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GOD KNOWS

17 January 2021

Ps Ben Hooman

Please open your Bible at the last book of the Old Testament to the book of Malachi. We saw last time that the book of Malachi speaks directly to us today. Believers in Malachi’s day faced the challenges we do. They were disappointment with leaders, they had disruption to worship, and there was a growing coldness of heart toward God. But through all of this, there were some who remained faithful. Malachi describes them as “those who feared the Lord.” He tells us what they did: “Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another.”

“Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed His name”. (Malachi 3:16)

We saw that when faithful believers feel the chill winds of growing skepticism and unbelief around then, they move closer to one another. They speak with one another often. We saw the principle beautifully illustrated on the Road to Emmaus, that when faithful believers talked together about Jesus, Jesus Himself drew near and walked with them (Luke 24:15). You will find the presence of Jesus in the company of other believers.

When we face what faithful believers in Malachi’s day faced, disappointment in leaders, disruption in worship, and the coldness of unbelieve all around us, we must do what faithful believers in Malachi’s day did. We must speak with one another. Malachi tells us, 

“Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed His name”. (Malachi 3:16)

Now we call this series “Encouragement 2021”, and the first encouragement is that God hears. Today we come to the second encouragement which is that God remembers, He knows.

We begin today at Malachi chapter three verse thirteen where God says to His people, 

“Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD…You have said, “It is vain to serve God” (Malachi 3:13-14).

If you extend yourself in living for the Lord and serving Him, you may find that you come to a place in your life where you are discouraged, you feel defeated, and you realize that you are losing the will to carry on. The work you once counted a privilege, now seems like a liability. You find yourself asking: Why am I carrying this burden? What am I getting out of this? And in your darker moments you may be tempted to say, “it is vain to serve the Lord.”

Asaph, a godly man that God used to write Psalm 73, struggled with this. He pursued a holy life, but there came a time when in his own private thoughts, he reckoned, 

“All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence”. (Psalm 73:13) 

He says, ‘I have tried to live a life that honour the Lord, but what have I gained? Why am I doing this? ‘In vain I have kept my heart clean’. That is what he thought.

Now if you read the rest of Psalm 73, you will see how Asaph answered these dark thoughts, but what we want you to see right now, is that he had them. This faithful believer knew what it was to feel that pursuing a godly life might be in vain.

Job faced the same struggle. We saw last time that he was commended for speaking well of God, 

 “After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: ‘My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job did” (Job 42:7) 

But Job struggled with some very dark thoughts. At one point, he asked; Why do I labour in vain?

“I shall be condemned; why then do I labour in vain?” (Job 9:29)

And there were times when the apostle Paul feared that his work might be in vain. Writing to the Galatians, he says,

 “I am afraid that I may have laboured over you in vain.” (Galatians 4:11)

Now if you have been tempted to feel that your work, your service, your labour, your ministry, your faithfulness has been wasted, Malachi chapter three is for you. Because right here, God answers the charge that serving Him might be in vain. Look what is said here in Malachi,

“Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed His name.” (Malachi 3:16)

The part we focus on today is, “and a book of remembrance was written before Him”. God knows all things and He does not need books to remind Him of what we have done. But God speaks in a way that we can understand, and here Malachi tells us that God will never forget what those who fear Him have done.

When we read of a book written before God, our first thought may be of the “book of life” that is spoken of repeatedly in the Bible. Paul speaks of those whom he calls my fellow workers,

“Yes, I ask you also true companion, help these women who have laboured side by side with me in the gospel with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.” (Philippians 4:3)

Jesus says to His disciples after telling them that He gave them power and authority over the enemy, 

“Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20).

In the book of Revelation, we are told;

“But nothing unclean will ever enter it (God’s new creation), nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:27)

The book of life belongs to Jesus Christ. It is “the Lamb’s” book of life. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He gives eternal life (John 5:21, 10:28).

The names written in the book of life are the names of those who believe. It is by believing that we have life in His name, 

“But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31)

It is a marvellous thing to know that your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. God says to His people, 

“Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)

This Lamb’s book of life was written “before the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). God knows those who are His (2 Timothy 2:19). He always has. He always will. And He will never forget His own.

The book of life is a wonderful theme in the Bible, but I don’t think that Malachi is speaking about the book of life. He says “a book of remembrance was written before the Lord.” And we are told about this book of remembrance in response to the fear that God’s people may serve Him in vain. 

Dr Walt Kaiser says, “Here we see something similar to the Persian custom of entering into a book all acts that should be awarded in the future”. There is a fascinating reference to this in the book of Esther, that comes from the same time as the books of Nehemiah and Malachi. Esther, who in God’s providence, had become queen in the royal court of King Ahasuerus, and had a cousin by the name of Mordecai. Mordecai was a good friend and a wise counsellor to Esther and he made it his business to hang around the palace.

One day when he was sitting at the King’s gate, Mordecai overheard two of the king’s security guards plotting to take the king’s life. Mordecai told Esther and Esther told the king. The plot was foiled and the king’s life was saved.

Sometime later, there was a night when the king could not sleep. On that night the king could not sleep, he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king (Esther 6:1). When the book was read, it was found that Mordecai had given the intelligence that foiled the plot on the king’s life. So, the king asked, “What honour and distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” And, he was told “nothing has been done for him” (Esther 6:3).

So, the king commanded that Mordecai should be honoured because what he did was written in the book of memorable deeds. The point here is that the king had a book of remembrance: a book where honourable deeds were recorded. 

And Malachi tells us that God has a “book of remembrance.” So, when you are tempted to think that perhaps your service for God is in vain, you need to know that God remembers what you have done. A book of remembrance was written before the Lord.

What does God remember

• God remembers your work

“For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His name in serving the saints, as you still do.” (Hebrews 6:10) 

Perhaps you feel that no one cares about what you do. Who sees what you are doing? Who knows the care you are putting into it? The answer to that question is: God sees what you are doing, and He will not overlook your work!

This theme is repeated in the words of Jesus to the churches in the book of Revelation. God knows your work. 

“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, …” (Revelation 2:2) God knows the difficulty of your work. “I know your tribulation and your poverty” (Revelation 2:9). “I know where you dwell” (Revelation 2:13). God knows all that goes into your work. 

“I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.” (Revelation 2:19)

Your work may never attract the praise or attention of others. It may be largely hidden from view. But God knows your work. It is written in His book of remembrance.

• God remembers your words

“Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed His name.” (Malachi 3:16) 

The book of remembrance was written before the Lord when God’s people spoke with one another. When those who esteemed the Lord spoke together, the Lord paid attention and heard them. 

We know that God hears us when we speak to Him. But what we see here is something else. It does not say that those who feared the Lord cried out to Him and the Lord heard them. It says, ‘those who feared the Lord spoke with one another and the Lord heard them’. God hears what we say to each other, and when you speak with faith, hope, and love, when you speak with courage, when you speak in a way that honours the Lord, God hears and He remembers. 

When you speak to a brother, or a sister, when you speak to someone who does not believe, and you speak faith, and you speak with hope, and you speak with courage, God hears what you say and will never forget it. When they spoke to one another, a book of remembrance was written before the Lord. 

• God remembers your tears

“You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?” (Psalm 56:8) 

God knows your highest hopes and your deepest fears, and on a night when you cannot sleep, He knows every time you turn in your bed. God knows every tear that has ever rolled down your face. They are all in God’s book of remembrance.

Perhaps you have endured something that no one else can understand. Other people don’t know the trouble that is in your heart. You shed your tears in secret, but God knows the pain that you carry and He remembers your tears.

• God remembers your desires

“O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you.” (Psalm 38:9) 

One of the things you discover in your walk with Christ, is that your desire exceeds your grasp or your reach. You want to be more godly than you are. You want to accomplish more for our Lord Jesus Christ than you actually do. This is true of the most mature believer.

Paul towards the end of his life says, 

“That I may know Him (Christ) and the power of His resurrection, …. Not that I have already obtained this… but I press on.” (Philippians 3:10-12) 

God knows what you want to be, even though you haven’t got there yet. And God knows what you want to do: This is a wonderful encouragement when you are disappointed.

Perhaps there is something good you wanted to do, or you thought you might do, but the door closed. Or perhaps it never opened and you live with a sense of disappointment.

David was in that position. He really wanted to build the temple for God but that privilege was given to his son Solomon. There is a great statement that Solomon made; Solomon tells us, 

“But the LORD said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart.” (1 Kings 8:18) 

David didn’t get to build the temple. That privilege was given to his son. But God knew that David had it in his heart. 

God remembers not only what you did, but what you wanted to do. “O Lord, all my longing is before you.” Here is something to encourage faithful believers. Your work, your words, your tears and your desires are all written down in God’s book of remembrance, all recorded, never to be forgotten. 

What God remembers, is a wonderful encouragement, but what’s even better is what God chooses not to remember.

There are other things about us that are also written down. Jeremiah tells us, 

“The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond, it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars.” (Jeremiah 17:1)

Here Jeremiah tells us that our sins are also recorded. They are not written in pencil, or even in ink. They are engraved with a pen of iron, chiselled out with a diamond point.

Our sins are written down. Small sins that you hardly remember. Secret sins you think are hidden. Great sins you would rather forget are all written, and with every year that passes the list gets longer.

Now here is the wonderful news of God’s grace: In Jesus Christ God remembers your works, your words, your tears and your desires. But in Christ, God will not remember your sins!

• God will not remember your sins

“… For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34) 

How can God ‘remember our sin no more’ when it is written with a pen of iron? Paul tells us that when Jesus went to the cross, He cancelled the writing that stood against us. God forgave our sins by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:14).

The written charge-sheet of our sins was nailed to the cross of Jesus. When He was nailed to the cross, our sins were nailed there with Him. And when He hung there, He dealt with all that would rightly have been charged to us. So, in Jesus Christ, God says to us, “Your sins and your iniquities I will remember no more.”

Applications

• Use this to help you treasure Jesus

How is it that God should remember your work, your words, your tears and your desires but that He will not remember your sins? It is because of His great mercy that is ours in Jesus Christ.

‘Lord, this is amazing that You will remember my works, but You will not remember my sins!’

• Use this to strengthen you in service

When Malachi says that ‘a book of remembrance was written before the Lord’, He says this in answer to the God’s people who had become so discouraged that they said, “it is vain to serve the Lord” (Malachi 3:13).

It is not vain to serve the Lord. Here’s why: A book of remembrance is written before Him. God remembers your work, your words, your tears and your desires. And even a cup of cold water, given in the name of Jesus, will have its reward.

• Use this to sustain you in patience

“A book of remembrance was written before the Lord.” The whole point of a book of remembrance is that there is a day of future reward. God does not promise immediate recognition or immediate reward. What He tells us is that He remembers.

Jesus speaks about this repeatedly: When you pray, when you give, your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you openly (Matthew 6:4, 6, 18).

Right now, we are like servants who have been trusted with certain tasks by a King. No one seems to be watching what we are doing, but one day the King will return, and then what we have done will be made known.

The King will say, “Well done good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21). The day of your great reward is coming. Use this to sustain you in patience.

• Use this to grow in grace

We live in a world that desperately needs an infusion of kindness, of patience, of forgiveness, of love, and of grace. In a world where so many have become so used to thinking the worst about each other, God says,

“Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Thomas Watson makes reference to a story about Alexander the Great: Apparently Alexander had an ugly scar on the side of his face. But when his portrait was to be painted, the artist had him seated with an elbow on the table and his hand on the side of his face so that it covered the scar.

Watson says, “The painter who drew Alexander’s picture, drew him with his finger upon the scar; so, God puts a finger of mercy upon the scars of His children.”

Sarah once laughed at God’s promises, but in the New Testament God passes over this completely and simply commends her for her gentle and quiet spirit. God’s finger was over the scar.

Job said some terrible things. In the depth of his pain, he cursed the day he was born (Job 3:1). But as we saw last time, at the end of the book, God passes over all this and commends Job for what he said that was right. God puts His finger on the scar, remembering how Job has spoken well of the Lord.

Peter denies the Lord Jesus Christ with cursing and with blasphemy, and when the Lord restores him, He makes no reference to his cursing and his denying. Instead, He simply asks “Peter do you love me?” “Yes Lord, you know that I love you.” “Feed my Sheep.” 

God puts a finger of mercy on the scars of His children. His love covers a multitude of sins. And if God remembers our works, our words, our tears, and our desires, but chooses not to remember our sins, we can learn to do the same towards others.

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Session 8 – All that is yours

25 December 2020

Ps Ben Hooman

There will be more to challenge us in this series, but today is all about encouragement. I want you to savour all that is yours in Jesus Christ, to see and to enjoy—perhaps with a fresh perspective—what Christ has done, and what He is doing in your life and in the life of every other Christian.

“Rejoice before the LORD your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name…” (Deuteronomy 16:11)

The people who rejoice in God

Deuteronomy records the teaching of Moses in the last weeks before his death. The old man is pouring out his heart to a younger generation, about to enter the Promised Land. Under the inspiration of God, Moses says, “When you get into the land, don’t forget the Lord. Remember to teach your children. Don’t follow other gods. Cancel debts and free your servants…”  

Then, right in the middle of the book, Moses tells them, “When you get into the land, rejoice! Enjoy what God is giving you! Celebrate!”

Celebrate the Passover (16:1-8)

Celebrate the Feast of Weeks (16:9-12)

Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (16:13-15)

“Rejoice before the Lord your God.” (16:11)

“Be joyful at your Feast…” (16:14)

“Your joy will be complete.” (16:15)

Reading this chapter made us think of Romans 5:11, where Paul says, “We rejoice in God.”  This is the character of the Christian community, a distinguishing mark of the church. We are the people who rejoice in God, and God’s people are to observe specific occasions and events with the single purpose of cultivating joy!

These festivals were a big deal because they were held at one location. So, wherever you were in Israel, you had to go to one place to celebrate. Each celebration was one massive gathering of God’s people.

“You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town… except in the place he will chose as a dwelling for his Name.” (Deuteronomy 16:5-6)

“Rejoice before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name.” (Deuteronomy 16:11)

“For seven days celebrate the Feast to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose.” (Deuteronomy 16:15)

Where is the place God chose to put His great name? In later years, King David identified Jerusalem as that place. That means people would come from all over Israel to Jerusalem for these feasts.

In the New Testament, we see how important this was in the life of our Lord Jesus, “Every year His parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover” (Luke 2:41). This was part of the rhythm of life for our Lord, growing up as a boy.

On one occasion, Jesus’ brothers told him to go to the feast, the Feast of Tabernacles, so that His disciples could see his miracles (John 7:3). Jesus said, “My time has not yet come,” but then He went secretly. And on the last day of the feast, Jesus stood up and said, “If anyone is thirsty let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37).

There are other feasts and festivals mentioned in the Old Testament, but Moses picks out these three to talk about. These feasts were tied to specific events that had special significance for the people of God. Celebrating these events every year strengthened their faith and increased their joy. What you know can leave you unaffected. What you celebrate can shape your life.

What you celebrate

What we celebrate is very important and it says a great deal about us. You can tell a great deal about a family, a church, a community or even a nation by what we celebrate.

What do you celebrate?

When someone sends you a birthday message, you are glad because they are celebrating your life. We celebrate anniversaries because we value marriage.

We also have other celebrations, we have Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, Women’s Day, and many others.

In the church, we celebrate union with Christ. Baptism celebrates that union sealed. The Lord’s Supper celebrates that union sustained.

All over the world Christians celebrate the birth of Christ, the incarnation of the Son of God, and Easter—the death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Celebrations matter. They identify what we value.

This raises an important question for the people of God. What is worth celebrating? I want you to see how greatly Moses’ answer speaks to us today.

Celebrate the Feast of Passover

“Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 16:1) 

(You can read the story of the Passover in Exodus 12.)

God’s people were slaves in Egypt. It had been like that for over 400 years. They had been oppressed by a cruel tyrant who defied God and abused his people. Then God said to the tyrant, “Let My people go,” but Pharaoh cared nothing for the word of God.

So God came down in judgment and mercy. His judgment broke the power of Pharaoh, and His mercy protected His own people. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and death came to every home in Egypt on that night of God’s judgment.

It was an awful day of judgment, as the final day of judgment will be, but God said to His people, 

“Sacrifice a lamb, and paint the blood of the sacrificed lamb on the sides and top of the door frame of your house, and ‘When I see the blood I will pass over you’” (Exodus 12:13).

That’s where “The Passover” comes from. God saved His people from the fearsome wrath of His judgment, through the blood of a sacrifice, and brought them out of slavery. Then God said, “Celebrate this!”

What would you have done if you had been among God’s people and Moses told you to paint blood on your doorframe? You are outside with your neighbours, “Are you going to do this? Do we really need to do it? Will this really work?”  Would you have taken God at His word? Would you have done what He said?

God said it. His people did it. And through the blood of the sacrifice, they were saved from God’s judgment that came over the whole land, and they were brought into a covenant where God said to them, “You will be my people and I will be your God.”  Now Moses says, ‘This is worth celebrating!”

Celebrate with “the bread of affliction”

“For seven days, eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction… so that… you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 16:3)

Imagine that you are living in the north of Jerusalem, as our Lord did, and that you are traveling on foot to this festival. When you arrive, what will you eat for the next seven days? Dry crackers! Centuries after the Exodus, God’s people were to taste life, as it would have been, if it had not been for the mercy of God.

Celebrate with “the sacrificed lamb”

“Sacrifice the Passover when the sun goes down… Roast it and eat it in the place the Lord your God will choose.” (Deuteronomy 16:6-7)

Where does the New Testament go with this? Jesus was crucified during the Passover. And when John the Baptist first saw Jesus he said,

 “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) 

When Jesus gathered with His disciples for the last time before He went to the cross, Luke tells us what He said to them…

“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15)

“He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you.’” (Luke 22:19)

“In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you’” (Luke 22:20)

Do you see what Jesus was saying? “The mighty intervention of God in the Exodus, the greatest thing that has ever happened in the history of Israel, is only a shadow of what God is about to do. It points to this mighty intervention: My body will be given. My blood will be shed. I will become the sacrifice by which you will be redeemed from divine wrath and set free from sin’s power.”

When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we don’t roast the lamb. The sacrifice has been made. We take the cup and remember that the blood of Christ was shed, and that by faith His blood is applied to your life. You are delivered from the wrath of God and brought out of the position you used to be in—a slave, and you are brought into the freedom of a new life with God, in which He says to you, “You are Mine, and I am yours.”

This is not a process—it’s been accomplished. God gives you this feast so you won’t spend the rest of your life wondering if He loves you. You see that He loves you in the cross. God gives you this feast so that you won’t spend the rest of your life wondering if you will be forgiven. You are forgiven in the cross, and faith sees that.

God gives you this feast so that you will not live the rest of your life as if you are still a slave. Through the Passover, God’s people saw that God had put them in an entirely new position. No matter what your difficulties are in life, you are no longer a slave! This is what God says to us in the cross: You may face all kinds of battles in life, but you are not a slave! You are redeemed! You have been set free by the blood of Christ. Sin will always be your enemy, but it is no longer you master. That is worth celebrating!

Celebrate the Feast of Weeks (or the Feast of First fruits)

“Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.” (Deuteronomy 16:9)

The timing of these festivals is a matter of some debate among scholars. We don’t need to get into that today. The Feast of Weeks is connected with the harvest. In Exodus 23:16, this festival is called, “the Feast of Harvest.”  It is also tied to the beginning of harvest, “On the day of first fruits, when you present to the LORD an offering of new grain during the Feast of Weeks…” (Numbers 28:26). The day of first fruits was the day when people brought the first sample of the harvest as a gift to the Lord.

Where does the New Testament go with this?

Jesus Christ is “the first fruit”

“Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20)

The “first fruit” was a sample of what was still to follow in the harvest. Paul says Christ is the “first fruit.”  He has been raised from the dead. That’s marvellous, but what does it have to do with us? Paul says, “He is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”  When Christ rose from the dead, He was the first of many who would rise from the dead.

Just as the first basket of fruit that is picked from a tree gives you a taste of what is coming from the tree during the whole time that it produces fruit, so the resurrection of Christ is the first glimpse of the day when all His people will be raised incorruptible, 

“As in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the first fruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him” (1 Corinthians 15:22-23)

The Festival of First fruits (or Weeks) points directly to our glorious hope in our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ. He is the first fruits. He is the hope of resurrection for you.

The Holy Spirit is “the first fruit”

“We ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:23)

By New Testament times, the Feast of Weeks was known by another name. If you count forward seven weeks from Passover (that’s forty-nine days) the next day, the fiftieth day, is referred to as “Pentecost.”

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place” (Acts 2:1) 

Luke says, 

“There were staying in Jerusalem, God fearing Jews from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5) 

Why did they come from every nation under heaven to Jerusalem? They had come to celebrate the Feast of Weeks. Luke tells us how the Holy Spirit fell, not just on the Apostles, but on all of the believers. This was the beginning of the harvest from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul says, “The Holy Spirit is given to us as the first fruits.”  

The Holy Spirit lives within you, giving you a sample of the life to come: A taste of the love of God, a glimpse of the glory of Christ, a beginning of the new life that will be yours forever. That taste, that glimpse, that beginning is the pledge of all that is to come.

Speaking of our eternal dwelling Paul says, “God made us for this very purpose, and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Corinthians 5:5, 1:22, Ephesians 1:14). You have a taste already, just like the first basket of fruit, but there is a whole harvest to come.

The Feast of Weeks (or first fruits) points us to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ great promise ties these two together, 

“I will not leave you as orphans [promise of His resurrection]. I will come to you [promise of the Holy Spirit]” (John 14:18) 

Christ is with us. Now that is worth celebrating!

Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (or the Feast of Booths)

“Live in booths for seven days…” (Leviticus 23:42)

Of all the festivals, this must have been the most fun for the kids. They actually built a shelter from leaves and sticks. This was a camp out… for a whole week, “Hey dad, when is the Feast of Booths? What are we going make this year? The neighbours had a really cool one last year! We’ve got to make a better one!”

The idea of the festival was to remind God’s people that when they came out of Egypt, they did not live in houses, they lived in tents (or in booths) in the desert for 40 years. You’re living in a wonderful house in the Promised Land, so live in a booth one day a year to remind you that this earth is not your home. One day this tent, which is my body, will be destroyed, but that won’t be the end of me.

Where does the New Testament go with this?

“We know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” (2 Corinthians 5:1)

John Bunyan is best known for writing Pilgrim’s Progress,  but he wrote many other wonderful books. Bunyan spent twelve years in prison for preaching the Gospel. When he was in court, the judge said he would let Bunyan go if he would promise not to preach. Bunyan said, “If you let me go today, I will preach tomorrow.”

Bunyan had a wife and three children, including a daughter who was close to his heart and blind. He spent twelve out of his 60 years in prison. In his autobiography he said saying goodbye to them was like “pulling the flesh from my bones.”  

When he was finally released, Bunyan had much to teach his people about how to endure difficulties. I’d like to listen to that pastor, wouldn’t you? This is what he wrote in 1685:

“Sometimes I look upon myself and say, ‘Where am I now?’  I give myself this answer: ‘I am in an evil world, a great way from heaven… sometimes benighted, sometimes beguiled, sometimes fearing, sometimes hoping, sometimes breathing, sometimes dying… but then I turn the tables, and say, ‘But where shall I be shortly? Where shall I see myself [soon] after a few more times have passed over me? I shall see myself with Jesus.’  When I can answer myself thus… this yields glory, even glory to one’s spirit now.” 

Bunyan says, “I ask two questions.  Where am I now? Where will I be soon? I am in the booth, but soon I will be in the city. I live in this fallen world. But soon I will be with Jesus. When my soul can grasp that I am strengthened”.

The Feast of Tabernacles (or the festival of booths) reminds me that this world is not my home. It points to the Second Coming of Jesus, and the great inheritance that will be ours on that day. Faith will be turned to sight. Our lowly bodies will be changed to be like His glorious body, and we shall be forever with the Lord. Christ will bring us home, and when He does “your joy will be complete” (16:15). That is worth celebrating!

These three great festivals point us to Jesus and help us celebrate all that is ours in Christ.

The Passover points to the death of Christ. The Feast of Weeks (or first fruits) points to His resurrection and the gift of the Spirit. The Feast of Booths reminds us we are pilgrims in this world and soon we are going home. These things are not just worth knowing, they are worth celebrating, because that can change your life.

Christ redeemed me. Christ is with me. Christ will take me home.

Christ crucified! Christ risen! Christ coming again! Now, that’s worth celebrating!

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Friday 25 December 2020

Ps Ben Hooman

“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” (Luke 2:1-20)

Some of the most familiar and happy words of Christmas are these from Luke 2:

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” (Luke 2:11–14)

I want to exult with you this Christmas over the wonders in this text, with our focus mainly on verse 14: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

It was a real day

“For unto you is born this day . . .” (Luke 2:11)

It happened on a day. A day in history. Not a day in some mythological, imaginary story, but a day when “Caesar Augustus was the emperor of Rome and Quirinius was governor of Syria.”

It was a day planned in eternity before the creation of the world. Indeed, the whole universe with untold light-years of space and billions of galaxies, was created and made glorious for this day and what it means for human history.

“For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16)

For Him! For His appearance. For this day of His appearing.

“When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4)

It happened on a day. The perfect day. In the fullness of time. The perfect time appointed by God before the foundation of the world. “For unto you is born this day!”

It was a real city

“. . . in the city of David, which is called Bethlehem” (Luke 2:4)

It happened in a city. Not in Narnia. Not in Middle Earth. Not in a galaxy far away. It happened in a city and that city still exists today. This city is real. The city’s name is Bethlehem (Luke 2:4, “Joseph also went up from Galilee . . . to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem.”) Bethlehem, about ten kilometres from Jerusalem. Bethlehem, the city where Jesse lived, the father of David, the great king of Israel. Bethlehem, the city that Micah prophesied over:

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” (Micah 5:2)

It happened in a city. A real city, just like Krugersdorp, or Pretoria, or Cape Town.

Saviour, Messiah, Lord

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)

A Saviour born to us. If you have ever sinned against God you need a Saviour. The angel said to Joseph,

“She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21)

Only God can forgive sins against God. That is why God sent His eternal Son into the world, because He is God. That’s why Jesus said, “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”  Therefore, a Saviour was born. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ.”

Christ is the English for Christos, which is means “anointed one,” which is the meaning of “Messiah” (John 1:41; 4:25). This is the one long-predicted, long-awaited, the One anointed above all others! (Psalm 45:7).

The final anointed King. The final anointed Prophet. The final anointed Priest. In Him all the promises of God are yes!

“For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory” (2 Corinthians 1:20)

The one who fulfil all hopes and dreams!  And more, vastly more. Because He is also the Lord “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.”

The Ruler, the Sovereign, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. The Lord of the universe.

“For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end.” (Isaiah 9:6–7)

Christmas in Sum

The Lord of never-ending, universal, sovereign governance. The Lord of all lords!

On a day — in real history.

In a city — in a real world.

The Saviour — to take away all our guilt.

The Christ — to fulfil all our hopes.

The Lord — to defeat all our enemies, and make us safe and satisfied for ever.

So, I exult with you this Christmas that we have a great Saviour, Jesus, the Christ, the Lord, born on a day in a city to save us from our sins — our many sins!

Two great purposes for this great news

An angel had announced this great news of the birth of Christ into this world to the shepherds and pointed them to the very animal shed where the baby lay,

“And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear, and the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger’. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2:9-14)

Evidently, one angel can bring the news, but it does not suffice for one angel to respond to the news. The meaning of this news, the ultimate outcome of this news — that demands an army of angels.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host [army!] praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

The joyful news that on a day, at the perfect fullness of time, in the perfect prophesied city, a Saviour was born, who was Christ, the Lord — that news has two great outcomes. Two great purposes. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

God’s glory and our peace

The coming of this child will be the greatest revelation of the glory of God even among the heights of heaven, and the coming of this child will bring peace to God’s people, who will one day fill the whole earth with righteousness and peace.

“Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end.” (Isaiah 9:7)

First and foremost, God is glorified because this child is born. And second, peace is to spread everywhere this child is received. These are the great purposes for the coming of Jesus: Glory ever-ascending from man to God. Peace ever-descending from God to man. God’s glory sung out among men for the sake of His name. God’s peace lived out among men for the sake of His name.

There is hardly a better way to sum up what God was about when He created the world, or when He came to reclaim the world in Jesus Christ — His glory, our peace! His greatness, our joy! His beauty, our pleasure!

The point of creation and redemption is that God is glorious and means to be known and praised for his glory by a peace-filled new humanity.

To experience this peace that He brings

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” Luke 2:14)

The NIV says, “and on earth peace to men on whom His favour rests.” The NASB says, “and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” And the ESV says, “and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

The point is that, even though God’s offer of peace goes out to all, only His chosen people — the people who receive Christ and trust Him as Saviour and Messiah and Lord, will experience the peace He brings.

You get a glimpse of this meaning in Luke 10:5–6, Jesus says to His disciples, “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ [that’s the offer of peace to all] And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you.”

God’s peace in Christ is offered to the world. But only the “sons of peace” receive it. How do you know if you are a “son of peace”? How do you know if you are part of the angels’ promise, “Peace among those with whom he is pleased!”? Answer: you welcome the Peacemaker, you receive Jesus.

Three relationships of peace

My great desire for you this Christmas is that you enjoy this peace. We know that there are global aspects to this peace that lie in the future when “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). When, as Isaiah says, “Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:7).

But Jesus has come to inaugurate that peace among God’s people. And there are three relationships in which he wants you to pursue this peace and enjoy this peace,

• Peace with God,
• Peace with your own soul,
• And peace with other people, as much as it lies in you.

And by peace, I mean not only the absence of conflict and animosity, but also the presence of joyful tranquillity, and as much richness of interpersonal communication as you are capable of.

So, let’s look at each of these three peaceful relationships briefly and make sure that you are enjoying as much as you can. The key to each of them is not to separate what the angels kept together: the glory of God and the peace you long for. “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace.”

The main point of peace

God’s purpose is to give you peace by being the most glorious Person in your life. Five times in the New Testament He is called “the God of peace” (Romans 15:13; 16 :20; Philippians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:20). And Jesus said, “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). And Paul says “Jesus Himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14).

What this means is that the peace of God, or the peace of Christ, can never be separated from God Himself and Christ Himself. If we want peace to rule in our lives, God must rule in our lives. Christ must rule in our lives. God’s purpose is not to give you peace separate from Himself. His purpose is to give you peace by being the most glorious Person in your life.

So, the key to peace is keeping together what the angels keep together: Glory to God, and peace to man. A heart bent on showing the glory of God, will know the peace of God.

And what holds the two together — God getting glory and us getting peace — is believing or trusting the promises of God obtained by Jesus.

Romans 15:13 is one of those fundamental texts pointing to this crucial role of faith. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.” In believing. In other words, the way God’s promises become real for us and produce peace in us and through us is “in believing.” When we believe them. That’s true whether we are talking about peace with God, peace with ourselves, or peace with others.

Peace with God

The most basic need we have is peace with God. This is foundational to all our pursuits of peace. If we don’t go here first, all other experiences of peace will be superficial and temporary.

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith [there’s the pivotal act of believing], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)

Here is the pivotal act of believing, “have been justified by faith”. Justified means that God declares you to be just in His sight by imputing to you the righteousness of Jesus. And He does that by faith alone: “Since we have been justified by faith.” Not by works. Not by tradition. Not by baptism. Not by church membership. Not by piety. Not by parentage. But by faith alone.

When we believe in Jesus as the Saviour and the Lord and the supreme Treasure of our lives, we are united to Him and His righteousness is counted by God as ours. We justified by faith.

And the result is peace with God. God’s anger at us because of our sin is put away. Our rebellion against Him is overcome. God adopts us into His family. And from now on all His dealings with us are for our good. He will never be against us. He is our Father, and our Friend. We have peace. We don’t need to be afraid any more. This is foundational to all other people.

Peace with ourselves

And because we have peace with God because of being justified by faith, we can begin to grow in the enjoyment of peace with ourselves — and here I include any sense of guilt or anxiety that tends to paralyze us or make us hopeless. Here again believing the promises of God with a view to glorifying God in our lives is key.

Philippians 4:6–7 is one of the most precious passages in this regard:

“Do not be anxious about anything [the opposite of anxiety is peace], but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God [in other words, roll your anxieties onto God]. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

The picture here is that our hearts and our minds are under assault. Guilt, worries, threats, confusions, uncertainties — they all threaten our peace. And Paul says that God wants to “guard” your hearts and minds.

He guards them with His peace. He guards them in a way that goes beyond what human understanding can fathom. Don’t limit the peace of God by what your understanding can see. He gives us inexplicable peace, supra-rational peace. And He does it when we take our anxieties to Him in prayer and trust Him, that He will carry them for us (1 Peter 5:7) and protect us.

When we do this, when we come to Him — and remember we already have peace with Him! — and trust Him as our loving and Almighty heavenly Father to help us, His peace comes to us and steadies us, and protects us from the disabling effects of fear and anxiety and guilt. And then we are able to carry on and our God gets the glory for what we do, because we trusted Him.

Do that this Christmas. Take your anxieties to God. Tell Him about them. Ask Him to help you, to protect you, to restore your peace, and then to use you to make peace.

Peace with others

The third relationship where God wants us to enjoy His peace is in our relationships with other people. This is the one we have least control over. So, we need to say it carefully the way Paul says,

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18)

For many of you when you get together with family for Christmas, there will be some awkward and painful relationships. Some of the pain is very old. And some of it is new. In some relationships you know what you have to do, no matter how hard it is. And in some of them you are baffled and don’t know what the path of peace calls for.

In both cases the key is trusting the promises of God with heartfelt awareness of how He forgave you through Christ. I think the text that puts this together most powerfully for me again and again is Ephesians,

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32)

Continually cultivate a sense of amazement that in spite of all your sins God has forgiven you through Christ. Be amazed that you have peace with God. It’s this sense of amazement, that I, a sinner, have peace with God, that makes the heart tender, kind and forgiving. Extend this to others seventy times seven!

It may be thrown back in your face. It certainly was thrown back in Jesus’ face on the cross. That hurts and it can make you bitter if you are not careful. Don’t let it. Keep being more amazed that your wrongs are forgiven than that you are wronged. Be amazed that you have peace with God. You have peace with your soul. Your guilt is taken away.

Keep trusting God. He knows what He is doing. Keep His glory, not your success, not your effectiveness in peace making, or your relationships, supreme in the treasure chest of your heart.

And then you will be like the angels: Glory to God in the highest is the first thing. Peace among His people, is the second thing.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.” This is why He came — on a day, to a city, as the Saviour, Messiah, and Sovereign. That God would get glory, and that you would know peace.

May the God of peace give you peace, and get His glory!

Session 7 – Love Your Neighbour

21 December 2020

Ps Ben Hooman

I want you to see how the root of loving God produces the fruit of loving others. Real self-sacrifice is not produced within us; it has its root in the love of God.

“At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.” (Deuteronomy 15:1)

Today, we come to chapter 15, which is an exposition and application of the fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy” (Deuteronomy 5:12).

Using the Old Testament law properly

As we study Deuteronomy, it is important to remember that the particular applications of the Ten Commandments that are laid out here were given to the nation of Israel.

In the 12^th century, a Jewish philosopher by the name of Maimonides published a definitive list of Old Testament laws from the Pentateuch, in which he listed 248 commands, and 365 prohibitions for a total of 613 laws. These laws relate to worship, the temple, sacrifices, dietary laws, vows, ritual washings, festivals and a host of other things.

It would be a great mistake to draw a direct line from these Old Testament laws given to Israel to the Christian life today. For example, in Chapter 14 we have laws about clean and unclean foods. These laws were for Israel.

But in the New Testament Christ proclaimed all foods clean,

 “And He called the people to him again and said to them, ‘Hear Me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going in to him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him’…. ‘Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and it is expelled?’ Thus He declared all food clean.” (Mark 7:14,18-19)

This was a huge issue in the early church. Some people were saying that in order to be a Christian you had to believe in Jesus and keep the 613 Old Testament laws. When the Apostle Paul dealt with this, he made it clear that those who said this had “turned to a different gospel, which is really no gospel at all” (Galatians 1:6-7).

So, the command to cancel all debts every seven years (15:1) is not a command that God gives for you today. If someone owes you money, and they repay it to you over ten years, you are not sinning if you receive it.

In the same way, it would be a great mistake to draw a direct line from the promises specifically given to Israel and drop them on the Christian today. For example, 

“[God] will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 15:4-5).

Teachers of the “prosperity gospel” seize on words like these that were clearly given to covenant Israel, as if they were given to every Christian: “Obey God and you will be rich. ‘The Lord your God will bless you as He has promised and you will lend to many nations and will borrow from none’” (15:6). But that promise is given to Israel. God has not promised material prosperity to every Christian.

It is a great misapplication of the Old Testament, if you apply every command and every promise that was given to Israel and apply it directly to the Christian, you end up in great difficulty and confusion.

We must not take what is distinctive to God’s covenant with Israel and apply these commands and promises to all people in every circumstance. Having said that, the law of God reflects the character of God. And the New Testament makes this clear, speaking of the Old Testament, “These things… were written down for us as warnings” (1 Corinthians 10:11).

The Old Testament law is full of principles that guide us in wisdom, as they are rightly understood and applied to our lives, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

I want us to see today how God’s words in Deuteronomy 15, that reflect His glorious character and purpose, teach us and rebuke us, correct us and train us in righteousness.

I want to highlight some distinct ways that God speaks to us here:

The abundant provision of God

“There should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you… he will richly bless you.” Deuteronomy 15:4

When God’s people come out of the desert, and He speaks to them on the edge of the Promised Land, each family is given a portion of land. These tent dwellers, who owned nothing, became property owners with land and the means of sustaining an income.

What God gave to them, they were able to pass on to their children, which is why the word “inheritance” was used. If ever there was a land of equal opportunity, this was it. Everyone was given a house, and everyone was given a means of generating income.

We have called this series, “A New Start.” God’s people had a fresh start in the land, where God had supplied all that was needed to sustain all of His people. So, God says, “‘There should be no poor among you’ (15:4), because everyone is to be given a house, and the land is abundant to supply for all your needs.”

Obey the Lord and you won’t need laws about cancelling debts, because you won’t have debts. You won’t have debts because no one will be poor among you, and no one will be poor among you because God will bless you in the land.

God has provided all that is needed to sustain all people in all places at all times. “There should be no poor among you” (15:4), so where there is poverty, it is not because God has failed to provide.

The reality of our world is that no one fully obeys the Lord. None of us loves God with all his heart, and we do not love our neighbour as ourselves.

So, God gives us laws to put a brake on human greed. God gave these laws in Deuteronomy 15, so that the poor would find relief, and so that no one would be trapped in crippling debt.

The kindness of God’s law

“At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.” (Deuteronomy 15:1)

Thomas Cameron wrote a book entitled, The Kindly Laws of the Old Testament. In it he picked up on how many of the 613 laws in the Pentateuch showed kindness to the poor and to those in need. God cares about the needs of the poor, and the Old Testament is full of laws that were given to alleviate poverty, and to help God’s people in times of need.

This Sabbath law of cancelling debts is a flagship, leading the way for many other Old Testament laws: 

“This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD’s time for cancelling debts has been proclaimed.” (Deuteronomy 15:2)

Think about the practical effect of God’s kind laws:

Restraint for lenders

Under this law, no loans lasted more than seven years. We are not talking about mortgages or home loans. The homes were given by God to His people, and if a person became so poor that they had to sell their home or their land, there was another law by which it had to be returned to the family at the Jubilee (every 50 years), once in every lifetime.

Setting aside the home, where most people borrow over a longer period of time, this law has much to teach us. Lenders could not give out loans that were larger than people could reasonably expect to repay in a seven year period. That is a restraint for lenders. Think of all the good this principle could do in the world today.

Discipline for borrowers

Since loans were cancelled at the end of every seven years if they could not be repaid, the repayment would be scheduled over a maximum of 84 months. No loan was for longer than seven years.

In most cases, the repayment schedule was much shorter. If you were in the fourth year of the cycle when you borrowed money, the loan would be scheduled for repayment over three years. If you were in the fifth year of the cycle when you borrowed money, the loan would be scheduled for repayment over two years. There is restraint and discipline. God allows his people to borrow money, but He does not want them living on credit.

This law was not given so borrowers should default on their loan. This was the kindness of God for the relief of the poor. A reasonable loan had been taken, a sensible schedule of repayments set, but then if a husband had died, or some other calamity came, rather than being caught in a trap for the rest of their life, they came to be released every seven years.

The principle we learn here is very simple: Borrow if you need to, but borrow as little as you can and repay as fast as you can. Don’t borrow more than you can reasonably expect to repay in a short period of time. Wisdom from God’s law that is transferable across cultures and across time. Let no debt remain outstanding (Romans 13:8).

Relief for the courts

Can you imagine what the cancelling of debts every seven years would do in our world today? Luther describes this as a beautiful and fair law, and he longs that the rulers of the world would imitate it:

“They would have fewer [cases] and commotions, for people would know that suits, disputes, debts, dealings, agreements, judgments, seals and letters would all be removed at one time and cancelled in the seventh year… and not be postponed and continued forever into endless litigation.”  

But can you imagine the impact of everybody drawing a line at the same time? All claims against you are being cancelled, and you are cancelling all claims against everybody else. For every grievance there is a time to let go.

The stubbornness of God’s people

These are the words of Moses, “At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts” (15:1), that’s Moses the lawgiver. 

“There will always be poor in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded towards your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land” (Deuteronomy 15:11)

That’s Moses the preacher. It’s not enough to have great laws. Moses is also preaching—calling the people to live with a right heart. He warns the people about four dangers:

A hard heart

“If there is a poor man among your brothers… do not be hardhearted.” (Deuteronomy 15:7)

A closed hand

“Do not be hard hearted or tight fisted. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.” (Deuteronomy 15:7-8)

A wicked thought 

“Be careful not to harbour this wicked thought: ‘The seventh year, the year of cancelling debts is near,’ so that you do not show ill-will toward your needy brother and give him nothing.” (Deuteronomy 15:9)

A grudging spirit

“Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart.” (Deuteronomy 15:10)

This comes over into the New Testament as “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Moses received these laws from the finger of God. He went up on the mountain and received these perfect laws from God. The fact that Moses says so much about the heart, reminds us that the law has limits.

Even the best law has loopholes. If you have a hard heart, you will sin against God even while you are keeping His laws! That is why in the New Testament we have this teaching about what the law cannot do, “in that it is weakened by the sinful nature” (Romans 8:3).

Our country desperately needs the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because laws cannot change the human heart. The glory of God’s Son is needed.

The glory of God’s Son

How would you have liked to live under these laws? That probably depends on whether you were a lender or a borrower. These laws were great for debtors, but tough for the creditor.

God gave wonderful laws for the protection of the poor in Israel. But how often do you think these laws were actually kept? D. A. Carson says: “The extent to which these… statutes were ever enacted is disputed. There is very little evidence that they became widely observed public law in the Promised Land.” 

Are you surprised? Why were these laws not enacted in the Promised Land? The people who had the power to proclaim the year of release never had the will to do so. It would be too costly. Because of human sinfulness, the history of Israel, like the history of the rest of the world, was one of frustration for the poor.

Jesus’ first public words

“The Spirit of the Lord… has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor… to release the oppressed and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Luke 4:18-19)

The “release” is a direct reference to Deuteronomy 15, and the cancelling of debts. Literally, Moses said, “At the end of every seven years there must be a release.” God is saying, “This is what I have come to do. I am going to do for you what you have not done for each other. I have come to release you from your eternally crippling debt towards God.”

There was only one way in which that could happen: If someone owes you a thousand rand and you release them from that debt, then you will be down a thousand rand yourself. You bear the loss yourself and the amount of the loss that you bear is the amount of the debt you are owed.

So, when Jesus goes to the cross, what is He doing? He is assuming our debt before God. He bears our sin in His body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24). He assumes the loss, and in this way, He cancels our debt. He offers this release to all who will come to Him in faith and repentance.

“… The Lord’s time for cancelling debts has been proclaimed” (Deuteronomy 15:2). A full pardon was gained by His blood, shed on the cross.

The distinctive of God’s Church

“There will always be poor people in the land.” (Deuteronomy 15:11)

This is a striking contrast with, “There should be no poor in the land” (Deuteronomy 15:4), because of the Lord’s abundance of provision.

Our Lord quoted these words when Mary poured an expensive jar of ointment over Jesus. Judas criticized, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold? And why wasn’t the money given to the poor?” Jesus defended Mary’s actions, “You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have Me” (John 12:8).

Some people have misconstrued the words, “The poor you will have with you always,” to mean, “There’s nothing we can do,” so they walk away from the problem. That is why it’s so important to read this in context.

Looking at the context in Deuteronomy 15 is the only way we can rightly understand what our Lord says, “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land” (15:11).

When Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 15, He is not saying, “There will always be people in need, so do nothing.” He is saying, “There will always be people in need, so God says, ‘I command you to be generous.’”

This culture of kindness is a distinctive calling of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ has released us from our debt to God, a debt that we had no means to repay. His Spirit lives in His people. Acts of kindness that help those who are in great need, from Acts 2 onward, are a distinctive mark of Christ’s church.

Marks of kindness in the Old Testament and in the New

This kindness is to be shown to all, but I want you to notice from the Old Testament and in the New Testament, that God calls us to this especially among His own people. Notice how often the word “brother” is used:

“Cancel the loan to your fellow Israelite.” (15:2)

“He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother.” (15:2)

“There should be no poor among you.” (15:4)

“If there is a poor man among your brothers…” (15:7)

“Do not show ill will toward your needy brother…” (15:9)

“I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers.” (15:11)

This makes you think of Cain’s question back in Genesis: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9). No, but you are your brother’s brother! You ask, “Is that in the New Testament?” Yes, it is.

While kindness is to be shown to all people, there is a special priority given to the family of God, 

“Let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:10)

One way in which we do this is through benevolence. This is being greatly used in these days of economic hardship and high unemployment caused by poor governance by government and Covid 19.

But that’s only a small part of it. The larger part is in the quiet acts of kindness that take place every week between one believer and another, between one family and another, for the glory of God.

Stories of kindness

I often get to hear the stories, and I’d like you to have that opportunity too. So, here’s an invitation: Think about a time in your life where someone in the body of Christ has helped you, shown you a practical kindness, helped you when you were facing a particular difficulty.

It may have been a gift when you were in need. It may have been help with food or with a car. It may have been help with your children or with a job. Someone took an interest in you. Someone showed kindness when you were in need, and they helped you and blessed you.

Most of us will have a story like that. If you would be willing to share that story with others, I’d like you to write to me. We will put some of these stories on the web, so that all of us can be encouraged, and so that all of us can get a sense of what it means to be the family of God.

If you would like to send me your story, just put “Stories of Kindness” in the subject line, and send it to: ben@tccc.co.za

Don’t tell us the name of the person who showed you this kindness. We don’t want anyone to lose their heavenly reward! Just tell us:

The situation you were in,

The kindness that was shown to you, and

What it meant to you (or the impact that it had on you).

Things happen in the body of Christ that don’t happen anywhere else. It is wonderful to see the body of Christ in action. I’d like to hear your story, even if it seems like a small thing to you.

 We have all been shown an extraordinary kindness, and after our giving to the Lord, our first priority must be to repay the kindness that has been shown to us.

The first thing is your giving to the Lord. It’s easy to say that you will be generous when you have paid your mortgage, when the kids are finished college or when you have enough for retirement. That day will never come. Generosity is a habit of the heart, developed over time.

That experience has had a lasting effect on our lives. “Freely you have received. Freely give!” (Matthew 10:8). As others have shown kindness to you, so practice kindness to others. Where is there a need that you know about? Where is there a burden that you can lift? What can you do to help another person make a new start?

As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:10)

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Sunday 20 December 2020

Ps Ben Hooman

In this commercialized world this festive time of celebrating the birth of Christ is a time of giving, and therefor a time of shopping for gifts. Even since the wise men from the East showed up at the stable carrying gold, frankincense, and myrrh, people are exchanging gifts at Christmas.

Today it is more complicated than it was for the wise men. They have seen the star in the east and came to worship Jesus. In the world today there are all kinds of media advertising Christmas in different forms and formats; newspapers, television, social media, etc.

Shopping malls are contending with one another as parents, families, and friends are going from store to store searching for that latest play station, or other gadgets on the market.

The wise men did not have to worry about sizes, or colours, or return policies. They had plain gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. Nothing that was out of fashion, that they don’t like, that is too small, or too big, too cheap or too expensive.

Well, this year, although different from other past festive seasons due to Covid-19 regulations, millions of people young and old, will open millions of gifts. Some won’t fit, some the wrong colour, many will be returned or exchanged, all focussed on the likes of self.

But there is one gift that meets everyone’s needs, one gift that will never wear out, never break or need any repairs. A Gift that is appropriate for a small child, for a teenager, an adult, as well as for seniors, boy or girl, man or woman. A Gift that meets everyone’s needs and available all year round, not just for a season but for a life time! The Gift that we all need and the most valuable gift of all, Jesus Christ our Saviour! The on that not only the season is about, but also what life is all about.

At Christmas we celebrate that God gave us the gift of His Son Jesus Christ so that through faith in Him we are forgiven and have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

I want to make three points about this wonderful lifesaving Gift:

The Gift is Jesus Christ Himself

The gift God offers us is the person Jesus Christ. To know Him and to understand His presence, to know Him intimately as a friend, and to have fellowship with Him, to love and be loved in a relationship with Him.

The gift God offers us is to be known and loved by Christ.

“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15)

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)

Have you received and accepted this gift? Do you have this kind of relationship with Christ to seek His presence, and to know this only true God? Do you see Him as your friend as you follow and obey Him? Is He someone you know you can talk to, cry to, to counsel with and receive counsel from? Are you at ease in His presence? Do you believe He abides in you or do you feel that you have to ‘clean-up” your spiritual house, that you have to perform to welcome Him in?

“Christ Jesus is present with us and His Spirit lives in us. Our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3)

People think of our faith as nothing but a set of burdensome responsibilities doing things you do not want to do. Things like going to church when you rather want to be on the dam, a life filled with rules with a lot of do’s and don’ts. A bit more positively, many see it beneficial to self, lots of benefits to self, and they might even miss the mark.

The essence of our faith is not in do’s and don’ts or even blessings and benefits, but a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. The Gift is Christ Himself!

Yes, there are many benefits, like joy, hope and peace. But they all come through Christ and it all flow from my relationship with God. The greatest gift to your children is not a few boxes wrapped in coloured paper over Christmas or birthdays. No, this most valuable you can offer them is a relationship. Your love, your time, and your attention, your commitment to always be there for them when they need you. All that God stands for, and we as parents to be an extension of Him to our children. God’s greatest gift to us is a relationship, a relationship with Jesus Christ. He is always present and in His presence I dwell.

This Gift has great value

At the birth of Christ, when the people looked in the manger, what did they see? Did they see a baby or did they see a king? Some did not see the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the Prince of peace.

There was a multitude of angels, an array of bright shining beings praising God loudly,

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill towards men!’. Did the people of Bethlehem or Jerusalem see it? Did they hear the angels?

So many missed it. The inn keeper missed it, the religious leaders missed it, all to busy with their own works. They had no time for a relationship with Christ.

Some past by the manger and looked at the gifts; at the gold, the frankincense, and myrrh. Many today still don’t want to see the King, but rather the presents of this world.

Which do have more value?

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sell all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-46)

Knowing Christ intimately is worth more than anything else in the world. Jesus Christ is the treasure, the pearl of great value, and God’s gift to us!

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

The Gift must be received

This is a Gift available to everyone, but God does not force it onto anyone. We have to receive it, we have to take the package, open the box, and accept it as our own.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His Name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

Not all who heard about Him, or agreed with His teachings, not all who attended church, not all who try to follow all the rules, but the one who received Him. A gift you do not pay for, you do not have to earn, not something that you deserve. A gift you have to pay for is not a gift at all.

Many gifts received for Christmas or for a birthday end up lying on a shelf gathering dust. When there is a need for it from time to time, it is dusted off and used.

Maybe some gifts had not been opened yet and is still wrapped, maybe still under the tree, maybe a Bible. Maybe you have opened this gift from God many years ago, but lately you placed it on the shelf. You have been too busy, too distracted, too hurting, to give Jesus His rightful place in your life and to really experience His presence.

My prayer today is that you take Him back, give Him the rightful place in your heart, into your life. This Gift from God has a tag, a card, with your name on it. What better day than today to begin a life of fellowship, a relationship with Jesus Christ!

To experience the presence of the Present, Christ Jesus! Glory to God in the highest!

Session 6 – The Test of Success

18 DECEMBER 2020

Ps Ben Hooman

This is a warning. Be careful! Watch out! There is a particular danger that you are going to encounter as God’s blessings flow into your life.

“When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you… then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” (Deuteronomy 6:10-12)

A great change is going to happen in your life

You are going to enjoy the blessing of God in ways that your parents never knew. It will come to you in three ways:

• Opportunity

“A land with large, flourishing cities you did not build…” (Deuteronomy 6:10)

Cities are places of opportunity. Cities have infrastructure. They have large populations. Business thrives in the city. Cities are built over decades and generations, but these people will have all the opportunity of life in cities they did not even build. Enemies are going to be cleared from these cities. God took these people from the desert, where there is no opportunity, and put them in a place of extraordinary opportunity.

• Property

“Houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide…” (Deuteronomy 6:11)

God was going to give this land to his people, and each tribe and clan would be given their own property as an inheritance. They had lived in tents in the desert, but now they will live in homes and with no mortgages! This is what is going to happen. And the land and the houses that God will give to each tribe and family is to be passed down from generation to generation.

God is giving these people homes. Property! Their parents left Egypt with nothing. Now there would be a family home, property and an inheritance that would be passed from one generation to the next.

• Income

“Vineyards and olive trees, you did not plant…” (Deuteronomy 6:11)

Vineyards and olive trees give the means of generating an income. You will have land. You will be able to sow and plan and harvest. You will not only have food, but you will be able to generate an income.

This is a marvellous promise of the blessing of God. When you go into the Promised Land, here’s what will happen: You will be surrounded by the opportunity of the city, you will be property owners, and you will have the means of generating an income.

Now here’s the surprise. Moses says, “When this happens be careful” (Deuteronomy 6:12). Why does he say that? You would expect him to say, “Be thankful. lift up your hands in praise,” but that’s not what he says. He says, “Be careful!”

When this great change happens in your life and you have opportunity and property, and when you have an income -watch out! This will harbour for you a time of great danger.

That is why this session is called; The test of success.Now, please turn with me to Deuteronomy 8, where Moses explains why the blessing of God carries within it a hidden danger.

We see this in Deuteronomy 8:6-11. When you experience the blessing of God, and it’s the same for us today, one of two things will happen: The first is that the blessing of God can intensify your gratitude, and increase your love for the Lord. I’m going to call this “the circle of praise.”

The Circle of Praise

Fear the Lord

“Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in His ways and revering Him.” (Deuteronomy 8:6)

Fear the Lord as you love Him, and love the Lord as you fear Him. Give weight to the Lord in all your ways. Hear what He says. Do what he commands.

God’s Blessing

“The LORD your God is bringing you into a good land–a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.” (Deuteronomy 8:7-9)

If you fear the Lord, if he carries weight in your life, and you love Him as you fear Him and fear Him as you love Him, then the blessing of God will lead you to praise.

Praise

“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land He has given you.” (8:10)

If you fear the Lord, then when His blessing and His abundant goodness comes to you, you will say, “All that I have has come from His hand.” And the very act of praise will lead you back to the Lord, so that the circle is complete.

Do not forget

“Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God…” (Deuteronomy 8:11)

If I fear the Lord, His blessing will lead me to praise. Praise calls His goodness to mind so that I am even more in awe of His goodness, and so the circle of praise continues. That’s where we want to be. We want to live in the circle of praise, so that when the blessing of the Lord comes it leads us back to Him.

I want you to notice what Moses says next: “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord… Otherwise…” (Deuteronomy 8:11-12). 

Now he is going to introduce another cycle of events. If you fear the Lord, His blessing will lead you to praise, but if you forget the Lord, the good things that happen in your life will have a completely different effect. I’m calling this effect “the circle of pride.”

The circle of pride

Forget the Lord

To forget the Lord doesn’t mean to forget that He exists. It simply means that you no longer have Him in mind. You lose sight of His hand in the events of your life, in a way that you once did.

If you forget the Lord, here is what will happen:

God’s blessing

“When you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied…” (Deuteronomy 8:12-13)

God gives material blessings to those who forget Him, as well as to those who fear Him. He causes the sun to shine and the rain to fall on those who hate him as much as on those who love Him (Matthew 5:45). What will happen then?

Pride

“Then your heart will become proud…” (Deuteronomy 8:14)

If you forget the Lord, His blessing will lead you to pride. You will take the credit to yourself and that will intensify your forgetting of the Lord. You’ll say, “This is marvellous! Look at what I’ve been able to accomplish.” 

Praise leads you back to the Lord, because your eye is on Him. Pride leads you away from the Lord, because your eye is on yourself.

I have done this

“You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’” (Deuteronomy 8:17)

Here is the subtle test of success, the great danger that lurks in every blessing: We think it comes from our own hand, from our own strength. So Moses says, “Be careful! Watch out!” It’s like a big “Danger!” sign, “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:12), “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 8:11).

Success Can Destroy

What this means for us is this: When you move into that new home, there is a temptation for you to face. When you graduate with that degree, there is a spiritual danger for you to overcome. If your salary moves from five figures to six figures, there is a subtle test that you will face. You cannot avoid it. These good gifts are to be welcomed and celebrated, but be careful, because every blessing of God carries within it the subtle test of success.

Success can destroy an individual, if we forget the Lord

This is counter-intuitive—the opposite of what we usually think. The time of your greatest spiritual danger may not be when you are sick, but when you are well. You’re more likely to forget the Lord. You’ll pray when you’re sick. The time of your greatest testing may not be when you lose a job, but when you find one.

You are more likely to grow cold in your walk with the Lord, not when the stock-market goes down, but when it goes up. Students, if you are getting straight “A’s,” you may be in more danger of spiritual pride than if you had gotten a “B” or a “C.” 

Moses says, “When these good things happen to you, be very careful! Watch out! See the danger, because success carries with it the subtle temptation of spiritual pride.

Remember this when you are tempted to envy those who have more than you—a greater opportunity, a larger property or a bigger income. Don’t wish yourself into another man’s temptation. You don’t know what kind of steward you would be. The very fact that you are struggling with envy suggests that it may be God’s kindness and mercy that is keeping you from the ravages of that temptation.

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48)

We can think with great sadness about people who told you once, with great joy on his face, how he had been head-hunted by a large company and they had tripled his salary overnight. Then saying something wonderful has happened and it can only be the blessing of God.

We saw them change. Within a year he had denied his faith, left his wife and children. Satan got him. All it took was an increase in his salary. He forgot the Lord. He said, “My strength and my power have produced this wealth.” He felt strong and it destroyed him. 

C. S. Lewis put it like this: “Prosperity knits a man to the world. He feels that he is finding his place in it, while really it is finding its place in him.”  

Success can destroy a generation, if we forget the Lord

“You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’” (Deuteronomy 8:17)

“Rebellion against God does not begin with the clenched fist of atheism but with the self-satisfied heart for whom ‘thank you’ is redundant.” ^[iii]

That is in large measure the story of this generation.

Success can destroy a church, if we forget the Lord

Apply what we are learning here to a church, and you will see that there is a subtle test that comes to a church that grows, a church that expands.

When a church grows, other churches want to know how it happened, “What is the secret of your success?” Books get written, seminars go on the road. The church begins to say, “Look what we were able to do.” And Satan runs rampant. Have you not seen this?

If Moses was here, he would have said to that church; “Be careful! This is a time of great spiritual danger. And whatever you do, do not say, ‘We have done this by the strength of our own hands.’”

When we are in a time of trouble, we know how to call upon the Lord, but when we are in a time of blessing, that’s when it is easy to forget the Lord. Remember the church at Laodicea? They were saying, “I am rich, I have acquired wealth, I do not need a thing.” But Christ says to them, “I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16-17).

Breaking out of the circle of pride

What is success doing in your life? Is it increasing your praise or is it increasing your pride? Maybe you find yourself saying, “There is too much pride and too little praise in this heart.” Then the great question is, how can we break out of the circle of pride?

Moses is describing a person locked into the circle of pride, “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me’” (Deuteronomy 8:17) He goes on to say, “but,” here’s how you break out of the cycle of pride, 

“But, remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today” (Deuteronomy 8:18).

Moses is making this obvious point: “You say it was ‘my strength’ that did this. You say it was ‘the power of my hands’ that produced this wealth, but where did that power and strength come from? Who gave you the mind to discern these truths? Who gave you the skills that built this business?”

The Bible tells us about Nebuchadnezzar, a king who accomplished extraordinary things. One day he was walking on the roof of His palace in Babylon, admiring the wonders of the ancient world in his kingdom and he said, “Is this not the great Babylon I have built… by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). That’s what Nebuchadnezzar said on the roof of his palace.

While he was still saying this, God spoke and within a moment Nebuchadnezzar lost his mind. He became completely mad. For a time after that, he ate grass and lived among the animals of the field. His hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird (Daniel 4:33). Can you imagine how desperate that man became?

After some time, Nebuchadnezzar gives us his testimony, 

“At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honoured and glorified Him who lives forever. At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honour and splendour were returned to me… Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt… the King of heaven, because everything He does is right and…those who walk in pride He is able to humble” (Daniel 4:34-37).

Luther says: “God uses our effort as a mask under which he blesses us.”   The world sees what you have done. They see the mask. The world says, “He is a great man. Look at what he has accomplished.” Luther says, “Your effort, your gifts, your enterprise, your skills, are a mask.” The real reason underneath your success is the blessing of God. Only God can say, “I AM who I AM.” What we must say is, “By the grace of God, I am what I am” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

Matthew Henry says: “When we have got it, we must not say, it was the might of our hand that got it. But must own that it was God that gave us the power to get it. And therefore, to Him we must give the praise and consecrate the use of it.”  

“What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). This takes us to the heart of the Gospel: 

“We are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith” (Romans 3:24-25)

“Where then is boasting? It is excluded” (Romans 3:27), because we are not redeemed by the strength of our hands or by our intelligence, not by our efforts, but by the shed blood of Christ.

Some of you will know Carl F. H. Henry, a man whose brilliant mind and wise judgment were used by God—perhaps more than any other in the shaping of evangelicalism in the second half of the 20th century. Carl Henry, who is with the Lord now, was a man of extraordinary scholarship, a prolific author, the founder of Fuller Theological Seminary, and the first editor of Christianity Today.

Don Carson conducted an interview with Carl Henry late in his life, and asked him: “Having achieved all this in your life, how do you stop it going to your head?” He said, “How can a man possibly be proud when he is standing beside a cross?”

There are ultimately only two kinds of men, two kinds of women. There are those who are standing on their own achievement, and there are those who are standing beside the cross. What about you? Forget the Lord and His blessing will lead you into a life of pride, but how can anyone be proud if he or she is standing beside a cross?

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