Uncategorized – Wisdom From the Word

His Inheritance

Ephesians contains an interesting phrase that is part of Ephesians 1:18, “the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” In the preceding verse Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian believers, and by extension us, that the eyes of our hearts/understanding would be enlightened by the Spirit to under the import of this phrase. Given that, let’s dig in and see what this inheritance is all about.

There are two aspects here, who gains the inheritance and what the actual inheritance is. In examining the passage closely, we first discover that the ‘His inheritance’ refers to the Father. Paul’s prayer is about the ‘Father of glory.’ It is the Father who receives the inheritance. Now we look at what He is receiving? Understanding that requires backing up quite a bit, backing up to before creation. The following two verses come from what is known at Jesus high priestly prayer just before Gethsemane, His trial and crucifixion.

⁵ And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. John 17:5 (NKJV)

²⁴ “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. John 17:24 (NKJV)

We see two things here, Jesus possessed glory with the Father prior to creation and they lived in a loving relationship prior to creation.

Now we move to make sense of how this connects to the Father’s inheritance. We know Jesus and the Father lived in a relationship of love and intimacy. Scripture tells us what will happen to us that enables us to enter into that intimate relationship, it even tells us how it will take place.

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. Romans 8:28–30 (NKJV)

² Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2 (NKJV)

Think back on Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and His reference to glory. Paul says we will be glorified! That is our ultimate destiny. John describes it much more succinctly, “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

The Father’s inheritance at the end is us, believers, fully transformed creatures that can live in deep fellowship with Him as Jesus has since before the foundation of the world, a whole new family with whom He can intimately interact. The Father inherits us! You are part of this! It is our calling!

Born Under the Law

I suspect that at some point you have likely read the passage below.

⁴ But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4–5 (NKJV)

What I don’t know is whether you have considered the theological implications or weighed whether the ‘born under the law’ phrase was significant. It is. We will explore the significance but first we will take a bit of a journey through scripture by examining the background, which is rooted in a cosmic conflict.

We see the roots of this cosmic conflict in three key passages Genesis 3:1-24, 6:1-4, 11:1-9 and Deuteronomy 32:8-9. The cosmic conflict outlined here carries on throughout church history, is addressed by Paul in Ephesians and Colossians, and enables us to make sense of Yahweh calling Abraham out of Ur to initiate a redemptive restorative process that will ultimately lead to a new heaven and a new earth. The Genesis passages outline three failures, the sin in Eden that led to expulsion, the fallen sons of God taking on flesh and mingling with human wives in Genesis to corrupt humanity and the rebellion at Babel with humanity seeking to build a ziggurat to heaven to connect the natural and spiritual realms. Deuteronomy 32 shows that Yahweh disinherited the other nations and chose Israel for Himself as a vessel for the restoration of the earth.

This is clearer in two linked passages of scripture. Yahweh had disinherited the nations and chose Abraham to renew His process of restoring the earth and the original mandate given to Adam and Eve to make all of the earth like Eden, Look at the verses below.

¹⁸ “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Genesis 22:18 (NKJV)

¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14 (NKJV)

First Yahweh promised Abraham that through him all of the nations of the earth would be blessed. Then Jesus addressed the how, the gospel, the good news of the kingdom, would be preached to all nations, all ethnos (ethnicities) or people groups. All will have the opportunity to be part of Yahweh’s program to restore the earth.

This came about because Yahweh invited Abraham into a relationship and Abraham said yes. We then had Isaac as the child of promise who became the father of Jacob. Jacob had 12 sons who became the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel. After the nation went into slavery in Egypt a deliverer was raised up by Yahweh, Moses. At Yahweh’s direction Moses led the nation of Israel out of Egypt and into the wilderness. You likely know about the Mosaic Law given by Yahweh through Moses in the wilderness. What you may not know is that the terms in the 10 Commandments were a marriage covenant between Yahweh and Israel. A number of times in the Old Testament Israel is referred to as married to Yahweh.

We now go back to Yahweh’s promise to Abraham; to bless all nations through his seed, the seed was Jesus. Paul makes this clear in Galatians.

¹⁶ Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. Galatians 3:16 (NKJV)

This gets us to the reason Jesus was ‘born under the law.’ He was the chosen seed through the chosen line of Abraham that would first bless Abraham’s seed then all nations through His crucifixion and resurrection. He needed to fulfill the law to fulfill His mission and purchase your salvation and mine. I don’t know about you but I am deeply grateful that Jesus was ‘born under the law’ and secured my salvation!

The Cloud Rider

Here we will look at the cloud rider in the Old Testament, look at the polemic Baal connection and the identity of the cloud rider in the New Testament. We start with three descriptive passages. Over thirty years ago the Lord gave me a simple song based on the first passage. It is brief and I will share it later.

¹ Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, ² Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. ³ He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, Psalm 104:1–3 (NKJV)

⁴ Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name Yah, And rejoice before Him. Psalm 68:4 (NKJV)

¹ The burden against Egypt. Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst. Isaiah 19:1 (NKJV)

There are other references but these suffice to establish the point. As to why Yahweh is referred to as riding on the clouds, it is a polemic against Baal, who was viewed in the surrounding cultures as the cloud rider and god of storms. The Spirit inspired text is saying that Yahweh is the true cloud rider. Think of the significance in Elijah’s pronouncement of drought and battle with the prophets of Baal. Yahweh pronounced the drought and Yahweh brought the rain, not Baal. The storm god Baal was impotent in the face of Yahweh’s power.

Now we turn to the cloud rider in the New Testament. We have a couple of passages to consider. The first is the one that led to Jesus’ condemnation and crucifixion. At His trial Jesus refuses to speak until the high priest compels Him under an oath.

⁶³ But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” ⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Matthew 26:63–64 (NKJV)

Do you see it now? The high priest responded to Jesus statement by tearing his robes and accusing Jesus of blasphemy because Jesus was claiming to be the cloud rider, Yahweh. Not just that, look at Daniel. In this scene the heavenly court and council has been seated then this happens.

¹³ “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. ¹⁴ Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13–14 (NKJV)

The phrase ‘coming with the clouds of heaven’ refers back to the Son of Man in Daniel who is given an everlasting dominion. Jesus was saying He was this cloud rider. In fact, you can now make sense of Acts 1:9-11. Jesus ascends into heaven on a cloud and an angel says He will return the same way. The audience was all Jewish and knew the significance – Jesus was Yahweh, the cloud rider! It isn’t the image of a fluffy white cloud; it is the picture of one in authority presiding over the elements.

My point in all of this is to help see some aspects of the Old Testament with fresh eyes. I didn’t understand about the cloud rider and Daniel 7 when He gave me this simple song from Psalm 104:3 over thirty years ago. I now understand the words better because we are called to walk with Him and soar in the Spirit with Him, or as Paul put it, that I may “be found in Him (Philippians 3:9) wherever He is. It is a simple song about following Him into freedom in worship and being led by the Spirit.

Wings of The Wind

I ride upon the wings of the wind

Exulting in the light of Your presence

My heart has been captured by You now

Exulting in the light of Your presence

I’m moved by Your moving within

Exulting in the light of Your presence

Who is Behind You?

There is an important injunction in scripture regarding our spiritual heritage. While it was given to Israel, it is a sound principle to apply to our lives.

¹⁸ “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ¹⁹ You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ²⁰ And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, ²¹ that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth. Deuteronomy 11:18–21 (NKJV)

In an ideal world we would all have an investment like this in our lives in whatever environment we were raised in. Yet for many of us that is not the case.

I don’t know a lot about my natural spiritual lineage. My father was an illegitimate child born in a home for unwed mothers in Edmonton, at the site of the current Royal Glenora Club. I don’t know what if any Christian heritage there was on either side of my father’s family. I know my paternal grandmother had a family bible but I know of no active church attendance. On my mother’s side I know there was some Baptist background with her father’s family and someone in that lineage was a Jehovah’s witness. I know nothing of my maternal grandmother’s family in terms of spiritual heritage. She died of cancer before I was born. I know my mother became a believer at some point prior to my birth. I am one of six children, my sister then five boys. I am the middle boy.

Does this mean I lack any real spiritual heritage? Naturally it appears there isn’t much. Yet that is not the primary determinant. For each of us, at some point we or someone else began a spiritual lineage and heritage, and however great or limited our natural spiritual heritage is, we have the option of spiritually receiving from the heritage that others have provided. There are wells of living water that are available.

Our broader spiritual heritage speaks to the individuals and groups who have spoken into and invested in our lives. In the early years of my Christian journey, I was mentored personally by more than one saint and also by many great saints of old because I read voraciously. Each one imparted something. Two key early influences were Tozer and Finney.

The significance of the impact of previous generations of saints was brought home to me in the summer of 2007. We were on vacation in London England. One of the places we visited was St. Paul’s Cathedral. In the basement there were a number of tombs, one of which was John Donne’s. I knew of him from his poetry and his famous line, “No man is an island.” What I didn’t know was that he had preached regularly at St. Paul’s. While standing in front of his tomb the Holy Spirit surprised me by speaking very clearly to me, “Receive the heritage of many generations.”

All these years later I don’t claim to fully understand that. What I do understand is that I need to continue to open my spirit to receive from those who have gone before. That requires knowing the scriptures and discerning. For example, George Whitfield and John Wesley were famous preachers and friends. Yet they held very differing theological positions. Whitfield holding to Calvinism while Wesley was very much an Arminian. They were both key players in the first Great Awakening. Charles Finney was a key figure in the second Great Awakening after their deaths. He held what were some controversial theological positions. If I am to receive from these generations my focus can’t be primarily on the differences in their theological stances. That is important and I have sorted out and modified my own views over the years. Yet given that they held a number of conflicting views what I need to focus on is their passion for, and commitment to, Jesus. That made them so effective in their ministries along with their solid commitment to the need for conversion. They each held fast to the need to be born again, which we need to as well.

Now back to my question. Who is behind you? In each of our lives there are those who have influenced us that were simply part of our lives or background, those we didn’t necessarily choose. The others are those whose heritage we have chosen or can choose to receive from because we recognize the importance of those who have gone before. So, who is behind you or who would you like to be behind you?

Drawing Near

You are likely familiar with the scripture, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8). What we will look at is the process, the idea of proximity and sensitivity to His presence. In particular here we are looking at the role of the Spirit in our relationship with the Godhead. In many church settings the place of the Holy Spirit is often neglected. It may be because we are concerned that He will disrupt our plans or we may simply not know Him and His presence well. We are generally comfortable talking about Jesus or the Father, the Spirit less so. I think we can and should change that. After all, look at the following verse.

¹⁴ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NKJV)

Paul’s prayer here is that we would experience communion (Greek koinonia – fellowship, sharing, participation) with the Spirit. It is a relational word not a sterile religious concept. Thus, we will look at how we experience communion with the Spirit.

Let me provide a brief example. I am currently in a smaller community where we spend much of the summer. The church is smaller and recently on a Sunday I was asked if I would read the opening scripture, which I did, I also prayed for the service. The worship was very deep and the service led into repentance and a good deal of prayer ministry. It was very good and there was an important measure of sensitivity to the presence and moving of the Spirit. The pastor had been told by the Spirit during his sermon prep that He was going to move in the service and bring repentance. However, this didn’t guarantee that it would take place, it still required the sensitivity and cooperation of the pastor and worship team to the leading of the Spirit during the service.

While this was taking place, I was aware of His presence upon me and also aware that had we lingered a bit longer in worship more would have happened. To me that said we need to deepen our sensitivity. The Spirit drew near and showed me what was possible but didn’t prompt me to do or say anything. It was simply an awareness He was giving me as I quietened my heart to hear His voice. As the service prepared to move into repentance He spoke quietly to my heart, “This is a holy moment.” It was.

From this we can learn the importance of waiting and not rushing if we want to encounter Him in a deeper way. This is a corporate example and for most of us our influence over a church service is limited to intercession for what He wants to do at any given time. After all, we are all called to be sensitive to and come into agreement with His purpose and presence.

Having shared all of this, for most of us we spend a very small percentage of our time in worship services. Our days are filled with our usual routines, whether that be work, parenting, volunteering or recreation. Given that we spend most of our time in these types of circumstances we need to know how to be sensitive to the Spirit in these settings as well. In my experience we need to train our hearts to be attuned to His presence throughout the day. I believe, and it is my experience, that it is important to start our day orienting our hearts toward Him. This sets the course of our day. Then when He draws near during the day it is because we have honoured His word and first drawn near to Him. Out of this He will bring scriptures to mind, draw our attention to the beauty of creation around us, prompt us to pray for people and similar things.

Here is another recent example, an individual rather than corporate one. I was at a prayer and worship evening at church. I felt led to pray for an individual. I had spoken to him for a few minutes at a men’s breakfast but beyond that I really didn’t know anything about him. I went over and prayed for him and he later told me how impactful and accurate my prayer was given what had been happening in his life. This reinforces two things for me. One the Spirit wants to share things with us and invites us into ministry for others. Two, if we are willing He will use us. After all, He wants to bring to us ‘wisdom and revelation’ (Ephesians 1:17) on an ongoing basis. To that end let’s develop the habit of leaning into Him (drawing near) to receive what He has to offer!

His Church Part 2

I last wrote about Jesus building His church and talked about how the enemy sows tares in Jesus’ wheat field. I think this happens for a few reasons. One is that it creates an opportunity for us to develop and/or deepen our discernment as we seek to follow Him. We have the opportunity to learn to distinguish wheat from tares in the church, and when they are immature, they look indistinguishable. In addition to the tares being ‘sons of the wicked one’ I think they also represent the things the evil one sows into our thinking when we get caught up in our agendas mistakenly thinking they are His agenda. An example in scripture is the Judaizers. They disagreed with Paul and thought that the Gentile believers needed to adhere to the Mosaic Law. The issue was decisively dealt with in Acts 15 where we had the first church council. Here the church leaders got together and addressed the issue. It should have been settled then but some simply ignored the decision and went on with their agenda. We see this in Philippians.

¹ Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. ² Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! ³ For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, ⁴ though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: ⁵ circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Philippians 3:1–6 (NKJV)

In addition to other issues Paul was still contending with those promoting circumcision as necessary for salvation at least a decade after the matter was settled with the Jerusalem Council.

While circumcision as part of salvation is a very obvious example, there are simpler ones that we see all the time in our church world, our debates over baptism (the methodology), the debates over the relevance or existence of spiritual gifts for today. Calvinism compared to Arminianism is another example, there are more options. Regarding the atonement we have: Christus Victor, Penal Substitutionary Atonement, Moral Influence theory, Satisfaction theory, Ransom theory, Governmental theory, Scapegoat theory, Recapitulation theory, and more. I haven’t studied all of them. I am in the Penal Substitutionary Atonement camp; I think the others that are valid are subsumed under it.

I think you get the picture. Now we come back to the obvious question, if Jesus is building His church why does it look the way it does with conflicting theologies, numerous denominations and historically, bitterness, war and inquisitions? Remember Jesus said to let the tares grow with the wheat until harvest time, that is until they mature. I believe the answer lies in what Jesus said in the parable.

³⁸ The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. ³⁹ The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. ⁴⁰ Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. Matthew 13:38–40 (NKJV)

Jesus said “the harvest is the end of the age.” I believe that as this present age draws to a close, we will see change in the church. In the meantime, the Moravians provided very wise counsel for us to follow, “In essentials unity, in non essentials liberty, in all things charity.” This principle came about as the persecuted believers who sought refuge on Count Zinzendorf’s estate had some internal conflicts, just like many examples in the New Testament. Given that charity as used here is the old English word for love, their prescription echoes what Jesus said.

³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 (NKJV)

The church that Jesus is building is one that walks in love.

This is the answer. When we disagree with the fellow believer down the street or across the office Jesus concern isn’t about the rightness of our theology. If we know Him, He wants to see us demonstrate love. I am not suggesting theology doesn’t matter, I have already stated some of mine, nor that we are to tolerate sin. Some decades ago, I had a colleague at work who was very open about her Christianity but also well known for her willingness to manipulate people and circumstances, to put it more plainly, she was known for lying. Not a good witness for Jesus. So, one day I sat down with her and shared my concern regarding her behaviour. This was demonstrating love. She did not change and did label me as a legalist but I did what I felt the Spirit calling to act upon.

Thus, my conclusion is that Jesus is actually building His church with tares among wheat and the measuring tool is our love for our fellow believers. If we know Him our calling is to walk in love toward our fellow believers and trust Jesus to sort everything out at the end of the age, the final harvest.

His Church Part 1

One of the many famous and controversial statements Jesus uttered is found in Matthew 16.

¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18 (NKJV)

I will briefly touch on the controversy as my focus in writing is elsewhere. The word Peter is the Greek petros and refers to a boulder or stone whereas rock is the Greek petra and refers to a large mass of rock. Interestingly Jesus was speaking prophetically about Peter’s identity. At the time he was anything but a rock. Peter was erratic in his behaviour and had to grow into his identity. Even after being a rock in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost, he later seriously wavered and had to be rebuked by Paul in Galatians to regain his rock status. Even though Roman Catholicism claims Peter as the fist pope and the rock the church is built upon, that is clearly not what Jesus meant and Peter would have been quite shocked had anyone suggested to him that he was the first pope as it was a foreign concept to him. The other way this passage is often interpreted by Protestants is that the rock refers to Peter’s revelation of Jesus as the Messiah. I don’t believe either are correct.

Now, coming back to the large mass of rock, many believe, as do I, that this event took place at the foot of Mount Hermon, the traditional place in Second Temple literature where the fallen elohim, the rebellious sons of God descended to earth and took on human form (Genesis 6:1-4). It was here right at the place of rebellion that Jesus said He would ‘build His church.’ This is a much better fit for what Jesus was talking about in terms of building His church on the rock, after all, it is reflective of Jesus redemptive nature. He stated He was bringing redemption and restoration right at the centre of rebellion.

Given that Jesus has been building His church for 2,000 years let’s look at how He is doing. We need to take a look at what Jesus’ church looks like. In the spirit of that I have a quote for you to reflect on. Sometime in the past year I came across this decades old quote and it has stayed with me, “In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centering on the living Christ. Then the church moved to Greece, where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome, where it became an institution. Next, it moved to Europe, where it became a culture. And, finally, it moved to America, where it became an enterprise.” (Richard Halverson, former Chaplain of the United States Senate).

If Halverson was accurate, and I believe the general thrust of his quote is, just look at how most megachurches look like enterprises, Jesus may not be all that successful at church building. In considering this idea, let’s look at something else Jesus said. I provide this long quote for context but I am focused on a single phrase we will look at.

²⁴ Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; ²⁵ but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. ²⁶ But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. ²⁷ So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ” Matthew 13:24–30 (NKJV)

When considering the mixture of wheat and tares in the field the owner of the field said, “An enemy has done this.” Jesus began building His church prior to Pentecost with His investment in the lives of His followers and it was fully launched on Pentecost in Acts 2 with the Spirit being poured out. Now, if we were all fully obedient to the Spirit there would be no issues in the church and we would see the full fruit of Jesus building program in a unified healthy church with no problems, hidden or obvious. Yet we see in Acts 6 issues with the neglect of some believers in the sharing of food. Later we have issues with Gentiles coming into the church and what rules they are required to follow, or not follow. In a similar manner, if you are familiar with Revelation the first three chapters are mostly Jesus correcting the church to get it back on track relative to what He is building.

This means, the issue isn’t about Jesus’ ability to build, He is and has been building something. The real issue is about our willingness or ability to follow! More to come.

The Old Paths

The Lord calls us to honour and appreciate the old paths, now granted the verse below was written about 2,600 years, which may lead us to wonder whether it is still relevant. We live in a culture where change and innovation are highly valued and we seem to constantly be in a state of flux. Which may cause us to wonder if we should bother with paying attention to Jeremiah.

¹⁶ Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Jeremiah 6:16 (NKJV)

Now, prior to going further, Paul had something to say about this.

¹¹ Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 1 Corinthians 10:11 (NKJV)

The context of 1 Corinthians 10 is Paul going over what happened to Israel in the Exodus and their time in the wilderness. He clearly stated that what happened to them was an example for the Corinthians. Now, the Corinthians were not going through anything like the Exodus. Yet Paul’s warning was about what happened to Israel due to their disobedience, idolatry and sexual immorality. Thus, Paul’s warning to the Corinthians was that God would judge them if they engaged in similar behaviour. Jeremiah’s was on the same track. He was warning the people that if they would return to following the Lord’s way, they would find rest for their souls. However, Jeremiah said later in the chapter (verse 19) that judgment was imminent because they had rejected Yahweh’s prophetic warnings about their behaviour and had rejected the Law.

Thus the ‘Old Paths’ are relevant to us and valuable for us as they are the way of obedience. There is an errant teaching in the church that God won’t judge us because He dealt with sin on the cross. This in spite of all the warnings in the New Testament about just that. The writer of Hebrews said.

³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:31 (NKJV)

The verse is written to believers and after the writer of Hebrews assured us of our sanctification he then then said if we willfully engage in sin after we should fear what will happen. Which takes us back to the ‘Old Paths.’ The old paths aren’t something mysterious or difficult to understand. They aren’t about spiritual gifts (which are important), titles or attention. Embracing the old paths is simply an exhortation to walk uprightly before, and intimately with, Yahweh. Let’s do that.

Presence and Purpose

I was visiting with a friend and he asked a question. I honestly don’t remember the question, what struck me was my answer. I responded, “Out of presence comes purpose.” While that may not have any deep meaning for you, it had a significant impact on me. I have had that happen a number of times over the years, saying something and realizing the significance of it as I hear it. Which from my perspective is His wisdom. In essence I am learning something as I say it!

In the moment I saw the scriptural significance of the phrase, “Out of presence comes purpose.” Here is one example. In Ephesians Paul informs us of both the how of our salvation and the reason for it.

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8–10 (NKJV)

Any good evangelical can quote Ephesians 2:8-9. While it is great to understand our salvation and know that it is by grace and not works, what most leave out is verse 10. It informs us that our new birth is His workmanship, and that we were reborn through Jesus to walk in good works, works that He previously prepared for us to walk in. In essence our purpose.

Now, in spite of what this passage tells us, my experience and that of other is that when asked, beyond generalities, most Christians cannot articulate the specific purpose for their lives. What specifically have they been called to walk in? Which takes us to my comment, “out of presence comes purpose.” I don’t know about you but my experience is that when I spend time sitting in His presence and meditating on His word, I receive greater clarity of purpose. There is a clarifying of the good works He previously prepared for me to walk in.

Now, we all miss things, it was one of the Greek philosophers, Heraclitus, who said, “You can’t step in the same river twice.” We can’t and some of the things He has prepared for us to walk in have passed us by. Yet when we draw near to His heart, He doesn’t focus on what we missed, He focuses on the opportunities still before us! I am confident that I have missed many opportunities but I choose to focus on His presence to walk in my present purpose.

Let’s practically apply this to our lives. Think of Jesus ministry. He had a habit of getting into the Father’s presence each morning to receive instructions for the day. As a result, He knew when He would encounter Zacchaeus gazing at Him from up a tree, invite him down and Himself to Zacchaeus house for a celebratory meal. He knew He had an appointment with a woman at a well in Samaria. Other times He received information from the Father in the moment, such as knowing what His detractors were thinking when He healed the paralytic who had been lowered through the roof.

In a similar manner, as we seek presence we find purpose. We may have a sense to call someone and encourage them or call and check in on them. Those are good works He prepared for us that day. We may pause to pray at a coffee break at work and have a sense to pray for a specific individual or speak with a colleague later that day – out of presence comes purpose. This is a simple but profound and exciting walk. We get to have an audience with Jesus to receive direction during our day. If we don’t receive specific instructions we simply walk faithfully before Him each day and await further instructions as we seek His face and heart. As we are faithful in this a broader sense of our purpose emerges.

Thus, if we want clarity of purpose, we need to value and seek presence.

Delivered up and Raised

We are in the Easter weekend, Good Friday has passed, Resurrection Sunday is pending. The significance of this weekend is that we have a Saviour who was born to die, yet not just to die, but to also be raised. After all, Paul was clear about the prime significance of the resurrection.

¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁴ And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. ¹⁵ Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up – if in fact the dead do not rise. ¹⁶ For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁷ And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 1 Corinthians 15:13–17 (NKJV)

In Romans Paul is more succinct. Speaking of Jesus sacrifice he states it in simple terms.

²⁵ who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. Romans 4:25 (NKJV)

The word ‘offenses’ refers to our transgressions or trespasses, in a word, Jesus was delivered up to crucifixion because of our sins. The other side of this is that Paul says Jesus’ resurrection was for our justification. Which means that we were pronounced righteous or acquitted of our sins through Jesus’ resurrection. Thus, Jesus’ death paid the penalty for our sins and His resurrection validated the efficacy of His sacrifice on our behalf.

We now move to Colossians for Paul’s further explanation of what transpired.

¹³ And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ¹⁴ having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Colossians 2:13–15 (NKJV)

Paul informs us that though we were dead, we were resurrected with Christ (made alive together with Him) and the charges against us (handwriting of requirements) were dismissed. The additional piece he adds is that Jesus’ sacrifice disarmed the spiritual powers arrayed against us. Thus, as we celebrate Easter let us give thanks for Jesus’ death and resurrection and by faith avail ourselves of the reality that our victory is not in our abilities. Our victory lies in embracing the fact of Jesus’ death and resurrection on our behalf and the truth that He is transforming us and bringing us to glory (Romans 8:28-30)!