Nov 1st, 2023 Devotional from Isaiah 26:12

" O YAHWEH, you will ordain shalom for us,

for you have indeed done for us all our works."

(Based on Isa 26:12 ESV)

 

God did all our works!

Which works? Whether they are works done for or in us, they are our works. My understanding of this verse is that God did all the good works we ought to have done for us through Messiah, about whom Isaiah prophesied extensively. Surely God worked the good things we've done in us (as some translations and commentators emphasize), but I don't think that's mainly in view here. After all, the ground for our God-ordained shalom is not grace-enabled works done by us, but the finished work of Christ on our behalf, which is a fitting theme just after Reformation Day.

God the Son took on human flesh in Jesus Christ, who did perfect works and took the punishment we deserve for our evil works. The true human was marred beyond human recognition (Isa 52:14). Because of the substitutionary atonement at Calvary, by faith we receive the imputed righteousness of Jesus' active obedience (Rom 5:19). God united us with Christ when we repented of all our works and counted it all as loss for the sake of treasuring Christ (Phil 3:8). We're not just pretending to be righteous in God's sight, unless we're pretending to be one with Christ. Everything we have is in Him.

So also when we look back on the good works we did, we can say with the Apostle Paul, "it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me" (1 Cor 15:10b). The active obedience of Christ, the imputation of Christ's righteousness and the resulting grace for obedience are all related and glorious works of God. Therefore as I wait to fly out next week to the ministry to which I believe God has called me, I have hope for the future Shalom of YAHWEH. 

I can't predict exactly what will happen in this next season but I expect:

Persecution (2 Tim 3:12)

Spiritual attack (1 Pet 5:8-9)

Feeling stuck (2 Cor 1:8-9)

Temptation (Lk 17:1, 1 Cor 10:13)

Trouble and Trials (Jn 16:33, 1 Pet 4:12)

Sin (Jas 3:2a, 1 Jn 1:8, Phil 3:12)

I also expect:

The Presence of Jesus Christ (Matt 28:20)

God's continued Goodness to me (Jer 32:40)

Abundant, sufficient Grace for every good work (2 Cor 9:8)

Provision for all my needs according to God's riches in Christ (Phil 4:19)

The Joy of Jesus in me (Jn 15:11)

New Mercy for new failures (1 Jn 1:9, Heb 4:16)

Whose Kindness?

Everyone experiences God's kindness in some way, but only some are led to repentance by it. But Rom 2:4b says "God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance." Or it could be phrased "God's kindness drives, or guides, or moves you to repentance."

So why if God's kindness leads to repentance doesn't everyone repent? Because their hearts are hardened and they haven't been granted repentance (2 Tim 2:25). 

If someone were to say, "I never tell people to repent, because God's kindness leads us to repentance," then they misunderstand both. God is more kind to that person already than they will ever be, but if they don't repent, God is simultaneously going to be more and more angry with them, which is called wrath. Repentance is not just a response to God's kindness, it's a response to our sinfulness and our sinful presumption upon God's kindness.

If it really is God's kindness that leads someone to repentance, you should be telling that person how God Himself is kind to them, not just how you are kind to them with your friendly demeanor. And how is God kind to them? By doing good to them in spite of their sin. First and foremost by sending Jesus to atone for the sins of the world at the Cross. So the kindness that leads to repentance is the Gospel, prophesied in the scriptures, fulfilled by Jesus Christ and preached by His disciples in all the world. Without the Gospel, it is some other kindness, some other god, some other repentance, and no salvation. How should the Gospel be preached? With power, the Holy Spirit, full conviction, godly living and joy (1 Thess 1:5-6). In 2 Cor 6:6 Paul says he preached the Gospel by "purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love." Surely it does matter how the Gospel is preached, but kindness without the content about Christ can't save. 

God speaks a Word of Grace to us and through us. The Word and Grace are closely related. Grace is God's nature and the Word reveals Grace. The Word is trustworthy, powerful and active and Grace grants us the Word. God's Word of Grace to us in the Gospel is a profound revelation of who God is. 

God is. Which seems more real and tangible to you, God's Word or God's Grace? You wouldn't have a Bible if it wasn't for God's Grace to you, but you wouldn't know what Grace is without God speaking about it in the Bible. Jesus is the incarnation of the Word and the pure manifestation of God's Grace. God's Grace in Creation and Redemption is Word-based, both times, and God's Word in Creation and Redemption is Grace-based, both times. I hope I've made the point by now.

Who are God's People?

    None of us chose our parents. We didn't choose the time or place of our birth or our
native language and culture with its strengths and flaws. If you were born into a rich family, you enjoyed material benefits that poor families couldn't offer. If you were born with godly parents, you enjoyed good parenting that wicked, abusive parents couldn't offer. This may seem unfair to modern sensibilities. All people are created equal, right? Doesn't it follow that we should all enjoy the same amount of wealth? Such an outcome is not possible here and not even promised in heaven (e.g. Mk 4:20).

    God did not make some people less human than others. We all bear His image, which makes degrading someone an offense against God Himself. But God gave us different bodies, personalities and skills. The Fall makes everything worse, but it's not like all differences are because of the Fall. Due to a combination of innate skillset and the interests I pursued, I will never be a professional athlete. That does not make me less human or inferior to professional athletes. We should not focus so much on things out of our control, such as talents we don't have or missed opportunities. Instead we should be thankful for the talents God has given us and the opportunities we have, and focus on what we can control as a stewardship from the Lord.

    We see contemporary movements that promise to give all the benefits of full societal inclusion to historically marginalized groups. They claim that the privileges enjoyed by some are unfair advantages invisible to those who have them, but that through activism everything can be equalized. Without question, some people are born into a more socially connected, wealthy, safe and productive environment. But are all of these factors reducible to secular concepts like class, race, neighborhood and educational opportunities? There's a spiritual factor that can be hard to measure. How does having Christian parents affect someone's opportunities in life? How could becoming a believer affect someone's place in society? Historically most Americans called themselves Christians, which carried some social benefit, but what about the psychological benefits of Christian practice to mental health, relational success and productivity? Such benefits are real, but with Paul we regard them as worthless for the sake of knowing Christ (Phil 3:8). In order to gain Christ, we put no confidence in our moralistic values, but only the righteousness of God which comes through faith. That spiritual reality is indispensable, but modern empiricism can't quantify it. Scientists can’t dissect a Christian and find a physical trait that makes him godly or regenerate. Even so, what a great thing it is when God moves in a society to bring spiritual awakening and individual hearts are converted to Christ, so that they belong to the Kingdom of God and have supernatural power to kill sin and grow in holiness.

    The Apostle Peter calls believers a Chosen Race (1 Pet 2:9). Does being part of this race come with privileges? Of course. These are not like the privileges that majority culture “Whites” had in the Jim Crow South, or even the privileges offered by the Nation of Islam or Hebrew Israelite groups. Peter calls the Church, "a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Pet 2:9). He goes on to say that unbelievers will see our good deeds and glorify God (v. 12). He says that we should be subject to earthly rulers (v. 13), not start a revolution to forcibly make this chosen race the ruling class. No, instead we silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good (v. 15). We live as free people, and also as servants of God (v. 16). We didn't get our freedom by serving ourselves. Nor did we earn it by works of the law. We got it because God chose us and bought us with the blood of Christ.

    The greatest privilege is salvation. Peter, the same Apostle who calls us a Chosen Race, preached in Acts 2:21, "Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." This privilege is not obtained by growing up in a Christian home or being the smartest theologian, it's obtained by faith in the Gospel and calling upon the Lord. We will never fully comprehend how privileged we are in Christ, and we should not be surprised that the sorrows of those who go after other gods multiply (Ps 16:4). Unbelievers want all the benefits of a relationship with Christ, but they don't truly want Christ. They don't want to repent, surrender their lives to Him and treasure Him supremely. The Bible records many examples of people who wanted blessings from God as a supplement to their idolatry. We should instead be like Hannah, who wanted nothing more in the world than a son, but offered him up to God for lifelong service (1 Sam 1:11). The privileges we enjoy in this life as Christians should not be hoarded, but wisely stewarded and cheerfully sacrificed for the advancement of God's Kingdom. This will be a powerful sign to unbelievers that we have something more valuable than any worldly privilege: we have Christ.

The Local Church as a Forward Operating Base

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matt 16:18 ESV

"Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him." 2 Tim 2:3-4

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." Matt 10:34

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." 1 John 5:4

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Rom 8:37

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Cor 15:57

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere." 2 Cor 2:14

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ." 2 Cor 10:3-5

"And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, 'Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death." Rev 12:10-11

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." Eph 4:11-14

"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." 1 Tim 6:12

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." 1 Pet 5:8

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints," Eph 6:10-18

Military bases have defensive structures like walls and guard towers. They have training to improve defensive tactics. They have weapons for base defense, and for making advances in nearby battlefronts. Their goal is to stay free, stand firm and never grow complacent but stay alert. A forward operating base is a place to prepare for attacks to take strongholds, conquer the enemy, overcome opposition and claim the victory.

The local church should be a place that's too stressful for someone who is not at war, while at the same time being too peaceful for someone headed to the front line. Should the church be a place mainly for getting lots of work done? Not mainly, just like a forward operating base is not mainly for working, but for preparing to work and recovering from work. The church needs to be a place for discipleship, where disciple-makers are making disciple-making disciple makers. So "train the trainer" is a good parallel between the military and church. Sometimes the most efficient way to train soldiers is to bring only their leaders to a training course, and then have the leaders pass on what they learned to their soldiers. Sure, each soldier may have access to training materials, but teaching is the most interactive, hands-on way for leaders and soldiers to train, and it also builds relationship and camaraderie.

Personally, I like telling people what to do sometimes because it makes me feel important. That reveals some of my own pride. How can I teach people in a way that doesn't just make me feel good about myself, but prepares them to teach others? That's part of what the church should do.

Why is the forward operating base a good way to think about a local church? Because it's not in heaven, but it's not in hell either. It's in a fallen world, with unbelievers walking past the building (or any house church meetings or small group meetings) and living nearby. In an important sense, a local church is behind enemy lines, set up in a place that's hostile to God's purpose of glorifying Himself. There may be no one attacking the church service, or its members, but they are sinning against God and helping others do so every day. Unbelievers in the area are enemies of God according to the bible, but those whom God will save if they call upon Jesus truly.

Is the local church heaven on earth, or a base of operations, or maybe both? I'll have to think more about this question.

Trust and Thank your Father in Heaven for Promises and Gifts

 In James 1:12-18, James tells us:

• The one who endures trials for the love of God will receive the promised crown of life
• God is neither tempted nor tempter to sin
• The sinful nature of humans causes sinful desire, action and demise
• We could be tricked into thinking Father made us to sin or made us for sin
• Instead we must remember that Father only gives good and perfect gifts, infallibly
• The purpose of God's gifts is to give us life and bring us forth as new creatures

The promises of God are to be trusted and the gifts of God are to be received with gratitude. Then again, the promises of God are to be received with gratitude, and the gifts of God are things for which to trust God. The crown of life is a future gift, a promise. The good and perfect gifts are present tense; we are receiving them now. The bringing forth of us by the will of God and the word of truth is past tense. So we can interweave God's saving work with our past failures, God's gifts with our present needs, and God's promises with our anxieties about the future. Past failures, present needs and anxieties about the future leave us weak and vulnerable to temptation, which would lure and entice us to conceive sin. But it is the Grace of God, which we must rejoice in and trust, that strengthens us to resist the Flesh, the World and the Devil.

I've been learning that the Grace of God is not just a remedy for past or present sins, but it is spiritually nutritious. Receiving God's Grace brings us closer to Him, makes us love Him more, makes us treasure Him and rejoice in Him. It's not just like taking an ibuprofen. So the reason to avail ourselves of the means of Grace (Word, Prayer and Fellowship) is not just because scripture demands it, but because it satisfies our souls in ways sin claims to but never can. It heals the vulnerabilities that we have to sin by exposing us better things. Instead of Grace just enabling us to sin more, it makes sin look as foolish and empty as it really is. 

God's Grace takes us from the anxious, dull roar of sinful desires that can make us feel like a hard drug addict in withdrawal, to feeling like "a weaned child," quiet, peaceful, well-rested, humble and free. This state of healing and wholeness is how life should feel all the time. A sanctified, holy person isn't someone who has shut down all their desires and lives inside a bubble of careful control. It's someone who walks about freely, with strong, passionate desires to love and do good, and to whom evil thoughts never occur. To be able to sit in silence, and only think about what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, excellent and worthy of praise, without thinking about what you're thinking about, that's freedom. 

Without the Grace of God, the Christian life would depend on us being constantly conscientious about everything we desire, think about, say and do to an impossible extent because any of it could totally ruin us. But knowing that we are covered by the Mercy and Grace of God frees us from this anxious state, so that we can walk by the Spirit and let our patterns of life be changed in ways we could never accomplish with a moralistic, conscientious approach.

One great way to receive Grace from God is to meditate on James 1:12-18 and pray through it, taking some notes about it.

A Meditation on the Nature of Sin

Prefatory comment: When God offers you something, always take it, because it's from Him.

"But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart,

and this defiles a person.

For out of the heart come

1. Evil thoughts (may be referring to the next six)

2. Murder (6th commandment)

3. Adultery (7th commandment)

4. Sexual immorality (7th commandment)

5. Theft (8th commandment)

6. False witness (9th commandment)

7. Slander (Related to 9th commandment)

These are what defile a person. (Defilement is and should be defined by God, not us)

But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

(Taken from Matthew 15:18-‬20 ESV)

"But each person is tempted

when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. (Our sinful hearts generate sinful desires)

Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, (Sinful desires bear the fruit of sin)

and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." (The end state, maturity of sin is death)

(Taken from James 1:14‭-‬15 ESV)

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? (These are sinful behaviors)

Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? (This is the sinful root)

You desire and do not have, so you murder. (Cause and effect, selfish desire, murderous intent)

You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. (Cause and effect, envy, fights)

You do not have, because you do not ask. (Prayerlessness leads to sinful desperation)

(Taken from James 4:1-2 ESV)

I take from these passages:

1. If God does not change my heart, then I will be powerless to stop my own sinful behaviors.

2. These sinful behaviors are not isolated incidents but part of a growth process that is leading somewhere. Every time I sin, it's helping me get better at sinning, become a better sinner, love sin more, delight in sin more, know sin on a deeper level. All of this is deadening my soul and if God does not intervene to sanctify me, it will lead to hell, the eternal torment of the second death.

3. On the flipside, godly behaviors are not isolated incidents but part of a growth process that is leading somewhere! Every time I do good, it's helping me get better at doing good, become a better child of God, love God more, delight in God more, know God on a deeper level. All of this is bringing my soul to life and if sin does not interrupt it, it will lead to heaven, the eternal pleasure of true unity with God.

4. When I argue and fight, it is not morally neutral, but it is animated and colored by the passions within me, my own discontentment, selfishness, envy and pride.

5. Discontentment, joylessness, lack of love for God in the life of a believer all lead to sin!

6. The answer to this "not having" is prayer and close fellowship with God. This is further explained later in James 4:5-10 (ESV):

"Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says,

'He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us'?

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. 

Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Be wretched and mourn and weep. 

Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you."

James describes for us the solution to our problem of selfishness, discontentment, envy and bitterness as believers. He tells us that God wants our hearts and He wants to be close to us, which is shocking given the sinful activities just described.

1. Submit yourself, humbling yourself, to God, in prayers of confession like Psalm 51.

2. Draw near to God with godly sorrow, confession, a contrite heart, wretchedness, mourning, weeping and gloom. 

3. In this humbling, receive the forgiveness in Christ (1 John 1:9).

4. The Lord will exalt you, by making you clean, pure and fruitful for His glory.

Salvation: Rescue and Strength God's Way

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [or repentance] and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. But you were unwilling. (Isaiah 30:15 ESV)

God gives His people counsel in the midst of desperate circumstances, in which victory, success and even survival seem impossible. Six key words are here:

Return to God [a footnote suggests Repentance]

We are immediately convicted of having strayed away from God. God knows our hearts and that we are quickly and easily prone to trust in ourselves for salvation. To return to God requires desperation and brokenness over our own sin. God is inviting us to return because there is nowhere else we can turn. No one else can save us. Biblical repentance in view of free justification from imputed righteousness is needed. An inward turning against self-hoping, self-saving and self-glorifying is needed. 

The first step to returning to God is to recognize, by the light of God's Word that we have turned away from God in our hearts. It's easy to become self-rationalizing and heart-hardening, in denial of our own coldness toward God and neglect of fellowship with Him. Break the denial, by the Word and the Spirit; open yourself to godly sorrow, and receive the Gospel meant to be applied to it.

Rest in God (the Son)

If we have practiced true repentance and thereby come close in fellowship with God, we must be able to rest in this state. To gratefully rest in the finished work of Christ on our behalf and use the divinely prescribed therapy of biblical meditation to comfort ourselves with the assurance of forgiveness and freedom. Having been cleansed in our consciences, we must stop any previous efforts to justify ourselves, or even efforts to display our gratitude toward God through good deeds. 

We come to Jesus with the empty hands of faith, trusting His promise that we will find rest for our souls. Resting in God brings Him glory, ministers to our souls and reflects the humility that is appropriate for His saints. There is no genius, no cleverness, no human feat here: Only throwing ourselves fully on the mercy of God, so that He will bear us up. For a deeper discussion of rest, study Hebrews chapter 3.

Be Saved by God

These conditions of returning and rest, which are very much related, are descriptive of what it looks like to receive God's salvation. We cannot rest without returning, and we cannot return without resting. If either one is absent, we are not receiving God's salvation, but a counterfeit. Think of this as a command because we are commanded to repent and believe the Gospel, which is how sinners are saved. All people are by nature salvation-seekers, but we usually seek it in things other than God.

To be saved by God in Jesus Christ is in a sense impossible, because we have no natural inclination toward Christ. But when the Holy Spirit regenerates us and turns us toward Christ, we find it simple to be converted. Alienation and wrath from a loving, all-powerful God is what we needed saving from all along. So to seek salvation apart from God is to misunderstand our condition completely. But in salvation we find our original purpose of dwelling with and glorifying God in Christ.

Be Quiet before God

What kind of quietness does God want us to be in? Should we sit in our own worries, shame and self-pity? Certainly not. The quietness that God counsels is conditioned by our returning and rest. We have entered into His presence by faith and we are now called to be patient in the broadest sense. To wait for God, knowing that our self-help impulses are Satan's jiu-jitsu to use our own fleshly weight against us. Salvation that comes from self-help is steering us further away from the healing, transforming presence of God. But the sin-battling salvation that comes in the midst of quietness and trust submits us to God. It is written in James 4:7 (ESV): "Submit yourselves therefore to God; resist the devil and he will flee from you." Don't keep an open mind to worldly solutions. Don't gossip about your relational struggles. Don't wallow in self-pity. Don't grumble against God. Don't browbeat yourself into being smarter and tougher with scolding words. Instead, be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to endure patiently in quiet faith.

Trust God

What does it mean to trust God? Does it mean, if I can't figure it out, He's Plan B? He's the backup, the way out if all else fails? Does it mean I have to expect things will turn out exactly how I want them to? Does it mean that I just have to wince and work up more trust in God somehow, so that I can make it?

As conditioned by the previous words, this trust is not just a Plan B, backup. It's not an expectancy that everything will turn out how I want. Trust God means stop leaning on your own understanding and acknowledge Him in all of your behaviors. Whatever happens, He is sovereign and He will work it for good according to His purposes, His definition of good. 

God is objectively trustworthy. It's not that our lack of trust stops God from rescuing us. God is often more interested in growing our trust than fixing our circumstances. Trust is simple but impossible, unless we have promises with content and the Holy Spirit's power. Trust is not an end in itself, as if God looks at us as either a truster or non-truster and His job is just to make us a truster and leave. Trust is a means of intimacy with God. If we trust Him, we let Him provide for our deepest needs, which is what we were made for. Trust is not loud, proud, busywork. It's quiet, humble resting in Christ. If we have not trusted God, we are fooling ourselves into thinking we can trust ourselves. But if we have trusted God, we can no longer pretend that we are capable of saving ourselves.

Be Strengthened by God

Let's not think of spiritual strength as instead of or in addition to salvation. Strength is an aspect of the full biblical concept of salvation. How do we receive God's strength? The Holy Spirit empowers us so that we experience the active, necessary and lifelong aspect of salvation called sanctification.

 Concluding Prayer:

Father in Heaven, grant by the Holy Spirit that we would continue to repent of our sins, trust you for forgiveness and freedom, quiet our anxieties and humbly find rest in Christ, so that as we are restored and strengthened by you, you would be thanked and glorified by us.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.