Think On These Things (Excerpts From The Preacher's Journal)

     "I am convinced that most Christians have tremendous stores of talent and skill buried beneath a pile of distraction, insecurity, and fear. We find excuses that seem reasonable to us, that don't arouse an offended conscience, and we trot them out whenever obligation comes calling." (Jim Jonas)
     Interesting thoughts from Mr. Jonas. The next time obligation and opportunity come calling, how will we answer?

National Security?

     Nahum prophesied about Assyria and specifically Assyria’s capital city, Nineveh. The book is a sort of “sequel” to Jonah. About a hundred years before Nahum Nineveh had repented through the reluctant preaching of Jonah. By the time Nahum arrived on the scene things in Nineveh had gotten so bad that God had determined it was time for them to suffer one of the terrible “days of the Lord.”

     A wicked nation suffering God’s vengeful judgment (Nahum 1:2) is certainly not unique to Nahum. We can read of the prophets delivering God’s message of judgment to Edom, Philistia, Moab, Babylon, Egypt, and many others. In the case of Nahum’s prophesy, God seems to take special care to point out that it was when Assyria was as her strongest that He would see her humbled. Nahum 1:12-13 says, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Though they are at full strength and many, they will be cut down and pass away. Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more. And now I will break his yoke from off you and will burst your bonds apart.”

     Truly Assyria was as strong as they were only because God permitted it. Though Assyria had destroyed Israel and provided a constant threat to Judah, God wanted His people to know that He was using the wicked Assyrian’s as a chastening rod. When Assyrian iniquity became complete God broke Assyria’s yoke from off Judah’s neck and burst their bonds apart. The point I want us to get is this: there was nothing Assyria could do about it.

    Take a moment to read Nahum 2 (only 13 verses). Did you see listed all that Nineveh trusted in? Their walls were strong, their soldiers were mighty, their chariots were many, their officers were skilled, and their wealth was immense. They were described as lions! Yet verse 13 makes the one statement that rendered all of Assyria’s assets useless—“Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts.”

     Friends, when God is against a nation there is no such thing as national security. Nineveh’s wall could have stood a mile high, all of her soldiers could have stood as tall as Goliath, gold and precious metals could have filled the streets for lack of space to store them, all of her allies could have stood at the gates, her chariots could have numbered in the millions with the most skillful soldiers to man them, all of her horses could have been of the finest stock, and every nation could have trembled in terror beholding her. Yet the simple fact that she made God her enemy doomed her and all she trusted in for her security was as useless as a miniscule whisper of wind against a mighty oak. Because Nineveh’s security was not based upon God Nineveh was not secure at all.

     “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stay awake in vain” (Psalm 127:1). Friends, where is your security? Upon what do you base your trust? Jehovah prompted Nineveh to keep her trust where it had been and see the result. In Nahum 3:14 He says, “Draw water for the siege; strengthen your forts; go into the clay; tread the mortar; take hold of the brick mold!”  She had always trusted in her provisions and the strength of her city. Jehovah urged her to keep it up. Grab some water, gather the material to make bricks, and just keep strengthening that wall. Surely no one could them, right? Verse 15 says, “There will the fire devour you; the sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the locust.” 

     Nineveh’s national security was an illusion, nothing more. She rejected true security and was destroyed because of it. Her destruction was so thorough, so complete, that the location of that once majestic city was not discovered until 1842. Such is the “security” of those who reject God.      

What if God were like us?

      There are many who refuse to believe in God because they say if there really were a God things on this earth would be different. They would do things a certain way and they will not believe in a God who does things differently. In essence, they refuse to believe in a God who is not a mirror image of them. We could discuss how and why God is different by examining many of His own statements in Scripture and do so to great benefit. However, for the purposes of this article we’re going to consider the question stated in the title. What if God really were like me? What if He thought like me, behaved like me, and spoke like me? 1 Peter 1:14-16 says, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’.” We are called upon to conduct ourselves in a holy manner just as the One who called us is holy. But what if the Holy One, if only for a month, chose to conduct Himself after the pattern that He sees in us? How much do you suppose would change?

      Psalm 34:15 says, “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cries.” Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” It is wonderfully comforting knowing that God’s eyes and ears are always inclined toward the saint. But would that still be the case for the month He patterned His conduct after ours? Would there be times when He was not very inclined at all to see, listen to, and help His saints through their daily struggles? Would He be too tired, preoccupied, or self-absorbed to care? 

     Ezekiel 18:21-23 says, “But if a wicked person turns from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” More than anything else our God wants to be able to forgive a person of their sins and enjoy a saving relationship with them. The entirety of Scripture is about the deployment and fruition of a plan to accomplish His will in this matter. But would that still be the case for the month He patterned His conduct after ours? Would a desire and willingness to forgive characterize Him for that month? Or is it possible that He would become a grudge-holder for the month, refusing to forgive those who slighted Him even as they repent and ask forgiveness?

      Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” Our God has always been eager to pour blessings upon His people, physically and spiritually. But would that still be the case for the month He patterned His conduct after ours? Would He eagerly rain spiritual blessings upon those faithful to His cause? Or is it possible that He’d be too preoccupied with Himself to even appreciate those working for and trusting in Him?

         Of course, God is not going to pattern His conduct after ours. He is always faithful and true even when we’re not. Indeed, we’re commanded to imitate Him, not the other way around (Ephesians 5:1). However, answering these questions tells us a great deal about ourselves. Did you like the answers?   

Therefore do not throw away your confidence (1)

   Hebrews 10:32-36 says, “But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”

   The Christians addressed by the Hebrew writer had suffered upon their conversion to Christ. Some of them were held up before the public eye and ridiculed. Some were made a spectacle of as they were cast into prison. Some had their property plundered. The ones who may not have experienced these things first hand were so concerned and involved with the saints who were that they could truly be considered partners with them in their suffering. 

   Few things would be as stressful, particularly from the perspective of a father, as having his home and property confiscated. A father must provide for his family. He works hard to provide a place where his wife and children can feel safe, a place to which they can return each day confident that food, clothing, and shelter will be available to them. He may not be able to present them with an abundance of worldly goods, but love for his family and His God powerfully motivates him try and make their lives as comfortable as possible. How his faith must be shaken when those things are plundered from him!

   Or is it? The Hebrew writer reminds those first century saints of a time when they did not just accept such persecution, but they accepted it joyfully! “But how can that be?”today’s non-Christian and worldly-minded Christian ask incredulously? After all, Jesus’ statement in Luke 12:15 that “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of His possessions” just sounds so strange, so unrealistic, doesn’t it? Yes, if approached from a worldly perspective. There is nothing praiseworthy or commendable in suffering to the one whose vision cannot see beyond his life on earth.

   However, early after their conversions the recipients of the Hebrew letter had been able to take a much longer view than that. Even as their houses and property were taken from before their physical eyes, their spiritual eyes were fastened upon a “better possession and an abiding one.” They were very much like Moses, of whom the Hebrew writer would remind them just a few verses later. “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:24-26). One must not gloss over the fact that Moses knew of a reward exceeding that of being called the grandson of the most powerful man on the planet and enjoying all the vice and pleasure associated with it. One must be even further moved in considering that he thought of these sinful pleasures as merely “passing” when he could have indulged in them for the greatest part of a long life. The worldly-minded exclaim, “What a wonderful life this man gave up!” The spiritually minded exclaim, “What a wonderful reward he grasped!” In the beginning, the Hebrew saints kept that reward firmly in mind. What about you and I?

   

Draw Near To God--4

      James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

   This article will conclude the four-part series on drawing near to God. The consistent lesson of the preceding three articles has been that in order to draw near to God one must find out where He is. So far, we have learned that God is in His creation, in His word, and in the church, the body of His only begotten Son. In this article we will look at passages that show God is in heaven, His dwelling place.

   In the midst of listing the numerous laws contained in the Law of Moses, Deuteronomy 26:15 says, “Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.” Heaven is the holy habitation of God. Solomon, when he dedicated the temple, in 1 Kings 8:30 said, “And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.” Heaven is God’s dwelling place. Cautioning his readers regarding their speech, the preacher in Ecclesiastes 5:2 wrote, “Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.”

   God dwells in heaven. That is where He is. If we would draw near to Him, then we must have heaven as our goal and be ever striving to get there. All of our time, energy, and our physical resources should be mere tools that help us on the road to heaven. That statement is not made to teach us that we should turn over all of our assets to some sort of central treasury. But it is stated to teach that we will have difficulty drawing near to God in heaven if we hold back from a total commitment to Him.

   How do we draw near to God in heaven? We draw near to God through prayer. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray in Matthew 6:9 He began, “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”  Jesus knew where God, the Father, was and where prayer should be directed. If our prayers are to be an avenue whereby we draw near to God, then we need to direct those prayers to God in heaven. In Psalm 18:6, having been rescued by God from the hand of Saul, David wrote, “In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.” 1 Peter 3:12 shows how receptive God is to the prayers of the righteous. “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

   In Jeremiah 29, God sent a letter to the exiles in Babylon instructing them to be good citizens of whatever city they found themselves in during the exile. They were to build houses, rear families, plant gardens, and seek the welfare of the city in which they lived. In this letter God told them that at the end of the seventy years, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 29:12-14)

   God is on His throne in heaven always attuned to those who pray in an effort to be nearer to Him. “But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.” (Psalm 73:28)  

Draw Near To God--3

    “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

   Previous posts in this series indicated that we draw near to God by perceiving Him in His creation and by studying our Bibles wherein God reveals Himself more fully. But where else can God be found? Are there additional avenues whereby we might draw near to Him? The answer, or course, is yes, and this article and the one to follow will explore two other means by which we can draw near to God.

   God can be found in the church, that body of the faithful. The faithful are those who have dedicated themselves to being as much like God as they can possibly be. “But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16) If we willingly obey God, that is, be holy as He is holy, then we draw near to Him and He to us. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8) If we think like God, that is, fill our minds with the thoughts enumerated in Philippians 4:8, then we draw near to God and He to us. God always has our best interests at heart. The members of a church where God can be found always have each member’s best interests in mind. “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3)

   We draw near to God, and He to us, every time we function collectively as the church. We draw near to God as we worship Him together. We draw near to Him when we read and listen to the public reading of the scriptures. We draw near to God when we encourage and assist each other to think honorable and lovely thoughts. We come closer to God when we exhort and encourage each other, when we lift each other up, when we help each other press on, when we mutually overcome all that Satan puts in our way, when we share our faith and work as a body to spread the gospel. If we are working to be a church that God approves of, then there is never a time that our work does not bring us closer to God, and He to us.

   “Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love; the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.

    Before our Father’s throne we pour our ardent pray’rs; our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our fears.

   We share our mutual woes, our mutual burdens bear; and often for each other flows the sympathizing tear.”

    Truly the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.        

Draw Near To God--2

     James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” As was stated in the previous post, if one would draw near to God one must know where to look for Him. Not only can God be found in His creation, He can also be found in the scriptures. While we can draw near to God by being receptive to what creation informs us about Him, we can draw nearer by means of the knowledge God reveals about Himself in His word. It is as if creation is merely a preface or introduction to the infinitely more detailed content contained within the bible.

     If one would know God, if one would really and truly draw near to God, the bible is where He can be found. In order to really draw near to God one must get into His word wherein He reveals Himself. In the bible God tells us who He is, who we are, and where we stand in relation to Him. Not only does God describe Himself in His book, He also tells us what He has done and why He did it. In addition He tells us what He will do in the future. He doesn’t stop there; He informs us what He likes and what He does not like. He makes clear what pleases Him and what displeases Him. He shares His promises, gives warnings, and provides ample evidence that His promises can be relied upon without fail. In the remainder of this article we can only begin to mine the depths of the scriptures to extract the vast treasures contained therein. Even though space is limited, we can establish the profound truth that if we will draw near to God by going to the scriptures God will draw near to us.

   Let’s draw near to God through the following scriptures:

   God is eternal and infinite. “Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end.” (Ps 102:25-27)

   God is sovereign. “Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,' calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.” (Isaiah 46:9-11)

   God has done great and wonderful things. “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.  And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Col. 2:11-16)

   God’s power works to our best interests. “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31)

   The bible is all about God. It contains God’s revelation about Himself. Just think about that fact: God, the Creator, has not left us, the creation, in the dark about Him, but has fully enlightened us so that we might know Him. There is no better way to draw near to God than to make His word a vital part of our lives.