Do You Know the Scriptures and the Power of God?

Do you know the Scriptures and the power of God?

Matthew 22 records Jesus’ interaction with the Sadducees, who do not believe in the resurrection of the dead. These opponents speak of a woman who had been married successively to seven brothers, each of whom died, then ask: “In the resurrection … of the seven, whose wife will she be?” (Matthew 22:28) Through this story, they suppose they have shown the resurrection of the dead to be absurd: A woman can’t be married to seven men simultaneously, as she would be if they all were resurrected!

Jesus responds: “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). He goes on to show that the Old Testament Scriptures teach the resurrection of the dead, and thus God has power over death.

Let’s consider Jesus’ statement more broadly: Why do we need to know both the Scriptures and the power of God?

Consider first those who know the Scriptures but not the power of God. That is, they have studied Scripture, they may have memorized much Scripture, they may know the original languages, they may be familiar with commentaries and grammar and the history of interpretation – but they do not know God’s power. They do not believe that He is sovereign, that He is a Redeemer, that He is the Judge.

The Sadducees were somewhat like that, as Jesus brings out Matthew 22:31. He says: “Have you not read what was said to you by God,” and then quotes Exodus 3:6, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” God originally spoke those words to Moses – but Jesus says God spoke them also “to you,” to the Sadducees.

The point: God spoke all Scripture to you! He spoke all Scripture to me! And unless we read the Scriptures that way, we do not know them – even if we can quote the entire Bible from memory.

So when you read Scripture:

  • If you primarily think, “That sheds light on the customs and beliefs of Jews two thousand years ago,” you haven’t heard Scripture correctly.
  • If you primarily think, “That’s a key statement in the historical development of worldwide religious thought,” you haven’t heard Scripture correctly.
  • Even if you primarily think, “Boy, my friend really needs to hear and apply that truth,” you haven’t heard Scripture correctly.

Now, all those statements may be true. But God speaks the words of Scripture to you! So hear them that way! Plead for insight into them. Conform your mind to them. Submit your actions to them.

Second, consider those who know the power of God but not the Scriptures. They may be impressed by the majesty of creation and ascribe that to a Creator. They may have prayed for the healing of a loved one – and it happened! They may witness natural disasters and believe that a god controls them.

Such knowledge, however, often results in thinking of God as a genie in the bottle (I rub the bottle, make my three wishes, and – voila! – I get what I want!), or as a random, dangerous force I need to bargain with and appease (“Here, I’ll offer you this worship and this contribution if you’ll refrain from harming me”).

Only from Scripture can we know of both God’s power and His redeeming love, of both His justice and His saving grace, of both the power of temptation and the greater power of His life-giving Spirit, of both the dangers of this present age and the security we have in Jesus, of both death as the last enemy and Jesus’ victory over death.

So, once again: Do you know the Scriptures and the power of God? Commit yourself to knowing both. Only in this way can we be “imitators of God, as beloved children, … walk[ing] in love” (Ephesians 5:1-2).

Loving Jesus Through Poetry

I spent last week with my 96-year-old mother. In the midst of fading memory, she remembers Jesus, she remembers the Gospel – and she remembers poems and hymns that speak of Him and His Gospel. I tried to encourage those memories through singing with her, through listening to hymns and spiritual songs with her – and, for the first time in years, reading poetry with her. My main resource for poetry was A Sacrifice of Praise, edited by James Trott (2nd Edition, Cumberland House Publishing, 2006).

Here are two public domain poems from that collection. The first is related to our present Wednesday morning online study, Love Jesus’ Return. I vaguely recall singing this hymn on occasion growing up. The second – by Joseph Hart, author of “Come Ye Sinners” – is a dialogue between a Gospel-speaking believer and his distressed “soul.” Note the structure: The speaker in the first seven verses rotates between the believer and his soul. In the eighth verse, the distressed soul speaks the first four lines, the believer the last four. In the ninth verse, the speakers alternate every two lines, while in the final verse, the speakers alternate every line.

Read these – and, like my mother, delight in Jesus and His Gospel!

The Second Advent by Thomas Kelly (1809)

Look, ye saints! the sight is glorious:
See the Man of Sorrows now;
From the fight returned victorious,
Every knee to Him shall bow;
Crown Him, crown Him,
Crown Him, crown Him,
Crowns become the Victor’s brow,
Crowns become the Victor’s brow.

Crown the Savior! angels, crown Him;
Rich the trophies Jesus brings;
In the seat of power enthrone Him,
While the vault of heaven rings;
Crown Him, crown Him,
Crown Him, crown Him,
Crown the Savior King of kings,
Crown the Savior King of kings.

Sinners in derision scorned Him,
Mocking thus the Savior’s claim;
Saints and angels crowd around Him,
Own His title, praise His name;
Crown Him, crown Him,
Crown Him, crown Him,
Spread abroad the Victor’s fame,
Spread abroad the Victor’s fame.

Hark, those bursts of acclamation!
Hark, those loud triumphant chords!
Jesus takes the highest station;
O what joy the sight affords!
Crown Him, crown Him,
Crown Him, crown Him,
King of kings and Lord of lords!
King of kings and Lord of lords!

A Dialogue Between a Believer and His Soul by Joseph Hart (1759)  

1 Come, my soul, and let us try,
For a little season,
Every burden to lay by;
Come, and let us reason.
What is this that casts thee down?
Who are those that grieve thee?
Speak, and let the worst be known;
Speaking may relieve thee.

2 O I sink beneath the load
Of my nature’s evil!
Full of enmity to God;
Captived by the devil;
Restless as the troubled seas;
Feeble, faint, and fearful;
Plagued with every sore disease;
How can I be cheerful?

3 Think on what thy Saviour bore
In the gloomy garden,
Sweating blood at every pore,
To procure thy pardon!
See him stretched upon the wood,
Bleeding, grieving, crying,
Suffering all the wrath of God,
Groaning, gasping, dying!

4 This by faith I sometimes view,
And those views relieve me;
But my sins return anew;
These are they that grieve me.
Oh! I’m leprous, stinking, foul,
Quite throughout infected;
Have not I, if any soul,
Cause to be dejected?

5 Think how loud thy dying Lord
Cried out, “It is finished!”
Treasure up that sacred word,
Whole and undiminished;
Doubt not he will carry on,
To its full perfection,
That good work he has begun;
Why, then, this dejection?

6 Faith when void of works is dead;
This the Scriptures witness;
And what works have I to plead,
Who am all unfitness?
All my powers are depraved,
Blind, perverse, and filthy;
If from death I’m fully saved,
Why am I not healthy?

7 Pore not on thyself too long,
Lest it sink thee lower;
Look to Jesus, kind as strong –
Mercy joined with power;
Every work that thou must do,
Will thy gracious Saviour
For thee work, and in thee too,
Of his special favour.

8 Jesus’ precious blood, once spilt,
I depend on solely,
To release and clear my guilt;
But I would be holy.
He that bought thee on the cross
Can control thy nature;
Fully purge away thy dross;
Make thee a new creature.

9 That he can I nothing doubt,
Be it but his pleasure.
Though it be not done throughout,
May it not in measure?
When that measure, far from great,
Still shall seem decreasing?
Faint not then, but pray and wait,
Never, never ceasing.

10 What when prayer meets no regard?
Still repeat it often.
But I feel myself so hard.
Jesus will thee soften.
But my enemies make head.
Let them closer drive thee.
But I’m cold, I’m dark, I’m dead.
Jesus will revive thee.

Where is This World Headed?

Within the last week:

  • A former student breaks into a school and murders little children and adults.
  • A former president running to regain the office is indicted.
  • A foreign leader threatens the use of nuclear weapons.

Where is this world headed?

Revelation 13 describes a world in which evil powers rage. A beast rises out of the sea with ten horns, and a crown on each horn (thus indicative of the power of the state). “The whole earth marveled” at the beast (Revelation 13:3), thinking that its power is greater than any other. Indeed, it exercises authority “over every tribe and people and language and nation” (Revelation 13:7); many respond by worshiping it. The beast blasphemes God and makes war on any who don’t worship it, on God’s people, conquering them.

A second beast then arises out of the earth, performing miracles such as calling down fire from heaven, deceiving people (thus indicative of the power of false religion). It instructs them to make an image of the first beast – and then gives breath to that image, causing it to speak and even to kill those who don’t worship it. Then people are given a mark identifying them as belonging to these beasts – and only people with this mark can buy or sell.

Consider that world of Revelation 13. There are parallels with at least the trajectory of our world – but that world is far worse!

Where is God in such a setting?

The author of Revelation, John, lets us know in four subtle ways that God is very much in control, even as these evil forces seem all-powerful:

  • In verses 5, 7, and 15, John uses “divine passives” to show God’s sovereign control over these evil forces. In Revelation 13:5, the first beast “was allowed to exercise authority 42 months.” Was allowed by whom? By God. Similarly, in Revelation 13:7, the first beast “was allowed to make war on the saints.” Was allowed by whom? By God. Yet again, in Revelation 13:15 the second beast “was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast.” Was allowed by whom? By God
  • The beasts’ time is limited, according to Revelation 13:5. As Jesus says to those coming to arrest Him, “This is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53). But Jesus rose from the dead in just a few days, and that hour ended. Just so, God limits the time that these beasts have power.
  • The beasts come out of the sea and the earth. In Revelation 10:2, a mighty angel “set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land.” God is in control of the origin of both beasts.
  • God’s people are not led astray by the beasts. Yes, they suffer – they are attacked and conquered. But Revelation 13:8 tells us, “All who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain.” If their names are in the book of life of the Lamb, they are secure.

Thus Revelation 13:10 tells us, “Here is a call for the endurance and the faith of the saints.”

The world may appear to be under the control of evil forces – and those forces do indeed have much power. There will be persecution and murders; government authority and religious influence will be used against those following Jesus.

But God is in control. His people are secure. So we must endure, whatever the chaos, whatever the trials, whatever the tragedies – endure in faith, endure in joy, and endure in confidence that, however things may appear, there is One Who reigns. For the seventh angel will blow his trumpet, and then loud voices in heaven will declare, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

He is in control now, and He will return to right all wrongs and to bring in His eternal Kingdom.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

[For more on Revelation 13, see the sermon “Tribulation, Endurance, and Faith,” preached July 3, 2005: text, audio.]

How is a Man Made Right With God?

How is a man made right with God?

This is a fundamental question that most religions attempt to answer.

Our authority is God’s Word, the Bible. How does Scripture answer the question?

There is some debate.

One answer many have given over the years: “Keep the commandments.”

Another answer is similar, with a twist: “Depend on God’s power to enable you to keep the commandments.”

We will see that both of those answers are wrong. Keeping the commandments – by God’s power – is important. But that never saves us. That never puts us right with God.

The biblical answer is: Look away from yourself, admit you are in desperate need of a Savior, and look to our crucified and risen Savior with childlike faith.

Luke shows us in chapter 18 of His gospel that the first two answers are wrong and the last answer is right. Let’s delve into that passage.

 

Made Right with God by Keeping Commandments? Luke 18:18-27

A ruler asks Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

There are two assumptions behind this question: “I don’t have eternal life now” and “There’s something I can do to inherit it.”

Most likely this man had been taught that a man is made right with God by keeping the commandments. But something has shaken his confidence – perhaps even something Jesus has said.

Jesus responds in Luke 18:19: “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.”

Jesus is questioning his standard of good. Is this ruler comparing himself to other men? It’s possible to look good by that comparison. But if instead we compare ourselves to God – we can never call ourselves good! So realize, Jesus is not saying He Himself falls short of the standard. Instead, he is helping the man to get his standard right.

Jesus then lists several biblical commandments the ruler knows – and he responds that he has kept them all.

Now, realize: These listed commandments all reflect God’s character directly. Implicitly Jesus says, “To inherit eternal life, you must be credited with Godlike character.” In that light, the man’s claim to have obeyed them all is audacious. He is saying He has acted like God!

Rather than simply telling him he is wrong, or detailing the implications of the Law as He does in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus goes directly to the way to eternal life: “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Luke 18:22).

What is that “one thing”? “Follow me!” Jesus says, “I’m not just a good teacher who gives advice. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). You are not going to earn eternal life by living up to a set of rules, trying to become like God via your efforts. That’s hopeless! The only way to eternal life is by following Me! And your wealth is keeping you from doing that.”

Luke then tells us the ruler “became very sad, for he was extremely rich” (Luke 18:23). Note: He goes away sad – because he was rich!

Thus Jesus says to His disciples, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:24-25).

Those of us who have wealth frequently think we are accomplished, we are important, we are blessed – and so think we deserve or can achieve or can buy eternal life. Jesus says: “Not so!”

The disciples, thinking of riches as a sign of God’s favor, are astounded, asking, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus says, “What is impossible with men is possible with God” (Luke 18:27). That is: God saves us. We can never save ourselves. For God’s standard is perfect righteousness. We fall short of that standard before we are born (Romans 5:18-19), and every day we live we fall further short.

We can never be right with God by keeping commandments.

But what if we depend on God to keep those commandments? Will that save us?

 

Made Right by Keeping Commandments by God’s Power?

Luke answers that question in the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector, Luke 18:9-14. The Pharisee prays, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get” (Luke 18:11-12).

We need to see how good this man is. Like the ruler, he avoids obvious sins, he prays, he fasts, and he gives tithes. But there is one difference with the ruler: He thanks God for this, rather than claiming that he has done this on his own. Effectively he says, “Thank you, God, for working in me the desire and ability to keep Your commands. I could not have done it otherwise.”

That’s a very good statement. I hope you make similar statements.

So he’s a good, moral, religious man who recognizes that there is nothing he can do on his own to inherit eternal life.

What then is the problem?

Jesus contrasts him with the tax collector in Luke 18:13:

The tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

And Jesus then says, “This man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14).

The tax collector is not a good, moral man; he probably hasn’t been fasting or tithing. Those differences obviously don’t lead to his salvation.

What does?

He admits he is a sinner. And he asks God for mercy.

The Pharisee says, “God, enable me to do righteous deeds, and then declare me righteous on basis of those God-enabled righteous deeds.” The tax collector says, “I am a sinner. I am without hope. Have mercy on me!”

All the good the Pharisee does not earn eternal life. Instead, they can be a trap, making him think he is right with God when he is not.

The Pharisee thinks he knows the answer to our question: How is man made right with God? His answer: “By God enabling him to keep the commandments.” Jesus says that never works.

The tax collector points us in the right direction; other vignettes in this passage clarify the answer further.

Made Right by Childlike Faith in the Crucified and Risen Savior

When people bring infants to Jesus, He says, “To such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Luke 18:16-17).

Elsewhere, Scripture wans us not to be like children in some ways (for example, Ephesians 4:14). How are we to imitate children?

We are to trust God the way a child trusts his parents. He frequently will not understand how his parents lead him, or what his parents tell him to do. But a good child will follow his parents, knowing he is helpless without them.

Return, then, to the ruler. His fundamental issues is that he does not trust Jesus. He did not believe in Him like a child looking to his parents. He did not believe that in following Jesus he would gain – even if that meant giving away all his possessions.

And that type of faith is necessary if one is to be made right with God.

Jesus expands on the object of such saving faith in Luke 18:31-33, as He prophesies about his death and resurrection. But the disciples understand nothing (Luke 18:34). Why not?

They surely understand the words themselves. But they don’t understand how this can happen to the long-promised Messiah. Thus, they don’t understand saving faith! They don’t understand how their sins can be paid for, or how they can be righteous!

We must understand what they do not.

Above, we paraphrased Jesus’ words to the ruler as: “To inherit eternal life, you must be credited with Godlike character.”

How does this happen?

Tax collector simply calls out: “Have mercy on me, a sinner!”

Why does this man go down justified, declared righteous? How is he credited with Godlike character? Only on the basis of the perfect life, the atoning death, and the glorious resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ.

As the Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV): “God made [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Jesus paid the penalty for all our sins, all our transgressions; Jesus fulfilled the Law, perfectly displaying the character of God. Through childlike faith in Him, God places all our sins on Him; He unites us with Him, and credits us with His righteous life. He therefore declares us righteous before Him – not on the basis of our efforts at obedience, nor on the basis of God-enabled obedience, but only on the basis of the death and resurrection of His Son.

 

So where are you?

Do you believe in Jesus? That is, do you believe that you are without hope apart from Him? Do you believe that even God-wrought obedience will never save you? Do you believe that humbly following Jesus with childlike faith is the only path to eternal life – indeed, the only path to fulfillment and joy?

Give up everything that hinders your following Him. Humble yourself before Him. Come, follow Him. And then know: You are right with God.

[This devotion is based on a sermon preached November 12, 2006 on Luke 18:9-34. You can listen to that sermon via this link.]

Jerry Richardson, Alex Murdaugh, and You

On Wednesday, Jerry Richardson died. On Thursday, Alex Murdaugh was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his wife and son.

Richardson brought the Carolina Panthers to Charlotte and was a revered member of the community until allegations came out in 2017 concerning his treatment of employees. Murdaugh comes from a prominent legal family – indeed, his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather served as solicitors/district attorneys continuously from 1920 to 2006, in charge of every prosecution in five South Carolina counties, including Colleton where Murdaugh’s trial took place (and where my ancestors lived).

Though there is a huge difference in the severity of their sins, the parallel is striking: Both seemed to be unassailable; both fell dramatically from their esteemed positions.

How should we Christians respond to the sins and subsequent fall of these two men? Consider five ways:

First: We should not be surprised. The Apostle Paul tells us, “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). Scripture tells us that even pillars in biblical history such as Abraham, Moses, David, and Peter sinned. Other than Jesus, your greatest hero is a sinner.

Second: We should be thankful when justice is done. Jerry Richardson had to step away from the team he loved; barring successful appeal, Alex Murdaugh will never leave prison. God sets up government in part to implement temporal justice, punishing those who do evil (1 Peter 2:14). Praise God for justice.

Third: These cases should drive home truths about sin we so easily ignore: Sin always deceives; sin always is discovered; sin always destroys. We are tempted to believe the lie that this appealing sin really will be good for me; that this time no one will ever know; and that I can avoid any negative consequences of the sin. But Scripture makes clear that every sin – from the first in the Garden of Eden to the one I contemplate today – leads to the destruction of joy, not the deepening of joy. In God’s presence, following His paths, there is fullness of joy – and nowhere else (Psalm 16:11). And Jesus tells us that in the next life if not in the present, “What you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops” (Luke 12:2-3).

Fourth: We should praise God the Father for providing forgiveness and reconciliation for sinners via the sacrifice of His Son on the Cross. Jesus’ first public exhortation is as true today as it was 2000 years ago: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Jesus came not to gather to Himself people who were sinless, but to call sinners to repentance and thus salvation (Luke 5:32, 1 Timothy 1:15). And that salvation can extend even to murderers – like David, like Alex Murdaugh.

Finally: The lives of Jerry Richardson and Alex Murdaugh should prompt us to examine ourselves, to root out and bring to light the sin within us. Personalize the truths about sin: My sins deceive. My sins destroy. My sins will be discovered. Yet I am forgiven if I repent, trusting only in Jesus’ sacrifice for my standing before God. Thus, we should repent from our known sins, turning away from them, and pray that God would reveal to us those we don’t recognize. As David prays in the psalm we are presently memorizing: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24).

[I first heard the three “sin always …” statements in a 1985 sermon on David and Bathsheba by Gary Vanderet; it does not seem to be available on the internet. I used those statements in a 1998 sermon and a 2018 blog post based on that sermon – Coty]

How Should We Sacrifice to God?

Why did Paul write chapters 12-16 of Romans?

Why not stop after chapter 11’s marvelous conclusion:

O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! … From Him, through Him, and to Him are all things! To Him be the glory forever! (From Romans 11:33, 36)

Or why doesn’t he proceed directly to his plans to visit them, discussed in chapter 15?

Because in Scripture truth always leads to change.

  • We don’t learn biblical truth so we can become Bible answer men
  • Nor do we learn biblical truth to satisfy our intellectual curiosity – what is God like? What is man like?

God breaths out Scriptural Truth that is profitable “for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” – Why? – so “that the man of God may be” competent, perfected, fully “equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The structure of Romans reflects this. Paul applies the truths of chapters 1-11 in chapters 12-15.

Romans 12:1 is thus the hinge in the letter:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Let’s focus on four phrases from this verse:

1) Therefore, By the Mercies of God

“Therefore” indicates the application of the subsequent chapters is closely linked to the theology that Paul discusses earlier. We are to live our lives differently because we understand what God has done, because we have taken to heart Who He is. How we think is to affect how we act – every minute of every day.

Realize: This is not the case in many religions. There is theology on the one hand, and a moral code on the other. There is little or no link between them.

Note that of all the truth Paul has brought out so far in Romans, he emphasizes here God’s mercy. Romans has made clear: No one is righteous. All have sinned. The wages of sin is death. But God put forward Jesus as the atoning sacrifice by His death on the cross. So God declares His people righteous, He redeems His people as a gift – a gift that comes to us through faith in Jesus as our Savior.

Furthermore, Paul has said in chapter 11 that this is true for peoples as well as for individuals. God consigns all types of people to disobedience so that He might have mercy on all types of people (Romans 11:32).

So because of that great mercy, because of who God is and who you are, because He offers you salvation, indeed, Himself in Jesus, because nothing can separate you from the love He has for you in Christ Jesus, therefore respond, therefore live out Romans 12 through 15.

2) I Appeal to You, Brothers

Notice what Paul does at this point. He is an apostle. He has authority. He could say, “I command you.”

But instead he appeals to them to respond from the heart.

Why?

Because what he is going to tell them to do cannot be done in a perfunctory manner. It cannot be checked off as completed once you obey a rule or two.

He is going to tell them to do something that will characterize the rest of their lives – until they die.

So he says: “I exhort you. I encourage you. I appeal to you: Think of God’s mercy. Think of Who He is, who you are. Think of who Jesus is, what He has done on your behalf. Think of the promises of God – and respond! Act and, indeed, feel in a way consistent with these truths. Take these truths to heart and be changed by them.”

3) Present Your Bodies as a Sacrifice

Let’s unpack this appeal in four ways:

a) God Doesn’t Need Us

You may have heard people say: “We are God’s hands and feet to accomplish His work.”

What do you think of that?

God does indeed equip and use us to accomplish His purposes. He tells us to go and disciple all nations (Matthew 28:18-20); He tells us to let our light shine before men so they may see our good works and give Him glory (Matthew 5:16).

But you could infer from that statement that God needs us. We are to offer Him our bodies because He doesn’t have one.

No. God is not needy. He created us. He can create others. All our abilities, all our intelligence, every cell in our bodies is from Him. When we offer ourselves to Him, He gains nothing. We are the ones who gain.

b) Present as a Sacrifice

God instituted the sacrificial system to picture His work and our relationship to Him. That system includes several different types of offerings, including whole burnt offerings, grain or present offerings, sin offerings, and fellowship offerings (see Leviticus 1-7).

Christians are most familiar with the sin offering, rightly seeing Jesus as the fulfillment of that offering. An ancient Israelite would lay his hands on the living animal, identifying with it, and then kill it. Similarly, God transfers the sins of His people to Jesus on the cross. He became a sin offering for us.

But in Romans 12, Paul is not telling us to offer ourselves as a sin offering. The image instead is of other offerings – two of which we will consider here: the whole burnt offering and the grain or present offering.

The primary distinction of the whole burnt offering is that the entire animal is burned in the fire. The offeror or the priests eat at least part of every other offering.

The grain or present offering consists of their staple food, what the people effectively are made of.

Thus, considering the two together: I am to offer all I am to God – even all the details of my daily life.

Furthermore, note that both offerings are celebrations! The idea is not, “Oh, I’m giving up this expensive animal, or this food that we could use!” Rather, the idea is: “I belong wholly to Him. I am accepted by Him completely. Indeed, I am without blemish before Him. He has covered every stain, every sin in me. So like a spotless lamb, loved by Him, redeemed by Him, I can offer myself to Him – and He rejoices!”

So Paul’s exhortation here is not so much for commitment but for surrender, complete surrender.

That’s what Jesus did. In addition to becoming a sin offering, He is an example of complete surrender, offering Himself to God (see, for example, John 5:30).

c) Present Your Bodies

Why does Paul emphasize our bodies?

He clearly is not limiting the command to our bodies. Indeed, he speaks of the “renewal of your mind” in verse 2.

He emphasizes “body” because of the temptation in his day and ours to separate the body from the mind or soul, to think of our relationship to God as solely interior, and day to day life in the body as separate, even relatively unimportant.

So Paul is saying: “Present your entire person to God as a sacrifice – including your body” (see also 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

This has important implications for the way we live. That passage from 1 Corinthians emphasizes how we live sexually. But there are additional implications for how we eat, how we exercise, and, indeed, what we do with our bodies throughout the day.

One preacher summarizes this truth: “I must not regard even my body as my private property.”

Don’t we all tend to do that? Doesn’t our culture encourage us to think that way?

We are to offer our bodies to God – they are not our private property.

d) What Type of Sacrifice

Paul uses three adjectives to describe the sacrifice:

Living:

The point here is not that the Old Testament sacrifices were dead – they were alive when they were offered! Rather the point is that this is not a one-time event, a one-time offering and then we die. We are to offer this sacrifice day after day, continually – our entire life is an offering to God.

Holy:

Old Testament sacrifices had to be perfect, without blemish. We are stained, but as we noted we become unblemished because of Jesus’ work. So our offering of our bodies is holy.

Acceptable or Well-Pleasing

“Acceptable” is problematic here. Imagine as a student you work hard on an essay for English class. You’re pleased with the final version and you eagerly await your teacher’s response. When you get it back, the teacher has written across the top, “This is acceptable.”

How do you feel? Not happy! That sounds like your essay is barely good enough. You want the teacher to write, “Excellent!” or “I’m quite pleased with this!”

The Greek word means much more than “acceptable” in that sense. Thus some translations render it “pleasing.”

God is indeed well-pleased with our offering ourselves to Him in this way. He is delighted when we see Jesus as our Redeemer, and see ourselves as loved and accepted in Christ, and thus following Him with joy all our lives.

4) This is Worship, This is Life                   

Paul concludes the verse by emphasizing that our continually offering ourselves as a sacrifice to God is our “spiritual worship.”

The phrase is rather difficult to translate. The word translated “spiritual” in the ESV can mean “logical, rational, inner, genuine.” Thus the NET translates it “reasonable service.” One commentator suggests rendering the phrase, “which is the logical thing to do.”

So let’s try to tie together the living sacrifice idea with insights from this phrase. We’ll consider three negatives and then three positives:

First, as we’ve said, our offering ourselves to God is not an occasional or even regular act. We are to offer ourselves continually, every minute of every day.

Second, our offering ourselves to God is not an act of perfunctory obedience, just going through the motions. It must be inner as well as outer.

Third, our offering ourselves is thus not simply obedience to a set of rules, a set of behaviors to avoid.

Instead, fourth, our offering ourselves is rational, logical, reasonable, genuine. That offering is the right response to our understanding of His mercies!

Fifth, this offering is spiritual. Remember what Jesus said to the woman at the well: “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23).

Finally, this offering of ourselves to Him is indeed worship. Worship is acting, thinking, and feeling in a way that reflects the glory of God. And the inner dynamic of worship is valuing Jesus far above all earthly goals, attainments, joys, and accomplishments.

Therefore, I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God: Present your bodies to Him as a sacrifice – living, holy, well-pleasing to God. This is only logical. This is the way you worship Him: Seeing your entire life as His, and then living that out – to your great joy.

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee….
Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine….
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee. (Frances Havergal, 1874)

[This devotion is shortened and edited from a sermon on Romans 12:1 preached January 7, 2018. You can listen to the audio of that sermon via this link. The quote from “one preacher” is from Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans: Exposition of Chapter 12: Christian Conduct (Banner of Truth Trust, 2000), p. 65.]

What Do You Need to Have Peace?

[This Sunday, I plan to preach on Psalms 129, 130 and 131. In 2009 I preached on Psalm 131 as part of a series entitled “The Gospel for Two-Year-Olds – Like You!” This devotion is a shortened form of the second sermon in that series, preached August 30, 2009. You can listen to that sermon via this link – Coty]

What do you need in order to have peace?

That is, what do you need in order to rest completely?

  • A well-paying job, in your preferred field, with a good boss?
  • Good grades, a respected degree?
  • A sense of accomplishment, of usefulness, of being needed?
  • A loving spouse, with a satisfying sex life?
  • Happy and obedient children?
  • A certain level of income – and a house, a good car, nice clothes?
  • Respect from others? Love?

Or to put it another way: How would you complete this sentence: “I would be content if I just had _____”

In Psalm 131, David gives a beautiful picture of the peace we can have with God:

O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.

David Powlison says this psalm is “show-and-tell for how to become peaceful inside,” while Charles Spurgeon notes, “It is one of the shortest Psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn.” So let’s begin to learn how to relax and rest in God like a well-fed two-year-old with her mother.

 

The Psalmist at Peace

David describes his peaceful condition through three negative statements:

  • His heart is not lifted up
  • His eyes are not raised too high
  • He does not focus on what is beyond him.

In Hebrew, the word “heart” refers to the entire inner being: Emotions, intellect, and will. So the first statement refers to what David is thinking of himself. He does not exalt himself.

The second statement refers to where I think I am going: My plans, goals, ambitions, desires, worries, pressures, and fears. In effect, he is saying: “I have no plans to exalt myself in the future, for I have no need to prove myself.”

These first two statements together describe a man who is humble, not self-centered.

What do these have to do with peace?

When you are not at peace, you are not humble. You are saying, “My status is more important than anything else. No matter who God is, no matter what promises He may have made, I cannot have peace unless I have X.”

Two-year-olds are like this, aren’t they? He sees cookies just out of the oven cooling on the counter, and asks for one. When told no, they are for later, he becomes upset and declares, “I need a cookie!” Regardless of how loving and giving his parents might be, he has no peace because he doesn’t have a cookie.

In effect, he is saying to his parents, “You say you provide, but you’re not giving me this cookie. I can’t be happy without it! So you must not be loving parents! If you really loved me you would give me what I want!”

Contrast that with David’s attitude. He is saying, “I’m not magnifying my perception of needs, my plans, my schemes. I am not worried about my present state or my future. I am not driven by what other people think of me now, or what they will think of me in future. I am at peace, resting on God.”

In David’s third negative statement, he declares that he does not occupy himself or walk around in “things too great and too marvelous for me.” This too is a statement of humility. He admits there is much that is beyond his ability to understand – that God knows, and he does not. The point is not, “Don’t think about such things!” David was king! He certainly was concerned about perplexing events in his country. But he did not say, “I cannot have peace unless I know the answer to these questions!” We can be concerned, we can weep with those who weep, and still have peace, still be at rest, trusting in the One Who knows all things, Who controls all things. We can be like a two-year-old who experiences a deep sorrow – yet rests in his loving parent’s arms. He can’t understand – and doesn’t have to.

How do we – as two-year-olds before God – come to that state?

 

How to Become Peaceful

After the three negative statements in verse 1, David makes a positive statement in verse 2:

But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Note that David is active, not passive. As the NAS renders the verse, ”Surely I have composed and quieted my soul.” He has worked to bring about this state.

What has he done? The first verb literally means “made level,” while the second connotes being still, being at rest. Then note that “soul” in Hebrew refers not to the immortal or immaterial part of you, but more to the part of your being that has desires and passions.

So David says here: “I have taken initiative. I have made level my passions and desires. These things I want do not control me. I am tempted to let my passions and desires run my life, not to have peace unless they are fulfilled. But I have resisted those temptations.”

Note that he is not saying, “I have stifled all desire. I am hardened to whatever happens. I have no more passions.” Scripture never commends that attitude. We are to rejoice, to love, to mourn, to weep.

Rather, what David has done is to level out those desires, to knock them down to size, to quiet their cries and to put them in their proper place.

David then compares this state to the two-year-old on his mother’s lap. While the word translated “weaned” can mean a child who no longer nurses, it can also mean a child who has just finished nursing. I think that’s the image here. The child has nursed. She has all she needs. She has satisfied her hunger. She feels safe and secure and loved on her mother’s breast. She is completely at peace.

This is the picture of all who are in Jesus before God – loved, provisioned, protected, peaceful. For He promises us His love (1 John 3:1). He promises us protection (2 Timothy 4:18). He promises us the food and clothing we need to fulfill His purposes (Matthew 6:31-33). And He promises us His constant presence (Hebrews 13:5).

So we can rest peacefully on Him. Yes, we will be perplexed at times; we will weep at times; we will often have deep concerns. But we don’t live lives dominated by those concerns. We still and quiet our souls; we make level our passions; we rest in His love, in His provision.

Therefore we won’t say, “I can only have peace if I have _____!” We have Him. We have all that we need.

 

The Source of Peace

In the first two verses, David does not make explicit the source of his contentment. He does that in the final verse:

O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.

Here David calls on all God’s people to do what he has done. Everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus, everyone who is part of God’s holy nation (1 Peter 2:9) must hope in the Lord!

This exhortation is both what we must do and why we can rest.

That little child hopes in his mother and father. He doesn’t understand much about what is going on, but he trusts them. He isn’t able to provide for himself, but he believes they will provide. He sees, perhaps, dangers in the world, but he trusts their protection.

Just so with us before God.

And note that this is to go on forevermore! We never outgrow sitting on that restful lap!

How do we put this into practice? What is the spiritual dynamic at play here?

When we are tempted to fret, to worry, to lack peace, we are to calm and quiet our souls by reminding ourselves of God’s character, of His plan of redemption, and of His promises: He promises to work all things together for our good and His glory; He promises to redeem all of creation, creating a new heavens and new earth; He promises to right every wrong, to wipe away every tear; He promises to make us like Jesus – forever and ever.

Consider in particular the overarching promise of Luke 12:32. Jesus says,

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

This is what God wants to do! If you are in Christ, He wants to give you His kingdom!  He wants to bring you into His presence. He wants to shower you with His love.  He wants you to be His precious child, His heir. He wants to grant you a new body in the new heavens and new earth. He wants to use you for His glory, so that you play a role in the greatest accomplishment of all time.

And remember: Whatever God pleases, He does (Psalm 135:6). Nothing can stop Him.

 

So how can you rest? What do you need in order to have peace?

We can make long lists of things we think we need. We can allow ourselves to get all worked up and upset and fretful because of what we lack.

But really there is only one thing we need.

What we need is Jesus – and nothing else.

Every other good in this life – everything we lack, everything we think we need – fundamentally Is not valuable in and of itself. Rather: if received, it is most valuable because it is a token of love from the One who loves us more than we can imagine. And if God withholds it from us – then He has something better. Even that withholding – painful as it may be – is for our good.

So away with all thoughts of, “I would be happy if …” or “I need answers to life’s questions before I can be at peace.”

The only question that matters is: Do you have Jesus?

Apart from Him – you cannot trust any of His promises. You cannot rest on God’s lap. You cannot know His love. For we all deserve punishment (Psalm 130:3). We need someone to pay the penalty for us. We need someone to stand in our place.

Those who are in Jesus have peace with God because He took on that penalty at the Cross (Romans 5:1, 8).

So believe in Him. Trust Him.

He is the one thing you need for peace. Not a house. Not a job. Not fulfillment. Not recognition. Not status. Not a spouse or sex or children.

Having Jesus: Fight the fight to believe. Remind yourself of Who God is. Meditate on His promises. And know: If you have Jesus, peace is yours. Rest in Him.

“O Israel: Hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.”

Life in God’s Family: The Basis and Nature of the Ten Commandments

How would you describe an ideal family?

Is it a family in which the children always obey every rule the parents make?

We know that is not the case. Indeed, outward obedience to parents can co-exist with deep anger and resentment, as displayed by the older son in Luke 15.

Instead, love and trust characterize the ideal family. There is obedience to parents, yes – but that obedience flows out of love, out of trust, out of a feeling of security and acceptance.

Just so in the family of God. God’s family members surely obey – but not with the outward, formal obedience of the Pharisees. Their obedience instead is joyful and willing, flowing from confidence in the loving character of God.

Consider the Ten Commandments in this regard. These commandments summarize God’s torah, His instructions to His people. Many misunderstand both the nature and implications of these commandments. So let’s examine, first of all, the basis and nature of the Ten Commandments. From these we’ll draw out four implications for all the Commandments. In future devotions we’ll consider the Commandments one by one.

The Basis of the Ten Commandments: Relationship with God

The people of Israel do not come into a relationship with God by obeying the Ten Commandments; they are already in a relationship with Him when He speaks the Commandments.

  • When Moses first approaches Pharaoh, God says, “Israel is my firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22).
  • God told Moses at the burning bush that the people would worship Him at Sinai (Exodus 3:12).
  • God reiterates that plan multiple times in words spoken to Pharaoh (Exodus 4:23, 5:1, 5:3, 8:1, 8:20, 9:1, 9:13, 10:3).
  • When they first arrive at Sinai, God says, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Exodus 19:4, emphasis added).
  • Immediately prior to speaking the Commandments, God says, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2, emphasis added).

So the Israelites’ relationship with God precedes the giving of the Law. They enter into a relationship with God through His love, by His grace (Deuteronomy 7:6-8).

Furthermore, they do not remain in relationship with God through keeping the Law. In Exodus 32, they explicitly break the Commandments. God’s judgment falls on a small percentage, but He reveals Himself as “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, … forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Exodus 34:6-7).

Now, He goes on to say He “will by no means leave the guilty unpunished” (Exodus 34:7 NIV) – He is the God of both grace and justice. We only understand fully how God’s grace and justice both hold when we see Jesus’ death on the cross.

But our point for today is this: Neither the Israelites nor we today enter into a relationship with God through obedience to the Law. Neither the Israelites nor we today remain in a relationship with God through obedience to the Law. We enter into a relationship with Him by grace through faith. We remain in that relationship by grace through faith.

 

The Nature of the Ten Commandments: Life in God’s Family

When we hear the word “law,” we normally think of some set of restrictions on our behavior. A sign on I-485 says that there is a law prohibiting you from driving faster than 70mph. If you see a police car in your rearview mirror, you will restrict your driving speed. You will not drive 80mph.

But God’s Law is not fundamentally a set of restrictions on our behavior. Instead, God’s Law fundamentally is a revelation of His character. Through the Law, He tells us what He loves and what He hates: “I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong” (Isaiah 61:8). God in His holy essence hates and despises sin, He despises evil; in His essence, he loves righteousness and justice.

 

Now, connect this with the idea of God’s people being His family. When we had six little children running around the house needing correction, we would sometimes say, “We’re Pinckneys – we don’t act that way.” We then explained how we behave.

That’s similar to what Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

Thus, when God tells us to obey His Law, He is saying, “Become like Me! I have brought you to Myself! You are part of my intimate family! This is your identity; this is who you are. So act like it’s true! Act like Me!”

So God does not give us the Ten Commandments, saying, “Obey these and you will be in My family.” Nor does He say, “Obey these in order to remain in My family.” Instead, He says to the Israelites – and to us! – “You are in the family. And this is how those in my family live. This is how they reflect my character.”

 

Four Implications for Understanding the Ten Commandments

a) The Ten Commandments are positive, not only negative

We don’t become like God simply by avoiding certain actions – we must change positively!

For example, consider the seventh commandment: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Many never commit the physical act of adultery, but lust after others. Jesus tells us these too break the commandment (Matthew 5:28). But we can’t just modify the commandment to include a prohibition of lust! Rather, the Commandment exhorts us to take on the character of God. We positively are to honor marriage, to build up own, to assist others to strengthen their marriages, all to the glory of God.

So, in general, each commandment forbids some attitudes and behaviors while commending others.

b) No one will succeed in fully taking on the character of God

Those at the moment outside God’s family are “dead in trespasses and sin” (Ephesians 2:1). God graciously brings the redeemed into His family, making us “alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). He grants us His Spirit, enabling us to “put to death the deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13), providing a way of escape from temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13) and producing in us Christlike character (Galatians 5:22-23). Yet we all fail; “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

The Day is coming after Jesus returns when He does away with sin forever. We will be like Him, seeing Him as He is (1 John 3:2). But until that Day, we will stumble and fall. However much we grow – and we should grow! – we will never be perfect as our heavenly Father.

c) Jesus fully displayed the character of God

Jesus said He came to fulfill the Law (Matthew 5:17) – and He did. He showed us what God is like: “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). He loved God with all His heart, soul, mind, and strength every minute of every day. He loved every person He encountered as He loved Himself.

d) How then can we be like God? Though union with Jesus!

When we come to God by grace through faith in Jesus, God not only saves us from our sins, wiping out the negatives from our accounts; He also credits us with the righteousness of Jesus – in Him we become “the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). His active obedience to the entirety of the Law is credited to us.

 

Thus, the Ten Commandments do not constitute a law code for ancient Israel (in our contemporary sense of law code). Rather they are a revelation of the character of God, so that those in His family might know Him better and become like Him by His grace. And that happens only via Jesus.

So salvation is not primarily about saving us from hell – it is that, but also much more. Salvation is primarily about being in God’s family, credited with Jesus’ righteousness, transformed to become like Him – partially in this life, completely in the next.

(This devotion is based on the first half of a sermon on Exodus 20:1-3 preached May 9, 2010, “Having Been Saved By Grace, Do You Put God First?” The audio is available here. An earlier blog post covering some of the same material is here.)

Christmas in Cameroon, 2001

[The Pinckney family spent the 2001/2002 academic year in Ndu, Cameroon at the Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary. Though near the equator, Ndu is at 6600′ of elevation, so is temperate and, at this season, quite dry. This is a lightly edited version of the letter we sent to our supporters on Christmas Eve, 2001. Near the close of the letter, I wrote: “We don’t know where we might be next Christmas.” By God’s providence, we ended up here – though on Christmas Day 2002 DGCC did not yet have a name – Coty]

Dear Friends and supporters:

Merry Christmas from Ndu! Though we know you won’t receive this until after Christmas, we want to share with you some new Christmas lyrics, along with some events from yesterday.

First of all, you must understand that for the last few weeks, when the power has been on we’ve heard Christmas songs blaring from some of the shops in town, including ones that seem singularly inappropriate to Cameroon, such as “Jingle Bells” and “Silver Bells.” To the tune of the latter, Beth, Erin, and Jonathan have written lyrics that fit our situation perfectly (note that we have had no measurable rainfall for 47 days; also note that any of the eight of us can be referred to as “white man”):

Dusty footpaths, busy market, full of holiday cheer,
In the air there’s a big cloud of red dust,
People shouting to the white man, “Come and greet me, my friend!”
And on every street corner you see:
Clouds of Dust, clouds of dust,
It’s Christmastime in Ndu!
Cough and sneeze in the breeze,
Soon it will be Christmas Day.

Sunday, December 23, 2001, 5:30 AM. The alarm goes off. I pry open my eyes, to little effect, having been awake for much of the time between 3:00 and 4:30, trying to get comfortable on our old foam mattress. The air feels chilly. “Maybe I can pray in bed instead,” I think, and begin to ask God to open my mouth later in the morning at Mbipgo, a church about 5 miles away. I pray through the Scripture passages that will be used, and the sermon outline . . . Beep-beep-beep-beep! The 5:45 alarm goes off, waking me again. “Up this time; no more lounging in bed,” I tell myself. I need a shower, but we have had no running water since Saturday afternoon; apparently there is an electrical problem with the school’s water pump. So, using water our younger boys carried up from the spring yesterday evening, I fill two tea kettles and put them on the stove. While they heat up, I return to my neglected prayers.

By 7:15, after washing my hair in the sink and grabbing a bite to eat, I’m ready to go, along with Beth and the three youngest boys. Victor Ndusho, the student who invited us to this, his home church, arrives, so I walk down the hill to get [fellow missionary] Gary Stephens’ car. Victor and I had planned to walk to Mbipgo, but given that the younger boys wanted to accompany us, and given the knee pain I’ve had the last few days, driving seemed a better option. But Gary’s 12-year-old Pajero has acted up some of late, and it chooses this morning to act up again. At first, turning the key has no impact on the electrical system. I open the hood, jiggle the battery wires, and try again – the starter turns, but then the car dies. No problem, it always acts this way when cold. But 15 minutes later, the engine has never turned over, and the battery is now dead. Furthermore, the car is pointing downhill, up against a fence. To push start it, we’ll have to push it uphill quite a ways.

I return home and declare that Victor and I will have to walk; the boys will have to remain at CBTS. Seven-year-old Joel cries, he is so looking forward to going. Victor also really wants to take the vehicle, so that his wife and 2-week-old baby – who has not yet been to his grandparents’ – can accompany him. Victor asks, “Can we try pushing it?” I answer, rather gruffly, “It will take at least 5 men to push it up the hill.” Victor gathers 7 within 5 minutes – most of whom have walked that way to get water. On our second try, the car starts and we are off.

The road is rough but passable, and we arrive at the church in about 25 minutes. Upon pulling up, I have a sense of déjà vu; but how could I have been here before? Then Beth realizes that this church is in a video we saw in the US, filmed on a short term trip last year; the many steps and strong stone structure make it easily identifiable. I recall that in that video, the missionary states the service lasted 3 hours . . .

I am able to spend some time in prayer before the service, asking God to center my thoughts on Him, and to put the drive and the stresses of the morning behind me. Sitting in front, looking out at the congregation of only 50 as the service opens (it will swell to over 300 an hour later), I begin to prepare to preach using John Piper’s acronym APTAT: Acknowledge my inability to have any impact on these people apart from the work of the Holy Spirit; Pray that God would enable me to fulfill His commands, such as those in 1 Timothy 4:13-15; Trust God to fulfill His promises, particularly this morning the promise found in 1 Timothy 4:16; then Act. Afterwards, I will Thank God for answering my prayers. I feel ready to preach.

The service moves right along for a while, but the third choir number ends up being a youth drama. This lasts almost 25 minutes . . . and, while the heavy pidgin is hard to understand, as far as I can tell the drama is completely moralistic, without spiritual content. “Lord, prepare the hearts of your people despite this drama; do not let me be discouraged or disheartened.”

Finally it’s time to preach, more than 2 hours after the service began. Some are getting sleepy. Victor is not experienced at translating, and it takes a while for us to hit a rhythm. I wonder if illustrations are understood. But by the end, as we realize that the baby in the manger is also the final judge, as the contrast is drawn between those who hope in God and those who, through unbelief, are cast into the lake of fire, there is rapt attention – even from many who had been sleepy-eyed earlier. I finish with prayer, sit, and complete APTAT.

After the service, we are fed a meal and make our way down to Victor’s parents’ compound. Walking through the coffee and bananas, I almost feel like it’s ten years earlier, and I’m on the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro: red coffee berries shining in the light that makes its way through the upper canopy; coffee drying on mats around the houses; fruit – particularly oranges and lemons – in abundance. It’s amazing what a difference of 1500’ in elevation makes! Victor’s parents’ are delighted to see us, and Joel in particular loves this compound, asking “Can we come back and stay a long time?” For me, this compound is moving also, as it’s so much closer than Ndu to what comes to my mind when I think “Africa”.

We drive home, laden with oranges, lemons, sugarcane, and tree tomatoes generously given to us. I barely have time to wash up – with water from the barrel; the pump still is not operating – and finish up a couple of emails just before the 4PM radio time slot. On the way back, a knowledgeable friend says the electricians have looked at the water pump, and the prospects are not hopeful; there is almost no chance of water before the 26th, and we may have to haul it from the spring for weeks. I wonder how long the boys will be able to keep up their enthusiasm for this task . . .

About 6:30, as I try to complete the daily reading from the Greek New Testament necessary to meet my year-end goal, the power goes off. Sigh. No water and no electricity. We light candles, then Beth calls out, “Joel’s bath water is warm – could you please wash him?” “Nine more verses, and I’ll do it!” “Can you do it now? I’m trying to get supper ready.” “Nine more verses, and I’ll do it!” Happily, these last few verses are easy: with “Ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ὑμῶν” (Philemon 1:25), I’m done. As I’m about to get up from the desk, the computer beeps at me – the power is back on!

Joel is standing naked in the tub, a bucket of warm water next to him. He asks, “Can we set a speed record for washing my hair?” We come close to a record, he looks as clean as he ever gets around here (meaning, not particularly so), and we two finish in time for Joel to get his hands dirty again before dinner.

Beth sends him back to the bathroom to wash his hands; Joel without thinking turns on the faucet. Seeing him do this, Beth begins, “There’s no running water, Joel; you’ll have to get it from the bucket.” But water is coming out of the tap! The pump must be fixed!

We sit down to a dinner of rice and potato curry with renewed thankfulness not only for the food, but also for running water, for electricity, for Mbipgo, indeed, for this whole year in Cameroon which God has worked out so marvelously for us. Afterwards, as we prepare to read a Christmas story and drink hot chocolate, Beth says, “Let’s go caroling!” So for the next hour we make the rounds of faculty houses and the women’s dormitory, introducing many of our Cameroonian friends to this wonderful tradition. All eight of us participate wholeheartedly; one neighbor says, “When I heard you singing, I thought it was a whole choir!” Our friends are greatly blessed, and so are we.

As we’re walking back, preparatory to finally drinking that hot chocolate, Jonathan quotes one of our favorite Christmas stories, “A Full House,” by Madeline L’Engle: “Just a typical Christmas Eve at the Austins’.” So it has been: a “typical” December 23rd with the Pinckneys. Last year at this time we had not even an inkling that we would be here this Christmas; now, we don’t know where we might be next Christmas. But we know that we are and will be in God’s hands, that wherever we are, we will be praising Him in song once again.

Come, Desire of nations come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the Woman’s conquering Seed,
Bruise in us the Serpent’s head.
Adam’s likeness now efface:
Stamp Thine image in its place;
Second Adam, from above,
Reinstate us in thy love.
”Hark!” the herald angels sing,
”Glory to the Newborn King!”

Once again, our love goes out to each one of you. May you continue to rejoice in the God of all comfort this season, and may the New Year bring you deeper and deeper into His love.

Coty

Why We Have Tongues: Carols Across the Centuries

Christmas carols! We hear the tunes and our minds conjure up visions of decorated trees, family gatherings, piles of presents. We recall the eager anticipation of Christmas Day we experienced as children, and try to help the children around us to feel the same.

So carols serve to tie generations together. Many of the songs we’ll sing on Sundays this month were sung in my childhood church fifty years ago; were sung in my mother’s childhood church eighty years ago; were sung in her mother’s church 120 years ago; and on back through the decades and centuries. Music and lyrics bind Christians together across time.

Scripture tells us Christians of every time, from every place, of every culture form one Body – we are members one of another. Music reminds us of that truth.

Thus, we aim at DGCC to include music and lyrics both old and new – and we include the year the lyrics were written in the bulletin. These dates remind us: we are part of that One Church that the Spirit is building and perfecting, from every tribe and tongue and nation, from every decade and century and millennium.

So praise God for familiar carols that have been sung regularly for centuries!

But our unity with believers from earlier eras can also prompt us to discover carols that have dropped out of modern hymnals, that are almost never sung today. By digging into the past, we delight that much more in our common worship with brothers and sisters from earlier eras.

Here is a carol you probably have never heard sung: Shepherds Rejoice, by one of the earliest English hymn writers, Isaac Watts. I came across these three-hundred-year-old lyrics in the late 90s, and then was delighted to find that a tune commonly used for this carol right after the American Revolution was composed by William Billings, perhaps the greatest early American composer.

The lyrics are below. You can listen to the first and last stanzas sung to Billings’ tune via this link.

The first two stanzas are spoken by the angel to the shepherds, proclaiming the coming of the King of kings – but this king sits on a humble throne. So the angel invites these humble shepherds to kiss the Son (echoing Psalm 2:12).

The whole company of angels then gives glory to God in the third stanza.

In the fourth stanza, Isaac Watts addresses us: Angels are praising God in song – shouldn’t we men do the same? He then writes one of the greatest lines in all hymnody:

O may we lose these useless tongues
When they forget to praise!

God created us for His glory. He gave us tongues so that we might praise and glorify Him – including in speech, in song, in counsel, and in comfort.

So do so this season! Join Christians across the centuries by praising Him with old carols! And express our culture’s different forms of praise by singing new carols! And then also: praise Him through this new old carol from centuries past, that reminds us why we have tongues.

‘Shepherds, rejoice! lift up your eyes
And send your fears away;
News from the region of the skies:
Salvation’s born today!
Jesus, the God whom angels fear,
Comes down to dwell with you;
Today he makes his entrance here,
But not as monarchs do.

‘No gold, nor purple swaddling bands,
Nor royal shining things;
A manger for his cradle stands,
And holds the King of kings.
Go, shepherds, where the Infant lies,
And see his humble throne;
With tears of joy in all your eyes,
Go, shepherds, kiss the Son.’

Thus Gabriel sang, and straight around
The heavenly armies throng;
They tune their harps to lofty sound
And thus conclude the song:
‘Glory to God that reigns above,
Let peace surround the earth;
Mortals shall know their Maker’s love
At their Redeemer’s birth.’

Lord! and shall angels have their songs
And men no tunes to raise?
O may we lose these useless tongues
When they forget to praise!
‘Glory to God that reigns above,
That pitied us forlorn!’
We join to sing our Maker’s love,
For there’s a Saviour born.