Sunday, January 27, 2019

Lord's Day 34 - 1


Thoughts on Devotions – LD34 (Part 1)

Q. 92 What is God's law? Q. 93 How are these commandments divided? Q. 94 What does the Lord require in the first commandment? Q. 95 What is idolatry?

DeYoung, in The Good News We Almost Forgot, titles this chapter “Delighting in the Law and in the Lord.” He says that it is worth noting that the authors of the Catechism put the exposition of the law in the section on gratitude. This can be the case because Christ has fulfilled the requirements of the law, giving us a very different relationship to the law. We are under grace – that is not a license to sin, but instead we are declared righteous in Christ and, as the people of God, use the law as a blueprint of how we live in response to that truth.

Monday: The first section of the Catechism shows us why we need a Savior; the second section tells who God is and the salvation he has provided. We now enter the third section, which discusses how we live in gratitude in response to God's salvation. The focus in this section is on the 10 Commandments and the Lord's Prayer – two ways of showing gratitude are obedience and prayer.
Psalm 50:14-15, 23 Present to God a thank-offering! Repay your vows to the sovereign One! Pray to me when you are in trouble! I will deliver you, and you will honor me!”... Whoever presents a thank-offering honors me. To whoever obeys my commands, I will reveal my power to deliver.”

Tuesday: Before the Israelites entered the promised land God made a covenant with them with stipulations – the Law – showing how they were to be holy and live in accordance with his will. He would be their God, this was how they would live as his people.
Deuteronomy 4:5-14 Look! I have taught you statutes and ordinances just as the Lord my God told me to do, so that you might carry them out in the land you are about to enter and possess. So be sure to do them, because this will testify of your wise understanding to the people who will learn of all these statutes and say, “Indeed, this great nation is a very wise people.” In fact, what other great nation has a god so near to them like the Lord our God whenever we call on him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this whole law that I am about to share with you today? Again, however, pay very careful attention, lest you forget the things you have seen and disregard them for the rest of your life; instead teach them to your children and grandchildren. You stood before the Lord your God at Horeb and he said to me, “Assemble the people before me so that I can tell them my commands. Then they will learn to revere me all the days they live in the land, and they will instruct their children.” You approached and stood at the foot of the mountain, a mountain ablaze to the sky above it and yet dark with a thick cloud. Then the Lord spoke to you from the middle of the fire; you heard speech but you could not see anything - only a voice was heard. And he revealed to you the covenant he has commanded you to keep, the ten commandments, writing them on two stone tablets. Moreover, at that same time the Lord commanded me to teach you statutes and ordinances for you to keep in the land which you are about to enter and possess.

Wednesday: At first glance the 10 Commandments may not seem too hard. 8 of 10 are stated in the negative – what not to do. To actually live them out, however, requires to do the opposite – not to kill, but to love and do what we can to promote the good of others.
Romans 13:8-10 Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet,” (and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in this, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Thursday: God does not just want us to woodenly obey a bunch of rules – he wants our heart. He wants us to be good as he is good. The rich young ruler who came to Jesus said that he had kept the commandments form his youth, but when Jesus asked him to give up his wealth and follow him, he was not prepared to go that far.
Matthew 19:16-22 Now someone came up to him and said, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?” He said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” he asked. Jesus replied, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich.

Friday: The 10 Commandments are an summary of God's moral law. We are to use God's law, and the broader law of love, as a guide to our living in gratitude. God says – you are my people, now go and live as my people – e.g., be holy as I am holy, love as I love. The Holy Spirit within us gives us a desire to obey to please God.
Galatians 5:13-14, 22-24 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”... But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Saturday: Sometimes the 10 Commandments are spoken of as having 2 “tables” - the first being how we are to love God, the second focusing on how we love our neighbor. Jesus said that the whole law could be summed up in love of God and love of neighbor.
Matthew 22:34-40 Now when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled together. And one of them, an expert in religious law, asked him a question to test him: “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Jesus said to him, “ʻLove the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.ʼ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ʻLove your neighbor as yourself.ʼ All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
Reading between the lines...

Jesus goes (goes to the cross) to prepare a place for us. The place is to be with him and to be with God. Eternal life is being with Jesus, seeing his glory and sharing in his love. John describes the last supper as a intimate closeness in the celebration of the Passover, and that is the relationship that we too can look forward to – that is heaven.
John 14:1-4 “Do not let your hearts be distressed. You believe in God; believe also in me. There are many dwelling places in my Fatherʼs house. Otherwise, I would have told you, because I am going away to make ready a place for you. And if I go and make ready a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that where I am you may be too. And you know the way where I am going.”
John 17:24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they can see my glory that you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

What is the way, the truth and the life? Jesus is the way – the way come down to us. It is not our initiative and ascent to heaven. It is Jesus coming to us and once we are one with him in returning to the Father. The question is not “am I on the way to God”, the question is “am I in Jesus” - if we are in Jesus we are not only on the way, but we have arrived. The same with the “truth” - it is not a special logic we have to learn – it is Jesus. If we ask, “do I know God”, the question is “do I see Jesus for who he is?” Jesus is the life – to be in Jesus is the fulfillment of all of these things.
John 14:4-9 And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said, “Lord, we donʼt know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you have known me, you will know my Father too. And from now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be content.” Jesus replied, “Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known me, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, ʻShow us the Fatherʼ?

Jesus describes our connectedness to him as a branch being part of a vine. When we trust in Jesus we are grafted into his fruitful vine. His “sap”, the Holy Spirit, nourishes us. The vine/branch image describes our oneness with Jesus – like a bride and a groom, like a body and a head. We cannot pursue life and flourishing apart from Jesus. We are one with Jesus and he is one with the Father.
John 15:9 “Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; remain in my love.
John 15:4-5 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me - and I in him - bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing.
 
This is a verse that is often used at war memorials. The verse here refers not to the sacrifice of others but of Jesus' sacrifice for us. Love must be seen in action – Jesus' love is shown as he gives himself for us. God's love is not given in an abstract sense – it is seen on the cross. God's love is not a happy smiling on us, which might not be believable as we realize the depths of our sin. Jesus sacrifice meets us in the pit and plumbs the depths of our sin. The cross demonstrates that Jesus enters into our unloveliness and endures it and its consequences. In spite of our sin he has called us friend and has laid down his life for us.
John 15:13 No one has greater love than this - that one lays down his life for his friends.

We do not commemorate Jesus meal – we are commemorating his death on the cross. Salvation is portrayed throughout the Bible as a feast, a wedding feast with Christ as the host. We are called around the table to dine with the family. There is no greater picture of our fellowship with God than being invited to eat with him. Before Jesus is the host of the feast, he is the “main course”. Jesus took bread and then gave thanks – he took our flesh and then lived a life of thanksgiving (that we failed at). After he announced that the bread was his body and gave thanks he broke the bread. The blessed one is broken and gives to his disciples. Jesus feeds us with his self-giving love.
1 Cor. 11:23-24 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread, and after he had given thanks he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

The mission of Christ's life was his death. Jesus is the “main course” - he is broken that we might be nourished. Jesus asks us to eat of his body, of his sacrifice – we “take advantage” of his sacrifice. In the OT, the sacrifices were offered, but then were eaten. The Passover was the same – it was a sacrifice and then became dinner – first its blood shielded from judgment and then it sustained the people on the journey. Jesus is our sacrifice as well as our fellowship meal and sustenance. Jesus was consumed and exhausted on the cross for us – he is sacrificed and we get the feast. God has designated blood as the means of atonement (see Leviticus). Man has a picture of God as grudging and demanding and is holding out on us. Instead, on the cross we see God pouring himself out for us. Satan is the miser, we are the selfish ones – God is giver even though it cost him everything.
Matthew 26:26-27 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat, this is my body.” And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you,
Psalm 27:2 When evil men attack me to devour my flesh, when my adversaries and enemies attack me, they stumble and fall.
Leviticus 17:11 for the life of every living thing is in the blood. So I myself have assigned it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives, for the blood makes atonement by means of the life.
Acts 20:28 Watch out for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.

Abba is not only an intimate term, but one of respect. Who gets to call God “Abba” - it implies a family connection. As family one gets to inherit. Who has that connection? The Son of God. The Bible records 3 “Abba, Fathers” - the first is in the garden of Gethsemane. The second is in Galatians in which the Spirit prays Christ's prayer in us and through us based on our connection with Christ. In Romans, Paul says that the Spirit now teaches us to pray “Abba, Father” for ourselves. Filled with the Spirit and adopted by the Father we are able to join in calling God “Abba, Father”. We are the children of God most high!
Mark 14:35 He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls “Abba! Father!”
Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.”



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Sunday, January 13, 2019

Lord's Day 33


Thoughts on Devotions – LD33

Q. 88 What is involved in genuine repentance or conversion? Q. 89 What is the dying away of the old self? Q. 90 What is the rising to life of the new self? Q. 91 What are good works?

DeYoung, in The Good News We Almost Forgot, titles this chapter “Dying Away and Coming to Life.” He gives many examples of how the Bible describes conversion – being born again, being resurrected to new life, etc. He reminds us that what the Bible is talking about is a spiritual awakening that affects every aspect of life, not trying to do a better job of following a set of rules or agreeing to some theological statements. From this deep spiritual transformation will come fruit – good works in service to our neighbor.

Monday: Christian conversion is the Holy Spirit's work of transforming a non-believer into a believer, or disciple of Christ. “Conversion” comes from a Latin word meaning “to turn” – it involves a person turning away from one type of life to another, affecting every aspect of the convert. In fact, the Bible talks of this transformation as the old self dying and a new self coming to life.
1 Thess. 1:9-10 For people everywhere report how you welcomed us and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.
Romans 6:17-18 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were entrusted to, and having been freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.

Tuesday: Before conversion a person sees nothing wrong with sin – other than perhaps embarrassment or regret over being caught. Where there is genuine repentance there is sorrow for sin – it is more than just feeling bad, it is coming to hate sin and running away from it.
Joel 2:12-13 “Yet even now,” the Lord says, “return to me with all your heart - with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your garments!” Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and boundless in loyal love - often relenting from calamitous punishment.
Acts 2:36-38 Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were acutely distressed and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “What should we do, brothers?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
2 Cor. 7:10 For sadness as intended by God produces a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret, but worldly sadness brings about death.

Wednesday: Adam's sin caused him to become spiritually dead, and all his descendants inherit that condition. We are not able to please God when we are dead in sin, in fact we hate God. When the Spirit brings us to life spiritually we come to know God and grow in love and joy in that relationship.
1 Peter 1:8-9 You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, because you are attaining the goal of your faith - the salvation of your souls.
Romans 5:1-2, 11 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of Godʼs glory... Not only this, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.
Romans 6:12-13 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires, and do not present your members to sin as instruments to be used for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness.

Thursday: Genuine conversion can only be accomplished by the Holy Spirit. No amount of praying, preaching or wanting to change, in itself, is enough. The Holy Spirit works in a person's heart when they hear God's Word, convicting a person of sin and causing them to trust His promise of salvation.
Ephesians 2:1-10 And although you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you formerly lived according to this worldʼs present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience, among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you are saved! - and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.

Friday: The NT says that Christians have died to sin, and that we must die to sin every day. And yet we sin – Instead of a life of ease, we need to realize that living as a Christian involves struggle and discipline. We are new creatures in Christ, but we need to keep putting on our new self to be like Jesus. The NT uses words like fight, strive, “run with endurance” and “put to death” in regard to growing in holiness, so we should not be surprised that it is difficult to resist sin.
Colossians 3:1-3, 8-10 Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God... But now, put off all such things as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices and have been clothed with the new man that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it.
Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Saturday: Even though people do good deeds for many reasons, the only good deeds in God's perspective are done out of true faith – that means that they come out of a right relationship with Christ. Good deeds must also conform to God's law, not just what we think might be good. Good deeds must also focus on bringing glory to God, not looking for approval of others or some other reward.
John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me - and I in him - bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing.
Matthew 5:17-20 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will pass from the law until everything takes place. So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
1 Cor. 10:31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

Reading between the lines...


Jesus harshly criticizes the Pharisees and teachers of the law, but the last verse in Matthew 23 expresses his sadness at their refusal to turn to God. Jesus himself is the one who longs to gather the people, like a hen gathering chicks. This is the heart of Zion's king – while he has anger and rebuke for pathetic leaders of the people, his last word is love and grace.
Matthew 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it! Look, your house is left to you desolate! For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, ʻBlessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!ʼ”
Luke 19:41 Now when Jesus approached and saw the city, he wept over it,

A culture's impressive buildings and structures often point to what people put their trust in. In Jesus' day it was the temple. The disciples would have been shocked at Jesus' prediction that the temple would be destroyed, but he was also referring to a larger judgment, ultimately, of the whole world. We need to put our trust in Jesus – not in the structure and riches of this world. Only the new Jerusalem provides the security we want.
Mark 13:1-2 Now as Jesus was going out of the temple courts, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look at these tremendous stones and buildings!” Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!”
1 Peter 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin, starting with the house of God. And if it starts with us, what will be the fate of those who are disobedient to the gospel of God?

Wars and rumors of wars is not the end – it is the beginnings of birth pains – a pain that leads to new life. Jesus speaks speaks of painful events, but it is leading something – it is leading to the end – the goal, the regeneration of all things. Jesus will return in a cloud – the cloud that symbolizes God's presence with his people, which will never leave again. When Jesus returns it will be the end – a rebirth and gathering of his people.
Mark 13:7-8 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines. These are but the beginning of birth pains.
Matthew 16:2-4 He said, “When evening comes you say, ʻIt will be fair weather, because the sky is red,ʼ and in the morning, ʻIt will be stormy today, because the sky is red and darkening.ʼ You know how to judge correctly the appearance of the sky, but you cannot evaluate the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.
Matthew 13:26 Then everyone will see the Son of Man arriving in the clouds with great power and glory.
Matthew 13:28-29 “Learn this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also you, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, right at the door.

Talents – Jesus has given us talents and he expects us to put them to work. Naturally we use our talents to impress others, or we coast, resting on talents instead of developing them. Or we hide our talents, fearing that we will be called upon if we make them known. Jesus wants us to use the talents he gives, to risk them in service of the Kingdom. We need to consider our talents and how we can invest them in the Kingdom.
Matthew 25:14-15, 30 “For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey... And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.ʼ

The reason that we are able to risk our talents is that we trust our Master. When we get a vision for the kind of King that Jesus is we can become the outward looking servants that he seeks. The servant who buries his talent has a perverted view of the Master. We wonder where he gets this view – but we are all prone to paint God as a harsh task master – then we feel that we can just dismiss him and ignore his Kingdom purposes. Such servants get the master they imagined! If you want to leave, God will tell you to go. Jesus gives himself fully and invites us to share his happiness – that is the vision that creates good and faithful servants.
Matthew 25:23 His master answered, ʻWell done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.ʼ

The Father blesses the sheep, but the goats remain under their curse. The sheep and goats are on the right or left before their deeds are described – they do not become sheep or goats based on their actions, they simply cannot help acting as a sheep or goat. The sheep care for the week like their shepherd, but Jesus says that they did their acts of mercy are not just like him, but “to him” - even when the sheep no longer remembers what they had done. The goats do not do acts of mercy, yet become defensive – they are indignant that they should be found wanting. The sheep have found their righteousness in their shepherd and unthinkingly share it with others; the goats assert their righteousness to the shepherd, but they are unthinking towards his people. Jesus does not say do the acts of a sheep and you will earn eternal life. True sheep do not care about earning, they just act like sheep – they act like their shepherd. Jesus is not just our example, he is the recipient of our mercy.
Matthew 25:37-40, 44-45 Then the righteous will answer him, ʻLord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?ʼ And the king will answer them, ʻI tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.ʼ... Then they too will answer, ʻLord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not give you whatever you needed?ʼ Then he will answer them, ʻI tell you the truth, just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.ʼ

How is our church seen by others? Jesus commands us to be loving, and it is the ultimate distinguishing mark of a Christian. As Jesus loved us, we should love one another. Jesus takes off his robe, the clothing of a king, and puts wraps a towel around himself, the clothing of a slave. Do we understand what Jesus did in washing the disciples' feet? The Lord becomes a servant. In a matter of hours he will be nailed to a cross. The humble acts of a servant are Christ's divine glory. Jesus said he did only what he saw his Father doing – we see him loving in action. God is washing feet and serving even those who will deny and betray him. He says as I have love you now love one another. We tell ourselves that we are loving until it means inconvenience or is not returned. Our love is not like Jesus' love. We need to learn Jesus' lesson of love – we need first to be loved and then love others. Jesus does not want us to pay him back – but to “pay it forward” - as Jesus loved us we are to love one another.
John 13:34-35 “I give you a new commandment - to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples - if you have love for one another.”
John 13:1-5 Just before the Passover feast, Jesus knew that his time had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now loved them to the very end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simonʼs son, that he should betray Jesus. Because Jesus knew that the Father had handed all things over to him, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, he got up from the meal, removed his outer clothes, took a towel and tied it around himself. He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciplesʼ feet and to dry them with the towel he had wrapped around himself.
John 13:15-17 For I have given you an example - you should do just as I have done for you. I tell you the solemn truth, the slave is not greater than his master, nor is the one who is sent as a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

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Sunday, January 6, 2019

Lord's Day 32


Thoughts on Devotions – LD32

Q. 86 Since we have been delivered from our misery by grface through Christ without any merit of our own, why then should we do good works? Q. 87 Can those be saved who do not turn to God from their ungrateful and unrepentant ways?

DeYoung, in The Good News We Almost Forgot, titles this chapter “Shall We Sin that Grace May Abound.” He notes that this Lord's Day begins the section on Gratitude. He then makes several important observations regarding what we often refer to as “sanctification.” First, he says that the same Spirit that caused our regeneration and gives us faith also works to make us more like Jesus. Further, our “good works” are not an installment plan to pay God back for salvation – they must be done out of gratitude and to bring praise to God's name. Good works are the fruit that gives proof of the Spirit's work in our life and an assurance of our salvation. DeYoung also addresses sexual morality as an issue for Christians in our culture. We are often ineffective in this area because of our own dabbling in sin. Christians have bought into the “find yourself” identity rather than looking to Christ for our identity; we need to work at lovingly confronting our culture in this area. He says that we need courage, humility, love, hope and prayer in order to address these issues and make a difference.

Monday: Christ has accomplished everything for our salvation, then why must we do good works? Before we came to Christ we had to sin – we had no choice. A thorn bush cannot produce figs. Once that we are in Christ we must produce good fruit. The Spirit causes us to want to please God.
Matthew 7:16-18 You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15, 17 For the love of Christ controls us, since we have concluded this, that Christ died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised... So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away - look, what is new has come!

Tuesday: The Catechism gives 4 purposes for doing good. The first is to show thankfulness to God for the gift of salvation through Jesus accomplishment. If someone does not show repentance or continues to live primarily for themselves it is a warning that they may not be in Christ.
Colossians 2:6-7 Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and firm in your faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Wednesday: A second reason to do good works is so that God is praised as a result of our actions. God loves holiness and wants us to be holy. We praise and please God when we try to be like him. Even though our efforts are feeble and marred by sin, God is please when we try to live holy lives.
Hebrews 13:15-16 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name. And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

Thursday: A third reason for doing good is to be assured of our faith in bearing fruit. Saving faith produces fruit. If we love sin and refuse to give it up, we are of the devil, not of God. Even though we still sin, if we hate sin and strive to live for God we have assurance the Spirit is at work in us.
1 John 3:7-10 Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous. The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil. Everyone who has been fathered by God does not practice sin, because Godʼs seed resides in him, and thus he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Everyone who does not practice righteousness - the one who does not love his fellow Christian - is not of God.

Friday: The fourth reason for doing good is so that others are attracted to Christ. Some may dislike someone's efforts to be holy, while inconsistent living may earn a “hypocrite” label. Sincere and humble efforts to follow Christ and serve others will cause some to want to know more.
Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.

Saturday: The point to save us from sin is to save us to righteousness. God's purpose throughout the Bible is to have a people from himself who want to be holy and obedient. His plan of salvation is to redeem and equip a people who will become like his perfect Son. Anyone who loves sin and refuses to turn from it is not God's child.
Ephesians 3:3-4 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ. For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love.
Romans 8:29 because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God. Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Reading between the lines...

What does the Kingdom look like? In Matthew 19 it looks like little children. The disciples tried to keep the children from Jesus, but he said that not only are children welcome, but we must all become like children – dependent and helpless. Little children gladly receive without thought of earning or paying back. We often assume roles in service to Jesus: a commander/soldier; an employer/employee; a worshiper trying to stir our enthusiasm – Jesus wants us to come as a little child.
Matthew 19:13-15 Then little children were brought to him for him to lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded those who brought them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” And he placed his hands on them and went on his way.

Jesus uses comic images – using a bucket for a lampshade, an eye doctor who is trying to remove a speck from a patient's eye while he has a 2x4 in his own eye or a thorn bush trying to produce figs. And if you are trusting in earthly wealth to get to heaven it is like trying to thread a camel through a needle. A self-confident rich young ruler asks Jesus what he must do to have eternal life. Jesus advises him to keep the commandments which he reports he has done! Jesus uses the law to undermine his self-confidence, but he doesn't get it – he says that he has achieved this. Jesus ups the ante and takes him where he will not go – and the law exposes him – he is asked to give away all of his wealth and follow Jesus which he will not do. The point is that human effort cannot achieve the Kingdom of God – it only can be achieved as God extends grace and welcome.
Matthew 19:23-29 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven! Again I say, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.” The disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but for God all things are possible.” Then Peter said to him, “Look, we have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth: In the age when all things are renewed, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And whoever has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

How do we deal with death – the options are to deny it or to befriend it. The majority position is to deny it, putting it out of our mind. Hebrews says that we are enslaved by our fear of death. The other popular response is to befriend it – it is the “circle of life” – we pretend that it is not a dreaded enemy. Jesus does not deny death and he does not compromise with it – instead he enters in and defeats it. We need his caring and his conquering – he is a comforting conqueror. Jesus wept at Lazarus' death, he cared for the grief of his friends. But he also conquered, commanding Lazarus to come out of the tomb. A decomposing corpse obeys his command and comes out of the grave and live again. Jesus commands the dead to rise and they obey – the miraculous sign points to his identity – he says to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Jesus is the key who unlocks the grave. All who believe in Jesus, even if they go to their grave, will receive everlasting life. Jesus makes the claim and then raises the dead – and soon after shows victory over death in his own resurrection. We must face death as the enemy that it is, but also know that Jesus conquers death – we need to trust him to join in this victory.
Hebrews 2:14-15 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise shared in their humanity, so that through death he could destroy the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil), and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death.
John 11:33-37 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the people who had come with her weeping, he was intensely moved in spirit and greatly distressed. He asked, “Where have you laid him?” They replied, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. Thus the people who had come to mourn said, “Look how much he loved him!” But some of them said, “This is the man who caused the blind man to see! Couldnʼt he have done something to keep Lazarus from dying?”
John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies, and the one who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Regeneration: it is usually thought of as 1) science fiction; 2) a personal spiritual experience, e.g., being born again; 3) a cosmic regeneration, the whole world born again – this is the regeneration, or rebirth, of all things. History is headed for a rebirth and renewal – after judgment there is renewal, heaven and earth reborn and everything set to rights. When Jesus asked the rich young ruler to sell all it might seem like he is called to a diminished life, but in the renewal he would receive 100 times as much – our calculations are too short-term and narrow-minded. Peter also seems self-righteous and doubtful about return on investment. Jesus offers not this life, but a new cosmically regenerated life.
John 3:3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 19:27-30 Then Peter said to him, “Look, we have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth: In the age when all things are renewed, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And whoever has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

People tend to rank and compare themselves to others – self-justification. Yet King Jesus becomes the servant of all. The first becomes last – a “sword thrust through the heart of our self-justification.” Who are we in the story? Gentiles are the workers who have been standing around all day doing nothing. We have been invited in at the 11th hour and then have received all of the blessings of Abraham. We are not the hard working laborer – our self-justification is dashed on the on the goodness of Jesus. Jesus declares that generosity is the atmosphere of his Kingdom, and self-justification is out. Those clambering for the front of the queue find that it leads to jealousy and fighting – Jesus' Kingdom runs instead on mercy and generosity.
Matthew 20:10-12 And when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more. But each one also received the standard wage. When they received it, they began to complain against the landowner, saying, ʻThese last fellows worked one hour, and you have made them equal to us who bore the hardship and burning heat of the day.ʼ

Jesus is a lowly king who arrives on a donkey rather than a war horse. Jesus subverts our expectations – he doesn't return triumphantly from battle, but is heading for his death. From Crossman's hymn, My Song is Love Unknown:
Sometimes they strew His way, And His sweet praises sing; Resounding all the day Hosannas to their King: Then “Crucify!” Is all their breath, And for His death They thirst and cry.
Psalm 118 quoted in the passage starts with blessing and praise, but is then bound with ropes to the horns of the altar. The coming Lord is the blessed one, but then becomes the sacrifice.
Zechariah 2:10-11 “Sing out and be happy, Zion my daughter! For look, I have come; I will settle in your midst,” says the Lord. “Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on the day of salvation, and they will also be my people. Indeed, I will settle in the midst of you all.” Then you will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me to you.
Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your king is coming to you: he is legitimate and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey - on a young donkey, the foal of a female donkey.
Matthew 21:1-11 Now when they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, telling them, “Go to the village ahead of you. Right away you will find a donkey tied there, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you are to say, ʻThe Lord needs them,ʼ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: "Tell the people of Zion, ʻLook, your king is coming to you, unassuming and seated on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.ʼ” So the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those following kept shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” As he entered Jerusalem the whole city was thrown into an uproar, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Psalm 118:26-27 May the one who comes in the name of the Lord be blessed! We will pronounce blessings on you in the Lordʼs temple. The Lord is God and he has delivered us. Tie the offering with ropes to the horns of the altar!

Where can sinners take shelter from the wrath of God? When we become aware of God's judgment we realize our need for shelter. The worst possible shelter is religion. Jeremiah prophecies against those who have made religion a hiding place. God hates this type of hypocrisy. Jesus brings wine to the party (marriage at Cana) and a whip to the temple (passage immediately following). Judgment begins with the house of God – Jesus is the true temple and he is demolished on the cross. Three days later he is raised again, the true house of God and a refuge for sinners. The only shelter is the Lamb himself, Christ alone is our refuge.
Revelation 6:15-17 Then the kings of the earth, the very important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”
Jeremiah 7:4 Then the kings of the earth, the very important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”
Jeremiah 7:9-11 You steal. You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to other gods whom you have not previously known. Then you come and stand in my presence in this temple I have claimed as my own and say, “We are safe!” You think you are so safe that you go on doing all those hateful sins! Do you think this temple I have claimed as my own is to be a hideout for robbers? You had better take note! I have seen for myself what you have done! says the Lord.
Matthew 21:12-13 Then Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple courts, and turned over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. And he said to them, “It is written, ʻMy house will be called a house of prayer,ʼ but you are turning it into a den of robbers!”

1 Peter 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin, starting with the house of God. And if it starts with us, what will be the fate of those who are disobedient to the gospel of God?
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