bread, you can almost hear them saying, “Do you remember the time Elisha threw the flour into the stew, isn’t God great?”  And then the man of God, to whom they have cried out for help, speaks again, “Serve it to the people to eat.”  And as they start to eat, perhaps somewhat cautiously, they find that there is nothing harmful in the pot!

I wonder how the young prophet feels now?  The meal was no longer wasted – it had been redeemed, rescued from the rubbish pile.  Can you feel his relief and gratefulness?  His labor had been marred, ruined, it had been a sincere, but dangerous mistake.  And yet, God overruled his error.

Have you ever found that?  You have sought to act in a Christian manner towards someone, and you have only succeeded in alienating them.  You thought you were doing something right, and you have only succeeded in hurting them all the more.  And you think to yourself, “I should just have stayed in bed, I can do nothing right.”

• Perhaps as you have tried to live out the Christian life as a witness in front of family, friends, or work associates, you have made mistakes, and you feel, “I’ve blown it, I’ve ruined it.”
• Perhaps you have tried to set an example to other Christians, and now you realize that you were wrong in what you did. And it’s too late to undo it.
• Perhaps someone has come to you for advice, and you have sincerely given them advice, and when you check with another Christian you find that you have told them the wrong thing. And you feel so discouraged.
• Or perhaps you have dealt with your children in a certain way – you thought it was the right way at the time, but now with hindsight you see that it was detrimental.

Is there anything you can do in these circumstances?

Do exactly what the prophets did – In verse 40 they cried out to God’s official representative.  We are to do the same – Cry out to our great prophet, the one who intercedes for us before God – Cry out to Jesus.

It seems awfully ineffective doesn’t it?  You’ve been talking to someone and trying to explain the gospel and you are so nervous that you mess up on several points, and it’s all topsy-turvy and you stumbled in places, and you left out bits you shouldn’t have, and I say to you, “Go home and call out to Jesus.”
What’s the point?  Surely what has been said has been ineffective?  What good will praying do?  It’s about as ineffective as throwing flour into a pot of stew.  The vegetables are still there. But . . .

We have a God who is powerful,

And Who delights to show

His power through our weakness.

And you can pray to him, “Lord, take what I said and make them remember the bits that are important, and make them forget the bits that aren’t.  Take what I did and bring good out of my mistake Lord.  Take what I said and use the good.  Lord you know I was only trying to serve You, I thought I was doing what was best, but now I see how wrong it was.  Please overrule my mistake.”

And here is the wonder of having Christ as our Savior . . .

“God works all things for the good of those who love Him.”

Romans 8:28

This isn’t to say that we can be careless or even sin with abandon, and God will follow around after us and clean up.  But . . .

When we have sincerely

Sought to serve Him,

And in our weakness,

Or ignorance,

Have got it wrong,

We can come to God

And the power of God

Can overcome our mistakes

As surely as He

Overcame this cooks blunder.

What an encouragement it is to see that the Lord does not allow our errors to derail His kingdom or destroy His people.  How many times does Christ cushion our folly, redeem our errors, and neutralize our stupidity?”

And there is a wider application here.  Even the mistakes that we have made in sinfulness, perhaps before we became Christians, or even when we were Christians, Christ can overrule them and turn them for good.  Some of you may have made wrong decisions in your past and you have to live with the consequences of those decisions, but you have a Savior who doesn’t undo the past, but who overrules the past, and can turn these things for good.  So don’t despair, get on your knees and seek His intervention.

We will look at the second powerful truth in tomorrow’s blog.

This is God Word … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

 Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”