THE ROYAL LAW

 

A group of us are to fly to Vermont this morning where God has planted a church and is making inroads with the Gospel. Seed has been sown in a spiritually harsh climate. We want to see where God is working and join Him in that work. Only one thing should motivate us—the royal law of love!  It is our love for God and those made in His image that compels us to spend time and money to see sinners saved and saints strengthened.

In Stephen Olford’s excellent devotional book, “According to Your Word,” he writes:

“Fulfill the royal law.” – James 2:8 

The royal law is defined thus: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself ” (v. 8). And it is the command that the Lord Jesus pointed out as including all other commandments. Of course, this command implies love to God first, and then love to man. James points out that the fulfilling of it is the hallmark of kingship or royalty. So that if I am a genuine king and priest to God, I am one who fulfills this command. He goes further to explain that he who shows partiality and who breaks this royal law commits sin. “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34); so why should we? Whether poor or rich, they should be loved, honored, and recognized without partiality. 

No wonder the Lord Jesus was the Friend of Sinners! 

Teach me to love others as You love me, Lord. (p.219). 

WHO’S. YOUR ONE? Day 31

The Glory to Come

“Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21:3-6‬ ‭CSB‬‬

These verses are hard to believe because we have only known a world with death, grief, crying and pain. God gives a glimpse of the joy to come when we will finally be with him in the deepest and most intimate way possible. This is what we are inviting people into. As we invite people to come and see, and we share with our one the good news about the One who shed his blood for them, we are inviting them into a kingdom they were created for and a person they were created to know. He promises He is making all things new, and one day His work will be complete. May this picture of his coming reign propel us into our neighborhoods, work places and homes to faithfully share the best news: there is a God who loved them at the highest cost. He gave His life for them, so that they would turn from the evil inclinations of their hearts and find eternal rest in the arms of their Savior. In Him, it is finished. In Him, we find the eternal rests our hearts have longed for.

Pray for the reality of Revelation 21 that is coming. May this moment of being with Jesus propel you to share the gospel with endurance, love and patience. By God’s grace, may we see many more salvations and baptisms in North America in the months and years to come! (From “Who’s Your One?” Devotional, NAMB)

PARTNERSHIP IN MISSION

 

Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the LORD….  (1 Chronicles 29:9b)

God does not need us, but we surely need Him.  Yet, in His grace, He invites us into partnership with Him to accomplish His mission in the world.  Remember this formula, “Apart from God, we cannot, but apart from us, God will not.”  He has invited the people of God to join Him in His work.  God does not need our money, but we need to give.  There are a few final lessons from 1 Chronicles 29 that challenge us to partner with God and each other in mission.

Partnership with God and fellow believers requires DECISIVE ACTION (v.2-3).  David made a commitment.  He made a promise and followed through.  I can wish and hope and intend all I want to, but until I make a commitment I will accomplish little.

Not only does this partnership require decisive action, it takes DEDICATED UNION (v.4-8).  The Scripture says, “whoever had…gave…”  The work was too big for even a king or the leaders—it took all of the people together to prepare for the building of the temple.  Do we have a God-sized task that we have embraced?  Most of us are content with walking on molehills when God has mountaintop experiences for us.  I can climb a hill by myself.  To scale Everest requires partners.  Every member is important. Tenzing Norgay, who reached the summit of Mount Everest with Edmund Hillary in 1953 said: “You do not climb a mountain like Everest by trying to race ahead on your own, or by competing with your comrades. You do it slowly and carefully, by unselfish teamwork.  We could never have made it alone.  We needed a great team.”  That is what the work of God requires.

This in turn will lead to DELIGHTFUL CELEBRATION  (v.9)    The people and their king “rejoiced greatly….”  When we honor God by faith and obedience, we see the hand of God move in mighty ways.  Then we respond in worship!  The church will be filled with glad givers.

I’ll never forget an overcast Sunday when my parents decided to go out to eat with some friends after worship.  I wanted to go home and watch football.  I had no interest in sitting around with a bunch of old church folks listening to them gab.  So I pitched a fit, begged, and then pouted all the way from Black Mountain to Marion.  When we pulled in the parking lot, I announced stubbornly that I wasn’t hungry and didn’t want anything.  So, my father let me have my way.  They went in, ate a good meal, laughed and enjoyed their friends, while I was cold, bored out of my mind, and hungry in the car.  It seemed like eternity.  Somewhere along the way I became very sorry, but it was too late.  I missed my opportunity.  It is tragic that God has abundant life for His children and we settle for far less because we want our way rather than God’s will.

By the way, there is more to the story.  They did bring me some leftovers.  I was a rebellious son, yet still their son.  I didn’t get what I could have.  All I got was scraps.  It was a missed opportunity.  Some of us are going to get into heaven that way.  We are God’s children—truly saved—yet insisting on our own way and we miss out on the opportunity for partnership with God and His people.

THE WORTH OF A SOUL

I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.  (Luke 15:7)

The worth of something is determined by the amount someone is willing to pay for it.  So, how much is one precious soul worth?  What was God willing to pay for our redemption?  It cost the blood of His darling Son.  What is a soul worth to our church?  How valuable is that one who is lost?  Jesus drives home the point in Luke 15 because the religious crowd despised them and thought sinners were only fit to fuel the fires of hell (v.1-3).  Jesus responds with one parable in three illustrations.

The worth of a soul is seen in the devotion of the shepherd in seeking for one lost sheep (v.4-7).  Our question is, if one is valuable, then aren't the ninety-nine others valuable also?  Of course!  It is a matter of priorities. The others are safe and sheltered in the fold.  They are cared for...as well they should be.  There is a crisis, however.  One is lost and in a desperate condition.  It is not like a dog whose homing instincts might lead it back home.  It is not a cat that could claw or climb a tree.  It is not a horse that could gallop away.  It is a helpless, hopeless lamb.  Unless it is sought, it perishes.  Now, that would be sad.  The reality behind the story is far worse.  That sheep stands for the sinner, and death brings an eternity of despair.  Therefore, the evangelizing of the lost must claim priority in every decision for the church.  It is that urgent.  It is the mission of Jesus (Luke 19:10).  Is it ours?

The worth of a soul is seen in the diligence of the woman in seeking for one lost coin (v.8-10).  What effort does this woman go through to find the lost coin?  She turns the house upside down!  Why?  The coin was valuable...and she hoped recoverable!  People mean so much to God—they should to us!  We have to believe that our efforts can pay off.  Diligence and perseverance are required.  Jesus likened our work to fishing for men (Lk.5:10-11). Fish don't typically flop into your boat—you go after them!  The success of our search is related to effort and endurance.

 

The worth of a soul is seen in the compassion of the father in forgiving one lost son (v.11-32). The first two stories picture the devotion and diligence of a seeker.  The seeker of course is not the sheep or the coin, but the shepherd and the sweeper!  Having said that, there are others who will be rescued from sin only when they have become weary of the high cost of low living.  You can and should warn them, but many won't listen.  This is when we wait and watch—in an attitude of compassion and the activity of intercession—always with the spirt of expectation that when the person has reached the bottom, they will seek a different life.  This story is often referred to as the parable of the prodigal son, but it is more accurately the story of the Father's heart.  We shouldn’t focus on the sins of the son—which is what the elder brother did!  Jesus focused on the forgiveness of the Father!  The party he threw was extravagant.  The self-righteous always have a reaction against reaching lost sinners.  “Where's my party?” is their self-centered concern.

THE EFFECTIVE EVANGELISTIC CHURCH

And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.  (Acts 11:21)

A church isn’t built with bricks and mortar; it is built of people.  Therefore, a church must give priority to reaching people. If it is truly a New Testament church, it will be an evangelistic church.  We see an example of an effective evangelistic church in Acts 11, in the description of the church at Antioch.

We observe their motivation (v.19-20).  Persecuted for their profession of faith, they proclaimed it anyway.  Not only that, they laid aside their prejudices to witness to the Greek speaking Jews (called Hellenists).  All this was preparatory to a full scale evangelistic thrust to the Gentiles.  What motivated them to overcome persecution and prejudice?

The lordship of Christ motivated them.  In Christ’s sovereign design for His church, He scattered them as seed across the soil of the region.  The opposition Satan inspired for his evil plan proved to be an opportunity God intended for His evangelistic purpose.  Dying churches see difficulties in every opportunity and dynamic churches see opportunity in every difficulty.

The love of Christ motivated them.  Jesus died to redeem sinners.  We are to live to reach them.  These believers were compelled by compassion to reach the lost.  How about our church?

We note their message (v.20b).  The subject and simplicity of their message is seen in that it centered upon, “the Lord Jesus.”  In Him alone is salvation found.  One of our problems in reaching people is that even if we get up the courage to speak to them of spiritual matters, we talk about the church and what it offers rather than Christ and His claims.  Promote the pastor and fault can be found in him.  Push the church and fault can be found in it.  Publicize the programs and fault can be found in them.  Preach the Savior and no fault can be found in Him!  These first century saints shared what Christ had done for them. We can do the same.

We witness their might (v.21).  It wasn’t the strength in their hands, but the Almighty hand of the Lord that made them effective.  The Book of Acts documents the work of Christ through His body, the church.  We are extensions of His hands to reach the world.

A poem says it like this:

Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today
He has no feet but our feet to lead men in the way
He has no tongue but our tongue to tell men how He died
He has no help but our help to bring them to His side.  (Annie Johnston Flint)

When we witness in the power of the Holy Spirit there will be those who will turn to the Lord.  Many will turn away—that is true—yet, some will be saved.  Our business is to do the sharing, and God’s business is to do the saving. 

The effective evangelistic church has individual members who have embraced God’s call on their lives.  Our witness corporately will be no stronger than our outreach personally.  If I want our church to be evangelistic, I must begin by looking in a mirror and praying, “O God, give me your heart for a lost world!”  Join me in that prayer today!

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  (Mark 1:11)

It is difficult to end up in the right place, if you don’t start out on the right track!  A key to finishing well is beginning well. What we find in our text is the beginning of Christ’s public ministry.  The events recorded here provided the point of departure on a course of obedience to His Father that would lead Him to say, “It is finished”—the race is run, the journey is done, and the victory is won!  That is how I want to end!  Jesus shows us how to get on the right track.

There was THE WITNESS THAT HE SHARED (v.9-13).  If we are on the right track, others should be able to see it!  The witness wasn’t merely declared by His lips, but demonstrated by His life.

We observe the witness of His virtue (v.9-11). “You are my beloved Son….”  From the time of Christ’s appearance at the age of twelve in the temple to his baptism at the age of thirty, there are eighteen hidden years of maturing. He passed that part of His schooling!  God doesn’t develop His leaders in a microwave, but a crock pot!  Then He steps into public view. Baptism was a testimony of His identification with sinners and mission to die and rise again.  It was another step of obedience. 

We note the witness of His victory (v.12-13) “tempted by Satan….”  This was the biggest test yet.  Jesus passed with impeccable credentials!   He was with the wild beasts as the Last Adam—in harmony with earth.  The angels come and ministered to Him after this great battle—He was in harmony with heaven.

There were THE WORDS THAT HE SPOKE (v.14-15).  If we are on the right track, we should be able to tell others how to get on it!  From out of the fountain of His pure heart, flowed these powerful words from His mouth. 

Consider the source of the message (v.14) “the kingdom of God….”  The kingdom of God is the rule of Heaven over all.  As in every kingdom, there are laws, which govern the conduct of the citizens.  Notice that John had been proclaiming that message and now that his voice is soon to be silenced in death, Jesus will take up the message.  God always has someone to lead us on the right track.  In every generation, He raises up witnesses to the truth.

Furthermore, we find the substance of the message (v.15)“Repent, and believe….”  This is the core message of the Bible.  It is still our message for today. Being on the right track means that both repentance and faith are present in order not to derail!

There were THE WORKERS THAT HE SUMMONED (v.16-20).  Being on the right track means we show it by our life and share it with our lips, but also, that we summon others to join us on the trip.

We hear a call to follow (v.16-17a; 18-20) “Follow Me….”  To follow Him is to forsake all else (v.20).  There is just one right track—everything else is a detour.

We have a call to fish (v.17b) “I will make you fishers of men.”  Jesus came to seek and save the lost.  He calls us to fish for souls of men!  There are plenty of fish.  The Gospel is the net.  Apart from Him, we cannot catch men, but apart from us, He will not.  This is our job.  Bring them in!

A WORLD UPSIDE DOWN

(This is the manuscript I had prepared for my sermon yesterday in response to the legalization of same-sex marriage. It is what I would have said if I had an hour to preach. I had 20 minutes--that sermon as delivered should be posted in a day or two--if you prefer that format, and that length! You will get the core of it. God bless!--Pastor Dennis)

A WORLD UPSIDE DOWN

 

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  (Isaiah 5:20)

 

When is a person not a person?  When they are a piece of property.  That is what the Supreme Court ruled in the Dred Scott decision in 1857.  Scott had sued to obtain his freedom.  Chief Justice Roger Taney ruled that because Scott was simply considered the private property of his owners, that he was subject to the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, prohibiting the taking of property from its owner "without due process."  Strike one!

 

When is a baby not a baby?  When it is a fetus.  The Supreme Court in its infamous Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 made abortion legal.  Since then 54.5 million babies have been brutally butchered—their mother’s womb meant to be a sanctuary turned into an execution chamber.  Strike two!

 

When is a marriage defined as between a man and woman not the only definition of marriage?  When the Supreme Court says it can also be a union of two of the same gender.  That was the irrational, unconstitutional decision rendered by 5 of the 9 justices on this past Friday.  Strike three!

 

Now in baseball, three strikes and you’re out.  Have we crossed the point of no return for America?  The final judgment will not be rendered by nine men and women robed in black, but by one Judge robed in white who sits on the throne in the Supreme Court of Heaven.  When will He say that America has gone too far?

 

Here is what I do know.  The inhumanity inflicted on a race of people whose only crime was to be born with darker skin led to their cries of pain reaching God’s ears.  America was plunged into Civil War, where on both North and South, the greatest loss of life occurred in any of our wars—620,000.  Lincoln said this in his second inaugural address, “If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said ‘the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.’”

 

Now since 1973, the blood of the little ones torn to pieces, burned to death with chemicals, their brains sucked out with vacuum hoses, and when sometimes still surviving the abortion procedure, only to be suffocated, having their spinal cord snipped with scissors, tossed into a toilet, discarded to whimper alone in a closet until they die.  Millions of little voices, crying out to God for vengeance!  The Creator who takes notice of a little sparrow fluttering to the ground and dying, surely knows each one of these babies made in His image and weeps for them.  Meanwhile His anger builds—How long, O Lord?

 

Then this Friday—legalizing perversion—shaking our fist in the face of God—that which grieves a Holy God is now celebrated.  The rainbow colors illumine the White House.  “A great victory for the United States,” the President exults.  Those rejoicing should read the story of Belshazzar’s party in Babylon documented in Daniel 5 to see how such pompous parties may end.  When Justice Anthony Kennedy and four others affixed their names to the majority opinion legalizing same sex marriage in the U.S. they may have signed America’s death certificate.  Listen to Isaiah’s warning, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”  (Isaiah 5:20)

 

The world is upside down.

 

How are we to respond?

 

1.  PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL AWAKENING.  The  ills of America cannot be cured with elections, legislation or court decisions—that crowd is a contributor to the mess!  Someone correctly said that neither a donkey nor an elephant can save us—it takes a Lamb—the Lord Jesus is our only hope!  Unless there is a mighty move of God, America is going to fall.  2 Chronicles 7:14 is our Biblical imperative.  The great need is not in the culture, but in the church.  Sinners do what sinners do.  The world can only impact the culture as light and salt when we are distinctively different.  Instead the world has impacted the church.  Scripture warns, “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Pet.4:17)  Revival or wrath—which one will descend from heaven?   Our problems are spiritual and require spiritual solutions.  If a spiritual awakening comes to America then a government transformation can come.  Without that there is no political answer.  What if spiritual awakening should sweep across America?  Before you scoff at that don’t forget nothing is too hard for the Lord!  Following I describe a political framework to build on the spiritual foundation.

2.  PARTICIPATE IN REAL CHANGE.  Christians are citizens of two kingdoms.  Too often we think that if we just elect the right President or a different senator or congressman that everything will change.  It has not and will not.  The faces of leadership change—the pendulum swings from one party to the next—but most go up to D.C. and sell their soul; they settle into the same old progressive nonsense.  Both parties propose government solutions—the Democrats want to micromanage every part of our lives, as well as tax and spend us into oblivion and the Republicans say different but then do the same thing, just slower.  The Supreme Court—not only on Friday, but two other outlandish decisions on Thursday—usurped authority and made laws contrary to their Constitutional role.  “The Founders knew the federal government might one day become drunk with the abuses of power. The most important check to this power is Article V. Article V gives states the power to call a convention for the purpose of proposing amendments to the Constitution.  By calling a convention of the states, we can stop the federal spending and debt spree, the power grabs of the federal courts, and other misuses of federal power. The current situation is precisely what the Founders feared, and they gave us a solution we have a duty to use.” (http://www.conventionofstates.com/)   An informed citizenry with a moral backbone could rebuild this one nation under God.  

What if neither occur?  What if there is no spiritual revival and no political reform?

 

3.  LET THE CHURCH BE THE CHURCH ANYWAY.  Whatever society does, we must do what Christ has commanded us to do—to preach the Gospel, calling sinners to repentance and offering forgiveness and salvation. Should America turn back to God, it would only be a reprieve from judgment.  According to Scripture the day of reckoning is coming.  Imagine that this world is the Titanic.  It has hit the iceberg called sin (that happened in Gen.3).  It is sinking and nothing can stop that.  Our task is to man the lifeboats and get as many on as we can.  It will not be an easy job.  People will hate us for telling the truth.  But we must never respond with hate.  The good folks in the Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C. showed us that—and love is a powerful.  Love does win!  God’s kid of love, that is. It is increasingly likely that persecution will come to the church.  Four of the Supreme Court justices spoke to the grave danger to religious liberty.  We will stand and speak the truth in love as long as we are able.

 

Here is what God has in mind:

 

See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.”  Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.  Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.  For our God is a consuming fire.  (Hebrews 12:25-29)
 

When the shaking comes, Your life must be founded on the solid rock—personal faith in Christ.

Only that will enable you to stand in the storm of God’s judgment.

 

This shaking will sift out the wheat from the chaff.  The church is filled with people who profess faith, but may not possess faith.  Easy-believism and cultural Christianity wither under the fire of persecution.

 

Because the world is upside down, genuine Christians will be described like this, “These who have turned the world upside down…” (Acts 17:6).  In reality the world is standing on its head and saying we are upside down!  Our desire is to put things right-side up!

THE SUPREME SERVANT

“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,

My Elect One in whom My soul delights!

I have put My Spirit upon Him;

He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.  ‎(Isaiah 42:1)

Jesus is the supreme servant—the model for all who are on mission for God; the only perfect pattern for Kingdom work.  Isaiah paints His portrait prophetically in chapter 42.

Here we see the MANNER of the Supreme Servant (v.1-4).  Though equal with the Father, the Son would take the role of the Servant in submission to the Father’s will.  He came to this world to accomplish His Father’s assignment.  His life on earth was not about asserting His position, but accomplishing His work.  He was the King who stooped to serve.  He ever brought delight to the Father, as we hear God say at both Christ’s baptism and transfiguration, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  Pleasing His Father was His passion—and He did that flawlessly.  His relationship with the Father was mirrored in His relationship with the Spirit—the harmony of the Trinity evident in the incarnation.  He was conceived of the Spirit, continually filled with the Spirit, and empowered by the Spirit for ministry.  Jesus lived as Man to show men how man was meant to live.  He was not boastful or boisterous.  Jesus was tender in His dealings with others and tenacious in His duties to God.

Next, we note the MINISTRY of the Supreme Servant (v.5-9).  His absolute love for the Father in the vertical dimension was mirrored in His manifest love for others in the horizontal relationship.  He had come to bring righteousness to the unrighteous that sinners might be accepted by a Holy God.  He would establish the New Covenant in His blood.  The Jews had failed to keep the Old Covenant, but Jesus would fulfill it, and in doing so would bring Israel into the blessings of the New.  Not only would Jews receive this grace, but Gentiles as well, as Jesus would bring them out of the darkness into the light.  Eyes blind to the truth would be opened by His teaching.  Souls held in bondage to Satan would be liberated by His power.  The glory of the invisible God would become visible in Him.  “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:18).

We further observe the MIGHT of the Supreme Servant (v.10-13)  We sing to Him a new song for He had done a new work.  His praise is to be universal because His service extends the offer of salvation for all.  God the Father receives glory from the saints for they have been redeemed by the Servant.  Jesus came as a man to reach men, but as God accomplished that which only God could do.  He was despised, but not defeated.  In His death, He procured the victory.  In His resurrection, He proclaimed the victory.  In His return, He will prevail in victory.  All His foes will be finished!

Jesus set the standard for every servant of God.  Try as we might, however, we frail creatures of flesh will fall short.  There is better news—the Supreme Servant now indwells us!  As He worked in His human body, He works through His body, the church, exhibiting His manner, extending His ministry, and expressing His might!

SEEING CLEARLY

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬ NKJV)

My eyesight is terrible.  Unless I had my glasses on, you would not want to ride down the road with me!  Thankfully, my vision can be corrected.  Spiritually speaking, our vision often becomes foggy--we fail to see things as God sees them for our eyes are focused on the things of the world.  We need the Word of God to be a lens where we can see things from God's perspective.  It is what happened to Isaiah in chapter six of his prophecy.

There was AN UPWARD VISION OF DEITY (v.1-4).  The first look must be upward!  Then we will see God's sovereignty.  At this time, the throne in Jerusalem was empty.  King Uzziah was dead.  The monarch had been a tower of strength--and until slipping near the end of his reign had been a good and godly leader.  Now that he is dead, the prophet is concerned--his vision of the future clouded with uncertainty and anxiety.  God directs him to look behind the human ruler to the heavenly One.  The ever-changing events around us might lead us to fear, unless we see clearly the unchanging God above us--and that leads to faith.  Isaiah not only saw God's sovereignty, but His purity.  The angelic seraphim cry out His chief attribute: "Holy, holy, holy...!"   Even these majestic creatures are in awe of God's glory, covering their faces with two of their six wings!  The very sanctuary is shaken, and so is Isaiah!  Too many see God as a kindly grandfather--irreverently referring to Him as, "the Man upstairs."  No!  He is the almighty, infinitely holy God! We need to recover the proper perspective of God.

This vision of Deity leads to AN INWARD VISION OF DEPRAVITY (v.5-7). Seeing God for who He is enables us to see ourselves as we really are.  This brings conviction.  We tend to compare ourselves with other people--and we can always find someone more wicked than we are.  When we compare ourselves to God, however, we see the utter depravity in our hearts!  Conviction then leads to confession.  Isaiah confesses his tongue trouble--for our speech reveals what is in our hearts!  Confession then brings cleansing.  My old preacher grandfather used to say about this text, "God burned the devil out of Isaiah."  He did--and He will cleanse us too!

Now we are prepared for AN OUTWARD VISION OF DESTINY (v.8). The man of God looks into a wide world full of God's glory!  It is his destiny to embrace the opportunity to bring others out of the darkness of sin and into the light of glory!  Hear God's request, “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?”  The Lord is still looking for laborers today.  The fields are ripe and ready for harvest--sadly, the laborers are few.  See man's response, “Here am I!  Send me.”  Jesus looked out on the masses, meandering through life as lost sheep without a shepherd, and He was profoundly stirred in His soul.  He would give His life to save them!  Now, He asks us to join Him in that work.  Let us eagerly embrace the task!  This is the church's destiny.  Let us give ourselves to it wholeheartedly!  God help us to see clearly!

THE CHURCH’S TASK

Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”  (Luke 24:46-47)

All kinds of books have been—and still being—written about what the church is to be and do.  You will read titles like, “The Attractional Church,” “The Purpose Driven Church,” “The Multipying Church,” “The Five Star Church,” “Sticky Church,” “The Intentional Church,” and on and on we could go.  Some of these provide solid insights; most of them give some help.  There is value in reading them.  The best book ever written on church life, however, is the Good Book!  The Word of God is our instruction manual.  Jesus said that He would build His church, so let us hear the task that He assigned us.

The church’s task is to WIDEN people’s understanding of the Word of God (Luke 24:44-45).  Jesus wants us to grow in the grace and knowledge imparted from Scripture.  He wants us to widen our comprehension of His ways, deepen our convictions from His Word, and heighten our consecration in our walk.  The teaching and preaching of the truth of Scripture is indispensable—it is how disciples are developed.

Receiving the truth, we are equipped to WITNESS for the Lord (Luke 24:46-49).  The church is not to be a reservoir where the Gospel is stored, but a river where the Gospel is streamed.  Good news is meant for sharing!

• We have a message (v.46-47).  Jesus died and rose so that repentance from sin is experienced and remission of sins extended.
• We have a mission (v.48).  Those who know Christ have the responsibility to introduce Him to others.
• We have the might (v.49).  Our assignment is too big for us, but we don’t have to depend on our ability and ingenuity.  We have the power of the Holy Spirit!

Knowing the truth and sharing the truth is grounded in—and strengthened by—our WORSHIP in the church (v.50-53).  What we do can only be accomplished in community.  Throughout this text plural pronouns are used: “they” (v.45); “them” (twice in v.50 and twice more in v.51).  We assemble to celebrate our Savior and connect with the saints.  After we gather and scatter, then we reassemble to rejoice in what God has done in and through us!  Those we reach are welcomed into the family through baptism, united in communion and grounded in instruction.  An environment of love for God and our fellowman is provided.  The church is a hothouse for growing disciples.

It is simple isn’t it?  That reminds me of another book: “Simple Church”!  Yet, it is true.  We just need to do a few things well—and only those matters commanded by our Master.  Like a three-legged stool, take out just one: our inspiration in worship, our instruction in the Word, our involvement in witness—and that local church cannot stand.  Now, let’s open the Book, open our hearts, and open our mouths!

OUR APPOINTMENT

Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14b)

The name of God is not mentioned in the book of Esther, yet He is on every page—offstage, directing this Divine drama according to His will.  God is conspicuous by His absence—His unseen hand guiding events to His intended purpose.  It is a fascinating epic: a palace party; a drunk despot demanded his wife to do a dirty dance; her refusal, removal and replacement through a beauty contest; Esther, a Jew who hides her identity and becomes the new queen; her cousin Mordecai overhearing a plot to assassinate the king and exposing it; the villain Haman, working to not only kill Mordecai, but all the Jews, not knowing Esther’s race—the stuff of a Hollywood story, but this is Holy Scripture!  It is at this point that Mordecai appeals to Esther to take action.  She is risking death to approach the king unbidden, yet to remain quiet is to face not only her death, but the death of all her race.  She throws caution to the wind, and replies, “and if I perish, I perish!” (4:16b)  It wasn’t coincidence that brought her to that place and time—it was Providence.  So God  has an appointment for you and for me!

We have AN APPOINTED TIME.  Ours are perilous times, but it is no quirk of fate that these dark days are our destiny.  It was not 200 BC, nor the first century AD, neither the Middle Ages, but the twenty-first century that is our time.  It seems that human history is moving to its climax and the Lord’s return rapidly approaches.  So, Jesus called us to work diligently for “the night is coming when no one can work.” (John 9:4b), and Paul commanded us to be, “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”  (Eph.5:16).  Time is a precious commodity allotted to us in a specific number of days.  We must invest it wisely, for someday we will stand before God and give an account of this stewardship.

We have AN APPOINTED TASK.  God strategically placed Esther for an assignment to carry out.  You may be sure that the Lord has a plan for you!  As a potter shapes the clay, so He has molded you according to His master plan through circumstances and experiences with your unique blend of capacities, gifts and talents in preparing you for His sacred mission.  Moses and David were readied to shepherd God’s people by tending a flock of sheep.  Peter, James and John were fishermen before being summoned to fish for men.  Paul was a Jewish scholar, conversant with Greek thought, and born a Roman citizen, qualifying him as no other to bridge the gap between Jew and Gentile in the church and spread the Gospel to all people throughout the Roman Empire.  Thus, God has been preparing you for your work in this world.

We have AN APPOINTED TERRITORY.  It wasn’t luck that located Esther in Persia.  You might have been born somewhere else, but God has you where you are to make a difference on the spot of soil you occupy with the family, friends, fellow workers and students, and in the community where you reside.  There is a circle of relationships we connect with—and do so for the cause of Christ.  We are here, “for such a time as this!”

WE ARE HIS HANDS

 

“Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen,

My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!

I will put My Spirit upon Him,

And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.”  (Matt.12:18)

When vandals broke off the hands of the statue of Jesus at Christ the King Catholic Church in San Diego, the church did not replace the hands, but put an inscription below, “I HAVE NO HANDS BUT YOURS.”  A poem expresses that truth like this:

            Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today;

            He has no feet but our feet to lead others in His way;

            Christ has no voice but our voice to tell others how He died;

And, He has no help but our help to lead them to His side.

That is the church—the Body of Christ.  We are His hands to do His work.  That which the Lord Jesus did in His human body during the days of His flesh is now our responsibility.

There is a COMMISSION.   “Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen…” (v.18a).  Jesus knew He was commissioned to seek and to save the lost (Lk.19:10).  Before He ascended back to Heaven, He gave us the same task, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21b)

There are needed CREDENTIALS.  “My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!”  (v.18b)  Christ’s resume’ was impeccable.  His Employer’s evaluation was of excellence.  While we will not be perfect—or no one could serve—we must have integrity rather than hypocrisy, seeking to practice what we preach.

There is a CAPABILITY.  “I will put My Spirit upon Him…” (v.18c).  Although He was fully God, Christ lived as model man—in dependence on the Holy Spirit.  He told His disciples that they must tarry in Jerusalem until endued with power to perform their assignment.  Our capability for our mission is found in His might.

There is a COMMUNICATION.  “And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.”  (v.18d)  God is just—and would remain so—even while justifying sinners.  Christ would take our sins and give us His righteousness.   That is the good news we communicate!  The message will not be one of condemnation, but one of compassion.

“He will not quarrel nor cry out,

Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.  

A bruised reed He will not break,

And smoking flax He will not quench,

 Till He sends forth justice to victory;

And in His name Gentiles will trust.”  (v.19-21)

Are we harsh with sinners?  Jesus never was!  He was merciful, and we are to be—especially when we consider that we are in need of mercy too!  People are bruised, and easily broken, if we do not treat them tenderly.  Their hope is only a glowing wick that needs a gentle breath to reignite it or it will be extinguished in darkness forever!  May God use us to show Jesus to our world today!

MAN WITH A MISSION

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah.  (Nehemiah 1:1a)

Jesus was a Man with a mission.  His mission statement was “to seek and to save that which was lost.”  (Luke 19:10)  There was a singular purpose.  The Apostle Paul likewise had a laser-like focus, “but one thing I do…I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  (Phil.3:13-14)   In the Old Testament we see a like-minded man with such a heart for the people of God—Nehemiah—a man with a mission.  As you read his book, his devotion to the Lord and dedication to God’s people pervades every page.  No matter what leadership role he occupied his zeal was for the glory of God and the good of God’s children.  His story can challenge us.

We see him as an ATTENDANT.  “For I was the king’s cupbearer.”  (Neh.1:11b)  God does a work by first preparing a leader.  God prepared Noah to preserve life on earth.  He prepared Abraham to establish a covenant people.  Then, God prepared Moses to deliver those people.  Many more examples could be furnished, but this is ever God’s way.  He placed Nehemiah in a strategic spot.  It wasn’t by accident, but appointment; not coincidence, but providence.  That is true of each of us.  We are where we are by the sovereignty of God to make an impact for Him on our circle of influence.  Nehemiah would throw caution to the wind, and step out of his comfort zone.  That’s faith, and God blesses it wherever He sees it (Heb.11:6)

Nehemiah was an ARCHITECT.  “Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.”  (2:17b)  He was more than a butler—he was a builder.  He knew the walls needed rebuilding for the preservation of God’s people.  In a spiritual sense, leaders of the church are “wall-builders” against the threats that abound in this hostile world.  Nehemiah surveyed the extent of the need, the availability of resources, and came up with the plan, provisions and personnel to get the job done.  He did more than tell the people what to do—he rolled up his sleeves and set the standard.  The general doesn’t need to sit in a tent at the back of the army, sending out orders to the troops, but lead the charge from the frontlines!  “So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.”  (4:6)  Are we motivating people by serving rather than demanding to be served?

Nehemiah was an ADMINISTRATOR.   “I was appointed to be their governor…” (5:14a).  He proved himself to be an able administrator.  Although he never shirked responsibility, he also knew the importance of team building, organization and delegation.  He didn’t allow his position to become a point of pride.  His leadership manual was the Word of God.  His power for service was prayer.  Thus, he tapped into Divine wisdom that guided his leadership.  This wisdom intersected with the people in every dimension of life—government, finance, worship and family.  Godly leaders share practical truth, functioning as salt and light for all of society.

Be a person God can use—I assure you that He is willing if you are!