Not One Word

Has anyone told you they would do something – then failed to do it?

We all experience such disappointments time and again. Why?

The person may have lied, making a promise while having no intention of carrying it out.

Or perhaps they were not aware at the time that they could never fulfill the promise. (One of my children, after a discussion at age six of the nature and consequences of sin, stated with wide eyes and complete sincerity, “I will never, ever sin!”)

Alternately, although sincere when stating their intentions, circumstances may have changed:

  • They may change their mind and no longer want to fulfill the promise;
  • They may have forgotten their promise;
  • Or although they remember the promise and want to fulfill it, they may no longer be able to. Perhaps they have lost the money they planned to give you. Or their health has failed so they can’t take you on the promised trip. Or they have died.

Thus, people often fail us. Consequently, we learn to be skeptical about promises others make.

We wrongly also become skeptical about promises God makes.

Scripture gives us plenty of examples of humans failing to live up to their promises – promises made to one another, and promises made to God. But the Bible assures us: God always fulfills every promise.

The book of Joshua underlines this point. The rescued Israelites have promised repeatedly to obey all that God says (Exodus 19:8, 24:3 & 7). Yet they have made and worshiped a golden calf; they have grumbled and complained and have wanted to choose a different leader to bring them back to slavery in Egypt.

What about God? Joshua 21:45 provides a summary:

Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

Note that the identical Hebrew root underlies “word,” “promises,” and “made.” We get a taste of the way an ancient Israelite would hear this verse by rendering it: “Not one word of all the good words that Yahweh had worded to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.”

Not one! Every word God spoke proved to be true!

And that is still the case. God will fulfill His every promise. For God is not liable to the human weaknesses listed above that lead us to make promises we don’t fulfill. Consider them in turn:

  1. God doesn’t lie.
    1. Numbers 23:19: “God is not man, that he should lie”
    2. 1 Samuel 15:29: “The Glory of Israel will not lie”
    3. 2 Samuel 7:28: “O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true”
    4. Titus 1:2: God, who never lies
    5. Hebrews 6:18: It is impossible for God to lie
  2. God doesn’t forget. We often feel as if He does, and Scripture records such feelings among those who are His (see, for example, Lamentations 5:20, Psalm 42:9, Psalm 77:7-9, and Isaiah 49:14). But God tells His people, “You are my servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me” (Isaiah 44:21). Furthermore, He addresses their doubts directly in Isaiah 49: Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.”
  3. God doesn’t change His mind.
    1. Numbers 23:19 again: “God is not … a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”
    2. Romans 11:29: The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
  4. Nothing can prevent God from fulfilling His promises
    1. Genesis 18:14: “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”
    2. Jeremiah 32:27: “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”
    3. Job 42:2: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”
    4. Luke 1:37: “Nothing will be impossible with God.”
    5. Mark 10:27: “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
    6. Mark 14:36 “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.”
  5. Even we cannot prevent God from fulfilling His promises in us and through us

We see this in the Old Testament in the repeated failures of the people of Israel – yet God’s promises still prove true. Not one word of all God’s good words to them fails! We see this similarly in Jesus’ disciples: they fail Him, they desert Him, Peter denies Him – yet He indeed makes them fishers of men, and builds His church through such weak, fallible humans.

 So listen to God’s Words. Every one is true. Every one is sincere. He will fulfill every one.

When you are tempted to think of God as if He were a man, when you are beginning to doubt His promises, reflect on the Scriptures cited above. Consider the context of each. And have confidence: God’s Word is more certain than anything in all creation: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

Be Faithful, For the Faithful One Controls the Future

The year is 1810. You are one of the parents of four daughters; your youngest, Ann, nicknamed Nancy, is 21. One day you receive a letter from a young man you met only one month previously, asking to begin a courtship of Ann.

That’s not surprising – she is attractive, outgoing, and highly intelligent. But no parent has ever received a request for courtship quite like this one. Let me quote:

I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next Spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure for a heathen land, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of Him who left His heavenly home and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Zion, and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory with a crown of righteousness, brightened by the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Savior from the heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair? (emphasis added)

The request came from Adoniram Judson. Ann’s parents were John and Rebecca Hasseltine.

If you were John or Rebecca: How would you respond? Would you say no? Why? Would you say yes? Why?

How does faith in God – the God of the promises – influence your answer?

Every day we make decisions – on big, important matters, like marriage, and on small, seemingly trivial matters, like what to say to the checkout clerk at the grocery store.

Scripture tells us:

  • Make every decision, even trivial ones, to the glory of God.
  • Make every decision, even trivial ones, on the basis of faith in the promise-keeping God.
  • Make every decision, even trivial ones, by faith and not by sight.

So following Scripture – by faith, not by sight, to the glory of God – what answer would you give Adoniram?

This is our fourth sermon on this great eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews. This chapter highlights how God has worked through the centuries to fulfill His promises, how He has raised up men and women of faith to trust in Him, to trust in those promises; how He has used them to advance His great plan of redemption, all culminating in Jesus – who Himself is the supreme man of faith. If we have faith in Him, we will join all these mentioned in Hebrews 11 at the culmination of God’s plans when Jesus reigns over His eternal kingdom.

Last week, we began discussing Abraham and Sarah. God calls Abraham to leave comfort, security, and family, to go he knows not where. God promises Him that in his offspring, all the families of the earth will be blessed. Later God elaborates: Abraham’s descendants will be as many as the stars in the heavens. God had earlier promised the first woman, Eve, that her descendant would crush the head of the serpent, Satan. Abraham’s descendant will fulfill both promises.

So, by faith in God, trusting in God’s promises, Abraham goes out – and never has a permanent dwelling again.

But He has promises of God – and he makes sure those around him know: the world not his home. God will bring him to a homeland, an eternal city – with foundations!

As time goes on, Abraham and Sarah must believe the seemingly impossible promise that a 90 year old woman way past the possibility of getting pregnant will give birth to a son.

God does give them their son Isaac in their old age. And God does fulfill the promise to Abraham and the promise to Eve through Isaac. For Jesus is Isaac’s physical descendant. Satan’s power is broken at the cross and the empty tomb, and Jesus will crush that serpent’s head on the last day. God is bringing those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation to His family by faith in Jesus. All those in Christ are Abraham’s children through that faith. Isaac is the child of the promise.

Today we consider an event that takes place when Isaac is about 13. God tells Abraham once again to leave his home and go where He will show him – but the problem this time is not in what he must leave; it is in what he must do. “Offer as a burnt offering your son, your only son, whom you love.” John and Rebecca Hasseltine were asked to say goodbye to their precious daughter, knowing they likely would never see her again. But Abraham had to raise the knife to kill his beloved son: “By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac” (Hebrews 11:17).

We’ll consider our text – Hebrews 11:17-22 – under three headings:

Faith in God’s Promised Future (verses 20-22)

Radical Obedience that Comes from Faith (verses 17-19)

Five Exhortations

Faith in God’s Promised Future

By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones. (Hebrews 11:20-22)

Isaac blesses his twin sons Jacob and Esau in weird circumstances, as recorded in Genesis 27; Jacob in turn blesses his grandsons through Joseph after worshiping God, as recorded in Genesis 47 and 48; the dying Joseph speaks of the exodus from Egypt, asking that the Israelites take his bones with them when they leave.

We see clearly that Abraham can only offer Isaac as a sacrifice by faith. But in what sense are these acts by faith?

We all wish our children to be blessed. We all pray for our children to be blessed. Some of us make requests for what becomes of our bodies, or our ashes, after we die.

So what’s unusual or different about what Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph do? Why does the author of Hebrews mention them here, in this way?

Because they are not just stating wishes. They are not just making requests. They are not simply praying. They are trusting in the God who has promised!

Remember, God reiterated his promise to Abraham to both Isaac and Jacob: God promises Isaac: “I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 26:4). So by faith Isaac entrusted that promise to Jacob. God promises Jacob: “Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 28:14). By faith, Jacob entrusted part of that promise to Joseph’s sons.

And what about Joseph? Remember, the entire family want to Egypt during Joseph’s day. Joseph says to his brothers:

“I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” (Genesis 50:24-25)

How did Joseph know that the Israelites will leave Egypt?

Back in Genesis 15, God had said to Abraham: “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out” (Genesis 15:13-14)

Abraham undoubtedly had passed that promise down from generation to generation. So Joseph knows that though he is the second most powerful ruler in Egypt, his descendants will be oppressed. And one day, hundreds of years in the future, God will bring them out. So he – the one who brought the family to Egypt – wants his remains to leave Egypt. God has promised. The exodus will come about.

Recall Hebrews 11:1 and 6:

“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen” (CSB). “Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Furthermore, “It is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18).

So: Isaac could bless Jacob, Jacob could bless Joseph’s sons, and Joseph could speak of the exodus and his bones because God had promised. They had faith in the God Who promises, Who fulfills every promise.

What is equivalent for us? What does this type of faith look like for us?

We can hold just so surely to the promises God gives us. Indeed, we can bless children and grandchildren in a similar way. Sure, we can pray for health, for marriage, for happiness, for career success for them. But we don’t trust in those by faith, for God does not promise anyone healthy, successful lives.

But what does God promise?

  • He promises that In Christ, He will provide everything needed for them to fulfil His purposes and to become like Jesus.
  • He promises that in Christ, He will be our shepherd –we need fear no evil, for He will be with us
  • He promises that In Christ, He is our strength and our shield –men who will die can do nothing against Him
  • He promises that In Christ – He will work all things together to glorify Himself through us, to conform us to His image, and to bring us safely to His eternal Kingdom

As the Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:20, by faith, we know that all the promises of God are yes in Christ Jesus. So we can pray for these and other promises to be fulfilled in our children, by faith confident that God will fulfill them all if those children are in Christ.

God controls the future. His promises reveal how He will act in the future. Nothing can divert Him from fulfilling those promises. So we can speak to others of these promises with confidence.

Let’s now see how these ideas inform our understanding of Abraham’s offering of Isaac as a sacrifice.

Radical Obedience that Comes from Faith

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered (or “reckoned” or “reasoned”) that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. (Hebrews 11:17-19)

Abraham not only received the promises (verse 17), he “embraced” them (NIV). He loved them. He reminded himself of them. They were most precious to Him.

Like Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph in verses 20-22, Abraham knows that God controls the future and that He has spoken of the future. Abraham trusts in the promise of the promiser.

Furthermore, God has proven Himself faithful to Abraham. God has already done the impossible, granting new life in a dead womb, just as He had promised. And God had told Abraham in Genesis 17:19, “I will establish my covenant with [Isaac] as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.” So when God says: “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you” (Genesis 22:2), Abraham “considered,” “reckoned,” or “reasoned” thus: God brought Isaac into being when there was no human hope for a child; He can bring Isaac back to life when he is dead. We see this confidence in Genesis 22:5, when Abraham says to his servants, “I and the boy will … come again to you” (emphasis added).

You see? There is no way that the God who controls the future, the God who is faithful to His every promise, will let Isaac remain dead. He has promised Abraham as many descendants as the stars through Isaac; He has promised to bless all the families of the nations through Isaac. So Isaac must have descendants. Isaac must live.

God’s promise to Abraham was that certain. So Abraham displays this radical obedience

What about you and me? How do we display similar radical obedience by faith?

Five Exhortations

The first provides the foundation for the other four:

1) Know God’s promises

Know what God has promised. Know what He has not promised.

Many in the worldwide church think God has promised what He has not. When He then does not fulfill what He has not promised, many lose their faith in what He has promised.

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph knew what God had truly promised; by faith, they acted on those promises. We must do the same: Know the promises from Scripture; memorize the promises; hold fast to the promises; act, trusting in those promises.

2) Trust God’s promises

We can know God’s promises and yet not trust them. We can say, “Yes, God works all things together for the good of those who love Him,” and the next minute get angry and upset because someone cuts us off in traffic.

So trust – that God is my shepherd; I shall not lack anything pertaining to life and godliness. I need fear no evil, for He is with me. Goodness and lovingkindness will pursue me all the days of my life. I will dwell in house of Lord forever. God will supply all my needs in accordance with His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

3) Help one another to trust God’s promises

This is one key purpose of the church, one key way we spur one another on to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24-25). Remind one another of the promises; encourage one another with the promises; tell one another of God’s faithfulness to His promises.

4) Like Abraham: Follow God even when it makes no earthly sense– because you can trust in His promises

That’s the radical obedience that comes from faith.

5) Follow God, trusting in His promises today

If we look ahead to next week and next year and future decades, trusting God can seem overwhelming. We can imagine all sorts of problems, dangers, and disappointments that might occur.

But God doesn’t give us the grace today to trust Him tomorrow. He gives us grace today to trust Him today. Indeed, we can’t trust Him for tomorrow today; we can only trust Him for today today.

So Jesus tells us – don’t worry. Ask God for what you need for that day. His mercies are new every morning. Seek first His Kingdom, and know that all you need for that Kingdom will be added to you. Don’t be anxious for tomorrow; trust God today for today’s troubles (see Matthew 6:24-34, Lamentations 3:22-24).

Conclusion

We left John and Rebecca Hasseltine with the decision: Do they allow Adoniram Judson to court their youngest daughter Ann?

They gave their consent. Adoniram and Ann were married about 18 months later, and almost immediately sailed for India, eventually ending up in Burma.

Ann never returned. She never saw her family again. Indeed, during the next 13 years, Ann and Adoniram suffered horrible hardships. They were blessed with children, but all of them died in infancy. Ann and Adoniram were separated almost as much as they were together, frequently not knowing if the other was still alive. Adoniram suffered a lengthy imprisonment in terrible conditions; he would have died had Ann not come and ministered to him in the prison.

Then, during one of their lengthy separations, Ann became ill and died. She had not seen her husband for 3 1/2 months. Four weeks passed before news of her death reached Adoniram.

Was God faithful to His promises?

Adoniram and Ann knew that He was.

Go back to Adoniram’s letter asking for permission to court her. He didn’t downplay the dangers and hardships – rather he enumerated them. He asked for John and Rebecca’s consent for the sake of Jesus, who sacrificed Himself, for the sake of immortal souls, who would come to faith in Jesus, for the glory of God, in the hope of their meeting Ann again in that promised Kingdom, after she had been used by God to bring others to faith.

God fulfilled those promises.

Ann Judson’s life was hard – exceptionally hard. And God glorified His Name through her. He remained her ever present help in trouble. He fulfilled His purposes in her. He brought her safely to His heavenly Kingdom.

God works the same way today – for all those in Christ Jesus.

So believe in Jesus. Believe in the God who promises. Believe – and, trusting, step out in radical obedience.

For He controls the future.

[This sermon was preached November 8, 2020. The audio of the sermon and video of the entire service are available at this link. The recorded service is available via Youtube at this link. For more on Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, listen to these two sermons from 2004 on Genesis 22: first, second.]

 

 

 

The Fight of Faith

The Apostle Paul tells Timothy, “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). An important aspect of this fight is our struggle to believe God – to believe in His character, to believe His promises, to believe that He is in control, to believe that He will bring about the final culmination of all things.

Hebrews 11 gives us a litany of many characters from the Old Testament who did exactly that – who fought the fight to believe and succeeded in that fight. The author cites several we expect: Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses. But consider Hebrews 11:29:

By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned.

When reading the account of the Israelites by the Red Sea, I don’t come away thinking, “Wow! What great faith they had!”

Consider their reaction when they see Pharaoh’s army pursuing them:

“Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 14:11-12)

Now, after God brings them through the sea on dry land yet drowns the pursuing army, they believe:

Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses. (Exodus 14:31)

But only a few days later they grumble against Moses (and, implicitly, against God) when there is no water (Exodus 15:23-24); shortly thereafter they complain more, this time about the lack of food, once again wishing they were back in Egypt:

“Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Exodus 16:3)

The author of Hebrews assures us: They have faith. Exodus, on the other hand, shows us that their faith is fickle and small; perhaps it is only the size of a mustard seed. But the object of their faith is great; indeed, He is almighty. He protects them from the army. He divides the sea. He brings them through on dry land, with the water piled up on each side. Their small and fickle faith in Him is sufficient for them to walk between those mounds of water.

What about you? Does your faith, like theirs, seem fickle and small? Do you trust God one day and then act as if He has no regard for you the next? Are you frightened when you contemplate the dangers and uncertainties ahead?

Take heart from Hebrews 11:29. God’s fulfillment of His promises depends on Him, not on you. Remind yourself of Who He is, of what He has done, of what He has promised. Listen to your brothers and sisters who are there to stand alongside you in this fight of faith. Reflect on His Word day and night.

In this way, fight the good fight of faith, the fight to believe – but don’t focus on your faith. Focus on the God who is the object of your faith. And thus endure to the end – by His power – and be saved – by His mercy.

 

When Will Christmas Come?

When will Christmas come?

Imagine that you didn’t know when Christmas would come; it might be December 25. But it might be much later. All you have is a promise: Christmas will come. Wait for it. Expect it. Be ready for it.

Imagine that went on day after day, week after week, month after month.

Would you still believe that Christmas is coming?

At the beginning of the Gospel of Luke, the Jews are in that situation. Through the prophets God had given them many promises about a future king, a future messiah, a Son of King David who would reign in righteousness. But no such king had come.

  • King David had reigned about a thousand years previously – as far in the past as William the Conqueror’s invasion of England is today.
  • Isaiah had prophesied, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given” about seven hundred years previously – today, as far in the past as Geoffrey Chaucer’s composition of “The Canterbury Tales.”
  • About four hundred years previously, Malachi had prophesied, “I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.” Today, that is as far distant as when William Shakespeare wrote “Hamlet.”

Then after Malachi, there have been no other Scriptural prophecies. Just waiting. Waiting. And more waiting. No Messiah. Only long periods of oppression broken by short periods of political freedom.

But God had promised that His salvation would come at exactly the right time: “Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. . . . The righteous will live by his faith” (From Habakkuk 2:3-4).

So God’s people waited and waited and waited.

Two thousand years ago, during the reign of Herod the Great, God at long last brings about His plan – the plan He had formulated before the beginning of time to redeem and perfect His people for Himself, to the praise of His glorious grace.

He chooses for the parents of the messenger prophesied in Malachi a couple too old to have children, Zechariah and Elizabeth, a godly man and woman from priestly families. They “were righteous before God” (Luke 1:6) (not meaning they were sinless, but that when they sinned they repented and offered the appropriate sacrifice ordained by God.) For many years they had prayed long and hard for a child. But that child never came. By this point, they are too old. And I think they had stopped praying for a child. God had not seen fit to give them children.  They accepted His judgment.

Zechariah was one of about 18,000 priests among the Jews at this time.  One of the most important priestly tasks was to enter the temple twice a day to burn incense. Remember, the temple as a whole is a picture of God’s presence with His people. But inside the temple was the Holy of Holies – the Most Holy Place, where God was specially pictured as present. The incense altar was right outside that room, and thus pictures the point of contact between God and His people.

Which priest had the honor of burning incense at the altar? The privilege rotated among several different groups of priests  – but within each group, the priest was chosen by lot. With so many to choose from, most likely a priest would have this privilege only once in his entire life.

So finally, in his old age, the lot falls to Zechariah! This is a real high point of his life, as he approaches God representing the people.

Now, this daily incense offering has been going on for years and years. Zechariah never heard of anything unusual happening.

But suddenly, while he is burning the incense, a mighty angel appears! Zechariah is astonished and afraid.

But the angel says, “Fear not! Your prayer has been heard! Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John.”

God had heard his prayers from long ago, and although Zechariah didn’t know it, God’s answer to his request for a son was not, “No,” but, “Not yet.”

The angel tells this fearful and puzzled man that he personally will have joy and gladness. But not only that: “Many will rejoice at his birth.”  So this child is not only the answer to Zechariah’s prayers for a child, but also the answer to all these prayers the Jews have offered for centuries.

The angel continues:

“For he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared” (Luke 1:15-17).

This boy John will fulfill the promise through Malachi; the messenger like Elijah preparing the way for the Messiah is here, at long last. Like Elijah, he will turn the people to repentance and faithfulness before God, preparing the people for the coming of His Messiah.

The time is at hand! The messenger will be conceived! The Messiah will come! The long wait is over!

But how does Zechariah respond to this great news?

The angel has told Zechariah that he and many others will have great joy at this birth.

Yet faithful old Zechariah has a hard time believing this, asking, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years” (Luke 1:18). That is, “I can’t just take your word for this. This is too hard to believe! Give me a sign!”

Are you like Zechariah?

Everyone who rejects the Gospel acts like this! We hear, “This is the way to true joy! This is the way to God, the way He planned before the beginning of time! Just believe in the Lord Jesus!” And we have a tendency say: “Hey! I won’t let you pull one over on me! I’m too bright for that! Prove it to me!”

But this doubting tendency manifests itself among believers too. For we often reject God’s plan for us.

  • God says, “I am with you always even to the end of the age.” Yet we are afraid to step out in faith when it implies doing something embarrassing or receiving less income or moving to a place with much disease and poor medical care.
  • God inspires the psalmist to say, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You” (Psalm 73:25). But we hold on to all our little trinkets and pray, “Oh, please God, don’t make me give these up!”
  • God says through Paul, “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content” (1 Timothy 6:8). But we think, “How can I possibly serve God without broadband internet access?”

God says, “Here is great joy! Follow Me!” And Zechariah – and we – say, “Hold it! That’s too hard to believe!”

Note Gabriel’s response to Zechariah’s doubts: “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news” (Luke 1:19).

That is: “Hey! Zechariah! Do you know who’s speaking to you! God sent me here! And did you notice? This is GOOD news!”

Then, to paraphrase verse 20: “You asked for a sign? I’ll give you a sign! You won’t be able to speak until the prophecy comes to pass. But note: This prophecy WILL come to pass!”

Now, Zechariah comes around. Elizabeth does become pregnant. She gives birth to a son. And when Zechariah writes, to the surprise of those present, that the baby’s name is John, his mouth is open, and he sings a great hymn of praise to God (Luke 1:68-79).

But consider how the lesson Zechariah learns applies to us today.

We too have a promise from God from long ago. We too have been waiting for centuries and millennia for that promise to be fulfilled. So long ago Jesus said, “Surely I am coming soon!” (Revelation 22:20). And, indeed, many of the Old Testament promises that Zechariah knew will only be fulfilled when Jesus returns.

So wait expectantly. Trust His promises. Pray for Jesus’ return.

But we can do more than wait. We can do more than pray. Peter speaks of our “hastening the coming of the day of God” (2 Peter 3:12). Our Lord says, “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

God has a role for you in hastening the return of our Lord. It may be giving to enable that Gospel to be proclaimed to all nations. It may be sending others who go. It may be going internationally yourself. It may be going to the nations who have come to Charlotte. It may be going to your next door neighbor.

But whatever role God has for you – whatever the trials, whatever the difficulties, whatever the challenges – that role for you is joyous and fulfilling. Completing that role will give you the greatest joy you can have in this life, as you fulfill the purpose for which God created you and chose you.

So eagerly expect the Second Coming. Pray for Jesus to return. And fulfill your role in hastening that long-promised return – to your great joy.

 

 

God Is Faithful To His Promises

“Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass” (Joshua 21:45).

Think of the promises God had made to the house of Israel – including those made before Israel existed!

  • God promised that Abraham’s descendants would inherit the land of Canaan (Genesis 13:14-17).
  • God promised Abraham that He would bring his descendants out of slavery with great possessions (Genesis 15:13-14).
  • Hundreds of years later, God promised that He would use Moses to rescue the people from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 3:7-10).
  • God promised that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let Israel go, even after Moses conducted miracles (Exodus 4:21).
  • Yet God promised eventually Pharaoh would drive the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 6:1).
  • God promised that He would not just bring the people out of Egypt, but that He would bring them to Himself (Exodus 6:6-8).
  • God promised plague after plague after plague on the Egyptians – and they all came about (Exodus 7 to 10).
  • God promised that the firstborn in every house in Egypt would die, but not in the houses of the Israelites (Exodus 11:4-7).
  • God promised that the Israelites would walk across the Red Sea on dry land, but the Egyptians would drown (Exodus 14:13-18).
  • God promised that He would provide meat and bread to the people in the desert (Exodus 16:11-12).

We could go on and on. God promised direction in their travels, defeat of enemies, parting of yet more waters – and all came about.

The people had doubted and murmured; the enemies had been strong and powerful. But God fulfilled every promise – despite the enemy, despite the people’s lack of faith.

So, what about you? Do you trust God to fulfill His promises? And do you recognize the greatness of those promises? Here are a few on which to meditate:

  • Jesus will return with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30).
  • He will reign over an eternal Kingdom of righteousness and peace (Isaiah 9:6-7).
  • Jesus will destroy Satan and his minions (Revelation 20:10).
  • God will complete the good work He has begun in you (Philippians 1:6).
  • Indeed, we will be like Him (1 John 3:2).
  • God will bring to Himself through faith in Jesus those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Revelation 7:9-10).
  • Throughout this life, He will watch over you and guide you, and then bring you to Himself forever (Psalm 23:6).
  • He will work all things together for your good and His glory (Romans 8:28).
  • God will so work that at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord, to God’s glory (Philippians 2:10-11).
  • God will wipe every tear from your eyes, having ended death and mourning and crying and pain (Revelation 21:6).
  • God will rejoice over us, His people, with loud singing (Zephaniah 3:17).
  • By the blood of Jesus, you are declared fully righteous; He will remember your sins no more (Romans 3:21-25, Hebrews 10:11-18).

He has sworn by Himself that this is so – and it is impossible for God to lie! So hold fast to the confession of your hope without wavering (Hebrews 6:13-19); stand firm on His level ground, not sliding down into unbelief (Psalm 26); eagerly anticipate the fulfillment of every promise. For He is the faithful God, who keeps His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands (Deuteronomy 7:9).

 

Remember!

As we celebrated last weekend God’s faithfulness over the first decade of Desiring God Community Church, we remembered ways He has touched us, ways He has refined us, ways He has guided us, and ways He has corrected us. We remembered all this – and reminded one another of the character of God, the way He has displayed that character here in Charlotte.

As a follow up, here are numerous verses from across the Bible that speak of remembering. I’ve divided these Scriptures into seven categories to help us apply them to our lives. I encourage you to meditate on these verses, to look up context for many – and then: remember!

 

Remember: God’s character

Deuteronomy 8:18 You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Nehemiah 4:14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

Psalm 42:6 My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.

Psalm 78:35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.

Psalm 102:12 But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations.

Psalm 119:55 I remember your name in the night, O LORD, and keep your law.

Isaiah 26:8 In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.

Isaiah 26:13 O LORD our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone we bring to remembrance.

Isaiah 46:8 “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, 9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me,

Jonah 2:7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.

Mark 8:18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?

 

Remember: God’s faithfulness in the past

Exodus 13:3 Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the LORD brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.

Deuteronomy 5:15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Deuteronomy 7:18 you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt,

Deuteronomy 8:2 And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.

Deuteronomy 15:15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today.

Judges 8:34 And the people of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side,

1 Chronicles 16:12 Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered,

Psalm 77:11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.

Psalm 105:5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,

Psalm 106:7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.

Psalm 111:4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and merciful.

Psalm 143:5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.

Micah 6:5 O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the LORD.”

 

Remember: God’s commandments

Numbers 15:39-40 And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.

Malachi 4:4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

2 Peter 3:2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles,

Revelation 3:3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.

 

Remember: Our own past state, our disobedience and helplessness

Deuteronomy 9:7 Remember and do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD.

Ezekiel 6:9 then those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols. And they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations.

Ezekiel 20:43 And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed.

Matthew 26:75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Ephesians 2:11-12 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands–remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

 

Remember: The Lord’s Judgment

Deuteronomy 24:9 Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt.

Luke 17:32 Remember Lot’s wife.

Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

 

Remember: God’s promises and His plan of redemption

Joshua 1:13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, ‘The LORD your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’

1 Chronicles 16:15 Remember his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,

Zechariah 10:9 Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return.

Luke 22:19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Luke 24:6-8 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words,

John 2:22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

John 12:16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.

John 15:20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

Acts 11:16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

1 Corinthians 11:24-25 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

2 Timothy 2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,

 

Remember: Other believers, with thankfulness and with prayers for their assistance

Philippians 1:3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

Colossians 4:18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

1 Thessalonians 1:3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 2:9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

1 Thessalonians 3:6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you–

2 Timothy 1:3-4 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.

Philemon 1:4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers,

Hebrews 13:3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.

Hebrews 13:7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

Hope in God and Argument with God

Is Christian hope wishful thinking, a fantasy, a pollyannish belief that against all evidence things will turn out well for me?

As we have recently considered (first, second, and third blog posts), Christian confidence rests not on our desires, nor on our intellectual investigations, nor even on our beliefs, but on God’s Word, the revelation that He has spoken, telling us truths we could never discover on our own. We are dependent on Him, and thereby on His revelation, given to us in His Word.

So how do we react when all around us is falling apart?

Such was Job’s situation. In a short time, he lost his wealth, his children, and his health. And his friends – supposedly come to comfort him – just made matters worse.

Job 13:15 summarizes his reaction:

Though he slay me, I will hope in Him; yet I will argue my ways to His face.

Job has a rock solid faith in God’s goodness, in His promises, in His faithfulness to every word He has proclaimed. David expressed the same hope when he was attacked by men:

My hope is from him.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.  On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.  Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. (Psalm 62:5b-8)

Yet this hope is consistent with more pain coming upon him in the future. Note that Job acknowledges that he might well die from this affliction. His hope does not consist of a naïve belief that the worst is over. Rather, he says that even if the worst is not over – even if God slays him – he will continue to hope in Him. He does not know the outcome of his suffering; nevertheless, his hope in God does not waver.

Consider now the second half of the verse: In addition to his solid hope in God, Job states, “I will argue my ways to his face.” Indeed, a large portion of the rest of the book consists of Job addressing God directly, asking Him to come and let Job argue his case before Him (see, for example, Job 23:4-7).

Once we have read to the end of the book, we might think such arguments from Job are wrong. For when God does appear, Job is unable to argue. Confronted with God Himself, he sees that he has no case. God overwhelms him with His majesty, power, and authority. So Job is left to say,

I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. . . . I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. . . .  I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:2,3,5,6)

Nevertheless, I suggest that Job’s arguing with God earlier in the book is not wrong, in and of itself. Indeed, Job 13:15 well summarizes the condition of limited, hurting humanity before Him. He is far beyond our ability to understand; He will often act in ways that seem to us inconsistent with His revelation of His character. When He does so, it is right and good for us to cry out in our pain, to express our lack of understanding, to lay before Him the seeming inconsistency of His revelation and what we see around us.

We see men and women of God cry out like this time and again in Scripture. Examples include Psalms 39, 42, 77, and 88, Jeremiah 20, Habakkuk 1, 2 Corinthians 1, and the entire book of Lamentations. Let’s look briefly at selections from chapter 3 of that last book.

Lamentations was written after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. During a long siege, the city suffered starvation, leading even to cannibalism. Then there was great slaughter when the Judean army tried to escape the siege and the Babylonians swept into the city. The author writes:

He has filled me with bitterness; he has sated me with wormwood.  He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD.”  Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall!  My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. (Lamentations 3:15-20)

The author seems now to be without hope. God Himself is sovereign – the author knows this, and so sees God as the source of his bitterness. He can’t get the images of horror out of his mind.

Yet keep reading:

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.  It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him;  let him put his mouth in the dust– there may yet be hope;  let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults.  For the Lord will not cast off forever,  but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men. (Lamentations 3:22-33)

In the midst of the horror, in the midst of the grief which the sovereign Lord has caused (v32), the author reflects on the revealed character of God – the revelation over the centuries of God speaking and acting: the revelation of God at work in the Garden of Eden and at Mt Sinai; the revelation through David and Solomon, through Elijah and Elisha, through Micah and Isaiah. The author’s hope has perished (v18); yet he will hope in Him (v24).  This hope springs not from a Buddhist-like belief that the sorrow he has seen is an illusion, nor from a naive optimism that things have a way of working out for the good, but because “the LORD is my portion.” That is, the author continues to hope in God – as Job continues to hope in God even while he argues with Him – because God has promised an inheritance – He Himself. And He is worth more than all the world has to offer.

With that in mind, consider Job’s arguments with God – and your own arguments. If God Himself is our portion, our inheritance, which, as Peter tells us, is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4), then our inheritance is in and of itself to know Him. So as we struggle to know Him in this life, to understand His ways, we should come to Him with questions, with seeming inconsistencies, with our struggles. We should come humbly, yes; we must come submissively, by all means; we must come knowing, like Job, that in the end we will see God and shut our mouths.  At this moment, in this life, in this age, we see “as in a mirror dimly;’ it is good and right to bring Him our questions and our struggles to understand. But He has told us that the time is coming when we will “see face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12). And we will know Him, and have Him as our inheritance.

So may we all say with Job, “Though he slay me, I will hope in Him; yet I will argue my ways to his face.”