The last 2+ years, especially in the light of Covid-19 and its accordant issues, have found the issue of “government overreach” on the minds, lips and keyboards of many. It’s only natural given how various governmental bodies have responded. And that, both secularly and ecclesiastically. After all, we’re “Americans.” Beyond that, as the title of Carl Trueman’s book indicates – we live in the age of “The Rise and Triumph of The Modern Self”, with its leading feature of “Expressive Individualism.”
Now how each authority structure in our American context (good, bad or indifferent) dealt with the crisis, both inside and outside of the Church will probably be debated for years to come. There will be inevitable ripple effects. But I’m not as interested in what various governments or authorities did or did not do during this strange and trying time as I am in what none of them CAN do. Where no overreach from any body has any power. And this is spelled out for us in the 5th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Church at Galatia.
He puts it this way: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Gal. 5:22-23.
So catch this – and let your thoughts run away with it: There is NO authoritarian body, of any stripe, that has the power to enact any law or enforce in any way – a prohibition of walking in the Spirit. There is no form of government overreach which can prevent the Believer from walking in love. From living joyfully. From being at peace. From being filled with long-suffering. From being kind, upright, loyal, gentle or self-controlled. None.
These are not only inviolable rights because of Christ, they are inviolable acts. Indeed, the only force which can keep us from living fully in these – is our own sin. Our own rebellion against the rightful authority of the Spirit in our lives.
So maybe, just maybe, if we were more concerned about this reality, we simply wouldn’t be very distressed by the other. Maybe if we were seeking to live more fully in the rights and privileges of the Spirit which no external power on earth can overreach to prevent, we wouldn’t think the petty things the authorities can impose or restrict – much of anything at all.
Make me wear a mask? Big deal. You can’t rob me of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, uprightness, faithfulness, gentleness or self-control. Not only is there no law against these – there CAN’T be because of Christ.
No long arm of any entity can reach here.
And that, needs to be the Christian’s concern, above all others.
Sometimes, Biblical gems are hidden right there in plain view. As is the case with Genesis 46:4 – “I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.”
That brief sentence is spoken by God to Jacob/Israel. Upon hearing that Jospeh was still alive, and now living in Egypt – second in the land only to Pharoah – and as the 130 year old Jacob traveled, he stopped to offer sacrifices to God. There, God spoke to him in the visions of the night. He appeared in order to reassure Jacob that all was well. That it was indeed OK for him to take his family there. That God would still be true to His promises to make a great nation out of his offspring. Though at this point, they were less than 100 strong.
It is then we read this short, interesting statement by the Lord. It has 3 elements.
1 – “I myself will go down with you to Egypt.” Even in the unforeseen and perhaps frightening turns of events which can frighten us – even more in old age – God goes with His people. Everywhere life takes us, He goes with us too. He never leaves His own. As Daivid would write so familiarly: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” It isn’t that some things aren’t frightening, they are. It isn’t that there aren’t great unknowns to us, there are. It isn’t that we may not have difficult legs in this journey of life – even when we are old and less able to cope – we well may. And He is with us, if we are His. He never leaves His own to themselves, to the world, or to the Devil. He is with us because we are in Christ and Christ is in Him.
2 – “I will also bring you up again.” What? Did that mean he would only remain in Egypt a short time, and return to Canaan before he died? No. It meant that death would not be the last word. It never is for those who are justified by faith in Christ. For those who look to and know the Lord. To those who are His. God would indeed bring Jacob back from Egypt. But not alive. His body would be brought back by Jospeh and his brothers after his death. But it means so much more couched this way. Death is never the end of the story for Believers. We will still receive our full inheritance, even if we die before we can realize it. God had promised Jacob an inheritance, and not even death could break that promise. With Jacob, Paul could say: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And so can all who are in Christ. Each of us in Christ who dies before Jesus’ return, this we know – He will also bring us up again.
3 – “And Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.” It is as if He said: “Yes Jacob, as you will tell Pharaoh that your 130 years have been hard ones – but don’t forget how I show mercy and grace to my own. In the end, you will taste of my blessedness even on your deathbed. I overflow with mercy. I delight to bless my children. Even in death, you will know the touch of my tenderness upon you.” And so it will be for everyone of us who die in the Lord. As J.I. Packer once put it: “For Christians, death’s sting is withdrawn. Grace has intervened, and now their death day becomes an appointment with their Savior, who will be there to take them to the rest prepared for them. Though they will be temporarily bodiless, which is not really good, they will be closer to Christ than ever before, “which is better by far” (Phil. 1:23). Packer, J. I. 2001. God’s Plans for You. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
1 Corinthians 11:23–32 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
“Do this in remembrance of me.”
I love the TV show “Chopped.”
For those of you who are not familiar with this cooking competition, one of the features is how each chef is given a mystery basket with odd and mismatched ingredients each one has to figure out how to make into an appetizer, or an entree or a dessert. Sometimes the ingredients are nothing short of cruel.
But the word you hear over and over is that each one has to “Re-purpose” the ingredients.
So one episode I watched had the following items out of which they had to fashion and appetizer:
Appetizer: Durian (a fruit known for its strong, fetid odor), Lime Gelatin, Imitation Crab Meat, & Crunchy Cheese Curls.
The winner made: “Cheese Curl Encrusted Fish Sticks with Durian Coconut Sauce.” Yum.
Now re-purposing a food ingredient or re-purposing a farm implement and making it into a lamp or something may be fun and inventive – but some things ought not to be repurposed. And to do so is a travesty, a tragedy or even blasphemy.
So re-purposing human beings for instance as crash test dummies, or punching bags or slaves – sends immediate flashes of how abhorrent those ideas are. We hardly need to say such things are wrong. We know it instinctively.
And we ought to have to the same visceral and violent reaction against re-purposing the words or Word of God to suit our own interests as well. But that is what had happened in the Church at Corinth during the Apostle Paul’s day.
Instead of the Lord’s Table or communion being a remembrance of Jesus, His person and His work, and a means of unifying those who share a common saving faith in the work of Jesus Christ on Calvary – some had turned the time into a mere carnal meal to satisfy their own physical appetites, some even getting drunk – and in the process demeaning those who were poorer in the local assembly.
They were no longer having the communion Jesus had commanded – for the purpose He had given – in remembrance of Him. They had re-purposed it for their own ends.
This begs 2 questions:
1. What does it mean Biblically to partake of communion “in remembrance of Him?”
2. Why is it so important to do this in remembrance of Him?
What it MEANS to come to the table in remembrance of Jesus in short, is given to us in this text itself: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
It is important, because in doing this, we come face to face with the necessity and reality His death once again, and the promise of His return.
Paul would use that same theme in his own ministry as he notes in
1 Corinthians 15:3–4 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”
Jesus’ Christ coming in the flesh, and dying for our sins, and rising from the dead – is what the Apostle says is of FIRST IMPORTANCE in preaching the Gospel.
And as it is all “according to the Scriptures”, these truths are what God has communicated to us all along.
But WHY is it some important to do this in remembrance of Him?
One thing: It is NOT important for Him!
But it is important FOR US!
It is vitally important that we never lose sight of the Gospel. So that as Believers we live constantly in the realization of all that He is, and what He has done for us.
We easily forget – we lose sight of things that are most eternally important for our souls – through the noetic effects of the Fall, our own busyness, distraction, and mere neglect.
1a Who has believed what he has heard from us? : WE FORGET HOW UNBELIEVABLE THE TRUE GOSPEL IS
1b And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? : WE FORGET HIS INCREDIBLE POWER & HUMILITY
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. : WE FORGET HE WAS GOD IN HUMAN FLESH
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. : WE FORGET HOW HE SUFFERED IN OUR REJECTION OF HIM
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. : WE FORGET HOW WE MISUNDERSTOOD HIS MISSION AND WORK
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. : WE FORGET THE WONDER OF HIS SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. : WE FORGET THE DEPTHS OUR OWN SIN AND GUILT HE HAD TO OVERCOME:
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. : WE FORGET HIS COMPLETE SUBMISSION TO THE FATHER’S PLAN OF REDEMPTION
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? : WE FORGET HE DIED FOR OUR SINS, NOT HIS OWN
9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. : WE FORGET HIS HUMILIATION
10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; : WE FORGET THIS WAS THE LOVING PLAN OF THE FATHER TO PURCHASE LOST SINNERS
when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. : WE FORGET WHAT HIS DEATH HAS DONE FOR US
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. : WE FORGET THAT IT IS BY HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT BELIEVERS ARE COUNTED RIGHTEOUS – NOT BECAUSE OF ANY GOODNESS OF OUR OWN:
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; : WE FORGET HE AND WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR THE DAY OF HIS RETURN AND OUR REWARD IN HIM
yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. : WE FORGET HE BORE OUR SIN – COMPLETELY – AND THAT IS WHY THOSE WHO PUT THEIR FAITH IN HIM ALONE HAVE COMPLETE RECONCILIATION TO THE FATHER.
We do it in remembrance of Him – because we need so badly to have a constant reminder that our salvation rests in His finished work on the cross. That as
Ephesians 2:8–9 says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
“[I]f worldly virtues could blot out sin, Christ has died in vain. He came to save his people from their sins. Angels ushered him into this world as the Savior of sinners. John told men behold in him the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world; and the whole Bible testifies, that “through this man is preached unto you the remission of sins.” But if the every-day honesties, and kindnesses, and generosities of life, could avail to take away sin, why need Christ to suffer? If anything so cheap and common as earthly virtues are, could avail to blot out sin, why give so inestimably precious a provision to be made as the blood of the Son of God? If, with all our honesties, and all our decencies and respectabilities in the world, we do not stand in need of everything, why does Christ counsel us to buy of him gold tried in the fire, that we may be rich? Nothing that is imperfect can make us perfect in the sight of God. Hence the admirable direction of an old divine; “Labor after sanctification to the utmost; but do not make a Christ of it; if you do it must come down, one way or other. Christ’s obedience and sufferings, not your sanctification, must be your justification.” The matter seems a plain one. God is yet to judge the world in righteousness; that is, by the strictest rule of his holy law. If we are to be justified in his sight on that day, we must be perfect in his sight. But we cannot be by means of our own sanctification, which is imperfect. It must be through the imputing of a perfect righteousness, then, even the perfect obedience of Christ, that we are to be justified in that day. We are complete only in Christ; we are perfect only in Christ Jesus. But ah! brethren, if our sanctification will not do for a righteousness in that day, much less will our worldly virtues do. If your honesties and worldly decencies are to be enough to cover your nakedness, and make you comely in the sight of God, why did Christ need to fulfill all righteousness, as a guarantee in the place of sinners? Why does he offer to make poor sinners the righteousness of God in him? Why does he say of his saved ones: “You were perfect in beauty, through my comeliness which I put upon you?”
Robert Murray McCheyne, The Works of the Late Rev. Robert Murray McCheyne, vol. 2 (New York: Robert Carter, 1847), 170.
Come to The Lord’s Table for the purpose it was given: In remembrance, of Him!
The title of this post shares the title of book by Michael Dutfield. Written in 1990. It is the account of the 1948 marriage between Ruth Williams, a young white English woman, and Seretse Khama, an African Prince. And their union was inconvenient for the British government as well as the Bamangwato tribe of more than 100,000 over whom Khama was head. The story itself is a fascinating study.
While the Willams/Khama union was fraught with difficulties because of racial, cultural and political factors, their issues were purely on the human plane. Interracial marriage shouldn’t be an issue to us any more. Though for many, sadly, it still is. And even on the purely human level, it brings a host of problematic considerations. But our text in Genesis 6 raises a far more serious concern when it comes to marital unions where those from 2 different worlds join together. One which grows in seriousness in an age where the spiritual ramifications of marriage seem to take a back seat to everything else – especially personal preference. After all – doesn’t love conquer all?
No. It doesn’t.
Now the passage in Gen. 6 is itself one which generates a lot of speculation. The exact nature of what is happening there is difficult to discern. The 2 most prominent views are that the “sons of God” are fallen angels (or Watchers) who married and cohabited with human women; or that the “sons of God” were righteous men who married and co-habited with unbelieving women. I won’t settle that argument. For I don’t want us to lose the forest whilst focusing on some particular trees. Irrespective of which of the 2 views you take here, the basic problem is that of marriages between those from two different spiritual spheres, which should not be. And the application then for us – still holds regardless of which view one might take.
Here is the concern for us: Marital unions entered into without regard for the spiritual state of the partners, but based solely on what each finds attractive. The basic principle is in verse 2 – “the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.”
The connection here with taking the forbidden fruit is obvious. The fact that it was pleasant to the eyes – “he/she looks good to me” – was part of the argument of why it should be partaken of. So here. The daughters of mankind are beautiful, and so that seems sufficient motive to act. But beauty, whatever metric of attractiveness, in and of itself is not a warrant for specific action. When it is, we reduce everything to its lowest level. We make mere appearance indicative of good. Whether that attractiveness is purely physical or rooted in personality, intelligence or other attractive traits. The issue remains the same – disregard for proper order under God, and willingness for spiritual mismatch. With the result in Genesis being, this situation was the immediate precursor to producing generations of those disregarding God, increasing societal wickedness and ending in the flood.
Did you get that? When we disregard God in this most fundamental area of life – marrying without regard for the soul status of the other – disaster cannot be avoided. It invites God’s judgment in a unique way. We simply cannot ignore this. Eligible professing Believers must be careful to marry other eligible professing Believers. We are not free to take wives (or husbands) of any we choose. We must choose carefully, righteously, and from among those God has providentially provided within His parameters. And it is not a matter of mere Church culture or religious dogma – it is a matter of proper order, of keeping to our assigned station under God.
When one is born again, regenerated by the Spirit of God and transferred out of the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Col. 1:13) we cannot marry outside of that station. We cannot leave the new order we’ve been brought into (like the Watchers if that is the case of Gen. 6). “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:4-6) This is not some sort of religious snobbery – it is learning to live at last, restored to God’s order of things. And it is our charge not to bring chaos back into God’s order. Chaos which is in the first place rebellion against His right of supremacy over us, and in the second place, the very root of the sin which so plagues and destroys mankind. Sin for which Jesus died both to forgive us on, and free us from.
Young Believer, guy or gal, please hear me – this is no light matter. Older Believer, man or woman, this is not an area where compromise affects only you. Marriages between Believers and un-Believers are a matter of cosmic importance, with far reaching and very real consequences, far beyond yourselves. It is as disordered as fallen angles mating with human women. God hasn’t given us this instruction with some dark motive to prevent our happiness. But with holy love to provide for our perpetual flourishing. Be sure the one you decide to set your love upon, has their first love set upon Christ. I can, with Paul here write: “I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.” (1 Cor. 7:35) Consider carefully what I say. Please.
Rev. 10:4-7 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.
Between the loss of my Father-in-law last year, the recent conference on End Of Life matters, getting my own will written and reading through Revelation afresh, I find my mind repeatedly going back to consider how fleeting and fragile life is – and especially, that we do not know how much time humanity has left before God’s judgments are finally meted out – let alone what that means personally.
Now such considerations need not take on a morbid tone in the least, if one has been reconciled to God the Father through Jesus wondrous atonement. But as Jesus repeatedly emphasizes in Matt. 24 – “concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” The “end” will come. But “at an hour you do not expect.” For which reason I plead with you today to come to Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. To abandon the battle with Him over who has the right of supremacy over your life and goods. To repent of your sin of rebellion against Him, and the other sins which issue from that rebellion. And to cry out for the mercy which is found only in the One who died on the Cross at Calvary.
At a similar season of life many years ago, I penned a poem based loosely on the text above and Matt. 24:36-44. A few years ago, my daughter Sarah had it printed from framing. I look at it as I sit here today – and pray it may serve to urge you to Christ as you consider where you are, and the uncertainty of what, if any, time we have left.
In my lifetime, there has been much ado about worship music. To be fair, there have been controversies about music in the Church from pretty early on. And the debaters still rage. Instruments or no instruments. Psalms only or music newly composed. Music sung by choir vs congregation or both. Professional musicians vs whomever is willing and somewhat able. On and on and on.
As a musician myself – having traveled with a quartet for 8.5 years, singing and playing in churches throughout the northeast and some beyond. And serving instrumentally and vocally on various “worship teams” – this remains an area of perennial interest to me.
Truth be told, varying views on music in Church and worship have been so strident that Churches have even split over styles, volume and presentation. Sinfully for sure. And in some places, the music has taken such a prominent place, that the music portion of the public gathering is labeled “worship” while the rest of the service, prayer, and the preaching of the Word, etc., somehow isn’t considered worship. One is hard pressed to find that paradigm in Scripture, but nevertheless is does prevail in our day.
While many have analyzed, written and expounded on worship music over time, one of the things which emerges often (above mere discussions of style and volume) is lyrical content. And rightly so. What we are singing to whom, should occupy a place of prominence. Is it clear who the object of our worship is? And are we using appropriate expressions – fitting for the person of the God we are approaching? These are serious questions. Questions not to be tossed off lightly in favor of our mere subjective preferences.
All of which brings me to something I was reminded of in reading through the Revelation recently. And that is the 12 hymns recoded in it. My Psalms only friends may find it difficult to say it is improper to sing these since they aren’t in the Psalms. But they are in the Scripture. And my more contemporary friends may be put off by how little they focus upon our feelings and more sentimental expressions. But they are representative of the worship which prevails in the very presence of God. Surly what He deems acceptable. And that ought to give us much insight into what characteristics worship music – in the very best of environments – ought to contain.
So, for your consideration, and that especially of my musician friends, I bid you take a fresh look at the 12 hymns given to us in the Book of Revelation, and see if there are some elements, themes and focus that ought to inform our own music today. Certainly, far more than I’ve witnessed. Keep an eye on how they fix on the glories, worthiness and greatness of God and Christ. And how they say so little about the singer’s faith, love, feelings etc. They are worship. Worship of Him.
Here they are for your consideration:
1. Rev. 4:8 / The hymn of the four living creatures:
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
– God is thrice holy, holy in all He has been, is and will be.
– He is Lord, reigning over all in His holiness.
– He is almighty, and His power does not corrupt Him.
This is denominated as giving Him “glory”, “honor” and “thanks” Recognizing, Responding, Rejoicing.
2. Rev. 4:11 / The hymn of the 24 elders:
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”
– He is worthy because He has created all.
– He is worthy because all things exist out of His will rather than out of any necessity other than His will.
– He is worthy then to have His glory recognized, His honor recognized, and His power recognized.
3. Rev. 5:9-10 / The “New Song” of the elders and the living creatures:
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
– He is worthy to possess the scroll
– He is worthy to open its seals
– He is worthy because He was slain
– He is worthy because by His blood He ransomed people for God from every tribe, language, people & nation
– He is worthy because He has made the ransomed a kingdom and priests who will reign on earth.
4. Rev. 5:12 / The hymn of the Living Creatures, the elders and countless angels:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”
– He is worthy Who was slain
– He is worthy to receive power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory and blessing.
5. Rev. 5:13 in two movements/ The chant of every creature in all creation:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
– To God the Father AND to the Lamb be the same
– blessing
– honor
– glory
– might
– forever and ever
6. Rev. 5:14 / The response of the 4 living creatures and the elders:
– The 4 living creatures say: “AMEN!”
– The elders fall down and worship
7. Rev. 7:10 / The proclamation of the Great Multitude in two movements:
“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Rev. 7:12 / The response of the elders, angels and four living creatures
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
8. Rev. 14:1-5 / The Hymn of the 144,000. Unrecorded, for only they could sing it.
9. Rev. 15:3-5 / Those who conquered the Beast sang the Song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.
“Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
4 Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
10. Rev. 19:1-3 / The Hymn of The Great Multitude in Heaven in two movements.
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”
11. Rev. 19:4 / The response of the 24 Elders and the Four Living Creatures:
“Amen. Hallelujah!”
12. Rev. 19:6-8 / The hymn of The Great Multitude at the marriage supper of the Lamb:
Recently, I was privileged to the speak at the “Living in Hope, Preparing for Glory” Conference sponsored by the Evangelical Church of Fairport – and hosted by Webster Bible Church. The conference was the brain child of my friend and fellow elder of many years – Ken Beaton. And it was a conference dealing with end-of-life issues from various perspectives: Medical, Ethical, Personal, Spiritual, etc. The roster of speakers was terrific, including: Pastor Jim Luckey, Chaplain Bryan McMullen, Dr. Kate Butler, Dr. Brian Smith and Dr. John Dunlop.
It was a most informative and profitable time for myself, and I believe all who were there in person and watched online. Here is a link to the YouTube video of the entire conference.
My portion begins at about the 5 hour, 38 min. mark. But I thought I would give you the text of my portion below. May the Lord be pleased to bless you all with what each contributed to this solemn, necessary but often confusing subject.
We’ve heard so many useful things today about navigating the complex myriad of end of life issues. I am grateful for each one and all they’ve contributed.
And as we have heard, and know ourselves, there is much that is so uncertain in it all.
So with a different emphasis, yet with absolute necessity, I want to close this section with the end of life issues which have direct, eternal implications. And to bring to bear some absolute certainties, in the light of what is so uncertain as we face these things with our loved ones – and ourselves.
I believe it is a necessary thing to take death out of the haze of the general way we tend to deal with it, look in the mirror and say to ourselves: “I am going to die.” “I, am going to die.” And so will you if Christ tarries. We need to say this to ourselves and live in the light of it. It is not morbid, it is reality.
That said, I’d like to look at just 2 verses in the NT – Hebrews 9:27–28 ESV
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
The Writer here concerns himself with 4 certainties surrounding end of life issues.
And at the risk of sounding prosaic – note first:
1st. Certainty: The Certainty of Death: “it is appointed for man to die once.”
J.I. Packer – God’s Plans for You Dying
“In today’s world death is the great unmentionable, just as physical sex was a hundred years ago. Apart from cynical paradings of a sense of life’s triviality (the Grateful Dead; “he who dies with the most toys wins”) and egoistic expressions of belief in reincarnation (the New Age; Shirley MacLaine), death is not ordinarily spoken of outside of medical circles. To invite discussion of it, even in the church, is felt to be bad form. It has become conventional to think as if we are all going to live in this world forever and to view every case of bereavement as a reason for doubting the goodness of God. We must all know deep down that this is ridiculous, but we do it all the same. And in doing it, we part company with the Bible, with historic Christianity, and with a basic principle of right living, namely, that only when you know how to die can you know how to live.
There is a great contrast here between past and present. In every century until our own, Christians saw this life as preparation for eternity. Medievals, Puritans, and later evangelicals thought and wrote much about the art of dying well, and they urged that all of life should be seen as preparation for leaving it behind. This was not otiose morbidity, but realistic wisdom, since death really is the one certain fact of life. Acting the ostrich with regard to it is folly to the highest degree.”
Should Christ tarry, not only WILL we all die – each of us here – but it is appointed so. Appointed by whom? By God.
Each of us here has an appointment with death, but at God’s direction.
Now there is nothing more common, than, when considering any appointment we may have in life – to prepare for it.
One of my most aggravating pet peeves, is one I regularly encounter at Wegman’s. You get into the checkout line, and the person in front of you finally has all of their items scanned and bagged: And then, as though it suddenly comes as a complete surprise, they must pay. And it isn’t until then that they finally rifle through their purse or reach for their wallet and fumble for payment and remember their stowed coupons. I don’t know what they imagined was going to happen at this moment – but for some odd reason they were entirely unprepared for it.
We seem to have an innate aversion to being prepared for the inevitable, even in the most mundane of circumstances. Let alone in this issue of the very highest importance.
But preparation ought to be a given for most things in life.
Anticipating an IRS audit, a school exam, a driver’s test – you name it. Basic common sense should have us preparing.
But how many of us are actually minded to prepare ourselves for the appointment in our text?
It is as though no such thing exists. As though death will simply take us by surprise, and maybe, if we don’t think about it at all – we can just avoid it all together.
But we must reckon with the fact that this is appointed for us by God.
It was appointed in judgment by reason of the Fall and our common sinfulness in Adam. So Rom. 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—”
And, it was appointed in mercy, lest we live perpetually in these bodies and in this world groaning from the effects of sin.
But the bottom line here at first is simply this: It is appointed for each one of us, and for all of those we know – to die. And that, just once.
Death comes many ways, old age, illness, accident, violence, etc.
The means may be uncertain – but the fact of it is absolutely so.
2nd Certainty: The 2nd certainty in the text and what gives rise to the place where our preparation is most important: Is that while it is appointed for us all to die, so also it is appointed that immediately upon that death – “comes the judgment.”
Now by that I do not mean the final disposition of our souls. Jesus spoke to that in John 5:24-29 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.”
What Jesus means here is connected to Jesus’ words in Luke 16 upon the account of the deaths of two men – one Lazarus and another unnamed. And in that portrayal, Jesus indicates each knew immediately upon death what their final disposition would be, and had begun to taste of it even then.
So the Apostle Paul can say that for the Christian, to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord, even though it is an incomplete thing as we await our resurrected bodies, never to die again. (2 Cor. 5; Philip 1)
Now here is where I need to ask you, are you prepared for this judgment?
If not, despite everything else, you are not prepared to die either.
Are you prepared to stand before the living God and give an account of every thought, every deed, every word spoken? Every motive.
Beloved, this is the most urgent thing of all. This is a certainty, as certain and as appointed by God as death itself – and it is of the highest importance that it be prepared for.
And let me state unequivocally that the Scripture knows of only 2 ways this can go.
Either you have put your trust in Jesus Christ as God incarnate – having died by God’s appointment on Calvary’s tree, as dying the death of God’s just wrath upon sin in your place – and receiving His righteousness by faith, or you will stand nakedly by yourself, when Scripture declares that by the works of the Law – by doing good things – NO ONE IS JUSTIFIED or declared right with God.
So we read in Romans 3:23-26 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Her name was Pat.
I was asked by a loving relative to visit her in hospice.
Just shy of 50, her time was short.
She was delightful. Smart. Attractive. And deeply religious. Moral. Upright. Just a lovely individual.
For nearly 30 years, she had gone to Mass every single day.
I asked how she felt about her impending death. And she told me she had fear. Especially about her acceptance with God.
I asked her if she knew the Gospel? She said no. She was just hoping she had been good enough.
So I asked if I might explain it to her, and she said yes.
As tears rolled down her cheeks, she found the Gospel almost too good to believe. That salvation didn’t depend upon her righteousness, but on the imputed righteousness of Christ who died as our substitute on the Cross. That sin was completely met in Him.
Philippians 3:4–9 (ESV): If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith”
We prayed together, and I have true hope that I will get to see her again one day at the resurrection.
Understand, Pat knew that the time of her appointment with death was at hand. But she was not prepared for it. She was not “eagerly waiting for him.” She was filled with fear and trepidation.
She instinctively knew that 30 years of daily Mass-going and her very moral life was not sufficient to gain unworried acceptance with God.
She had reached the end of the checkout line, and was furiously ransacking her soul’s purse, only to find she had no cash, no check, no credit card – nothing. She hadn’t prepared.
Although in God’s providence, He had – in using a loved one to see that she at least heard the Gospel before her final hour.
Just as your death and mine is a certainty, so is this judgment.
I plead with you today – prepare for it now. If you haven’t already, cry out to God for His mercy to redeem you today, and purge you from your guilt and sin by the blood of Jesus Christ.
3rd Certainty. But the passage is not done yet. There is a 3rd certainty mentioned here, and it is that “Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin.”
I need not linger long here, because of what I’ve already mentioned. But note that this return of Jesus is also appointed and certain.
And it is certain that His appearing the 2nd time will not be a second chance for any. He will not come to deal with sin like He did the first time.
He will come for the final reckoning I already cited in John 5:26–29 ESV
For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
It is necessary to be reminded of this because we are so prone to invent constructs that please us more than what the Scripture actually says. And so it is many imagine that there will be some chance after this present life – if they are not in right relationship with God now through Christ – that there is some sort or mythical second chance – or that when He comes again, they’ll have some opportunity to plead their case.
But as the context of this entire passage notes, Jesus died just once to deal with sin. He will not provide any other means of cleansing and forgiveness than what He has already done on the Cross. The sin issue is settled – and if we will not yield to His provision in it now by forsaking our sin, repenting now and turning to Him as savior and Lord – there will be no other opportunity at His return.
This, dear one is certain. It is appointed by God. We cannot change it. We cannot wish it to be different. As certain as it is that we are to die once and then comes the judgment, so certain it is that Christ WILL return to judge the whole world, and will not provide another opportunity to repent and believe the Gospel.
Oh, but there is such good news that is certain here too. And I would be most remiss if I neglected to point you to the 4th certainty in the passage.
4th Certainty: Just as it is appointed for all to die once, and after that the judgment, so too is it appointed that the Christ having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear the second time, not to deal with sin. But what is it certain He will appear for? “To save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.”
Christian – hear me! This is absolutely certain too. All those who have set their eternal, everlasting hope on Christ Jesus – eagerly waiting for Him – will suffer no disappointment. He will come! He will ultimately and fully redeem you and bring you to His own glory. Your faith is not in vain!
J.I. Packer – God’s Plans for You (Dying)
“For Christians, death’s sting is withdrawn. Grace has intervened, and now their death day becomes an appointment with their Savior, who will be there to take them to the rest prepared for them. Though they will be temporarily bodiless, which is not really good, they will be closer to Christ than ever before, “which is better by far” (Phil. 1:23).3. Since believers do not know when Christ will come for them, readiness to leave this world at any time is vital Christian wisdom. Each day should find us like children looking forward to their holidays, who get packed up and ready to go a long time in advance…Dying well is one of the good works to which Christians are called, and Christ will enable us who serve him to die well, however gruesome the physical process itself. And dying thus, in Christ, through Christ, and with Christ, will be a spiritual blossoming. As being born into this temporal world was our initial birthday, and as being born into God’s spiritual kingdom was our second birthday, being born through physical death into the eternal world will be our third birthday. Dag Hammarskjöld was thinking Christianly when he wrote that no philosophy that cannot make sense of death can make sense of life either. No one’s living will be right until these truths about death are anchored in his or her heart.”
As Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17 that all who were His would be kept by the Father. And to what end? John 17:24 ESV
“Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”
Believer, you will at last have the true hope of Heaven – Jesus Himself in all of His transcendent glory!
As John Flavel once wrote: “In giving [Christ] [God] gave the richest jewel in his cabinet; a mercy of the greatest worth, and most inestimable value, Heaven itself is not so valuable and precious as Christ is: He is the better half of heaven…Ten thousand thousand worlds…as many worlds as angels can number, and then as a new world of angels can multiply, would not all be the bulk of a balance, to weigh Christ’s excellency, love, and sweetness. O what a fair One! what an only One! what an excellent, lovely, ravishing One, is Christ! Put the beauty of ten thousand paradises, like the garden of Eden, into one; put all trees, all flowers, all smells, all colours, all tastes, all joys, all sweetness, all loveliness in one; O what a fair and excellent thing would that be? And yet it should be less to that fair and dearest well-beloved Christ, than one drop of rain to the whole seas, rivers, lakes, and fountains of ten thousand earths. Christ is heaven’s wonder, and earth’s wonder.”
This is the ultimate certainty we prepare for in trusting Jesus Christ as our sin-bearer.
The ultimate end-of-life issue, set in absolute certainty.
How I pray today, that everyone in the reach of my voice, will grapple with these certainties, and, with a fifth one not in this text, but no less certain because they are the words of Jesus: John 6:37-40 “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.””
“For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.” Hebrews 6:13-18
I am ever amazed at God’s willingness to accommodate our weaknesses in His condescension.
If we were to stand on an anthill, and try to communicate the intricacies of the electronics of a smart phone, we would not have to bridge a gap nearly as great as God needs to when dealing with us on His own glories. We simply lack the capacity to take them in, appreciate them and use them appropriately. This would be true even before The Fall. How much more now that we are so damaged by sin’s ravages in our souls, bodies and intellects.
And then we come to a passage like this in Hebrews. And while it should be an absolute no-brainer that if God has said something, it must be absolutely and incontrovertibly true, nevertheless, we are filled with suspicion in places. Even more, when God has promised something in His Word, and we can read it, meditate on it, examine His track record on bringing His promises to pass, and contemplate it in the light of His immutable holiness and incapacity to lie – it is only logical and right that we should believe it and bank on it. But again, we set His character aside and let doubt flood our souls.
So what does He do? Well, when God made His promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself that He do what He had promised. The same way people swear oaths to one another when confirming their promises. Now we do with that with each other, because we know people are both untrustworthy, and sometimes, because they promise things they simply can’t deliver, or are prevented by unforeseen circumstances from fulfilling. These are never the case with Him. And yet, here He is making an oath anyway.
So what does the text say about this? That God, wanting to demonstrate more clearly to us, that His promises and purpose is unchangeable – especially the promise of Salvation and the gift of the Spirit – confirmed it with an oath. He swore to it. So that we would find strong encouragement in the fact that a., It is impossible for Him to lie in the first place, and b., that He has gone ahead and sealed it with an oath. A public and binding promise.
And this then, is why we can have such absolute confidence in the person and work of Christ on our behalf.
God’s promissory covenants are for our sake, not His. It is to cement them in our minds. He does not “covenant” as a necessary part of His actions. His intention is sufficient. But because we are fallen, unbelieving and faithless, He confirms such promises with signs and seals, and makes covenants for us to bolster our faith. They are a concession, not a necessary mode of acting on His part.
Oh Christian, trust Him today to fulfill everything He has promised in His Word.
And unbeliever – you can come to Him for salvation and forgiveness no matter what your past holds. For He receives all who come to Him in faith, and turns away none who humble themselves before Him. Cleansing from all guilt and shame, through the blood of His cross.
Heart made of steel plates attached with rivets. Clipping path included.
“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Hebrews 3:12-13
It is the Author’s observation here, that sin is so deceitful, and hardens the heart against the sweet motions of the Spirit so quickly, that we need daily exhortations to guard against it.
One does not need to put butter in a blast chiller to get it to harden, they need only remove it from any heat source – just leave it alone.
This is how the souls of men are. There is an inertia to our remaining sinfulness. Even nature teaches us that a “body at rest tends to stay at rest”. If it is not moved – it will not move. Simply left to themselves, not brought near to the flame, our hearts congeal and harden without any additional influence. Time in the Word, time in prayer, exposing ourselves to spiritual matters from reliable sources which bring us before the throne of grace again to warm our hearts is a constant need, not some mere, perfunctory religious duty.
Beloved, find some time today, some place, to bring your heart near the flame of Christ’s loving grace and mercy so as to melt you afresh. It takes only the shortest amount of time for the hardness to begin settling in – for sin to deceive us that something else is more important, more necessary.
The text says to exhort one another every day while we are here in this regard. Consider this my attempt to exhort you. And if you can, encourage and challenge someone else to beware the deceitful and hardening tendency of indwelling sin. And if nothing else – exhort yourself. Don’t let the day go without some time spent drawing near to the throne of grace. Warm your own heart with a fresh visit to the Cross.
I am reminded of the strains of Fanny Crosby’s sweet hymn:
Colossians 2:1-3 “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Did you get that? All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are not just IN Christ, but are “hidden” in Him. They must be searched out. Sought for. Dug out. Mined. And that must be done everywhere in God’s Word.
Proverbs for instance, is such a treasure in God’s Word, but it does not always yield up its riches easily. In fact, as Prov. 2:3-5 notes – the wisdom found in it must be sought out if we would have it: “if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
God delights to be sought out, pursued. For it is in the pursuit of Him that those who are genuinely His and those who merely make a profession of faith are weeded out. Those who won’t take the time or effort to know Him, will have the fruit of those non-labors. Nothing. And conversely, those who do expend the effort, as the text above says, WILL understand the fear of the Lord and find out the knowledge of God. The reward is infinitely valuable. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. God Himself in Christ.
So it is, when you get to a portion like Prov. 24, it is easy to just skim over the statements like a series of disconnected bits of advice, and fail to see that all the way through, things are being revealed to us about the blessed God we serve because of Christ. Let me tease some of those out below.
1Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them, 2for their hearts devise violence, and their lips talk of trouble.
As we are to be taking on the character, the image of Christ in our Christian walk, we are called to lose all envy of evil men – because God Himself is a SATISFIED God. He is never envious of any.
What else is He?
3By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; 4by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
God is a WISE God. He never acts without a purpose and a plan, thoroughly thought through.
5A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might, 6for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.
God is an UNASSAILABLE God. His purposes and plans will all succeed.
7Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the gate he does not open his mouth.
God is an UNKNOWN God by mere human wisdom. Perceptible, but unknown, except by the revelation of the Spirit to the soul in Christ.
8Whoever plans to do evil will be called a schemer. 9The devising of folly is sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.
God is a HOLY God, and never the AUTHOR of EVIL.
10If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
God is an OMNIPOTENT God. He never fails in any adversity. And He is OUR God.
11Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
12If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?
God is a COMPASSIONATE God, calling to the lost through the proclamation of the Gospel, and providentially withholding evil from having its full sway.
13My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
14Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
God is a God of SWEETNESS to the soul. The more you come to taste Him in all of His goodness, the more you crave Him.
15Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous; do no violence to his home; 16for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
God is an UPHOLDING and PRESERVING God to all who are His.
17Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, 18lest the Lord see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.
God is not a VINDICTIVE God. He takes no pleasure in the demise of His enemies.
19Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked, 20for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
God is JUST God, and a God of JUDGMENT. He will bring justice in due time.
21My son, fear the Lord and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise, 22for disaster will arise suddenly from them, and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?
Contrary to the wicked, God is a BLESSING God. Warning and protecting from coming woe.
As you read your Bible, let the whole of Scripture constantly inform you of the goodness, greatness and wonder of our living, triune God.
ResponsiveReiding 