Such a Time as This

“Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this”

Esther 4:14

None of us had a choice in the timing or location of our entrance into this world. We didn’t choose our parents, siblings, ethnicity, country, body shape, eye colour or natural talents. We weren’t consulted about any of these and many other things. The same was true for Esther yet she found herself in a position to affect the future of a dispersed nation. Her cousin, Mordecai, was also in such a position and he took it by the horns. His life was under threat already and he asked Esther to place her own life in jeopardy as well. He reminded her that if she did nothing she would die anyway and she would lose the opportunity to have this vital role in her people’s future.

You and I are here in this world where we are and in this time not of our choosing but, like Esther, God has prepared and placed us for such a time as this. The question we face is the same as that which Esther faced. Will we take the opportunity God has given us and use it to preserve His people and to save others?

To the faithful church in Philadelphia Jesus said, “I know your works. See I have set before you and open door, and no one will shut it; for you have a little strength, kept My word, and have not denied My name” (Revelation 3:8). The circumstances in which we find ourselves are, for those who are faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ, an open door for ministry to others who belong to Christ and for sharing the Gospel of Christ with others. Yes, there is the possibility of an undesirable reaction from some. Esther put her earthly life on the line. Let us remember that Jesus didn’t just put His life on the line for us, He gave His life as a ransom for us. We know the outcome for Esther and Mordecai but when they were making their choices they didn’t know what they might suffer or what the outcome would be. That is where we are too but “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). We are here in this world, placed where we are with the preparation the Lord has given us, with an open door before us. All that remains is for us to choose whether we will serve Him or not. James tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:20). Genuine faith in Jesus Christ is will be seen in how we minister to one another and reach out to others in such a time as this.

Setting Affections

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him…”

1 John 2:15

The world in this verse means that which excludes God and love for the world is that which entices and captivates our affections. In the next verse John explains what that is.

The “lust of the flesh” is appetites of the body or sensual gratification. James writes, “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed” (James 1:14). Those who persist in this way may find Romans 1:26 applicable, “God gave them up to vile passions.” “Lust of the flesh” may be in the form of pursuing physical pleasures, emotional comfort and freedom from the sexual restraint of one man and one woman in marriage. All these appetites have the ability to gain power and control over the one who feeds them. They are addictive.

The “lust of the eyes” is the appetite of the mind expressed in covetousness. We want something that belongs to another. It explains why we may be desperate to have something but, once we have it, we quickly lose interest

The “pride of life” is the appetite of the human spirit seeking self-sovereignty. This was the lie Satan fed Adam and Eve, “you will be like God” (Genesis 3:5). Pride declares I am my own god. Self-esteem manufactured by trying to apply my own value will not satisfy. Self-esteem rightly applied means I realize the value that God places on me as revealed in such places as John 3:16 and Romans 5:8. Essentially, the “pride of life” is the deification of man. It is a futile attempt to deny God’s existence or sovereignty and our accountability to Him. By this we feel free to do whatever we wish.

In verse seventeen John gives us the reason for not loving this world: “the world is passing away, and the lust of it.” That surely speaks to the futility of pursuing things of this world. Those who love it will continue to lust for it in eternity but it will have gone forever. What a torment that would be for them!

On the other hand, “he who does the will of God abides forever.” No person with any wisdom invests in something he knows will be destroyed without a return on the investment. The wise investor invests in that which will keep on giving a return for that investment. John wrote this letter so that our joy might be complete (1:4). If we set our affections on Jesus Christ that joy will be fulfilled.

Living by Faith

“The just shall live by faith”

Romans 1:17

The “just” or “justified” are those who have been tried and found to be without guilt. Paul writing to the Romans, quoting from the book of Habakkuk, is speaking of people who have nothing to answer having been found to be righteous before God. Paul goes on to explain how this is possible and that makes this an important letter.

Since everyone sins and falls short of God’s righteous standard (3:23) how can a person attain His righteous standard both in being and behaviour? Fortunately Paul leaves us in no doubt for he goes on to write, “being justified freely by His grace (i.e. a gift) through redemption (i.e. purchased) that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation (turning away of God’s wrath) by His blood through faith” (Romans 3:24). This verse, in its context, explains how a person who is guilty before God may be declared justified or righteous. A key example is given in the next chapter. Quoting from Genesis 15:6 Paul writes, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” So we see that being one who is justified is one who has received atonement through Jesus Christ’s shed blood. It is a gift in response to believing God’s Word.

“The just shall live by faith” tells us that those who have been justified by faith will continue to live by faith. That is, we will continue to believe what God has said and live in the light of His word. It means our thoughts, words and behaviour will change to match the revelation of God in Christ. This is only possible when Christ is alive in us. This is not possible for one who has not received justification through Jesus Christ. Not living by faith may be an indication that a person has never exercised faith in Christ and thereby received the gift of God’s kind of righteousness. Seeking one’s own righteousness to gain God’s favour is a futile exercise because it denies Christ’s sacrifice in our place. We can only live by faith in this moment. Yesterday has gone and tomorrow is not guaranteed. James warns us not to boast of tomorrow because we “do not know what will happen tomorrow” (James 4:14). Living by faith is what we do now, at this very moment, not later. Also, we can only live by faith in this life. When we leave this earthly life we will see Him face to face and will no longer live by faith. Let us make the most of the opportunity.

Please Take a Seat

“Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”

Hebrews 11:6

Multitudes of people seek ways they may please God. Religions have been established on this desire. Their adherents are trapped and held captive in futile hopes of pleasing a god or gods so that this life, or the life hereafter, is made more comfortable and pleasant.

Faith always requires an object and, when the object is deemed worthy of that faith, appropriate action will follow (James 2:20). Hebrews chapter eleven reminds us of many people who have acted out of faith in God.

No one is able to have or exercise faith in God unless they first believe He exists and it is naive to expect anyone to place their faith in Jesus Christ without first evaluating the evidence. No one sits on a chair without giving it at least a cursory evaluation so we shouldn’t expect someone to trust their eternal soul to Jesus without an evaluation of whether He is worthy of that trust. This is one of the benefits the Bible brings but there are other witnesses. We who have already trusted Christ are living witnesses of, and evidence for, the ability and worthiness of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). He has made us new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17) with a new and living way of life (Hebrews 10:20) by which we are able to commune with God. We are witnesses that Jesus Christ is worthy and faithful. It is our day by day living faith in Him that pleases Him and witnesses of Him. Service follows faith and is our response to receiving eternal life through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 6:23). Faith in Jesus Christ pleases God because:

  1. It recognises who Jesus is
  2. It recognises what Jesus has done for us on Calvary’s cross
  3. It recognises that we are sinners in need of a Saviour
  4. It is acceptance of God’s remedy for our sin
  5. It is the opposite of what Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. They distrusted God whereas faith is trust in God

It is as simple to please God as it is to sit in a chair yet many make it a hopeless and useless burden. Paul writes, “for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is a matter of will. Will you believe?

Various Trials

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials”

James 1:2

James is writing to Christians who are suffering “various trials.” He doesn’t identify what those trials may be because what he is about to write applies to all kinds of trials. If we want a list we could start with Hebrews 11 or 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 but there are many more examples in the Bible. We should expect to experience tests and trials throughout our lives. In school we had regular tests to prove we had learned something and were ready to move on to the next level. The same is true in our walk of faith. Our heavenly Father allows us to experience various trials so that we might know our progression of faith in Jesus and be ready to move on.

In this chapter James gives the reasons why we may pass or fall short in any trial or test. Those who come through successfully, as God considers success, do so because, at foundational level, they have a genuine love for Jesus (v 12). Those who fall short do so because they love themselves and sin more than they love Jesus (v 14).

The evidence of love for Jesus is in doing His word (v 22). A person may profess to love Jesus but their works will give evidence for or against this profession. Love for Jesus is evidenced by love for His people. 1 John has many confirmations of this truth such as “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren” (3:14) and he tells us what kind of love this is, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (v 16). Jesus said the key evidence that we are His disciples is the expression of God’s kind of love for one another (John 13:35).

How we treat other Christians is how we treat Jesus. Saul persecuted Christians but Jesus said he was persecuting Him (Acts 9:4). Peter says that lying to Christians is lying to God (Acts 5:4). Jesus says that how we are treating His people is how we are treating Him (Matthew 25:31-46). In Hebrews 10:24-25 He says that our reason for meeting together is love expressed through serving one another, mutual encouragement and edification. If we forsake meeting together it is an indication we don’t meet with Him either.

It is sobering to realise that how I am treating my fellow Christians is how I treat Jesus – but He says it is so.

Waiting for the Kingdom

“Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.”

Mark 15:43

At His birth, during His earthly life and at His death, Jesus had men and women prepared for roles in His life and mission. For his birth he prepared Simeon and Anna; for his death he prepared Joseph and Nicodemus. These people had several things in common. They took the Old Testament scriptures literally and believed the prophecies contained therein. They were ready for Jesus’ appearing. Jesus later warned Israel to be ready (Matthew 24:44) and told a parable to that effect (Matthew 25:1-13). It was biblical prophecy, taken literally and believed, that prepared them and many others for their roles and service to Jesus Christ. We do a great disservice to Jesus if we do not do the same. If we don’t take God’s word literally and believe it, we will be unprepared for what is to come and unable to serve Him.

How we receive biblical prophecies will affect how we respond to personal situations and world events. Joseph of Arimathea was ready for the coming kingdom because he believed the prophecies concerning Messiah and Israel. His faith in God’s word led him to put his life on the line by presenting himself to Pilate asking for Jesus’ body. Faith in God’s word will always produce actions that demonstrate that faith (James 1:22; 2:14-26). James tells us that “faith” that fails to produce acts of faith is non-existent (2:20).

It seems reasonable that if we continue to read and believe God’s word and live our lives in accordance with it, then we will be prepared by the Holy Spirit for what is to come and for our role day by day. The Bible reveals that before Jesus returns to establish His earthly reign certain events must take place. If we don’t believe what God has given us in scripture, life will be like groping around in an unfamiliar room in total darkness. We will stumble and fall and this may lead to despair. However, if we believe the prophetic scriptures we will be prepared for those events prophesied by God through Jesus Christ and the prophets.

Throughout the New Testament we have testimonies that God’s faithful people expected the literal fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham. Examples of this include Mary (Luke 1:55) and Zacharias (Luke 1:72-73); and they are not alone in this.

Awesome Majesty

“On this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” Isaiah 66:2

About twenty years ago I was in the co-pilot’s seat of a light plane flown by an MAF pilot. We were flying from Bokondini to Wamena in the central highlands of Papua, Indonesia. I knew nothing of how to fly the plane and it was my first light plane flight in the region. Fortunately there was no need of a co-pilot’s services and any uneasiness on the part of my friends on board was relieved!

For several days previously, we had been unable to fly due to smoke and fog. Now, we were soaring between huge steep mountains with cavernous gorges kilometres deep. We were awestruck at the scale. We might say that we trembled at the beauty and scale of what we were beholding.

Twice in Isaiah sixty six the Lord refers to trembling at His word (v 2 & 5). He does not mean the kind of trembling that demons experience (James 2:19). Theirs is a trembling of fear of God’s impending wrath and judgment that is hanging over their heads. The “tremble” in Isaiah is one that arises from being awestruck at the beauty, wisdom and holy magnificence of the Lord. In colloquial terms, we might say it is the “WOW factor”.

Who will stand in awe of the Lord and tremble, not from fear of wrath or judgment, but in seeing the greatness of His beauty, wisdom and majesty? The Lord tells us that it is the one who is poor in spirit and of a contrite spirit. In Isaiah 57:15 the Lord says that He dwells with the one who is of a contrite and humble spirit. The Psalmist writes, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart – These, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). The “poor in spirit” in Isaiah equates with the first Beatitude in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” That is, those who know that they are spiritually bankrupt with regard to righteousness.

Sometimes when we are out walking, riding, driving or flying, we see some amazing scenery and are moved in awe of great beauty. This, however, is only a subdued emotion compared with that of the tremble we may experience as the Lord allows us glimpses of Himself through His word and the experiences of life we have as we walk with Him. The next corner in our lives that we turn or the next page of the Bible that we read, may be the means by which He reveals Himself to us with more of His beauty, wisdom and awesome majesty and holiness.

We cannot demand that the Lord reveal Himself; but we can put ourselves in the right place so that, when He chooses, we will have the right spirit of heart that causes us to tremble in delight at His presence.

“Behold Your Mother!”

“Then [Jesus] said to the disciple [John], ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” John 19:27

When Jesus spoke these caring words to John he was already nailed to the cross and suffering excruciatingly from that cross and events leading up to it. We are not told how or when Joseph had died but from this passage it is clear that Jesus had assumed responsibility sometime before this for His mother’s care and well being. In Paul’s letter to Timothy Paul writes concerning the care of believing widows and the responsibility a son has for his widowed mother. He writes that it is unthinkable that Christians would not care for their ageing parents (1 Timothy 5:8). After all, it is an aspect of the fifth commandment!

It appears that Jesus was not just asking John to look after Mary until she could get back to her other sons in Galilee. He was commanding John to treat Mary as he would his own mother and Mary was to relate to John as her own son – indefinitely. At this time none of Jesus’ half-brothers believed that He was the Son of God and Israel’s Messiah. That would come later but for now they seemed to have little interest in His teaching or what was happening in His life.

Jesus wanted to ensure that a godly man was caring for His mother. That John was chosen ahead of other disciples may be for several reasons. John referred to himself as “the disciple whom [Jesus] loved” (v 26) so there was already a very special bond between Jesus and John and most likely between Mary and John also.

The society and culture in which we live is quite different but the principle remains the same. We have a privilege and a responsibility to care for our parents when they are unable to do so themselves and especially our widowed mothers (1 Timothy 5:8; John 19:26-27). As a church body we have the privilege of being able to care for them according to their need. Paul writes that we should honour such mothers by caring for them (1 Timothy 5:1) just as Jesus provided for His mother’s care even while on the cross.

There are several places in the Bible where we are told that the Lord will care for the fatherless and widows (cf. James 1:27; Psalm 146:9). The church is Christ on earth and is therefore His heart, arms and legs to minister to the need of believing widows when family is unable or unwilling to do so. The church is the “John” to the widowed mother without believing children. The application of that caring may be as varied as there are widowed mothers. We honour and reveal Jesus Christ in the world when we apply His example.

Count it all Joy

“Do not call me Naomi (pleasant); call me Mara (bitter), for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.” Ruth 1:20

This lament came from Naomi soon after she had said to her daughters-in-law, “the hand of the Lord has gone out against me” (v 13). Naomi understood that her husband should not have taken her and their sons out of the Promised Land and neither should he have permitted his sons to marry Gentile women. Her husband and both her sons had now died so she had no one to provide for her. She interpreted this to mean that the Lord was punishing her.

When trials come our way we may think that they are because we have offended God in some way but that is an unbiblical way of viewing our walk with Jesus. We are not told why or under what circumstances Naomi’s husband and sons died. People do die for a multitude of reasons but it would be wrong to believe that any death was for a specific reason unless God makes it clear that such is the case.

Naomi could not see at that time that her bereavement was preparation for, and would lead to, a most wonderful blessing. She wrongly believed that the Lord was against her and was punishing her. How wrong we are when we make the same error. The very trial we are experiencing today may be preparation for the outpouring of a blessing tomorrow. Many have found it so.

Read the book of Ruth through and ponder on the blessings that came Naomi’s way. She received a most loyal daughter-in-law who abandoned her gods for the one true God. Through Ruth’s marriage to Boaz, all the lands of Naomi’s husband were returned and his heritage restored. She was now provided for all her days. A further blessing was that her heritage included the lineage to Israel’s Kings David and Solomon. Further down that family line came Israel’s Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29) who is Jesus Christ the Lord.

Naomi would not have known all this at the time but even just seeing her husband’s lands and heritage restored opened her eyes to see that the Lord was not angry or bitter toward her (2:20). The leading people of the town blessed her without realising the extent to which it would be fulfilled (4:11-12). The women also blessed Naomi without knowing the wonderful way that too would be fulfilled.

Because she wrongly interpreted her trial Naomi thought the Lord was punishing her when all along he was preparing the way for wonderful blessing. Surely this is at least part of the reason that James wrote, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-3).

The trial you are enduring today may be preparation for blessing tomorrow.

“Yes, I Believe in God”

“You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble.” (James 2:19)

“I believe in God” is a comment that is often given by a person who does not know Jesus Christ in a personal way but doesn’t want to risk dismissing God altogether. I once listened to a man for several minutes while he criticised the way God was running His world and then switched his attention to “the church.” “Why doesn’t the church do anything to stop abortion?” A good question but the motivation for the question was meant to be a criticism.

Since the man was criticising God I suggested that he was in fact making himself of a higher moral authority than God and therefore superior. He had, many years before, had some involvement in a church and in more recent years undergone JW indoctrination for a couple of years before rejecting their teaching as well.

As the conversation went on it was clear that he did feel he knew how to run the world better than God and if he was in charge of the church it would operate more assertively. I suggested that there was another religious/political group that was being assertive but he fortunately didn’t warm to that group either.

After putting down everything in this world that pertains to God he affirmed, “Don’t get me wrong I believe in God” but it sounded like a patronising line to try and appease God – if indeed He exists. It doesn’t wash with God. He knows when a person is putting themselves in the high position over Him in breech of the first commandment.

In God’s grace we had enough time to clear up quite a few misconceptions and misunderstandings that he had. It became clear that even though he had rejected the JW doctrines as a whole some detail had stuck.

When anyone criticises the way God runs His Creation or His church they are making themselves as God. This is what Satan successfully achieved with Adam and Eve and has been doing with considerable success ever since.

It is no different when a Christian is critical of the way Jesus manages and grows His church. Perhaps you have been impatient with the spiritual development of another Christian or your church. It hasn’t gone the way you thought it should or perhaps not fast enough. If you were in charge things would be different. That is the voice of one who places himself above Jesus Christ.