“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16
A few weeks ago, almost four thousand people lost their lives in an earthquake in Venezuela. In the same week, my friend’s beautiful, gifted son was beaten to death by men he tried to have peace with and walk away from. It is in these moments, the question may come to mind, “Why? Why, Lord?” Especially when we are persecuted, even the strongest Christian may ask God as Job did, “Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?” In other words, “Why me?”
I Corinthians 2:16 asks “…who has understood the mind of the Lord…” and the answer is “no one.” We want a God who is vastly higher than we are, yet our greedy minds want to know everything He knows. We become demanding and desire a God we can fully comprehend with our very limited minds. We want a man-sized God, but He refuses to diminish Himself. He remains God-sized. His ways are so vastly above our ways, and He will not lower His standards to satisfy our petulant complaints and demands. He remains sovereign. He remains omniscient, omnipresent, and extravagantly, unrelatably limitless. He remains God.
Why does God allow us to live our lives in a world marked by death, disease, war, brutal acts against our fellow man, and our own sin that we abhor? Oh, what short memories we have. God did not bring sin into the world. We did. God gave us Paradise, and we introduced sin into it. You may blame Adam and Eve for it, but would you have done any better? Have you ever remained sinless, even with your best intentions after a time of repentance? No. Nor did they. Only one person has and that is God Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. And that one act of gifting us with His atoning blood covers all our sin and gives us full birthrights to Heaven and a relationship with the Father. We are the reason for the horrors that sin and cruelty bring into the world, and Jesus is the only means of escape and triumph over all of it.
God even uses our fallen experiences to build our testimonies to say to nonbelievers, “You do not have to be clean before you come to Him. You only have to believe! He accepted me. He will surely accept you!”
That is why when you read a Psalm like the twenty-third one that is so comforting, full of faith, and trusting, you will always find, just before, another where David says something like,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.” Psalm 22:1-2
Psalm 23 has probably been the chapter that has comforted more grieving, anxious, and heartbroken people than any other, but David could not have written those words had He not experienced the despair of Psalm 22. You can’t explain what God’s magnificent redemption is if you have never been redeemed from something big. If you yourself had not been redeemed from the pit of sin.
And you cannot convey the proper estimation of God that Job gained if you haven’t witnessed His overcoming power firsthand. Job originally says to God, “How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?” Job 7:19
But God takes him verbally by the scruff of the neck and says, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.” Job 38:4 God’s response in chapters 38-41 to Job’s questioning gives this suffering servant just an inkling of God’s power, enough for Job to change his tune in 42:5-6:
“I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
Proverbs 9:10 says that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” It seems we are destined to need these God-sized wakeup calls to make us understand that every outcome in our lives is dependent on the hand and will of God. Until we grasp that proper estimation of God, we may find ourselves learning through loss and grief all that the Lord wants us to know about His sovereignty. Our faith is tested, strengthened, and refined by our suffering. Through these experiences, God reveals our faith, not just to others but to our own surprised and delighted hearts.
Our tragedies and pain may be our equipping to bless others with what we have learned. Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Are you not experiencing firsthand great joy and victory through God’s hand? Are you lacking in the power of the Holy Spirit that Acts 1:8 states affirmatively that you can and will receive?
Living a victorious life depends on our being dependent on the only One who determines victory or failure, life or death, peace or turmoil, and sadness or joy. Yield to Him today. Acknowledge that He is God and is sovereign over everything in your life today and everything that will ever unfold in your future, here on earth and beyond.
Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty? Job 11:7
We can be absolutely sure of God’s sovereignty and His unfailing “rightness,” but still have those moments when we wonder why something happens the way it does. We know that only God can see the end from the beginning, and His “end” is eternity and not just what happens to us in this life. Still, when the worst happens, will we still call God good? Will we trust in His character when we cannot see His hand in our lives? Will we say with David, “I believe that I shall lookupon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!”
God gave me a remarkable lesson today in calling God good in the most difficult of circumstances. He knew I needed it. He took me by my hand and led me through a day that revealed His goodness and mercy to teach me what I badly needed to learn. He showed me how a Godly woman should walk through tragedy and hard, hard circumstances. As He often does, He used what is dear to me to teach me. I am a mother, so He showed me two mothers who have walked through more difficult circumstances than most mothers ever will.
I started my day with a deep sadness in my heart. A young man who had been a friend of my son when they were little boys had died under tragic circumstances. He had been homeless for some time, and the tragedy rocked me because I have never known a child with more potential. The group of boys that were friends from preschool through the primary grades were all gifted and, to be honest, rambunctious, including mine. But John dazzled. He was so bright and quick and charming, even at a very young age. He was a beautiful child and grew up to be a beautiful man. God withheld no gifts from him.
Even though we had not seen John in almost thirty years, the news of his death threw me into a deep sadness I was having a hard time shaking. I decided to go do a bit of thrifting before I started my writing for the day, thinking that the walking and distraction would help me shake off the heaviness and get my mind off this great loss to the world and to John’s wonderful Christian family.
I dropped into Goodwill, and immediately heard someone literally whooping it up. At first, I could not see where the joyous but very loud sounds were coming from. From time to time, I would also hear this happy bellowing, something between laughter and a shout. Suddenly, I was almost run over by a shopping cart, and it was being pushed at top speed by a young man of about twenty-five who was zooming down the aisle saying, “Mama, mama, mama, mama, mama!” He was thrilled beyond measure to show his adored mother what he had found. It was a pair of khaki pants, and his face was effused with a huge smile when she said he could have them. He may have had developmental issues with his Intelligence Quotient, but his Joy Quotient was fully developed and seemed to have no limits. Pushing a shopping cart seemed to be as fun to him as a Disney ride, and she allowed him to roam the store and bring back things to show her. With each find he made, he would begin calling her with the same urgent, “Mama, mama, mama, mama, mama,” and he would not stop calling her name until he found her.
Apparently, this scene was a frequent one at this Goodwill because all of the employees knew the boy, whose name was Christian, so appropriate for someone so joy-filled. He beamed when he showed his khaki pants to employees and customers alike, and his eyes gleamed with pride over his treasure.
On one of his forays to the other side of the store, I said to his mother, “He has the sweetest spirit.” She smiled and said, “He does. Sometimes it is difficult when he is this excited, but he brings me so much joy. When he was born, I didn’t know what I was going to do, but God used him to bring peace into my life. He taught me peace, and at that point in my life, I didn’t have any.” The serenity and peace on her face were real.
I walked out of there thinking that this was the lesson God was trying to teach me. When Christian was born to a very young woman who had no peace in her heart, God knew exactly what He was doing. God knew the end from the beginning. What appeared not to be a blessing at all has been the greatest blessing of her life.
I began to think about John, my son, and the group of friends that played sports and did play dates and attended church activities together when they were just little guys.
There was Clarke whom I love tenderly to this day, but who had a vivid imagination. In the second grade, he pulled the fire alarm at school just to see what would happen. When confronted by the very intimidating principal and asked why he did it, he said, “I have a guardian angel who usually keeps me from doing things like this, but the angel was sick today and had to stay home.” It was the first and only time any of us ever saw the principal at a loss for words.
My son Houston and Clarke were in the same 4K class. The patient and experienced teacher had a system of paper bears on the board. If you talked too much or did not stay on your cushion on the floor, you got your bear moved. Our boys had a problem with both of those things. Sitting still was almost impossible for them. After a week of setting records for having their bears moved so many times, the teacher had a very understanding but informative talk with Clarke’s mom and me. I remember standing in the driveway with Clarke’s mom and saying the unthinkable out loud, “Do you think this could be something that could lead to being a juvenile delinquent?” At that point, her husband drove up and we shared our grave concerns. He started with the words, “They’re just boys!” and proceeded to dismiss all our silly fears and threw cold water on the drama we were brewing. It was not the last time that dear man had to have talks with both his wife and me, and we were better for it.
Since I had a very rambunctious boy myself, I was thrilled when we met Drew and his two boisterous brothers. Up until that time, we had been surrounded by quiet, demure girls. Our cul de sac had been full of them. All the grandchildren in my family were girls- nice, quiet, well-behaved little girls. My dad had been a military officer, and all my siblings were girls, so I had no experience or context for bringing up a boy who went wide open with energy all the time. When we met Drew, his brothers, and the other guys, I knew we had found our people.
Hitch was the loudest. Tall and athletic, he had a voice that just boomed all the time.
But even in this group of athletic, bright, engaging boys, John stood out as a leader. You could just see the great and shining potential in this gifted young man.
I remember having them all over for a birthday party when they were seven. It was the first time my parents had been around the group in a social setting and not on a ball field where all that energy had an outlet. It seemed like chaos to them, but honestly, they were pretty good that day. It’s just that the noise level was decibels above my parents’ comfort level, and the arm punches and crawling over each other to get to the food did not resemble the gatherings of little girls they were used to. It was just so loud. I remember looking over and seeing my parents’ ashen faces, and it looked like their hair was blown straight back. I wondered if they were in shock, but there was no bloodshed or potty talk, so I was actually feeling pretty grateful.
I remember John helping me that day get the other guys to come into some kind of order to get their food. He was a natural born leader and much admired. He was kind to me and used his influence to help corral the other guys. And he always had a ready smile that would escape from time to time, lighting up his entire face. John had a tender heart.
I recently saw an Instagram clip of John from a few weeks before he died. His homeless lifestyle had taken its toll, but he was still very handsome, and still had that smile that was irrepressible. He had wandered into Ponce City Market and had spontaneously begun to play an unguarded piano beautifully. A woman with a marvelous voice wandered up and began to sing along. That’s when that ready smile of John’s escaped, and his face lit up. He was kind to her and loved the collaboration. He was bringing joy to everyone in the place, and it seemed in that moment he was feeling joy, too. I have found comfort in that.
I began to think about those music lessons his Godly, loving parents had provided for him as they cared for him so tenderly in his youth. Those lessons were never fully forgotten, and that was clear as the music poured forth from his fingers and his heart. And then the Lord reminded me that these parents had also taught him the Word of God, taken him to church, and prayed for him from the time he was born. All that was not forgotten either. His nickname on the street was John the Baptist, because he quoted Scripture to his homeless friends all the time. God brought to mind Isaiah 55:11:
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
I pray that in his final hours, that all the Scriptures planted in John’s heart in his young life came back to him as his music did and that He was comforted. I pray that they were like songs in the night.
And I pray with confidence that our sweet Lord, our inexplicable but always loving God, will comfort his parents. I know that John’s mom has for many years comforted other moms whose children have strayed far from home. She is the epitome of “comforting others as she herself has been comforted.” (2 Corinthians 1:4.)
As these dear, loving parents wait on the Lord, my prayer is that they will be able to say with David:
“I believe that I shall lookupon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:13-14
Lesson One: The Wonder and Mystery of Jesus Christ
The wonder and mystery of Jesus Christ is so beautiful and so full of marvels beyond our imaginations that I can hardly write about it, but I want to. I want to share this conversation with you, dear believers, because I know you feel as I do that dwelling on the unfathomable ways of our Lord and His perfect and brilliant interventions in our universe and our lives is a must. We should not always keep our thoughts earthbound. Christ loves and deserves that we meditate on His extraordinary self, His sovereignty, and His ways that are so far above our ways.
Let’s start with some Scriptures that celebrate and shed light on the fact that Christ and the Gospel are a wonderful, captivating mystery that fascinates and draws us in over and over.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. –Isaiah 55:8
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, -Romans 16:25
He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him -Ephesians 1:9
Below, Paul writes about this mystery to the Ephesians. His words underscore the privilege it is to have the Gospel revealed to us:
Ephesians 3:1-6 – For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is[a] that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Telling the Good News of the mystery of Jesus Christ was a favorite topic of Paul’s. Here he shares with the Colossians and the Corinthians.
Colossians 1:27 – to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
1 Corinthians 2:7- but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;
Knowing Christ means that you know that He will accomplish His perfect will in ways we would not anticipate. He let the Israelites take a detour for forty years where they were strengthened, the young men learned to war, and they all learned more about His ways. He let Lazarus die, and through that, the magnificent power He has to raise the dead became a reality for believers like you and me, centuries later. Jesus had the power of God to defeat all of Rome’s army, yet He allowed them to crucify Him, and He died an excruciating death. His laying down His life for you and me became a love letter to generations as He proved once and for all how precious we are to Him and that He would literally do ANYTHING to ransom us from our sin and shame. We are His. We know it now, thanks to the cross. We never would have thought of Christ’s death as a way to prove His love, and yet it is an indelible and irrefutable statement of that love for us that is recognized throughout the world. What a powerful declaration of extravagant love.
Christ is mysterious. It is a mystery why He has this great love for us. When you look at us and our failures and our sin-spotted selves, you have to wonder, “What’s to love here?” But He does, He really does.
Christ does not reveal everything about why and how He is doing things, and that lends to His mysterious ways. Sometimes we realize it was good we did not know what was coming in our circumstances. Sometimes we are kept in the dark about something because God is moving us out of our comfort zone to a place to be blessed and grow spiritually. He knows we would not go willingly, so He executes a plan in our lives that moves us out of spiritual lethargy and into a place we are energized for His purposes. After all, we are here to enjoy Him and to bear fruit for Him. Through difficult circumstances, He increases our capacity to enjoy Him more and bear fruit more abundantly.
The wondrous gift Christ gave us was Himself. Most gifts give their greatest joy when they are new. This gift, our privilege of walking daily with our Savior, gets richer and more joyous and more fulfilling every year. Forrest Frank writes about this in his song with JVKE, “Never Get Used to This.” I will end today with this young man’s lyrics and a link if you want to sing along. Although there is probably a fifty year gap between our ages, I feel just like Forrest. I will never get used to the fact that I am His, that He chose me, that I have the privilege of walking with Him every day, that He calls me friend, not servant, and that His joy will only increase as I grow. That joy will be inexpressible one day when He walks me into Heaven. Praise God! I’ll never get used to this!
NEVER GET USED TO THIS Lyrics
(Oh) Mm, yeah, haha, ay! (Oh)
I was stuck inside that grave a long time (Long time) Didn’t think I’d make it through those long nights (Long nights) But You never late, You’re always on time Remember when You got me out that? (Oh) You got me out that
And now I see Your blessings, see Your blessings every day Thankful that Your kingdom’s on the way Angels all around me, hear them sing like “Oh”
I’ll never get used to this (Oh) I’ll never get used to this (Oh) This is how I want to live (Oh) Forever we’ll be singing like, “Oh” (Oh)
Walk up out the grave, yeah, I’m alive now Told the devil, “Boy you out of time now” (Whoa) The spirit won’t leave me on my fire now I know it won’t ever die out, won’t ever die out
And now I see Your blessings, see Your blessings every day Thankful that Your kingdom’s on the way Angels all around me, hear them sing like “Oh”
I’ll never get used to this (Oh) I’ll never get used to this (Oh) This is how I want to live (Oh) Forever we’ll be singing like, “Oh” (Oh) I’ll never get used to this
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey) Mm, yeah From the mornin’ to the evenin’ I could sing Your praise all day From the prison to the garden You’re the God who’s breakin’ chains When I look back (When I look back) on my whole life (On my whole life) There’s a silver lining on graves I can’t wait to thank You, Jesus, oh
I’ll never get used to this (Oh) I’ll never get used to this (Oh) This is how I want to live (Oh) Forever we’ll be singing like, “Oh” “(Oh)
I’ll never get used to this, hey, hey (Oh) I’ll never get used to this, I’ll never get used to this (Oh) This is how I wanna live, this is how I wanna live (Oh) Forever we’ll be singing like, “Oh”, hey, hey (Oh) I’ll never get used to this
NEVER GET USED TO THIS LYRICS – Forrest Frank
This is the final week of the daily blogs. We will return to sporadic blogs now that Bible studies are starting back and there is no need for daily lessons. This week I just let my mind wander to wherever the Lord wanted to take me, and it first landed on the lesson above, the wonder and mystery of Jesus Christ. Next, we will look at The Grandeur of God.
Lesson Two: The Grandeur of God
To set about writing about God is an impossible task but I am filled with joy as I attempt it. I know that my insufficient words will be used by Him to perhaps trigger your own rapturous thoughts about God. For the God we serve is so extraordinary, infinite, powerful, and magnificent that He has planted in each of us thoughts and glimpses of Who He is to excite us about meeting Him one day.
He is the God of the alps—sheer rock faces a thousand miles high and breathtaking. He is the God of mammoth icebergs and the plants and animals He equipped to live in their climates. He scooped out the depths of the ocean, depths we are only beginning to realize the scope of, depths no man has ever reached. He is the God of wildly colorful green and orange and yellow tropical birds, blue green waters, light rain and downpours, exotic animals all around the world, and people of every design, color, and shape. He is the God who created the Grand Canyon, the Aurora Borealis, spewing volcanoes, and powerful tsunamis. All of these are His magnificent design, as well as sunrises, blazing sunsets, the night sky with the Big Dipper, Orion, and Venus, planets with rings of red color, and twinkling stars on a backdrop of velvet black.
Man is constantly discovering things like the water on the moon or the ruins of Ninevah or new species or stars. As humans, we are constantly having to say, “Hmmm. I didn’t know that.” God never does. Nothing takes Him by surprise because He is all-knowing, all-seeing, and all-powerful.
God is all about wonder and mystery—do not get comfortable with His grandeur, majesty, and supernatural powers. Have you ever thought of this? There is a reason God did not start the Bible with the Ten Commandments; He started it with a mystery, the mystery of the Triune God- the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He talks about the Spirit of God hovering over the face of the earth in verse 2 and He says this in verse 26:
26 Then God said, “Let us make man[h] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
The “us” He is talking about is the triune God, the inexplicable mystery of the Trinity that has fascinated Biblical scholars for years.
He started with the wildly creative and awe-inspiring story of Creation. The entire first chapter of the Bible is mysterious and beautiful. Read it again with the knowledge that we have a God who is comfortable with mystery and Who wants us to be. It is His will that we can enjoy the mysterious ways He works in our world every day:
Genesis 1:1-26
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse[a] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”7 And God made[b] the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so.8 And God called the expanse Heaven.[c] And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.10 God called the dry land Earth,[d] and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants[e] yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so.12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons,[f] and for days and years,15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds[g] fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man[h] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Lesson Three: Seeing God for Who He Is
From a young age, David saw God for Who He is. He got that God was all-powerful, all-seeing, and all knowing. David made a lot of mistakes and definitely had character flaws that led to sin, but God loved David with a special love. I believe it is because David really saw God. In his moments of repentance, David also saw himself as the flawed and sinful man he was, but he was not consistent throughout his life with that. The one area where David was consistent was in seeing God. He saw Him as sovereign over everything, even the most daunting foes. He saw God as powerful enough to take away his fear of giants and bears and armies that outnumbered his armies. He really saw God.
I believe we are made in God’s image. We love people who really see us and know us. The intimate relationship between God and David was, in part, because David saw God for Who He is and never wavered in that. He always trusted in God’s true nature and character, even when he was coming out sin and was confessing. David trusted he could come back to God and that God’s Grace was so all-encompassing that He could forgive David’s most egregious sins. Would that we all would rest in that every day.
David saw God when He wrote Psalm 71. For David, every glimpse of God and His glory demands praise. Please read this with your magnificent Lord in mind and close at your side:
In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! 2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me! 3 Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man. 5 For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. 6 Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.
7 I have been as a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge. 8 My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day. 9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent. 10 For my enemies speak concerning me; those who watch for my life consult together 11 and say, “God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him.”
12 O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! 13 May my accusers be put to shame and consumed; with scorn and disgrace may they be covered who seek my hurt. 14 But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. 15 My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. 16 With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.
17 O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. 18 So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. 19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? 20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. 21 You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.
22 I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. 23 My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed. 24 And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt.
Lesson Four: Christ is Precious! Part One
Below is an article by James Smith who was a great influence in the life of Charles Spurgeon. He was Spurgeon’s predecessor as pastor at New Park Street Church from 1841-1850.
“Unto you therefore who believe–He is precious!” 1 Peter 2:7
To the spiritual mind, there is a charm in the very name of Jesus; and when graciously assisted by the presence of the Holy Comforter, we immediately conceive of something sweet, glorious and delightful, when the name of Jesus is but mentioned. It is a name that never wearies, because it is associated with all that is important, valuable, and delightful in the estimation of the believing soul. Many a saint has complained when Jesus has not been sufficiently honored–but never one that he has been exalted too highly. Our best moments are spent in contemplating his person, rejoicing in his work, spreading his fame, and enjoying fellowship with him. The spiritual perception of his glories–fills the soul with admiration and holy love; the application of his promises–softens and elevates the heart; and a sense of a saving interest in his salvation and grace–makes happy beyond description.
Holiness never appears so lovely–as when beheld in his adorable person and meritorious work! Sin never appears so detestable and loathsome–as when seen in his agony, cross and death! Grace is then most glorious–when we view it in his humiliation, sacrifice, and triumphs! And mercy has peculiar attractions–when beheld in his tears, tender expressions, and ardent prayers.
Jesus is indeed precious, when faith views him as descending from the glorious high throne, and becoming a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief–stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted–wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, and making peace for us by the blood of his cross. To see the object of Jehovah’s delight and angelic adoration–exposed to the rage of devils, the contempt of men, and the fierce, unsparing wrath of God, in order to purchase my freedom from bondage, to secure my deliverance from eternal woe, and procure a title for me to unfading blessedness and glory–this renders Jesus precious, and causes the soul to exclaim: his love to me is astonishing, his grace surpassing thought, and his mercy is inconceivable! The mind struggles for suitable emotions–the soul longs for a lofty song, and labors for befitting expressions to tell out her ideas of Jesus.
His tenderness, as manifested in his kind expressions, sweet invitations, and loving promises–endears him to us–and how unspeakably precious he appears! To hear the Father vouch for him, “A bruised reed–he shall not break; and the smoking flax–he shall not quench–he shall feed his flock like a shepherd–he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom,”–this fills us with admiration and pleasure.
To listen to his gracious promises, “I will see you again–I will not leave you comfortless–I will manifest myself to you, I will come and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also”–this fills us with gratitude and humility.
To find him informing us of the Father’s mind and will, to relieve us from cares, and banish our fears, saying, “Fear not, little flock; it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom–whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it you–for this is the will of him that sent me, that every one that discerns the Son, and believes on him, may have eternal life, and I will raise him up again at the last day,”–this consecrates us entirely to him, and leads us to devote ourselves and our all to his praise. But when we behold him confirming his word, removing our sins, bearing our curse, and making reconciliation for our iniquity by his vicarious sufferings and death, love can hold no longer–but cries out,
If I loved my Lord before, I would love him ten times more!
The sympathy of Jesus also renders him precious to the believer. He possesses my nature, and has felt as I feel–his heart has throbbed in unison with mine, he has feared, hungered, thirsted, wearied and suffered in every part of his person, and in every way–therefore he is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He knows the power and influence of temptation upon the mind, and in all our afflictions he is afflicted, and the messengers of his presence surround us.
Not a sigh escapes unnoticed–not a groan is neglected, nor a tear forgotten! He is ever with us, feels for us, and directs everything to work for the good of the soul that sincerely believes on him.
He is always Jesus, the fountain of love, mercy, pity, compassion, and grace. He is ever our kind, tender, and faithful brother, born for adversity, and present when needed to support, comfort or deliver. He says, “Even to hoary hairs I am he–I have borne you, and I will carry you–I will make all your bed in your sickness–I will never leave you, I will never, no never forsake you; but I will deliver you in six troubles, and in seven shall no evil touch you.”
Let this but be received into the mind by faith, and Jesus must be precious! Every name he bears, every office he fills, every relation he sustains, every promise he has given, every doctrine he has taught, every precept he has enforced–rightly viewed–endears him to the spiritual mind, and renders him precious to the soul.
If these lines should be read by any one who has never felt Jesus to be precious–more precious than riches, honors, reputation, health–yes, than life itself, I would say to that person, “You are in a pitiable situation! The god of this world has hitherto blinded your mind–he now leads you captive at his will–you are a stranger to real holiness, gospel peace, and true happiness!”
Jesus is the charm of life, the essence of joy, the spring of everything worthy the name of comfort. An interest in, and fellowship with, a precious Christ, illumines the dark hours of affliction–warms the heart in the cold embraces of death–and perfumes the otherwise scentless grave.
Everything is lacking, where Jesus is not known; and Jesus is not scripturally known, unless he his precious to the soul. My friend, never expect to be happy, or dream of peace, holiness, or heaven–unless Jesus is your all in all!
Lesson Five: Christ is Precious, Part 2
Below is another article by James Smith about how precious Jesus Christ is to believers like you and me. You may want to save it for next week when there is no blog because it is long, but well worth it.
Christ Precious!
by James Smith, 1861
“Unto you therefore who believe — He is precious!” 1 Peter 2:7
FAITH in Christ is all important. It is both the gift of God’s grace — and yet the exercise of man’s heart. It is going to Christ, trusting in Christ, committing the soul to Christ, and relying alone on Christ. Wherever there is faith, there is also unbelief, and these two opposite principles will so contend in the believer’s bosom, that he is at times unable to conclude whether he believes or not. At such times, we should repair to God’s word, and seeking the teaching of the Holy Spirit, search out the proofs of faith therein contained. Many such proofs are scattered through the word, and they are simple and satisfactory; but I want to confine your attention to one, and a very sweet one, “Unto you therefore who believe — He is precious!”
Consider the FACT: Jesus is precious to all believers. He is prized by them, they set a very high value upon him. He is enjoyed by them, yes, there is nothing they enjoy so much. He is an honor to them, and believing on him is an honor to them.
Every believer VALUES Christ. Let others think of him as they may, all who are taught of God, think highly of him. They can never honor him as they wish, or enjoy him to their full satisfaction.
Every believer feels their NEED of him. No weary traveler ever felt his need of rest, no hungry laborer ever felt his need of food, no drowning mariner ever felt his need of a life-boat — as the believer has felt his need of Christ.
They need to be saved — and only Christ can save them.
They need to be happy — and only Jesus can make them happy.
They need his blood to cleanse them from sin, and procure their pardon.
They need his righteousness to clothe their souls, and justify them before God.
They need his Spirit to sanctify their nature, and make them fit for Heaven.
They need his intercession to secure them from evil, and procure for them good things.
They need his fullness of grace to supply all their needs from earth to Heaven.
Every believer discovers the exact SUITABILITY of Christ to them. He is just what they need — He has all that they need.
They are foolish — He has wisdom.
They are unrighteous — and He has righteousness.
They are unholy — and He has holiness.
They are weak — and He has strength.
They are in bondage — and He has redemption.
They are lost — and He has salvation.
In a word, they are led to see that God has stored up everything in Jesus, and that possessing Him — they have all things!
Every Christian believes on Him to the saving of the soul. They trust Him to procure their pardon, peace with God, and everlasting life.
Their heart goes out to Him, they repose confidence in Him, they commit their souls to Him, they build on Him — as God’s foundation; they hide in Him — as the sinner’s refuge; and they trust themselves with Him — as the almighty Savior.
This is faith, and to all who have this faith — Jesus is precious. But He is only precious to believers. Others do not feel their need of him, do not see his adaptation to them, and do not depend on him for pardon, peace with God, and everlasting life.
The apostle gives certain reasons WHY Christ is precious to believers; let us look at:
The REASONS why Christ is precious. God has laid him for a FOUNDATION. He is the one foundation of the church, on which the whole building rests, and from which it derives safety. He is the only foundation of a sinner’s hope. On him we must build for eternity — and on him alone. He is the foundation of every believer’s hope. Only by building on Jesus — will hope spring up in the soul, cheering and comforting the heart.
He is the CHOSEN of God. Chosen to be the Savior. Chosen to be the center of attraction, the source of supply, and the author of eternal salvation — unto all those who obey him. He was chosen to be the storehouse of blessings, out of which all who believe in his name shall be supplied. “For it pleased the Father, that in him should all fullness dwell.”
He is the CORNERSTONE. That which unites all believers together as one living temple, and keeps them together to be a habitation of God through the Spirit. The union, the strength, and the beauty of God’s church, arises from Christ being the cornerstone. He unites all the parts together, and the whole church to God. He preserves all who believe on him from apostasy, shame, and danger. “He who believes on him shall not be confounded.” Every believer shall be bold in the judgment, confident in God, and safe — let whatever will come on the earth. Now, as God’s foundation of our hope; as God’s elect, or chosen one; as the glorious uniting cornerstone of the whole church; and as the Savior from confusion, shame, and danger — He is precious to every believer.
These are some SEASONS in which Christ is especially precious:
Christ is especially precious when the soul is first converted. When it emerges from darkness to light. When it sees Jesus as the only and all-sufficient Savior. When venturing on him — it enjoys peace, liberty, and joy in the Holy Spirit. It sees that all flows from Jesus, and deeply feels its obligation to Jesus. But for Jesus, all it could look for would be condemnation, death, and Hell! Through Jesus it enjoys justification, eternal life, and a good hope of Heaven. O how precious does this render the Savior!
Christ is especially precious to believers — when the emptiness of the world is discovered. The soul having tried the world, has found it . . . false and fickle, an empty cistern, a dry well, a cloud without water, only vanity and vexation of spirit!
The Christian has experienced that . . . the world’s pleasures — end in pain, its honors — end in disgrace, and its wealth — ends in absolute poverty.
Now turning from the world, to Jesus — it finds . . . solid happiness, substantial pleasure, full supplies.
It obtains . . . a deep and lasting peace which passes all understanding, unsearchable riches in Christ, and honors which will never pass away.
O how precious is Jesus, when this world appears to be a valley of tears! Almost everything earthly is at times calculated to . . . cause sorrow, fill us with sadness, and draw forth tears.
Losses, crosses, disappointments, and bereavements — all conspire to make us sad. Earth is to us a Valley of Achor — the place of trouble and sorrow.
Now turning to Jesus, we find a friend who loves at all times, and a brother born for adversity.
He makes up for every loss, He sanctifies every disappointment, and He fills for us every relation.
His presence is . . . like a flowing spring — in a dreary desert, like a cheering fire — on a piercing winter’s night, and like a happy home — to the exhausted traveler.
O how precious is Jesus now!
Christ is especially precious at the throne of grace. What could we do without Jesus there? What could we plead? Realizing this, and perceiving the infinite worth and worthiness of Jesus, and his glorious sacrifice, and believing that he stands between us and his Father’s justice, how precious Jesus is! We dare not go to the throne without him, nor expect the least blessing but through him, and for his sake; but with him, and through him, we may expect the greatest, the richest, the best blessings, which God can bestow!
Christ is especially precious in seasons of sickness. When shut out from the world, and obliged to be much alone. When exercised with strong pain, or extreme weakness. Then, to lie on the sick pillow and meditate on . . . what he is, what he has done, what he is doing, and what he has promised to do — is indeed sweet.
One promise dropped by him into the heart, will raise us above pain and fear, and fill us with patience, fortitude, and courage.
Christ is especially precious when Satan comes to harass us, and reflections on the sins and infirmities of our past lives, are calculated to deject and cast us down.
Christ is especially precious in the hour of death. However much we may need Christ in life — we shall need him more in death. He is the only antidote of death. He alone can give us victory over it. He alone can make us triumph in it.
How precious have multitudes found Jesus to be in the dying hour! They have been able to defy its power, smile at its pains, and court its final stroke! Through him they have cried, and cried in tones of triumph, “O death, where is your sting! O grave, where is your victory!” Yes, when earth appears to be receding, and eternity drawing very near to us. When every earthly prop gives way. When clear light shows us that our very best works are but splendid sins. O how precious is Jesus then!
His blood and obedience, his word and his grace, his faithfulness and sympathy, are unutterably precious!
Beloved, do you have this faith, which, renders Christ so precious? If so, admire the sovereign and distinguishing grace of God, which has conferred so great a blessing upon you — for not all are given saving faith.
Honor the Holy Spirit, by whose operation this faith was produced in you.
Realize the importance of this faith, which renders Christ so precious.
It is the eye — which sees the beauty of Christ.
It is the foot — which travels to Christ.
It is the hand — which lays hold of Christ.
It is the mouth — which tastes the sweetness of Christ.
It is the inward principle — which clings and cleaves to Christ.
Avoid therefore whatever weakens faith, or interrupts its exercise; and prize whatever strengthens it, and makes it vigorous!
If you do not have this faith, or if you doubt whether you have or not — cry mightily to God, to send the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of faith to produce, or increase it, in you.
If you do not have high and honorable thoughts of Christ, if you do not prize him as the chief among ten thousand, and altogether lovely, if you do not depend entirely on his precious blood and finished work, for your salvation — whatever ‘faith’ you may have — is not that faith which distinguishes God’s elect, which is of the operation of God, and to which the promise of salvation is made. Look well to it, therefore, that you have this faith, that you believe on the Son of God, that you believe that Jesus is the Christ, and trust in him, and love him accordingly, for, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God.”
In my career as a business consultant, I often advised young professionals that how you begin with a new company and how you exit are critical to becoming the person you want to be in business. Beginnings and endings are important. The way you begin a marriage is important and the way it ends, through widowhood, divorce, or whatever is also significant. A child’s beginning and the way you raise him is important to the person he will eventually become. James Dobson once said that you should actively parent a child at three because you are determining who he will be at thirteen when the discipline problems will be much harder to solve. Starting well is important, but so is finishing well. We can all think of men like Solomon and King Saul in the Bible who did not finish well. Or modern day evangelists and pastors who were once on fire for the Lord but took a tumble from their calling when pride, self-importance, and self-gratification led them into sin. It can happen to any of us if we try to coast on our good beginning and do not have an eye to finishing well.
Jesus had a mysterious and awesome beginning in Bethlehem. It goes without saying that Christians write about it, celebrate it, and ponder it often. But His departure was equally mysterious and awesome, and John MacArthur would add a third descriptor: Significant.
For today, simply read these two accounts of this miraculous, glorious event in Jesus’ life called the Ascension. Christ’s last day on earth did not end on the cross. That was actually a beginning. Christ’s last day was not spent in agony; it was spent in joy and glory. It was spent in the company of His best friends and his Father. It was glorious. One account is from the Gospel of Luke and the other is from Acts, but Luke wrote them both.
The Luke Account
Text: Luke 24:12-53
But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
On the Road to Emmaus
13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,[b]43 and he took it and ate before them.
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for[c] the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
The Ascension
50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.
The Acts Account
Text: Acts 1:1-11
1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 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.
4 And while staying[a] with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
The Ascension
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Lesson Two: The Significance of the Ascension, Part One
…Luke began with (Jesus’) arrival, and Luke ends with his departure. Let’s look at the text, verse 50: “He led them out as far as Bethany and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshipping him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple praising God.”
The story of Jesus began in heaven when he left and came to earth, and it ends when he leaves earth to return to heaven. The story began with condescension and ends with ascension, began with incarnation and ends with exaltation, began with expectation and ends with consummation. It began with the Son of God being born of a virgin, descending to earth, and it ends with the Son of God being born from the dead ascending to heaven. The story began with hope unrealized and ends with hope fully realized. It began with a promise and ends with a fulfillment and a new promise. And the story began with praise and worship, and it ends the same way. It began with the praise of Mary and Zacharias and Simeon and Anna all praising God in anticipation of the coming of Messiah. It began with the praise of angels, and it ends with worship and praise. The story even began in the temple when the baby Jesus was taken to the temple, and there being offered for dedication in the Jewish custom he was taken up into the arms of Simeon who offered praise to God. And then there was Anna who was always in the temple praising God. And so it began with praise and ends with praise. It began in the temple and ends in the temple. We have come from the beginning to the end, and in between is the incomparable magisterial history of his life, his teaching, his miracles, his rejection, his death and his resurrection, a history written majestically by Luke and not only Luke but Matthew, Mark, and John as well.
However, only Luke is given the sole privilege of recording the culminating event, the ascension. And Luke tells us about the ascension twice. It’s how he ends his Gospel, and it’s how he begins his next volume of history called the book of Acts. Luke tells the story of Christ on earth; Acts tells the story of the coming of the Holy Spirit and the fulfillment of the Great Commission in the establishment of the church. So Luke again in his two overlapping, interlocking histories ends with the ascension and begins with the ascension, which then should affirm to us its importance. It is the culminating end of one history and it is the inaugural beginning of another history. As we look at this massive miracle, I want you to consider three aspects: The event itself, miraculous ascension, the response, and then we’ll talk about its significance. And in so doing, we will transition if we can our praise from the birth of our Lord to his ascension, from his humiliation to his exaltation, from his condescension to his coronation.
Lesson Three: The Significance of the Ascension, Part Two
MacArthur’s teaching below points out the significance of the Ascension and what it should mean to each of us who are called by His name, Christians.
Finally, we’ve seen the event (the Ascension) and the response. What’s the significance? I suppose you could approach it negatively, no more stupid questions for Jesus. That would be a certain amount of relief. No more having to deal with the foibles of fallen creatures on their own turf, no more hateful Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees. No more having to walk dirty roads with dirty people. No more agonizing rejection. No more indifference. No more hate. No more sleepless nights. That would be a very superficial look at the significance of the ascension, but a much more significant way to look at it is to see what it signals by way of his accomplishment. So let me just give you some things you can think about quickly. It marked the completion of his salvation work. It marked the completion of his salvation work. After the cross and the resurrection, there was nothing more to do to provide any aspect of salvation. That was summed up in the words on the cross, “It is finished.” “I glorified you on earth,” he said to the Father in John 17, “now having finished the work you gave me to do.” The work of redemption is done.
Secondly, it is the end of his limitation. He says in John 17:5, “Take me back to the glory I had with you before the world began.” He set aside the independent use of his divine authority and power to become a slave to the Father. When that was over, he came back to his preincarnate glory. He came back in one sense more than when he left. He left as Spirit; he came back as Theanthropos, the God man, whom he remains forever. And even when you go to heaven to worship him, according to Revelation 5, you’re going to see a Lamb who has been wounded.
Thirdly, the ascension marked his exaltation and his coronation. It was then that God gave him the name above every name, the name Lord and called on all to bow. Fourthly, it signaled his sending of the Holy Spirit. John 16:7: “If I don’t go, I can’t send the Holy Spirit.” “It’s better for you,” he said, “that I go so that I can send the Helper, the Holy Spirit who will be with you all the time. He has been with you. He shall be in you.”
Number five, his ascension marked the start of his preparation for our heavenly home. In John 14, when they were all moaning and sorrowing over his leaving, he saw it so very differently. “Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am there you may be also.” He is there preparing our heavenly home.
Number six, the ascension marked the passing of the work of evangelism to his followers. That’s why the Book of Acts begins with Luke saying, “The former treatise, namely the Gospel of Luke, I wrote, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began.” Yes, there is the finished work of Christ; that’s the redemptive work. The work of evangelism only began, and he passed the baton to his followers.
Number seven, the ascension signaled our Lord’s headship over the church. He, who is named Lord, he according to Ephesians 1 who is far above all rule, power, dominion, and authority is given as head over the church, which is his body in which all the fulness dwells. He is exalted then to be Lord and ruler of his church, which embodies his person. That all is launched at the ascension.
Number eight, it marked his triumph over Satan. First John 3:8 says, “He came to destroy the works of the devil.” And in his triumphant coronation, the Father was affirming that he had done that destruction in full. The serpent’s head was crushed, and Christ is supreme. Hebrews 2 puts it this way: “He took away from Satan the power of death, by which he held men in bondage all their lives.”
Number nine, it signaled our Lord’s giving the work of ministry to gifted men. He was the gifted man with his disciples. He never seemed to pass the teacher’s mantle to any of them, but according to Ephesians 4:8, “When he ascended on high, he led captive a host of captives and gave gifts to men.” Because of his work, when he ascended into heaven, he had provided a salvation that would capture souls who would be given back as gifts to men, some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastor-teachers for the equipping of the Saints for the work of the ministry. So in his earthly provision of salvation, he secured the salvation of all future leaders of the church who would be given to the church for its own edification to make it strong for the work of evangelism.
And then as we’ve indicated, number ten, the ascension marked the start of his high priestly work. He now ever-lives to intercede for us. He is our advocate before the Father no matter what accusations are brought against us by Satan and his emissaries. “Who is going to lay any successful charge against God’s elect? Not Christ who justified us. He has been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” So he’s a “sympathetic and merciful High Priest,” the writer of Hebrews says, “who can come to us and nurture us in all our struggles.”
And finally, the ascension guarantees and secures his Second Coming. “He has been taken from you but he will come in like manner as you have seen him go,” Acts 1:11. What an amazing event. Talk about something worth celebrating. If we can go all the way from the birth of Christ to the ascension of his Christ, from his arrival to his departure, we’ll get a picture of the whole thing. He is exalted by his ascension, crowned as Lord. He sends the Holy Spirit. He begins to prepare our eternal home. He takes the headship of the church. He defeats Satan. He passes evangelism and ministry to his followers. He begins the blessed work of intercession on behalf of his people and stands ready to return in God’s perfect time. Yes, in the words of Paul to the Corinthians, “He who was rich became poor, divesting himself of all heaven’s riches, that we through his poverty might be made rich.” So as we come to Christmas this year, maybe we can go on to the end of the story, get past the beginning and reflect on everything that he accomplished.
Lesson Four: Finishing Well in Your Life
From Casey:
Maybe it is because I turned seventy-five this year that I am energized about finishing well. I live in Atlanta, home of the world’s largest airport. Unlike Boston and some other airports, Atlanta has the luxury of some very long runways. I feel like a jet that has been taxiing down the runway at a reasonable rate of speed when suddenly comes the moment to get serious about acceleration. It will take acceleration to give the jet the lift it needs to take off, to get the job done, to lift hundreds of lives into the air, and to bring them to safety. I see that as my job- to lift lives and to help bring as many people as I can to safety into the strong arms of Jesus Christ. To show the way into the strong tower; I want the refuge that has kept me safe and protected from fearing the things of this world for almost over forty years to be their refuge for the rest of their lives. But I don’t have much runway left. Of course, some of my best friends are in their nineties and some have lived to around 100, but even so, there is not as much runway left for me. I have already taxied well over half of this runway of life. I don’t find this sad; I am excited.
There is something to this “nothing to lose,” “go for broke” mindset I have now. When I was very young, I dreaded asking people about their personal relationship with Jesus. I feared they wouldn’t like me or would get mad at me for pressuring them or might think I was holier than thou. Not now. I don’t’ have time to waste on silly fears like that. And the excitement about the possibility that someone might join me in Heaven instead of going to everlasting hell far outweighs any hurt pride I might experience if they reject me. They and I have everything to gain. When I look at my friends I am talking to Jesus about, they have eternal life and Heaven to gain, not to mention a personal relationship here on earth that is the best companionship they will ever know; their loss would be if they forego the Lord’s offer of a personal relationship and spend eternity in Hell. No matter what you believe Hell is (though the Bible documents it as more horrific than anything we have on earth), eternity is a long time to spend in a place like that.
In the spirit of lifting everyone I meet or write for, I am leaving you with the simple steps to confirm that you have indeed experienced Christ’s saving Grace on His terms.
First, take Him at His word when He says that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Your sins may not be as bad as those around you, but believe me, when Jesus says there is sin in everyone (past, present and future), there is sin. You may never violate the original Ten Commandments, but do you love your neighbors unselfishly as yourself? So far in life, have you ever placed anything above God? Have you ever taken self-sufficiency or self-consciousness a step too far to the point of pridefulness? There comes a moment when you have to believe Jesus that you are a sinner and that His Grace can save you. You cannot be what the Bible calls a “sinner saved by Grace” if you don’t even know you are a sinner. Tell Jesus that you agree with Him that you are a sinner and ask for forgiveness for any sin you have committed in the past. It is humbling and it is hard, but when you truly humble yourself and ask for your sins to be taken from you, it is a tremendous relief. The definition of the Grace you will receive is that you will be “just as if you have never sinned.” You will be a “new creature.” Happy Birthday! Welcome to a new life, a fresh start.
But I am getting ahead of myself. You have to accept this free gift of Grace. You tell the Lord that you believe Him when He says He can cleanse you of any sin and give you a new life in Him. Tell Him you accept Him as your Savior. Tell Him that He is in charge now and that you defer to Him. It may take some time to put that into practice as most of us feel we have been doing a remarkable job without Him, but ask Him to help you. You will be amazed, relieved, buoyed up.
Now go out and live as a child of God. That’s it. You will live more joyously, fully and successfully if you get in a Bible study and learn His Word, praise Him, and make friends with other Christians who can encourage you and teach you, but even if you never do, Steps 1 & 2 are all you need for salvation. The Book of John is a great book of the Bible to read first. John was Jesus’ best friend when He was on earth, so he saw Jesus in every type of situation. Who better to help you get to know the man who will become your best friend also?
And for those of you who accepted Jesus as your Savior a long time ago, I am praying for you that you finish well. Continue to grow in the Lord and your knowledge of Him. Increase your time alone with Him in prayer. Increase your study of His Word. Tomorrow we will talk about increasing one other really important thing: Increasing your praise!
Lesson Five: Increase Your Praise
(Note: At the end of this blog is a wonderful devotional on The Ascension from Streams in the Desert.)
As I wrote this series on the Ascension, I had experienced two weeks of stress and the things of this world designed to deplete us of joy, strength, energy, and intimacy with the Lord. After a particularly upsetting morning, I drove home knowing what I needed desperately: I needed to praise! Only by getting alone with the Lord and praising Him could I get my mind off my troubles, myself, and my anxious emotions. Ironically, by taking my eyes off myself and re-orienting my gaze on Jesus could the healing of my “Self” begin.
Everyone has his or her own way of praising. Some read Psalms aloud. I have included ten of those at the end of this blog.
Some sing or read the words to traditional hymns. I have included the words to a couple of those under Option 2. But today, I want to share with you what I did on the day I was so stressed and alienated from joy. I warn you, I have the taste in music of a thirteen year old girl. But maybe if I share what I do, it can inspire you to come up with your own praise time.
The day I came home so distraught, I got my phone and opened YouTube.com and began to open up music videos that had the lyrics plainly displayed. I sat in my sunny living room for an hour and a half and just sang to the Lord. No, I am not a singer. My sisters could hardly sit by me in church because they would laugh at my singing. But I am enthusiastic! So below are some links to some of the songs I sang that day. I left that time with the Lord relaxed, comforted, filled with joy, filled with awe of the mighty God I serve who could overcome every upset and every problem I had been concerned about. I will give you three options for what I did that day:
From YouTube.com
Option One:
Sing along with these popular songs, lyrics provided.
Design your own praise experience. Go to YouTube and find songs by your favorite artists. Google titles or artists + lyrics video YouTube. I like Toby Mac, Mac Powell, Mandisa, and Southern Gospel.
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is He Who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His Name. 5 For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.
1 I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. 2 I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3 Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His Name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. 6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who [reverently] fear Him, and He delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. 9 Fear the Lord, you His Holy people, for those who fear Him lack nothing.
I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2 Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. 3 Glorious and majestic are His deeds, and His righteousness endures forever. 4 He has caused His wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate. 5 He provides food for those who [reverently] fear Him; He remembers His covenant forever.
1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.
3 For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. 5 The sea is His, for He made it, and His hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 7 for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.
1 It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your Name, O Most High, 2 proclaiming Your love in the morning and Your faithfulness at night, 3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.
4 For You make me glad by Your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what Your hands have done. 5 How great are Your works, Lord, how profound Your thoughts! 6 Senseless people do not know, fools do not understand, 7 that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.
1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His Holy Name. 2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits— 3 Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 Who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
22 Praise the Lord, all His works everywhere in His dominion. Praise the Lord, O my soul.
5 The Heavens praise Your wonders, Lord, Your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the Holy ones. 6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the Heavenly beings? 7 In the council of the Holy ones God is greatly feared; He is more awesome than all who surround Him. 8 Who is like You, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and Your faithfulness surrounds You.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You. 15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, Lord. 16 They rejoice in Your Name all day long; they celebrate Your righteousness. 17 For You are their glory and strength, and by Your favor You exalt our horn. 18 Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel. Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.
1 Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol Him, all you peoples. 2 For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!
13 For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your Book before one of them came to be. 17 How precious to me are Your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!
OCTOBER 22 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush (Exod. 3:1, 2). The vision came in the midst of common toil, and that is where the Lord delights to give His revelations. He seeks a man who is on the ordinary road, and the Divine fire leaps out at his feet The mystic ladder can rise from the market place to Heaven. It can connect the realm of drudgery with the realms of grace. My Father God, help me to expect Thee on the ordinary road. I do not ask for sensational happenings. Commune with me through ordinary work and duty. Be my Companion when I take the common journey. Let the humble life be transfigured by Thy Presence. Some Christians think they must be always up to mounts of extraordinary joy and revelation; this is not after God’s method. Those spiritual visits to high places, and that wonderful intercourse with the unseen world, are not in the promises; the daily fife of communion is. And it is enough. We shall have the exceptional revelation if it be right for us. There were but three disciples allowed to see the transfiguration, and those three entered the gloom of Gethsemane. No one can stay on the mount of privilege. There are duties in the valley. Christ found His life-work, not in the glory, but in the valley and was there truly and fully the Messiah. The value of the vision and glory is but their gift of fitness for work and endurance. –Selected
(I am sending Monday’s blog today as I will be in the mountains with little Internet reception.)
We must be killing sin or sin will be killing us.
John Owen
ne: Facing Your Enemy
Lesson One: Facing Your Enemy
As I studied the topic of temptation this week, I decided to seek the wisdom of Charles Spurgeon, C.S. Lewis, and Matthew Henry. These are my go-to guys when I am about to teach almost any topic and want to educate myself with commentary beyond the text of the Bible. I found it interesting that when they talk about temptation, the verse that dominates their thinking on this subject is 1 Corinthians 10:13:
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Although these are all men who do not hesitate to call sin what it is- sin, they all find this verse extremely comforting. I do, too.
The foremost point they make is that it is not a sin to be tempted. You are not evil because Satan tempts you—he is. Satan is the enemy, the evil one, the liar, and the accuser. He is all these things when he comes upon an unsuspecting Christian woman and throws the net of temptation over her. Let me tell you why I say unsuspecting, even though we, of course, suspect that Satan is up to his tricks every day in our lives. In fact, we know it. Still, we are vulnerable to surprise attacks, and that is a specialty of our enemy.
Think of a woman (maybe you) who goes into her quiet time, confesses her sin, is forgiven, is one with the Lord, prays for her neighbors, and walks out of her prayer closet loving others and loving the Lord. Then one of those neighbors betrays her in a way that stuns her. The gut punch hurts and there may be a tinge of anger there. She thinks of all the times she has helped her neighbor, blessed her, listened to her, and stood by her. This stab in the back is not right.
My grandmother used to use a phrase for this, “It flew all over me.” And that is exactly what the temptation feels like in the moment. The sweetness of the morning communion with your Father is suddenly blocked, covered as if with a blanket of shock, disappointment and hurt. Whether you sin depends on two things:
Do you hold on to those feelings of do you fling them onto your Savior for Him to deal with from that time forward?
Do you allow the initial emotions to lead you to anger, resentment, or judging the other person? The judging is not your job; it is the Lord’s and He is much wiser and better at it than you are. The anger and resentment are toxic to your body, mind, and soul. You can almost feel the poison of those sinful emotions as they seep into you.
Disappointment and hurt in the moment festers more and more the longer you dwell on them. You can feel entitled to be angry, hate your sister, or judge others. Resentment and bitterness can grow inside you, hurting you far more than it hurts the other person.
And the same truths apply to any sin whether of the flesh, the mind, or the tongue.
Tomorrow we will see what Spurgeon and Henry have to say about I Corinthians 10:13 and how to handle temptation.
Lesson Two: Fighting the Creep of Sin in Your Soul
Yesterday, we talked about sin being like a toxic covering that flies all over you. If something flies all over you, you know (as we all do) that you are prone to sin—it is the nature we have had since the Garden. The minute anything
flies all over you, start pleading the blood of Jesus to be the greater covering over you. Because of your salvation through Jesus Christ, you can ask for His blood to blot out any initial sinful feelings and to dispel the toxins of any other sin that try to get in. Jesus’ blood, forgiveness, and redemption are the antidote, the cure, the living water that washes away all sin.
What the other person does is up to them. You’re good. You are in Christ. Yes, this offense hurt in the moment, but you have a Savior Who can wipe out the pain and the sin at the same time. But you need to specifically ask Him to do that in prayer. It is important that you go to the Lord and confess that you are helpless to heal your emotions and resist the temptation to sin in your own strength. Go to Him and praise Him for how faithful He is to help you with emotions too big to handle yourself. Matthew Henry talks about the faithfulness and what it meant to the church in Corinth mentioned in I Corinthians 10:13:
But God is faithful – This was the only source of security; and this was enough. If they looked only to themselves, they would fall. If they depended on the faithfulness of God, they would be secure. The sense is, not that God would keep them without any effort of their own; not that he would secure them if they plunged into temptation; but that if they used the proper means, if they resisted temptation, and sought his aid, and depended on his promises, then he would be faithful. Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary
Spurgeon talks at length about the comfort we can find in the Lord when we are tempted in his essay “Comfort for the Tempted,” 1883. He talks about how the Lord limits what Satan can do to us and how long the He will allow it to last. He knows us. He knows our limits. Spurgeon says:
If he intends his servants to pass through the fire, and not through the water, Satan himself cannot make them go through the water. God counts the drops of bitter tonic that he administers to his ailing saints, and not a drop more shall they possibly have than he measures out to them. So, dear tried children of God, you shall not be tempted above what ye are able so far as the number of your temptations and trials is concerned. Comfort for the Tempted, Spurgeon, Charles Haddon, 1883
However, Spurgeon says we are expected to live in a state of readiness, because we know our enemy Satan is always prowling around looking for a good time for a surprise attack. Below are some quotes from Charles Haddon Spurgeon about being strong and ready through living close to the side of Jesus through prayer and Bible reading so we are less vulnerable:
Lesson Three: C.S. Lewis – No Man Knows How Bad He is, Until He Has Tried to Be Good
“No man knows how bad he is until he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is; after all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by walking against it, not by lying down. A man who gives into temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people in one sense know very little about badness. They’ve always lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it, and Christ, because he was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows the full what temptation really means.” C.S. Lewis.
In wrestling with the reality of sin and forgiveness, C.S. Lewis began to realize his own self-serving motives. “He began to understand that he wasn’t wanting God’s forgiveness as much as him to be excused of sin, and that makes all the difference. ‘Forgiveness says, ‘Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology; I will never hold it against you and everything between us two will be exactly as it was before’,’ Lewis explains, but excusing says ‘I see that you couldn’t help it or didn’t mean it; you weren’t really to blame.’”
Sure, sometimes there’s a mix of sin and excuse for the sin, whether against someone or against God, and Lewis points this out, but we are often more anxious to summon up an excuse for our behavior or thoughts then to seek a remedy in God’s mercy. In our hurried excuse-driven world, we are likely to forget our position when it comes to our inadequacies before God, that despite the ‘legitimate” excuses, ‘the bit left over, the bit which the excuses don’t cover, the bit which is inexcusable but not, thank God, unforgivable,” says Lewis, needs the redemptive work of God. If we satisfy ourselves with our excuses, we’ll never get to a penitent place and be, “too easily satisfied about ourselves.”
Lewis provides us with two remedies. “One is to remember that God knows all the real excuses very much better than we do,” he says. “If there are real ‘extenuating circumstances’ there is no fear that He will overlook them.” As he does with the example of a toothache elsewhere, Lewis brings in a medical example and says, “When you go to a doctor you show him the bit of you that is wrong—say, a broken arm. It would be a mere waste of time to keep on explaining that your legs and eyes and throat are all right. You may be mistaken in thinking so, and anyway, if they are really all right, the doctor will know that.” The second remedy is simple but difficult given our excuse-laden selves. We must truly believe in the forgiveness of sins. Lewis says that our excuses are bred from a place where we don’t really believe in God’s forgiveness, that he, “will not take us to Himself again unless He is satisfied that some sort of case can be made out in our favour,” Lewis says. “But that would not be forgiveness at all. Real forgiveness means looking steadily at the sin, the sin that is left over without any excuse, after all allowances have been made, and seeing it in all its horror, dirt, meanness, and malice, and nevertheless being wholly reconciled to the man who has done it. That, and only that, is forgiveness, and that we can always have from God if we ask for it.”
Let us give up the excuses that keep us in our own self-righteousness, trapped in our own cave. Let us cut clear and, like Moses in Exodus 33, know that God will show himself to us and will shelter us. The Psalms speak to this truth: “The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings” (36:7), until the storm passes (57:1), where we sing for joy (63:7), and where we find his faithfulness (91:4). Jesus echoes these promises when he weeps over Jerusalem’s inability to see God’s want for them. “How often would I have gathered your children together,” he says, “as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matt. 23:37).
Might we be willing to admit our failures, our sins, our inadequacies, and know afresh this Lenten season that the God who carries all our burdens, will be faithful to complete his work in us?
And Excerpt from God Knows All Our Excuses from the C.S. Lewis Institute
Note from Casey: When I am assailed by temptation, I pull out some of my go-to verses and think on them to make me a better warrior against the enemy’s tactics. Some simple but sustainging advice can be found int Matthew 26:41:
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Other good advice is to run—run in the other direction from sin:
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Finally, learn Ephesians 6: 10-17 that tells you all about the armor God has given you for the battle. Each part of the armor fortifies and protects you against Satan’s wiles and strategies to defeat you. It is a good practice to put this armor on very consciously every morning before you face a world riddled with temptations.
The Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, Ephesians 6:10-17
Lesson Four: Quotes from C.S. Lewis About Temptation and Drawing Closer to the Lord
More Scriptures on temptation follow to help you understand how the Lord sees this lifelong battle against temptation and to equip you to fight effectively:
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple …
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Lesson Five: A letter from C.S. Lewis to His Friend About Temptation
From Volume III of the “Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis” edited by Walter Hooper:
Dear Mr Karlsen-
Your letter did not reach me till to-day. Of course I have had and still have plenty of temptations. Frequent and regular prayer, and frequent and regular Communions, are a great help, whether they feel at the time as if they were doing you good or whether they don’t. I also found great help in monthly confession to a wise old clergyman.
Perhaps, however, the most important thing it to keep on: not to be discouraged however often one yields to the temptation, but always to pick yourself up again and ask forgiveness. In reviewing your sins don’t either exaggerate them or minimize them. Call them by their ordinary names and try to see them as you wd. see the same faults in somebody else – no special blackening or whitewashing. Remember the condition on which we are promised forgiveness: we shall always be forgiven provided that we forgive all who sin against us. If we do that we have nothing to fear: if we don’t, all else will be in vain. Of course there are other helps which are mere commonsense. We must learn by experience to avoid either trains of thought or social situations which for us (not necessarily for everyone) lead to temptations. Like motoring – don’t wait till the last moment before you put on the brakes but put them on, gently and quietly, while the danger is still a good way off. I wd. write at more length, but I am ill. God bless you.
Yours sincerely,
C.S. Lewis
NOTE: One of my favorite references to temptation is in The Lord’s Prayer. Pray this prayer today in light of what you have thought about this week in regard to temptation:
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
The most effective prayers I have ever prayed were when I could barely articulate enough to just say, “Lord, Lord,” and He took it from there. But we all want to grow, so over the next two days I will share my recommendations and Scriptures that have influenced me.
Lesson One: Approaching God in Prayer
Approach God in prayer with reverence and desperation
Look at the condition of your heart before you go into prayer. Do you go into prayer with an overwhelming Sense of God’s Holiness? You should because He is overwhelmingly Holy. Remember that you are going to the throne. I am sure that if you were to have been given an audience with Queen Elizabeth when she was on the throne, you would have been extremely respectful as you approached her. You would have entered with respect and honor and deference and maybe even some awe. Our God is so much greater and more worthy of awe than all the monarchs of this world.
If you go to someone’s house for a visit or a meal, you don’t just barge in talking about what you want or you wouldn’t say hello at the door and make a beeline for the dinner table and start gobbling up the food. You don’t talk at your hosts. You would probably thank them for inviting you in. If they make an offer of anything such hors d’oeuvres, you compliment them and you show your appreciation for what they have done already. Show God hospitality. Show the Holy Spirit, “You are welcome in this place where I am praying.“ Remember times you were in awe of Him, and get in touch with that awe He revealed to you that day.
You greet these earthly people. We should greet the Lord. Use His names and his attributes. If you don’t know His attributes, Google “List of God’s Attributes.” Tell Him how you love some of these attributes and why.
Secondly, I am suspicious of people who say their mind never wanders in prayer. Do you know when your mind doesn’t wander? When your child is missing because she has been affected by a flooding river while at camp. Or when your child is going into surgery that could affect him for the rest of his life. God has your full attention then. When you are called in and terminated from your job and you didn’t see it coming and you have a mortage you can barely afford and you are living month to month and you suddenly see very clearly how perfectly average people like you become homeless- – that’s when you have focused prayers. Or when your husband walks out. You’re not casual about prayer that night. You’re not lukewarm that night. Your prayers are fervent and passionate and focused. You are truly crying out. Some people say they have never cried out or even prayed out loud alone until a crisis brings them to their knees. Try it. Try it before a crisis hits you. God responds to fervent prayer, prayers that come from a deep place in your soul and well up and burst from your mouth or heart in desperation.
We should be desperate for the Lord. Desperate for communication with Him.
And that is how we should pray every day. Some of your prayers should be desperate because we are desperate for Him every day whether we are acknowledging it or not. Remember, we are all one minute away from lifechanging events. God knows that. We forget about that. Those who have great intimacy with the Lord are more aware of how completely dependent they are on Him for their next breath and for protection from what is right around the corner. Our children are one second away from lifechanging events. Every minute. It is only at His discretion and mercy we are not consumed.
2. Focus on Him not you.
Prayer is not an information dump; however, most of our prayers are all about us. As we know Him better and really grow in our relationship with Him, our prayers should gradually be almost all about Him and what He wants in our lives.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.
Hebrews 13:8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Lesson Two: Pray the Word and Prayers of Remembrance
3. Pray Scriptures. It is easy to take verses and turn them into prayers. For example, today, I was to receive some important medical results in a video appointment. As I waited online for my video conference to begin, I prayed this Scripture, Psalm 18:10:
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
My prayer went something like this:
Your name, oh Lord, is strong and mighty. You are my strong tower. I am running to you, Lord, for help with my health needs and this diagnosis. I am climbing into my strong tower. I know I can trust you to keep me safe.
4. Remember His faithfulness to you. Throughout the years, I have heard Dr. Michael Youssef many times exhort us to “bring to remembrance what God has already done to prove His faithfulness to you.” Pray what you know about His character- that He is good, merciful, steadfast, loves His children, means good toward us, and is a rock of stability.
5. What not to do in prayer:
In Mark 7:7 we see the Pharisees take the law and the Word that they knew so well and take it just an inch further than it was meant to go. Their intentions started as good ones. Like we are doing here, they were trying to teach good things. But as they embellished and added their own personal spin to it, they got very proud of their processes. Beware of people who tell you that they have a special process that makes them more qualified than you to pray for healing or anything else. If they make a bigger deal of their process or terms for prayer (that are not in the Bible, such as prayer ladders) run. If they make a big deal of any human’s qualifications or status to pray, run.
Remember that Satan can twist scripture. Satan takes our own pride in knowing how to do anything well and uses that to take us down paths that are not in the Bible!
Today, Satan’s most effective way to creep into the church and bring bad teaching in is through “SELF.” Beware of giving a high place to any of these: self focus , “be your best self, “ believe in yourself , self worth, self advancement, selfish ambition, self care, self healing, self absorption, and even self consciousness. All of that leads to pride and pride is the biggest block to prayer.
So my final words to you is just to reiterate- Focus on Him and not yourself when you pray.
God bless you.
6. Go Biblical—Corporate Prayer
One thing the Bible talks about is corporate prayer. Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
A group prayed Paul out of prison. Don’t leave the gift of corporate prayer on the table. Even if you don’t know how to pray out loud and your friend doesn’t know how to pray out loud, do it anyway. The Holy Spirit will teach you. Go to prayer gatherings like Wednesday night prayer and listen to all kinds people who pray all kinds of different ways. You will learn a lot. There is power in praying as a group.
Lesson Three: George Muller
Mueller’s Great Discovery
How did George Mueller pray? He said that for the first ten years of what he called his “life of faith”—referring not to when he was unknown but to ten years of trust in God and remarkable answers to prayer—he often struggled to get into the spirit of prayer, in other words, to really feel like praying. Until, that is, he made one slight alteration in his method. Here’s how he described the change:
The difference, then, between my former practice and my present one is this: formerly, when I rose, I began to pray as soon as possible, and generally spent all my time till breakfast in prayer, or almost all the time. At all events I almost invariably began with prayer. . . . But what was the result? I often spent a quarter of an hour, or half an hour, or even an hour on my knees before being conscious to myself of having derived comfort, encouragement, humbling of soul, etc.; and often, after having suffered much from wandering of mind for the first ten minutes, or quarter of an hour, or even half an hour, I only then really began to pray.
I scarcely ever suffer now in this way. For my heart being nourished by the truth, being brought into experimental [today we would say “experiential”] fellowship with God, I speak to my Father and to my Friend (vile though I am, and unworthy of it) about the things that He has brought before me in His precious Word. It often now astonishes me that I did not sooner see this point.
So Mueller would sometimes flounder for half an hour to an hour trying to pray, fighting to focus his thoughts and to kindle feelings for prayer in his heart. Only after that long, determined struggle would he finally enter into a sense of communion with God.
But once he began the practice of conversing with God about what he found in the Word of God, he “scarcely ever” suffered with those problems in prayer again. Praying through a passage of Scripture as he went “walking about in the fields” was the uncomplicated method that transformed the daily experience of one of the most famous men of prayer in history.
And it can transform your prayer life just as easily.
Now Jesus[a] was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
Ask God to do for you what He did for these Biblical prayer warriors:
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
Matthew 19:26
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Lesson Four: Persist in Prayer
As you read the Word of God, you begin to notice some truths about prayer that have been consistent over thousands of years, and here are two of them:
God responds to persistent prayers, so do not give up. In the Old Testament, we see Hannah praying fervently for years for a child, and what a child God gave her! Read about Hannah’s prayers for Samuel in I Samuel 1 and her beautiful prayer of gratitude in I Samuel 2:1-10. Her beautiful example reminds us not to forget a prayer of gratitude and acknowledgment when He answers our prayers. You can read about another woman who persisted in prayer in Luke 18:1-8. God is highly responsive to both women who persisted in prayer. And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Pray without ceasing, 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
I Peter 5:7 tells us to “Cast ALL your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” That means “all,”, big or small. Just as earthly parents listen and care about the little things in their children’s lives, so does your Heavenly Father. Pay special attention to the word “whatever” in Mark 11:24:
Therefore I tell you, WHATEVER you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
If you want to see a more recent example of persistent prayer, you have only to look at this example from George Muller’s extraordinary prayer life.
In November 1844, I began to pray for the conversion of five individuals. I prayed every day without a single intermission, whether sick or in health, on the land, on the sea, and whatever the pressure of my engagements might be. Eighteen months elapsed before the first of the five was converted. I thanked God and prayed on for the others. Five years elapsed, and then the second was converted. I thanked God for the second, and prayed on for the other three. Day by day, I continued to pray for them, and six years passed before the third was converted. I thanked God for the three, and went on praying for the other two. These two remained unconverted. Thirty-six years later he wrote that the other two, sons of one of Mueller’s friends, were still not converted. He wrote, “But I hope in God, I pray on, and look for the answer. They are not converted yet, but they will be.” In 1897, fifty-two years after he began to pray daily, without interruption, for these two men, they were finally converted—but after he died! Mueller understood what Luke meant when he introduced a parable Jesus told about prayer, saying, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
Don’t you want to have testimonies to prayer like that one? I do! To help build up your prayer muscle, I am leaving you with these verses that you can count on:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERYTHING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
Praying AT ALL TIMES in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all PERSEVERANCE, making supplication for all the saints, Ephesians 6:18
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16
WHATEVER you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:13-14
And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:20-21
Pray these verses and tell the Lord you believe the truth in them. Ask Him to strengthen and blossom your prayer life with Him.
I also like to use the C.A.T.S. method: Confession first, then Adoration, then Thanksgiving for all He has done, and finally Supplication as we ask on behalf of ourselves and others for things we believe are within His will.
Lesson Five: George Muller Quotes About Prayer
It is true that when we go through seasons when we are left alone through widowhood, divorce, empty nesting, or other things that isolate us or slow us down, we see the greatest growth in our prayer relationship with the Lord. It is then that we have the best opportunity of our lives to learn what it is to be really wanted, to be loved by someone we can always depend on, and to be truly adored. When I experienced divorce, there were rooms I did not want to walk into by myself. One example was when I had to go into the closing on my house. The Lord made it so obvious to me that I would not be walking into that room alone. The other couple had a spouse to accompany them, but I had the Lord God Himself. He promised then He would never leave me nor forsake me and He never will. And He will be at your elbow accompanying you into every room you will ever walk into.(Hebrews 13:5)
But I learned another important thing- how to pray. Although He will never forsake me even if I don’t pray, I rob myself of the intimacy of feeling tenderly close to Him when I do not spend time in prayer. I give up the opportunities to see how His end of the conversation plays out through answered prayer. I lose the chance to see His power operating in my life to its fullest; the power is there, but answered prayers put it on full display for my mortal eyes to see.
George Muller was one of my faithful teachers as I learned to pray, through his writings. Enjoy his wisdom in the quotes below:
On the ground of our own goodness we cannot expect to have our prayers answered. But Jesus is worthy, and for His sake we may have our prayers answered. There is nothing too choice, too costly, or too great for God to give Him. He is worthy. He is the spotless, holy Child, who under all circumstances acted according to the mind of God. And if we trust in Him, if we hide in Him, if we put Him forward and ourselves in the background, depend on Him and plead His name, we may expect to have our prayers answered.
Adventures in Christianity 