The unity of God's people is in the heart of God. God desired that His people be united through right relationships with Him and with one another. This is true both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. God gave us pictures of this unity through two psalms (Ps. 122 and Ps. 133) written by David.
A Picture of Unity
Let us re-consider the first five verses of Psalm 122, which I had expounded as carefully as I could last week, and see how we can picture what God is trying to tell us about this unity.
1. "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord" (Ps.122:1, KJV, emphasis added).
Notice thae phrase "let us". This was a collective decision by God's people to go and worship the Lord together. The psalmist did not say "I will go", but "let us go".
The Church has somewhat over emphasized the individual aspect of the Christian life. We talk about individual relationship with the Lord. And ther are things about which we have to make individual decision - like salvation and water baptism. But these practices lead to a collective life. There are many things in the Christian life we cannot come into as isolated individuals. We either come together in fellowship or we don't come into at all.
2. "Our feet shall stand within they gates, O Jerusalem" (Ps. 122:2, emphasis added).
Once again, it says "our feet". All God's people had decided to set foot on the City of Jerusalem together and went into God's House together. It speaks of Christians going to the Local Church to worship God together.
3. "Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together" (Ps. 122:3).
Jerusalem itself was a picture of close fellowship - with its buildings compacted and almost joined together.
4. "Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord" (Ps. 122:4).
God's people went up to Jerusalem as tribes under their recognized leaders within the tribes. Each tribe knew where they belong. This is the key to unity. When believers know their leaders and then these leaders come together, agreeing with one another, you will have unity.
I think every believer has two options - either be a shepherd or have one. If you aren't one then you need one; if you are one then you need your fellow shepherd.
The picture of this verse is that everybody in his tribe followed his leaders and all came together at a focal point - a place where God had set His Name, the House of the Lord in Jerusalem.
In the New Testament this corresponding focal point is the Name of Jesus.
Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20, NKJV).
We don't meet on the basis of doctrine; we don't meet on the basis of denominational beliefs or experiences - like speaking in tongues or the so-called deceptive "Holy Laughter". We meet because we com together into the Name of Jesus.
5. "For thrones are set there for judgment, the thrones of the house of David" (Ps. 122:5).
Believers are together enthroned with Christ (Eph. 2:5, 6).
The Importance of Christian Unity
Let us consider part of Jesus' High Priestly Prayer:
"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me" (John 17:20, 21).
Here are some comments and statements of truth:
1. The unity of all true believers is the only testimony which can reach the whole world. The visible demonstration of our unity in Him will cause the world both to believe and to know that He is the one which God has sent as the Messiah and Savior of the world.
2. We can be active in mission and evangelism work, but many will not be touched by those activities unless we are sincere in our attitude toward Christian unity.
3. Christian unity begins within the Godhead - between the Father and the Son. Therefore it is not a unity of organization. The Father and the Son are not organized to be one. It is a unity of neither denomination nor Church affliliation. But it is a unity of relationship in the Holys Spirit.
4. The Godhead provides us with a perfect pattern of right relationships. In the Godhead we have three things which are essential - Fatherhood, Headship and Fellowship. We can't have Fellowship in the Biblical sense without the acknowledgement of Fatherhood and Headship.
The Problem of Disuntiy
You cannot talk about Christian unity unless we identify the problem of disunity.
Jesus said, "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand" (Mark 3:24, 25, NKJV).
As long as the Church is divided it cannot stand against the kingdom of Satan. Therefore Satan's supreme objective is to keep the Church divided so that we cannot defeat him.
Furthermore disunity and division amongst us belie the message that we preached. We preached that Gospel solves people's problems by bringing them into right relationship with God and with men, and then we demonstrated the very opposite. I believe the pragmatically minded world is much more disposed to believe what they see in our lives than what they hear in our preaching.
Jesus said, "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 12:35).
When we love one another we stay united with one another.
The Blessings of Christian Unity
Psalm 133, like Psalm 122, is also a song of ascents of David:
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing - life forevermore" (NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some comments and statements of truth:
1. The psalmist said "good and pleasant" but he did not say it was easy. In fact is is far from easy.
2. Notice the word "dwell" does not mean coming together for a couple hours on Sunday morning Church service. It also does not mean a coming together for a few days of Camp Meeting. In fact if we do come together in a Camp Meeting we'll begin to experience both some of the blessings and some of the problems. For example, when you are having a quiet time someone else's baby starts to squawk; when you want to use the bathroom someone went in just before you. The fact is, the moment we begin to get close to one another for any length of time things begin to happen.
3. The fact is that churchgoers do know the problem of getting too close to one another. So, in many cases Church meetings become social Sunday morning club meetings. People, mostly come from the same social status, come together to fellowship. But there is no real deep commitment, no deep involvement in other people's lives. They are probably too embarrassed to mention their problems, their hurts and needs. They rather keep it on a nice, dignified and respectable religious level.
4. The psalmist meant living together, sharing our lives together and committed to one another. The fact is, until you see me in my worst and my weakest and you still love me, you don't love me! You have to come to a place where you live with people the way you are and accept other people as they are.
Paul said, "Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God" (Romans 15:7).
I am a Christian not because I am right; I am a Christian because God received me in Christ - right or wrong. And if I am wrong I am not afraid to admit it.
5. The psalmist gave two pictures of unity; the first picture is like oil which speaks of the Holy Spirit. The psalmist pictured the anointing oil "running down" (Ps.133:2).
Notice that unity never flows upward; it always flow downward and it starts at the head. We know from experience in a family that children can't unite a family. But if father and mother are united, that unity will flow down to the children.
It means, in the Local Church level the key to unity is leaders coming together first, and not churchgoers coming together. The whole congregation will not unite unless we unit the leaders (shepherds) first.
6. The other aspect of the truth is, only shepherds that divide sheep - a very embarrassing thought. The disunity of God's people is due to the disunity of leaders. If leaders are united there will be no further problem uniting those who are led.
7. The second picture of unity is like dew which also speaks of the Holy Spirit. There are many vivid pictures of the Holy Spirit in the Scripture. Most of them are rather dramatic in nature - like wind, fire, rain and oil. But dew is not so dramatic. It does not come down in the way that you can hear and feel normally. During the hours of darkness it descends almost imperceptibly and yet it is one of the most gentle, refreshing, and reviving things in nature. In fact, dew is a picture of the Messiah Himself:
"Your people shall be volunteers in the day of Your power; in the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning. You have the dew of Your youth" (Ps. 110:3, NKJV, emphasis added).
I believe God is saying something to us here. He wants us to have Christ-likeness. He is dealing with our character - gentleness and lowliness:
Paul said, "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of Spirit in the Bond of peace" (Eph. 4:1 - 3, emphasis added).
Gentleness is also a part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22, 23).
8. In the midst of Christian unity "the Lord commanded the blessing" (Ps. 133:3).
It is one thing to seek the Lord's blessing and another thing the Lord commanded (past tense) the blessing. We should give up seeking God's blessing and instead concentrate on obeying Him and we will discover that at the place we obey Him, He has commanded His blessing!
Moses said, "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you because you obey the voice of the Lord your God; ..." (Deut. 28:1, 2, emphasis added).
If you obey the Lord's voice, His blessings will come upon you and overtake you. That means you can't avoid His blessings because He commanded it! The key to right relationship in God is to hear and obey His voice. We can read the Bible but hearing His voice is quite different. His voice is living and personal. Very often we hear no voice when we read the Bible.
"Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people" (Jer. 7:23).
The basic condition for the Lord being your God is to obey His voice. But you must hear His voice first. You will hear His voice if you are in the right relationship with Him!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Right Relationships
Not many Bible teachers understand that Psalm 122 speaks of two right relationships - One, the right relationship between God and man and the other, the right relationship between man and man. Psalm 122 is actually a song of ascent of David to be sung by God's people during the last stage of their pilgrimage to the City of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the place where God was met in worship.
Before I begin I would like to remind Christians that it is very easy to take the text of this Psalm out of its context and use the verses as slogan. This is especially so when we commit the verses (usually the King James Version) to memory. The right thing to do is whenever you get a verse from the Lord go back and see the setting of the verse and find out how this verse relates to other verses in that particular setting. Then you will use it in a Biblical sense instead of using it as a slogan taken out of context. It is often said that Scripture taken out of context becomes a pretext. In fact in its original language all the Books of the entire Bible had no chapter number and no verse number. They were put there by the translators. In its original language it would be difficult to take any verse out of its context.
The Nature and Function of Jerusalem
Psalm 122 describes the nature and function of the City of Jerusalem. It is conveniently divided into two halves:
1. The Nature of the City of Jerusalem
"I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord! Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem, which is built as a city that is compact together; to which the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed and as a testimony for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. For there thrones of judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David" (Psalm 122:1 - 5, The Amplified Bible).
The above five verses describe the nature of the City of Jerusalem. In fact the nature of the City is like the nature of the Country of Israel - too much history and too little geography. As soon as you read this psalm you'll get the sense that to the psalmist this city was very special. There was some thing unique about it. You'll feel it as soon as you step inside the gates. The City had a mixture of the real and the unreal.
The City of Jerusalem was terribly small. Someone said this City during king David's time looked as if a large city had been pulled down and another city had been re-erected on a tiny site with buildings all crowded together, compacted together, squeezed into a solid city. You could walk through the entire city in less than an hour. What made the City so special was its function.
2. The Function of the City of Jerusalem
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they prosper that love you (the Holy City)! Peace be within your walls and prosperity within your palaces! For my brethren and my companions' sake, I will now say, Peace be within you! For the sake of the house of the Lord our God I will seek, inquire for and require your good" (Psalm 122:6 - 9, The Amplified Bible).
There were two important buildings used to be found in the Holy City of Jerusalem, but they are no longer here now. In these two buildings lived two kings. One is the father and the other one, his son; one is the King of the universe and the other the king of Israel. These two buildings were the house of the Lord and the house of David.
It was because of these two buildings that prayers were offered up for the peace of Jerusalem. These two buildings embodied and symbolized the two relationships that need to be put right. These two relatioships were the relationship between God and man and the relationship between man and man. Right relationships were needed not only for the City and not only for the nation of which the City was the capital, but for the entire world. Jerusalem was the city where men came up to praise and worship their God - where the twelve tribes processed and worshiped together as Cod told them to, as an example to the whole world.
Jerusalem was also the City where justice could be found. The Law Court of justice was in the house of David. It was in this court wrongs were righted; those who had been exploited were vindicated; criminals were punished and right relationships were established. If you wanted to be right with God and right with your fellowmen then this was the City to which you had to come.
Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem
There is actually nothing terribly special about the prayer for the peace of Jerusalem. It is a natural thing for a Jewish person on entering a home to say peace to that home. Similarly the natural thing to do, when you enter the gates of Jerusalem and when you just stand inside the door, is to say peace to Jerusalem. It is a right and proper prayer to pray.
Jerusalem was peculiarly vulnerable in two areas - peace and prosperity. Therefore David prayed for peace and prosperity - in Hebrew mean shalom and shalvah. It is quite impossible to translate shalom and shalvah into English. Shalom not only means peace, but also harmony, health, well being and right relationship with God and everyone around you. Shalvah not only means prosperity, but also security, safety, tranquility, happy, joyful and abundantly blessed.
It is important to note that the peace that David prayed was an internal peace within the City (Ps. 122:7, 8). He was not thinking about Jerusalem out of security, not thinking about military and political peace. What truly concerned him was that within the place where God and men met, where relationships were put right, that Jerusalem would be a city of harmony.
Peace does not come naturally when you put a lot of God's people together, crowded in with one another so that they had hardly enough room to move about. Similary when you work in a place with Christians only (like in a Local Church), it is not necessarily a "promised land". When people are crowded together in a corridor of power peace does not come naturally. It is common to see Pastors and other servants of God having frictions with one another.
Therefore David, as soon as he stepped inside the gates, he prayed for the residence of the City who kept the Temple services going. He prayed for God's people who served the Lord in the Temple. He prayed that the Lord would keep them in harmony, keep them together in peace. He also prayed for prosperity for a very simple reason - Jerusalem was not a commercial viable City; it was not a place of trade and industry. It depended on help elsewhere. It was a subsidized capital and always will be. It would depend on the tithes and offerings of God's people coming up to worship God.
Why David and his companions prayed for the peace of Jerusalem?
The prayer was entirely for the residence of the city. It was a prayer that those who come here as visitors should pray. They should pray for those who lived there - a prayer that was very much needed. The last two verses of Psalm 122 made it very clear. David was not praying this prayer for the sake of the people there. But first he prayed for the sake of the pilgrims who came and second, for the sake of the God they came to meet. If Jerusalem was the meeting place between the Lord of heaven and the people of earth then it was vital that it would be a place of harmony, peace and deep satisfaction - a place where people might come and have peace with God and with one another and be satisfied and fulfilled.
The Christian's Problem
How do Christians pray for the City of Jerusalem the same way God's people did in the Old Testament when the two houses are not to be found there now?
The house of David is no longer to be found in Jerusalem. In fact there is no trace of it now. It was destroyed about 2,600 years ago when the last king of Israel was taken captive to Babylon. Since that day Israel has not had a king. But the House of the Lord destroyed at about the same time was rebuilt. It was standing there when our Lord Jesus Christ came to that City.
Jesus said, "See, Your house is left to you desolate" (Matt. 23:38).
After saying this Jesus immediately left the Temple (Matt. 24:1). A few days later the curtain (veil) of the Lord's House was pulled down by God as soon as Jesus was crucified. It was empty (desolate) from then on. In fact it was the Jewish custom to pull down the curtains of his house when it was left unoccupied.
The meaning of "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" today
We can ask many questions. For instance, what meaning can we give today to this prayer - "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem"? It is still valid? Have those two houses being re-erected any where else? Or they have totally disappeared?
Two amazing truths
The Scripture reveals two amazing truths:
1. Few weeks after the house of the Lord was emptied and the curtain pulled down God took up residence on earth! On the Day of Pentecost God moved house! And He dwells from then on in His people rather than in a place. Wherever you find God's people, there is the house of the Lord. His house is in His people individually (1 Cor. 6:15) and collectively, in His Church (1 Cor. 3:16, 17). It is a mobile concept now; it is no longer tied in one City and in the two houses.
2. Both the house of David and the House of the Lord (the Son of David) has been rebuilt in believers - believing Jews and believing Gentiles. When you look at a Christian you should see the house of David back in Jerusalem. You should see the place where the Son of David rules. One of the prophetic meanings of the Feast of the Tabernacle that is being observed by many Christians now, is the return of these two houses to the City of Jerusalem!
Spiritual application of Psalm 122
Since the Temple of the Lord now includes Jews as well as Gentiles there is a spiritual application of Ps. 122 which we must not forget. This points to the Heavenly Jerusalem that Mount Zion (the Church) to which we have come - through Jesus Christ.
Our prayer burden should be the peace and prosperity for the Church. We should pray that the Christians in our city may be in harmony and that there may be peace among those who love our Lord Jesus Christ. The peace of Jerusalem speaks of the peace of the House of the Lord (the Church) which we represent.
What makes for the peace of Jerusalem is very clear. The clue lies in what Jesus said in Luke 19. He wept tears of frustration over the City:
"If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes" (Luke 19:42, NKJV, emphasis added).
I believe the two important things that make for the Christians' peace are moral integrity and spiritual priority - to the contrary of what many people (both believers and unbelievers) believed. Many people believe that the things that mke for their peace are political security and economic stability. To pray for political security and economic stability is good but it is not the Christians' primary concern.
When Jesus rode through the Gate Beautiful into the Temple area He astonished the crowd. They expected Him to deal with the Roman rulers but instead He went straight into the Temple and rebuked those who bought and sold:
"It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you made it a den of thieves" (Luke 19:46).
He did this because His people had no moral integrity and spiritual priority and they didn't understand what belonged to their peace. That was why Jesus wept! God wanted to give His righteousnesss to His people; He wanted to give the City the King of Righteousness. Yet when God visited this place with His Righteousness, this place did not recognize the Day of God's visitation (Matt. 19:44)!
Conclusion
I believe when we pray for the peace of Jerusalem we must therefore pray that this City may recognize the Second Coming of the King of Righteousness. We must pray that this City will be happy to have more Christians, not just to come and visit, not just to celebrate the Feast of the Tabernacle, but to welcome them as messengers of the coming King of Righteousness - The Prince of Peace! Jehovah Shalom and Jehovah Shalvah!
Before I begin I would like to remind Christians that it is very easy to take the text of this Psalm out of its context and use the verses as slogan. This is especially so when we commit the verses (usually the King James Version) to memory. The right thing to do is whenever you get a verse from the Lord go back and see the setting of the verse and find out how this verse relates to other verses in that particular setting. Then you will use it in a Biblical sense instead of using it as a slogan taken out of context. It is often said that Scripture taken out of context becomes a pretext. In fact in its original language all the Books of the entire Bible had no chapter number and no verse number. They were put there by the translators. In its original language it would be difficult to take any verse out of its context.
The Nature and Function of Jerusalem
Psalm 122 describes the nature and function of the City of Jerusalem. It is conveniently divided into two halves:
1. The Nature of the City of Jerusalem
"I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord! Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem, which is built as a city that is compact together; to which the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed and as a testimony for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. For there thrones of judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David" (Psalm 122:1 - 5, The Amplified Bible).
The above five verses describe the nature of the City of Jerusalem. In fact the nature of the City is like the nature of the Country of Israel - too much history and too little geography. As soon as you read this psalm you'll get the sense that to the psalmist this city was very special. There was some thing unique about it. You'll feel it as soon as you step inside the gates. The City had a mixture of the real and the unreal.
The City of Jerusalem was terribly small. Someone said this City during king David's time looked as if a large city had been pulled down and another city had been re-erected on a tiny site with buildings all crowded together, compacted together, squeezed into a solid city. You could walk through the entire city in less than an hour. What made the City so special was its function.
2. The Function of the City of Jerusalem
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they prosper that love you (the Holy City)! Peace be within your walls and prosperity within your palaces! For my brethren and my companions' sake, I will now say, Peace be within you! For the sake of the house of the Lord our God I will seek, inquire for and require your good" (Psalm 122:6 - 9, The Amplified Bible).
There were two important buildings used to be found in the Holy City of Jerusalem, but they are no longer here now. In these two buildings lived two kings. One is the father and the other one, his son; one is the King of the universe and the other the king of Israel. These two buildings were the house of the Lord and the house of David.
It was because of these two buildings that prayers were offered up for the peace of Jerusalem. These two buildings embodied and symbolized the two relationships that need to be put right. These two relatioships were the relationship between God and man and the relationship between man and man. Right relationships were needed not only for the City and not only for the nation of which the City was the capital, but for the entire world. Jerusalem was the city where men came up to praise and worship their God - where the twelve tribes processed and worshiped together as Cod told them to, as an example to the whole world.
Jerusalem was also the City where justice could be found. The Law Court of justice was in the house of David. It was in this court wrongs were righted; those who had been exploited were vindicated; criminals were punished and right relationships were established. If you wanted to be right with God and right with your fellowmen then this was the City to which you had to come.
Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem
There is actually nothing terribly special about the prayer for the peace of Jerusalem. It is a natural thing for a Jewish person on entering a home to say peace to that home. Similarly the natural thing to do, when you enter the gates of Jerusalem and when you just stand inside the door, is to say peace to Jerusalem. It is a right and proper prayer to pray.
Jerusalem was peculiarly vulnerable in two areas - peace and prosperity. Therefore David prayed for peace and prosperity - in Hebrew mean shalom and shalvah. It is quite impossible to translate shalom and shalvah into English. Shalom not only means peace, but also harmony, health, well being and right relationship with God and everyone around you. Shalvah not only means prosperity, but also security, safety, tranquility, happy, joyful and abundantly blessed.
It is important to note that the peace that David prayed was an internal peace within the City (Ps. 122:7, 8). He was not thinking about Jerusalem out of security, not thinking about military and political peace. What truly concerned him was that within the place where God and men met, where relationships were put right, that Jerusalem would be a city of harmony.
Peace does not come naturally when you put a lot of God's people together, crowded in with one another so that they had hardly enough room to move about. Similary when you work in a place with Christians only (like in a Local Church), it is not necessarily a "promised land". When people are crowded together in a corridor of power peace does not come naturally. It is common to see Pastors and other servants of God having frictions with one another.
Therefore David, as soon as he stepped inside the gates, he prayed for the residence of the City who kept the Temple services going. He prayed for God's people who served the Lord in the Temple. He prayed that the Lord would keep them in harmony, keep them together in peace. He also prayed for prosperity for a very simple reason - Jerusalem was not a commercial viable City; it was not a place of trade and industry. It depended on help elsewhere. It was a subsidized capital and always will be. It would depend on the tithes and offerings of God's people coming up to worship God.
Why David and his companions prayed for the peace of Jerusalem?
The prayer was entirely for the residence of the city. It was a prayer that those who come here as visitors should pray. They should pray for those who lived there - a prayer that was very much needed. The last two verses of Psalm 122 made it very clear. David was not praying this prayer for the sake of the people there. But first he prayed for the sake of the pilgrims who came and second, for the sake of the God they came to meet. If Jerusalem was the meeting place between the Lord of heaven and the people of earth then it was vital that it would be a place of harmony, peace and deep satisfaction - a place where people might come and have peace with God and with one another and be satisfied and fulfilled.
The Christian's Problem
How do Christians pray for the City of Jerusalem the same way God's people did in the Old Testament when the two houses are not to be found there now?
The house of David is no longer to be found in Jerusalem. In fact there is no trace of it now. It was destroyed about 2,600 years ago when the last king of Israel was taken captive to Babylon. Since that day Israel has not had a king. But the House of the Lord destroyed at about the same time was rebuilt. It was standing there when our Lord Jesus Christ came to that City.
Jesus said, "See, Your house is left to you desolate" (Matt. 23:38).
After saying this Jesus immediately left the Temple (Matt. 24:1). A few days later the curtain (veil) of the Lord's House was pulled down by God as soon as Jesus was crucified. It was empty (desolate) from then on. In fact it was the Jewish custom to pull down the curtains of his house when it was left unoccupied.
The meaning of "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" today
We can ask many questions. For instance, what meaning can we give today to this prayer - "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem"? It is still valid? Have those two houses being re-erected any where else? Or they have totally disappeared?
Two amazing truths
The Scripture reveals two amazing truths:
1. Few weeks after the house of the Lord was emptied and the curtain pulled down God took up residence on earth! On the Day of Pentecost God moved house! And He dwells from then on in His people rather than in a place. Wherever you find God's people, there is the house of the Lord. His house is in His people individually (1 Cor. 6:15) and collectively, in His Church (1 Cor. 3:16, 17). It is a mobile concept now; it is no longer tied in one City and in the two houses.
2. Both the house of David and the House of the Lord (the Son of David) has been rebuilt in believers - believing Jews and believing Gentiles. When you look at a Christian you should see the house of David back in Jerusalem. You should see the place where the Son of David rules. One of the prophetic meanings of the Feast of the Tabernacle that is being observed by many Christians now, is the return of these two houses to the City of Jerusalem!
Spiritual application of Psalm 122
Since the Temple of the Lord now includes Jews as well as Gentiles there is a spiritual application of Ps. 122 which we must not forget. This points to the Heavenly Jerusalem that Mount Zion (the Church) to which we have come - through Jesus Christ.
Our prayer burden should be the peace and prosperity for the Church. We should pray that the Christians in our city may be in harmony and that there may be peace among those who love our Lord Jesus Christ. The peace of Jerusalem speaks of the peace of the House of the Lord (the Church) which we represent.
What makes for the peace of Jerusalem is very clear. The clue lies in what Jesus said in Luke 19. He wept tears of frustration over the City:
"If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes" (Luke 19:42, NKJV, emphasis added).
I believe the two important things that make for the Christians' peace are moral integrity and spiritual priority - to the contrary of what many people (both believers and unbelievers) believed. Many people believe that the things that mke for their peace are political security and economic stability. To pray for political security and economic stability is good but it is not the Christians' primary concern.
When Jesus rode through the Gate Beautiful into the Temple area He astonished the crowd. They expected Him to deal with the Roman rulers but instead He went straight into the Temple and rebuked those who bought and sold:
"It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you made it a den of thieves" (Luke 19:46).
He did this because His people had no moral integrity and spiritual priority and they didn't understand what belonged to their peace. That was why Jesus wept! God wanted to give His righteousnesss to His people; He wanted to give the City the King of Righteousness. Yet when God visited this place with His Righteousness, this place did not recognize the Day of God's visitation (Matt. 19:44)!
Conclusion
I believe when we pray for the peace of Jerusalem we must therefore pray that this City may recognize the Second Coming of the King of Righteousness. We must pray that this City will be happy to have more Christians, not just to come and visit, not just to celebrate the Feast of the Tabernacle, but to welcome them as messengers of the coming King of Righteousness - The Prince of Peace! Jehovah Shalom and Jehovah Shalvah!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
The Right Use of the Tongue
God created the human head with seven openings. Seven speaks of completeness and perfection. We have two ears, two eyes, two nostrils but we have only one mouth. If we have more than one mouth it will not be perfect. But as it is that one mouth causes us more problems than all the other six put together. The truth of the matter is there is no area in our personality more directly related to our total well being than our mouth and our tongue. God gives us the responsibility to make the right use of our tongue.
Scriptural Principles on the importance of the tongue
There are many Scripture passages which all emphasize the vital importance of the mouth and the tongue:
1. "Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit" (Psalm 34:11 - 13, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
I. Two things that go with the fear of the Lord are, one, love life and two, see many good days. Life and its fullness and the fear of the Lord always associated together. The measure in which we have the fear of the Lord is the measure in which we enjoy true life.
II. The practical application is that when we begin to fear God, the first place that it will be manifested is to keep our tongue from evil and our lips from speaking lies.
2. "He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction" (Proverbs 13:3, NKJV).
In other words, if you want to guard your life then you have to guard your lips. The weak area is the lips where the enemy will gain access. But if you don't guard your lips and speak rashly you will face destruction.
The alternatives are very clear - either take control of your tongue or face destruction.
3. "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity" (Proverbs 21:23, NIV).
The vital area that you have to protect is your mouth and tongue. Calamity is a strong word. Once again the alternatives are very clear cut. If you fail to guard you tongue calamity may visit you.
4. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Proverbs 18:21, NKJV).
Each one of us eats the fruit of his own tongue. If our tongue brings forth sweet fruit we will eat sweet fruit; if our tongue brings forth bitter fruit we will eat bitter fruit.
Your Spiritual condition is revealed by your tongue
The state of your tongue is a guide to your spiritual condition. Let us consider some passages of Scripture that established this principle.
1. Jesus said, "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! how can you, being evil speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt. 12: 33, 34, 36, 37, NKJV, emphasis added).
Notice that Jesus referred to the heart as the tree and to the words that come out of the mouth as the fruit. The condition of your heart is revealed by the kinds of words that will come out of your mouth.
2. Jesus said in similar language in Matt. 7:17, 18, "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit" (NKJV).
There is an absolute inescapable connection between the state of our heart and the state of our mouth. We may deceive ourselves about the state of our heart; we may have all sorts of ideas about our own goodness, purity or righteousness, but there is a sure and infallible indicator which comes out of the mouth. If the state of our heart is corrupt our tongue is corrupt. The words that we speak indicate the true condition of our heart.
Prophetic Pictures of Christ the Messiah and His Bride
1. Picture of Christ the Messiah
"My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. You are fairer than the sons of men; Grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever" (Ps. 45:1, 2, NKJV, emphasis added).
The first aspect of the beauty of Christ that is manifested is His lips. Primarily His grace is manifested in His lips. Secondly, for this reason God has blessed Him forever.
2. Picture of His Bride
"Your lips are like a strand of scarlet, and your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil are like a piece of pomegranate. Your lips, O my spouse, drip as the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your tongue; and the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon" (Song of Solomon 4:3, 11, NKJV, emphasis added).
The Song of Solomon was addressed to Christ's Bride (His true Church). The first feature of the Bride are her lips. The beauty of her voice comes out through the veil.
"Honey and milk" speaks of the Promised Land. Therefore the tongue of the Bride of Christ is full of God's promises! To be qualified as Christ's Bride she is expected to use her tongue in the right manner! The Scripture is very consistent.
Diseases of the Tongue
The Bible revealed many diseases that affect the tongue. Here are some of them:
1. Excessive talking
"In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise" (Prov. 10:19).
If you say too much you are bound to say something wrong. If you restrain your tongue you are wise; otherwise you are foolish.
The Bible also warns us never to use too many words toward God Himself:
"Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool's voice is known by his many words" (Eccles. 5:1 - 3, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
I. "Sacrifice of fools" means "saying a lot of words to God that we don't really mean".
II. "Many words" is a signature mark of a fool. When you hear a person continuously talking you don't need any other evidence that he is a fool. I think the root problem is restlessness. People who are always talking are restless people. The contemporary culture is full of restless people.
2. Idle or Careless Words
Idle words are words that account for nother - just empty words. We have spoken many words, but we don't really mean what we said, and we are not prepared to stand behind it.
Jesus said, "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment" (Matt. 12:36).
Every idle word we have spoken we have to answer to it one day.
Jesus in delivering His Sermon on the Mount said, "Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes', and your 'No', 'No', for whatever is more than these is from the evil one" (Matt. 5:37).
If we say more than what is necessary; for example, the unnecessary emphasis or exaggeration - all these words are from the Devil!
3. Gossip
"You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor; I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:16, NKJV, emphasis added).
Other words for "talebearer" are gossip, slanderer, untrue and malicious talker. In the New Testament the very title of Satan is the Slanderer. Therefore if you go round as a gossip telling tales you are actually doing the Devil's work for him. You are a representative of Satan!
Not only we must be careful not to give out gossip, we also must not receive gossip:
"The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts" (Proverbs 18:8, NIV).
To receive gossip is the same as swallowing the morsels that a talebearer gives you. It is like swallowing poison which affects your whole being!
"A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much" (Proverbs 20:19, NIV).
A gossip usually talks too much.
4. Lying
"These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren" (Proverbs 6:16 - 19, NKJV, emphasis added).
Notice that out of the seven things, three are related to the tongue - lying tongue, false witness and someone who stirs up dissension among brothers.
"Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight" (Proverbs 12:22).
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord because when we trace to its source, every lie comes from the Devil:
Jesus said to the Pharisees (unbelievers), "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44).
The Destiny of Liars
"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8, NKJV, emphasis added).
"But outside are dogs .... and whoever loves and practice a lie" (Rev. 22:15).
What a solemn warning - The qualifiction of being lost forever is so simple; just to love and practice one single lie!
5. Flattery
"They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. May the Lord cut off flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things, ..." (Ps. 12:2, 3).
"A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin" (Proverbs 26:28).
"A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet" (Proverbs 29:5).
Notice that lying and flattering are closely related - both work ruin!
6. Hastiness in words or speech
"Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him" (Proverbs 29:20).
In other words, a man who says things in haste and without forethought is worse than a fool. The Bible says nothing good about the fool. Yet the fool still has some hope. He has a higher measure of hope in comparison with a person who is hasty in his speech!
Scriptural Principles on the importance of the tongue
There are many Scripture passages which all emphasize the vital importance of the mouth and the tongue:
1. "Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit" (Psalm 34:11 - 13, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
I. Two things that go with the fear of the Lord are, one, love life and two, see many good days. Life and its fullness and the fear of the Lord always associated together. The measure in which we have the fear of the Lord is the measure in which we enjoy true life.
II. The practical application is that when we begin to fear God, the first place that it will be manifested is to keep our tongue from evil and our lips from speaking lies.
2. "He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction" (Proverbs 13:3, NKJV).
In other words, if you want to guard your life then you have to guard your lips. The weak area is the lips where the enemy will gain access. But if you don't guard your lips and speak rashly you will face destruction.
The alternatives are very clear - either take control of your tongue or face destruction.
3. "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity" (Proverbs 21:23, NIV).
The vital area that you have to protect is your mouth and tongue. Calamity is a strong word. Once again the alternatives are very clear cut. If you fail to guard you tongue calamity may visit you.
4. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Proverbs 18:21, NKJV).
Each one of us eats the fruit of his own tongue. If our tongue brings forth sweet fruit we will eat sweet fruit; if our tongue brings forth bitter fruit we will eat bitter fruit.
Your Spiritual condition is revealed by your tongue
The state of your tongue is a guide to your spiritual condition. Let us consider some passages of Scripture that established this principle.
1. Jesus said, "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! how can you, being evil speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matt. 12: 33, 34, 36, 37, NKJV, emphasis added).
Notice that Jesus referred to the heart as the tree and to the words that come out of the mouth as the fruit. The condition of your heart is revealed by the kinds of words that will come out of your mouth.
2. Jesus said in similar language in Matt. 7:17, 18, "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit" (NKJV).
There is an absolute inescapable connection between the state of our heart and the state of our mouth. We may deceive ourselves about the state of our heart; we may have all sorts of ideas about our own goodness, purity or righteousness, but there is a sure and infallible indicator which comes out of the mouth. If the state of our heart is corrupt our tongue is corrupt. The words that we speak indicate the true condition of our heart.
Prophetic Pictures of Christ the Messiah and His Bride
1. Picture of Christ the Messiah
"My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. You are fairer than the sons of men; Grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore God has blessed You forever" (Ps. 45:1, 2, NKJV, emphasis added).
The first aspect of the beauty of Christ that is manifested is His lips. Primarily His grace is manifested in His lips. Secondly, for this reason God has blessed Him forever.
2. Picture of His Bride
"Your lips are like a strand of scarlet, and your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil are like a piece of pomegranate. Your lips, O my spouse, drip as the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your tongue; and the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon" (Song of Solomon 4:3, 11, NKJV, emphasis added).
The Song of Solomon was addressed to Christ's Bride (His true Church). The first feature of the Bride are her lips. The beauty of her voice comes out through the veil.
"Honey and milk" speaks of the Promised Land. Therefore the tongue of the Bride of Christ is full of God's promises! To be qualified as Christ's Bride she is expected to use her tongue in the right manner! The Scripture is very consistent.
Diseases of the Tongue
The Bible revealed many diseases that affect the tongue. Here are some of them:
1. Excessive talking
"In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise" (Prov. 10:19).
If you say too much you are bound to say something wrong. If you restrain your tongue you are wise; otherwise you are foolish.
The Bible also warns us never to use too many words toward God Himself:
"Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool's voice is known by his many words" (Eccles. 5:1 - 3, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
I. "Sacrifice of fools" means "saying a lot of words to God that we don't really mean".
II. "Many words" is a signature mark of a fool. When you hear a person continuously talking you don't need any other evidence that he is a fool. I think the root problem is restlessness. People who are always talking are restless people. The contemporary culture is full of restless people.
2. Idle or Careless Words
Idle words are words that account for nother - just empty words. We have spoken many words, but we don't really mean what we said, and we are not prepared to stand behind it.
Jesus said, "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment" (Matt. 12:36).
Every idle word we have spoken we have to answer to it one day.
Jesus in delivering His Sermon on the Mount said, "Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes', and your 'No', 'No', for whatever is more than these is from the evil one" (Matt. 5:37).
If we say more than what is necessary; for example, the unnecessary emphasis or exaggeration - all these words are from the Devil!
3. Gossip
"You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor; I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:16, NKJV, emphasis added).
Other words for "talebearer" are gossip, slanderer, untrue and malicious talker. In the New Testament the very title of Satan is the Slanderer. Therefore if you go round as a gossip telling tales you are actually doing the Devil's work for him. You are a representative of Satan!
Not only we must be careful not to give out gossip, we also must not receive gossip:
"The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts" (Proverbs 18:8, NIV).
To receive gossip is the same as swallowing the morsels that a talebearer gives you. It is like swallowing poison which affects your whole being!
"A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much" (Proverbs 20:19, NIV).
A gossip usually talks too much.
4. Lying
"These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren" (Proverbs 6:16 - 19, NKJV, emphasis added).
Notice that out of the seven things, three are related to the tongue - lying tongue, false witness and someone who stirs up dissension among brothers.
"Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight" (Proverbs 12:22).
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord because when we trace to its source, every lie comes from the Devil:
Jesus said to the Pharisees (unbelievers), "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44).
The Destiny of Liars
"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8, NKJV, emphasis added).
"But outside are dogs .... and whoever loves and practice a lie" (Rev. 22:15).
What a solemn warning - The qualifiction of being lost forever is so simple; just to love and practice one single lie!
5. Flattery
"They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. May the Lord cut off flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things, ..." (Ps. 12:2, 3).
"A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin" (Proverbs 26:28).
"A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet" (Proverbs 29:5).
Notice that lying and flattering are closely related - both work ruin!
6. Hastiness in words or speech
"Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him" (Proverbs 29:20).
In other words, a man who says things in haste and without forethought is worse than a fool. The Bible says nothing good about the fool. Yet the fool still has some hope. He has a higher measure of hope in comparison with a person who is hasty in his speech!
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
God's Total Plan for Us
The Scripture reveals that God has a total plan for every one of us. We are created not without purpose. This message concerns the many stages in the conceiving and outworking of His plan for us from eternity to eternity.
Paul said, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His son that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified" (Romans 8:28, 29, NKJV, emphasis added).
The five stages of His total plan are: He foreknew us, He predestined us, He called us, He justified us and He glorified us.
However, in order to get a more complete picture of these stages in God's plan and how they relate to one another we need to look at two other passages, both from Paul's epistles, in the New Testament which add to our understanding of this plan.
1. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will" (Eph. 1:3 - 5, emphasis added).
The additional information is "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world".
2. ".... who (God) has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began" (2 Tim. 1:9, emphasis added).
The additional information is "God has saved us and called us with a holy calling".
The Eight Stages of God's Total Plan
If we sum it all up from the above passages of Scripture we'll notice that God's total plan for us works out in eight distinct stages from eternity to time and then from time to eternity again. In other words, He began His plan before time began and right through beyond time into eternity!
Here are the eight stages:
1. God foreknew us
Peter greeted the Jewish believers (the elect) in the midst of their persecution:
".... to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: ..." (1 Peter 1:1, 2, NKJV, emphasis added).
There is no attribute of God that is more awesome than God's knowledge and foreknowledge.
John said, "For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things" (1 John 3:20, NKJV, emphasis added).
When the Scripture says "God knows all things" it means there is nothing that God doesn't know.
David said, "O Lord, You have searched me and known me. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence" (Psalm 139:1, 4, 6, 7, emphasis added)?
Here are some statements of truth:
A. God foreknows our thoughts. He knows what we are going to say before we say it!
B. The key to how God knows everything - is through His Spirit. The Spirit of God permeates everywhere and anytime. The past, present and future and even before time began. Through His Spirit God knows everything about us, even before we were born (Ps. 139:13 - 16).
2. God chose us
On the basis of God's foreknowledge, He chose us. God took the initiative to choose us. It is important to note that in all God's dealing with man, and in fact the whole universe, God always retain the initiative which never passes out of God's hand. This is true in various God's dealing as recorded in the New Testament:
A. The New Birth - Salvation
In contemporary Christianity, many people think that they gotten born again because they'd decided to be a Christian. But the Scripture says we are born again because God decided in the first place. The fact is, our job is to respond to God's decision to choose us, and without His decision it wouldn't have happened by our decision alone:
Paul said, "But we are bound to give thaks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, ..." (1 Thess. 2:13, emphasis added).
B. Apostleship
Jesus said to His disciples, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, ..." (John 15:16).
Peter applied this to his own experience as he said to the Jerusalem Council:
"Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe" (Acts 15:7).
In relation to this, Peter didn't go to the household of Cornelius because he chose - he went because God chose (Acts 10).
This is also true for the apostle Paul's conversion at Damascus Road (Acts 22:14, 15). Paul didn't become an apostle because he chose, but because God chose. It fact if left to himself, this would be the furthest thing from his thinking. Furthermore, no one in the early Church would have chosen Paul to be an apostle. He would have been at the very bottom of the list!
I think there is a certain confidence when it is God's choice. Instead of figuring out ourselves what we should be we can find out what God has chosen us to be. Never get the attitude that God has chosen you to do something but you are not capable of doing it. God knows you can do it, otherwise He wouldn't have chosen you. God's foreknowledge leads to his choice.
We need to apply this spiritual truth to our own life. Don't try to be something that God hasn't chosen you to be. Don't make your own plan; don't work out the best you can do - that is not sufficient. Wait upon the Lord and find out what He has chosen you to do.
Let me make a rather controversial statement, which to me is also a spiritual truth. God makes His own selection; He does not call for volunteers. The only thing He wants us to do is to respond to His choice.
3. God predestined us
On the basis of God's choice for us, He predestined us. People in general, don't like the word "predestination" - it frightens them. In simple language "predestination" means "God worked out, in advance, the course that our life is to take so that His purposes would be fulfilled". To me this is very logical.
4. God called us
At this stage we moved out of eternity into time - life's clock started to tick. God's call comes in real time - during our life's journey on earth. His call impacts us individually. At this stage it is left to us to respond to His call. God's call means two things:
A. He invites us to join His Family through faith in Jesus Christ.
B. He summons us with the Authority of the King.
5. God saved us
When we respond to the call of God positively then God saves us - we enter into salvation as we are regenerated instantly. We are quickened and made alive in the Spirit. We are saved from sin, from its guilt, from its power, from its defilement. God has provided total salvation through Jesus Christ.
6. God justified us
When we are saved God also justified us. The word "justify" means "to acquit" or "to reckon righteous".
Paul said, ".... being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24, NKJV).
The basis of our justification is the death of Christ:
"Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him" (Romans 5:9).
Justification was brought to us through Christ's resurrection:
"It (righteousness) shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification" (Romans 4:24, 25, emphasis added).
7. God called us with a Holy Calling
God saved and justified us so that we are qualified to be called by Him to do His work and to fulfill His purpose for us (2 Tim. 1:9). This is also our sactification and salvation process. This is on-going until we step out of time into eternity. Every believer in Christ has a unique calling according to 2 Tim. 1:9.
Here are some important statements of truth from 2 Tim. 1:9:
A. Your calling is holy. This means you are set apart to do God's will. God also sets limits and boundaries around your life - your calling is not unlimited.
B. Your calling does not depend on your works. It has nothing to do with your talent, your effort or your ability. When He calls you He will enable you to do His work. All you need to do is submit yourself to Him.
C. Your calling is God's choice and not your choice. He worked out His calling for you before time began.
8. We shall be glorified together with Christ
At this stage (at the fullness of the times) we are going to pass out of time into eternity again. We shall be glorified together with Christ.
Paul said, "... that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth - in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will" (Eph. 1:10, 11).
Paul also said, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together" (Romans 8:16, 17, emphasis added).
Notice there is a condition attached - we must suffer with Christ first! The spirtual principle is - The road to glory is suffering!
Take comfort in what Paul said in the next verse:
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).
Paul said, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His son that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified" (Romans 8:28, 29, NKJV, emphasis added).
The five stages of His total plan are: He foreknew us, He predestined us, He called us, He justified us and He glorified us.
However, in order to get a more complete picture of these stages in God's plan and how they relate to one another we need to look at two other passages, both from Paul's epistles, in the New Testament which add to our understanding of this plan.
1. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will" (Eph. 1:3 - 5, emphasis added).
The additional information is "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world".
2. ".... who (God) has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began" (2 Tim. 1:9, emphasis added).
The additional information is "God has saved us and called us with a holy calling".
The Eight Stages of God's Total Plan
If we sum it all up from the above passages of Scripture we'll notice that God's total plan for us works out in eight distinct stages from eternity to time and then from time to eternity again. In other words, He began His plan before time began and right through beyond time into eternity!
Here are the eight stages:
1. God foreknew us
Peter greeted the Jewish believers (the elect) in the midst of their persecution:
".... to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: ..." (1 Peter 1:1, 2, NKJV, emphasis added).
There is no attribute of God that is more awesome than God's knowledge and foreknowledge.
John said, "For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things" (1 John 3:20, NKJV, emphasis added).
When the Scripture says "God knows all things" it means there is nothing that God doesn't know.
David said, "O Lord, You have searched me and known me. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence" (Psalm 139:1, 4, 6, 7, emphasis added)?
Here are some statements of truth:
A. God foreknows our thoughts. He knows what we are going to say before we say it!
B. The key to how God knows everything - is through His Spirit. The Spirit of God permeates everywhere and anytime. The past, present and future and even before time began. Through His Spirit God knows everything about us, even before we were born (Ps. 139:13 - 16).
2. God chose us
On the basis of God's foreknowledge, He chose us. God took the initiative to choose us. It is important to note that in all God's dealing with man, and in fact the whole universe, God always retain the initiative which never passes out of God's hand. This is true in various God's dealing as recorded in the New Testament:
A. The New Birth - Salvation
In contemporary Christianity, many people think that they gotten born again because they'd decided to be a Christian. But the Scripture says we are born again because God decided in the first place. The fact is, our job is to respond to God's decision to choose us, and without His decision it wouldn't have happened by our decision alone:
Paul said, "But we are bound to give thaks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, ..." (1 Thess. 2:13, emphasis added).
B. Apostleship
Jesus said to His disciples, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, ..." (John 15:16).
Peter applied this to his own experience as he said to the Jerusalem Council:
"Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe" (Acts 15:7).
In relation to this, Peter didn't go to the household of Cornelius because he chose - he went because God chose (Acts 10).
This is also true for the apostle Paul's conversion at Damascus Road (Acts 22:14, 15). Paul didn't become an apostle because he chose, but because God chose. It fact if left to himself, this would be the furthest thing from his thinking. Furthermore, no one in the early Church would have chosen Paul to be an apostle. He would have been at the very bottom of the list!
I think there is a certain confidence when it is God's choice. Instead of figuring out ourselves what we should be we can find out what God has chosen us to be. Never get the attitude that God has chosen you to do something but you are not capable of doing it. God knows you can do it, otherwise He wouldn't have chosen you. God's foreknowledge leads to his choice.
We need to apply this spiritual truth to our own life. Don't try to be something that God hasn't chosen you to be. Don't make your own plan; don't work out the best you can do - that is not sufficient. Wait upon the Lord and find out what He has chosen you to do.
Let me make a rather controversial statement, which to me is also a spiritual truth. God makes His own selection; He does not call for volunteers. The only thing He wants us to do is to respond to His choice.
3. God predestined us
On the basis of God's choice for us, He predestined us. People in general, don't like the word "predestination" - it frightens them. In simple language "predestination" means "God worked out, in advance, the course that our life is to take so that His purposes would be fulfilled". To me this is very logical.
4. God called us
At this stage we moved out of eternity into time - life's clock started to tick. God's call comes in real time - during our life's journey on earth. His call impacts us individually. At this stage it is left to us to respond to His call. God's call means two things:
A. He invites us to join His Family through faith in Jesus Christ.
B. He summons us with the Authority of the King.
5. God saved us
When we respond to the call of God positively then God saves us - we enter into salvation as we are regenerated instantly. We are quickened and made alive in the Spirit. We are saved from sin, from its guilt, from its power, from its defilement. God has provided total salvation through Jesus Christ.
6. God justified us
When we are saved God also justified us. The word "justify" means "to acquit" or "to reckon righteous".
Paul said, ".... being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24, NKJV).
The basis of our justification is the death of Christ:
"Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him" (Romans 5:9).
Justification was brought to us through Christ's resurrection:
"It (righteousness) shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification" (Romans 4:24, 25, emphasis added).
7. God called us with a Holy Calling
God saved and justified us so that we are qualified to be called by Him to do His work and to fulfill His purpose for us (2 Tim. 1:9). This is also our sactification and salvation process. This is on-going until we step out of time into eternity. Every believer in Christ has a unique calling according to 2 Tim. 1:9.
Here are some important statements of truth from 2 Tim. 1:9:
A. Your calling is holy. This means you are set apart to do God's will. God also sets limits and boundaries around your life - your calling is not unlimited.
B. Your calling does not depend on your works. It has nothing to do with your talent, your effort or your ability. When He calls you He will enable you to do His work. All you need to do is submit yourself to Him.
C. Your calling is God's choice and not your choice. He worked out His calling for you before time began.
8. We shall be glorified together with Christ
At this stage (at the fullness of the times) we are going to pass out of time into eternity again. We shall be glorified together with Christ.
Paul said, "... that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth - in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will" (Eph. 1:10, 11).
Paul also said, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together" (Romans 8:16, 17, emphasis added).
Notice there is a condition attached - we must suffer with Christ first! The spirtual principle is - The road to glory is suffering!
Take comfort in what Paul said in the next verse:
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).
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