Making up!

It may surprise some folk, but not all of my reading is Biblical or theological. Indeed, I enjoy a good novel as much as anyone and, with a Kindle, I can now read almost anywhere! Last week I read a series of books from one of my favourite genres: Science Fiction. Like most such books, there was much more of the "fiction" than there was of the "science". However, as long as one takes everything with the proverbial "pinch of salt", there should be no harm done.

My reason for mentioning all of that is that the story I read last week actually started me thinking along theological lines! Without trying to provide a synopsis of a four-volume tale, there was one woman, named Deirdre, who had been responsible for a terrible catastrophe that had struck mankind. She was now experiencing great guilt, and was seeking some way by which she might make up to the survivors for what she had done. In theological terms, she was seeking atonement. Sadly, she was unable to do so. Nothing was sufficient to enable her to make up for, to atone for, her terrible deed.

The English-language word "atonement" provides its own definition: "at-one-ment"! Atonement refers to the 'coming together' of God and man. Our sin has created a barrier between us and our loving Creator. Atonement has to do with the breaking down of that barrier. It has to do with reconciliation. So Paul writes that the Father “… through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” (II Cor.5:18-19).

At the beginning, of course, there was a close relationship between Father God and the humans He had created - so much so that He walked with them in the beautiful garden in which He had placed this first couple. However, as we read in Gen.3, the serpent deceived the humans, and sin entered the fresh, new world. The close relationship between the Creator and the crown of His creation, was broken - and there was nothing that man could do about it.

In his latest book (A.S.K.) David Robertson writes: "When we do something wrong against a friend or someone in our family, I guess we can make up for it – we can atone for it. I once kicked a ball through a window – and I atoned for it by paying for the glass to be replaced. But when we sin against a pure and holy God, it’s not just a small matter…and it's nothing we can atone for." (ch.17: Forgiveness)

Praise God, He could do something - and He did! He established a ritual of animal sacrifice as "... without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." (Heb.9:22). You may read all about that in the book of Leviticus. That system led, in time, to a unique sacrifice by which full restoration might be accomplished.  It was in the death of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, that atonement was fully realised.  It was as He gave Himself, willingly, in fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies, that reconciliation was made.

One of the old hymns that I love begins: "Not all the blood of beasts, on Jewish altars slain, could give the guilty conscience peace, or wash away one stain. But Christ, the heavenly Lamb, took all our sins away; a sacrifice of nobler name and richer blood than they." (Isaac Watts). As I type these words I am listening to a more modern song that proclaims the wonderful truth that "My sins, they are many; His mercy is more."!

Like Deirdre in the story, I can never, however hard I may try, make atonement for my sins. Praise God that He loves me enough that, in the Persona of the Son, He paid the price. It was in the unique sacrifice of the Lord Jesus that restoration was accomplished.  It is in Him that Father God is able to again have a loving relationship with you and with me.  In His humanity, He bore the punishment that we deserved; in His deity, He provided the perfection that alone could satisfy the righteous wrath of the Holy One. "He paid a debt He did not owe, because I owed a debt I could not pay."

Have you responded, positively, to that amazing grace? Have you accepted the reconciliation that was gained for you at Calvary? Are you "at one" with Father God? The offer is there and, as soon as you accept it, you will enter into that new relationship with your Creator that will last throughout eternity. 

[There is a full chapter on the word "atonement" in my first book: "Great Words of the Faith", which I recommend to you (as well as the other two currently available!). Remember that I have no hesitation in promoting these books because (a) I think that they are well worth having (or giving to a friend!) and (b) ALL royalties go directly to the bank account of Release International, in support of the persecuted church. Links available to both paperback and Kindle versions, at the top of the page.]

When life is tough!

As I continue my readings in the Psalms, during my personal devotions, I arrived, this morning, at Psalm 88. Unlike many psalms that begin with pain and perplexity, but end on a note of triumph, this psalm ends (in my RSV!) with the word "darkness". There is no relief; no improvement; no divine intervention. It could well have been titled "A Psalm for the hopeless"!

However, that very fact makes this an important psalm! As we read through the words of the psalmist, we may remember that not every life has a happy ending - but that that does not mean that the Lord has forsaken us! I think of individuals who, like Heman (the writer of this psalm) spend almost their whole lives in pain of one kind or another (see v.15). I think of my brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus who live in one of those 50+ countries in which to be one of His followers is to invite persecution - some forms of which are beyond my imagination. 

We may also take heart from the fact that this apparently God-forsaken author seems to have been one of the pioneers of the singing guilds that were set up by David, and to which we owe the psalms of  the Sons of Korah - one of the richest veins in the Psalter. Heman may have been under a great burden; he may have been totally despondent; but his life was far from pointless! In the most difficult of situations; in the most depressing of moments; in the most painful of lives; Almighty God can bring about the bearing of much fruit.

There is also a lesson, in this psalm, for those of us who do not suffer in the ways in which others do. We must be careful that we do try to persuade the sufferer that their situation of the result of Father's anger against them! This was the problem that was displayed by some of the 'friends' of another character from the pages of the Tanakh (the "Old" Testament), Job. They were quite convinced that the tragedies that had befallen that godly man were the result of some unconfessed sin. They were wrong!

Heman's inspired words - yes, even words like these are inspired by God the Holy Spirit - remind us that no life need be in vain. Our eternal destiny does not depend on what we are considered to have achieved - or to have failed to achieve! - in this life. It is by the grace of God that I am saved, not due to my works, even the best of which are as a polluted garment (see Is.64:6).

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose !

It was Solomon, the last king of a united nation of Israel, who wrote the book in the Bible that is known as Ecclesiastes (not to be confused with the Apocryphal book, Ecclesiasticus!), who gave us the well-known adage "... there is nothing new under the sun." (Eccl 1:9).

I was reminded of those words during my personal devotions this morning, as I read from Psalm 83. There were three specific passages that spoke to me, the first of which was "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!" (v.4).

Scholars are unsure as to the exact background to this psalm, but these words, in context, make clear that Israel is under threat from those who are referred to as the enemies of God (v.2). They are working together with just one aim in view - the total destruction of the Children of Israel. I had to look twice to ensure that an article from this morning's newspaper hadn't found its way into my Bible!

There was certainly nothing new in those words. The Chosen People of Almighty God have been the object of hatred and opposition since their years of exile in Egypt. The Egyptian Pharaoh sought to destroy them - but the Lord preserved a baby who was given the name of Moses and who, in God's timing, led the nation out of Egypt. Later, a senior civil servant in the court of the Persian (modern Iran) king, Ahasuerus (Xerxes I), a man named Haman sought to destroy the Jewish people - but the Lord had Mordecai, and his niece, Esther, ready, and it was Haman who perished on the very gallows that he had had especially constructed for Mordecai (read the full story in the Book of Esther). Fast forward many more centuries, noting the Roman attempt to disperse and destroy the national identity of the Jews, and the many more local persecutions particularly in western Europe (including England!), and we come to the 20th century and the rise to power of Adolf Hitler. His attempt at the genocide of the Jewish nation also failed - even although he was responsible for the deaths of some six million. Indeed, every would-be destroyer of the Jews has been, in one way or another, defeated and humiliated.

Today, the same aim is expressed by a number of groups - either explicitly, or implicitly. One of the best-known Islamic terrorist organisations is Hamas (the Islamic Resistance Movement, and one of the wings of the Muslim Brotherhood). In its Charter, it states that "... our struggle against the Jews is extremely wide-ranging and grave, so much so that it will need all the loyal efforts we can wield, to be followed by further steps and reinforced by successive battalions from the multifarious Arab and Islamic world, until the enemies (i.e. the Jews) are defeated and Allah's victory prevails." Other groups - Hezbollah; the Palestinian Authority; Iran; etc - have the same aim: the destruction of the Jewish people.

The second verse that particularly caught my attention, reads: "Let us take possession for ourselves

of the pastures of God." (v.12). This time, the context shows that this is the aim of the enemies of God, from historical events. However, one does not need to be a Biblical scholar to be aware that this is also part of the aim of the various Islamic groups who make quite clear that they wish to take over the whole of the Holy Land. "From the river to the sea, "Palestine" shall be free" we have all heard chanted at various pro-"Palestinian", anti-Israel gatherings. By the way, there is no such land as "Palestine" - but that is too big a subject for a digression here!

Asaph, the inspired composer of this psalm (we often refer to "the Psalms of David", but the psalmist-king actually penned slightly less than half of those in the Psalter!) then prays about this situation. It is that prayer that constitutes the third point that "jumped out" at me. It reads:

"O my God, make them like whirling dust,

like chaff before the wind. 

As fire consumes the forest,

as the flame sets the mountains ablaze, 

so do Thou pursue them with thy tempest

and terrify them with Thy hurricane! 

Fill their faces with shame,

that they may seek Thy name, O YHWH. 

Let them be put to shame and dismayed for ever;

let them perish in disgrace. 

Let them know that Thou alone,

whose Name is YHWH,

art the Most High over all the earth." (vs.13-18).

There are two things of note, I believe. The first is that, in spite of the request for the destruction of Israel's enemies, Asaph also seeks their salvation! "Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek Thy name, O YHWH." (emphasis added). He is asking that these enemies would be ashamed, and dismayed, and turn to the Living God. Wow! Secondly, all of this is for the honour and glory of YHWH, the God of Israel. He isi the Sovereign God of the universe - and every nation on earth, whether or not any of them accept His sovereignty. As we look at our contemporary world - and not just the situation in the Middle east - we could be tempted to despair. That, however, is one thing we should never do!

Remember the words of the second of the Psalms:

"Why do the nations conspire,

and the peoples plot in vain? 

The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against YHWH and His anointed, saying, 

"Let us burst their bonds asunder,

and cast their cords from us." 

He Who sits in the heavens laughs;

YHWH has them in derision. 

Then He will speak to them in His wrath,

and terrify them in His fury, saying, 

"I have set my king

on Zion, my holy hill." (vs.1-6).

He is still in control. He is still working all things in accordance with His plan and purposes. He is still the God Who inhabits eternity, and Who is worthy of all of the honour, and praise, and worship, and adoration, that we can bring to Him - and of much more besides! 

One day - I believe much sooner than many expect - He will "call time". There will be the rapture of the true church, followed by the time of tribulation, and then the Lord Jesus, the only-begotten Son, will return with His bride (the church). Then "... at the name of Jesus every knee [shall] bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil 2:10-11; emphasis added).

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus.

Great is the Lord - it's His people who are the problem!

It was not my intention to publish a post this evening but, having read two items, I have decided to do so.

The first of those items is from a daily e-mail that I receive from The Institute for Christian Research. It points me to I Chronicles 16:25-26 (AV) - “For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: He also is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.” 

The following text reads: "This testimony is in the heart of a great hymn of thanksgiving (1 Chronicles 16:7-36) composed by David when the Ark of the Lord was brought back to Jerusalem. It is a testimony of the unique greatness of the God of Israel, with recurring expressions of gratitude for His deliverances and blessings.

This God of Israel was no mere tribal-god or nature-god, such as Dagon, the fish-god of the Philistines from whose hands the Ark had been delivered. All such “gods” of the peoples of the earth—whether wooden images in a shrine, astrological emblems in the heavens, or mental constructs of evolutionary humanistic philosophers—are nothing but idols (that is, literally, “good for nothing,” “vanities”).

It is Jehovah God who is not only in the heavens but who made the heavens! It is their Creator who one day will “let the sea roar” and “the fields rejoice,” when “the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the LORD, because he cometh to judge the earth” (vv. 32-33).

As Creator and Saviour, all His people are exhorted also to “shew forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations” (vv. 23-24). Because of His power, the world itself “shall be stable [that is, ‘permanently established’], that it be not moved” (v. 30). This “God of our salvation” (v. 35), and the wonderful heavens and earth He created, will be forever. The psalm ends with the exhortation: “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. . . . Blessed be the LORD God of Israel for ever and ever” (vv. 34-36).

Now, if Israel needed such an exhortation, our modern science-worshiping world needs it still more urgently."

Just before I read those words, I read some words of Rev. Dr. Clifford Hill, of Prophecy Today (https://www.prophecytoday.uk/), a former clergyman in the Church of England. He is referring to the state of the British Parliament that was prorogued last night - but wrote these words on Sept.6th. In a longer article (recommended - "A Rebellious Generation"), he writes: "For 50 years this nation has been steadily eroding its biblical foundation that made it a great nation and what we now see in our dysfunctional, rebellious Parliament is the result. Both the Leader of the Opposition and our Prime Minister have been notorious rebels throughout their political careers. They now shout at each other across the despatch box, the world looking on with amazement to see the famous ‘Mother of Parliaments’ torn asunder by 650 rebels in utter disarray.

For the older generation who were brought up with biblical values of gentleness, respect and unselfishness – (God first, others second, self last) – it is simply excruciating to watch this generation of overgrown, unruly infants tearing the nation apart with their mindless behaviour. I can echo the words of the Prophet Ezekiel: “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people” (Ezek 12:2).

When everything goes wrong in the nation, the biblical principle is not to blame the politicians but to blame the religious leaders. Listen to this, also from Ezekiel: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves” (Ezek 34:10).

And from Jeremiah: “Among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: they commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness” (Jer 23:14).

As a senior churchman who has worked alongside the last four archbishops of Canterbury (Donald Coggan, Robert Runcie, George Carey and Rowan Williams), I have been a close observer of church leadership in the nation since the mid-1970s.

I saw at first-hand what a group of unbelieving bishops did when Donald Coggan made an impassioned ‘call to the nation’ to return to biblical values in 1975. They hounded him out of office, vowing that they would oppose any other Bible-believing evangelical getting into Lambeth Palace – hence the appointment of Robert Runcie, the most liberal Archbishop we have ever had, at a time of radical social change when the prophetic voice of the Church was desperately needed."

He continues: "Today we have a group of 25 Church of England bishops publishing a statement about Brexit that is full of political correctness but has no Gospel in it. It has no prophetic call to the nation to turn to God. In fact, there is no mention of God!!! No call to prayer, no call to ‘repentance’, no recognition of our departure from the word of the Lord which is why the nation is in such trouble!

The bishops reflect the same secular humanist, globalist spirit as the rest of the establishment who are defying the referendum and trying to keep Britain locked into the European Union.

If church leaders would only bother to read the Bible – the whole Bible, not just little bits of the New Testament – they would understand the nature of the spiritual battle that is raging across Britain and much of Europe today." (emphases in the original).

There is much more, but that may be sufficient. Last night's scenes in the House of Commons were surely, to any right-minded person, a total disgrace, and an affront to democracy. For a long time, I have been praying for our nation, and in my praying, asking that the Lord would raise up men and women of faith and integrity to replace, in every area of the secular realm, those in positions of power ,and authority, and influence - who are opposed to His will, and His Word. I pray, on a daily basis, for the government, that the Lord would use it to bring about His perfect will - yes, even for our relationship with the EU! However, I also pray that he would forgive the church - not any single denomination - for having failed, for so long, to be the prophetic voice to the nation that we are called to be.

I believe that what we are witnessing are clear signs that we are living in the "end-times". May those of us who claim to be disciples of the Lord Jesus, be faithful in our prayerful support of those in government. May we take every opportunity to "speak a word for Jesus" to a faithless, yet needy, population. May we be found "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 12:2).

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

My wife and I visited dear friends, this afternoon.  Married for almost sixty years, they would be the first to admit that they are not going to win the Mr/Miss Universe contests. Time, and a not always easy life, have taken their toll. When I, as a man, look at the wife, I do not see anything that I would consider to be physically attractive to me. Yet her husband frequently describes her as "My lovely"! 

How can that be? Well, I love them both. I see, in each of them, a beauty that is much more important than mere physical form. But when he looks at her, he looks at her through the eyes of a love that has deepened for almost six decades. We each know that we love our respective wives more, now, than we did on our wedding days - even if, on those particular occasions, we could not have imagined loving our brides more than we did at that point in time.

As I pondered this, I realised that it provides us with an illustration of the Lord Jesus and His true church. The church is described, in the written Word, as His "Bride". But the church is composed of people like me! Forget my physical appearance - what am I like as a person? Sadly, I must be the first to admit that, when it comes to perfection, I fall far, far, short. I am a living example of the statement made by the apostle, Paul, that "... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ..." (Rom.3:23). Indeed, as those words make clear, there is not one member of the church who is even close to being perfect!

However, although all that I deserve is the judgment, wrath, and punishment of Almighty God, He has already dealt with my sin, in the Persona* of the Son, who paid the penalty on the cross at Calvary. He paid a debt that He did not owe, because I owed a debt that I could not pay. He sees me, now, through the eyes of the love that was displayed there. As I come to the Father, covered by His blood and righteousness, I am accepted in Him. He looks at me  and sees, not the wrinkles of my sin, but His own perfection. I don't understand this - but I rejoice in it. The little "jingle" says:

That Thou shouldst love me as I am

And be the God Thou art,

is darkness to my intellect - 

But sunshine to my heart!

Just as my friend and I look at our respective wives, and see what others do not see, so the Lord looks at His true people and sees them as perfected in Him. And there is more! When this mortal body is finished with - either through physical death, or through the Rapture - then I will, at last, be perfect as I dwell in His nearer presence where sin cannot even exist! Hallelujah!

It is all of Him, and His grace. It has nothing to do with even the best of my works - indeed, the prophet Isaiah was inspired to write that "... all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;" (64:6); and the expression "filthy rags" should really be translated "blood-stained rags", a reference to the rags that women of that time used during their menstruation! If that is how my good works may be described, how might my sins, and failures; my disobedience and rebellion; my self-centredness and hypocrisy, be described?!

When Almighty God looks at you, what does He see? You in all of your sinfulness and selfishness? Or does the Father see the Son - and accept you, in Him? May that latter be your experience, that you may spend eternity in His nearer presence, praising and magnifying His holy name.

*Not a 'typo'! See my book "Great Words of the Faith", the chapter on The Trinity. Link available at the top of the page. Remember that ALL royalties are sent, directly, to the bank account of Release International, in support of the persecuted church. The same is true of the other two books (vol.4: "Living the Faith" now in preparation!). Thank you, on their behalf. Please feel free to encourage others to purchase!