I Fell on My Face

The Apostle John was exiled to the island of Patmos “for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:9). It was there that the Spirit of God gave him a vision of the glorified Savior. “I saw…one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And…out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength” (Revelation 1: 13-16).

The image is not one of a Lamb, meek and mild, slain for the sins of mankind, i.e. the Christ of Calvary. Rather, here we have Christ, the eternal God and Judge. Jesus declares of himself, “I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, amen; and have the keys of hell and death” (Revelation 1:17-18). John had spent many days with the Jesus of Calvary, but when he saw this Jesus, he “fell at his feet as dead” (Revelation 1:17).

We would do well to see Christ in this light. We speak glibly of “putting our hand in the hand of the man from Galilee”, but don’t often consider standing before the “high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy” (Isaiah 57:15). That is a completely different picture of Christ, one that we are not comfortable with if we do not know him. But the picture reveals him as he is!

Others saw this striking glory of the living God and responded as John did. Ezekiel saw the transcendent glory of the eternal Father in a vision at the River Chebar during the Babylonian captivity. Upon taking it all in, he simply records “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face” (Ezekiel 1:28).

Isaiah records “I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple”. He tells us in this vision “the seraphim…cried one to another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:1-4). John, in his gospel, reveals that this was a vision of Christ prior to his incarnation (John 12:41).

Christ is indeed the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the world (John 1:29). But, the Apostle Paul warned the Athenians on Mars’ Hill that “God…now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31). As the resurrected Jesus said “I am alive for evermore, amen; and have the keys of hell and death.” You need not fear Jesus as Judge, if you know Jesus, the Lamb!

Golden Calves

John Newton, author of that well known hymn “Amazing Grace”, once made this statement, “Lord, save us from our golden calves.” Knowing the background to the “golden calves” will help us understand his plea. After Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, he brought them to Mount Sinai where God delivered unto them the ten commandments. While Moses was delayed in the mount receiving instruction concerning the building of tabernacle and its furnishings, the Israelites below grew impatient. They “gathered themselves together unto Aaron and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him” (Exodus 32:1). They made their own gods.

Newton’s lament makes perfect sense. Lord, deliver us from making our own gods. This cry for deliverance is well founded for we are given to do this very thing routinely. It is not likely that we actually fashion an idol out of stone or wood that we may bow down before it and worship it. But anything that comes between us and worshipping the true God is idolatry.

Paul taught that covetousness is idolatry (Colossians 3:5). The word covet means to “yearn to possess or have.” Therefore, when we yearn for or desire something or someone more than God, that is idolatry. That person or thing becomes our golden calf.

Some covet wealth and it becomes their singular pursuit. Yet Jesus asserted that “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).

Some bow to the god of entertainment. Their schedules are controlled by Netflix, Disney, YouTube, etc. They find no time for the Scriptures or prayer or God’s house.

Even family can come between ourselves and worshipping God. The Lord’s Day becomes used more and more for family gatherings, recreation, and other extracurricular activities rather than seeking the Lord in his house and his word. Listen to Jesus’ admonition as he attests to the relative love we should hold toward God and family. “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37).

Golden calves come in various shapes and sizes. Anything that consumes my time, energy, and resources in a way that hinders, limits or impairs my worship of God is a golden calf. The list is seemingly limitless. Do you have a golden calf? The Lord must be first in every relationship and venue of life or he is not Lord at all.

God’s Dwelling Within Us

The Apostle Paul uses a question to teach a two-pronged truth to the Corinthian believers.  He asks, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you” (I Corinthians 3:16)?  In this passage he is speaking to the church as a body of believers.  Collectively, they are the temple of God – a remarkable statement indeed.  But, as if that were not enough, he then adds that the Spirit of God dwells in them – even more remarkable!  

The temple in the Old Testament was the place where God would meet with his people.  It was divided into two compartments – the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies – separated by a thick veil.  God resided in the Holy of Holies behind the veil between the cherubim and above the mercy seat on ark of the covenant.  Access to the Holy of Holies was prohibited to all but the High Priest and his access was only permitted once a year on the Day of Atonement when he made atonement for himself and the people.    

While the temple spoke to God’s presence among the people, the veil and the Holy of Holies emphasized God’s holiness and resulting unapproachability.  God is absolutely holy and utterly without sin!  Man’s sin makes him unworthy to come before this holy God.  The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur on our calendars) reminded the worshippers of this great gulf every year. 

It is against this backdrop that Paul’s testimony to the Corinthians takes on a far more remarkable character.  The access to God, the holy One of Israel, has been opened by faith.  The very veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was rent in two from top to bottom after Christ yielded up the ghost on the cross (Matthew 27:51).  The way to God was now open.  Every believer today has the Spirit of God in him and so his or her body is become the temple of God because God’s Spirit dwells there (I Corinthians 6:19-20). 

How marvelous is the thought that I now can have unfettered fellowship with God, the Creator!  The sin which separated me from God has been cleansed by the blood of Christ.  He dwells with me and I with him.  Guilt so great has been forgiven by love so infinite!  The fellowship that God desired with his creation has been restored through faith in the redeeming work of his Son, the Lamb of God. 

God has not set aside his holiness.  The blood of Christ has made us fit vessels for the Spirit’s indwelling though sin remains present with us.  How great is that blood’s power!  Consequently, God’s presence within must spur us on to holiness in our own personal walk.  Peter quoting from the Old Testament in his epistle testifies that God’s intentions for his people remain unchanged.  “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (way of life) because it is written, “Be ye holy for I am holy”” (I Peter 1:15-16).  God saves us from our sin for himself so that we might enjoy him forever!

God Uses the Least Likely

God called Jeremiah to be his prophet to the kingdom of Judah in the days of Josiah their king. His ministry continued for about 40 years, even unto the destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation of the Jews into Babylon. Scholars believe that based on the internal evidence of his prophecy that Jeremiah was a young man, perhaps in his upper teens when God charged him to “go to all that I shall send thee and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak” (Jeremiah 1:7).

Jeremiah did not readily accept this remarkable privilege. Rather, he immediately cried “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak for I am a child” (Jeremiah 1:6). His own impression of his skill sets was probably fairly accurate. That didn’t matter to God. God uses the weak, the foolish (from the world’s perspective), the broken to accomplish his purposes. What God looks for is a willing heart – he provides all the rest.

The stories of God using the least likely means to show forth his power and to make known his glory are repeated over and over in the Scriptures. Moses told God “I am not eloquent…I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue” (Exodus 4:10), yet God used him to lead two million Jews out of Egypt. Gideon questioned God’s plan to use him saying “Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh and I am the least in my father’s house” (Judges 6:15). But God used Gideon with a band of 300 men carrying pitchers and lamps to defeat thousands of Midianites. David, a young shepherd boy, used a sling and stone to defeat the Philistine’s champion, Goliath. The list could go on and on.

God delights to use those who are small and unworthy in their own eyes. Recall the record of Christ feeding the 5,000 men with women and children from five loaves and two fishes. The disciples looked at what the lad had to offer and said “what are they among so many?” (John 6:9). Christ looked at what the boy had and knew it was enough. Suffice it to say that God uses the least likely avenue to supply his grace so that he alone might receive the glory.

There are many tasks that from our vantage point appear to be beyond our reach. We shrink from them because we are convinced that we are simply not sufficient to see them done in our own strength or ability. Yet that is exactly the position God would have us in that he might show himself strong on our behalf. These words of Christ have been proven over and over again by countless believers: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).  It is one thing to discount our own abilities, but it is another thing entirely to discount the Lord’s. If you are small in your own sight, God can use you! “For all these things hath my hand made…but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isaiah 66:2).

Eating Meats Offered to Idols

The believers in Corinth questioned Paul in the matter of eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols.  Corinth was a city given to idolatry.  Often the meat remaining from the temple sacrifices was sold in the temple district markets for consumption. There were different viewpoints among the believers as to whether or not they should purchase meats that had been used in pagan worship and they asked Paul. He wrote unto them, “As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one” (I Corinthians 8:2).

His answer was straight forward enough and, consequently, easy to apply in the strictest sense. The idols that men worship are nothing (of no consequence). Therefore, the meats offered unto them have not spiritual value.  He pointed out that “meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse” (I Corinthians 8:8). You see, it was not the meat that mattered, but how the meat was viewed by others.

While Paul asserted that an idol is nothing, he was quick to point out that “there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol and their conscience being weak is defiled” (I Corinthians 8:7). Some of these believers had been saved out of the paganism that characterized the city and its inhabitants.  They likely had brought meat sacrifices to these temples. Some could not separate these past idolatrous practices from their new life in Christ while others rested and rejoiced in the freedom Christ gave them from their former walk.

Paul admonished these brethren to “take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak” (I Corinthians 8:9). He was admonishing those who knew they could eat freely of such sacrifices to nonetheless be mindful of the weaker brother whose conscience would not permit him to do so. For their eating could embolden the weaker brother to eat, violate his own conscience and sin against God in so doing. Paul concluded “if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend” (I Corinthians 8:13).

The principle that we draw from this record is the necessity of restricting the exercise of our own rights for the benefit of others, especially when it comes to matters of conscience.  This practice is not often seen in much of professing or modern Christianity.  We have become a people of “rights.” That is, it is my right to do this or that and, consequently, I will do this or that.  Putting others first even at the expense of our own rights is both biblical and Christ-like. Such selfless behavior is the very essence of love.  Paul wrote to the believers in Rome, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor, therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10).

Do Right!

Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (I Corinthian 10:13). There are three clear takeaways embedded in this statement.

First, the invitation to sin is not unique. We often are tempted to think that our circumstances are different than anyone has ever had to face. Somehow our temptation is different, stronger, greater than anyone else has ever confronted. In such circumstances it is very understandable, even expected, if we give in to the temptation. But the Scriptures teach us that it simply isn’t so! No temptation exists that is not common to man. We are not alone in this matter. Therefore, don’t yield to temptation – do right!

Second, God never allows us to be tempted above our ability to overcome the temptation. Yet in the midst of temptation, we become convinced that the temptation is too great. We weaken what little resolve we have by reasoning that others would not find fault with us for giving in to so great temptation. We find it easier to believe a lie than to stand firm in the truth. But be assured that God’s mighty arm is behind every one of his promises.

Recall the occasion the Lord came upon a man with a withered hand in a synagogue on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:10-13). He simply spoke to the man “Stretch forth thy hand.”  The Scripture goes on to say that “he stretched it forth and it was restored whole, like as the other.” The man could not move his hand at all.  It simply hung limp at his side.  Yet at Christ’s words he was able to lift it up and reach out.   In like manner, that is, at his word, we overcome temptation!

Third, the Bible records that there is a way to escape. Every time that we are confronted with a temptation to do wrong, there is an avenue to do right. We may think we have no other alternative but to give in to sin. That is a lie. There always exists a path to follow that yields itself unto righteousness.

Christian, we are tempted to sin and our temptation is neither unique nor insurmountable. God has a path of righteousness for us to follow and his mighty strength provides the enabling. Don’t give in to sin, but do right. One voice from years gone by speaks to us, “Do right ‘til the stars fall!”

There may be those reading this who are dealing with not just the power of their sins, but the guilt of their sins as well. Christ has both broken sin’s power and paid sin’s price with his shed blood. He is the answer to all of sin’s problems. Come to him and find peace. The Bible tells us he “gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil world” (Galatians 1:4).

If the Foundations Be Destroyed…

Paul warned Timothy that “in the last days perilous times shall come” (2 Timothy 3:1). The Greek word for perilous is also translated fierce when describing the demon-possessed men that Christ healed of the country of the Gadarenes (Matthew 8:28). The fierceness of these two men was so great that “no one could pass that way”. Fear had immobilized the local community. This additional adjective gives more insight to what Paul had in mind when he spoke of perilous times.

I don’t think it would be a stretch to assert that our society is experiencing a season of peril or fierceness in our present day. Wickedness seems to have the upper hand and wherever we look righteousness is being attacked. Evil is called good, truth is ridiculed, and men are frozen with fear. To speak out against falsehood is to invite attack upon one’s self. The fact that there is no need for me to cite examples confirms the truth of what I am saying. Every reader can affirm that what I am saying is true.

David, the king of Israel, knew what it was to face the brazenness of wickedness. He wrote “For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot the upright in heart. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:2-3). The foundations were threatened, the wicked had the upper hand, the righteous were invited to “flee as a bird to your mountain” (Psalm 11:1).

And so it is in our day. Things that are and have always been true are now turned upside down. We are asked to believe that men can be women and women can be men. We are instructed to embrace a culture that expects men and women to apologize for the color of their skin instead of judging them by their character. We are asked to accept lawless behavior as the just outcome of past mistreatments and economic disparities. The foundations indeed are threatened and we find ourselves asking as well, “what can the righteous do?”

The answer is just as David found it in his day. “The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth” (Psalm 11:4-5). There is no escape for the wicked from the judgement of God. He notes every wrong attitude, word, action. Though chaos may seem to have its day, God remains on his throne. As Abraham asked rhetorically, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25).

What the righteous can do is go to the Lord in prayer and find refuge and rest in him. The Psalmist reminds us of our course when things are upside down. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Psalm 46:1-2). Do the events of our days trouble you? Rest in the Judge of all the earth.

Do Not Rest in Privilege

A privileged position provides no protection from the chastening hand of God. Paul sought to convince the Corinthian believers of this very truth using the example of God’s earthly people, the Jews. He points out that the children of Israel all enjoyed God’s divine presence, power, and protection in departing from Egypt and marching through the wilderness. “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink” (I Corinthians 10:1-4).

The children of Israel were led by the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day. They all did pass through the Red Sea as on dry ground. God gave them Moses, the great man of God, to lead them on their journey.  And, finally, they were fed with manna from heaven and drank water from the rock in the wilderness. Certainly, they enjoyed great privileges as God’s people. Yet Paul points out that “with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness” (I Corinthians 10:5).

The Israelites, in spite of the great privilege they enjoyed, were disobedient to God on multiple occasions which resulted in his judgement throughout their 40-year wilderness experience. Paul notes that on various occasions they were guilty of lusting after evil things, idolatry, fornication, tempting Christ, and murmuring (vs. 6-10). In every instance God judged his people for their disobedience. Yet Paul notes that “all these things happened unto them for an example and they are written for our admonition” (I Corinthians 10:11).

The faithful character of God is on display through his dealings with the children of Israel. We learn that he is always faithful to judge sin, even in his own earthly people. He had redeemed them out of Egypt and made them his own people. Even so, he would not pass over their sinful affronts to his holy being. The warning to us is clear as Paul writes, “Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (I Corinthians 10:12).

As a child of God, I dare not take sin casually. I cannot follow after it and be safe. God sent his Son to take away our sins (I John 3:5). He desires that we depart from our sins and though we are often tempted to sin, he graciously provides a means of overcoming in every occasion! “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer (or permit) you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (I Corinthians 10:13).

Again, it is God who is faithful. We can depend on him to assist us in every temptation. He desires our best and it is always for our best that we overcome sin and its destructive results. Dear child of God, trust him to help you in your battle with sin. Resist, flee (if need be), and overcome.

Male and Female

The sports apparel giant, Nike, has let its voice be known in the transgender athlete controversies that are storming our land. The company chose to employ a transgender activist in promoting its women’s sports apparel. Not surprising, there were those who called for a boycott of the Nike brand. Nike in response called upon its customers on its Instagram account to “Be kind…be inclusive” promising to delete comments “not in the spirit of a diverse and inclusive community”.

What does Nike mean when it tells its customers to “be inclusive”? Before we answer that question let’s hear from another voice in this matter, the voice of God through his word. The Scriptures remind us that “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). Children are from the Lord for we read further that “The fruit of the womb is his reward” (Psalm 127:3). He causes conception and oversees development. Speaking of Ruth, we read that when Boaz, Ruth’s husband, “went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception” (Ruth 4:13). He reminds Jeremiah, the prophet, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee (Jeremiah 1:5). And Isaiah testifies that the Lord “giveth breath unto the people upon it [the earth], and spirit to them that walk therein” (Isaiah 42:5).

I am here today as a male by the determinative work of God. He gave my mother conception, formed me in the womb, brought me forth and gave me breath. That is true for every person ever born on this earth. We do not “assign” a gender at birth nor can we choose a gender different than what we were born. There are only two sexes, male and female. God did not make a mistake in my gender.

Now back to the question, what does it mean to be inclusive. It is a much used word today. Though it sounds charitable, it essentially means to embrace falsehood and perpetuate a lie. It means to make room at the table for that which is patently false even in the face of objective and absolute truth. To be inclusive in this context is to willingly lay aside our sensibilities and give credence to a lie.

Furthermore, when we willingly reject that which we know to be true, we sear our conscience and render ineffective our ability to discern truth from error. When we embrace falsehood, we become easy prey to more falsehood. Society functions on truth. We should not surrender it so easily. 

Nike has given its voice to this matter, but so has God. There is a story in Babe Ruth folk lore how that on one occasion he was called out on a third strike. Immediately the fans in Yankee Stadium began to “boo” the umpire. Hearing this, the Babe turned to the umpire and said, “There are 50,000 people who have a different opinion about that last call.” The umpire glibly responded, “That is true, but mine is the only opinion that counts!” Be assured that God’s is the only opinion that counts though all others would lead you to believe otherwise. Be careful whom and what you believe.

Three Truths About the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

It is fitting on Easter Sunday to rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Actually, we commemorate that historic and life-altering event every Lord’s Day.  But Easter marks the specific day in the calendar upon which our Savior rose from the dead and so it receives special observance.  I want to share three important truths tied to his resurrection to add fuel to our rejoicing and stir our contemplations.

The resurrection of Christ confirms that God the Father was propitiated.  Propitiation is an infrequently used word, but important in the matter of forgiveness.  Men, because of their sin, stand separated and alienated from an all-holy God (Isaiah 59:1-2). The only remedy for their sin is death (Romans 6:23; Ezekiel 18:4).  But the Scriptures teach us that God himself “sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (I John 4:10). That is, Christ died for our sins in our place (I Corinthians 15:3-4).  He was “delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25; emphasis added). Because Christ was sinless his death had merit before God as an acceptable sacrifice.  God’s wrath was propitiated, meaning satisfied, by the offering of Christ and, consequently, God is able to forgive any and all who believe on him.  The debt of sin having been fully paid, the Father is able to justify the repentant sinner.  We can know our sins have been forgiven because the Father has been propitiated!

The resurrection of Christ confirms that death has been conquered.  When standing at the tomb of his friend, Lazarus, the Lord gave Lazarus’ sister, Martha, great hope.  He made this remarkable statement, “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).  The believer need not fear death because Christ has overcome death.  He testified to John, the Apostle, “I am he that liveth and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, amen; and have the keys of hell and death” (Revelation 1:18).  There is no such thing as soul sleep for the believer.  When a Christian closes his or her eyes in death, they go immediately to be with the Lord (Philippians 1:23) and when Christ returns “the dead in Christ shall rise first…and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thessalonians 4:16-17). Death holds no power over the believer in Christ!

The resurrection of Christ confirms that he shall one day judge the world.  This truth should put fear in the hearts of those who have rejected the claims of Christ.  Paul was greatly burdened for the men of Athens who worshipped many gods and had even gone so far as to make an altar “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD” (Acts 17:23). He testified to them that God “now commandeth all men everywhere to repent because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:31; emphasis added).  Christ will someday judge all men and this promise is affirmed by his resurrection.  “It is appointed unto all men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).  Be assured God will keep his promise!