Month: October 2012

“Right on Time”

“When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)

At just the right time Jesus came into the world to take away the sin of all people. The prophetic passages in the Old Testament gave warning to anyone who was listening when Messiah would come. The men from the east knew the timing and came to see the young child, Jesus. He came just at the right time, the time of God’s appointment.

As we come to Christmas we may reflect on that much more but there are some other considerations that should encourage us and bring joy to our hearts.

Since Jesus’ first coming was at just the right time, should we expect that His second coming will be any different? Of course not! His second coming will come at just the right time and that time will be in accord with the prophetic passages of the Bible. His second coming will be just as His first in this respect – at just the right time.

There are plenty of passages in the Bible that give information concerning the timing of Jesus’ second coming. In brief, Jesus said that we may know the season but not the date.

Since “God sent forth His Son” at just the right time, is it too big a leap for us to believe that He also brought us into the world at just the right time?

My wife sometimes fantasises that she should have lived in the mansions of Europe a couple of hundred years ago until she realises that she might not have been the daughter of a wealthy landowner but maybe the scullery maid in that mansion. We may fantasise these things with some enjoyment but in reality we know that God brought us into the world at just the right time for His glory and purpose.

Since God is the God of the Bible this seems quite reasonable but then that leads us to take it another step. Since we are in the world now by God’s appointment, the circumstances in which we find ourselves today are also God’s appointment for us. They are meant firstly for His glory and secondly for our good. They will always reveal His glory but whether we receive the benefit God intended will depend on our reception and response to the circumstances.

Mordecai knew the reality of this when he said to Esther, “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). This reality was the motivation that Esther needed to risk her life for her people.

There have been many occasions when we know that we have had a “divine appointment”; but the reality is is that there have been countless more that we have not recognised. Indeed the very timing of our lives on earth is just the right time appointed by God. Accepting this must surely have an impact on our attitude and manner of life.

Jesus came for a purpose at His first coming and He will come for a purpose at His second coming. Both occasions are just at the right time. God has also placed each of us in the world at just the right time for His glory and purpose. The prime purpose is that we “may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10). Like Esther, we will only see the specifics as we come to them but that in no way diminishes the fact that God has brought us into the world at just the right time – His right time.

Light Will Come

“Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10)

Job was a man who walked with God and, like all of us, had limited understanding of God. How could a finite created being understand an infinite Creator? None of us know what lies around the corner in our lives. We may think we know, but expectations can be dashed in a moment. Job had no idea that his life would go through such extraordinary grief, sorrow and pain as a result of a conversation between God and Satan. God did not ask Job’s permission to do this and neither will He ask us for permission for the experiences He will bring into our lives for the purpose of enhancing our intimacy with Him. Job knew his Heavenly Father and trusted Him even though he had no idea why this tragedy had come his way or for what purpose. Everything, children, material wealth, the ability to work and the support of his wife were taken from him.

In chapter three we read Job’s first words after seven days of silence. He wished he had never been born or that he had died at birth. The agony of losing his children whom he loved was such inner pain that he wished he had never had to bear it. However, we should notice that Job rejected the suggestion of his wife to kill himself to end his suffering. The reason for this is that he was no longer suffering over the loss of his children but over the lack of understanding of the reason why. Yes, he misses his children and he loves his children but he would see them again. It was the immediate shock of the loss that was so painful. He now needed time to come to the place of resting in God but for that his confused mind would need understanding.

Many Christians have the mistaken and unbiblical notion that if we are faithful to the Lord we will be healthy, wealthy, wise and happy. Such is not the case, and indeed this is not God’s will for us. It is in times of grief, sorrow and loss that we are more sensitive to eternal things and we should pray that God would get his way at these times and in the process give us understanding of who He is.

Job never prayed to be made well or to have material wealth again. His concern was to ensure nothing was between himself and God. His friends agreed with that in principle but were very wrong in their idea of why Job was suffering. When these things happen we can follow Job’s example and seek the answer from the Lord. We need to be careful about listening to friends. Job’s friends and his wife would have turned him against God and away from the will of God. They confused him even more concerning the nature of God and the way He relates to His people.

At the right time, when His work has been done in our heart, mind and will, the Lord will give us understanding.

We would do well to note the focus of the prayer the Lord gave to His disciples which at no time asks for health, wealth and happiness. It is not “me” focussed,  but focussed on God: His will, His glory, His kingdom.

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom
and the power and the glory forever.

Amen

Guarding our Motives

“For not he who commends himself is approved, but who the Lord commends” (2 Corinthians 10:18).

This is a principle that is eternal as God is eternal and no amount of mental gymnastics will cause the slightest ripple of variation. The Christians in Corinth were being seduced by men claiming to be prophets of Jesus Christ who were nothing of the sort. They were living the lie for wrong motives. But how could the Christians identify the motives in the many who taught in the name of Jesus Christ? After all, no one wears a sign saying ‘false teacher.’

To give his readers a means of determining motivation in these teachers Paul played the role of one of these “fools.”  He makes it clear that he would not present himself in this way other than for this purpose. He writes that he would be a fool to do so (vv 16-21). He then proceeded to write up his commendation in the manner in which he would do if he was one of the false teachers (vv 22-27). In none of these statements is he lying or exaggerating and certainly anyone would see them as giving credibility to his call as an apostle and the authenticity of his teaching. Actually his sufferings for the sake of Jesus Christ would easily have excelled any of the testimonies of the false teachers even if they had been creative.

If someone came to us commending themselves with such a story that could be demonstrated to be true would we not give them credibility? Paul is saying that we would be fools to do so.

The problem is not in the history of the person. The problem is in the reason for recounting the history. Paul wants Christians it understand that it is not the life or sufferings of a person that gives them credibility. This takes us back to chapter ten and verse twelve where Paul writes that people who measure themselves by their own ideas or by comparing themselves with other people “are not wise.”

The motive of the false teachers is to hear the praise of and receive honour from men. This is in direct contrast to that of Paul, “my deep concern for all the churches” (11:28). The false teachers are concerned with their own position and well being but Paul is concerned with the well being of other Christians. They boast in their own strengths and exploits but Paul boasts only in his weaknesses and the work of God in believers.

Paul knew that it was in his weaknesses that the grace of God is revealed more clearly in his life and ministry. The salvation and edification of Christians could be more easily seen to be the grace of God than wrongly attributed to anything in Paul.

When we hear a person commend himself we can be sure that pride is at work and Paul reminds us that Satan is the worker in the back ground (11:14). We should not be so concerned with commendations that come from others. Paul commended Christians to others in his letters.

Let us preach God’s word so as to be approved of Him regardless of what people may think. If we seek the commendation of men we may get it but that is all we will get. If we seek the commendation of the Lord and obtain His approval what more could one want? Let us guard our motives.

This Mortal Body

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

Twice in this chapter Paul encourages us not to lose heart. That can mean only one thing; there are circumstances that may cause us to lose heart. He gives just two in this part of his letter.

In the first verse of this chapter he writes, “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.” He has just compared the covenant that God made with Israel through Moses with the New Covenant in Jesus Christ. It isn’t that there was any failure on the part of the Old Covenant itself but it did not provide any means by which men might keep it. What it did was reveal the sinfulness of the human heart by its revelation of righteousness and the holy nature of our God.

As we discover how far short we fall in comparison to God’s glory we may become discouraged and lay aside any further attempts to please God. When we feel this way it is because we have seen His glory more clearly than before and that is meant to be an encouragement to press on, not to give up. We don’t see things clearly now but the very fact that we see at all shows that we are “being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (3:18). Instead of being discouraged Paul writes that God’s intention is to encourage us by this.

Secondly, as we age we are met with the frustration of the weakness of the body even though we know that we are nearer to Jesus now than ever before. The weakness of the body that comes with age, such as diseases that effect sight, hearing, speech or mobility, may cause us to become discouraged. It may be that we read verse 16, quoted above, and whole heartedly agree with Paul’s assessment yet still miss the point.

Aging and bodily death are no reason for discouragement. They are every reason for joy for the one in Christ. He writes, “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (5:8). The aging body we inhabit should not discourage us but lift our hearts with eager expectation that soon we shall be with the Lord and He shall give us a new body apart from sin. Without bodily death we can not know the bodily resurrection we so eagerly desire.

There is more. In this life our body, though corrupted by sin, may be the means by which Jesus manifests Himself in this fallen world. Paul writes, “Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (4:10, 11).

Do not lose heart. In our mortal bodies we are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ and He will manifest Himself also in our mortal bodies “for we walk by faith, not by sight” (5:7).

Do not lose heart. For though our bodies are aging and will perish we are being renewed day by day ready for the day we see Him face to face “for we walk by faith, not by sight.”