The Captain of Our Salvation

When I was a young chef in the British Merchant Navy, I quickly learned that the Head Chef in the galley was not my ultimate boss on the ship. That right belonged to one man, and one man only - the Captain! Of course, he was also charged with being responsible for the ship, the whole ship's company, and the passengers that we carried!

The writer of the letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus refers to the Saviour by this title. He writes: "But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became Him (the Father), for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation (the Son) perfect through sufferings." (2:9-10; KJV).

Looking at alternative versions, we discover that the Greek word "archēgon" may be translated in a number of ways, e.g. "pioneer"; "initiator"; "author"; "originator"; "founder"; "source"; "leader". All of these words convey the idea of one who is at the front; first in line; the leader. So, the Lord Jesus is seen to be the first in line of an endless procession of the true people of God, in every age, resurrected from the grave, and marching to the ultimate realisation of their salvation - to the heavenly Zion prepared for them by God. 

The word "archēgon" is used on only three other occasions in the Scriptures of the Second (New) Testament. On each occasion, it is used within a context of resurrection and glorification. Peter, addressing the crowd after the miraculous healing of the man who had been lame from birth" (Acts 3:2),states that they: "... killed the Author of life, Whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses." (v.15; emphasis added).

Later on, as the apostles are brought before the Sanhedrin, they responded to the High Priest's questioning (v.28) by saying: "The God of our fathers raised Jesus, Whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. We must obey God rather than men." (vs.29-31; emphasis added).

The only way by which we sinners could ever share in His glory was for Him to suffer and die. Indeed, for Him "to be sin" (II Cor.5:21) - the very epitome of sin; sin personified in Him; sin in all its vileness. I firmly believe that it was at that moment in human time that the Son uttered what is often referred to as "the cry of dereliction" as the Father, Who cannot bear to even look upon sin, turned His eyes away from the beloved Son. “Eli, Eli, la′ma sabach-tha′ni?” that is, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”. (Matt.27:46).

As a result of what our "Captain" has done, on our behalf, ought we not to be "looking to Jesus the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."? (Heb.12:2; emphasis added).

The song may not apply, in every sense, to the above - but it was the first one that came to my mind as I prepared the text! It was also a favourite at the meetings of the FGBMFI in Stirling, when my dear wife and I led the praise with guitar and piano-accordion. Happy memories!

When God fails to answer!

Second last time, we looked at the kind of prayer that "works". I shared that if we are to receive positive answers, then our asking, seeking, and knocking, must be true prayer! 

This time, I wish to add to that! One of the old hymns with which I was raised, has the lines : "Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer". If that hymn were to be sung today, I would stop singing for that part!

I confess to being just a little bit irritated when I read, or hear, that "God answered my/our prayer". You see, there is, I would contend, a corollary to that statement. If I have to state that God answered my prayer on this particular occasion, I must be implying that, on other occasions, He failed to do so!

Is this true? Are there occasions on which He ignores my prayers, even as they are made, sincerely, and with no thought of personal benefit, in the name of the Lord Jesus?!

Permit me to suggest an analogy. Imagine that one of my children, still attending Primary School, had come to me with a request: "Dad, please may I have the keys to your car so that some friends and I can go out for a drive?" Well, as a loving father, I would obviously reply: "Yes, darling, of course. They're hanging up at the back door." Would I? I might respond with: "No. You are much too young; you have no driving experience; you haven't got a licence; you are not insured. Perhaps when you are a lot older, I'll allow you to borrow the family car." 

This would not be the response that she wanted - but I would have answered her request! I would not simply have walked away and ignored her.

Or, imagine that she came to me, at 18 years of age, now old enough, and qualified, to drive a car, and asked: "Dad, may I have £50 so that my friends and I can buy some non-medical drugs, and enjoy ourselves?" In such a scenario, my response would have been: "No! Not now, not ever. I have seen what substance abuse does to a person, and I will never be party to you behaving in such a way." Once again, the answer would not have been what she wanted - but I would have answered!

The Almighty God to Whom I pray, is also my loving heavenly Father. Indeed, the love that I have for my own biological children is but a faint shadow of the love that He has for me. And, just as I looked beyond the (imaginary!) requests of my child and, from my greater knowledge and life experience denied her - temporarily, or permanently - her request, so my Father, from His infinite knowledge, denies me many of the things for which I ask. 

Someone has described His answers to prayer to a set of traffic-lights. Sometimes the light is red - STOP! This is a total "n0-no"! On other occasions the light is amber. Be ready to go, but don't move just yet. Praise His name, there are times when the light is at green - and we may move forward with confidence that we are in His will.

So, next time you pray a prayer of intercession (and don't forget that real prayer includes praise and thanksgiving) and don't receive the answer that you wanted, and expected, look more deeply and realise that your prayer has not been unanswered, but answered by One Who loves you with an everlasting love, and Who always has your best interests at heart. Seek, always, to walk more closely to Him. Then you will discover that there are more and more "green lights", as you are in His will, and doing that which He has planned for you to do.

"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (I Thess. 5:16-18).

Give thanks in all circumstances!

The post for today, following on from the previous one, had already been prepared by Thursday evening.  This was because I "knew" that we would be travelling to France over the ensuing couple of days, and that I wouldn't have a lot of time to work on it. However, if I may quote the Scottish Bard, Rabbie Burns, "The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men gang aft agley,"! (free translation: No matter how carefully we make our plans, be we a mouse or a man, they have a habit of turning pear-shaped"! from his poem: "To a mouse").

Now, let me assure those who might seek such assurance, that our plans are always made with the proviso: "God willing" (often using the letters from the Latin version - D.V.), as we are instructed, in God's Word, to do just that. James writes, wisely: "...you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that.” (4:15).

This is why I placed the word "knew" in quotation marks, in the first paragraph. I thought I knew - but events proved both the truth of Burns' words, and the wisdom of those written by James! For whatever reason, it would seem that our leaving at the time arranged was not the Lord's will for us! So, what happened?!

Well, we had our wee campervan loaded up; the empty baggage trailer was hitched on; and we left at about 0900. So far, so good. I topped up the fuel tank, and we headed south. All went well until we were on the A66, crossing the Pennines, and about 30 miles away from Scotch Corner. Suddenly, I noticed a warning light on the dashboard! Well, I enjoy driving but, when there is a problem … !!!

I did drive on until I came to a layby in which I could safely park, and telephoned the breakdown provider which I had arranged when I insured the vehicle. To cut a long story short, a mechanic arrived and tried something that he thought/hoped would rectify the problem. I then set off again, with the mechanic following closely behind in the breakdown truck. It wasn't too many minutes before the warning light was again showing, so I pulled in at a convenient road-end, and the mechanic pulled in behind me. After further tests, his advice was that we return home! We decided that this was wise advice and so I unhitched the trailer; the car was loaded on to the truck; the trailer was attached to the tow ball on the truck; and we set off for a Services on the M6. Here, because of distance regulations for the tow-truck, we transferred to another one, and completed the journey home.

The van is now outside my preferred garage, and I plan to be there tomorrow (Monday) morning, to take it across the road and let my own mechanic tell me how long the necessary repairs will take (and how much they will cost!!).

So I have been giving thanks. "Giving thanks?!", some may ask. "After all of that, and the upset to all of your plans, how can you honestly give thanks?" Well, I recalled a story about the prince of Bible Commentators, Matthew Henry.

(see https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1996/march/1394.html)

So, I was able to give thanks that the engine failed on this side of the English Channel(La Manche). This is because although I had breakdown cover for within the UK, the age of the van meant that such was not available in France, or any other country in continental Europe. If the engine had failed, just as we disembarked from the ferry, it would have cost me a small fortune, and tested my French language skills, to arrange for a breakdown truck to take us to a local garage, and to pay for the work to be done there. Thank You, Lord.

I was also able to give thanks that it was only an engine fault, and not an accident with the potential to leave one, or both, of us badly injured. A mechanical fault is something that is much easier to deal with than a broken body! Thank You, Lord.

Of course, I was thankful that the two breakdown men were so friendly and helpful. Each of them ensured that we were take safely to our specific destination. Thank You, Lord.

I am thankful that the ferry company has already agreed to change our bookings - both to, and from France - for a small administrative fee. Thank You, Lord.

I am thankful that friends with whom we had arranged to stay; have lunch; visit; have accepted, so graciously, the unexpected situation. Thank You, Lord.

Above all, I am thankful that our heavenly Father is in control. We were "caught out" - but He wasn't. I have no doubt that, at some point, sooner or later, we will be able to look back, and be grateful that events transpired as they did. Thank You, Lord.

"Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God, in Christ Jesus, for you." (I Thess.5:16-18; emphasis added)

[The planned post on prayer will, D.V., be shared next time!  If you watched the interview with me, in the Congress, please feel free to offer some feedback. Thank you.]

Prayer that "works"!

When I was in the British Mercantile Marine (aka the Merchant Navy), I was a very immature disciple of Jesus. However, I attended the on-board Sunday "Divine Service" as a witness to my feeble faith. This, of course, marked me out, and I would sometimes be asked if I would pray - not for healing, or guidance, or spiritual strength, but that such and such a horse would win such and such a race, as my shipmate had placed a large bet on that happening! 

I suspect that there are even fellow disciples of Jesus who think of prayer in the same way! It's asking for something, and expecting to receive it. This has led to the situation in which prayer is only answered if we receive that for which we asked!

Now, some might point to the words of the Lord Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 7:8 - "For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." However, it is always dangerous to lift a single verse, and base any decision on it, without recourse to other parts of God's Word that explain, and qualify, the verse in question.

It is not all asking that receives, for there is asking - such as I was requested to make - that is not true prayer. Some ask merely in word, with no real desire in their hearts. Some - like my former shipmates - ask selfishly, that they may use this wonderful privilege to satisfy their own desires. Others ask rebelliously, without submission to the will of Father God. Then there are those who ask without faith - not really expecting any answer. Some ask in laziness, not ready to play their own part. Yet others ask ignorantly for things that would nt be a blessing if they were to receive them. It is surely clear that those who ask in any of these ways will not receive!

Similarly, not all who seek find! The seeking must be earnest. Speaking through His prophet, Jeremiah, YHWH says: "You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart," (29:13; emphasis added).The seeking must also be for good things. If we seek that which is sinful, or that would work spiritual harm in us, Father God will not give us what we seek. Then, again, we must be living lives that seek to honour Him. The Sons of Korah remind us that: "No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly." (Ps.84:11; emphasis added). The thing that we seek must be good, and we must walk in the path of obedience, or there is no promise of reward for our quest.

Finally, Father God does not open the door to all knocking. There are knocks like those of mischievous children, who knock at a door (or ring the door-bell),and then run away, not really having wanted to enter! It is also all too easy to knock at the wrong door! It is when we knock at the right door, with expectancy, and faith, and persistence, that the door is graciously opened. 

Thus, in interpreting the wonderful prayer-promise that the Lord Jesus gave, we must read into those words their true meaning. If we are to receive positive answers, then our asking, seeking, and knocking, must be true prayer! 

We'll continue with this topic, DV, next time!

Loved With Everlasting Love

On my very first deputation with fellow-students of the Bible Training Institute in Glasgow, I was not the leader, or the preacher. I was not charged with reading the Scriptures, or praying. My part in the team was to be the soloist. Possibly, that was considered to be the safest thing for me to do! The song that I chose for that evening, in a building close to Anniesland Cross, was "I am His, and He is mine", written by George Wade Robinson, and more often referred to by its opening words:

Loved with everlasting love, Led by grace that love to know;

Spirit, breathing from above, Thou hast taught me it is so!

O this full and perfect peace, O this transport all divine;

In a love which cannot cease, I am His and He is mine.

Of course, love is the foundation, the core, the whole edifice, of the Christian faith. That is because “God is love” (I Jn.4:8, 16). That is His essential Being. Without God, true love would not exist and, if one may say so with all reverence, without love, God Himself would not exist. And God loves you!

His love is an “everlasting love” and compels Him to act strongly and lovingly on our behalf. “In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the expiation for our sins.” (I John 4:10). Jesus prayed, “I in them and Thou in me, … that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me and hast loved them even as Thou hast loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, may be with Me where I am, …” (John 17:23-24). The Father will never allow those who are truly His to part from Him or our Saviour. These precious facts are taught to us by the “inspired” (literally “God-breathed”) Scriptures: “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”(II Tim.3:16), and by “... the Spirit of truth [Who] will guide you into all the truth;” (John 16:13).  God the Father drew us to Himself “... in love: Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself” (Eph.1:5). Writing to his fellow-believers, the apostle John assured them: “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. (I Jn.3:1). In His grace, we come to Him, experiencing sweet forgiveness and everlasting love. Cradled in the security of His undying love, we have peace. “Thou dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusts in Thee.”(Is.26:3).  Speaking through His prophet, Jeremiah, Father God said to the Children of Israel: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued My faithfulness to you.” (Jer. 31:3). I believe, firmly, that these are words that every disciple of Jesus may take unto him/herself. Are you able to do so?!

To finish, here is a rendering of  the song “Loved with everlasting love,”, sung by Rev William McCrae, who accompanies himself on the piano. Be blessed.