12.
SANCTIFICATION
1 Thessalonians
5:23‑4 is a core text here. It refers to that working of God in you to conform
you to Christ (cf. II Corinthians 3:18 Where the process is more manifest, as in
Thessalonians, it is the result; to give to you a sense of whole consecration
and commitment to God so that you yearn, turn and burn to do His will. Indeed, in
the Psalms (104:5), God says: WHO MAKES HIS ANGELS
SPIRITS, HIS MINISTERS A FLAME OF FIRE ('ministers'‑ means here servants'). In
sanctity, holiness before God, you quite naturally sacrifice your personal
wishes with pleasure (Romans 12:1‑ though the struggle may cost you something on
the way), your whole being filled with the gracious Spirit of holiness which is
none other than the blessed Holy Spirit Himself (Ephesians 5:18,Titus
3:5‑6, Colossians 1:9‑13, Mark 13:11, John 15:26, Acts 2:38, Romans
8:13‑14, 14:17,II Corinthians 3:18 and 1 Peter 1:2,16 with 11 Corinthians 7:1).
Sanctification differs from justification. The latter is an act of acquittal and acceptance through our acceptance of Christ who has for us satisfied the law and received the due discipline which would have cast us out for ever. It applies to everyone who believes in Him, immediately, eternally. It is a life for life transaction (Romans 5, 8).
Listen, then, to I Thessalonians 5:14-23:
·
"Now we exhort you brothers,
warn those who are unruly,
comfort the fainthearted,
uphold the weak, be patient with all.
See that no one gives back evil for evil to anyone,
but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.Rejoice always.
Pray without ceasing.
In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not despise prophecies.
Test all things; hold fast to what is good.Abstain from every from of evil.
·
Now may the God pf peace
Himself SANCTIFY you completely;
and may your whole spirit,
soul, and body be preserved blameless
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
·
He who calls you is
faithful, who also will do it."
There is in this, not merely no incitation to violence, but in the very way of Christ,
there is exhortation NOT even to repay evil with evil, so avoiding the very essence of this
world's dramas and drives, apart from the greed which so often starts them, the
arrogance, the self-assertion and the delusion.
This SANCTIFICATION, or being made holy
¨
in the sense of
¨
consecrated and kept in the way of
Christ through His power and grace,
¨
continually more moulded to His
likeness in peace (II Cor.
¨
surrounded with His words of peace
which provide power for performance in the heart, where He is enshrined as the
very living presence of the eternal God (Colossians
¨ it is not barbarous, and has no spiny barbs on its skin. It is blessed and has wonder in its ways, for He who does it is Wonderful! (Judges 13:8, Isaiah 9:6, 28:29).
Its
only sword is unlike that of the sword-fish with its incredible seeming
lacerating lunger, of several FEET in length: for it is the sword of the
SPIRIT which is the word of God (Ephesians 6), and this points to the atonement in Christ
and the reconciliation with God. That it is accompanied with suffering not slicing, for the
demonstration of the love of God is freely provided, as His pardon is paraded
in ineffable kindness through the world, in
His name (I Cor. 2:14-17, II Cor. 5:17ff.).
This is that sense of commitment and entire dedication, consecration and yieldedness to the living God so that you yearn, turn and burn to do His will. Indeed, in the Psalms (104:5), God says:
"Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire"
('ministers'
means 'servants'). In sanctity, holiness and wholeness before God, you quite
naturally sacrifice your personal wishes with pleasure (Romans 12:1 - though the
struggle may cost you something on the way), your whole being filled with the
gracious Spirit of holiness, which is none other than the blessed Holy Spirit
Himself (Ephesians 5:18, Titus 3:5-6, Colossians 1:9-13, Mark 13:11, John 15:26,
Acts 2:38, Romans 8:13-14, 14:17, II Corinthians 3:18 and I Peter 1:2,16 with II
Corinthians 7:11). "The kingdom of heaven," says
Paul, "is not eating and
drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
What is 'eaten' is the bread representing the sacrifice of Christ, the sin-offering for sinners, and what is drunk is the grape juice, symbolising the blood which emptied out the life which paid for sin, life for life (Romans 5:9-10, Leviticus 17:10, Matthew 20:28, John 25).
It is not violent to flesh, but worships Him who suffered it that man might be whole and holy and wholesome in peace, with God. It finds His power and uses His deployment, finding His wisdom, and loves life, which He made, purified and functional before Him, for good (I Peter 3:8-12).
There is sanctification (cf. Hebrews
Slippage ? This may include sluggishness (Jonah!), spiritual slowness because of
pre-occupation (if not occupation) with sin, guilt and unpleasantness with the
brethren, the heart sickened. Here is the path for paternal discipline (Hebrews
12).
What then is all this to the Christian ? It is like pneumonia to the body (cf. the plague on the Corinthians Church, requiring immediate correction - II Cor. 12:20-13:5).
Holiness however is God's will for you. This is precisely what I Thessalonians 5:23 is declaring (note the emphasis added).
"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
"He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."
There is no hidden agenda. It is manifest, in the light. Never adjust to ANY sin. Never accept any personal evil or wrong in yourself or in your actions. Do NOT attribute to your culture or position or situation or testing times, any real NEED to sin. Look by faith for a solution in SANCTITY! Is it not so with children in general, that they may look, spoilt or indulgent, for a ready and easy way, without finding and seeking the right way ? Has not God shown us these things with the young, and do we not benefit by this observation before the eternal Father! It is to HIM we look, to find strength and solution alike! (Isaiah 40:26ff., James 1:5ff., Mark 11:22ff.), and EXPECT TO GET IT! (James 1:6-8).
Triumph in believing prayer (Romans 8:26-28, Mark 11:23-24, II Peter 1) to remove - through the Spirit and by virtue of Christ's death to sin and His life in triumph - anything from our way or ways which is contrary to truth, virtue, love, faith, and the loving fear of God. The wonderful thing is this: like the answers in a mathematics text at the back, the problem does possess a solution. It is for you to find it IN THE LORD. He is not aloof, but 'humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth' (Psalm 113:6), and gives wisdom freely to faith in those who know the Lord and so have their faith in the right object (James 1:5-8): in this case, the right SUBJECT, yet an objective subject, for the Lord, HE is God !(James 1:5-8).
He is personal, He is not yourself, He is available to faith, He is near to those who draw near to Him, He is always adequate, and what occurs, must first pass through the filter of His predestination before it is allowed. He is OBJECTIVE to your seeking, but is a SUBJECT in Himself, yes a PERSON, and He who MADE persons, knows fully how to deal. To be sure, the unbelievers may feel like chaff before the wind, for so they are, except for what mercy the Lord chooses to show to rebels, though He knows the end of each one of them from the beginning (Psalm 1:6, Isaiah 46:10, Ephesians 1:4).
Faith in a wheel-barrow does not transport goods. You actually need the wheel-barrow in order rightly to relate to it. You need the LORD as the One livingly present in whom and with whom and for whom you are operating! (Philippians 2:12ff.).
Further, the LORD is Himself not only alive, alert and concerned, but humble,
deliciously, delightfully and magnificently humble, not that horror of horrors,
specious humility, but lustrous love that humbles itself naturally.
"THOUGH THE LORD IS ON HIGH, YET HE REGARDS THE LOWLY" (Psalm 138:6).
The
extent of that regard is shown in this, that He, though He was rich, yet became
poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich (II Corinthians
8:9). Ponder also ' Philippians 25ff. !
Psalm 34:4-8 invites us to TASTE and SEE that the Lord is good, declaring to us
that
"this poor man cried out and the Lord heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
and delivers them."
I
Corinthians 7:1 tells us to be 'PERFECTING HOLINESS IN
THE FEAR OF THE LORD' ...
Don't, then, ever think that you are good; but rather strive ceaselessly
to be like Christ, and to LABOUR TO ENTER INTO YOUR REST, as Hebrews 4:11 puts
it. Indeed, says Hebrews 4:9-10:
v
"THERE REMAINS THEREFORE A
REST
FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD.
FOR HE WHO HAS ENTERED HIS REST
HAS CEASED FROM HIS OWN WORKS,
AS GOD DID FROM HIS"
– bold added.
Seek therefore to rest in Christ's completed work for you (performed in the
past) and present power for
you (wrought in you and about and around you in the present), by faith, so that His Holy Spirit so fills you that holiness is like a
scent from you, a scent of Jesus ... people take note of you that you have "been with Jesus" ( Acts 4:13). Indeed this helps
convey a
"fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved
and among those who are perishing.
To the one, we are the aroma of death, to
death, and to the other, the aroma of life to life"
(II Cor.2:15-16).
You cannot manufacture holiness by any sort of organic (psychological) chemistry or work of your own: it is a fruit of the Lord, and will be seen as you abide in Him.
ONLY God can make you godly.
Be
ready to grow in understanding (and consider Daniel 10 with John
Consider young David before Saul ... (I Samuel 16:14ff.).
At
whatever age, seek purity in God: to the 'pure He shows
Himself pure' (Psalm
Abide deeply in the Lord ( John 15:5,7) and in His word; and to help do the latter, study it! Calvin did some of his greatest work at 26. Wait on and work in the Lord. Remember what He said:
"IF
THEN YOUR WHOLE BODY BE FULL OF LIGHT , HAVING NO PART DARK :
THE WHOLE BODY
WILL BE FULL OF LIGHT AS WHEN THE BRIGHT SHINING OF A LAMP GIVES YOU LIGHT"
( Luke 11:36).
Waiting on the Lord, know that it is He who actually does the spiritual works:
you hand the instruments, as it were, but HE does the surgery. Never hate
people; hate sin; never 'get your own back' (Romans
"TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART,
LEAN NOT TO YOUR
OWN UNDERSTANDING.
ACKNOWLEDGE HIM IN ALL YOUR WAYS, AND HE SHALL
DIRECT YOUR STEPS"
( Proverbs 3:4-5).
Be
loving to those still caught in what you are delivered from, without once
agreeing that the evil THINGS are right or good or wise. Try to help those who
foolishly have fallen, without worrying about their foolishness, except perhaps
at the point where there is danger of re-entry! Show the love of Christ. It is
no part of this to live in the estranged company of those with whom you freely
associate: rather you seek with compassion if you can snatch them out, keeping
most carefully uncontaminated with the
Thus, you do not freely associate with Christians who defile the word of God by their mouthings (I Timothy 6:1ff., II Timothy 3:1ff., I Timothy 4:1ff., Romans 16:16), nor do you 'yoke' yourself in joint enterprise with non-Christians, as if opposite flights were pursuable in one aircraft! (II Corinthians 6:14ff.). Doing this, you not only are more distinct for those who seek, but less entrammelled, entrapped by those whose devious doings merely complicate what should be straightforward. CONTRARY doctrine, says Paul, AVOID THEM! (Romans 16:17). Heretics, to Titus, on the second admonition, REJECT. How many churches do this now ? Hence the predicted decline (II Thessalonians 2, II Peter 2, Matthew 24:24,11ff.).
If
howver a Christian slips, 'restore such a one in a spirit of
humility' or meekness. Such is the love of Christ, denouncing the sin,
delivering the sinner. "For God did not send His Son
into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be
saved" John 3:17. The REAL condemnation is the rejection of that light
which is Christ (John
Look at what the good Lord does with yielded servants (Jude 24)! How blessed is
that! He will
certainly keep you who believe; but why fool with sin ? Sin can no more be your
boss; if you slip, be quit of it fast
(I John 2:1, Romans
Aim
at holiness with humility; obedience with activity; resting in confidence while
labouring in joy (I Cor. 15:58).
We read of 'longsuffering with joy' - Colossians
1:1, and it would be helpful to study Colossians 1:9-13 in J.B. Phillips'
paraphrase as well. Note that v.10 means to 'please Him in all respects' - NOT
to please everybody in all respects ! Friendship with the world, in fact, means being
God's enemy (James 4:4)!
Christ, if you are a believer, has died not only for but also WITH YOUR SINS
(Galatians 2:20, 5:24, Romans 6:1-6); and your FORMER UNSAVED PERSONALITY
also, has He died for, so that you are CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST ( Galatians 2:20),
and that, be assured, delivers you, for the dead are buried here. Meanwhile, 'the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son
of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me'. The sinful syndromes, the
orientation to sin is dismissed and a new functionality reorganises, newly
dynamises and seizes the imagination and spirit with joy. Finally, meditate on the
wholeness, the wholesomeness and the pervasive reality of sanctification,
expressed in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (scripted above).
13. VICTORY
This brings us to the theme of VICTORY. Read Romans 7:8-17, and on one occasion, try J.B. Phillips' paraphrase.
See also the unit, Appendix on Victory, pp. 329ff., and that on the Everlasting Gospel, pp. 333ff..
Note then these features.
A) in
Paul's 'flesh' is no good thing (v.18). 'Flesh' here is used to mean 'the
potential for independence from God, exercised amiss,' that is, mere flesh, mere
self-assertion on the part of people made not with bare spirits, but with these cast into
the format of flesh, surrounded by its powers and vulernabilities, and
constituting their immediate instrumentality. Thus when Romans 8:9,
speaking to those who obey the Lord says, 'You are not
in the flesh' ! it does not mean they are skeletons.
Thus 'flesh' refers to works of the body, mind and heart, the misled spirit
indeed of men. In a word, it is the name for spurious autonomy, for inglorious
self-assertion, self-sufficiency, self-rule. You get the same sort of feeling when you read Genesis 6 where
God says that the end of all 'flesh' is before Him, noting that their
imaginations were perpetually activated toward evil (Gen.6:13,5).
Romans
We
resume, then: In Paul's 'flesh' (
B)
In
his wish, there had been many a fine thing. But these things did not manage to
come to life as they did in his mind, in actual fact (
"THE GOOD THAT I
WILL TO DO, I DO NOT DO:
BUT THE EVIL I WILL NOT TO DO, THAT I DO"
(Romans
He
has in such a time felt utterly shut in to a life without either the purity or
the power, the presence or the blessing of God.
While it is a moral life in some respects (Philippians 3:4-5,8), he yet finds it
to have been merely like a spiritually muddled slum before the immense purities and
incalculable perfections of God.
In
fact, in his independent pride and place, in the 'flesh', he CANNOT please God
(Romans 8:8): nor can any.
Jettisoning this dangerous dynamic –
"WHO," he cries, "WILL DELIVER
ME FROM THE BODY OF THIS DEATH ?" –
(cf. Youth 1, and
That was the crisis. Then however he rehearses the inimitable, indomitable power
of Christ whom He found, or rather, who found him! In short, Paul finds in Christ, whom he thanks, the solution (v.25).
IN
HIM, sins confined to the cross, salvation visited, regeneration operative …
he finds NOW an ability to walk IN THE SPIRIT ( Romans 8:1).
Indeed, in the fleshly mind (the adjective 'carnal' is just our word for it),
there is a NATURAL HOSTILITY to the things of God; but those who are in Christ,
he declares ARE "NOT IN THE FLESH!" (Romans 8:8).
That is: CHRIST'S PREVAILING AND FILLING AND OVERPOWERING PRESENCE ENABLES HIM
TO LIVE IN THE SPIRIT.
Now
THIS IS VICTORY! 1 John 5:4 tells us:
"THIS IS THE
VICTORY THAT HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD,
EVEN YOUR FAITH."
"WHO," asks John, "IS HE WHO OVERCOMES THE WORLD,
BUT HE WHO BELIEVES THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD!" (5:5).
Now, says Paul, of the victory over the flesh (of which the whole world system
is simply a collective unit):
·
"WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO,
IN THAT IT WAS WEAK THROUGH THE FLESH,
GOD DID.
BY SENDING HIS OWN SON IN THE LIKENESS OF SINFUL FLESH,
ON ACCOUNT OF SIN:
HE CONDEMNED SIN IN THE FLESH"
(
Romans 8:3 - bold added).
The victory is obtainable on application, to the One who has it. He gained it in His pure life, in His perfect fulfilment of every prophecy concerning His coming, in His prayer, in His suffering, in His expiation of sin in His own life, in His resurrection, in His undying love. It is CONFERRED (I Cor. 15:58). This marvellous instrument of virtue and life we learn to take and utilise BY FAITH. We look at Him, the living object of our faith, and He looks at us, those embodying faith in Him, and the work occurs! We are delivered. As Paul put it in II Corinthians 1:10, of the Lord operating in a particular challenge and test in his own life: "who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us: in whom we trust that He will still deliver us." Again, in II Timothy 4, he declares this: "And the LORD will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever, Amen!" Praise for Paul is not a ceremonial obligation but a spiritual necessity in terms of simple truth!
Remember, now, that if you are Christ's, then the Spirit of Christ lives in you
(Romans 8:8-9). If then Christ (by His Spirit) IS in you, "THE BODY IS DEAD BECAUSE OF SIN, BUT THE SPIRIT IS LIFE
BECAUSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS" (v.10).
To be a Christian implies having Him, by His Spirit, in you; for this disenables the flesh to be courier, carrier and king: Christ's very presence deals it a death blow, so that though it seek you out, it cannot control you. Without the spirit in you, that immediate dower and gift at conversion, you are not of course a Christian (Romans 8:9), but this is a RESULT of faith, and indeed His work ON you precedes it (John 16:8ff.), and His presence accompanies faith in Christ. Where HE is, there is His Spirit in you (I Corinthians 3:17).
"THE FLESH WARS WITH THE SPIRIT AND THE SPIRIT WITH THE FLESH", or lusts, so angry is the assault (Galatians
Indeed, the carnal sort of mind IS DEATH: but 'to be
spiritually minded is life and peace' - Romans 8:6. THIS is your
heritage: use it, by faith. Remember
As
God's friend, yours is a living, undefinable peace ( Philippians 4:7 cf. Isaiah
26:1-4), and the power to implement goes with it (Isaiah 26:3ff.). The person
however who is alienated from God (that is, does not believe Him in His life and
words), who is His enemy (i.e. 'in the. Flesh'
- cf. Ephesians
For that matter, it is HIS POWER which overcomes and overthrows the works of the devil who aspires constantly to find your heart, but in vain (cf. I Corinthians 2:11, I Peter 5:8ff.).
C) REST
Thus, in all this godliness, wrought into holiness, found in victory, there is rest.
It is PRECISELY as you are abiding in Christ (cf. Questions and Answers 6), and finding in Him the victory that needs no grabbing from man, but seeks deliverance for others from the initial grabbings of Satan, the closed fists of sin and the knuckle dusters of arrogance, that rest occurs.
If you labour hard in a good task with a clear conscience, your spirit clothed with His friendliness, your heart purged by His blood, your ways consolidated with His wishes, there is simply nowhere else to go. Rest is what it is. There is no surging for the forbidden, there is no lying for the prohibited, there is no aspiration for the impossible, since after all, with God
NOTHING SHALL BE
CALLED IMPOSSIBLE
(Luke 1).
Not merely so, but there is a special tenderness in the solicitous sympathy of the Shepherd (Hebrews 4) who grants rest as a dynamic reality from His own hand: as a man looks at his good dog and pats him, and the dog stretches forth contentedly at his feet; or as a sheep pleasantly roves (the intelligent variety, not the merely herded, but one of the sheep in numbers of a dozen or two that some have, and many used to have). The sheep looks, bliss in its eyes, as things pass and unfold by the pleasant streams in the good pastures, as it is led to some spot or other, or comes seeking from its shepherd's hand.
If this may seem idyllic, it is not so. It is intensely and indeed intensively practical. This is the SPIRIT of the thing; but the body may at the same time have to endure rigours as a good sheep dog's may; and the heart may be assailed by tests, while the spirit may be burdened for the souls it seeks, and saddened at times by their prolific rebelliousness or at some passing error into which one may carelessly fall. Does one not remember Christian's fault in Pilgrim's Progress, when he followed a path that seemed parallel with the straight and narrow one, but which was in a different domain ? How easily does misadventure befall, or does the foot slip!
Yet in Him there is rest; for no one but HE is the Saviour, and it is kept in His hands. If He must act, He will act, but His gentleness is marvellous; and if at times He must deal more decisively, what is that: better that one cry out, than that the car catapult off a cliff! It is the spirit of a teacher which counts, and He is gentle.
When therefore He called, "Come unto me.... and I will give you rest,"*1 it was as specific as giving healing to a broken head! It is a gift which flourishes like season's flowers placed in the good soil, the rich fertiliser, the sun and the moisture abounding. In Him, all is provided, even the pruning to make a better 'show'!
Thus do sanctification, victory and rest meet as one. Their harmony is total, their rational inter-relation is intimate, their mutuality is intense. These are ways in which the Lord shows that structure of reality which is perfect in its consorting with function, matching all needs, in itself a harmony all but unspeakable in its efficacy and beauty. This, it is what one would hope to find to the uttermost in the actual God; and the desire is surpassed by the fact.
That is the way with the truth: it not only covers all things in harmony, but in a happy frolic of power and performance, mutuality and agreement. So it is in Christ, and so it is in every particle and particular of what is He, in the midst of creation. Here then is rest, victory, here is peace and here is sanctity, here holiness resides, and here life is abundant, fulfilling itself in the shadow of the Almighty. It is there that it must abide, in its Maker; and if it does, there is no end to the wonders one finds in Him and in His word (cf. SMR Chs. 5-6,8-9). It confirms itself with that effortless ease which lacks all contrivance, just as it needs none! It is majestic and it is a marvel to stir the heart, stimulate the mind and grant to reason a relish inimitable.
This ? It is not like those whose only rest is in being restless for weird and wild imperial or religious aspirations, for this prophet or that king. It is not like those who ever want to excel in emulation and consternation, in experienced thrills, impetuous graspings or inveterate dull episodes of self-will. The efforts of holiness in Christ are more vigorous, and not less; nor is there any disdaining of mere competition in one's work, if need be. It is the strife of selfishness, the urging for godless ambitions, graceless triumphs, evil and scheming ways, which produces lack of rest, not the undertaking of tasks with excellence in the eye of desire, for the sake of love and service.
Note on Rest in Matthew 11
*1
The actual text as the three dots ... indicate, is rather longer, and it is highly to the point, to consider what it says.
This coming is like that of cattle to its stall. It has a procedure, not like that of a metronome or a space craft. No, rather it is natural, normal and to be expected IF THE BEAST, the cattle roving about, are really coming in peace.
Thus Christ says this: "Come to me all you who labour
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you, and learn
from Me, for I am meet and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your
souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
Thus do we find in Matthew 11.
First, the one who is invited is LABOURING and has a HEAVY BURDEN. There is no dilettante coming to inspect the novel quarters in Christ, or any Don Quixote coming to inspect in a rush of clatter. What is in view is someone who, whether psychologically, socially, financially or politically, but in any case personally is in stress. This in turn results from a weight. There is available a relief, and a new Master. No more will the old ways become a burden in themselves, or the response to them. In the knowledge of God is safety, meaning and purpose. There is rest in the midst of a hurricane, since it is merely a vicissitude in the midst of service.
HIS yoke, His perspective, His direction, His purpose is to become the lot of the yielded life, back to the hand of its Creator (Romans 12:1ff.). It is opportune now to learn from Him, the new spirit at work in the heart, the new light spanning the roads, the incisive wisdom which is His, available, the cleansing which keeps the beast from disease (here metaphorical, since God may use this as a process of purging, testing and the like, for a time - see Job!). But from whom is the one who comes to Christ to learn, but from Him who is the architect of His body, spirit and mind, the first born of creation, because HE MADE IT (Colossians 1:15-16), yes God, for God created it and NO OTHER (Isaiah 44:24, 45:12,18). From whom is the one coming to learn, but from Him who in the midst of tempestuous hatred, contempt and inequity, bore and bled, worked and won, overturning the tinsel glamour of this world's religion (it is FULL of it, even when pretending to deny God, making up its own divinities in the very process, cf. Aviary of Idolatry), as a thing for the dump.
In finding Him, however, one finds that this Shepherd is MEEK. There is a certain gentility about Him, a real consideration, a quiet, meditative mellowness: He does not shove, pressurise and propel, but moves freely in a quiet and patient manner, making allowance for the special conditions to be found in His flock, this one with young, that one recovering from shock. You see this heart in His prescriptions and intentions to replace the false shepherds, as in Ezekiel 34.
He knows them, as does a Shepherd, that this one is rather readily frightened, that one inclined to be brash; and He knows how to make the edges of the yoke smooth, and the load proportionate to the power.
In Him, there is rest, for in the Godhead who made man, there is reality, realisation, refreshment and responsibility, not at all limited by relative ignorance, but made beautiful because of knowledge there is no more lack of light and leading, than of love and inward peace (Philippians 4:4-6).
In these things is the rest which makes for restfulness, the reality which makes for composure and the power which portends peace. All things then work together for good (Romans 8:28ff.), for its source is personal and present in power. This is a felicity attested by logic, but found in life.
GAMBLING and other Self‑Indulgence
On the topic of victory, we might just mention some common elements which help to illustrate, and which apply.
GAMBLING ? WHY DO IT ? It would seem that ONCE that question is asked, the answer is NO! relative to such a pursuit. DO IT ? FOR GAIN! Perhaps one will say: I do it for excitement. BUT what is exciting ? The possibility of gain. This is an exercise in gain, exciting or not.
WHY however gain ? Because one would like to ‑ or is excited about the possibility that one might ‑ have MORE goods or money. WHY have that ?
Because the desire to GRASP is operative. IF one has need, let him/her ASK God (James 4:2‑3). Certainly if one is asking just for lust, that is merely 'prayerful' sin; but if one asks for what is good, is God unable or unwilling to hear (cf. Matthew 7:7‑11). Jesus declares the plan; follow it. Indeed Jesus goes further. He teaches the lesson, the message which relates:
 |
“NO MAN CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS: FOR EITHER HE WILL HATE THE
ONE |
This is in the context of 'laying up treasures for yourself', and the term 'mammon' refers to money as desired and dominant. YOU CAN'T SERVE THAT AND GOD TOO! GOD says so. Thus your motive in gambling will not pass.
Secondly, your morals in gambling will not do either. IF you gamble, then you are RISKING IN SPORT OR WITH LUST what God has given you, to obtain what He has not given you. THAT is poor stewardship and presumption, is it not, with your Master's goods; for God has to be the target of your desire and you are His steward, if you are a Christian. Due business is one thing, in which your special skills are productive; mere lust or desire is another. THIS is not the path of labour and what it entails, but of LUST. Now what does Paul say ?
v "IF CHRIST BE IN YOU, THE BODY IS DEAD BECAUSE OF SIN, BUT THE SPIRIT IS LIFE BECAUSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS" –
Romans 8:10.
THAT is your basic condition, having died to sin in Christ, and being raised in spirit by the power of His way‑showing resurrection, before your body itself is raised at His return (unless He comes before you pass on, in which case you are 'raised' in another sense, to MEET HIM, I Thessalonians 4). 'By the Spirit' you put to death the desires of the flesh (Romans 8:13). Indeed, 'those who are in the flesh cannot please God', but Christians 'are not in the flesh but in the Spirit' (Romans 8:8‑9).
BY
FAITH AND THROUGH THE POWER OF GOD AND IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS SPIRIT,
THE
CHRISTIAN DOES NOT AS A LIFE SUBMIT TO THE FLESH.
Therefore he does not gamble; and if he does, he must repent and awake to righteousness.
SMOKING and the MISUSE OF THE BODY
Here the case is slightly more roundabout, but perfectly clear. IF ANYTHING damages the body, which is a temple in which the Holy Spirit from the Father and from Christ (John 15:26) ACTUALLY DWELLS (I Corinthians 6:15,19), by mere self‑indulgence or by lust of ANY kind, then this is demeaning to God, misusing what is His and abusing a bodily temple in which He dwells. Worse, it is yours! some treatment of the Saviour, and quite a display of your loyalty and devotion to His works (of which YOU are one!).
DOES smoking hurt or destroy or maim or impair your body ? CERTAINLY the numerous carcinogens do not help; and even if you want to argue that IF it is only so many, and so on, yet they can only be harmful; and in the presence of SO MANY OTHER POLLUTANTS VERY OFTEN IN THE AIR WE BREATHE, then at best even a small amount of smoking nowadays can have unknown risks. It brings risk (even sometimes high correlation as distinct from some risk) of lung cancer, which is an atrocious way to die; of heart disease and a variety of results in ramifying ways.
Do
you WANT to serve Christ to your uttermost, with therefore your equipment in its
best order ?
What then will you do with poisonsticks called cigarettes ?
Cut them down and preferably cut them out; program them out of your existence.
Remember too,
the amount of passive smoking you are likely to do. It adds up now, presumably
as never before. Just at this time, one has heard not of one, but of two cases,
one where the person never smoked, but now has emphysema, a pollution product in
the lungs, meaning that the sacs may collapse, and so exclude oxygen, making
breathing most difficult; another occurred with a person who smoked for but two
years. In the latter case, it is already virtual emphysema, the doctor
indicates. Presumably other irritants worked on top of the passive, and in one
case, small amount of active smoking, to present a bouquet of disaster. If then
there are carcinogens and pollutants in the air, what wisdom is to be found in
so adding to them that you can waste and be wasted!
But what of illicit sexual activity (fornication, adultery, perversion, ANY non‑natural act outside the spouse of the Lord's choosing) ?
Paul has an answer to that, as does indeed the pertinent commandment of the TEN COMMANDMENTS, as seen in Exodus 20:14. IN THIS VERY SAME PASSAGE, in I Corinthians 6, Paul asks if a member of Christ's body should be joined to a harlot! Thus if one is joined in union with Christ, and regarded as a member of His body (as in Romans 12, Ephesians 4, I Corinthians 12), then is this the way to conduct yourself ? Is harlotry apt or appropriate, in such a case ? Biblically it is NEVER apt or appropriate, and the number of times the Lord excoriates Israel in terms of harlotry (as in Ezekiel 16, 20, Hosea, Jeremiah), as an image of her spiritual idolatry, makes the point that this is so abhorrent to the Lord, as if a boiling water jug should capsize on a child!
As to perverse acts, consider 1 Corinthians 6:9. Paul lists such a hall of horror in clear words as to bring in a sentence of human shame. Such people, he says:
WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
ONLY the power of God can keep a man straight; but though we be imperfect, STRAIGHT HE is ABLE to make our paths (Philippians 4:12); to forgive and renew (1 John 1:9‑2:1)!
THAT the power of God can do this, that those in these as in any other sins are often found to be cleansed and changed is in itself, as is often pointed out, a manifestation that there is no necessity to perform unnatural acts, whether in fornication, adultery or sexual perversion. Bodily defects of this or that sort, genetic defects, psychological defects which yield to bodily defects: all this is like child's play in this. It can be dismissed, often is and cannot stand against the power of God in the converted soul that so seeks. Where now the determined deviation from the genes ? Did they take a holiday ? Did they perhaps mix their programs, or become illiterate suddenly about their so sure commands! How is that 'determined' which departs!
GOD has the power to remedy what calls to sin, by whatever way He chooses. Many are those who can call their fatness hereditary, and no doubt with some there are some proclivities inherited, and some customs picked up in eating, from childhood. However neither this nor any other domain is beyond the power of God and the self-control of the person who knows Him; for then it is not merely self-control, but a self augmented, crucified and renewed: the old way is decisively fed to death, and the new 'man' is incisively etched by Christ.
What does Paul say in Galatians 2:20, but this, that he is crucified with Christ, indeed is one having been crucified with Christ, and that he no longer the dominant or even prominent person. It is Christ who "lives in me". He can forgive an error, cleanse the desire, restore the straying, deliver from falling, make straight paths for the feet. With the Lord, NOTHING is too hard!
Indeed, he declares, the life he now lives is lived by faith in the Son of God who loved him and gave Himself for him. How vividly true this was, from the day he was 'arrested' by the light of Christ, on the road to Damascus, and was told what great things he would need to suffer for Christ, to the time in II Timothy 4, when he is detailed that God will indeed deliver him from every evil work till His heavenly kingdom, passing through all the experiences noted in I Cor. and II Cor. Ch. 4!
Now some people at certain times may feel the lust to kill, to thrill, to eat, to have insatiable sexual activity, to have it with a neighbour's wife, indiscriminately, prolifically, coldly or whatever. Yielding to lusts is yielding to a dynamic which is diseased. Being imperfect is scarcely any excuse, since in most things, some are imperfect: but God is perfect who knows the answers and bestows them to faith. Without faith you cannot please Him (Hebrews 11:6); indeed, without faith how can you even be converted! (Ephesians 2:8).
14. PRAYER
This is linked in some ways, closely to Victory. Thus, in prayer by the help of the Spirit (cf. Romans 8:26 ff.), you concentrate on the Lord, not wilting and feeling despondent at temptation or trials. In fact, James tells you to 'count it all joy' when you have a lot of trials, for after all, you have only to seek by faith to the One who has all the answers; and in the meantime, this privilege allows you to make good trial of your faith, something producing a sort of settled patience (cf. Romans 5:1-5). This, incidentally, is not Boy Scout religious talk, but a descriptive expression of empirical fact. Faith tried and working, is rather like a forehand volley in tennis, put into practice and acting. It is, indeed, rather ridiculous to have a forehand volley that is not used! and when it is used, it confirms itself. If this is so in so little, how much more is it so with the Lord, as the object of faith, who faithfully ACTS for the one who waits for Him (Isaiah 64:4-5), and MEETS the one who rejoices and does righteousness, remembering Him in his ways.
Such meeting is imbued with beauty, imparts tensility and strength, cleanses the soul, imparts perspective and gives grace. It develops spiritual life.
Character develops, and this, then, is no mere ornament, but something functional, drawing nearer to God, and hence to co-operative readiness for HIM. IF HE is your desire, her opportunity to grow in His knowledge; as if your father took you in a canoe down the roaring rapids. Provided you trust him, there is a certain joy and adventure in the privilege of seeing HIM do it! 'WITHOUT ME,' said Jesus,
'YOU CAN DO NOTHING!' Yes, but WITH and THROUGH HIM, says Paul,'I CAN DO ALL THINGS' ! (John 15:5, Philippians 4:13).
Often, in prayer, if things may seem too much, at first, it may surprise you to find how few the items really are: often, just the sight of them written in note form encourages you to pray them into the ground.
Ask wisdom; repent where this is applicable (e.g. for not asking earlier and letting things develop far too much before consulting with God with any edequate sort of energy, thoroughness and address). Ask. Believe. If anything, interferes with your WALK in Christ, in holiness and obedience and love of truth, then claim Mark 11:23, for example. The "mountain", if identified, may be moved by faith. Arrested development or contested holiness, it is one. If it wrong, it can be moved, if it impedes holiness, it can be moved. Why is this ? It is because holiness is REQUIRED, and SIN is to be dismised, that is why.
What is here a "mountain" ? It is anything which would block your walk, your right results in the Lord, and for Him.
It may be INSIDE or it may be OUTSIDE. Greet
temptation with the boot! James 4:7, without indulgence in the face of the
divine reality of God Himself, who makes its slumminess apparent by contrast: I
Peter 1:6-9. Appeal in prayer to Christ when the devil calls, and never receive
his card; rather hand him over to your Master - he hasn't a hope then (I Peter
3-9); and this sort of conduct, brings steadfast strength
(I Peter 5:10). Indeed, consider with relish, the situation in Colossians 2:15,
and appropriate the power, sacking the invader with all his deceit and devious
skills.
Look to Christ who has borne and yielded Himself as target for the power and price of sin ( Isaiah 53:6); look to Him, recall your sin slashing onto Him, willingly accepted but viciously destructive (Isaiah 53:6, 52:14), and trust Him, allowing His power and peace to provide and prevail. The battle is in the end, not yours but the Lord's (II Chronicles 20:15). As General, He has the capacity to GRANT you the victory: so wait on Him for it. Look to Him and not the temptation; rather render it to Him. Fix your spiritual eyes on Him after battle, rest IN Him. Don't be afraid to 'agonise' in prayer. That there is nothing abnormal in this, you see from the labour and pangs of Christ at Gethsemane (Luke 22:44).
What IS abnormal is that half-dead comedy so many
seem to like, fooling with faith, instead of pressing on to prevailing in
prayer. Nor are you alone, even in this as we saw in Romans 8:26-27 (cf. Isaiah
7:10- 13). The Spirit of God Himself labours and travails in the interstices of
believing prayer, apparently rendering to the Father, the thrust.
Remember, without faith, you CANNOT please God; WITH faith, you can move mountains. THAT is the difference.
Consider also the peace in prayer that prevails. Philippians 4:6 means (literally) that God's peace will 'garrison' your heart. Ponder the extensiveness of prayer ( Psalm 62:8) : POUR OUT YOUR HEART TO HIM AT ALL TIMES ...Do not forget the NEED for prayer (James 4:2). Blessed is the son, the daughter, who knows these things, and does them.
People, as James shows, often want what they should not, and fight for it; instead of asking what God He wants at the first, and by faith grasping it (cf. Philippians 3:13).
Prayer should be both extensive and intensive: Ephesians 6:18 (bold added):
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"PRAYING ALWAYS |
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WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION IN THE SPIRIT, |
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BEING WATCHFUL TO THIS END WITH ALL PERSEVERANCE AND SUPPLICATION |
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FOR ALL THE SAINTS ... " |
Realise that God deeply desires you to pray: John 16:24 ( cf. 14:12-14, Matthew 18:19). Notice the kindly energy and appeal in Christ's words there. Since then God commands you to do this, never let yourself be deluded into thinking it something humble NOT to ask!
Can you see that this would not be humility ... but rebellion ?
Consider the pressure of prayer: ASK... SEEK ( harder), KNOCK (really seek with all your heart, with enterprise and deliberate expectation): Matthew 7:24-27. KNOW the scriptures (John 15:7), so that you may know the will of the Lord: this helps you to ask rightly. Abandon lesser things, and act in and for the Lord, and so does He reply (Romans 12:1-2), that you may know the "good and perfect ... will of God."
Ask yourself such questions as these: Am I asking and working more and more basically for :
i) myself;
ii) my wife or husband or children;
iii) my job;
iv) my legitimate pleasures -
or FOR THE LORD?
What you sow, you reap. DO you want to be one more half-cooked cake (Hosea 7:8) ? They don't even taste nice, or if you have any appeal, you are likely to suffer later. Let the matters be 'turned' rightly.
Another aspect of prayer is this: its atmosphere (Ephesians 3:14-21). Notice how love and filling "with all the fulness of God" (verse 19) comes before verse 20 which refers power and prevailing in prayer. With this appears the CONTINUITY of prayer: Ephesians 1:15-16, 6:18. Some prayers for developments are marvellously answered, years later. Urgent prayers need the faith to construe the time realistically. Not all things, however, are urgent to a wise patience and sometimes a matter if left to add lustre to your spiritual grace, not satisfaction to your personal hopes (as in II Corinthians 12, most dramatically with Paul). In these case, the PERSONAL equation, the needs of the individual in the sight of God are specific and the result is as particular as a cheque. NOTHING is ever withheld, asked for in faith, necessary for godliness (II Peter 1:3ff.).
Remember certain kinds of prayer: adoration (not
as a form but as a movement of your spirit), praise petition, intercession ( for
others - you come to God for them, in Christ), thanksgiving (a good review of
past mercies, Philippians 4:6, and consider in depth both Daniel 9 and Nehemiah
9 here), confession
(I John 1:7-9,2:1, Daniel 9, Psalm
51) and deep worship before your abundantly wonderful Creator and Saviour. To pray
is not mere monologue, so the Christian learns to wait heavily on God (Psalm
7:9-17). In the process, it is found as the word of God says, there is a
strengthening, and what an arising the Lord can give to the saddened or
exhausted heart:
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"THOSE WHO WAIT
UPON THE LORD SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH. THEY SHALL MOUNT UP WITH WINGS, AS EAGLES, THEY SHALL RUN AND NOT BE WEARY, THEY SHALL WALK AND NOT FAINT" ( Isaiah 40:31). |
Often, you may gain vision of need, or a call of some kind, or details which God desires of you, work, development or action: in prayer. "Test all things"! (I Thessalonians 5:19-21). If you feel moved towards a given action, test it always by Scripture; but as you keep yourselves near, so too He ill keep you clear: "DRAW NEAR TO GOD AND HE WILL DRAW NEAR TO YOU" (James 4:8).
In the last analysis, always ask for what conforms to Scripture, knowing that if you ask anything according to His will, you have it (1 John 5:14-15), if asking in faith: therefore ask also in faith, first putting your desires through the sieve of spirituality and godliness, according to His word. Seek wisdom in the sure conviction it will come; and you must be clear it is so, before you act; trusting, it will be with you, by the time you need it: for God is a God of order (I Cor.14:40, Hebrews 11:6).
Therefore, in acting, just like starting your car before moving, activate your realisation of the power of God to and through you in Christ (Philippians 4:13, Ephesians 1:19). Seek to bear much fruit (John 15:8) as a purpose, without straining on the vine, as it were, as a method. Thus don't seek glamours gifts, seek sufficient service, don't be preoccupied with 'what have I got!', but rather seek the Lord in love, 'How can I serve you!' The way you can serve, requires what it takes, and this of course He will give.
ABIDE in Him.
Reflect that God has indeed given you, apart from
24 hours in each day, ONE WHOLE DAY,
Sunday, in which you can further specialise
in meditation, communion and prayer with the Lord, entering the 'power house',
resting from the flurry of everyday events. On this day, there is provided not
only marked opportunity for the strengthening of your spiritual frame, but of
respite for your mental and physical frame. Let the 'batteries' take in; wait
upon, rest in the Lord in the beauty of holiness (Psalm 27): not INSTEAD of godly living,
but with it.
The day of rest is not an alternative to a spiritual restfulness in the Lord, but a specific commandment right from Exodus 20, based on the past, on creation, which cannot change, and the rest the saints always enjoyed (cf. Psalm 116:7, I Kings 19:11-18, Psalm 32, Isaiah 63:14), is not obtained the better by rank disobedience about one day which is designated that of rest, which has its own specific functions for the prevailing of rest, and of worship, knowledge and honour for and to the Lord!
This day, Sunday, is a holy and God-given way, day of intensifying and amplifying and consolidating life in the Lord. See this area, Isaiah 58:13-14,where God Himself lays it down, in spiritual terms, so augmenting the simpler directive of Exodus 20, developing the theme and the promise that goe with it! While you will find in Him, your own way of doing THESE things, your own specific modules and modes of rest, and gaining these objectives which Isaiah transmits, by all means PLAN to rest from your professional labours one day in seven, and do not regard Sunday as funday.
Rest day, refreshment day, relaxation day, freedom from wage-earning day, freedom from normal professional duties day, day of fellowship and advance in the Lord, yes, but not labour day! and not pleasure for me day! The Lord's day does not mean my day; though, to be sure, it DOES mean a day mercifully provided FOR you and your actual needs in body, mind and spirit, by the Lord.
In honouring Him on it, you are looking to the Leader in love (Isaiah 55:4), not to the fulfilment of mere indulgence. But again, it is a REST day, and rest is its spirit as Isaiah makes so clear: and rest is other than endless business. If merciful works offer, not your ordinary work, visiting sick, helping the young, caring in some way for the aged, then love leaps. Yet do not abuse the day, as if it were to be dragooned into such things, but rather resting in the Lord, accept what comes in service, amid the rest of recuperation and spiritual energising.
Was anyone who loved anyone else ever slow to take advantage of an opportunity to further acquaintance and dwell more richly with the loved one ? Is the LORD's day in some way obscure, then ?
On this day, also, public prayer is greatly encouraged, and it was after the resurrection on a Sunday that the Lord appearing in their midst, worship began in the New Covenant, post‑resurrection church. The NEW WORK, the crucifixion of the Lamb, being finished, and added to the work of Creation, there was now at last a REST and a WORSHIP, following the work of redemption. They could relax in the visual certainty of the resurrection, the demolition of death as a final judgment, the authentication of the Christ, the presence of His merciful friendliness, and magnificent teaching. He was there WITH THEM, in the upper room!
NOW is the time to rejoice (as far as any day is special) that it is finished. Christ, we read, was delivered up for our offences and raised up (authenticating His righteous claims) for our justification. This is that day. It is not some day, some day that appeals to some, and as such for them legitimate in a private manner (as in Romans 14:1ff.). ONLY ONE DAY however in the New Testament is REQUIRED for special treatment, and that, not surprisingly is the LORD's day, for as to Him, He is not some private matter merely, but LORD OF ALL! Nothing of fulfilment is in this special reference BACK to how we were made by HIM, and what He requires.
His rest was always with His own, and will always continue to be. To wrest His rest for restless conceits is folly! He has SPOKEN. Let it be done. The sanctity of being regularly serviced, and giving regular time in a QUIET and unpushed way, on a given day, in a certain cycle, it is most blessed, and shows that you do not wish to harry the Lord into YOUR modes of operation, but are rather content to follow HIS STATED ones.
Thus we have traced something of the day of rest, and shall return to this, but it has been also placed here, since in prayer, the spiritual health which the day of the Lord engenders, is like vitamins, and the omission can have large effects. But let us return to look more broadly at the various aspects in view, for prayer.
Not merely on the day but on any day, Christianity is focussed quite sharply on the resurrection, that grand display of the power and love of God, in which we rest. It encourages prayer, just as the rest normally afforded provides for it.
In sum, then: note
i) You are COMMANDED to ask ‑ God loves it because He as you,
and loves to provide His people with their necessary means for purposes
(John 16:24, Matthew 7:7‑8 ‑ and remember Martin Luther who is reputed to have said
that he was becoming so busy, that now he had to pray 2 hours but 3 hours daily!).
Spiritual work means spiritual processing, which implies prayer.
ii) You are apt to be beggared in the best or necessary things if you do not ask (James 4:2);
and then to resent and envy and fight;
iii) Spread your horizons in prayer ‑ Ephesians 6:18, and
iv) wait on the Lord that you pray 'in the Spirit'.
v) Pray so soon and so early that one could, as it were, tell that you had held it vital
to act in faith.
Proverbs 8:34 shows need of an early dynamic drive, in prayer: act your faith;
see also Jeremiah 29:12‑13. Move mountains, change your spiritual geology and ...
v) Be persistent in spirit (Luke 18:1‑8);
vi) Be penitent (Isaiah 66:2,Luke 18:9 ff.), for who of us is nearly perfect! and even self-congratulation is likely to be twisted by pride, ignorance or superficiality: humble yourself not for form's sake, but for the sake of FACT! At the same time, this is by no means excuse for persevering with any KNOWN sin! Look at Paul wrestling and prevailing, though it cost much
(II Corinthians 12:7, I Corinthians 9:27), yes and if you do not do it, the Lord may.
Seek understanding in all of this, and note how Paul was quick
(relatively, over a dynamic interlude) to find the meaning of a given discipline
(II Corinthians 12:7ff.).
vii) Thank God for particular and wider results in the past (Philippians 4:6)
and recognise that HE DID IT ( Luke 17:10)‑ thus understand the force of the song,
To God be the Glory. Keep this as liquid, a mobile realisation in your spirit.
viii) Be thorough (Psalm 62:8) ‑cf. Philippians 4:6, and don't be ashamed or afraid of details!
Details matter: Don't let them blind you to the main issues, yet don't neglect bringing them
for God's answer and provision. It is not, as such, HUMBLE to be FRUSTRATED
and CONFUSED. Do not "despise the day of small things" (Zechariah 4:10)
Clarify in the Lord and in His word, your motives and objectives and if you are sure
it is your call and required of you, then move mountains (Mark 11:23-24); and seek lovingly the Father's face:
He will not forget to remember (Isaiah 49:16ff., where the character of the love of God,
who IS love, is to be seen cf. Ephesians 3:16ff., Romans 8:32ff.).
ix) In fact, sometimes when your urgent need presses you KNOCK and urgently seek a
that the door IS opened. Sometimes there is need you can meet, an oppression relieve:
if so, consider Isaiah 58:6 ff. and note the intimate promises of divine aid as you do it IN HIS NAME: Isaiah 58:10‑11. Do not err here, for it is crucial that you do such things in HIS name, and not that of the UN, the WCC or the local mayor. HIS is the power and HIS is the glory, and it is to HIM that men must seek, so help them by ACTING in the name which is above every name not only in dignity, but in power and function, purity and drive for holiness.
x) Don't forget the Acts of the Apostles 2:46,4:23 ff.:
Be prepared to PRAY TOGETHER when you WORK TOGETHER in spiritual things; not merely formally, but functionally, seeking spiritual things to do for the Lord you love. And don't forget to BE! Being beautiful in holiness, able to control yourself (better than taking a city - Proverbs 16:32), filled with goodness, agile in faith helps others to see something that speaks even without words; though the special need to do EVERYTHING in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ makes it clear in the end (Colossians 3:17), from what source it all comes. As to Proverbs, meditate on this:"He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."
There is much blessedness in such prayer‑andpractice-programs, where you seek specific ends and these processed, NEXT proceed in pursuit of the end assigned by the Lord. Stepping stone praying, it could be called, but the river to be crossed should be one appointed by the Lord! Remember Joshua and how it began, first in faithfulness, and then in commission, the power required be according to the work ASSIGNED by the LORD! (Numbers 14:6ff., Joshua 1:2ff, with 5:13-15). Recall that God honours His servants moving in concert from knees to feet. Persist also in public prayer for wider and crucial spiritual needs, if God leads: from this, revival has been known to come. Remember with reverence strength, Matthew 18:19, John 15:7. For all that, do not be inclined to depend on on prayer with others, however, good though it be; depend on the Lord.
Prayer is not a substitute for faith:
and its milieu is not a deterrent, but a mode of it!
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15. SANCTITY AND PRAYER, SUFFERING AND SERVICE
Before we proceed to the study of Scripture in the Christian's life, let select some strong points also concerning ways in which God may deal with you, discipline you or bless you, as He sanctifies you.
i) The Lord may inspire you - Ephesians 1:15-18, Colossians 1:9-13. Do not be afraid of drawing near to God. Consider all the Old Testament saints, those who truly believe and have faith in the Lord's Christ, in accord with Scripture (cf. Ephesians 1:1-2, Philippians 1:1-2). Remember your heritage, your name in the Lord, and the grand opportunity to be what you are called, by His grace who does not play games with words, but works His will (cf. Philippians 2:12-13).
Read Hebrews 11 to recall the close work of the saints, with the Lord.
Never 'pass the buck' with sainthood. For the Christian, it is your place, and so act: do not leave it to others, as this is not humility but slackness. HIS is the glory, that He makes of His children, children of light. Bathe in that light, be filled with it, rejoice in it: in that you see!
ii) The Lord may stretch you (desperation): II Corinthians 1:8-10. In this way, you may be made more like drawn and tempered steel by some hot and painful suffering (I Peter 1:6-9, 4:12-17). Notice how Paul through this was delivered from danger of trusting in himself
(unconsciously). This can easily begin to happen, JUST WHEN THE LORD HAS BEEN GOOD TO YOU, and you forget ... to thank Him !iii) The Lord may 'cauterise' you. Sometimes a doctor cauterises or burns some defect in your body: so in spiritual things, you may be sanctified through a sort of spiritual burning , or fire which tries and tests and away the second rate in you - I Peter 1:6-8. Don't be upset, says I Peter in Ch. 4, do not lose heart at the fiery ordeal or trial which tests you so hard: brothers will know all about it too. That is the Lord's message through Peter here: and how wonderful is His working in supplying the inspiration for His people, in His word (I Peter 1:10ff., II Peter 1:16ff., I Cor. 2:9-13, Ephesians 2:20ff.)
If, after all, you serve God, then you annoy the devil, and you must learn to lean on the Master's keeping power (guaranteed as we have seen, to the Christian), to resist him, as first, in the Master's light, to detect him... often disguised as 'an angel of light' (II Cor.11:14-15) - he often can seem religious and nice, perhaps even 'charming'; but in Christ, you oust and demolish his approches Him (as you might those of a platoon, using nuclear weapons: God is utterly omnipotent!).
As you reach through by faith to Him, this HE does THROUGH Christ: you can do all things godly that are needed (Philippians 4:13). Says Paul, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" Kept clean by His blood and constant by His faithfulness - even if in your own unfaithfulness you may have slipped (II Timothy 2:13), you can gain from Him this deliverance. If you slip, remember Psalm 51, and looking at David, recall that this was a SINGLE as well as a singular occasion! How bitterly he repented, how exuberantly and passionately he rejoiced in his forgiveness, and how he prized the Lord's mercy, as shown in this Psalm. Moreover, how he was taught to be tender, by the disasters which struck with Absolam and others.
How delightful it would have been if he ... had not fallen, if only in singular fashion, on that one occasion! Thus does the Lord indicate to him through Nathan in memorable words (II Samuel 12:7-8). How we should seek both for ourselves and our spiritual companions, that such falls be avoided, seeking and exhorting one another, and that "so much the more as you see the Day approaching", seeking for the best outcome for all, in love and delight
(Hebrews 10:25) and not forsaking gathering together. This, it facilitates such mutual concern and joy, as well as order, awareness and concerted team-work.Remember: it is never too late, so never say, Oh well, why worry! For with God ALL things are possible (Matthew 19:26). NOTHING baulks Him; HE is committed to your leading and pastoral protection. HIS hands are most skilful - (Psalm 78:72).
iv) The Lord may prune you - John 15:2. 'Sports', freakish growths not of Himself, mere wild bundles of botanical energy, yet springing up in His midst: these He will remove: but as for the genuine Christian - who is not left an orphan by the Holy Spirit, who is part of tree or vine: such a one, He may be cut back, or reshape for some purpose, and this may hurt! But is it not better to be shaped for service in the garden of Lord, than to be a refractory, self-willed bush that meets only its own specifications ?
When it is done, indeed while it is being done, recall that God is good, that His discipline is not a willing, far less a wilful subjection of man to pain. HE "does not willingly afflict the children of men" - Lamentations 3:33: for they are the creation of Him who needs nothing, but does require a humble and a contrite heart (Isaiah 66:2, Psalm 51), not the corrosive pretensions of impure personalities.
Trust Him for the grandeur of His design, and seek actively to work with Him, with joy. With God, and God alone, there is nothing to fear here: it is HE who gave to individuality its significance, and knows entirely how to use it, bringing it to fruition with a deft skill.
If God disciplines you as child of His, it is because He cared. Undisciplined children, He says in Hebrews, are they not as illegitmates! (Hebrews 12:8). With God, there are NO illegitimate (spiritual) children. Those who are His children are brought up as such.
There is of course such a thing in ordinary human life as bad discipline ( Hebrews 12:7-8); but this is not so with God. If you ever put up with anything, then endure God's discipline (Hebrews 12:7-8); for it will indeed tend to be the very making of you, God's way. Recall that His discipline is not mere punishment, but it includes correction (as by a tennis coach if your stroke is wrong), encouragement, tenderness, concern, solicitude, exercise for advance, and in a word 'child training' which the Greek term in Hebrews 12:8 means, with all its components. It is in love and it is borne to create good in those born of Him - borne to you, born by you who were born from Him (Hebrews 12:11).
In all this, Christ understands, as a brother, perfectly and sympathetically just what He is doing! (Hebrews 4:15-16, 2-17). Look at the distinguished grace, yes and distinguishing grace of the way in which He dealt with Peter after a particularly nasty decline and fall in the great apostle, in one difficult night, in which confusion appears to have followed correction, when he sought to do what the papacy has done so often, use military means to secure spiritual results. The sharp correction from Christ, Peter received, just as Romanism wallowed in it for centuries, being illegitimate (cf. SMR pp. 1032-1088H).
ONE LOOK sufficed, when given by the Lord on His way to being condemned and then later crucified, to bring Peter to bitter tears of self-reproach (cf. Luke 22:54-62). Then the Lord appeared early to Peter, on the resurrection day, in a private way (cf. I Corinthians 15:5), even before doing so to the rest of the 12 (in their due season). Later, in that delicious interview recorded in John 21, Christ searchingly asked Peter concerning his love for Him, as LORD, and Peter replied three times, just as he had denied his Lord three times on the fateful night of the arrest of Christ! How tenderly the Lord re-appointed the fallen apostle, or rather, secured the transition from disciple to apostle. Such discipline is delight, like the setting of a broken arm: if a little painful, yet what prodigious blessing is inherent in the kindness of it all, from the Lord.
Do not forget: you are pruned so that you may produce MORE FRUIT. More of God's life in you is worth it over and above!
v) The Lord may contest things in you, and show things up to you, inwardly. Sometimes this may take a battle for you to admit it, and indeed see it in its proper light. But when the war is over, and you are clean - God can really and rightly draw your soul to an abiding rest in joy and love - II Cor.3:6,13-18, Hebrews 4:9-11,Psalm 116:7-9, Psalm 37:1-4, Philippians 4:9. He is exceedingly generous (Psalm 103:1-6). Recall those remarkable words:
"Labour to enter into your rest" , and "There is a rest which remains for the people God",
in Hebrews 4.vi) In all this, we way expect growth - II Peter 3:18, 1:4-9, Philippians 3:10-14. Observe that though Paul is striving upwards (sanctification), he is all the time secure
(justification) - so that right after saying Philippians 3:11-13, he goes on with full assurance to speak of his certain destiny in God's overcoming power, as in Philippians 3:2-21).
In this way, all at once, for the believer, together, there is theASPIRATION for conformity to Christ, yearning to the heights; there is
ACTUALISATION of his/her place IN Christ in the process, the
REALISATION of SANCTIFICATION as he proceeds with the
ASSURANCE of the result in destiny in consummation.
Reality is like that: you can divide it into many facets or phases; but it functions in its own wonder, and it needs understanding, not preliminary prescription!
Thus you have
delight without complacency ("REJOICE WITH TREMBLING" - Psalm 2:11), wrestling followed by rest, aspiration along with security, adventure along with actuality. Your life is secure, as a Christian but it is very much ... a lively thing in the presence of its originator and Redeemer! (cf. John 10:10).
For the one not yet a Christian, since yesterday did not see your new birth, let it be today!
(I Corinthians 6:1ff.).
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On this topic of suffering, in relationship to service, see also |
The Power of Christ's Resurrection and the Fellowship of His Sufferings.
On Job, within that, see Chs. 3-6.
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On suffering more broadly, see |
Pain,
Suffering, Evil under News 55,
in Scoop of the Universe, and SMR p.
95.