At this time of year it is customary for individuals to make resolutions concerning their lives and behavior in the coming months. These commitments are often trivial in nature, lightly regarded, usually broken, and easily forgotten; but there is some merit to the practice. We should not have to wait until some arbitrary change of the calendar before we adopt a worthwhile habit, but the concept of seeking improvement and resolving to do better is sound and scriptural.
I can't think of anyone who has inspired and helped me more in regards to making resolutions than Jonathan Edwards. When Jonathan Edwards was about 20 years old (1722-23), he wrote a series of Resolutions that guided the rest of his amazing life. I consider Edwards to be the foremost theologian and one of the greatest preachers America has ever produced. The Resolutions begin with the following statement:
Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ's sake.
There are 70 resolutions in all. It would be well worth your time to read all 70 resolutions. They testify to a young man who took his faith seriously, who wanted to please God in all that he did, who understood the impact his life made on others, and who truly and fervently believed in heaven and hell and therefore lived with eternity always in view. No wonder Jonathan Edwards changed the world. No wonder we still read his books 300 years after his birth. Since many of us will be thinking about New Year's resolutions this week, we could hardly do better than to start with these. Consider reading over these Resolutions once a week.
Here they are:
1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God' s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many so ever, and how great so ever.
2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new contrivance and invention to promote the aforementioned things.
3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.
4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.
5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.
6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.
7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.
8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God. July 30.
9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.
10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.
11. Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances do not hinder.
12. Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by.
13. Resolved, to be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality.
14. Resolved, never to do anything out of revenge.
15. Resolved, never to suffer the least motions of anger towards irrational beings.
16. Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.
17. Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.
18. Resolved, to live so, at all times, as I think is best in my devout frames, and when I have clearest notions of things of the gospel, and another world.
19. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour, before I should hear the last trump.
20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance, in eating and drinking.
21. Resolved, never to do anything, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him.
22. Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.
23. Resolved, frequently to take some deliberate action, which seems most unlikely to be done, for the glory of God, and trace it back to the original intention, designs and ends of it; and if I find it not to be for God' s glory, to repute it as a breach of the 4th Resolution.
24. Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then, both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.
25. Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.
26. Resolved, to cast away such things, as I find do abate my assurance.
27. Resolved, never willfully to omit anything, except the omission be for the glory of God; and frequently to examine my omissions.
28. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.
29. Resolved, never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession, which I cannot hope God will accept.
30. Resolved, to strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before.
31. Resolved, never to say anything at all against anybody, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of Christian honor, and of love to mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility, and sense of my own faults and failings, and agreeable to the golden rule; often, when I have said anything against anyone, to bring it to, and try it strictly by the test of this Resolution.
32. Resolved, to be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, that that, in Proverbs 20:6, “A faithful man who can find?” may not be partly fulfilled in me.
33. Resolved, to do always, what I can towards making, maintaining, and preserving peace, when it can be done without overbalancing detriment in other respects.
34. Resolved, in narrations never to speak anything but the pure and simple verity.
35. Resolved, whenever I so much question whether I have done my duty, as that my quiet and calm is thereby disturbed, to set it down, and also how the question was resolved.
36. Resolved, never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call for it.
37. Resolved, to inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent,- what sin I have committed,-and wherein I have denied myself;-also at the end of every week, month and year.
38. Resolved, never to speak anything that is ridiculous, sportive, or matter of laughter on the Lord’s Day.
39. Resolved, never to do anything of which I so much question the lawfulness of, as that I intend, at the same time, to consider and examine afterwards, whether it be lawful or not; unless I as much question the lawfulness of the omission.
40. Resolved, to inquire every night, before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking.
41. Resolved, to ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better.
42. Resolved, frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism; which I solemnly renewed, when I was received into the communion of the church; and which I have solemnly re-made this twelfth day of January, 1722-23.
43. Resolved, never, henceforward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God’s; agreeable to what is to be found in Saturday, January 12, 1723.
44. Resolved, that no other end but religion, shall have any influence at all on any of my actions; and that no action shall be, in the least circumstance, any otherwise than the religious end will carry it.
45. Resolved, never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance relating to it, but what helps religion.
46. Resolved, never to allow the least measure of any fretting uneasiness at my father or mother. Resolved to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the least alteration of speech, or motion of my eye: and to be especially careful of it with respect to any of our family.
47. Resolved, to endeavor, to my utmost, to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good, and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peaceable, contented and easy, compassionate and generous, humble and meek, submissive and obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable and even, patient, moderate, forgiving and sincere temper; and to do at all times, what such a temper would lead me to; and to examine strictly, at the end of every week, whether I have done so.
48. Resolved, constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or not; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of.
49. Resolved, that this never shall be, if I can help it.
50. Resolved, I will act so as I think I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the future world.
51. Resolved, that I will act so, in every respect, as I think I shall wish I had done, if I should at last be damned.
52. I frequently hear persons in old age, say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age.
53. Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer.
54. Whenever I hear anything spoken in conversation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, resolved to endeavor to imitate it.
55. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to act as I can think I should do, if, I had already seen the happiness of heaven, and hell torments.
56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.
57. Resolved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it, and let the event be just as providence orders it. I will as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty, and my sin.
58. Resolved, not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness, and anger in conversation, but to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness and benignity.
59. Resolved, when I am most conscious of provocations to ill nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly; yea, at such times, to manifest good nature, though I think that in other respects it would be disadvantageous, and so as would be imprudent at other times. 60. Resolved, whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination.
61. Resolved, that I will not give way to that listlessness which I find unbends and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on religion, whatever excuse I may have for it-that what my listlessness inclines me to do, is best to be done, etc.
62. Resolved, never to do anything but duty, and then according to Ephesians 6:6-8, to do it willingly and cheerfully as unto the Lord, and not to man: “knowing that whatever good thing any man doth, the same shall he receive of the Lord.”
63. On the supposition, that there never was to be but one individual in the world, at any one time, who was properly a complete Christian, in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true luster, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever part and under whatever character viewed: Resolved, to act just as I would do, if I strove with all my might to be that one, who should live in my time.
64. Resolved, when I find those “groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26), of which the Apostle speaks, and those “breakings of soul for the longing it hath”, of which the Psalmist speaks, Psalm 119:20, that I will promote them to the utmost of my power, and that I will not be weary of earnestly endeavoring to vent my desires, nor of the repetitions of such earnestness.
65. Resolved, very much to exercise myself in this, all my life long, viz. with the greatest openness, of which I am capable of, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him: all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and every thing, and every circumstance; according to Dr. Manton' s 27th Sermon on Psalm 119.
66. Resolved, that I will endeavor always to keep a benign aspect, and air of acting and speaking in all places, and in all companies, except it should so happen that duty requires otherwise.
67. Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what am I the better for them, and what I might have got by them.
68. Resolved, to confess frankly to myself all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help.
69. Resolved, always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. August 11, 1723.
70. Let there be something of benevolence, in all that I speak.
RESOLVED TO BE RESOLVED!
Pastor Bill
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
CHRISTMAS GLORY!
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" John 1:14 ESV
GOD CAME IN ORDER TO BE SEEN! God came to live so that we could see Him and know Him. John says we saw Him. John wants to record the life of Jesus so that what happened to him will happen again to all who read his gospel 2000 years later. John says we saw God incarnate living with us, teaching us, healing, delivering, restoring. But we more than saw Him, when John says, "we have seen," he uses a word that means to gaze intently upon, to study as in a laboratory. It's the word from which we get the English word "theater." When we saw Him, we saw His glory! His supreme worth! His value! His beauty!
He puts it another way of his excitement about seeing Jesus in 1 John 1:1-4, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.".
Who is this Jesus that John saw? Hebrews 1:3 says that , “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.” Just as the tabernacle in the wilderness contained and displayed God’s glory (Exodus 40:34–35), so even more do we behold “the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). The same point is made in verse 18. "No one has ever seen God; the only Son [other older manuscripts say "the only God"], who is in the bosom [in the lap or the embrace] of the Father, he has made him known."
Here the point is that even though God is a Spirit and is therefore invisible (John 4:24), he has now revealed Himself in an utterly unique way—by the incarnation of himself in his Son Jesus. And that is what Seeing the glory of Jesus means seeing the very glory of God. To see the glory of God is to see Him for who He really is in all of His supreme greatness, beauty, excellence, worth, and uniqueness. When you look at Jesus, you see the face of God. When you watch Jesus in action, you watch God in action. When you hear Jesus teach, you hear God teach. When you come to know what Jesus is like, you know what God is like. When you look at Jesus, you see the face of God. Jesus is the exact image of his Father. If you have seen him, you have seen the Father (John 14:9).
GOD CAME IN ORDER FOR US TO SEE, SAVOR, AND EXPERIENCE HIS GRACE AND TRUTH- “…we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth
What is this glory that we see when we see Jesus? We see the glory, the beauty of God's grace and truth. John repeats this in verse 17, "The law was through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
God is truth. God is reality who holds all reality together. And that is what we see in Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life. And second, God is grace. When the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of your heart in reading the gospel or hearing the preaching about Jesus the Holy Spirit is like a laser along which grace and truth streams into your life. The grace of peace, joy, life everlasting streamed into John’s life and all who behold His glory. If you don’t see Christ as glorious grace doesn’t come into your life. Grace comes into the spiritual sightline of glory. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:4, "God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
The face of Jesus shines with glory and John is very clear about glory is that the glory he sees is the glory of his grace in what he wants to stress about grace.The disposition of Jesus is one of grace. And this gracious disposition is very, very great. That’s why he uses the word full—the word full modifies glory. The glory of the Son of God is full of graciousness toward us sinners.Grace is a power that lifts you out of the domain of darkness and transfers you to the domain of light. Grace is God’s magnificent power erupting in your heart and soul by his own intervention so that you move from death to life, from darkness to light, from hell to heaven. Grace is power that is embodied in a person.
That's his grace. And that's the capstone of his glory. "We saw his glory . . . full of grace and truth." This seeing has huge effects. Verse 16 sums them up: “And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” When God gives us eyes to see the glory of Jesus—his beauty and greatness and worth—that seeing is the laser beam, as it were, along which great grace streams into our lives. Grace to love. Grace to rejoice. Grace to live forevermore.
This Christmas he wants to treat you with grace—to forgive all your sins—all of them!—to take away all your guilt, to make your conscience clean, to change your life, to help you with your problems, to give you strength for each day, and to fill you with hope and joy and peace. But more than that, He wants to give you grace to see His glory and to savor His glory and to enjoy His glory forever! 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” When Jesus turned the water into wine at Cana of Galilee, John tells us that "he thus revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him" (John 2:11). There is the dynamic, glory is revealed, faith is born.
Jesus has a glory-an excellence, a supreme beauty, that spoke to the disciples and speaks to our souls that says, “Yes this is truth!” It is like seeing the sun and knowing that it is light or tasting honey and knowing that it is sweet. This is glorious what John shows us of Christ here. We were graced to see Him for who He really is, the Word, the Son of God, and we saw Him for His supreme worth, beauty, and majesty.
Oh God wants to be seen and known and believed in his Son by each and every one of you. Jesus even prayed for this for you 2000 years ago the night before He was crucified in John 17:24, "Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory." There was nothing more important in Jesus heart than for you to see Him for who He really is and savor Him, love Him, delight in Him, and be satisfied with Him for all of His worth.
John wrote his gospel so that so that we today could be included in that amazing privilege “We have seen his glory.” The glory of the incarnate Son of God. “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). And when you meet him, through these inspired stories of his words and deeds, through the preaching of His word, His glory shines through—the self-authenticating beauty of that matchless mixture of grace and truth the experience of the early disciples is duplicated in all who believe in the Lord of glory today.
Paul writes of the experience of all Christians when he says that "we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Have you seen His glory? Do you see Jesus for who He really is? Do you believe in Him? Do you love Him and treasure Him? Would you look at Him with new eyes this Christmas? As you look, I am praying that God would grant that you would see the glory of God in His lovely face. So I lift up before you the incarnate Son of God. He is the reason for the season. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth …from his fullness we have received grace upon grace."
Receive His grace. Let His grace open your eyes and your hearts to see his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. See him, for the glory that He is, believe in Him and live. Let the sight of Him fill your heart with everlasting joy!
Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King!
Pastor Bill
GOD CAME IN ORDER TO BE SEEN! God came to live so that we could see Him and know Him. John says we saw Him. John wants to record the life of Jesus so that what happened to him will happen again to all who read his gospel 2000 years later. John says we saw God incarnate living with us, teaching us, healing, delivering, restoring. But we more than saw Him, when John says, "we have seen," he uses a word that means to gaze intently upon, to study as in a laboratory. It's the word from which we get the English word "theater." When we saw Him, we saw His glory! His supreme worth! His value! His beauty!
He puts it another way of his excitement about seeing Jesus in 1 John 1:1-4, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.".
Who is this Jesus that John saw? Hebrews 1:3 says that , “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.” Just as the tabernacle in the wilderness contained and displayed God’s glory (Exodus 40:34–35), so even more do we behold “the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). The same point is made in verse 18. "No one has ever seen God; the only Son [other older manuscripts say "the only God"], who is in the bosom [in the lap or the embrace] of the Father, he has made him known."
Here the point is that even though God is a Spirit and is therefore invisible (John 4:24), he has now revealed Himself in an utterly unique way—by the incarnation of himself in his Son Jesus. And that is what Seeing the glory of Jesus means seeing the very glory of God. To see the glory of God is to see Him for who He really is in all of His supreme greatness, beauty, excellence, worth, and uniqueness. When you look at Jesus, you see the face of God. When you watch Jesus in action, you watch God in action. When you hear Jesus teach, you hear God teach. When you come to know what Jesus is like, you know what God is like. When you look at Jesus, you see the face of God. Jesus is the exact image of his Father. If you have seen him, you have seen the Father (John 14:9).
GOD CAME IN ORDER FOR US TO SEE, SAVOR, AND EXPERIENCE HIS GRACE AND TRUTH- “…we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth
What is this glory that we see when we see Jesus? We see the glory, the beauty of God's grace and truth. John repeats this in verse 17, "The law was through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
God is truth. God is reality who holds all reality together. And that is what we see in Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life. And second, God is grace. When the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of your heart in reading the gospel or hearing the preaching about Jesus the Holy Spirit is like a laser along which grace and truth streams into your life. The grace of peace, joy, life everlasting streamed into John’s life and all who behold His glory. If you don’t see Christ as glorious grace doesn’t come into your life. Grace comes into the spiritual sightline of glory. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:4, "God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
The face of Jesus shines with glory and John is very clear about glory is that the glory he sees is the glory of his grace in what he wants to stress about grace.The disposition of Jesus is one of grace. And this gracious disposition is very, very great. That’s why he uses the word full—the word full modifies glory. The glory of the Son of God is full of graciousness toward us sinners.Grace is a power that lifts you out of the domain of darkness and transfers you to the domain of light. Grace is God’s magnificent power erupting in your heart and soul by his own intervention so that you move from death to life, from darkness to light, from hell to heaven. Grace is power that is embodied in a person.
That's his grace. And that's the capstone of his glory. "We saw his glory . . . full of grace and truth." This seeing has huge effects. Verse 16 sums them up: “And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” When God gives us eyes to see the glory of Jesus—his beauty and greatness and worth—that seeing is the laser beam, as it were, along which great grace streams into our lives. Grace to love. Grace to rejoice. Grace to live forevermore.
This Christmas he wants to treat you with grace—to forgive all your sins—all of them!—to take away all your guilt, to make your conscience clean, to change your life, to help you with your problems, to give you strength for each day, and to fill you with hope and joy and peace. But more than that, He wants to give you grace to see His glory and to savor His glory and to enjoy His glory forever! 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” When Jesus turned the water into wine at Cana of Galilee, John tells us that "he thus revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him" (John 2:11). There is the dynamic, glory is revealed, faith is born.
Jesus has a glory-an excellence, a supreme beauty, that spoke to the disciples and speaks to our souls that says, “Yes this is truth!” It is like seeing the sun and knowing that it is light or tasting honey and knowing that it is sweet. This is glorious what John shows us of Christ here. We were graced to see Him for who He really is, the Word, the Son of God, and we saw Him for His supreme worth, beauty, and majesty.
Oh God wants to be seen and known and believed in his Son by each and every one of you. Jesus even prayed for this for you 2000 years ago the night before He was crucified in John 17:24, "Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory." There was nothing more important in Jesus heart than for you to see Him for who He really is and savor Him, love Him, delight in Him, and be satisfied with Him for all of His worth.
John wrote his gospel so that so that we today could be included in that amazing privilege “We have seen his glory.” The glory of the incarnate Son of God. “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). And when you meet him, through these inspired stories of his words and deeds, through the preaching of His word, His glory shines through—the self-authenticating beauty of that matchless mixture of grace and truth the experience of the early disciples is duplicated in all who believe in the Lord of glory today.
Paul writes of the experience of all Christians when he says that "we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Have you seen His glory? Do you see Jesus for who He really is? Do you believe in Him? Do you love Him and treasure Him? Would you look at Him with new eyes this Christmas? As you look, I am praying that God would grant that you would see the glory of God in His lovely face. So I lift up before you the incarnate Son of God. He is the reason for the season. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth …from his fullness we have received grace upon grace."
Receive His grace. Let His grace open your eyes and your hearts to see his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. See him, for the glory that He is, believe in Him and live. Let the sight of Him fill your heart with everlasting joy!
Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King!
Pastor Bill
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
BEHOLDING THE GLORY OF CHRIST!
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1;14 ESV
The apostle John makes one of the most profound statements in all of scripture. "We beheld His glory". We saw Him as He really is! Christmas teaches us that those who saw Jesus were never the same Look at some of the responses to “beholding His glory” in the birth of Jesus Christ.
1. The shepherds- Luke 2:17-20, so they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them... The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
2. The Magi-Matthew 2:11, On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. The Magi brought him gifts and worshipped him.
3. Mary- Luke 2:19, But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Mary responded with worship and quiet reflection.
4. The Apostle Paul- 2 Corinthians 9:15, Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! Romans 11:33-36, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."
Jonathan Edwards stirs my heart when I read of his experience of seeing Jesus. He speaks of...
the excellent fullness of Christ, and His greatness and suitableness as a Savior; whereby He has appeared to me, far above all, the chief of ten thousands. And His blood and atonement has appeared sweet, and His righteousness sweet; which is always accompanied with an ardency of spirit, and inward strugglings and breathings and groanings, that cannot be uttered, to be emptied of myself, and swallowed up in Christ
He goes on to speak of...
the glory of the Son of God as mediator between God and man, and His wonderful, great, full, pure and sweet grace and love, and meek and gentle condescension. This grace that appeared to me so calm and sweet appeared great above the heavens. The person of Christ appeared ineffably excellent, with an excellency great enough to swallow up all thought and conception, . . . which kept me, the bigger part of the time, in a flood of tears and weeping aloud. I felt an ardency of soul to be . . . emptied and annihilated, to lie in the dust and to be full of Christ alone; to love Him with a holy and pure love; to trust in Him; to live upon Him; to serve and follow Him, and to be totally wrapped up in the fullness of Christ, and to be perfectly sanctified and made pure, with a divine and heavenly purity.
When we are delighted with flowery meadows and gentle breezes of wind, we may consider that we see only the emanations of the sweet benevolence of Jesus Christ. When we behold the fragrant rose and lily, we see His love and purity. So the green trees and fields and singing of birds are the emanations of His infinite joy and benignity [that is, kindness]. The easiness and naturalness of trees and vines are shadows of His beauty and loveliness. The crystal rivers and murmuring streams are the footsteps of His favor, grace, and beauty. When we behold the light and brightness of the sun, the golden edges of an evening cloud, or the beauteous rainbow, we behold the adumbrations of His glory and goodness; and in the blue sky of His mildness and gentleness. There are also many things wherein we may behold His awful majesty, in the sun in His strength, in comets, in thunder, in the hovering thunderclouds, in ragged rocks, and the brows of mountains. That beauteous light with which the world is filled in a clear day, is a lively shadow of His spotless holiness, and happiness and delight in communicating Himself."
But will Jesus be enough? The world seems to offer so much more, so much easier, so much faster. Is there in the beauty of all that Jesus is and offers sufficient joy to keep my soul satisfied and to stem its search for other delights? Jesus, and only Jesus, says Edwards,
has true excellency, and so great excellency, that when [weary souls] come to see it they look no further, but the mind rests there. It sees a transcendent glory and an ineffable sweetness in Him; it sees that till now it has been pursuing shadows, but that now it has found the substance; that before it had been seeking happiness in the stream, but that now it has found the ocean. The excellency of Christ is an object adequate to the natural cravings of the soul, and is sufficient to fill the capacity. It is an infinite excellency, such a one as the mind desires, in which it can find no bounds. . . . Every new discovery makes this beauty appear more ravishing, and the mind sees no end; here is room enough for the mind to go deeper and deeper, and never come to the bottom The soul is exceedingly ravished when it first looks on this beauty, and it is never weary of it. The mind never has any satiety, but Christ's excellency is always fresh and new, and tends as much to delight, after it has seen a thousand or ten thousand years, as when it was seen the first moment."
What has the power to transform our desires and reconfigure our longings and stir our emotional chemistry that we might love what God loves and hate what He hates? Only one thing. Jesus, in all His beauty. Jesus, in all that He is for us now and will be tomorrow. Edwards is certain that only Jesus can satisfy our soul's desire. He says:
[In Jesus] the longing soul may be satisfied and the hungry soul may be filled with goodness. The delight and contentment that is to be found here, passeth understanding, and is unspeakable and full of glory. It is impossible for those who ever tasted of this fountain, and know the sweetness of it, ever to forsake it. The soul has found the river of water of life, and it desires no other drink; it has found the tree of life, and it desires no other fruit.
I too, have seen Jesus and this is God's mission in my life: to see Him for who He truly is, to savor Him for all that He is worth; to maximize my "delight and contentment" in Him. Then my mission in ministry: to show, speak, live, exalt, and portray Jesus in such a light that, turning to Him, others will find complete satisfaction and lose their taste for sin. Edwards says:
There is every kind of thing dispensed in Christ that tends to make us excellent and amiable, and every kind of thing that tends to make us happy. There is that which shall fill every faculty of the soul and in a great variety. What a glorious variety is there for the entertainment of the understanding! How many glorious objects set forth, most worthy to be meditated upon and understood! There are all the glorious attributes of God and the beauties of Jesus Christ, and manifold wonders to be seen in the way of salvation, the glories of heaven and the excellency of Christian graces. . . . The blessings are innumerable.
“Oh come let us adore him, Christ the Lord!”
Pastor Bill
The apostle John makes one of the most profound statements in all of scripture. "We beheld His glory". We saw Him as He really is! Christmas teaches us that those who saw Jesus were never the same Look at some of the responses to “beholding His glory” in the birth of Jesus Christ.
1. The shepherds- Luke 2:17-20, so they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them... The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
2. The Magi-Matthew 2:11, On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. The Magi brought him gifts and worshipped him.
3. Mary- Luke 2:19, But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Mary responded with worship and quiet reflection.
4. The Apostle Paul- 2 Corinthians 9:15, Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! Romans 11:33-36, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."
Jonathan Edwards stirs my heart when I read of his experience of seeing Jesus. He speaks of...
the excellent fullness of Christ, and His greatness and suitableness as a Savior; whereby He has appeared to me, far above all, the chief of ten thousands. And His blood and atonement has appeared sweet, and His righteousness sweet; which is always accompanied with an ardency of spirit, and inward strugglings and breathings and groanings, that cannot be uttered, to be emptied of myself, and swallowed up in Christ
He goes on to speak of...
the glory of the Son of God as mediator between God and man, and His wonderful, great, full, pure and sweet grace and love, and meek and gentle condescension. This grace that appeared to me so calm and sweet appeared great above the heavens. The person of Christ appeared ineffably excellent, with an excellency great enough to swallow up all thought and conception, . . . which kept me, the bigger part of the time, in a flood of tears and weeping aloud. I felt an ardency of soul to be . . . emptied and annihilated, to lie in the dust and to be full of Christ alone; to love Him with a holy and pure love; to trust in Him; to live upon Him; to serve and follow Him, and to be totally wrapped up in the fullness of Christ, and to be perfectly sanctified and made pure, with a divine and heavenly purity.
When we are delighted with flowery meadows and gentle breezes of wind, we may consider that we see only the emanations of the sweet benevolence of Jesus Christ. When we behold the fragrant rose and lily, we see His love and purity. So the green trees and fields and singing of birds are the emanations of His infinite joy and benignity [that is, kindness]. The easiness and naturalness of trees and vines are shadows of His beauty and loveliness. The crystal rivers and murmuring streams are the footsteps of His favor, grace, and beauty. When we behold the light and brightness of the sun, the golden edges of an evening cloud, or the beauteous rainbow, we behold the adumbrations of His glory and goodness; and in the blue sky of His mildness and gentleness. There are also many things wherein we may behold His awful majesty, in the sun in His strength, in comets, in thunder, in the hovering thunderclouds, in ragged rocks, and the brows of mountains. That beauteous light with which the world is filled in a clear day, is a lively shadow of His spotless holiness, and happiness and delight in communicating Himself."
But will Jesus be enough? The world seems to offer so much more, so much easier, so much faster. Is there in the beauty of all that Jesus is and offers sufficient joy to keep my soul satisfied and to stem its search for other delights? Jesus, and only Jesus, says Edwards,
has true excellency, and so great excellency, that when [weary souls] come to see it they look no further, but the mind rests there. It sees a transcendent glory and an ineffable sweetness in Him; it sees that till now it has been pursuing shadows, but that now it has found the substance; that before it had been seeking happiness in the stream, but that now it has found the ocean. The excellency of Christ is an object adequate to the natural cravings of the soul, and is sufficient to fill the capacity. It is an infinite excellency, such a one as the mind desires, in which it can find no bounds. . . . Every new discovery makes this beauty appear more ravishing, and the mind sees no end; here is room enough for the mind to go deeper and deeper, and never come to the bottom The soul is exceedingly ravished when it first looks on this beauty, and it is never weary of it. The mind never has any satiety, but Christ's excellency is always fresh and new, and tends as much to delight, after it has seen a thousand or ten thousand years, as when it was seen the first moment."
What has the power to transform our desires and reconfigure our longings and stir our emotional chemistry that we might love what God loves and hate what He hates? Only one thing. Jesus, in all His beauty. Jesus, in all that He is for us now and will be tomorrow. Edwards is certain that only Jesus can satisfy our soul's desire. He says:
[In Jesus] the longing soul may be satisfied and the hungry soul may be filled with goodness. The delight and contentment that is to be found here, passeth understanding, and is unspeakable and full of glory. It is impossible for those who ever tasted of this fountain, and know the sweetness of it, ever to forsake it. The soul has found the river of water of life, and it desires no other drink; it has found the tree of life, and it desires no other fruit.
I too, have seen Jesus and this is God's mission in my life: to see Him for who He truly is, to savor Him for all that He is worth; to maximize my "delight and contentment" in Him. Then my mission in ministry: to show, speak, live, exalt, and portray Jesus in such a light that, turning to Him, others will find complete satisfaction and lose their taste for sin. Edwards says:
There is every kind of thing dispensed in Christ that tends to make us excellent and amiable, and every kind of thing that tends to make us happy. There is that which shall fill every faculty of the soul and in a great variety. What a glorious variety is there for the entertainment of the understanding! How many glorious objects set forth, most worthy to be meditated upon and understood! There are all the glorious attributes of God and the beauties of Jesus Christ, and manifold wonders to be seen in the way of salvation, the glories of heaven and the excellency of Christian graces. . . . The blessings are innumerable.
“Oh come let us adore him, Christ the Lord!”
Pastor Bill
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
JESUS KNOWS YOU INSIDE AND OUTSIDE
"Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see” [there’s the same pair from verse 39]. Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” John 1: 45-48 ESV
I recently heard a sermon where John Piper spoke of how Jesus knows us inside and out. It really encouraged me and got me deeply thinking. One of the most empowering, comforting, and encouraging truths is the reality of God's knowledge of us. David greatly received comfort from that truth..
"O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it." Psalm 139:1-4
We see that Psalm fleshed out in the incarnate Son of God's encounter with Nathaniel in John 1:45-48. There are two key things we see about Christ's knowledge of us in this section. Jesus knows two kinds of things about Nathaniel. He knows what’s going on inside, and he knows what’s going on outside. The first thing Jesus says is, “You are a man without deceit.” That’s the truth about the inside. And the second thing he said was, “While you were out of my sight I saw you. You were under a fig tree when Philip found you.” That’s the truth about the outside. Nathaniel is astonished and says in verse 49, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Jesus Knows Our Circumstances
It is a great grace and comfort to us that Jesus today, as the Son of God and the King of Israel, knows our condition inside and out. If you are alone and problems come your way and no one knows or understands or cares what is happening to you, Jesus knows. You will never be in a situation where Jesus is not fully aware of what’s going on in your life. There is no circumstance, trial, problem, or relationship that Jesus is unaware of. And if you believe that he loves you and that he is stronger than any force in the world—then the fact that he knows your circumstances is a great grace.
Jesus Knows Our Heart
It is even more precious to me that he knows what is going on inside of me. When Philip said to Nathaniel in verse 45 that Jesus was from Nazareth, Nathaniel answered bluntly from his heart without any posturing (in verse 46), “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” What will Jesus think of that? Jesus says in verse 47, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” I don’t think that is a statement out of the blue with no connection to the context. I don't think Jesus was prophesying about Nathanial's future nor of his present sinlessness. I think Jesus means: Now here is someone who tells it like it is. What you see is what you get. He’s not two-faced. He’s not deceitful. Jesus knew this about Nathaniel’s heart—his particular inner life—before he ever met him.
Because Jesus Knows Our Heart Jesus Understands Us
Oh how good it is that Jesus knows my inner condition. He knows it better than any of you know it. He knows and understands it even better than I know it. Nobody has ever been me or inside of me with my personality, my temperament, my weaknesses, perspectives, fragility, background, experiences, fears, anxieties, brokenness, in living and facing this moment in my life.
These are the times when a deep and profound loneliness can enter these moments. no one, no matter how hard they may grace me to care or try, can ever get into my skin. No one can truly understand the complexities of my being in facing these moments. Nobody has ever brought my weaknesses and my sins and my experience to this moment of sorrow or anger or desire. And not only nobody has been me in this experience, but nobody can be me—nobody can know this. And when I think of that, it frightens me how alone I am in this particular sorrow or anger or desire. The circumstances may be common to all of us. But my experience of them is utterly unique.
And then I think, No, I am not alone in this experience. Yes, no one except Jesus! Jesus knows my heart and my mind and my body and everything about me. And there comes a sense of relief that this utterly unique sorrow, pain, worry, fear, anxiety, brokenness, that nobody else can share, Jesus totally, fully, completely understands me and in His understanding can say, "Son, I love you". "I care for you". I will never leave you". I will help you". "I will stand with you". "I will protect you". "I will work for you". "I will never ever leave you". "I will help you". "I will make you a fisher of men". "Follow Me!"
And I am happy and free and secure and know that all is well in me and around me.
Pastor Bill
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
STAND FIRM BROTHERS AND SISTERS!
“…stand firm thus in the Lord”
What do you do when your marriage struggles? If your boss annoys you? If people oppose you? If life in your present circumstances is tough? If everything around you seems to be falling apart? If your church is floundering? If your ministry seems unfruitful or unsuccessful? If every part of you feels like throwing in the towel and giving up? If you feel all alone? If there seems to be no relief, no help, no direction, and things just seem to keep getting worse?
The Apostle Paul gives us six words for times like these in Philippians 4:1,"Stand firm thus in the Lord!” Stand firm. Notice that it is a particular kind of standing firm. Not stand firm in yourselves. Not stand firm in your experiences. Not stand firm in all your own strength. No, stand firm in the Lord like he says in Ephesians 6:10, “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” Be strong in the Lord! Stand firm in the Lord! It is not by will power and grim determination you hang on. No, it is standing firm in the Lord; that is joined to Him, united with Him, receiving strength and grace from Him moment by moment, day by day. “I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me” (Jeremiah 32:40). You can do all things through Christ who is your source of strength, life, love, confidence, and joy.
It is a remarkable fact that at several crucial junctures in Paul's letters the practical outcome of the Christian's warfare against the world , the flesh, and the devil is defined as a matter of "standing": 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” Galatians 5:1, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” Colossians 4:12, "Stand firm in all the will of God."1 Thessalonians 3:8, “for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.” 2 Thessalonians 2:15, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” Ephesians 6:10-14, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might… Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore…”
Why is this repeated emphasis on standing firm in the scriptures? Paul urged them to stand fast because, even in his own case, spiritual life was a struggle. Even Paul said, “Not as though I had already attained.” He was pressing forward; he was straining his whole energy by the power of the Holy Ghost. He did not expect to be carried to heaven on a feather bed; he was warring and agonizing. So he repeats it again and again: Stand firm!
Now the Greek verb used over and over again and here is stekete. It is a military word which means to stand your ground, stand your post in the midst of battle. It means what Paul said in Ephesians 6, in the middle of battle you've got your armor on and having done all to stand. Stand against the wiles of the devil. Stand firmly no matter what comes. You don't crumble under persecution and compromise. You don't crumble under testing and complain. You don't crumble under temptation and sin, you stand firm, spiritually stable. You must not be half-hearted and uncertain in the fight. Stand firm in the truth and what you believe. Stand firm in the gospel of Christ. Stand firm in the sovereignty of God. Stand firm in the authority and sufficiency of the Scripture. Stand firm in what God says about marriage, about family, about purity, about your purpose, about your goal in life. Stand firm; be committed to Christ and His cause, never give up, never give in, and never give even a thought to possible retreat. Let there be no turning back, no back doors, no escape clauses. Stand firm; realize that you are a child of God, and that the world and the flesh and the devil are set against you. Get it clear in your mind and then you will brace yourself to the task and to the duty. Stand firm when everything is going well, and stand firm when everything is falling apart.
Stand firm!' Do not be half-hearted, do not be half in and half out. Be `all out', be thorough! It is a command from the commander of the army of God Jesus Christ, to you and me! So let us give a total full response to it. The cause of God is something worth standing for. The Apostle Paul himself calls it "the good fight' of faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). He urges us to “fight the good fight of faith!”(1 Timothy 6:12). Oh how good and great is this fight! And if that does not make us `stand', what will? Think of the kingdom to which you belong, think of your whole position, think of your King, think of your true allegiance and the greatness and surpassing value of His Kingdom. If we but realized this we would never be half-hearted, we would never slouch. We should be so filled with pride, and a sense of glory at the great privilege that is given to us, that there would be no need to exhort us to stand; we would be standing already. Remember what you are fighting for, remember the Cause.
The fact is it is God's battle. We are not fighting a personal fight; this is not some personal skirmish. We are fighting the battle of the Lord. `The battle is not yours, but God's.' (1 Samuel 17:47). Christianity is not our affair, it is God's; and the Christian Church as an army, is the army of the living God. It is God's battle; and what we are fighting for is the name and fame and the glory of God.
Oh how I cherish the word from the Lord in Exodus 14 as Israel was being pursued by the vast Egyptian army. “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Exodus 14:13-14). O brethren, we may well stand firm since we have infinite power at our backs. The Lord is with us with all his energy, even with his all-conquering strength, which shall subdue all his foes. Do not let us imagine that any enemy can be too strong for Christ’s arm.
Or 2 Chronicles 20. The armies of Moab, Ammon, and Edom were on the move against the Israelites. Jehoshaphat caught wind of the impending attack.The Jews were in serious trouble! They would be wiped out unless they received massive help. Jehoshaphat had no alternative but to call Israel to a fast and to pray. There were no other alternatives.
Have you ever been in that position in life. I feel it more times than I can share. Helpless, hopeless, and paralyzed by fear. In another part of the scripture, it is called being at “wits end” (Psalm 107:27). So they stood before the temple, and Jehoshaphat pleaded their case before the Lord and then said this:
“We are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.’ (2 Chronicles 20:12)
Do you hear that confession? We are powerless and don’t know what to do. This confession is the very launchpad of God’s mercy and grace for us: Our need, brokenness, desperateness, helplessness, inadequacy, weakness, insufficiency, poverty AND God’s power, grace, help, and provision.
Listen to the familiar response of tjhe Lord in verses 14-15,17: “And the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's…You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.”
Do you hear again the battle cry of God? Israel was to stand firm, hold their position, and see the salvation of the Lord as He fights their battle! God’s word to us through this story in all the crises we face is this: “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15).
God answered Jehoshaphat’s faith-filled prayer in a spectacular way. He threw the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites into confusion and they slaughtered one another. Jehoshaphat and his choir-led army never had to lift a sword. And it took them three days to carry the plunder back home.
Oh how we need to be standing firm! I treasure the phrase Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” Be steadfast as you move forward. Be “Immovable. Be “always abounding in the work of the Lord”.
Stand firm! Our call to stand firm is a radically God centered, Christ exalting, Spirit dependent, promised supported standing firm! There is no higher calling, no bigger privilege, no greater battle, no more worthy cause, and no greater joy. Stand firm! Christians stand firm! Leaders stand firm! Pastors stand firm! Servants of the Lord stand firm! Husbands and wives stand firm! Wives, stand firm! Parents, stand firm! Children, stand firm! Students, stand firm! Singles stand firm! Whoever you are and wherever you are and whatever you are doing, if you don't do anything else, do this: Stand firm! And watch the Lord fight your battles for you to his glory and your supreme joy!
Standing firm solely in the power and strength and faithfulness of Jesus,
Pastor Bill
What do you do when your marriage struggles? If your boss annoys you? If people oppose you? If life in your present circumstances is tough? If everything around you seems to be falling apart? If your church is floundering? If your ministry seems unfruitful or unsuccessful? If every part of you feels like throwing in the towel and giving up? If you feel all alone? If there seems to be no relief, no help, no direction, and things just seem to keep getting worse?
The Apostle Paul gives us six words for times like these in Philippians 4:1,"Stand firm thus in the Lord!” Stand firm. Notice that it is a particular kind of standing firm. Not stand firm in yourselves. Not stand firm in your experiences. Not stand firm in all your own strength. No, stand firm in the Lord like he says in Ephesians 6:10, “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” Be strong in the Lord! Stand firm in the Lord! It is not by will power and grim determination you hang on. No, it is standing firm in the Lord; that is joined to Him, united with Him, receiving strength and grace from Him moment by moment, day by day. “I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me” (Jeremiah 32:40). You can do all things through Christ who is your source of strength, life, love, confidence, and joy.
It is a remarkable fact that at several crucial junctures in Paul's letters the practical outcome of the Christian's warfare against the world , the flesh, and the devil is defined as a matter of "standing": 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” Galatians 5:1, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” Colossians 4:12, "Stand firm in all the will of God."1 Thessalonians 3:8, “for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.” 2 Thessalonians 2:15, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” Ephesians 6:10-14, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might… Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore…”
Why is this repeated emphasis on standing firm in the scriptures? Paul urged them to stand fast because, even in his own case, spiritual life was a struggle. Even Paul said, “Not as though I had already attained.” He was pressing forward; he was straining his whole energy by the power of the Holy Ghost. He did not expect to be carried to heaven on a feather bed; he was warring and agonizing. So he repeats it again and again: Stand firm!
Now the Greek verb used over and over again and here is stekete. It is a military word which means to stand your ground, stand your post in the midst of battle. It means what Paul said in Ephesians 6, in the middle of battle you've got your armor on and having done all to stand. Stand against the wiles of the devil. Stand firmly no matter what comes. You don't crumble under persecution and compromise. You don't crumble under testing and complain. You don't crumble under temptation and sin, you stand firm, spiritually stable. You must not be half-hearted and uncertain in the fight. Stand firm in the truth and what you believe. Stand firm in the gospel of Christ. Stand firm in the sovereignty of God. Stand firm in the authority and sufficiency of the Scripture. Stand firm in what God says about marriage, about family, about purity, about your purpose, about your goal in life. Stand firm; be committed to Christ and His cause, never give up, never give in, and never give even a thought to possible retreat. Let there be no turning back, no back doors, no escape clauses. Stand firm; realize that you are a child of God, and that the world and the flesh and the devil are set against you. Get it clear in your mind and then you will brace yourself to the task and to the duty. Stand firm when everything is going well, and stand firm when everything is falling apart.
Stand firm!' Do not be half-hearted, do not be half in and half out. Be `all out', be thorough! It is a command from the commander of the army of God Jesus Christ, to you and me! So let us give a total full response to it. The cause of God is something worth standing for. The Apostle Paul himself calls it "the good fight' of faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). He urges us to “fight the good fight of faith!”(1 Timothy 6:12). Oh how good and great is this fight! And if that does not make us `stand', what will? Think of the kingdom to which you belong, think of your whole position, think of your King, think of your true allegiance and the greatness and surpassing value of His Kingdom. If we but realized this we would never be half-hearted, we would never slouch. We should be so filled with pride, and a sense of glory at the great privilege that is given to us, that there would be no need to exhort us to stand; we would be standing already. Remember what you are fighting for, remember the Cause.
The fact is it is God's battle. We are not fighting a personal fight; this is not some personal skirmish. We are fighting the battle of the Lord. `The battle is not yours, but God's.' (1 Samuel 17:47). Christianity is not our affair, it is God's; and the Christian Church as an army, is the army of the living God. It is God's battle; and what we are fighting for is the name and fame and the glory of God.
Oh how I cherish the word from the Lord in Exodus 14 as Israel was being pursued by the vast Egyptian army. “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Exodus 14:13-14). O brethren, we may well stand firm since we have infinite power at our backs. The Lord is with us with all his energy, even with his all-conquering strength, which shall subdue all his foes. Do not let us imagine that any enemy can be too strong for Christ’s arm.
Or 2 Chronicles 20. The armies of Moab, Ammon, and Edom were on the move against the Israelites. Jehoshaphat caught wind of the impending attack.The Jews were in serious trouble! They would be wiped out unless they received massive help. Jehoshaphat had no alternative but to call Israel to a fast and to pray. There were no other alternatives.
Have you ever been in that position in life. I feel it more times than I can share. Helpless, hopeless, and paralyzed by fear. In another part of the scripture, it is called being at “wits end” (Psalm 107:27). So they stood before the temple, and Jehoshaphat pleaded their case before the Lord and then said this:
“We are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.’ (2 Chronicles 20:12)
Do you hear that confession? We are powerless and don’t know what to do. This confession is the very launchpad of God’s mercy and grace for us: Our need, brokenness, desperateness, helplessness, inadequacy, weakness, insufficiency, poverty AND God’s power, grace, help, and provision.
Listen to the familiar response of tjhe Lord in verses 14-15,17: “And the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's…You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.”
Do you hear again the battle cry of God? Israel was to stand firm, hold their position, and see the salvation of the Lord as He fights their battle! God’s word to us through this story in all the crises we face is this: “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15).
God answered Jehoshaphat’s faith-filled prayer in a spectacular way. He threw the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites into confusion and they slaughtered one another. Jehoshaphat and his choir-led army never had to lift a sword. And it took them three days to carry the plunder back home.
Oh how we need to be standing firm! I treasure the phrase Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” Be steadfast as you move forward. Be “Immovable. Be “always abounding in the work of the Lord”.
Stand firm! Our call to stand firm is a radically God centered, Christ exalting, Spirit dependent, promised supported standing firm! There is no higher calling, no bigger privilege, no greater battle, no more worthy cause, and no greater joy. Stand firm! Christians stand firm! Leaders stand firm! Pastors stand firm! Servants of the Lord stand firm! Husbands and wives stand firm! Wives, stand firm! Parents, stand firm! Children, stand firm! Students, stand firm! Singles stand firm! Whoever you are and wherever you are and whatever you are doing, if you don't do anything else, do this: Stand firm! And watch the Lord fight your battles for you to his glory and your supreme joy!
Standing firm solely in the power and strength and faithfulness of Jesus,
Pastor Bill
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