Humble yourself

 6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.   James 4:6-10

I’ve heard it said, “If you don’t humble yourself – someone will do it for you.” Others will criticize us for our conduct or our attitudes – that is a given.  In some part of our being, we resent that which feels like an attack on our person.   We may seek to justify ourselves.  “I’m not guilty of that.”  “I’m not as guilty as you make me out to be.”  Or we may go on the attack ourselves.  “You’re no better than me.”  “You have your faults too.”

We may be crushed.  Even the most cursory introspection reveals failures as husband, father, grandfather, and Christian.  If we have been thinking highly of our conduct or achievements in any of these areas, we will feel dispirited and hurt.

There is a freedom in humility.  The humble man is not surprised to learn that he has not lived up to another’s expectations.  He has not lived up to his own expectations and he certainly has not lived up to God’s standards.  Yet God gives grace to the humble.

If he recognizes this, the humble man is free.

 

-SSxG

 

 

 

“For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!”

Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.  Revelation 1:4b-6

The triumphant Hallelujah Chorus has been sung for over two centuries.  Its hallelujahs ring out praise to Messiah, to Christ.

According to Wikipedia, it was King George II who first stood for the Hallelujah Chorus – with the dutiful audience following suit.  Perhaps he was responding to the lyrics, perhaps simply to the music.  In any case, the words call on the entire audience to recognize “the kingdom of our LORD and of his Christ.”

It is only appropriate that an earthly king stand to acknowledge his superior, “the ruler of the kings of the earth”.

– SSXG.

Trembling aspens

8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”  John 3:8

 Jesus compares the Holy Spirit to the wind.  [Indeed, they are the identical word in Greek.]  The wind is independent of us.  It “blows wherever it pleases.”  You cannot see its source or destination – but you can hear it.

In my part of the world grows a tree known as the trembling aspen.  With the least slightest breeze its leaves shake and tremble.  Nearby are other trees that bend and sway only with the stronger gusts.  The pines make a swishing noise.

Is there a right or a wrong way for a tree to respond to the wind?  Surely not!  Nor should we expect a right or wrong emotional response to the Spirit living within.  Some will be settled, some excited and some will respond in surprising ways.

We take it as a given that the Holy Spirit distributes his varied gifts as he will.  Perhaps we should also take it as a given that our responses to him will be as varied as the personalities he has given us.  Only God knows what our response could or should be.

[And I don’t think I am pushing Jesus’ analogy too far.]

– SSXG

“The seventy returned with joy…”

17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”  Luke 10:17-20

Jesus had sent out the seventy as a vanguard.   Since they were under his authority, they had authority in his name to do signs and wonders.

Not unnaturally, they returned full of excitement because of the spiritual power that had been demonstrated through their ministry.  They did not think they were doing it in their own power – they clearly state their recognition that their authority was in Jesus’ name.  Nor did Jesus play down the significance of the events they had experienced.  Rather he gave it great spiritual significance by describing its impact on the demonic world.

Having recognized their excitement and validated their spiritual experiences, Jesus then put it back in perspective.  However wonderful and exciting the ministry they had engaged it, what was more important was their salvation.  What was of greater consequence was their own spiritual status – that they were in God’s ‘good books’.

It is easy for those in ministry – particularly when exciting things are happening – to lose perspective.  It is easy to give more weight to the wonders we see happening rather than to forgiveness of sins in Jesus and to our standing in his kingdom.

– SSXG

 

Alternate realities

 9 Now David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; so he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O Lord God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the Lord said, “They will surrender you.” 13 Then David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the pursuit.  1 Samuel 23:9-13

 In answering David, clearly God was telling about events in an alternate reality.  We could call it the David stays reality.  In that reality, Saul comes and the Keilahites give him up.

In the David leaves reality, David takes this as a warning from God and leaves Keilah.  Saul doesn’t come and the Keilahites are no longer in a position to give him up.

If we believe that God knew in advance that David would leave, then we must believe that God knew both the David leaves reality, which came to pass, and the David stays reality, which God predicted.

If God knew those two possible realities, why couldn’t his knowledge extend to all possible alternate realities?  Wouldn’t God know every possible outcome of every possible decision made by human beings?

We do not glorify God by assuming that his knowledge is limited to events that he himself has set in motion.  There are ‘what ifs’ – alternate realities – and he knows them as well.

God will not lose control of the universe because of the free choices we make.  Nothing we do can surprise God.  He knows not only the possibilities, he knows which we will choose.   No one can frustrate the plans of the LORD, the all-powerful Sovereign of the universe.

– SSXG

Conditional prophecy

 9 Now David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; so he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O Lord God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the Lord said, “They will surrender you.” 13 Then David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the pursuit.  1 Samuel 23:9-13

 God told David that Saul would come after him, and that the people of Keilah would give him up.  Yet neither of these things happened.

Since God does know the future, this prophecy must have been a conditional on David’s response.  The if was implied.  If you don’t leave, Saul will come and the Keilahites will give you up.  David heeded the implied warning and left.

Many of the warnings and promises of the prophets are similarly conditional.  If you obey me, these are the blessings you will receive.  If you rebel against me, these are the punishments I will mete out.  Sometimes the conditions of these promises and warnings are spelled out, but not always.

Many if not most prophecies to ancient Israel, for example, were conditional.  Before we assume that a prophecy is yet to be fulfilled, we need to check scripture and history to see if the prophecy has been fulfilled.  If it has not been fulfilled, we need to check scripture and history again to see if the conditions for the prophecy have been fulfilled.

–  SSXG

“This is the work of God…”

26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” 28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” 30 So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform?   John 6:26-30  NASB

Jesus begins by pointing out to the crowds that they followed him because he fed them.   Jesus admonishes them to not to work for temporal food but to work for eternal food.  Later he will describe himself as that food.

Jesus seems to be saying that they can have spiritual life through their efforts – their work.   But Jesus goes on to say that the work he speaks of is faith.  They must believe in him.

The crowd understands that believing [though it is a verb] is not an action.  They understand that believing in Jesus implies that he does the work.  So they ask what works Jesus will do to prompt their faith in him.

Is Jesus telling us that faith is work?  No.  Paul makes the distinction clear in Ephesians 2:9 [we are saved by grace through faith – not of works] and James makes the distinction clear in James 2:20 [faith without works is useless].

So how can we understand this?  The crowds understood him – that he was putting quotes around the word work.   Jesus was saying that the “work” is to believe.

We too must recognize that there are no works that we can do to attain spiritual life – there is nothing we can do but believe in the work that Jesus did – on the cross.

– SSXG

“…My words will not pass away.”

30 Truly I say to you, this [a]generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. 32 But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.   Mark 13:30-32

In my previous post, I noted that the Law is no longer binding since it has been fulfilled in Jesus.

By contrast, Jesus’ words are binding forever.  There is no similar limitation put on his teachings.  This stands to reason, of course, because he is the very Word of God himself.

So in verse 31 we find Jesus saying that His words would not pass away.  This is true both of teachings we find speak about our hearts – that hate equals murder and that lust equals adultery – but also of those profound statements such as “I am the way, the truth and the life” and “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me will never die.”

 

‘All is accomplished’ in Christ

17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.    Matthew 5:17-18  NASB

I have been listening to The Jewish Roots Movement by Steve Gregg.  In part 4, he points out that Matthew 5:18 is either/or.  Either ‘nothing will pass from the Law’ or ‘all is accomplished’.

Many Christians believe that selected parts of the Law are still binding – the Sabbath law for example.  Yet, Jesus describes it as all or nothing.

Jesus did not give us the option of saying that some things have passed from the Law.  Either all the Law is accomplished or fulfilled in Christ, or the entire Law is binding on us.

If the Law is fulfilled and no longer binding, does this mean we can abandon righteousness?  On the contrary, the rest of the chapter and those following make it clear – as do the apostles – that righteousness is expected and demanded of believers.

– SSXG

Goliath’s sword

8 David said to Ahimelech, “Now is there not a spear or a sword on hand? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s matter was urgent.” 9 Then the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take it for yourself, take it. For there is no other except it here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”    1 Samuel 21:8-9    NASB

I have an assortment of souvenirs and artifacts which help me remember people and events in my personal life.

It struck me in reading this obscure passage that David had not kept Goliath’s sword as a souvenir.  Rather it had been kept by a priest – and David didn’t even know it was there!

Since David was ‘a man after God’s own heart’ it is tempting to conclude that his indifference to this souvenir of his victory over the giant was due to his recognition that God had granted him that victory.   That may have been the case, we are not told.

It is nevertheless true symbolically.  The victory over Goliath was not David’s victory – it was the LORD’s victory.  How appropriate then that the souvenir of that victory should be in the care of one of the LORD’s priests.

– SSXG