Monthly Archives: July 2009

Amos 3:2 (ESV)

“You only have I known

of all the families of the earth;

therefore I will punish you

for all your iniquities.

God chose the people of Israel. He knew them as His own children. He chose them and chose in His sovereign justice to pass by all the other peoples of the world. What would you say to a people so blessed who continued to live as if they were not chosen of God? What would you say to such a people who spurned the laws and the love of the One who rescued them, saved them and planned a great future for them? What God said was that since they were His people He would punish them. It is because they are His that they will feel God’s displeasure.

And yet, how many of us humbly speak about being the chosen of God and still live like the world? Should God deal with us more leniently than he did the ancient Israelites? If He would not let them get away with their sins why should we think that He will let us get away with ours? To whom much is given much shall be required and no one can be given more than grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Those of us who are believers need to be reminded that God holds us to a higher level of accountability.

James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

Hebrews 12:5And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Galatians6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Christians are foolish to think that such warning Scriptures do not apply to them. They do. They apply to me. I must live my life in the power of the Holy Spirit in holiness, righteousness, godliness and faithfulness. Grace must demonstrate itself in holy living or else it is not grace at all.

We all sin and one of the ways God shows His displeasure to His saints when they sin is through a sense of Him being distance form us. It is a horrible thing to happen. O lord forgive us for being so willing to abandon you at times for the things that will not satisfy. And thank you for graciously bringing us back to yourself through the withdrawal of the sense of your blessing. Thank you that such a thing is so very painful. Help us to remember it before we sin again, so that we will not have to go through the discipline of being distant from the One who loved us and gave Himself for us.

Amos 2

1Thus says the LORD:

“For three transgressions of Moab,

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,

because he burned to lime

the bones of the king of Edom.

2So I will send a fire upon Moab,

and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth,

and Moab shall die amid uproar,

amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;

3 I will cut off the ruler from its midst,

and will kill all its princes with him,”

says the LORD.

4Thus says the LORD:

“For three transgressions of Judah,

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,

because they have rejected the law of the LORD,

and have not kept his statutes,

but their lies have led them astray,

those after which their fathers walked.

5So I will send a fire upon Judah,

and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”

6Thus says the LORD:

“For three transgressions of Israel,

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,

because they sell the righteous for silver,

and the needy for a pair of sandals—

Some of the sins for which God punishes nations are truly barbaric. The first one mentioned in chapter 2, for instance, speaks of burning a king’s bones to lime. There is religious significance to that but the action itself is an indication of great hatred and cruelty.

Some of the other sins against which God levies judgement, however, do not seem that bad to 21st century sensibilities. Judah is judged because they reject the Law of God and tell lies. We would side with God as He punishes cruelty and yet we would find God to be a harsh taskmaster for punishing Judah for its seeming small sins of lying. This is because we do the same all the time. If not obeying all the law is punishable by death then there is no hope for anyone and so we say that God is cruel.

Some of the sins God takes action against are sins that we commit but may not recognize that we do. In 2:6 God charges the people with selling the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals. To live in comfort at the expense of the poor is a great evil. Does this count globally? Do we commit this sin when we support policies that help keep the poor in their place or buy products because they are cheaper and the reason they are cheaper is because the products are made in sweat shops for poverty wages?

In 2:9 God reminds them that the things they have they have because He defeated their enemies and established them in the land. To live in such a way that we do not acknowledge God for the things we have is to put ourselves under His judgement. To fail to recognize God as the Source of all our good is evil that demands justice. But we do not think so. We think such sins are not sins at all. But ingratitude is one of the greatest sins there can be. It is the sin of godlessness. It is the sin of independence. It is that which takes the credit to itself when it is God who deserves it. This is idolatry and that is the worst sin of all.

Dressing up sin in respectable garb does not alter its abhorrence to God. Elevating some sins to be horrible while making our own to be small is a great sin in and of itself. Great sin demands severe justice and that is precisely what all our sins are due.

We stand under the judgement of God and our only hope is Jesus Christ. We deserve to die – He died. We deserve to be forsaken by God – He was forsaken by God. We deserve to suffer for our sins – He suffered for our sins. What He did on the cross is our only means of salvation. We must see the work of Christ in everything for us. We will never properly value the greatness of what Jesus has done if we count our sins as small. But if we understand that Jesus on the cross is taking the punishment that our sins deserve then we will worship Him for the great mercy that the cross demonstrates.

Don’t minimize your sins to make yourself look less offensive. Measure them by what it took to save you from them – the death of the eternal Son of God. It will help you live for His glory in everything and that is why we are all here in the first place.

Amos 1:6, 9, 11, 13(ESV)

Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Gaza,

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,

because they carried into exile a whole people

to deliver them up to Edom.

[9] Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Tyre,

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,

because they delivered up a whole people to Edom,

and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.

[11] Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Edom,

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,

because he pursued his brother with the sword

and cast off all pity,

and his anger tore perpetually,

and he kept his wrath forever.

[13] Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of the Ammonites,

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,

because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead, that they might enlarge their border.

The Old Testament prophets wrote the word and will of God powerfully and without holding anything back. The words of the prophets, especially the “minor” prophets wrote scathing accounts of the sins of Israel and its surrounding nations. It is, in part, because of the words of these prophets that God, in the Old Testament has the reputation of being harsh and cruel and unappeasable, while the God of the New Testament, it is believed, is gracious and loving and approachable.

This over generalized view of God is mistaken at every level. When we read the Book of Amos, for instance, what we see when we encounter the fierce wrath of God against Israel and the nations surrounding Israel, is that the reason He is so angry is because they have forsaken compassion and pity and justice and basic human rights. God’s anger is against people who show no mercy. He is treating them as they treat others.

In Amos chapter 1 God will judge because people were carried into exile, betrayed, showed no pity and mistreated the defenseless. The God who rages against such sins is not a God of wrath and retribution that He is so often portrayed as being. He is, rather, the God who defends those who cannot defend themselves. He is the big brother or protective father who comes to the rescue of the helpless sibling or child.

As I write this, a search is being carried on for the body of a little girl who was murdered by two adults for, it appears, the satisfaction of sexual desires. The person who is angry at such people and actions will never be accused of possessing no pity or of being harsh and without compassion. It is compassion that drives the very anger that wells up from within. Our anger at such unthinkable cruelty cannot compare to the anger of the thrice holy God who made all things for the praise of His glory.

If God does not get angry at the horrifying sins of abuse and cruelty and unimaginable horror that goes on in the world and has always gone on since the fruit was eaten, then we have a very inadequate God indeed. But our God is not inadequate. He is perfect in His holiness and His anger at sin is righteous. He cares for the oppressed and He shall have His justice levied against all who have abused the innocent.

And then we need to remember that when Jesus suffered on the cross He was receiving the just punishment for sins that were not His. We need to remember that our sins are offensive to God whether we have abused the innocent, forsaken the poor, or not. We deserve punishment for our sins.

The cross is the wrath of God in ways that transcend our understanding. We, and all other sinners, deserve to be on the cross and we are the ones who should be crying out about God forsaking us. But we are not – not because God has forgotten our sins but because God is merciful and holds out His hand to sinners to be rescued. The cross is the most complete and awesome demonstration of justice and mercy there has ever been or ever will be or ever can be. It was hatched in the pre-creation councils of God and prophesied throughout the whole Old Testament and accomplished in the Gospels and preached throughout history until Christ returns.

What a God! What a plan. Let us worship Him, who is holy in His righteous judgements and holy in the display of His mercy to all His chosen ones.

Psalm 22

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

2O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,

and by night, but I find no rest.

3Yet you are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel.

4In you our fathers trusted;

they trusted, and you delivered them.

5To you they cried and were rescued;

in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by mankind and despised by the people.

7All who see me mock me;

they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;

8 “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him;

let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

9Yet you are he who took me from the womb;

you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.

10On you was I cast from my birth,

and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11Be not far from me,

for trouble is near,

and there is none to help.

12Many bulls encompass me;

strong bulls of Bashan surround me;

13they open wide their mouths at me,

like a ravening and roaring lion.

14I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint;

my heart is like wax;

it is melted within my breast;

15my strength is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to my jaws;

you lay me in the dust of death.

16For dogs encompass me;

a company of evildoers encircles me;

they have pierced my hands and feet— 17I can count all my bones—they stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my garments among them,

and for my clothing they cast lots.

19But you, O LORD, do not be far off!

O you my help, come quickly to my aid!

20Deliver my soul from the sword,

my precious life from the power of the dog!

21Save me from the mouth of the lion!

You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

22 I will tell of your name to my brothers;

in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:

23You who fear the LORD, praise him!

All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,

and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

24For he has not despised or abhorred

the affliction of the afflicted,

and he has not hidden his face from him,

but has heard, when he cried to him.

25From you comes my praise in the great congregation;

my vows I will perform before those who fear him.

26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;

those who seek him shall praise the LORD!

May your hearts live forever!

27All the ends of the earth shall remember

and turn to the LORD,

and all the families of the nations

shall worship before you.

28For kingship belongs to the LORD,

and he rules over the nations.

29All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;

before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,

even the one who could not keep himself alive.

30Posterity shall serve him;

it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;

31they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,

that he has done it.

Psalm 22 – We know that Psalm 22 has reference to the death of Christ because Matthew tells us so – Matthew 27:35-46. This is a help to us as we consider the overall plot line of the Bible. Of course, Psalm 22 is also the cries of David while he was in a distressing situation. God took the sufferings of David as a prophetic tool to point to the death of Christ.

The Psalm can be divided into two major sections – verses 1- 21 – Christ’s sufferings at the hands of others and 22- 31 – David’s rejoicing over the great work that the LORD has accomplished through Christ’s work. Jesus comes to earth. He suffers and dies. God raises Him up and there is salvation guaranteed for a vast numberless host.

The Psalm ends with a most remarkable prophecy in verses 29- 31 that can only apply to Jesus, not David. The world shall bow down before the One who could not keep Himself alive. “He saved others, Himself He cannot save” was the cry of the taunters at the cross, and they were right. He could not save both Himself from death on the cross and save people from their sins. And because He did not save Himself He does save others and the One who died shall have the kings of the earth bowing down to Him.

In verses 30 and 31 we are told that this act shall be proclaimed forever. Here we are two thousand years after the crucifixion and three thousand years after the prophecy of Psalm 22 and we are doing precisely what the Psalm said we would. We proclaim the righteousness of the One who suffered, who was rescued and who reigns. We proclaim that He has done it and what He has done is sufficient to save all whom the Lord our God shall call. What a work the cross is. What a Book the Bible is. What a great story to tell. Lord, help us to tell it faithfully, for your glory.

Galatians 4:5 – to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Some translations of the New Testament change the word “sons” in Galatians 4:5, to “children”. This is done, no doubt, to point out that it is not just males who are adopted into the family of God. This is an important truth. There is neither male nor female.

But Paul was not being chauvinistic when he said that we are adopted as sons and it is a mistake to substitute “children” for “sons”. The reason it is a mistake is because in the culture and times in which Paul wrote, only sons received the inheritance that a father would leave after his death. We are not just children of God. We all, male and female, Greeks and Jews, slave and free, are sons of God with the full right of inheritance as first born sons.

It is not a slur upon females to say that they are sons. It is the best news they can receive. It is an honour won for them by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Female believers are treated as first born sons with all the rights and privileges that such sonship brings with it. The New International Version brings it out superbly when it translates verse 5 as:

to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

All believers have the full right of first born sons who receive a full inheritance from a loving father. We have the rights of first born sons because we are counted with the very righteousness of the only begotten Son of God. He deserves the inheritance and by faith in Him we receive it with Him (Romans 8:16-17). What a work God has done! We are not just sons and daughters of God. We are all first born sons with all the rights of inheritance that God has promised. We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ Himself (Romans 8:17).

“What about people who have never heard?” This is a question that often gets asked. The concern behind the question generally is this: if Jesus is the only way to God and people must consciously believe in Jesus in order for Him to get them to God, then what happens to those who never hear about Jesus? It is a fair question as long as it is asked honestly.

There is, in the question, a concept of fairness that people believe God must own up to. It is unfair, it is supposed, to hold anyone responsible for not doing something that he was never told he had to do. Without getting into all the responses to these types of questions let us just consider one thing from Psalm 19. Note the first three verses of this Psalm.

Psalm 19:1-3 (ESV) .

The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

[2] Day to day pours out speech,

and night to night reveals knowledge.

[3] There is no speech, nor are there words,

whose voice is not heard.

Note the words describing what nature does in these verses – “declare”, “proclaims”, “pours out speech”, reveals knowledge”, “voice”.

God does speak to those who do not have a chance to hear about Jesus. Does this mean that simply realizing that some great Being made the wonderful things that people see in nature is enough to grant them salvation from sin? No, it does not. The Scriptures are clear that faith in Christ must be expressed or people are lost (Romans 10:14-17). But it does mean that nature tells people that there is a God and that He is worth knowing.

People who have never heard of Christ who seek out the God of the wonders of nature will want to know more of this God. God will get the Gospel to such people. God does not create such a hunger only to disappoint. He gives it with every intention of rewarding the search. God will get the Gospel to such people through some means.

Now then. If you are one of those concerned about others who have never heard of Jesus Christ, could it be that you are one of the ones God is calling to reward the search of the person who wants to know more about the God of nature that has captured their attention? Could it be that the ache in your heart for those who have never heard is God calling you to make sure they hear? Do not complain against the Scriptures that say that people must hear the Gospel and believe if you are not willing to be part of the solution to the fact that they have not heard yet. Imagine being used by God to bring someone to Christ who knew that the God of nature must be worth knowing!!

God speaks to such people today. Pray that they will meet the God who has captured their attention. And pray about what your part may be in them meeting Him.

Galatians 4:4-5 (ESV)

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Do you wonder what it would have been like if Jesus had been born in a more technologically advanced age than the one He was born in? Do you ever wish that He had been on earth with the technologies that we now possess? Wouldn’t it have been great if Jesus had been born in a time when He could be interviewed on television, had His miracles retrievable on You Tube, had a blog of divine teachings appearing on His web site every day? How great would it be to be able to hear His actual voice, see His actual face, watch His actual miracles and listen to Him simply destroy the “wisdom” of His enemies with His flawless arguments?

The fact is, that it would not have been better at all. The verse before us this morning says that Jesus came in “the fulness of time”. That means that it was at the exact right time. God knew what He was doing and when Jesus came to save us He did it better than any way we could have devised.

It is better. It is far far better that Jesus is not on You Tube, Television, and Facebook. (Oh dear, just thinking about Facebook makes me glad that Jesus came when He did) We are called to live by faith and Jesus on line would not be conducive to that.

We should rejoice that we are not the ones who decide how God should do things. His plan to save people from their sins was worked out perfectly and is being fulfilled every day, just as it should be. Wherever we would change it, would have made it worse. It is a very good thing that God did not consult with any creature when He formulated to save mankind before the world began. Salvation itself would be flawed because of their input and there would be no security at all. Our faith would be in doubt and so would God’s ability to save us.

Rejoice today that God does all things well and that no matter how we think He could have done some things better, we are just wrong about that and glad that He does not take His cues from us.

Try to remember this the next time your prayers are not answered the way that you think they should be or you are tempted to think that you would have done things better. A good dose of Job 38-41 will be very helpful at this point. Here is just a sample of God taking Job to task for his attitude regarding his sufferings:

1Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

2″Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Dress for action like a man;

I will question you, and you make it known to me.

4″Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding.

5Who determined its measurements—surely you know!

Or who stretched the line upon it?

6On what were its bases sunk,

or who laid its cornerstone,

7when the morning stars sang together

and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8″Or who shut in the sea with doors

when it burst out from the womb,

9when I made clouds its garment

and thick darkness its swaddling band,

10and prescribed limits for it

and set bars and doors,

11and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,

and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

It is always tempting to think that we can do things better than the way God has done them. How thankful we should be that God does all things well and does not change from doing that simply because we have what we think is a better idea.

Psalm 148

1 Praise the LORD!Praise the LORD from the heavens;

praise him in the heights!

2Praise him, all his angels;

praise him, all his hosts!

3Praise him, sun and moon,

praise him, all you shining stars!

4Praise him, you highest heavens,

and you waters above the heavens!

5 Let them praise the name of the LORD!

For he commanded and they were created.

6And he established them forever and ever;

he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

7Praise the LORD from the earth,

you great sea creatures and all deeps,

8 fire and hail, snow and mist,

stormy wind fulfilling his word!

9 Mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars!

10 Beasts and all livestock,

creeping things and flying birds!

11Kings of the earth and all peoples,

princes and all rulers of the earth!

12Young men and maidens together,

old men and children!

13 Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for his name alone is exalted;

his majesty is above earth and heaven.

14He has raised up a horn for his people,

praise for all his saints,

for the people of Israel who are near to him.

Praise the LORD!

Do you talk to angels? There are those who claim to see angels, receive visits from angels, get messages from God through angels, and communicate with angels on a regular basis. Such claims should be received with a healthy dose of skepticism. The Bible is clear that the manner in which God communicates to the world, especially His people, is through the written Word of God, the Bible.

But in the Psalm that we have before us today, the psalmist talks to angels. He also talks to the sun, the moon, the stars, the creatures of the sea, creatures of the earth. He even talks to fire and hail and snow and mist, the wind, mountains, fruit trees and non fruit trees. Beasts and livestock are not omitted either. The Psalmist is not insane. Nor is he teaching that inanimate objects can be communicated with. There is no earth religion being promoted in Psalm 148.

The Psalms are poetry and need to be read as such. And what the Psalmist is doing in Psalm 148 is telling us that all the created order is designed to give glory to God. We see this in every verse where these things are spoken to. He is calling upon everything to shout out praise to the God who has made them.

And they do.

We are told in the Bible that the hosts of heaven continually sing praises to the God before whom they dwell. Psalm 19 tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God. What is happening in Psalm 148 is that the author is awestruck with God and wants everything to sing out praises to Him. The Psalmist has seen things and he has meditated on what he has seen. He has thought deeply about what God has been able to do in creating all things and he is smitten by the power of it. He sees that God is a God of great beauty, and imagination. He sees that whoever and whatever it is that has been able to put this universe together and cause it to continue is a fabulous Being indeed.

We need to do what the Psalmist has done. And we never will until we be still and know that God is God. We live busy lives in busy places. There is precious little time to sit and meditate on anything, never mind the sovereign Creator of all things. Anything that works to take our thoughts away from God is a potential idol. We take little time to contemplate God because we are too busy with things that to us are more important. What we do not realize is that the things we are so busy with, if they are not sinful in and of themselves, are given to us by God for his glory. If they keep us from God then we are abusing them.

This is true especially of pastors, missionaries and over booked volunteers in the church. We allow our work for God to keep us from getting close to God. This Psalm is a powerful reminder to us that we need to open our eyes and see the works of God and be struck with awe. This will demand that we reorganize our schedules. It will mean assessing our routines and determining what can be dumped and what must stay. It will mean taking seriously God’s call upon us to rest from our labours for the sake of getting closer to Him.

Have you ever been so amazed at the character and majesty and power and love of God that you felt like calling out to the angels themselves to praise Him? Has God ever been so wonderful to you that your heart breaks with the fact that most of the world is cheating itself with counterfeit pursuits of pleasure? Has your heart ever been that stirred? It never will be if you do not put into your weekly routine, serious time to get closer to God. You think that you do not have time. Make the time and you will be amazed that you ever thought anything else was too important.