Luke 1:5-7, "In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statues of The Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years."
The chronology of these 3 verses struck me when I read them on Saturday night. I know I have read them before but for some reason - the Holy Spirit I would venture to guess - they especially caught my eye that night.
Luke, the writer of this Gospel, first tells us that both Zechariah and Elizabeth were "righteous before God" AND they were "walking blamelessly." Now, I am sure that this by no stretch means that this couple was perfect. As it is with every person in the Bible and in the world - save Jesus, of course - they had their sinful tendencies and struggles too. However, as King David is called a "man after God's own heart" - and yet he has many recorded accounts of his failures to trust and obey God - the key is not that Zechariah and Elizabeth were perfect. The key is that the pattern of their lives was one of godliness, obedience, and striving to live according to the law of God. If their lives had not been characterized overall by repentance, humility, and obedience, Luke would not have called these two fallen human beings "righteous" and "[blameless]."
So the point Luke makes to label these folks as people of God stood out to me especially in light of the next verse which starts off, "But they had no child [...]." Now I am sure there were many times that the barrenness of Elizabeth caused much sadness, questioning of God, and maybe even anger towards God. And yet this couple is still labeled as "righteousness" and "blameless." It would appear that, although this couple was probably sad to not have had any children, they trusted The Lord and looked to Him for their satisfaction instead of looking for satisfaction in the idea of having a child. They seemed to be known first and foremost by their character before God rather than their complaining about God not giving them the child they desired. They seem to have had their priorities in the right spot. They seemed to have God on the throne in their hearts rather than the desire for children on the throne of their hearts.
Now, as we know from the rest of the story, there is great rejoicing at the birth of John the Baptist. Even after Elizabeth finds out she's pregnant she says in verse 25, "'Thus The Lord has done for me, to take away my reproach among the people." This statement gives testimony to the fact that Elizabeth had at some point seen the state of being barren as something shameful - a common conception that we see throughout Scripture. However, her joy was not solely found in the fact that God FINALLY answered her prayer and gave her the son she was waiting for. It seems she had learned the long (and often painful) lesson of finding contentment in God alone.
God never promises He will give us exactly what we want. But He does promise that He will give us what is best for us - what He sees as best for us. Most times what WE think is best is not what God KNOWS is best. Our job, in the meantime, is to learn to be content with God alone. We are to give Him our desires so that He might purify them and refine them for His greatest glory. We are to seek to be righteousness before God and to be blameless before Him. That is is. We are not guaranteed anything else in life but His continual purifying work within us. It is my job to seek Him and to learn to be content with Him alone. He does not guarantee me the perfect job, a husband, a family, a perfect home, etc. He does, however, guarantee He will complete my sanctification (Philippians 1:6) That is what I need to be striving for; that is what I should be seeking after instead of worrying about the plans or ways of my life. God IS enough and will ALWAYS give me what is His best for me.
Monday, August 11, 2014
Friday, April 18, 2014
The Great Rescue (Quote from the book "Boy Meets Girl" by Joshua Harris)
I absolutely love this quote especially in light of meditating on Good Friday.
“What does Jesus’ death have to do with working through [sin]? How can a gruesome crucifixion that happened two thousand years ago help when [you are confronted with your sin] today?
The answer is that the Cross is God’s plan for freeing you from the guilt and punishment of your past sin. At the Cross we see both the depths of our depravity and the heights of God’s amazing love for us. We witness both the terrifying intensity of God’s just wrath for sin and His unspeakable mercy and love for sinners.
“What does Jesus’ death have to do with working through [sin]? How can a gruesome crucifixion that happened two thousand years ago help when [you are confronted with your sin] today?
The answer is that the Cross is God’s plan for freeing you from the guilt and punishment of your past sin. At the Cross we see both the depths of our depravity and the heights of God’s amazing love for us. We witness both the terrifying intensity of God’s just wrath for sin and His unspeakable mercy and love for sinners.
Why the Cross?
Because sinners have no other hope.
Why the Cross?
Because it is the unassailable proof that we can
be forgiven.
Let’s gaze on it together. As we draw close, don’t assume that you already know or understand what happened there. Come to the Cross as if for the first time. In the book When God Weeps, Steven Estes and Joni Eareckson Tada give the following account of Christ’s death. As you read, refuse to let the scene be familiar. Let its reality shock you and break your heart.
‘The face that Moses had begged to see—was forbidden to see—was slapped bloody (Exodus 33:19-20). The thorns that God had sent to curse the earth’s rebellion now twisted around his own brow...
‘On your back with you!’ One raises a mallet to sink in the spike. But the soldier’s heart must continue pumping as he readies the prisoner’s wrist. Someone must sustain the soldier’s life minute by minute, for no man has this power on his own. Who supplies breath to his lungs? Who gives energy to his cells? Who holds his molecules together? Only by the Son do ‘all things hold together’ (Colossians 1:17). The victim wills that the soldier live on—he grants the warriors continued existence. The man swings.
As the man swings, the Son recalls how he and the Father first designed the medial nerve of the human forearm—sensations it would be capable of. The design proves flawless-the nerves perform exquisitely. ‘Up you go!’ They lift the cross. God is on display in his underwear and can scarcely breathe.
But these pains are a mere warm-up to his other and growing dread. He begins to feel a foreign sensation. Somewhere during this day an unearthly foul odor began to waft, not around his nose, but his heart. He feels dirty. Human wickedness starts to crawl upon his spotless being—the living excrement from our souls. The apple of his Father’s eye turns brown with rot.
Let’s gaze on it together. As we draw close, don’t assume that you already know or understand what happened there. Come to the Cross as if for the first time. In the book When God Weeps, Steven Estes and Joni Eareckson Tada give the following account of Christ’s death. As you read, refuse to let the scene be familiar. Let its reality shock you and break your heart.
‘The face that Moses had begged to see—was forbidden to see—was slapped bloody (Exodus 33:19-20). The thorns that God had sent to curse the earth’s rebellion now twisted around his own brow...
‘On your back with you!’ One raises a mallet to sink in the spike. But the soldier’s heart must continue pumping as he readies the prisoner’s wrist. Someone must sustain the soldier’s life minute by minute, for no man has this power on his own. Who supplies breath to his lungs? Who gives energy to his cells? Who holds his molecules together? Only by the Son do ‘all things hold together’ (Colossians 1:17). The victim wills that the soldier live on—he grants the warriors continued existence. The man swings.
As the man swings, the Son recalls how he and the Father first designed the medial nerve of the human forearm—sensations it would be capable of. The design proves flawless-the nerves perform exquisitely. ‘Up you go!’ They lift the cross. God is on display in his underwear and can scarcely breathe.
But these pains are a mere warm-up to his other and growing dread. He begins to feel a foreign sensation. Somewhere during this day an unearthly foul odor began to waft, not around his nose, but his heart. He feels dirty. Human wickedness starts to crawl upon his spotless being—the living excrement from our souls. The apple of his Father’s eye turns brown with rot.
His Father! He
must face his Father like this!
From heaven the Father now rouses himself like a lion disturbed, shakes his mane, and roars against the shriveling remnant of a man hanging on a cross. Never has the Son seen the Father look at him so, never felt even the least of his hot breath. But the roar shakes the unseen world and darkens the visible sky. The Son does not recognize these eyes.
‘Son of Man! Why have you behaved so? You have cheated, lusted, stolen, gossiped—murdered, envied, hated lied. You have cursed, robbed, overspent, overeaten—fornicated, disobeyed, embezzled, and blasphemed. Oh, the duties you have shirked, the children you have abandoned! Who has ever so ignored the poor, so played the coward, so belittled by name? Have you ever held your razor tongue? What a self-righteous, pitiful drunk—you, who molest young boys, peddle killer drugs, travel in cliques, and mock your parents. Who gave you the boldness to rig elections, foment revolutions, torture animals, and worship demons? Does the list never end! Splitting families, raping virgins, acting smugly, playing the pimp—buying politicians, practicing exhortation, filming pornography, accepting bribes. You have burned down buildings, perfected terrorist tactics, founded false religions, traded in slaves—relishing each morsel and bragging about it all. I have, loathe these things in you! Disgust for everything about you consumes me! Can you not feel my wrath?’
Of course the Son is innocent. He is blamelessness itself. The Father knows this. But the divine pair have an agreement, and the unthinkable must now take place. Jesus will be treated as if personally responsible for every sin ever committed.
The Father watches as his heart’s treasure, the mirror-image of himself, sinks drowning into raw, liquid sin. Jehovah’s stored rage against humankind from every century explodes in a single direction.
‘Father! Father! Why have you forsaken me?!’
But heaven stops its ears. The Son stares up at the One who cannot, who will not, reach down or reply.
The Trinity had planned it. The Son endured it. The Spirit enabled him. The Father rejected the Son whom he loved. Jesus, the God-man from Nazareth, perished. The Father accepted his sacrifice for sin and was satisfied. The Rescue was accomplished.’
Don’t move too quickly from this scene. Keep gazing.
The Rescue accomplished here was for you. John Stott writes, ‘Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us (leading us to faith and worship), we have to see it as something done by us (leading us to repentance)….As we face the cross, then, we can say to our selves both ‘I did it; my sins sent Him there,’ and ‘He did it; His love took Him there.’’
Did you see your own offenses on the list of sins that necessitated the Cross? If not, name them yourself. Name your darkest sin. Now reflect on the fact that Christ bore the punishment for that sin. He took the punishment you deserved. Do you feel His passionate and specific love for you? He died for you. He was condemned and cursed so that you could go free—He was forsaken by God so that you would never be forsaken (Hebrews 13:5).” (Boy Meets Girl, 173-176)
So humbling and sobering and yet exciting in view of Sunday coming!
From heaven the Father now rouses himself like a lion disturbed, shakes his mane, and roars against the shriveling remnant of a man hanging on a cross. Never has the Son seen the Father look at him so, never felt even the least of his hot breath. But the roar shakes the unseen world and darkens the visible sky. The Son does not recognize these eyes.
‘Son of Man! Why have you behaved so? You have cheated, lusted, stolen, gossiped—murdered, envied, hated lied. You have cursed, robbed, overspent, overeaten—fornicated, disobeyed, embezzled, and blasphemed. Oh, the duties you have shirked, the children you have abandoned! Who has ever so ignored the poor, so played the coward, so belittled by name? Have you ever held your razor tongue? What a self-righteous, pitiful drunk—you, who molest young boys, peddle killer drugs, travel in cliques, and mock your parents. Who gave you the boldness to rig elections, foment revolutions, torture animals, and worship demons? Does the list never end! Splitting families, raping virgins, acting smugly, playing the pimp—buying politicians, practicing exhortation, filming pornography, accepting bribes. You have burned down buildings, perfected terrorist tactics, founded false religions, traded in slaves—relishing each morsel and bragging about it all. I have, loathe these things in you! Disgust for everything about you consumes me! Can you not feel my wrath?’
Of course the Son is innocent. He is blamelessness itself. The Father knows this. But the divine pair have an agreement, and the unthinkable must now take place. Jesus will be treated as if personally responsible for every sin ever committed.
The Father watches as his heart’s treasure, the mirror-image of himself, sinks drowning into raw, liquid sin. Jehovah’s stored rage against humankind from every century explodes in a single direction.
‘Father! Father! Why have you forsaken me?!’
But heaven stops its ears. The Son stares up at the One who cannot, who will not, reach down or reply.
The Trinity had planned it. The Son endured it. The Spirit enabled him. The Father rejected the Son whom he loved. Jesus, the God-man from Nazareth, perished. The Father accepted his sacrifice for sin and was satisfied. The Rescue was accomplished.’
Don’t move too quickly from this scene. Keep gazing.
The Rescue accomplished here was for you. John Stott writes, ‘Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us (leading us to faith and worship), we have to see it as something done by us (leading us to repentance)….As we face the cross, then, we can say to our selves both ‘I did it; my sins sent Him there,’ and ‘He did it; His love took Him there.’’
Did you see your own offenses on the list of sins that necessitated the Cross? If not, name them yourself. Name your darkest sin. Now reflect on the fact that Christ bore the punishment for that sin. He took the punishment you deserved. Do you feel His passionate and specific love for you? He died for you. He was condemned and cursed so that you could go free—He was forsaken by God so that you would never be forsaken (Hebrews 13:5).” (Boy Meets Girl, 173-176)
So humbling and sobering and yet exciting in view of Sunday coming!
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