July 30, 2008

Part 2 in a series on The Glorious Throne taken from Jeremiah 17:12 - "A glorious throne on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.”

It is no secret that God is in control.  “The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His sovereignty rules over all” (Psalm 103:19).  Fact!  This is the great backdrop against which all creation finds definition, meaning, purpose.  It is the canvas upon which the beginning and end of all history can be painted.  There are no questions apart from this answer: “The LORD reigns” (Psalm 97:1).  God’s sovereignty has always been, is now and always will be.  He is Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.  He exists before, during and after time and space, without peer.

The Kingdom of God, therefore, is eternally established.  It has no beginning or end.  When the very first moment of created Time came to be - what we now know as “The Beginning” - God’s Throne was already in place.  Nothing in all of God’s creation can or will ever change that fact.  God reigns supreme; He always has, and He always will.

However, in the context of the created order, God chooses to permeate His creation with His sovereign rule over time and in space.  This means that the tangible extension of His rule in the context of creation has a beginning or, more accurately, multiple beginnings.  The mandate to Adam and Eve was to be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, subdue it and rule over every living thing (Genesis 1:28).  They were to be actual expressions of the sovereignty of God over the earthly sphere of His creation.  That moment at the dawn of creation was a beginning for the Kingdom of God finding representation in the realm of time and space.

So the tangible expression of the Kingdom of God in creation is nascent, but it is also never ending.  Once “born” in you, the Kingdom of God finds opportunity for expression through you, and it never expires.  As many as receive Christ, to them He gives the right to become children of God . . . born again, born of God, new creations in Christ.  And “there will be no end to the increase of His government . . . over His kingdom” (Isaiah 9:7). 

The truth is that you are not alone in your attempts at life.  You have not been left, abandoned at birth, to make your own way and to figure out life on your own.  God desires to walk with you every step of the way, and to order the events of your life so carefully that even the most seemingly insignificant detail has been precisely planned ahead of time.  This is the way of His love for you, to look out for your best interests and to move you in a way that will always be for good.  “’I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)  This is the nature of His government over your life.  You can trust Him implicitly to do what is right every time in every situation.

However, it is also true that the nature of God’s government is to govern.  God is sovereign, His Word is law and His will is not going to be thwarted.  He moves as He sees fit.  He acts as He chooses.  He is, after all, The King.

So as we approach the “Throne of Grace” this week to receive mercy and to find grace, let us remember that His will for our lives is “good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2).  But let us also remember that it is His Throne upon which He sits, and it is His sovereign will with which He governs.

Walking together with Him!

Scott

July 24, 2008

Jesus taught that if we make it our first priority to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness, He will see that the daily concerns of our lives will be addressed as well (Matthew 6:33).  This promise is true for every child of God who will rely on Him, rather than leaning on their own understanding.  And yet, this is the very hinge upon which the door of spiritual advancement never opens for most of God’s people.  Instead, they see another principle at work – one which is calling more loudly to them; one which requires their urgent attention.  This principle of immediacy says “I do not have the luxury of thinking about my high calling right now.  The extravagance of pondering and pursuing my spiritual significance and the things of God’s kingdom will just have to wait.  I am too busy making ends meet; I am too preoccupied with just getting through another day.”

But the truth is we cannot afford NOT to seek Him first, for this is what releases Him to take care of the other details of our lives.  Indeed this is the call of faith; to trust Him in the midst of the distractions clamoring around us that feed anxiety, fear, doubt and worry; to trust Him with all of our heart and not to lean on our own understanding.

But is it even possible to find a reprieve from the demands of everyday life?  Can we rise above the frenetic frequency of the world around us and engage a higher purpose?  What if there were a place of peace and safety far above the din; a hidden sanctuary from which we could successfully navigate and order our daily lives?  Would this not be a prize above all prizes; a treasure to be searched out at all costs?  Yet there is such a place; a glorious place untouched and unspoiled by time and space.  “The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.” (Psalm 103:19)  “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.” (Hebrews 4:16)  “A glorious throne on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.” (Jeremiah 17:12)

A glorious throne; a place of sovereignty, majesty, beauty and splendor!  A place undisturbed by the deadlines, urgencies and pressures of the very creation it governs.  This is the place to be.  Here, at the command center of the universe we find all of the resources necessary really to live and not just exist.  It is here that we find our destiny eternally intertwined with our Creator.  For it is here, at His throne, that we discover we are royalty; Sons and Daughters of the King; Princes and Princesses of the Kingdom of Heaven, with our Father sitting on His glorious throne. 

As a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, you are a chosen one.  God chose you.  Not by default.  He went to unparalleled lengths to find you, and He chose you because He wants you.   Not only are you a chosen one, but you are a “glorious one” (Psalm 16:3).  Not because of anything you’ve done, but because He is “bringing many sons to Glory” (Hebrews 2:10).  Do not deny it any longer.  The time for “putting it off” is past.  “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness” is God’s invitation to step up into the high calling that you have in Christ.  The Spirit is saying now is the time, today is the day.  Welcome to your place in the Kingdom, child of the King.

Walking together with Him!

Scott

July 16, 2008   In Step - A Force for Righteousness

The Bible says that our physical bodies can be a tool – or, more literally, a weapon(!) – either for righteousness or for unrighteousness.  In Romans 6:13 we read “Do not go on presenting (making available) the members of your body to sin as instruments (weapons) of unrighteousness; but present (make available) yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments (weapons) of righteousness to God.” [Parenthesis added]

In using this imagery, the Apostle Paul is indicating that our bodies actually can be a force for darkness or a force for Light.  In the same letter He writes “Let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor (weapons) of light.” (Romans 13:12) [Parenthesis added].  Wherever we go, we bring a spiritual presence into the room.  Everyone and everything we come in contact with is going to be affected by the force of that presence – either for Light or for darkness.

New Age philosophies would call this phenomenon “positive or negative energy.”  But in truth, it really is the flow of righteousness (the Life of God manifesting in us) or unrighteousness (the absence of the Life of God being manifested).  Just because God indwells me does not guarantee that I will manifest His Presence every moment of every day.  I must be intentional to make myself available – put myself at His disposal – so that His Life can flow through me.  He will “guide me in the paths of righteousness” (Psalm 23:3), but I must be available to follow in that path.

Star Wars made popular the expression: “May the Force be with you!”  When Luke Skywalker would come onto the scene, the “Force” could be felt in his presence.  However, contrary to Star Wars “theology,” the sides of light and dark are not opposite expressions of the same “Force.”  Righteousness is the very Life/Light of God, while unrighteousness (darkness) is the absence of the Life of God.  The force of Righteousness reproduces Life and expresses itself in the abundant fulfillment of God’s creative purposes.  The force of darkness, however, is not to create a “counter-kingdom,” but more like a black-hole that draws everything around it into emptiness, death and destruction.  Jesus

summarized it this way: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) 

The Devil’s objective clearly is to prevent you and me from being living extensions of the very Life of God and living weapons of His Righteousness.  What Satan ultimately was after in the Garden, was not to recruit followers for his “kingdom” of darkness.  Rather, he wanted to stop God from expressing His Sovereignty in the earth.  Satan is not about building his own kingdom; he is about preventing, hindering or at least slowing down the expansion of God’s Kingdom.  He is attempting to draw as much of God’s Kingdom into the destruction of darkness as possible before his time is finished.  And any time we are making ourselves available to sin rather than to God, we are cooperating with the Devil’s agenda as “weapons of unrighteousness.”  Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.” (Luke 11:23)

God’s purpose also is clear.  He desires for His Life and His Kingdom to find expression in every one of His children.  We were designed by God to find our richest satisfaction and fulfillment in life by being extensions of His Life.  Our lives are lived to the full only as His Life flows in and through us.  Then as His righteousness finds expression in us, it reproduces, bears much fruit and ultimately comes back full circle for His Glory.  “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36)

Walking together with Him!

Scott

July 9, 2008   In Step - Wait On The Lord

Recently the Lord began speaking to me about the fulfillment of His purposes in our lives and the timing involved.  I was wondering why such a long period of time often goes by between the moment God speaks a word of destiny and the actual occasion of its unveiling.  Why does He seem to take so long to perform His word to us?  Why did Abraham have to wait until he was an old man before he received the son that was promised decades earlier?  Why did Joseph receive powerful dreams of destiny as a teenager that didn’t play out until mid-life?  Why did Moses have to spend 40 years isolated in the desert until he was 80 before finally becoming the Deliverer of the oppressed people of God?  Why was David anointed King as a shepherd boy, but didn’t get to sit on the throne until age 30?

Part of the answer lies in the intent of God to reveal His glory in us.  God insists that His glory will find expression in men and women, one way or the other - for even “the wrath of man shall praise You” (Psalm 76:10).  Those who understand this truth willingly walk with God in such a way that their “deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God" (John 3:21).  But we know from history and from personal experience that there are plenty of other things which are bent on getting the credit for success in our lives.  Given the opportunity, certain things in us like pride, ambition or jealousy will rise up and lay claim to a work of God.  Other people or forces external to us also gladly will rise up and lay claim to God’s work in our lives. 

God is willing to wait patiently until everything that would or could lay claim to the fulfillment of His word is no longer available or able to lay claim.  He wants to ensure that His glory is revealed in His work, and that no one else can claim it for themselves.  “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another.” (Isaiah 42:8)  Once, when the Apostle Paul received great revelations from heaven, he was given a “thorn in his flesh” to keep him from exalting himself (2 Corinthians 12:7).  After asking God three times to take away this “thorn”, God responded by saying that His power would be perfected in Paul’s weakness.  God was protecting Paul from laying claim to that which rightfully was God’s and God’s alone.

In the examples mentioned above (Abraham, Joseph, Moses and David), these men possessed natural virtues and abilities which easily could have been viewed as instrumental to their success.  “David, you’re pretty good with that sling, but then again a Giant is kind of hard to miss, and you’ve had plenty of practice out in the fields.”  “Moses, great job standing up to Pharaoh but, of course, if anyone was a match for him it was you since you did grow up with him in the royal court.”  In each instance – one could lay claim to youthful ambition, desire for adventure, headlong reckless abandon, spoiling for a fight, a need to test one’s limits – there would be more than enough natural explanation for their accomplishments.  Alexander the Great, for example, conquered most of the known world of his day by the time of his early death at the age of 32.

So God waits patiently until, one by one, every last remaining thing in our minds that would or could lay claim to the accomplishment of His purposes in us is no longer able to do so.  Then He steps in and, simply by the power of His word, unveils His destiny for us in all His glory, magnificence and fulfillment.  And after all we’ve been through, we only can look back and say “Wow!  Look what God has done!”  And no one will be able to come to any other conclusion but that “God has done it!”

Walking together with Him!

Scott

July 2, 2008   In Step - Baptism

The past few Sundays we have been discussing the topic of Baptism, so it might be a good idea to share a few thoughts about the basics of this important event in the life of every believer in Christ.  A number of people have expressed an interest in being baptized, and are discovering this is actually a step of obedience to the direct command of the Lord Jesus.  In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus said “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. . . "  In this command, commonly known as the Great Commission, Jesus includes baptism as one of the acts of obedience His followers are to observe.

However, as we also have seen, baptism is far more than a simple act of obedience.  The very process of being baptized graphically illustrates a believer’s faith in and identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  In the original language of the New Testament, the Greek word for baptize is baptizo which means to immerse or submerge.  When applied to the context of Christian baptism, it signifies immersing a person under water and then raising them up again out of the water.  This powerfully portrays a person’s identifying with the death and burial of Jesus by going under the water, and then identifying with the raising to life of Jesus by coming up out of the water (e.g. Romans 6:3-4 & Colossians 2:12).  The symbolism of union with Christ is made complete in this one act of being immersed and coming back up out of the water.

In addition to the symbolic references that can only be explained adequately by immersion, the practice of immersion is also illustrated in several examples in Scripture.  Matthew states that after Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, “He came up immediately from the water” (Matt. 3:16).  Mark confirms this as well by recounting that “Jesus . . . was baptized by John in the Jordan.  Immediately coming up out of the water . . .” (Mark 1:9-10).  In John 3:23, we read another clue that John the Baptist was practicing immersion.  One of the places he used to baptize was in a place called Aenon which the Bible says was “because there was much water there.” (John 3:23) 

 Yet another example is found in Acts 8 where Philip baptized a man from Ethiopia.  It says in verse 38 that “they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.”  Then in verse 39 we read “When they came up out of the water. . .” implying once again that immersion had been the method of baptism that Philip practiced.

One final thought regarding baptism is to remember that it does not initiate your union with Christ but rather it illustrates your union with Christ.  Baptism does not make you a believer in Jesus but rather it marks you as a believer in Jesus.  In Acts 10 we read about Peter who was preaching Jesus Christ to the people gathered in the home of man named Cornelius.  The Bible says that while he was still speaking “the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message” (v. 44).  These individuals heard the Word, received the Word, were saved (cf. Acts 11:14, 17) and evidenced the empowering Presence of God’s Spirit upon them.  Only after their faith in Christ clearly was established did Peter lead them through the demonstration of their faith in baptism.

A number of you have indicated to me your desire to be baptized, and already I am loosing track of who all has expressed this interest.  Please help me out by confirming this with an email, a phone call, or remind me once again the next time you see me.  We hope to schedule several opportunities for baptism in the near future and want to make sure we account for everyone who wishes to be included.

Walking together with Him!

Scott