Jesus greater than the Law

 

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers--it is to him you shall listen.  --Deuteronomy 18:15

Buddhist philosopher Lau Tsu said, "When the student is ready the teacher appears.  When the student is truly ready, the teacher disappears."  John Kemeny, the Hungarian-American mathematician and computer scientist and educator who co-developed the BASIC computer language said, "It is the greatest achievement of a teacher to enable his students to surpass him."

I am 10 chapters into the book of Joshua, and find myself wondering why Joshua was never considered greater than his mentor, Moses.  Joshua was one of ten spies that Moses had sent into Canaan, but one of only two that came back with a positive report.  In Joshua chapter two, we see that Joshua sent two spies into Jericho to see their vulnerabilities.  It only takes two witnesses in Jewish law, and we all know what happens when we make decisions by committee.

In chapter 3, Joshua led the nation of Israel across the Jordan River, much like Moses had done at the Red Sea.  In my opinion, this was a more miraculous showing of God.  We all remember the Hollywood version, when the walls of water on both sides of the sea allowed just enough room for the people of Moses to cross over six or eight people abreast.  Forty years later, the Jordan River was in flood stage; yet God stopped the flow of the water miles upstream.  Verse 16 says, "The waters coming down from above (that is, from the north) stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down (toward the south) toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off.  And the people passed over opposite Jericho."  Not only did the people of Israel witness this miracle, but so did the people of Jericho, and all the cities between Adam in the north and the Dead Sea in the south.  All those people were witness to God's power, protection, and provision.

We know that Moses saw God face to face; he came into God's presence at multiple places and times from the burning bush to the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai to his death on Mount Nebo overlooking the Jordan River.  In contrast, Joshua met the pre-incarnate Christ.  Joshua 5:13-15 says:

When Jesus was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man was standing before him with His drawn sword in His hand.  And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us, or for our adversaries?"  And He said, "No; but I am the Commander of the army of the Lord.  Now I have come."  And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?"  And the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy."  And Joshua did so.

In chapter 7, Joshua suffers a setback because of the disobedience of the people.  Like his mentor Moses had done before him, Joshua falls on his face and pleads with God.  "Alas, O Lord God," he prayed, "why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us?" He concludes his plea by crying to God these words: "O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies!  For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth.  And what will You do for Your great Name?"

We could go on and on.  Joshua 9 speaks of how Joshua dealt with deception.  In Joshua 10 Joshua held his javelin out over the battlefield (much like Moses had done with his staff before), but God extended the day so that Israel could prevail.  "The sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies." (verse 10).  "There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel." (verse 14).  So the question remains: why was Joshua not held in higher regard than Moses?

The answer is not that Moses came first, or that Joshua was blessed less.  The answer is found in Hebrews 3:3, which says, "For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses--as much more glory as the builder of the house has more honor than the house itself."  Neither Moses nor Joshua was the greatest, because Jesus.

Jesus went through the water to fulfill righteousness

Both Moses and Joshua led the people through the water, one to escape danger and the other to inherit the land that was promised.  But only Jesus went through the water to fulfill righteousness--that is, He was obedient in every way (to the Law of God, as well as to God Himself).  This is underscored in Matthew's account of the baptism of Jesus.  "And when Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased'." (Matthew 3:16-17)

Jesus was not baptized as a sign of repentance, as we are.  He had no sin from which to repent.  Jesus' baptism was profound, as it was witnessed by and affirmed by God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.  It was prophetic, as it foretold of his death, burial, and resurrection (this is why I believe in immersion).  It was also promissory, as it signified a promise of God's grace to the elect.  The Reformed tradition holds that baptism is primarily God's promise or offer of grace to the baptized.  Baptism is said to signify union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. The baptized is made one with Christ's person, meaning God the Father treats them the same as he treats Christ. Baptism also unites the baptized with Christ's history, meaning that the person can be said to have died, been buried, and raised again just as Christ was. The baptized person's identity in Christ is based on Christ's action in baptism rather than the person's action. This union also unites Christians to one another.  Through the words of institution used in baptism, Christians are also united to each of the members of the trinity.

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted

Moses led the people of Israel through the wilderness for 40 years.  The people were tempted; their hearts were hardened; they witnessed miracles by the hand of God including receiving bread from heaven.  By contrast, Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan himself.  Satan used deception, tempting Jesus to turn stones into bread.  Jesus, knowing He was the Bread of Life, quoted Scripture to answer him.  Satan distorted the Law, tempting Jesus to throw himself from a pinnacle so that God would send angels to protect Him.  Jesus responded by saying it is sinful to tempt God.

Joshua lived some 40 years after subduing the Canaanites and claiming the land of Promise for the people of God, then he died.  Jesus stayed on earth 40 days after His own death and resurrection before ascending into heaven.  Acts 1:3 says, "He presented Himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God."  His message never changed.

Jesus went to the mountain to proclaim truth, then to another mountain and was transfigured

Just as Moses ascended Sinai with Joshua to commune with God, Jesus ascended a mountain twice in the New Testament, once to preach the Sermon on the Mount, and again to commune with God (as well as Moses and Elisha) and to be transfigured before disciples Peter, James and John.

Moses used the entire book of Deuteronomy to proclaim the Law of God that had been handed down to him on the mountain.  Jesus used an opportunity on a mountain to preach grace to people who had found they could not, on their own, fulfill the Law of Moses.

Moses came down from the mountain after 40 days, and his face glowed.  Scripture says he had to wear a veil in order to keep the people from turning away in fear.  When Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John, "His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became dazzling white." (Matthew 17:2).  Of note, both Moses and Elijah had proteges who arguably outshone their mentors.  Both Joshua and Elisha outperformed their mentors, but Jesus outshines them all.  When Jesus was transfigured, whom did God acknowledge?  His words were, "This is my beloved Son.  Hear him."  

Moses and Elijah had very specific messages for their people in their time. Joshua and Elisha built upon the message they had heard from their teachers, and preached to a new generation. Peter, James and John would proclaim Jesus to people in their time and ministries, and would speak to generations to come through their writings.  But the One whom God exalted, whom He commanded to be heard, was Jesus.

Epiphanies past, present, and future

 

"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word."  --Psalm 119:67

The movie "Breakfast At Tiffany's" was released in 1961.  You might remember it was a RomCom (before that term was even coined, I think) and it starred Aubrey Hepburn.  Recently I saw the cartoon shown above that parody's the movie, as it is titled "Breakfast At Epiphany's".  In it, a man is shown at a diner, staring into his plate.  He says, "Oh my goodness!  These doughnuts are making me fat!"

One of the great epiphanies in Scripture is found in the story of the Prodigal Son.  You probably remember the story from Luke chapter 15, starting in verse 11.  A father had two sons, and one of the sons chafed under the father's house rules. The son wanted to go out on his own, away from his father's wisdom and protection.  For awhile, the son was living it up, relying on the riches that his father had provided for him before he left home.  Soon, though, when those provisions dried up, the son found himself in a dead-end job, hungry and alone.

Out of the pigpen of desperation, the son started thinking of how he missed his father's house--the provision, the protection, the promise of a better life.  Humbled, the son returned to the father, hoping to be allowed back as a household servant.  Much to his surprise, the father welcomed him home with open arms.  He was clothed in his father's robe, ate from the father's table, and was given the authority to act in his father's name (this was the significance of the ring mentioned in verse 22--it was probably a signet ring, adorned with the family crest.)

You might say, well, all of this could have been his all along.  If he had not turned his back on the father, if he had not lived in sin on his own, the father would have continued to love him and provide for him and bless him in ways that his sinful eyes could not see until he found himself hungry and alone, treated worse than the pigs he was hired to feed. And you'd be half-right.  The older brother, the one who did stay with the father, was not a paragon of virtue in this parable.

Jesus used this story to answer the Pharisees who had accused Him of hanging out with sinners and tax collectors.  They implied that since Jesus was eating with sinful people, He must have approved of their sins, and maybe even participated in their sinful lifestyles Himself.  One of the great things about the parables of Jesus is that they turn the tables on His accusers.  This particular parable is highly nuanced: not only does it speak to their present state of mind (and give hope to generations who came after), but it also speaks to the history of the Jewish people.

Epiphanies come at just the right time

Theodore Roosevelt is credited with saying, "If you could kick the person in the pants most responsible for your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month."  The entire Torah--the first five books of the Bible, and the only Scripture that the Pharisees recognized--is all about grace.  We think it is the Law, the books of "thou shalt" and "thou shalt not."  It's really the story of God calling His people, His people falling away (e.g. running after false gods), and God restoring them by His grace.  Israel's sons turned their backs on God, and found themselves enslaved in Egypt.  God called Moses to lead them out, but they rebelled and persuaded Aaron to build them an idol in the form of a golden calf, even while Moses was on the mountain getting the Law from God Himself.  God led them up to the border of the promised land, and the people cringed in fear because they thought it was too hard.

In Deuteronomy 30, Moses is about to die, and the nation of Israel is about to cross over into the promised land after having wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.  Under the inspiration of God, Moses predicts that, even though they are following God right now with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, the time will come when they will rebel against God again.  Thankfully when that time did come, when they did fall out of God's presence and turn their backs on His mercy, God would give them an epiphany.  By His grace He would hear their cries when they repent, and restore them to their land when they submitted themselves to His law.

And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, and return to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey His voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and He will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.  If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will take you.  (Deuteronomy 30:1-4)

I think maybe this is one of the Old Testament passages that Jesus had in mind (along with many others) when He told the parable of the prodigal son (remember that it is a layered story, and speaks to many people on many different levels).  He points out that it is God who gives the epiphany.  In Luke, Jesus said the boy remembered how things were in his father's house.  In Deuteronomy Moses said they would "call to mind" the blessings of God before they had been exiled into an foreign land with an alien culture.  When the prodigal son repented, he was welcomed back into the father's house.  When Israel decided to "return to the Lord your God," and "obey His voice...with all your heart and soul," then He would "gather you again from all the peoples" where they had been scattered.  When the prodigal son found himself in hell, he had a heart change.  Ironically, Moses said "if your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven" and have heart change, God would restore them.  I don't think he was talking about heaven as in God's dwelling place; I think he was referring to the heavens as in the night sky, where they had been scattered like the stars, throughout the known universe.

The first rule of holes: when you are in one, stop digging

There are some things we should know about God.  First, He is holy and righteous.  We, unfortunately, are not.  Second, we see that He is merciful and gracious.  Again, unlike us in our sinful nature.  Third, we know that God is faithful.

A lot of people overlook the first and foremost attribute of God, His holiness.  God cannot abide sin.  He casts out the sinner; He allows us to suffer the consequences of our sin.  If we miss this, we miss the point of the gospel.  We like to think of God as merciful and gracious, because we like to be treated with mercy and grace.  There are people who say, "How could God allow people (whom He loves) to be cast into hell?" They do not recognize the great price that God paid to bring us into grace and mercy.

Lamentations 3:23 describes God as faithful. "Great is thy faithfulness," it says.  How do we know that God is faithful?  Because of what was said in Lamentations 3:22---"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end.  They are new every morning."  He has provided a way out.  He paid the ultimate price for our sin, if we could only see it and accept it.  Moses alludes to this later in this same sermon in Deuteronomy 30.

For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.  It is not in heaven, that you should say, "Who will ascend  to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?"  Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, "Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?"  But the word is very near to you.  It is in your mouth and in your heart, so you can do it.  (Deuteronomy 30: 11-14)

If the man in the cartoon, the one who said "This doughnut is making me fat"--if he had shrugged his shoulders and taken another bite, would it have been a true epiphany?  No!  Only if he put the fattening food down and pushed away from the table--only then would it have been a true epiphany. 

Epiphanies should always precede repentance.

This, my friends, is the message of the Gospel.  God is separated from man because of His holiness and our sin.  We cannot become sinless.  It is impossible.  Therefore God has made provision for us, by His great sacrifice, so that we can come to Him as we are and be clothed in His righteousness. Only then can we sit at His table.  It is His provision that we rely on, not ourselves.  "For by grace are you saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves--it is the gift of God.  Not of works, lest any man should boast."  We don't have to make a pilgrimage to some foreign land to encounter this sacrifice.  We don't have to crawl on our hands and knees through broken glass up the steps of some cathedral to know God's grace.  God has brought it to our doorstep.  It is called the blood of Jesus.  Romans 10:6-10 says this:

But the righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) "or 'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).  But what does it say?  "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."

You may not feel close to God at all at this point in your life.  You may have gone your own way for years, only to find yourself at the end of your rope.  I pray that God will open your eyes, that the light will come on in your mind.  When you have that moment, that epiphany, God's light will shine on you. At this point you will have an epiphany of eternal proportions.  Moses finishes his sermon with these words from Deuteronomy 30:19.  "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse.  Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live." 

John 2:12-13 says, " 'Yet even now,' declares the Lord, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.'  Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents over disaster."  Like the father in the prodigal son story, God is waiting for you to turn to him.  He will meet you where you are, not to leave you there, but to redeem you, to change your heart.

Wholehearted devotion

 

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." --Psalm 51:10 and 17

I was watching an episode of Moonlighting, a sitcom that ran from 1985 to 1989 and starred Bruce Willis.  If you are familiar with the series, you know that a lot of dialogue is two people speaking over one another.  In this particular episode, two underlings, employees of the Blue Moon Detective Agency, were trying to impress their boss (the Bruce Willis character), and were talking over one another.  Willis held up his hand, and the chatter stopped.

"What's the rule?" Willis said, sounding like a grade school teacher.

The two men hung their heads in shame, and said in unison, "No talking over each other."

"And what are we supposed to do?" Willis said, again in his teacher voice.

"Raise our hands if we have something to say," the men replied.

It was a cute scene, one that my wife (who was an elementary school teacher for years) could identify with.  I thought of that scene this week when I was reading through Deuteronomy chapter 10.  Often, I can hear God using His teacher voice when He is speaking through the Scriptures.  And if we humble yourselves, and stop trying to speak over Him, we will become like little children and soak in the lesson.

What's the rule?

Picking up in Deuteronomy chapter 10, verses 12 and 13, we kind of hear God using the Socratic method in His teaching.  The difference is that when He asks a question, He immediately supplies the answer.

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God required of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding today for your good?

This same question is found in Micah 6:8, which says, "He has told you, O man, what is good: and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly before your God?"

God is giving the people instruction for living through the words of Moses.  "What does God require?"  How many times have we asked God to show us His will in certain situations?  When Moses poses the question, he gently prods the people.  It is as if he was saying, "Come on, you know."  Fear God.  Walk in His ways.  Love Him completely.  Serve Him exclusively, joyfully, and zealously.  Realize that the consequences of following His statutes are for our good.  It will result in justice, kindness, and humility.

And why do we behave this way?

God is holy

Deuteronomy 10:14 says, "Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it."  In short, God is greater than we are, and He deserves our obedience.  1 Kings 8:27 says, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house that I have built?"

Nehemiah 9:6 says, "You are the Lord, You alone.  You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and You preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships You."  Psalm 24:1 says, "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein."

God is great, and His greatness exceeds our capacity to comprehend Him.  Nevertheless, He desires communion with us.

He chose us

Deuteronomy 10:15 says, "Yet the Lord set His heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day."  In Isaiah 66:1-2 we see these words: 

Thus says the Lord: Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool; what is the house that you should build for me, and what is the place of My rest? All these things My hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord.  But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at My word.

In the same way that God chose Israel out of all of the nations of the earth to be blessed in the Old Testament, we also see that He has chosen His Church, His elect, throughout the New Testament.  In John 15:16, Jesus said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give it to you."

In 2 Timothy 2:10 Paul said, "Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory."  1 Thessalonians 1:2-4 says, "We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.  For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you (emphasis added)."

He chose us to praise Him.  He chose us to serve Him.  He chose us to share the Gospel message with the whole world.  Given this awesome and terrifying commission, how then should we respond?

The heart of the matter.

Deuteronomy 10:16 says, "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn."  We all know that circumcision was a sign given to the Jews to show that they were set apart, obedient to the will of God.  But God didn't just want an outward sign of obedience.  Circumcision was not intended to be a duty, something to check off on some divine list.  God desires a heart change.

Ezekiel 36:26 says, "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh."  He wants to take away our hardened hearts, and give us hearts that are softened by His Spirit.  Softer hearts are more concerned with other people than ourselves.  Softer hearts are more vulnerable, more prone to being broken; but isn't that what sacrifice is all about?  Can you see God's heart in the sacrifice He made for us?  Romans 8:32 says, "He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?"

Psalm 9:1 says, "I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of Your wonderful deeds."  Psalm 19:14 says, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."  Joel 2:12-13 says, "Yet even now, declares the Lord, return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.  Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents over disaster."

In Matthew 5:8, Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."  In Luke 6:45, Jesus said, "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasures produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."  We who are saved have an innate desire to please Him, to do good in His name.  It all starts with a new heart.

Romans 10:9-10 says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."  We must follow Him and serve Him wholeheartedly.

Forget Me Not

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.  --Psalm 103:1-4

The flower in the image above is called a "Forget-Me-Not".  Traditionally, this flower represents remembrance.  It also carries several other meanings, including true love, devotion, and royalty.  All of these themes are brought out in our study today.

In the fourth chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses preaches a sermon to the people.  He calls them to be faithful; when they fall away, he calls them to seek forgiveness; and at all times he urges them not to forget.

Be Faithful

Moses begins by reminding the people of the faithfulness of God.  He urges them, in turn, to remain faithful to God.  Let's pick up his discourse in verse 5:

See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commended me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.  Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear of all these statutes, will say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people."  For what great nation is there that has a God so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon Him?  And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? (Deuteronomy 4:5-8).

When Moses spoke these words, the people had been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years.  All of the people who had escaped Egypt had died, except for Moses, Joshua, and Caleb.  They did not see first-hand how God had split the Red Sea.  They had heard their fathers speak of it.  Yet this generation had experienced God leading them in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  They did have a first-hand experience of God going before them and striking fear in their enemies across the Jordan, because of military victories they had won in the trans-Jordan areas. 

Many years later, in 2 Samuel 7:23, David says, "And who is like Your people Israel, the on nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be His people, making Himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before Your people, whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, a nation and it's gods?"  David remained faithful generations after God led Moses to deliver Israel out of Egypt.  He still believed.

Jesus alludes to this kind of faithfulness when He appeared to Thomas in John 20.  Thomas saw Jesus' resurrected body, and he believed.  Jesus said in verse 29, "Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Sometimes people cannot see beyond their own circumstances.  Even then, even in times of trouble, we are to remain faithful.  Psalm 34:18 says, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."  Psalm 46:1 says, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."  Psalm 145:18 says, "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth."

James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."  To those who would fall away because of trouble, 2 Peter 2:21 says, "For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them."  Be faithful, my friend.  God is with you, even in the dark times.

Ask Forgiveness

Moses knew that the people would not always remain faithful.  He recognized that human nature often leads men astray.  He continues his sermon emphasizing the dangers of idolatry.  However, knowing the hearts of men, he prophetically predicted Israel's predicament when they would turn from the one true God and begin to worship idols from other countries and cultures.

Even so, Moses knew the nature of God:  He is faithful, and He is forgiving.  So when the people did eventually find themselves estranged from God and wrapped up in idolatry, Moses advised them to seek God's forgiveness.

But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul.  When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey His voice.  For the Lord your God is a merciful God.  He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that He swore to them. (Deut 4:30-33)

Generations later, after God sent the people of Israel into exile for their idolatry, He raised up Nehemiah.  In the book that bears his name, chapter 1, verses 8 and 9 ,Nehemiah prayed, "Remember the word that You commanded Moses, saying 'If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to Me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make My Name dwell there'."

Isaiah 55:6-7 says, "Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon."  Jeremiah 29:13-14 says, "You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore you fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the  places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile."

2 Chronicles 30:9 says, "For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land.  For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away His face from you if you return to Him." Nehemiah 9:31 says, "Nevertheless, in Your great mercies You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a great and merciful God."

God even shows mercy to people other than the nation of Israel.  Jonah 4:2 "And he prayed to the Lord and said, 'O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that You are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster."  I think that the story of Jonah is a type and shadow of the message of the Messiah being open to the Gentiles.  Paul said in Philippians 1:6, "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."  The work of Christ was to bring all men to the Father.  We are tasked with continuing the work of Christ in the world.  We may be discouraged, but we remember that 1 Chronicles 28:20  says, "Then David said to Solomon his son, 'Be strong and courageous and do it.  Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you.  He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished'."

Do Not Forget

Got is faithful, and He calls us to faithfulness, even if we have fallen.  We have a great legacy in Scripture, evidence of God working in days past.  If we remember His works, we will not be discouraged or fall into despair. Moses continues his sermon in Deuteronomy 4:33-39

Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live?  Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?  To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides Him.  Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might discipline you. And on earth He let you see His great fire and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire.  And because He loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them and brought you out of Egypt with His own presence, by His great power, driving out before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day, know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.

Jeremiah 32:21 says, "You brought Your  people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror."  Isaiah 45:5, 18, and 22 says, "I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip  you, though you do no know me...For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (He established it; He did not create it empty, He formed it to be inhabited!); 'I am the Lord, and there is no other'....'Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!  For I am God, and there is no other'."

Isaiah 46:9 says, "Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me."  Jesus preached the same message.  Mark 12:32 says, "And the scribe said to Him, "You are right, Teacher.  You have truly said that He is one, and there is no other besides Him."

This Spring, as you plant your flower gardens, remember the significance of the Forget-Me-Not flower.  It is a remembrance, yes.  But it also denotes our true love of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as well as our devotion, and His royalty.

An Irish blessing from a Protestant saint

 

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. --Isaiah 53:6

The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. --Luke 19:10

The vernal equinox and the American holiday St. Patrick's Day coincide on the calendar, making everyone think green.  As the days lengthen, the trees begin to bud and soon will be covered with leaves.  Catholics, Lutherans, and other Protestant denominations toast one another with green beer, and it is said that "on Saint Paddy's Day, all are Irish."  Ten years ago today I wrote a blog on this same site called "The Luck of the Irish," where I expanded on the ministry and teaching of the Patron Saint of Ireland in the 5th century. You may read it by typing this address into your web browser:  https://blynnstewart.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-luck-of-irish.html or by searching the archive by year (2014) and month (March) and clicking on the post.

There is another influential Irish minister from the 19th century that I want to focus on today.  His name is John Nelson Darby.  His teachings were based on Calvinist theology, and he promoted the priesthood of the believer, a bedrock principle in Protestant teaching.  He translated the Bible into German, French, and English.  The Darby Bible can be read on the Bible app that I use, and is considered a very accurate translation of the Hebrew and Greek text.  Darby was also known as the father of modern dispensationalism.

Darby traveled extensively.  He preached primarily in Europe, but made missionary journeys to America and Australia as well.  Though some of his views were controversial--Spurgeon did not like the way he translated the worship of Christ into paying homage--his ideas on eschatology took root in America and were relied upon heavily in the Scofield Study Bible.  Whether you hold to a dispensational theology or not (and that is a subject for another time), I discovered a tract published during Darby's lifetime that describes an encounter he had with a dying shepherd in Ireland.  I think it reveals Darby's heart, and shows a real love for God, His word, and especially for evangelism.  It is in the public domain, so I will quote it here.

How the Lost Sheep was Found 

An incident in the life of the late J. N. Darby. 

Many years ago he was asked to see a poor boy who was dying in a lonely district in Ireland. 

He says: After upwards of an hour's toilsome walking (for the roads which in some places led over steep hills were in others scarcely passable on account of the heavy marshes), on entering the little cottage I looked round me and at first found no sign of any inhabitant, except an old woman who sat crouching over the embers of a peat fire. She rose as I entered, and with the natural courtesy of the Irish poor offered me the low chair or rather stool on which she had been seated. 

I thanked her, and passing on to the object of my visit discovered in one corner of the hut a heap of straw on which lay the poor sufferer. Some scanty covering, probably his own wearing apparel, had been thrown over him, but as to bed or bed clothes there was none discernible in this humble dwelling. 

I approached, and saw a young lad about seventeen or eighteen years of age evidently in a state of extreme suffering and exhaustion, and it was to be feared in the last stage of consumption. His eyes were closed, but he opened them on my approach and stared at me with a kind of wild wonder, like a frightened animal. 

I told him as quietly as possible who I was, and for what purpose I had come, and put a few of the simplest questions to him respecting his hope of salvation. He answered nothing, he appeared totally unconscious of my meaning. 

On pressing him further, and speaking to him kindly and affectionately, he looked up, and I ascertained from the few words he uttered that he had heard something of a God and future judgment, but he had never been taught to read. The Holy Scriptures were a sealed book to him, and he was consequently altogether ignorant of the way of salvation as revealed to us in the gospel. His mind on this subject was truly an utter blank. 

I was struck with dismay and almost with despair. Here was a fellow creature whose immortal soul, apparently on the verge of eternity, must be saved or lost for ever; and he lay before me now, the hand of death close upon him; not a moment was to be lost and what was I to do? What way was I to take to begin to teach him, as it were at the eleventh hour, the first rudiments of Christianity? 

I had scarcely ever before felt such a sinking within me. I could do nothing, that I knew full well, but on the other hand God could do all; I therefore raised up my heart and besought my heavenly Father for Christ's sake to direct me in this most difficult and trying position, and to open to me by His Spirit of wisdom a way to set forth the glad tidings of salvation so as to be understood by this poor benighted wanderer. 

I was silent for a few moments whilst engaged in inward prayer and gazing with deep anxiety on the melancholy object before me. It struck me that I ought to try to discover how far his intelligence in other things extended, and whether there might not be reasonable hope of his understanding me when I should commence to open to him (as I was bound to do) the gospel message of salvation. I looked down upon him with an eye of pity, which I most sincerely felt, and I thought he observed that compassionate look, for he softened towards me as I said: 'My poor boy, you are very ill, I fear you suffer a great deal!'

'Yes, I have a bad cold; the cough takes away my breath and hurts me greatly'.

'Have you had this cough long?' I asked.

'Oh, yes, a long time; near a year now'.

'And how did you catch it? A Kerry boy, I should have thought, would have been reared hardily and accustomed to this sharp air!'

'Ah', he answered, 'and so I was until that terrible night - it was about this time last year when one of the sheep went astray. My father keeps a few sheep upon the mountains and this is the way we live. When he reckoned them that night there was one wanting, and he sent me to look for it'.

'No doubt', I replied, 'you felt the change from the warmth of the peat fire in this close little hut, to the cold mountain blast'.

'Oh! that I did; there was snow upon the ground, and the wind pierced me through; but I did not mind it much, as I was so anxious to find father's sheep'.

'And did you find it?' I asked, with increased interest.

'Oh, yes, I had a long, weary way to go, but I never stopped until I found it'.

'And how did you get it home? You had trouble enough with that too, I daresay. Was it willing to follow back?'

'Well, I did not like to trust it, and besides, it was dead beat and tired, so I laid it on my shoulders and carried it home that way'.

'And were they not all at home rejoiced to see you when you returned with the sheep?'

'Sure enough, and that they were', he replied. 'Father and mother, and the people round that heard of our loss, all came in the next morning to ask about the sheep, for the neighbours in these matters are mighty kind to each other. Sorry they were, too, to hear that I was kept out the whole dark night; it was morning before I got home, and the end of it was I caught this cold. Mother says I will never be better now, God knows best; anyways, I did my best to save the sheep'.

Wonderful! I thought, here is the whole gospel history. The sheep is lost, the father sends his son to seek for and recover it. The son goes willingly, suffers all without complaining, and in the end sacrifices his life to find the sheep, and when recovered he carries it home on his shoulders to the flock, and rejoices with his friends and neighbours over the sheep which was lost, but is found again. My prayer was answered, my way was made plain, and by the grace of God I availed myself of this happy opening.

I explained to this poor dying boy the plan of salvation, making use of his own simple and affecting story. I read to him the few verses in Luke 15, where the care of the shepherd for the strayed sheep is so beautifully expressed, and he at once perceived the likeness, and followed me with deep interest while I explained to him the full meaning of the parable.

The Lord mercifully opened not only his understanding, but his heart also, to receive the things spoken. He himself was the lost sheep, Jesus Christ the good Shepherd, who was sent by the Father to seek for him, and who left all the joys of that Father's heavenly glory to come down to earth and search for him and other lost ones like himself; and as the poor boy had borne without murmuring the freezing snowstorm and the piercing wind, so has the blessed Saviour endured the fierce contradictions of sinners against Himself, and the bitter scorn and insults heaped upon Him, without opening His mouth to utter one word of complaint, and at last laid down His precious life, that we might be rescued from destruction and brought safe to our everlasting home. Neither will He trust His beloved ones, when rescued, to tread the perilous path alone, but bears them on His shoulders rejoicing to the heavenly fold.

My poor sick lad seemed to drink it all in. He received it all; he understood it all. I never saw a clearer proof of the power of the divine Spirit to apply the word of God.

He survived our first meeting but a few days. I had no time to read or expound to him any other portion of the Scripture. At times we could hear nothing but stifling, rending cough; at times he slumbered heavily for a little, but whenever he was able to think and listen, these verses in Luke 15 satisfied and cheered him. He accepted Christ as his Saviour, he earnestly prayed to be carried home like the lost sheep in the heavenly Shepherd's arms. He died humbly, peacefully, almost exulting, with the name of Jesus, my Saviour and my Shepherd, the last upon his lips.

Tomorrow many will be quaffing green beer and quoting sayings from the Emerald Isle like, "May those who love us, love us; and those who don't love us, may God turn their hearts; and if He can't turn their hearts, may He turn their ankles so we will know them by their limping." I myself will be attending a church service among some dispensationalist believers who may not realize the influence of John Darby on their world view.  There is one Irish blessing I would like to invoke here: May the grass on the road to Hell grow long for want of us.  If we carry the message of the Cross to a dying world like Darby did, our journey will be blessed.

The Bride of Christ, clothed in righteousness, adorned in splendor

 

Your Maker is your husband, and Lord of Hosts is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called.  --Isaiah 54:5

In the church in which I grew up, many of the older Christians loved the old hymn called "Beulah Land."  Here are the lyrics:

I'm kind of homesick for a country
To which I've never been before.
No sad goodbyes will there be spoken
For time won't matter anymore. 

Beulah Land (Beulah Land) I'm longing for you (I'm longing for you)
And some day (And some day) on thee I'll stand (Someday we will stand)
There my home (There my home) shall be eternal (Eternal)
Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land 

I'm looking now, just across the river
To where my faith, shall end in sight (Shall end in sight)
There's just a few more days to labor.
Then I will take my heavenly flight. 

Beulah Land (Beulah Land) I'm longing for you (I'm longing for you)
And some day (And some day) on thee I'll stand (Someday we will stand)
There my home (There my home) shall be eternal
Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land
Beulah Land, oh it's Beulah Land
Oh Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land

The hymn appears to be a reference to a passage in the Christian allegory The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan.  In that story, Beulah Land is a place of peace near the end of the Christian life, on the border of the Celestial City. The River of Death separates Beulah from the New Jerusalem, the city on a hill.

Now I saw in my dream, that by this time the pilgrims were got over the Enchanted Ground, and entering into the country of Beulah, whose air was very sweet and pleasant, the way lying directly through it, they solaced themselves there for a season. Yea, here they heard continually the singing of birds, and saw every day the flowers appear in the earth, and heard the voice of the turtle [dove] in the land. In this country the sun shineth night and day: wherefore this was beyond the Valley of the Shadow of Death, and also out of the reach of Giant Despair; neither could they from this place so much as see Doubting Castle. Here they were within sight of the city they were going to.

The word Beulah means "Married" in Hebrew.  The word is found 16 times in the Old Testament, but only once is it associated with a land.  Isaiah 62:4-5 says, "You shall no more be termed Forsaken [Hebrew Azubah], and your land shall no more be termed Desolate [Hebrew Shemamah], but you shall be called My Delight Is In Her [Hebrew Hephzibah], and your land Married [Hebrew Beulah]; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.  For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you."  

The land which the verse refers to is clearly Israel.  In the Old Testament, the terms used for the people of Israel and for the land of Israel were used interchangeably.  Got had promised the land of Israel to the people of Israel from the time of Abraham.  In later Christian literature, the Promised Land took on the meaning of Heaven, as it is where the saints of God dwell after death.  For the purposes of this essay, then, we will be looking at Beulah not as the promised land of heaven, or even the promised land of Israel, but with the original Hebrew meaning of "married."

Allegorically, the relationship God has with His people is many times compared to a Father/son relationship.  Scripture also uses the metaphor of God as a Bridegroom, and His people as a bride.  Isaiah 61:10 says, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."  God is compared to a High Priest who is dressed in wedding attire.  In Jeremiah 3:14 we see this theme as well.  "Return, O backsliding children, says the Lord, for I am married (lit. beulah) to you.  I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion." (NKJV)  See also Jeremiah 31:32: "Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband (lit. beulah), declares the Lord."

God is faithful, but unfortunately His people are not.  Jeremiah 3:20 says, "Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the Lord."  Jeremiah 3:7-8a says, "And I thought, 'After she has done all this she will return to Me,' but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it.  She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce."  When Israel was exiled to foreign lands, it must have felt like God had divorced or separated Himself from them.  A closer look, however, reveals that it was the people of Israel, the nation that God had betrothed to Himself, that had forsaken Him, not the other way around.  God is holy, and cannot abide sin.  When the nation of Israel engaged in habitual sin, especially idolatry (which God compared to the sin of fornication), they removed themselves from God's plan and protection.  God, however, remains faithful.  Deuteronomy 31:8 says, "It is the Lord who goes before you.  He will be with you; He will not leave or forsake (lit. Hebrew Azubah--see Isa. 62:4, cited above) you.  Do not fear or be dismayed."

So how does the Church today fit in with this allegory?  Are we not included in this special, intimate relationship that God had with His people, the Jews?  Are we to be treated as red-headed step-children, cast out from the family?  By no means!  Jeremiah 31:31-32 says, "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord."  This foreshadowed the relationship that the Son of God has with the Church.

Ephesians 5:23 says, "For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, His body, as is Himself its Savior."  Paul goes on to write in Ephesians 5:25-27, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish."  It is in these verses that we see the concept of the Church as the bride of Christ.  Revelation 21:9 says, "Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, 'Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb'."

I want to point out that this marriage relationship, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, is a corporate relationship, not an individual one.  God does not have many wives; He is not adulterous or polygamous.  Each of us individually have a relationship with God as our Father, and with Jesus as a joint-heir to glory.  God was spoken of as the husband of the nation of Israel, just as Jesus is spoken of as the bridegroom of the church.  

Is it any coincidence that Jesus' first miracle was at a wedding?  I don't think so.  In fact, I would like to point out that when Jesus first taught in a synagogue, He cited a prophecy in Isaiah, saying that in Him the scripture was fulfilled.  Let's read Luke 4:18-21:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."  And He rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

The scroll from which Jesus read was from Isaiah, chapter 65.  The devout Jews who heard Jesus read this could recite the entire chapter from memory.  They had been taught the scripture from their youth, and they knew that it started with verses one and two, which Jesus read, but also went on to verse 10, which we have already cited: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks Himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."

The concept of God's people being compared to His bride was not new to the people who heard Him there.  It should be no great leap to extend that metaphor to include the Church (Christians, followers of Christ) to be likened to the Bride of Christ.  It has a foundation in the Old Testament, and is found throughout Scripture.

There is a story of a young man who was about to be married seeking counsel from and older man, one who had been married for decades.  The young man asked, "What is marriage like?  Is it heaven?"  The old man smiled.  "It depends," he said, "on who you are married to."  We who are Christians, who are identified as the Body of Christ, are corporately in a marriage relationship with the Son of God.  He is holy, He is faithful, and He is merciful to us every day.  We must not divorce ourselves from Him, forsaking Him in any way, until He returns to take us home with Him to Heaven, our Promised Land.  When we get there, God Himself will throw a party called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, the likes of which we have never seen.  I, for one, can't wait.

Control yourself, be gentle, be faithful

 

Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  I am the vine; you are the branches.  Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  --John 15:4-5

There used to be a folksy phrase that people would say to compare how much a child was like his father.  People would say, "He (or she) is the spitting image of his Daddy."  I used to think the phrase "spitting image" was a corruption of the phrase "Spirit and image," meaning a lookalike that captures not only the physical likeness of the original, but also the soul and personality.  However, the phrase "spitting image" was in use as early as 1689, when playwright George Farquhar wrote this line in a work titled Love and a Bottle: "Poor child!  He's as like his own dada as if he were spit out of his mouth."

As a Christian, I want to look like my Father so much that it would appear that He had spat me out, spoke His life into me, and imparted His Spirit into my life.  Since no one has seen God, the best way to mirror Him is to love as He loved; to show as much joy and peace and patience as He shows; to be as kind and good as He is.  I want to be faithful to His commands, with all gentleness and self control.  In short, I want to embody the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23.

That's what we have been studying here the last few weeks.  Today I want to continue in that vein.  I want to focus on the fact that "the fruit of the Spirit is...faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

Faith in and fidelity to God and His word

One of the great hymns of the faith is the song Great Is Thy Faithfulness, based upon the Scripture from Lamentations 3, specifically verses 22 and 23.  "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."  The Hebrew word translated "faithfulness" means firmness, steadiness, or steadfastness.  It is the same Hebrew word translated "steady" in the following passage:

Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.   But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side.  So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.  --Exodus 17:11-12

God had given Moses the responsibility to hold up his staff so that the army of Israel could prevail over their enemies.  He could not do it by himself.  It is often difficult for us to remain faithful without help.  Just as Aaron and Hur assisted Moses in faithfully and unwaveringly fulfilling the task that God had given him, so too should we seek out godly men and women who might help us remain firm and unshakeable in our faith.

God never changes.  Scripture says He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Deuteronomy 32:4 says, "The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice.  A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He."  The King James Version translates the word faithfulness as "truth."  When a business operates in "good faith", that business has a good reputation.  If one operates in "bad faith", then that business is not truthful in its promises or warranties, and they can lose the public trust.  This may result in a lawsuit or bankruptcy.  Someone might say, "as God is my witness," using a common phrase attesting to the veracity of a statement.  "Let God be true, and every man a liar" (Romans 3:4).

1 Timothy 4:12 says, "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."  This speaks to self control, which we will discuss later, but it also emphasizes faith, and faithfulness to the attributes of God.  Tony Evans said the opposite of faith is not doubt, it's disobedience.

Gentleness--Meek, not Weak

God is gracious and merciful.  He gives sinners ample opportunity to repent and avoid judgment and wrath.  Psalm 25:8-9 says, "Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He instructs sinners in the way.  He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way."  Isaiah 40:11 says, "He [God] will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young."  God is often described as a gentle shepherd in the Bible.  If we are led by the Spirit, we will bear fruit that manifests itself in gentleness, humility, and meekness.

When Jesus began His ministry on earth, He sat down in the synagogue and read a scroll from Isaiah.  "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound."  Followers of Christ should emulate His approach to the lost.  James 3:13 says, "Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom."  Isaiah 66:2 says, "But this the one to whom I will look; he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word."

Colossians 3:12-13 says, "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."  I don't think any person in history bore as much fruit of the Spirit as Jesus Himself, but as he was dying on the cross He said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Paul exhorted Timothy, "But as for you, O man of God, flee these things [temptations].  Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness." (1 Timothy 6:11).  Jesus said in Matthew 11:29-30, "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Self Control and the Sinful Nature

God is holy.  He cannot stand to be in the presence of sin.  This is why he drove Adam out of the Garden.  God would not allow him to dwell in a sinless paradise, yet when Adam found himself naked and afraid in the barren wilderness, God showed mercy.  He gave Adam a covering of animal skin (this was the very first sacrifice for sin, and God made it on man's behalf.)  I submit that God showed remarkable restraint in not striking Adam dead and starting over, creating a new race of humans that would follow His commands.  But He didn't.  He showed divine self control.

There was a time in Exodus, after God had given Moses the Law, where the people sinned grievously.  They made an idol, and set it on an altar.  After sacrificing to this idol, the people put on a feast in which all manner of sexual and gluttonous activity took place.  God told Moses He would pour out his wrath on the people who sinned, and would alter His plan and make Moses the father of God's people (see Exodus 32:9-10).  But Moses interceded with God for the people, and God relented.  He turned His wrath aside because of the intercessory prayer of Moses (see Exodus 32:11-14).

Exodus 34:6-7 says, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty."  This statement is echoed in Numbers 14:18.  Ezekiel 33:11 says, "As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?"  God's mercy requires a great deal of self control on His part.

What about us?  How do we manifest self control as fruit of the Spirit of God?  Simon Peter wrote:

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us into His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.  For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. --2 Peter 1:3-7

We must exercise self-control because God is making us like Himself.  What happens when we fall?  We are, after all, sinful in nature.  Whenever we fail, we should ask forgiveness and press on.  Sadly, many of us withdraw in fear, thinking that God might destroy us in His wrath, or at the very least would not be able to use us in His kingdom.  We should not be overcome by fear, "for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self control (2 Timothy 1:7).

We have seen how God has modeled for us faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.  We are to follow Him, not just with our minds or our wills, but with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  We should be so full of His Spirit that we bear fruit in His likeness.  

Christian recording artist Steve Green recorded a song several years ago called "Find Us Faithful".

We're pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road,
And those who've gone before us line the way.
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary,
Their lives a stirring testament to god's sustaining grace.
O may all who come behind us find us faithful,
May the fire of our devotion light their way.
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe,
And the lives we live inspire them to obey.
O may all who come behind us find us faithful.


Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
Let us run the race not only for the prize,
But as those who've gone before us let us leave to those behind us,
The heritage of faithfulness passed on thru godly lives.
After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone,
And our children sift thru all we've left behind,
May the clues that they discover, and the mem'ries they uncover,
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find.

O may all who come behind us find us faithful,
May the fire of our devotion light their way.
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe,
And the lives we live inspire them to obey.
O may all who come behind us find us faithful. 

Be led by the Spirit, and bear fruit in accordance with your calling.