Tag: repentance

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Mark Devotionals

I want everything to do with you!

open door

What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? (Mark 1:24)

I was thinking of the demon’s words to Jesus, essentially saying to him, “I want nothing to do with you. I don’t trust you, and I certainly don’t love you.”

That’s exactly the kind of attitude Jesus was calling the Jews and us to repent of.

“Your Father loves you. He desires your best and is inviting you into his kingdom as his beloved children. Turn to him! Trust him!”

I do trust him.

And so my heart’s cry is “I want everything to do with you!”

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Acts Devotionals

In all good conscience

Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience to this day.” (Acts 23:1)

I wish I were able to say what Paul said.

Not with an arrogant or self-righteous attitude, of course.

The truth is, we can be acting in all good conscience and still do some pretty horrific things. Paul knew that as well as anyone. (1 Timothy 1:13-14)

But I never want to violate my conscience, willfully doing what I know is wrong.

And when I realize my sin, I want a soft heart like Paul’s that quickly repents. (Acts 23:5)

So my heart’s prayer is this:

Who perceives his unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins;
do not let them rule me.
Then I will be blameless
and cleansed from blatant rebellion.

May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:12-14)

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Deuteronomy Devotionals

Purging the evil within us

Refiner's fire

You must purge the evil from you. (Deuteronomy 17:7)

Twice God repeats these words to the Israelites, first in respect to idolatry and second to arrogant sin.

For the Israelites, that meant death to those who committed these sins. In the New Testament church, it meant excommunication. (1 Corinthians 5:13)

But as I read those words, God reminded me that I need to purge the sin that’s within me as well. To put it to death, as Paul said. (Colossians 3:5-10)

I can’t take my sin lightly. I can’t arrogantly ignore God or those who would correct me.

With God’s help, and the help of God’s people, I need to purge my sin.

And so my prayer for the day:

Father, let me never take my sin lightly. Help me to purge it.

Let your Word be that cleansing fire in my life. Through your Word, let me learn to fear you and obey you in everything.

Let me never turn back to Egypt, to my old way of life.

That way is death. But your ways are life. You are life. And you are good.

So help me to love and honor you in all I do. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Numbers Devotionals

Guarding our hearts against sin

Guarding our hearts

Let’s be honest. There are things in Numbers that are hard to read. Especially when it comes to God’s judgment.

But according to the apostle Paul, there is a reason God recorded all these things. He wrote this in 1 Corinthians 10.

Now these things took place as examples for us, so that we will not desire evil things as they did.

Don’t become idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to party.

Let us not commit sexual immorality as some of them did, and in a single day twenty-three thousand people died. Let us not test Christ as some of them did and were destroyed by snakes.

And don’t grumble as some of them did,, and were killed by the destroyer.

These things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages, have come. (1 Corinthians 10:6-11)

The first event Paul mentions happened in Exodus 32. The rest occured in the chapters we’ve been reading in Numbers, including today’s chapter.

Why did God record all these things?

For our instruction.

What can we learn?

1. God takes sin seriously, especially willful, rebellious sin.

We saw this in chapters 15-17, and we see it again here in verse 6.

While the people are weeping over their sin and God’s judgment, a man brashly brings into his tent a Midianite woman to sleep with her, probably as part of a religious ritual.

2. The wages of sin, particularly willful, rebellious, and unrepentant sin is death.

Because of that we dare not take sin lightly in our lives. Rather we are to flee from it.

And so Paul warns us:

So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12)

We need to constantly be on our guard against sin.

But the good news is that God is with us to help us stand against sin and be victorious over it.

As Paul says,

No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity.

But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

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Numbers Devotionals

What cannot be forgiven

Unforgivable sin

In these chapters, we see some harsh punishments that God laid on the Israelites.

For a lot of people, including Christians, that’s hard to understand, but it comes down to a truth that God laid out in chapter 15.

There is a huge difference between unintentional sins and willful, and more importantly, unrepentant rebellion.

There were sacrifices that could be made for the former.

There were no sacrifices for the latter.

Where there is unrepentant rebellion, any sacrifices would be totally meaningless. (Numbers 15:22-30)

We see this truth played out in the person who willfully and unrepentantly broke the Sabbath. (Numbers 15:32-36)

We see it also in Korah and his followers. (Numbers 16)

A rebellious heart is an ugly thing.

But when it is combined with a heart that refuses to repent, it becomes unforgivable.

All of us sin. But let us never get to the point where we willfully and unrepentantly rebel against God.

Instead, let us have the heart of David, who certainly knew willful sin, but also knew true repentance as well.

Who perceives his unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins;
do not let them rule me.
Then I will be blameless
and cleansed from blatant rebellion.

May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:12-14)

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Genesis Devotions

Repentance

cross repentance

Now please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave, in place of the boy.

Let him go back with his brothers. For how can I go back to my father without the boy?

I could not bear to see the grief that would overwhelm my father. (Genesis 44:33-34)

With those words, Judah showed how much he had changed.

He was the one who had once callously suggested selling Joseph as a slave. (Genesis 37:26-27)

And when he saw the grief his action had caused his father, he ran away. (Genesis 37:33-34; 38:1)

Now his running was at an end. And in the face of the grief he knew his father would feel at losing Benjamin, he offered himself to Joseph as a slave in Benjamin’s place.

Perhaps he thought, “It’s only fair. I once sold my brother as a slave. Now I will live as a slave so that Benjamin can go free. Perhaps by doing that I can atone for what I did to Joseph.”

Repentance is not simply feeling guilty for your sin.

Repentance is not simply regretting the harm you have done to people.

Repentance requires facing what you’ve done, and if you’ve hurt someone, doing what you can to make things right.

That’s what Judah did.

Or at least tried to do.

The truth is, nothing we do can truly atone for our sins. No good work we do can ever truly blot out the stain of our sin.

But the good news is that there is someone who can.

As Judah offered himself in Benjamin’s place, one of his descendants, Jesus, offered himself in our place.

The ironic thing is that Judah, the guilty one, offered himself for Benjamin, the innocent one, that Benjamin might return to their father Jacob.

But Jesus, the innocent one, offered himself for us, the guilty ones, that we might be brought back to God the Father.

As Peter put it,

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God. (1 Peter 3:18)

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1 John Devotionals

Walking in the light

Walking in the light

If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

As I read those words this morning, I was thinking about what it means to walk in the light.

Somehow, I’ve always had this impression that whenever we sin, we immediately step out of the light and into the darkness, if only for a brief time until we repent and come back into the light.

But in reflecting on John’s words, I’m not so sure that’s true.

John doesn’t say that the person walking in the light will never sin.

Rather, he says that if we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus will cleanse us whenever we do sin.

I think to walk in the light, then, means to constantly expose every facet of our life to Jesus, both the good and bad. And whenever his light exposes some sin in our hearts, we immediately repent.

We don’t try to hide our sin. We don’t make excuses for it. We repent. And as we do, he is faithful and just and will forgive us.

That’s walking in light. That’s what fellowship with God looks like.

On the other hand, it’s impossible to have fellowship with God if we’re hiding from his light. If like Adam and Eve we try to cover our guilt and our shame. Or if we constantly make excuses for and try to justify our sins.

That’s walking in the darkness.

And so as we think about whether we’re walking in the light or not, the question we need to ask ourselves is not how much we struggle with sin in our lives.

The question is, “Am I exposing all of me to Jesus? Or are there areas that I’m still trying to hide from him?”

Father, I choose to step out into the light and walk in it. To hide nothing from you, not even the sins I’m ashamed of.

Let your light shine on me. Show me the areas that need to change.

I don’t want to just stand in the light, basking in your grace. I want to walk in the light.

So show me my next step. And as I keep moving forward, step by step, make me more like you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Matthew Devotionals

The fruit God seeks

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit. (Matthew 21:43)

As I read today’s chapter and especially those words, I was reminded of John the Baptist’s words to the Pharisees and Sadducees in chapter 3.

Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance…The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 3:8-10)

What is the fruit God is seeking? It’s the fruit consistent with repentance.

It’s what the tax collectors and prostitutes showed and that’s why they would enter God’s kingdom and the religious leaders who refused to repent wouldn’t (Matthew 21:31-32).

That difference in attitude was also shown in the parable of the two sons. (28-30)

And the fig tree Jesus cursed and the parable of the vineyard he told is a warning to those who don’t show that fruit consistent with repentance. (18-19, 33-34)

Repentance is not just a change of mind, a mere mental assent to the things God teaches. Repentance leads to the fruit of a changed heart and a changed life.

As we say at my church, it’s a life of “head, heart, hands.”

God’s word enters our heads. It then transforms our hearts. And as a result, our lives change.

That’s the fruit God is looking for.

Is that the fruit you’re producing?

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Matthew Devotionals

Words of grace, words of judgment

What struck me today were the words of grace and judgment coming from Jesus’ mouth in this chapter.

The words of judgment were for the cities who had failed to respond to his call to repent, despite all the miracles he had shown them.

And ultimately, that was the line that Jesus always drew throughout his ministry. He called people to repentance.

It was the message he preached (Matthew 4:17), and when he sent out his disciples to preach, he gave them the same message (Mark 6:12).

And if people didn’t repent, he warned them of judgment. (Luke 13:1-8, John 5:14)

But at the same time, Jesus’ words were full of grace. To John, whose faith was shaken after being thrown into prison, Jesus gave words of encouragement.

And to people who were burdened by the guilt of their sin, to those weighed down by all the legalistic rules the religious leaders had put on them (Matthew 23:4), Jesus offered rest.

But it’s a rest that only comes with repentance and putting our trust in him.

It’s a message reminiscent of what Isaiah once told the Israelites.

In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it. (Isaiah 30:15, NIV)

That was the problem with the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. And Jesus judged them for it.

But to those with soft hearts, even though they may struggle with feelings of guilt or doubt, Jesus is full of grace.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.

Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

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Matthew Devotionals

Our heart, our message

[Jesus] said, ‘It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.

For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners. (Matthew 9:12-13)

As I was reflecting on Jesus’ words, I thought about what our heart should be toward non-Christians who come to our churches.

We should have hearts of mercy towards them. They are like sheep without a shepherd, harassed and cast down by the Enemy.

We shouldn’t be avoiding them. We should be reaching out to them, showing Christ’s love to them.

At the same time, we have a message for them. Jesus came to call sinners. But what does he call them to do?

Luke is a little clearer about that in his account of this story. Jesus said,

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Luke 5:32)

Love does not tell people, “It’s okay to stay in your sin.”

Love tells people, “Repent.”

It was Jesus’ message from the beginning. (Matthew 4:17)

It’s what Jesus told Matthew and the other tax collectors and sinners while he was talking with them over dinner.

It’s certainly what he told Zacchaeus and his friends. (Luke 19:1-10)

So as we encounter non-Christians in our church, let us take on Jesus’ attitude, welcoming them, and showing love and mercy to them.

But at the same time, with humility and gentleness, let us share with them the same message Jesus did with Matthew and his friends.

“God’s kingdom is near. There is a God who loves you and is inviting you to join his kingdom. So repent of your sins and turn to him. And you will find life.”

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Matthew Devotionals

A prayer from a child of God

When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water.

The heavens suddenly opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him.

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17)

Father, how is it that by your grace, you open up heaven to me, give me your Spirit, and say, “You are my beloved child. In you I am well pleased?”

How is it? That’s incredible to me!

So Father, let me bear the fruit of repentance. You know the sins that I still struggle with.

Father, don’t let me be like the Pharisees and Sadducees, merely pretending to be righteous. Let me truly bear the fruit of righteousness in my life

Jesus, you said I am already clean because of the Word you have spoken and I have believed. Now let your words abide in me.

Pruning me. Shaping me. Transforming me. Changing the way I think and act. Convicting me of sin.

Yet reminding me of your forgiveness and love. Encouraging me to take the next step forward with you, becoming more like you.

You are the vine. I am the branch. Teach me what it means to abide in you. Without you I can do nothing. But with you, I will bear much fruit. And I do want to bear fruit for you. (John 15:3-7)

Holy Spirit, as you filled and led Jesus throughout his earthly life, fill and lead me, moment to moment, day to day.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Luke Devotionals

True repentance

Luke

Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. (Luke 3:8)

Lord, I want to be like you. So grant me a truly repentant heart.

When your Word exposes my sin, don’t let me make excuses or try to justify my sin.

Instead, let me humbly come to you, asking, “What should I do? What do you want of me?” (10)

And then, give me the power to obey. Help me to produce fruit consistent with my repentance. I can’t change without you. (John 15:5)

Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way. (Psalm 139:23-24)

Thank you for your grace and your patience. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Matthew Devotionals

Being willing to admit you’re wrong

Matthew

I doubt anyone likes to admit they’re wrong. I certainly don’t.

Neither did the chief priests and the elders of the people.

They had misjudged John the Baptist and they had misjudged Jesus. And everything they saw, particularly the lives that were changed because of John and Jesus told them they were wrong.

But they were too proud to admit it and were eventually shattered as a result. (Matthew 21:44)

Meanwhile, the tax collectors (who were notorious for cheating people) and prostitutes heard John and Jesus and humbly repented. And because they did, they found God’s grace in their lives.

Lord, forgive me for the times I’ve been hard-hearted. For the times I’ve been too proud to admit I was wrong. I want to produce fruit for you and your kingdom.

So give me a heart that’s willing to admit when I’m wrong and change. Make me like you. In your name I pray, amen.

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1 Samuel Devotionals

When we reject God

1 Samuel

Three times in these chapters, we see the phrase, “an evil spirit from God came upon Saul.” (1 Samuel 16:14, 23; 18:10; 19:9).

Let’s be honest. Those are hard words. God sends an evil spirit to torment people? How can a good and loving God do that?

The best answer I can give is that this was God’s righteous judgment on Saul for his rejection of God.

There are hints, however, that this is a last step to try to bring people to repentance.

In a similar story in 1 Kings 22, God sends a lying spirit to lead King Ahab to destruction. But as he does so, he sends a prophet to tell him exactly what is happening, giving Ahab one last chance to repent.

Sadly, unlike in an earlier story (1 Kings 21:27-29), Ahab refuses to do so. (1 Kings 22:17-28)

We also see this in the New Testament. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he says concerning an unrepentant sinner,

hand that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 5:5)

In Revelation 9, it talks about plagues God sends, some of which seem to imply demonly origins. Many people die, but many more survive, giving them a final chance to repent. But the people refuse to do so (Revelation 9:20-21)

And then there are Paul’s words in 2 Thessalonians 2.

God releases Antichrist into the world that they might be deceived and perish. Why? In Paul’s words, the reason for God doing this is made crystal clear:

They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved.

For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe the lie, so that all will be condemned—those who did not believe the truth but delighted in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12)

In short, the Antichrist and his deception is part of the judgment on this earth for their refusing to love the truth. It is essentially the same judgment that both Saul and Ahab received.

How about you? Do you love God? Do you love truth? Do you delight in righteousness? How will you respond to God?

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Joshua Devotionals

Repentance

Joshua

It has never struck me until today that God did not point out Achan as the one who had sinned until the next day. Why not? Why not deal with the problem right then and there?

I don’t know. But perhaps the answer is found in verse 13.

Go and consecrate the people. Tell them to consecrate themselves for tomorrow… (Joshua 7:13)

In telling the people to consecrate themselves, God was telling the people to prepare their hearts, and give themselves wholly to God.

Certainly part of that process was confessing their sins.

I think God was giving Achan the chance to repent that night. He had a full night to search his heart and get it right before God.

Even the next morning, God did not expose him right away. First his tribe was chosen, then his clan, then his family. But despite multiple chances to confess his sin and repent, Achan remained silent until finally he was singled out by God.

And by then, it was too late.

Had he repented, would he have still been killed? I can’t say for sure, but my guess is he would have found mercy.

So let us not hide our sin. Rather, let us confess it and repent before it’s too late.

As John said,

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (I John 1:9)

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Exodus Devotions

Empty repentance

Pharaoh urgently sent for Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.

Please forgive my sin once more and make an appeal to the Lord your God, so that he will just take this death away from me.” (Exodus 10:16-17)

That seemed like pretty sincere repentance didn’t it?

And yet, ultimately, it was but empty words.

Why?

Because it didn’t accompany a heart that would humbly and gladly hear and obey God.

All Pharaoh wanted was relief from God’s judgment.

Repentance is more than just saying, “I’m sorry.”

It’s more than just saying, “Please forgive me.”

It’s a true turning of one’s heart toward God in love and obedience.

And without that turning, repentance is not truly repentance.

How about you? Do you have a true heart of repentance?

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2 Corinthians Devotionals

Examining ourselves

2 Corinthians

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.

Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (2 Corinthians 13:5)

These are hard words. But I think it’s helpful to remember the context.

Some of the Corinthians, while claiming to be Christians, were rejecting God’s authority in their lives by rejecting Paul and were refusing to repent for their sin. (Chapters 10-12)

You cannot do these things, and claim to be a Christian.

True Christians may struggle with sin. But they will not reject God’s authority in their lives.

And when they sin, they don’t make excuses for it. Rather, they mourn over it. They repent. In short, they have a soft heart toward God.

Is that you?

If not, then you have to really question whether you’re truly a Christian.

But if that is you, then no matter your struggle with sins, you have nothing to worry about. Because God will never give up on you. What he has started in you, he will complete. (Philippians 1:6)

And though you are weak, though you may fall, the grace of the Lord Jesus, the love of the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit will be with you into eternity.

Let us rest each day in these things.   

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2 Corinthians Devotionals

No healing? No forgiveness?

2 Corinthians

All of us have regrets in life. And sometimes as we look at the consequences of our sins and failures, our guilt threatens to crush us.

Certainly our enemy Satan would love to see that.

But what does God want?

In a lot of ways, Paul mirrored the heart of our Father.

Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthians confronting them with their sin. And that letter caused them much guilt and grieving. But what does Paul say about that?

I now rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn’t experience any loss from us. (2 Corinthians 7:9)

Sometimes when people wrong us, we want them to suffer. We are happy that they are being crushed by their grief. Sometimes, we even want them to be destroyed by their grief.

But Paul didn’t want that for the Corinthians. He didn’t want them to suffer any loss. Rather, he wanted them to repent.

That’s what our Father wants.

When we sin, the consequences can be painful. And the guilt can be crushing.

But God doesn’t want to crush us. He wants us to repent. And with that repentance comes not death, but healing.

Paul says,

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly grief produces death. (10)

Some of you may be feeling crushed by guilt right now. It may seem that there can be no healing, that there can be no forgiveness.

But let me tell you now: There is forgiveness for you. And there can be healing.

All you need to do is repent. Admit your wrong. Ask God for forgiveness. And he will forgive.

“Come, let’s settle this,” says the Lord.

“Though your sins are scarlet,
they will be as white as snow;
though they are crimson red,
they will be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

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Luke Devotionals

The real problem, the real solution

Luke

In the States, we hear the terms “systemic racism” or  “systemic injustice” being thrown around left and right. And even within the church, people debate how systemic these problems really are.

As I read Luke chapter 3 today, however, it seems crystal clear where the real problem lies and what the real solution is.

John the Baptist came onto the scene in Israel and made an instant impact.

What was he pointing to in his preaching? Systemic racism and oppression against the Jews? Systemic injustice in Rome?

No. He pointed to individuals and their sin, and he called them to repent.

And John was not one to mince his words.

Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. (Luke 3:7-8)

John wasn’t speaking to the Roman government. Nor was he speaking primarily to those in power among the Jews. He was talking to the people.

What did he preach?

  1. God’s wrath is coming upon you because of your sin.
  2. Repent, not just in your words, but in your actions.

Even for those in the corrupt “system,” the tax collectors and the soldiers, John did not call on them to reform the system, much as the system needed reform. He called on them to repent as individuals. To change their own actions.

But this is a lost message in many churches.

We no longer preach sin, no less accountability for it.

No doubt there are problems in the system. And there is no doubt that there is some degree of oppression in them, although I would argue there is a lot less of it than there was 50 years ago.

Does that mean we then stop working for reform? Of course not.

But all the reform of the world’s systems will never solve the true problem: the human heart.

Let’s assume for a moment that all racism is completely eradicated from the system. Will that then eliminate all of society’s problems?

No. Because sin will still reign in the hearts of people.

You already see that in the hearts of many who are calling for reform.

They aren’t calling for justice as defined by the Bible. Their concept of sin is so far from the concept as found in the Bible, that we’ll end up in Sodom and Gomorrah if we follow them to their logical conclusion.

True God-honoring societal change will not come from systemic reform, especially as it is defined by many of the current “reformers.”

It will only come when we start calling individuals to repent of their sin.

We need to tell them what sin is. We need to tell them what the ultimate consequences of their sin are. And we need to tell them what God has done to rescue us from this problem.

And if we fail to do that, if we instead make systemic reform our “gospel,” we will have failed in the commission God has given us. (See Ezekiel 33 and Acts 20:21, 24-27).

The gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel that God loves us and desires to save us has no meaning apart from the concept of sin and repentance.

After all, if people cannot even recognize their own sin, what are they being saved from? Racial oppression? Poverty? Disease?

All these are important, but they are secondary to the primary problem of the human race: their own personal sin.

Make no mistake, though. The world does not want to hear that message.

For all their cries for justice, they want nothing to do with God’s justice. They want nothing to do with hearing about their own personal sin and their accountability to God for that sin.

Just look at John the Baptist. Herod sinned by marrying his brother’s wife. And when John rebuked him for this one sin (although there were apparently others as well), Herod imprisoned him, and eventually executed him.

We the church will be persecuted if we preach sin. But we can’t be faithful to our call unless we do.

Question: when will we not only call for people in the system to repent, but for people among the “reformers” to repent?

There are Christian leaders who rightfully call for systemic reform. But where are those same leaders when it comes to calling for repentance among the “reformers?”

When we see injustice, let’s fight against it. If you want to march or sign petitions for it, great. If you want to post your opinions on social media, fine.

But more importantly, let’s start with the individuals we know and start preaching repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21).

Because only when the hearts of individuals change will we see true societal change.

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Isaiah Devotionals Jeremiah Devotionals

A prayer for the nation

Isaiah

I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, working away at the wheel.

But the jar that he was making from the clay became flawed in the potter’s hand, so he made it into another jar, as it seemed right for him to do.

The word of the LORD came to me: “House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay?”—this is the LORD’s declaration.

“Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, house of Israel. (Jeremiah 18:3-6)

As I read these words, I couldn’t help but think about Japan, where I live.

Because of the sin in this country, we, like Israel, are broken vessels. But there is hope for us, because like the potter, God can reshape this country into something good. If the people of this nation repent, God will forgive us.

So pray for Japan.

But how exactly should we pray?

In reading Jeremiah’s words, I thought of another passage. In that passage, the prophet Isaiah also used the metaphor of a potter in his prayer.

You can find his prayer in Isaiah 64:1-9. So read that passage and pray for Japan.

And of course, feel free to pray for whatever country you’re from, because all I said goes for America, Australia, and all the nations around the world as well.

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Acts Devotionals

In order for our souls to be refreshed

Acts

Last Sunday, I gave a message at church, and I talked about the phrase from Psalm 23:3: “He renews my life.”

“Renews” is a word that can translated many ways: “restore” (ESV), “refresh” (NIV), but most often is translated “bring back” or “return” in the Old Testament.

Different words are used here in this passage, and of course, the New Testament is written in Greek, not Hebrew like the Old Testament. But we still see similar ideas in this passage.

The strength in the lame man’s legs were restored (7).

The people were called to repent and return to God (19).

When Jesus comes back, all things will be restored to the way God created it. (21)

But it’s verses 19-20 that really strike me today.

Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord… (Acts 3:19-20)

If we want our souls to be refreshed, we won’t find it from living our own way, and seeking the things of this world.

We need to repent of our sins, and turn back to God.

David wrote this in Psalm 32.

When I kept silent (about my sin), my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained, as in the summer’s heat.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:4-5)

That picture of having your strength drained as in the summer heat is very interesting in that the word “refreshing” in Acts 23:20 is the picture of cooling or reviving with fresh air.

When we sin, God does bring discipline in our lives, and life can get pretty “hot.”

But when we confess our sins and ask for his forgiveness, he blots out our sins, and our souls are refreshed; they are renewed.

A couple of weeks ago, our pastor suggested that we take some time during the day to be quiet before the Lord.

One thing I’m doing just before that is praying, “God, is there any sin in my heart from the day. Search my heart. Let me know if there’s anything wrong in my heart.”

And in my time of quiet, I’m letting God show me my sin. But in doing that, I’m also finding the refreshing wind of his forgiveness and grace as I repent.

Let’s all take the time to be quiet before God. Let him search our hearts. Let us repent. And let us feel the refreshing wind of his forgiveness and grace blow through our souls.

Categories
1 Corinthians Devotionals Psalms Devotionals

Keeping a pure heart

1 Corinthians

Today I was reading I Corinthians 5 and Psalm 19, and as I meditated on them, the two passages connected in my heart.

In I Corinthians 5, Paul was talking about sin in the church and the need to discipline Christians living in unrepentant sin.

But as I read that passage, I also thought about how it applies to our personal lives.

Paul said concerning the Corinthian church’s response to this man,

And you are arrogant! Shouldn’t you be filled with grief and remove from your congregation the one who did this? (1 Corinthians 5:2)

Again, he’s talking about dealing with a Christian living in unrepentant sin.

But how often do we have that same attitude toward our own sin? Instead of grieving over our sin and asking God’s help to remove it from our lives, we blatantly continue to live in it.

Paul later tells the church,

Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little leaven, leavens the whole batch of dough?

Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new unleavened batch, as indeed you are. For Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed.

Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old leaven or with the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)

A little sin can spread quickly in our lives, and soon we start making excuses for everything we do.

So Paul says, get rid of the old leaven, the sin that dominated our lives before we became Christians, and live in sincerity and truth.

Christ cleansed us of our sins on the cross. Why go back to it?

What does this have to do with Psalm 19? David’s words and prayers at the end of it. May it be ours as well.

Who perceives his unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins;
do not let them rule me.

Then I will be blameless
and cleansed from blatant rebellion.

May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you,
LORD, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:12-14)

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Revelation

Though judgment falls

Revelation

We saw in chapter 14 the warning of eternal judgment that would fall on all those who rejected God, and instead took the mark of the beast. And like I said earlier, there are those who really get upset at this idea of eternal judgment.

But as we saw in Revelation 9, there is a reason that it is eternal.

The reason? There comes a point in people’s hearts where they reach the point of no return. They have so hardened their hearts, that no matter what judgment falls, no matter how painful it is, they simply refuse to repent. Instead, they simply curse God more and more.

That’s exactly what we see in this chapter.

Here we see the wrath of God being poured out in full strength. And whereas there had been limits in the seal judgments (one-fourth) and in the trumpet judgments (one-third), there are no limits now. Instead, the whole world is affected.

All the people who have the mark of the beast are covered with painful sores. (Revelation 16:2)

The sea turns to blood and every living thing in it dies. (3)

The rivers and springs of water all turn to blood because of the blood that they themselves shed in killing God’s people. (4-7)

The protections that we have to keep the sun from harming us are stripped away and people are burned by its intense heat. (8)

The people’s response?

They were seared by the intense heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues but they refused to repent and glorify him. (Revelation 16:9)

“Surely if these judgments keep up, they will repent, though, right?”

The whole world is thrown into darkness as Egypt once was. The people are are in total agony because of their pains and sores. (10-11a)

But they refused to repent of what they had done. (11b)

“Yes, but surely, they can’t keep holding out like this, can they? They must eventually come to the point where they will repent, right? Nobody could possibly be that stubborn not to repent.”

The Euphrates River is dried up, and with that barrier out of the way, now all the kings of the East come together for one last war against God. (12)

Evil spirits come performing miraculous signs, trying to give the kings of the earth hope that they will be able to stand against God. They gather at Armageddon, and the final bowl of wrath is poured out.

Lightnings, rumblings, peals of thunder and the worst earthquake in the world’s history hits the earth.

The cities of the nations collapse and this empire that stood against God is given the full fury of His wrath. Islands sink. Mountains fall. Huge hailstones fall to the earth crushing men. (20-21)

The result? Repentance?

No.

And they cursed God on account of the hail, because the plague was so terrible. (21)

What’s my point?

There can be no escape from hell without repentance. But all that we see from this chapter is that when people harden their hearts, there comes a point of no return. And when they go to hell, they have definitely reached that point.

Even if were theoretically possible for a person to repent in hell and escape, no one ever will.

So if you’ve been rejecting God to this point, soften your heart now before it’s too late. God has no desire to send you to hell.

He sent his Son to die for you so that you wouldn’t have to go to hell.

And now he says,

Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked…Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live…Repent and live. (Ezekiel 18:23, 32)

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1 John

A sin that leads to death

1 John

John has a somewhat curious thing to say in verses 16-17. He says,

If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life.

I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is a sin that leads to death. (1 John 5:16-17)

It seems to me that John is referring to something that James also talked about. James said,

Is any of you sick…The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. (James 5:14-15)

Most times, illness is not the result of a person’s sin, but is merely the result of living in a fallen world.

But James leaves room for the judgment of God as being a reason for a person getting sick. And he says that if you pray for such a person, God will not only heal them, but forgive their sin.

But in this passage, John adds a caveat to James’ words. He says don’t bother praying for people whose sin leads to death. What does he mean by that?

I think we find the answer in verses 18-19.

We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.

We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. (1 John 5:18-19)

One thing that John warns us of again and again is willful, deliberate sin. Again and again he tells us that a true child of God does not make a practice of sin.

In verses 18-19, he says the reason for this is that Jesus himself works in us, and that though the whole world is under the control of Satan, we are not.

The world may not be able to resist the temptations Satan throws at them, but through the power of God, we can.

For the brother, then, that makes a constant practice of sin, with no sign or remorse or repentance, they are headed for death.

That can mean one of two things. First, that God will bring physical death upon them for their sin. We see this in more than a few places in scripture (Acts 5:1-10, I Corinthians 5:5, 11:27-30)

The other thing it could mean is that such people were not truly ever saved, and that they are headed for eternal death.

They knew the truth, they claimed to believe it, and yet by their lives proved they never belonged to God. And he holds them especially accountable because they know the truth. There is no excuse for their behavior. (Hebrews 10:26-31)

In short, not all sins are alike. All of us sin. And as John said, all wrongdoing is sin. But there is a difference between falling into sin and deliberately plunging ourselves into it.

If you fall into sin and repent, God will forgive you. But if you refuse to repent and turn from your ways, there can be no forgiveness for that, only judgment, either in this life or the next, and possibly both.

But John has better hopes for us. He says,

And we know that Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ.

He is the true God and eternal life. (20)

In other words, Jesus has come and has opened our hearts and minds to his truth. Now we know God and are in Jesus Christ. He abides in us and we in him, and because of that, we have life.

And so John concludes,

Little children, keep yourself from idols. (21)

John’s telling us, “You belong to the truth now. You belong to the true God. So don’t deliberately offer yourselves to sin and the things of this world. They are mere counterfeits of all that God wants to offer you.

Run from sin. And run to Jesus, offering yourself to the one who truly is Life.”

Who are you offering yourself to?

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2 Corinthians

Seeking God’s best in people

2 Corinthians

As we wrap up this letter, we see Paul’s heart for the Corinthians, that they would know God’s best in their lives.

Paul starts out by challenging them, saying,

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. (2 Corinthians 13:5)

How can we tell that we are Christians?

The apostle John gives us ways to test the genuineness of our faith: our belief in the truth about Jesus, our obedience to Christ, and the love we have for God and others. (1 John 2:3-4, 22-23; 4:7-8)

This is not to say that we will ever be perfect in obedience and love, but we should see these things starting to develop in our lives. And when we fail, true Christians should be quick to repent.

Paul’s prayer was that they would pass the test. That they would prove the genuineness of their faith by their repentance. He told them,

Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. (2 Corinthians 13:7)

Why did he pray this?

Not that people will see that we have stood the test… (2 Corinthians 13:7b)

In other words not just so that people will say, “Oh Paul is such a great leader. Look at the people he has raised.” But rather,

…that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. (2 Corinthians 13:7c)

What did he mean by this?

Paul had told the Corinthians that he would come with a heavy hand if they didn’t repent.

But if they repented, and Paul as a result didn’t show his heavy hand, his critics would probably say, “See how soft Paul is. He’s no true leader.”

But to Paul that didn’t matter. His only concern was that the Corinthians would repent and do what was right. And so he said,

We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection. (2 Corinthians 13:9)

Others might think he was weak because he didn’t come down hard on the Corinthians for their failures.

But again, he didn’t care about that. He wanted them to be strong and not need his heavy hand. And so he prayed for their perfection and restoration.

The ESV puts it,

Our prayer is that you may be fully restored. (2 Corinthians 13:9)

Paul then told them,

This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority–the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down. (2 Corinthians 13:10)

In short, “Ultimately I want God’s best for you. God has placed me into your lives that you may be built up.”

And so he charged them,

Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. (2 Corinthians 13:11a)

For if they did so,

The God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11b)

He then concluded,

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

That’s what Paul’s hope and prayer for them were. And that’s what our hope and prayer for others should be.

Sometimes we need to be hard on people when they sin, particularly when they are stubbornly rebellious against God.

But all that we do should be aimed at their restoration, that they may know God’s best in their lives.

How about you? Do you seek God’s best in others?

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2 Corinthians

Two kinds of sorrow

2 Corinthians

Satan’s name means “accuser” or “adversary,” and for good reason. He often comes at us accusing us for our sins and trying to point out to us what miserable wretches we are.

The thing is, most times we deserve what Satan says about us.

He points out every sin in our lives and basically tells us, “You’re no good. You’re worthless. Look at your sin. You don’t deserve a thing from God. How could God love someone like you?”

And he tries to crush us under the weight of our guilt.

But if you’re a child of God, you need to understand that if you are feeling these things, if you are feeling crushed under the weight of your guilt, those feelings are not coming from God.

Yes, when we sin, God wants us to sorrow over our sin. But godly sorrow and worldly sorrow are two entirely different things.

Paul writes,

Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it.

Though I did regret it–I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while–yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.

For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. (2 Corinthians 7:8-9)

Paul’s words made the Corinthians feel guilty for what they had done. His words made them sorrow for their sin…but only for a short time.

Paul’s goal was not to destroy them. He in no way wanted them to suffer any long-term harm from his words of rebuke.

Rather, he wanted them to repent from their sins that their relationship with him and with God might be restored.

Paul then draws a sharp distinction between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. He said,

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

The biggest difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow is this:

Worldly sorrow causes people to live all their lives in regret, seeing no way for their sins to be forgiven and no hope for the future. And ultimately these feelings of sorrow and guilt crush them.

Godly sorrow, on the other hand, leads to repentance and a knowledge that no matter what they’ve done, God has forgiven them.

And so leaving regret and sorrow behind, they take Jesus’ hand and walk into the future he has for them: a future filled with hope and life.

When you sin, is your sorrow a worldly sorrow that crushes you under feelings of guilt?

Or is it a sorrow that leads you to the feet of Jesus? Is it a sorrow that leads you to repentance and life?

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2 Corinthians

True love

2 Corinthians

It strikes me as I look at the last part of chapter 6 and the whole of this chapter, that we see a reflection of God’s love for us in Paul’s love for the Corinthians.

Paul implored with the Corinthians in verse 2,

Make room for us in your hearts. (2 Corinthians 7:2)

Some of the Corinthians had shut Paul out of their hearts, and so Paul said, “Open your hearts to us.”

In the same way, God calls us to do the same: to open our hearts to him. To not yoke ourselves with unbelievers, but to instead walk in close fellowship with him.

Why? Because he loves us as his sons and daughters.

Paul certainly had that kind of love for the Corinthians, calling himself their spiritual father in Christ (1 Corinthians 4:15).

And as their spiritual father, he showed them the kind of love our heavenly Father has for us. Put another way, he showed them what true love is.

What is true love?

We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. (2 Corinthians 7:2b)

Would that all Christian leaders be able to say this:

That they have never intentionally or unintentionally wronged anyone.

That their teaching has led people to holiness.

And that they have never took advantage of people, taking people’s money for their own selfish gain.

Paul was one leader that could say that.

He then said,

I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. (2 Corinthians 7:3b)

True love stands by people whether in life or death. In short, they are faithful to others, no matter the circumstances.

Paul adds,

I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. (2 Corinthians 7:4)

Love believes in people. Even in the midst of his troubles with the Corinthians, Paul had boasted of them to Titus.

It appears he had told Titus, “I believe in these people. I really believe they are God’s people, and so I know that even though my words to them were hard to hear, they will repent.” (2 Corinthians 7:14)

And that’s why Paul did what love does: he spoke out words of rebuke when it was necessary.

Sometimes people avoid speaking words of rebuke. They’re afraid people will think they are unloving. And sometimes people can be unloving as they speak the truth. They are more interested in being “brutal” than being honest.

But that wasn’t Paul’s intent. His intent was that the Corinthians repent.

He didn’t desire that they be harmed by his words. Rather, he desired that they would be built up because of them (2 Corinthians 7:10).

And that’s what ultimately happened.

One of the reasons we rebuke others is to test what is in their hearts.

Paul told the Corinthians, “When I rebuked you, it wasn’t so much for the wrongdoer’s sake or for mine, even though I am the one he hurt.

Rather, I wanted to bring out what was in your heart. And you showed what was truly in your heart by your repentance.” (2 Corinthians 7:11-12)

But again, it wasn’t as if Paul didn’t believe in them and so he felt he had to test them by confronting them with their sin. Rather he believed in them and so he tested them, fully expecting them to come to repentance. And they did.

That’s love.

That’s the love Paul had for the Corinthians.

That’s the love God has for us.

That’s the love we are to have for each other.

The question is: do we have that kind of love?

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2 Corinthians

When there is repentance

2 Corinthians

When someone hurts us it can be easy to hold a grudge. And even if they are truly sorry and apologize, sometimes we withhold that forgiveness.

Or sometimes we forgive, but we let them know in no uncertain terms that it hasn’t been forgotten.

The same is true in church discipline. Someone sins, and is disciplined by the church. They then repent, but people in the church still look sideways at them and keep their distance from them.

It’s almost as if we’re saying, “We can’t make it too easy for them to get back in our good graces again. We have to make them suffer a little more, and then maybe, just maybe we’ll accept them again.”

But Paul tells us here that’s not how we should be. He wrote the Corinthians,

The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him.

Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.

I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. (2 Corinthians 2:6-8)

What did Paul mean by “the punishment inflicted on him is sufficient for him”?

I believe it means that the punishment has accomplished its purpose: he repented.

And once a person repents, there is no further need for the punishment. Instead, we are to immediately forgive and comfort him, letting him know that not only has God forgiven him, but we have forgiven him as well.

Having done that, we are to then reaffirm our love for him.

God wants us to mourn for our sins. But as we will see later in this letter, there are two kinds of sorrow: a sorrow that leads to repentance and a sorrow that leads to death.

But a sorrow that leads to repentance can also lead to death if that person sorrows excessively due to the fact that the people in the church refuse to forgive him or her. The same is true in personal relationships as well.

And that is not something that God wants; it’s what Satan wants. Satan’s schemes always have the same end in mind, “to steal, kill, and destroy.”

When we refuse to forgive a person and leave them in excessive sorrow, we are participating with Satan, not with God.

How about you? Has someone hurt you? Or has someone committed some grave sin within the church?

Have they repented? If they have, then let us join in with God in showing forgiveness and acceptance to them once again.

Remember the words of our Lord who told us,

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36)

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1 Corinthians

Searching our hearts

1 Corinthians

As I’ve mentioned earlier, God does call us to search our hearts whenever we take communion.

Paul says,

Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.

For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.

That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 11:27-30)

That’s kind of a scary passage, especially that last part.

Apparently, because of their sin at the communion table, many of the Corinthians got sick and even died.

We don’t see that kind of judgment much, if at all nowadays, but I think God was trying to drive home to the early church just how seriously he took this problem.

Jesus died for our sins, but that does not mean we can just sin with impunity. And if we take his sacrifice on the cross lightly, we will be disciplined.

So while we are to take special note of our own hearts at the communion table, I think it’s very important to take note of our hearts every day. To pray as David once did.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24)

Let us never take the cross of Christ for granted. Let us never treat it as a doormat to wipe off our dirty feet.

Rather let us fall on our knees in gratitude for what he has done for us.

And as we come to him, and he shows us the sin in our hearts, let us have hearts of contrition and repentance, not only at the communion table, but throughout our lives.

Categories
Acts

Putting away the past

Acts

Happy New Year!

I suppose as we head into a new year, it’s only natural to think of it as a time to start anew. And the good news of Christianity is that God does give us a new start when we come to him.

That’s what he did for the people in Ephesus. As people came to believe in Christ, they turned away from their sins.

Many who had been involved in sorcery went so far as to burn the scrolls they had used when practicing sorcery, which was worth no small amount of money.

Just as importantly, they did all this publicly so that all would know about their decision.

What can we get from all this? A change in heart should lead to a change in our actions.

If we have truly come to believe in Christ, it should cause us to put aside the things in our lives we know are wrong, even though it may be costly to do so.

Maybe up until now, our business practices have been profitable, but shady. God calls us to put those practices aside.

Or perhaps we’ve been sleeping with our boyfriend or girlfriend. God calls us to start living in sexual purity, even though it may cost us that relationship.

And as we do, we need to be clear to those around us just why we are making these changes.

We do them, not simply because we want to turn over a new leaf, but because of the gratitude in our hearts toward God for all he’s done for us. That through the cross of Christ, he has granted us forgiveness for our sins and a new start in life. A life filled with his love, joy, and peace.

Some may become angry with us for it. Some may mock us and reject us. But some may be touched by the love of Christ through us and find him, as happened in Ephesus.

For because of those believers and the change God worked in their lives,

The word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. (Acts 19:20)

How about you? What is God asking you to put aside in your life this new year?

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Acts

Going beyond repentance

Acts

In this passage, we see some people that were similar to Apollos, but different.

Like Apollos, they had been disciples of John, but unlike Apollos, they were unaware of the one John had been pointing to.

So while they had been baptized by John, they had probably left him before Jesus’ baptism and John’s declaration of him as Messiah.

In other words, they had repented of their sins, but were not yet following Jesus.

And so Paul taught them about Jesus, after which they believed and were baptized both in water and in the Holy Spirit.

I suppose that if there’s one thing to get from this passage, it’s that it’s not enough to be sorry for your sins and repent. It’s not enough to say that you want to follow God. You also must put your faith in Jesus.

Jesus isn’t one of many ways to God. He is the only way. And if you don’t have him, you have nothing.

How about you? Have you put your faith in Jesus?

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Matthew Matthew 27

A sorrow that leads to death

Matthew

Here we see the end of Judas Iscariot’s life.

Upon seeing that Jesus had been condemned to death, he became remorseful, and went to the priests and elders saying,

I have sinned…for I have betrayed innocent blood. (Matthew 27:4)

He even tried to return the money, but when the priests and elders refused to take it, he threw it into the temple and went and hung himself.

The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 7 talks about two kinds of sorrow. Paul tells us,

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret. (2 Corinthians 7:10a)

This is the kind of sorrow that we eventually see in Peter. Devastated as he was by his failure in denying Jesus three times, he nevertheless repented, and was eventually restored.

Judas, on the other hand, never did repent.

Certainly he was sorry for the results of his actions. But instead of coming before God for forgiveness, he killed himself.

Paul calls this kind of sorrow, “a worldly sorrow that leads to death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10b)

Unfortunately, far too many people have Judas’ kind of sorrow.

They see the damage that they have done through their actions. But they see no hope for forgiveness. They think that what they’ve done is just too awful for even God to forgive.

The question is, what are we doing about it?

The people that should have helped Judas find the forgiveness of God, the priests, were of no help.

They basically said, “What’s your sorrow to us? If you think you’ve done something wrong, that’s your responsibility. Don’t come crying to us about it.”

The priests, of course, were too hardened by their own sin to be of any help. To have helped Judas would of course have meant recognizing their own sin. And they weren’t about to do that.

What’s so ironic is that they felt they couldn’t put the money back in the treasury from where it came because it was “blood money.”

Obviously, somewhere deep inside, they knew they were wrong.

But getting back to the point, as God’s priests, we should be helping people who are sorrowful for the mess they’ve made of their lives.

Are we doing that? Are we letting people know that God’s grace is there for them if they’ll just repent?

Or are we happy they are suffering? Are we saying, “That’s your responsibility. You’re reaping what you sowed. So don’t ask me to come help bail you out.”

Jesus had every right to do that to Peter. For that matter, he had every right to do that to each disciple that abandoned him.

Instead, he showed them grace. He showed them God’s forgiveness. That led to their repentance and completely changed their lives.

That’s what Jesus calls us to do for others. Are you?

Categories
Luke Luke 7 Matthew Matthew 11

Rejecting God’s purpose for us

The gospels

We were made for a purpose. God’s purpose. What is that purpose?

First and foremost, a relationship with him.

Second, a relationship with those he has put around us. To touch them and to be touched by them.

And finally, to do his will with the gifts and talents he has given us.

Unfortunately, so many people wander around aimlessly in their lives.

Why? Because they have rejected God’s purpose for their lives and are living for themselves.

The Pharisees and teachers of the law were this way. Though Jesus in this passage validates all that John the Baptist did, Luke says of these people,

But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John. (Luke 7:30)

John’s message was twofold. First to repent, the sign of which was carried out through baptism. Second, to point the way to the Messiah.

But the Pharisees and experts in the law were so proud of their own “righteousness,” that they couldn’t see their need to repent.

And when God himself appeared in Jesus, they rejected him. More than that, they crucified him. Thus Matthew said,

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. (Matthew 11:12)

Though the kingdom of God made great strides during John’s ministry, indeed though the King himself appeared shortly thereafter, the Pharisees and experts of the law did their best to put an end to it, not even knowing what they were doing.

In doing so, however, they totally missed God’s purpose for their lives.

But Luke said of the other people listening,

All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. (Luke 7:29)

By humbling themselves, by acknowledging that God’s way was right and repenting of their sin, and ultimately accepting Jesus, they found their way into his kingdom, and a return to the purpose for which God created them.

How about you? Are you in step with God’s purpose for your life?

It starts with repentance. It starts with admitting that you don’t know what’s best and accepting God’s way in your life.

In particular, it means accepting Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life. In short, it means to make him Lord in your life. Is he?

It starts with a prayer.

Lord, I’ve been living my own way, and in doing so, I’ve totally missed the purpose for which you created me. Forgive me.

I believe you died on the cross to take the punishment for my sin, and that you rose again three days later.

Now, be my Lord. I want to do things your way. I want to do the things you want me to do.

Draw me closer to you each day, and show me what you want of me. Amen.

Categories
Matthew Matthew 5

Sermon on the Mount: To see God

Matthew

There are so many songs that express a desire to see God. Back when I was a kid, we had a song,

Open our eyes Lord,
We want to see Jesus.

To reach out and touch him.
To say that we love him.

Slightly more recently, there was another song,

Open the eyes of my heart Lord,
Open the eyes of my heart.

I want to see you.
I want to see you.

They’re both great songs, and I love them, but if we really want to see God in our lives, Jesus tells us,

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Why is purity so important? Because God is holy. When the angels sing at his throne, they don’t sing about his love, they sing about his holiness.

(Okay, maybe they sing about his love too, but we never see a song in scripture that says, “Love, love, love, is the Lord God Almighty.”)

God tells us in both the Old Testament and the New to be Holy as he is. (Leviticus 11:44-45; I Peter 1:16).

God hates sin and cannot be near it. And if we are covered in its muck, we will always find ourselves at a distance from God.

This is not to say that we’ll lose our salvation or that God will stop loving us, but we will never have the close relationship that he desires to have with us.

One time, I was talking with a friend in her garage, and her two-year old daughter wandered off.

When she came back, she had a sponge in her hand that her husband had used to clean grease off of their car. So now, the grease was all over her hands and her face, yet despite this, she reached out to my friend wanting to be picked up and hugged.

Needless to say, my friend did NOT want to do that, and so her daughter started to cry. So very gingerly, my friend picked her up from behind and took her into the house to get her cleaned up.

Many times, we wonder why we feel distant from God. We wonder why he doesn’t seem to hear our prayers, or why we never seem to sense his presence.

A good question to ask yourself is, “Am I covered with muck? Is my sin making God keep his distance from me?”

The writer of Hebrews tells us,

Without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

A couple of notes. First, remember that though we may struggle with sin, God promises that,

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

The key is that we always seek to keep a clear conscience before God. And to do that, daily repentance is essential.

The second thing is that just because God seems distant does not necessarily mean you are in sin. There may be other reasons (which is a topic for another blog).

But repentance is a starting point. Ask God, “Is there something between you and me?”

And if there is, God will let you know. I strongly doubt God will ever tell us, “Well, I’m not going to tell you what you did wrong because you should already know.”

So if he doesn’t point out any sin in your life, then know that there are probably other reasons for his silence. And in time, he’ll let you know what they are.

But every day, you should ask yourself, “Is my heart clean before God?”

Categories
Psalms

Lead me not into temptation…

Psalms

As Psalm 140 was a prayer similar to our Lord’s in asking for deliverance from evil, Psalm 141 continues that theme and adds the other part of that verse in the Lord’s prayer.

Lead us not into temptation.  (Matthew 6:13)

David prays,

Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD;
keep watch over the door of my lips.

Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil,
to take part in wicked deeds
with men who are evildoers;
let me not eat of their delicacies.  (Psalm 141:3-4)

It strikes me here that he focuses on two things:  the words of his mouth, and the meditations of his heart.

He prays, “Lord, don’t let anything evil come out of my mouth.”

So often, Christians struggle with just that.  Whether it’s grumbling or complaining, gossip, slander, hurtful words, or whatever it may be.

Just a couple of days ago, I caught some sarcastic complaints coming out of my mouth.  And God rebuked me for it.

David also worried about his thought life, and he said, “Don’t let my heart be drawn to what is evil.  Don’t let my heart see the evil people around me, and be attracted to it.  To envy who they are and what they have.”

For when we allow our hearts to meditate on evil, it’s only a short step to acting on it.

Jesus also pointed out the importance of our thought lives in other areas.

He said that if we harbor anger in our hearts toward our brother, we have murdered him in our heart (Matthew 5:21-22).

He also said that if we lust after a woman, we’ve committed adultery with them in our hearts. (Matthew 5:27-28)

God is not only concerned about our deeds, but our thought life as well.  David knew this, and so he prayed that God would guard his heart as well as his lips.

He also determined to keep a humble, teachable heart that was willing to accept rebuke.  He told God,

Let a righteous man strike me–it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me –it is oil on my head.

My head will not refuse it.  (5)

So many of us take rebuke as burning coals.  But David took it as soothing oil.

This is not to say that the words were soothing at the time.  When Nathan confronted David for his sin with Bathsheba, and his murder of her husband, it must have felt like heaps of burning coals on his head.

Yet he repented, and God forgave and restored him.

That’s one of the keys to fighting temptation.  A humble heart that will accept correction.  A heart that doesn’t harden itself to God’s rebuke.

David then closes by again asking for deliverance from evil, from the people that would destroy him.

Every day, may we pray the same.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  (Matthew 6:13 — NASB).

Categories
Psalms

Repentance and mercy

Psalms

It’s not certain when Psalm 85 was written.  Charles Spurgeon seems to have thought it was written by David, but I tend to agree with the scholars who say it was written after the Babylonian captivity.

The psalmist writes,

You, Lord, showed favor to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins.

You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger.  (Psalm 85:1-3)

This could easily refer to God’s restoration of the people to the promised land after the 70 years of exile had passed.  And yet, it seems it was still a time of trouble.  The psalmist continues by pleading,

Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us.

Will you be angry with us forever?  Will you prolong your anger through all generations?

Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?

Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation.  (4-7)

Perhaps this was in reference to the fact that despite their return to the land, all was not yet well in Jerusalem.  The walls were destroyed, and raiders often came in to wreck havoc among the people.  (Nehemiah 1:1-3)

And so the psalmist prays for God’s mercy in the situation.  But then he says something important.  He said,

I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants — but let them not turn to folly.

Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.  (8-9)

So often we pray for mercy, but it would be well to remember that peace only comes to those who repent.

We cannot ask for God’s mercy if we’re willfully turning our backs on him and returning to the sin that destroyed us in the first place.

This is not to say that God will wait until we are completely sinless before he shows us mercy.  But he does want our hearts.  He wants to know that we are taking steps in his direction, rather than continuing on our old path.

We may fall, but as long as we’re going in the right direction, he will help us up and keep leading us on.

And as we follow him, we’ll find blessing.

As the psalmist wrote,

The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.

Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.  (12-13)

I like how the New King James puts the last verse.

Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway.

How about you?  Are you walking along the pathway of repentance?

Categories
Psalms

The consequences of sin

Psalms

These two psalms seemed linked, so I’m putting them together.  Both apparently happened after the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon, and are very similar in tone to Lamentations.

Psalm 79 opens with this lament:

O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.

They have left the dead bodies of your servants as food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.

They have poured out blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead.  (Psalm 79:1-3)

Then the psalmist cries out in verse 5,

How long, Lord?  Will you be angry forever?  How long will your jealousy burn like fire?

In Psalm 80, the cry is similar,

How much longer, LORD God Almighty, will you be angry with your people’s prayers?

You have given us sorrow to eat, a large cup of tears to drink.  (Psalm 80:4-5)

In both psalms, we see the psalmist’s cry for God’s mercy upon the people.

Do not hold against us the sins of past generations; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need.

Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.  (Psalm 79:8-9)

And again,

Restore us, Lord God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.  (Psalm 80:19)

And in both psalms, we see vows made.

Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever;
from generation to generation we will proclaim your praise.  (Psalm 79:13)

In Psalm 80, the psalmist prays,

Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself.

Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name.  (Psalm 80:17-18)

How much better though, would things have been if the people had been faithful to God all along?  To not wait until things were at that state to finally turn to him?

God is a God of mercy.  That is true.  He will forgive.  But there are consequences to our sin here on earth.

So let us not wait until disaster strikes to turn our faces to God, as the Israelites did time and again.

Let us turn our faces to him now and seek him so that we may avoid the pain and hurt that comes because of our sin.

Categories
Psalms

When God disciplines

Psalms

Looking back, I really should have put this psalm back in the life of David.  I missed it somehow.

It has been conjectured that Psalm 30 was written just after David’s sin in conducting a census of the people out of the pride of his heart (1 Chronicles 21, see also 2 Chronicles 3:1 and the notation made at the top of Psalm 30).

And in this psalm, we see David’s response to God’s discipline.

It seems here that when God afflicted Israel with the plague, that David too was struck, although no mention of this is made in 2 Samuel or in 1 Chronicles.

But after being healed, David praises God, saying,

I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.

O LORD, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit.  (Psalm 30:1-3)

Later, he writes why he was struck.  He says,

When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.”  (6)

Here, it wasn’t a confidence in God that made him feel secure.  It was confidence in himself and the army he had built up, thus leading him to count his fighting men.

But through the circumstances God had put him through, he now realized where his true security came from.

O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.  (7)

And so David humbled himself at the Lord’s discipline.  Looking back, he said,

To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy:

“What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit?  Will the dust praise you?  Will it proclaim your faithfulness?  Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help.” (8-10)

When God saw David’s repentant heart, he responded in mercy, forgiving David’s sin.  As a result, David responded with praise.

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.

O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.  (11-12)

What can we get from this?

I think before I say anything else, I should make clear that just because you’re sick, doesn’t mean that God must be punishing you for something.  Often times, that’s simply not the case, as we saw in Job.

But God will sometimes use illness to cause us to stop and see the wrong direction our lives are taking.  And so it never hurts to take a look at your life during times of sickness and trouble to pray, “God is this because of something I have done.  Is there unconfessed in my heart?”

And if God reveals something to you, then like David, we need to humble ourselves before him.

But if he doesn’t, then you can probably take it as a sign that this sickness or trouble is coming from some other source.

Why do I say this?  Because God doesn’t delight in torturing us.  He doesn’t take pleasure in seeing us suffer.  And if he is indeed using suffering to get us to turn our faces back to him, he is quick to forgive when we do.

He doesn’t say, “Well, if you haven’t figured out your sin, I’m certainly not going to tell you.”

Nor does he say, “You’ve finally repented, but I’m going to make you suffer more just to make sure you learn your lesson.”

As David wrote,

His anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.  (5)

Always remember that God doesn’t discipline us because he hates us, but because he loves us and wants the very best for us.

So let us respond to his correction with humble, repentant hearts.

Categories
Nehemiah

God’s grace in the midst of our unfaithfulness

Nehemiah

In this passage, we see the people coming before God to confess their sins.  And in this prayer, we see two things.  The unfaithfulness of the Jews and God’s grace.

The prayer starts with how God created everything, and then chose one man Abram to start a nation.  It then talks about how the Jews were enslaved in Egypt, but how by God’s grace he delivered them and led them through the desert.

But despite all the miracles he performed, the people wanted to go back to Egypt and return to their lives as slaves.  And instead of worshiping God as he is, they made an idol and called that God.

Yet God showed grace even then, providing them food and water in the desert and continuing to lead them.

He then brought them into Canaan, a land of milk and honey, but there they turned their backs on God once more, killing his prophets and serving their own gods.

As a result, God handed them to their enemies, but when they cried out to God in their distress, once again in his grace he saved them.  But the time came when finally he sent them into exile.  And so the people prayed,

But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces.

Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us.  They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please.  We are in great distress.  (Nehemiah 9:36-37)

Now they came before God with repentant hearts, seeking to renew their covenant with him.

It’s amazing to me that God would show so much grace to them.  If I had been God, I would’ve given up on them.  But he never did.  Even now, he has not given up on these people he has called.

And I think that it’s a good thing.  Because I’m just as bad in my own way as the Israelites.  I stumble in my sin, and I fall.  Like the Israelites, so often I harden my heart, and do what I know is wrong.

Yet though I am unfaithful, God remains faithful.  And he never gives up on me.  For that, I am truly grateful.

Categories
Nehemiah

Joy of the Lord

Joy of the Lord

After the wall was built, the Jews came to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets as commanded by God in Leviticus 23.

And on this day, Ezra the priest read the law of God to the people.  Several things strike me as I read this.

First, the reverence that people had for God’s word and for God himself.

When Ezra opened up the book to read it, everyone stood up.  They then listened attentively while he read.

And when Ezra praised the Lord, they bowed down with their faces to the ground.

How often do we have that kind of reverence for God and his Word?

When we come before him, do we come with the humble hearts that these people had?  And are our hearts turned to what he would to say to us?  Or do we let ourselves get distracted by other things?

I’m also struck by the need of good teachers of God’s word.

In verse 8, it says that as the Levites read from the book of the law, they made it clear and gave the meaning so that everyone could understand what God was trying to say.

That need is still great in the church today:  people who can take God’s word and make it simple enough for all who hear to understand and grasp.

The third thing that strikes me is the response of the people.

When they heard God’s word, they wept as they realized how much they had violated God’s law and brought disaster upon themselves.

Do we have the same response when God shows us the sin in our lives?  Do we weep in repentance?

Or have we become hardened to our sin?

But the final thing that strikes me is that God does not wish us to wallow in our sorrow.

Rather, he wishes us to revel in his joy.

Nehemiah told the people,

Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.  (Nehemiah 8:10)

There would be a time for repentance, and we see this in chapters 9 and 10.

But God wanted the people at that point not to wallow in their sorrow for their failures, but to delight in his goodness and faithfulness to them.

When we sin, we should humbly repent before God.

But let us not remain in our tears and regret.

Let us instead remember the cross and how Jesus took our punishment for us.

Let us remember his grace and how he saved us.

And as we do, God will restore our joy.

God does not give us his word simply to make us grieve for our failures, or to take the joy out of our lives.

Rather, it’s his deepest desire that we would come into close fellowship with him and to know his love and his joy.

As Jesus said,

If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  (John 15:10-11)

Categories
Zechariah

That we may see

Zechariah

In this passage, we see a glimpse of Israel’s future.

Sometimes people think that God has abandoned Israel, and that God’s promises to them have all been transferred to the church. But that’s not true. As Paul said concerning Israel,

As far as election is concerned, they (the Jews) are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. (Romans 11:28–29)

And so in this passage we see how the blinders will be taken off their eyes that they might see again.

It starts with God’s protection over the Jews in the final days when the nations come against Israel to destroy it. But God says that when that happens, the nations will be the ones hurt and sent reeling. (Zechariah 12:2–3)

That will begin the taking off of the blinders, as all Israel will realize that it is God who is protecting them. The day will come when they will say,

The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God. (Zechariah 12:5)

And as they continue to see God’s salvation in their lives, they will make another realization. The Messiah that they have been longing for has already come. That two thousand years ago, they crucified him.

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication.

They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. (Zechariah 12:10)

At that time, Israel will repent and recognize Jesus as the Messiah, and all Israel shall be saved. (Romans 11:26)

As I look at this, I marvel at the grace of God. Though Israel will not be looking for him, or at least will be looking for him in all the wrong directions, nevertheless they will find him.

Not because they deserve it, nor because they are better than anyone else, but because of God’s love and mercy.

It’s the same with us. He pours out his Spirit of grace and mercy on us that we may see and repent. And when we see Jesus as our Messiah, our Savior, then we like the Jews will find salvation.

As the old song goes,

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost,
But now I’m found.
Was blind, but now I see.

Categories
Zechariah

Learning from the past

Zechariah and temple

Zechariah started his ministry at the same time as Haggai, and together they helped the Israelites get back on track with the rebuilding of the temple. As well as being a prophet, he was also a priest.

By the way, just a quick historical note, when it says this happened in the time of Darius (and this goes for Haggai too), this was not the Darius mentioned in Daniel. This is Darius the Great as known in history.

Anyway, Zechariah starts his ministry by reminding the Israelites of their past. He told them,

The Lord was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore tell the people:

This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.

Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’

But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord.

Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever? But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors?

Then they repented and said, ‘The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’ (Zechariah 1:2–6)

Here Zechariah recounts how time and again, God had called their forefathers to return to him, and turn away from their sins, but they ignored him.

Many thought that the prophets were speaking empty words, but in the end, judgment fell on them until they finally repented and admitted they were wrong.

Now God was saying, “Learn from your past. My words were not empty when I spoke to your forefathers. They are not empty now. Repent and turn from your sins lest judgment fall upon you again.”

God tells us the same. We all sin sometimes. But the question we need to ask is if we are learning from the mistakes that we make, or are we just repeating the same destructive patterns in our lives.

Let us not be people who repeat our mistakes of the past. Let us instead be wise, walking in repentance and the grace of God.

Categories
Ezekiel

How then shall we live?

Ezekiel

In this passage, Ezekiel repeats some themes from earlier in the book.

God once again warns Ezekiel, “Don’t be silent when I tell you to speak. I will hold you accountable if a person dies in their sin and you didn’t warn them.”

Then he told Ezekiel what the Israelites were saying among themselves.

Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live? (Ezekiel 33:10)

So many times, we look at our own lives and we say the same thing.

We see the sin that is chaining us down and destroying us. And we say, “I’ve made such a mess of my life and God is punishing me for it. How can I live when God is so against me?”

But God told the people,

Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.

Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’ (Ezekiel 33:11)

He says the same to us.

“Do you think I like seeing you suffer? Do you think I like it when people go to hell? Turn! The reason that I’m doing these things is so that you can find true life. Why keep living a life that leads to death?”

But the problem with these Jews is clearly seen in the latter part of the chapter.

Word had just come to Ezekiel and his fellow expatriates that Jerusalem had finally fallen. Even so, the people were certain that they would someday return, not because of God, but because of their own efforts.

And so God told them, “It’s not going to happen. You continue to live in rebellion against me and you will perish for it.”

Then he told Ezekiel,

My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice.

With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.

Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice. (Ezekiel 33:31–32)

The problem with these Jews was that though they made a pretense of wanting to hear God’s word and of worshiping him, their hearts were far from him.

Hearing Ezekiel’s words was like a kind of entertainment for them, but they would not put those words into practice.

Sometimes people go to church with the same attitude.

They go to get a good show. They go because they are entertained. They go because it makes them feel good.

But when it comes to the Word of God, they fail to put it into practice. As a result, they are walking dead men and women because they are still steeped in their sin. And one day they will be judged.

How about you? Are you suffering because of your sin?

God doesn’t desire that you perish but that you be saved. That you be set free from a lifestyle that is destroying you and that you would find true life.

Jesus came 2000 years ago, dying on a cross that your sins might be forgiven, and three days later he rose again, conquering death. Now he offers life to you.

Don’t think that playing the Christian will save you.

God sees your heart. He sees the sin that is there and he calls you to repent and follow him. Will you? It starts with a prayer.

Jesus, I’ve made a mess of my life through my sin. I’ve gone my own way and paid for it. Please forgive me.

I believe you died on the cross for my sins. Wash me clean. Change me. Make me new.

Teach me what it is to truly live. I want to follow you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Categories
Lamentations

Mourning unto repentance

Lamentations

I could go chapter by chapter through Lamentations, but I think I’ll take it as a whole.

The major themes are pretty consistent throughout, and I see no need to get too repetitive going through this book chapter by chapter, verse by verse.

Jeremiah is generally recognized as the author of this book, and he probably wrote it shortly after the destruction of Jerusalem. And you can see the pain of Jeremiah very clearly in this book.

In chapter 1, he compares Jerusalem to a great queen who has not only lost her husband and been cast down, but has been taken into captivity.

As she lies in her prison, she weeps bitterly throughout the night, and all the lovers she had courted while she was queen, and all her “friends,” have either betrayed or abandoned her.

Throughout the rest of the book, we catch glimpses of how bad the situation was in Jerusalem.

The beautiful temple Solomon had built, the pride of the nation, was now looted and burned. All the leaders were slain or exiled.

Those who had been rich were reduced to poverty, and all the people were starving. Children were dying in their mothers’ arms, and mothers were eating their own children.

Death permeated the city, and Jeremiah lamented that it would have been better to die by the sword than to die of starvation.

As a result of all this, the people no longer knew any joy in their lives. Instead, they all lived in hopelessness and despair.

In chapter 2, Jeremiah talks about what to him is even worse—that the Lord himself had abandoned the city. He had rejected the altar and his sanctuary there.

Not only that, he had fought against Jerusalem, tearing down the city in his anger.

Why did he do all this? We talked about this earlier, but Jeremiah reiterates it here:

The Lord has brought her grief because of her many sins. (Lamentations 1:5)

And because of all this, they were now being ridiculed by the nations around them for how low they had fallen.

Yet in the midst of all the destruction and suffering, we do find an oasis of hope in Jeremiah’s heart.

In chapter 3, he talks about the state of Jerusalem, comparing it perhaps to his time of imprisonment in the pit under the reign of Zedekiah.

Forced to dwell in darkness, in bitterness of heart, with no means of escape. Weighed down by his chains. Crying out to God, but feeling like God was not hearing. Being made the laughingstock of all the people around him.

But then he said,

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:21–23)

Where did Jeremiah find his hope?

In the love and compassion of God. That though God brought judgment on his people, he had not completely abandoned them. Though broken and exiled, yet they still lived.

Jeremiah continued,

For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.

For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. (Lamentations 3:31–33)

And so Jeremiah told the people: Don’t just weep in self-pity. Rather mourn unto repentance. He said,

Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. (Lamentations 2:19)

And again,

Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins?

Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.

Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven, and say: “We have sinned and rebelled and you have not forgiven.” (Lamentations 3:39–42)

God says the same to us.

Perhaps you are feeling broken by your sins. Your life is a mess, and you think there’s no hope. And as long as you’re mourning in self-pity, there is no hope.

But when we turn to God in repentance, he will show us his compassion once again, and will forgive and restore us.

Paul put it this way,

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

Jeremiah ends the book by saying,

Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure. (Lamentations 5:21–22)

God will not utterly reject you nor be angry beyond measure if you’ll only do one thing: repent.

So let us not wallow in the sorrow that leads to death. But let us instead embrace the godly sorrow that leads to forgiveness and life.

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Jeremiah

A futile hope

Jeremiah

Zedekiah is kind of a difficult guy to figure out.  Here is the son of the last good king of Judah, Josiah.  So he had an example of what a good king was. 

He also saw how two of his brothers (Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim) and his nephew (Jehoiachin) had failed miserably by going their own way. 

Yet, he insisted on following in their footsteps, rather than his father’s.

To some degree he seemed to have some respect for Jeremiah.  He certainly consulted him often enough. 

Yet when his officials got tired of Jeremiah’s prophesies against Jerusalem, Zedekiah allowed them to falsely accuse him of deserting to the Babylonians, to beat him, and throw him into prison. 

Later they convinced Zedekiah to put Jeremiah into  a cistern to die. 

Only by the actions of one brave man confronting Zedekiah about this was Jeremiah rescued from the cistern, and returned to the courtyard of the guard where he was held prisoner.

But the question was, why consult Jeremiah at all?  He never listened to anything Jeremiah said. 

As Jeremiah 37:2 says,

Neither [Zedekiah] nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.

The only thing I can think of is that he was vainly hoping that somehow God would change his mind.  That even if he continued living his own way, God would save him anyway, and just let him live his own life in peace.

But it was a futile hope. 

God does indeed sometimes change his mind concerning judgment.  But as Jeremiah 18 says, it’s predicated on one thing:  repentance.  And that’s something that Zedekiah never did.

Instead, he made excuses for why he wouldn’t obey.  When Jeremiah urged him to surrender to the Babylonians, he replied,

I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me.  (Jeremiah 38:19)

And when Jeremiah tried to convince him that was not so, Zedekiah refused to listen.

How about you?  Are you clinging to your sins, hoping that things will somehow turn out for the good? 

Are you insistent on living your own way, just hoping that God will show mercy and not bring judgment for it?

That’s a futile hope.  If we hold on to our sins, if we insist living our own way, judgment will eventually come.  God will not change his mind if we don’t repent.

If however we repent, God will forgive and he will restore us. 

I’m not saying that there will not be any consequences here on this earth for our actions.  We do reap what we sow. 

But when we repent, God will forgive us.  And by repenting, we allow God to start turning our lives around for the good.

What will you do?  Will you hold on to a futile hope?  Or will you seek the hope that comes from repentance?

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Jeremiah

Temporary repentance

Jeremiah

And so we continue jumping through Jeremiah to somewhat keep our chronological order. 

It’s a bit unclear when these events happened, but it appears to be before Jeremiah was put in prison. (Chapters 32-33)

Jeremiah first warns Zedekiah that Nebuchadnezzar would triumph over Jerusalem, although Zedekiah would not be put to death by the sword.

While it’s not clear, it appears this caused at least some repentance on the part of Zedekiah and Judah. 

For years, they had broken God’s law against the Israelites keeping their own brother Israelites as slaves. 

According to the law, every seven years they were to release any Israelite serving them.  (Most of these people were forced into labor because of debt problems.) 

But instead of doing this, the Israelites forced their brothers to keep serving them as slaves.

With the Babylonians threatening to overrun them, however, and with all of Jeremiah’s warnings of what was to come, Zedekiah convinced the people of Israel to make a covenant with God in which they promised to release all the slaves. 

And they did.  But only for a short time. 

While the timing is not clearly stated, it appears that sometime after they had done this, Nebuchadnezzar withdrew his army from Jerusalem’s walls to fight against the Egyptians. (Jeremiah 34:21)

With the threat of Nebuchadnezzar now gone, the people had gone back on their promise to God and forced their brothers back into slavery. 

As a result, God pronounced judgment on them, telling them that Nebuchadnezzar would be back and would lay waste to Jerusalem.

What can we learn from this?  Sometimes people go through troubles in their lives and as a result turn to God.  God works in their lives and forgives them, bringing restoration to them. 

But when things go well, they forget the goodness of God in their lives, and start living their own way again.  As a result, they fall right back into a life of turmoil and destruction.

I’m not saying they will lose their salvation, but I am saying they will reap the consequences of their sin here on earth.

How about you?  Having been forgiven and restored, are you now turning back to your old way of life?

May our repentance from sin not be temporary.  Rather, let us always turn our face to God, fleeing from sin. 

Only in doing so will we find blessing.

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Ezekiel

When weeping does no good

Ezekiel

We are truly reaching the end of Judah as a nation at this point.

After years of warning from Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and many others, Babylon was now on the doorstep of Judah, ready to destroy it once and for all.

On the day the siege started, God told Ezekiel, “This is it. This nation is so wicked, they spill blood and don’t even care to hide it.

“I’ve tried to cleanse this nation from its impurities, but despite all my warnings and efforts, it has all been in vain.

“So I’m no longer going to hold back. I will show no pity. The time of judgment has now come. (Ezekiel 24:1–14)”

Then God gave Ezekiel news that had to devastate him: “Your wife will die.”

Not only that, he commanded Ezekiel not to do all the traditional Jewish things that people did to mourn for their dead. He told Ezekiel,

Do not lament or weep or shed any tears. Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead.

Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food of mourners. (Ezekiel 24:16–17)

Why did he command this?

It was to be a sign to the people around him of what their response would be at the destruction of Jerusalem. Their stronghold, their glory, their delight, their desires, even their very children would be taken from them.

As a result, their grief would be so deep that they would not be able to find any comfort or release from their usual customs of mourning.

Yet despite their grief, they still would not repent. Instead, they would waste away because of their sins, groaning among themselves.

What can we take from this?

Mourning can be a good thing. When mourning causes us to turn from our sins and turn to God, it can bring us comfort, restoration, and life.

Jesus himself said,

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)

But we can get so jaded by our sins that even when we lose everything we hold dear, even when our grief is so deep nothing can seem to relieve it, we refuse to repent. Instead, we shout in defiance to God or waste away in self-pity.

That’s what would happen to the people of Judah. And that’s what can happen to us if we let ourselves get hardened to sin in our lives.

How about you? Has your heart become jaded because of sin? Have you lost all hope because of it? Are you simply wallowing in your anger toward God or in self-pity?

You don’t have to be that way. Confess your sins before God. Mourn for your sins, not just for the consequences of them.

And if you do, God will reach down, touch you, forgive you, and restore you.

Remember it’s never too late, no matter what you’ve done.

The apostle Paul was a man who had blasphemed Christ and had murdered Christ’s own people. But after his conversion, he wrote,

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:15–16)

Paul’s weeping brought repentance and salvation. May your weeping bring you the same.

Categories
Jeremiah

Responding to hard words

Jeremiah

Nobody likes discipline.  Nobody likes hearing hard words.  But how we respond to them can shape our lives for the good or the bad.

Jeremiah had many hard words for the people of Judah, namely words of judgment for their sin. 

It was always a two-fold message:  Judgment is coming.  But you can avoid it if you will just turn from your sin. 

In chapter 25, he warned the people that they would go into exile into Babylon for 70 years unless they repented. 

Not only did he warn Judah, but he warned the surrounding nations as well. 

How did they respond?  Many didn’t respond well at all.

When many of people, priests, and prophets heard Jeremiah’s words, they seized him, saying, “You must die!  Why are you saying these things?”  (Jeremiah 26:8-9). 

They considered it almost treason to preach that Judah would be destroyed for their sins.  Jeremiah was only saved when the elders of the land stood up for him. 

They pointed out that when the prophet Micah prophesied during the time of Hezekiah, Hezekiah responded by fearing the Lord and repenting, causing God to relent on passing judgment. 

On hearing this, the people released Jeremiah, but we see no signs that they actually turned from their sins.

Their king Jehoiakim was no better.  When another prophet named Uriah preached against Judah as Jeremiah did, Jehoiakim had him pursued all the way to Egypt, and when they brought him back, he had Uriah killed.  (Jeremiah 26:20-23)

At another time, Jeremiah had his scribe Baruch go to the temple and and read out the words Jeremiah had been given by God. 

When he did, the palace officials had Baruch hand them the scroll, and they took it and read it to Jehoiakim. 

Jehoiakim’s response?  He cut them up and burned them.  Then he tried to have Jeremiah put to death too.

How about you?  How do you respond to hard words.  When someone confronts you about sin in your life, do you brush it off?  Do you get angry and attack the person who confronts you?  Or do you take those words to heart and repent?

God’s desire is not to judge people.  His desire is that we turn from our sins and repent.  And by sending people to warn us, he’s giving us that chance. 

How much better for us would it be if we would take those words and let them shape us, instead of casting them aside?

What will you do?

Categories
Jeremiah

When God won’t listen

Jeremiah

“I’m already saved.  So I’ll just sin and God will forgive me.”

That’s the unfortunate attitude of many people that say they are Christians, but continue to live their own way. 

But God makes clear here that he doesn’t tolerate that kind of attitude.

He said of the people of Israel and Judah,

There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 

They have returned to the sins of their forefathers, who refused to listen to my words.  They have followed other gods to serve them. 

Both the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their forefathers.  (Jeremiah 11:9-10)

So many people today are the same.  They return to the sins that they had previously left behind. 

Perhaps the people of Judah thought to themselves, “It’s okay.  If we get into trouble, we’ll just make the sacrifices for sin, and God will forgive us.”

But they forgot the sacrifices were not for willful sins, that is, sins made in utter rebellion and disobedience towards God. 

Sometimes we sin in the heat of the moment.  Sometimes we sin before we even know it.  It was for those sins that the sacrifices were for, not for defiant ones.  See here for more on that.

Here, the people of Judah knew what they were doing was wrong, but insisted on sinning.  So God said,

Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape.  Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.  (11)

And again,

Do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress.  (14)

We are living in the age of grace.  That’s true.  God will forgive us if we’re truly repentant.  But as I’ve mentioned before, that doesn’t mean we’ll escape the consequences of sin.

If you cheat on your wife, she may divorce you no matter how much you may plead with her or God. 

If you blow your money on gambling or unwise use of credit cards, you can plead with God all you want, but most likely, he’ll let you suffer the consequences of your actions.

So let us not fool ourselves by saying, “God will forgive, so I’ll just sin.” 

Let us instead do as Paul admonishes us.

Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.  (2 Timothy 2:22) 

Categories
2 Chronicles 2 Kings

A superficial repentance

Kings & Chronicles

We now come to the beginning of the end for Judah. 

Josiah was the last great king of Judah.  And on the surface, it looks like there was true repentance under his leadership. 

He destroyed the false idols and altars.  He got rid of all the spiritists, mediums, and all the false priests as well. 

They also had the greatest Passover feast since the time of Samuel. 

And it says,

As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the Lord, the God of their fathers.  (2 Chronicles 34:33)

But it says in 2 Kings 23:26-27,

Nevertheless, the Lord did not turn away from the heat of his fierce anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to provoke him to anger.  

So the Lord said, “I will remove Judah also from my presence as I removed Israel, and I will reject Jerusalem, the city I chose, and this temple, about which I said, ‘There shall my Name be.’”

What was the problem? 

While Josiah’s repentance was quite genuine, the same cannot be said of the rest of the people of Israel. 

While there were certainly those among the Israelites that truly repented, there were others that stubbornly clung to their sinful ways. 

It may have been hidden, but it was there.

And after Josiah died, all that evil came flooding back into the open.

How about you?  Are you truly serving God with all your heart as Josiah did? 

Or are you like many of the people of Israel, superficially serving God, but continuing to serve the idols of this world in your own home and workplace?

You may be fooling others, but you’re not fooling God. 

And you will pay the price for it if it continues, just as the Israelites did.

Let us not just serve God with our actions, but with our hearts, putting away all the things that would lead us away from Him.

Categories
Jeremiah

False repentance

Jeremiah

Every once in a while, my daughter will do something wrong, and we’ll tell her to apologize.  But when she does, she sometimes makes light of it, almost singing, “I’m sorrryyy.”

And that’s how Judah was.  God said of them,

You have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to blush with shame.

Have you not just called to me: ‘My Father, my friend from my youth, will you always be angry?  Will your wrath continue forever?’

This is how you talk, but you do all the evil you can. (Jeremiah 3:3-5)

With their lips, they said “I’m sorry,” but their actions showed they were not sorry at all.

God then compared them to the northern kingdom of Israel that had been exiled.  God said that he divorced them because of their adulteries (that is, he exiled them because of their idolatry).  But despite seeing this, the people of Judah didn’t repent.

Oh, they said the words of repentance, but did not truly repent in their hearts.  God said of them,

“In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the Lord.

The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah.” (Jeremiah 3:10-11)

What does God mean by this?  “Either repent, or don’t.  I’d prefer outright rebellion than false piety.”

But of course, true repentance is what God truly wants.  And so he says,

“Return, faithless Israel,” declares the Lord, “I will frown on you no longer, for I am merciful,” declares the Lord, “I will not be angry forever.

Only acknowledge your guilt – you have rebelled against the Lord your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed me,” declares the Lord.

“Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband…

Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.”  (Jeremiah 3:12-14,22)

How should we respond?

Yes, we will come to you, for you are the Lord our God.  (Jeremiah 3:22)

And as God says,

Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns.

Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts.  (Jeremiah 4:3-4)

In other words, soften your heart towards God.  Break up the hardness of your heart.  Pull out the thorns of sin.  And cut out the things in your life that would keep you from him.

When we do this, our repentance will not only affect us, but the people around us.

As God says,

“If you will return, O Israel, return to me,” declares the Lord.

“If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ then the nations will be blessed by him and in him they will glory.”  (Jeremiah 4:1-2)

In short, when we return to the Lord in true repentance, and truly start living for him, all the people around us start to be blessed as he works through us to touch them.

May we all have hearts that are softened towards him that we may touch the world around us.

Categories
2 Chronicles 2 Kings

Never too late

Luke and Darth Vader

“It’s too late for me son.”

George Lucas called the Star Wars saga the redemption of Darth Vader.  How a young man got corrupted by evil but was eventually brought out of it through the love of his son.

In one of the climactic scenes of Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker pleads with his father to let go of his hate, to leave the emperor and come away with him. 

Vader regretfully says, “It’s too late for me.” 

But with the emperor about to kill Luke, and Luke pleading with his father to save him, Darth Vader turns against the emperor, saving his son and ultimately, himself.

As I read this passage about Hezekiah’s son Manasseh, it follows a similar storyline. 

Here was Manasseh, the son of of one of the best kings Judah or Israel ever had.  But somehow, he went wrong. 

He started worshiping other gods.  He put idols and foreign altars in the temple and the courts of the Lord.  He practiced witchcraft and consulted mediums and spiritists. 

He even went so far as to sacrifice his own sons by flame to these gods he worshiped. 

In the book of Kings it says that he shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end.  (2 Kings 21:16)

Time and again, God warned him through the prophets.  But not only did he not listen, he murdered them. 

Tradition has it that while Isaiah was hiding in a log, Manasseh had him sawed in two. 

And so God said,

“I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears it will tingle…

I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 

I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and hand them over to their enemies. 

They will be looted and plundered by all their foes, because they have done evil in my eyes and have provoked me to anger from the day their forefathers came out of Egypt until this day.  (2 Kings 21:12-15)

The Assyrians came and took Manasseh captive, putting a hook in his nose and binding him with bronze shackles, and taking him to Babylon.

In Kings, the story ends there. 

But Chronicles gives us more information.  That as he was in Babylon, he sought God, humbled himself greatly, and repented. 

And because of that, God restored him to his place as king in Jerusalem. 

Manasseh then worked the rest of his life to undo all the evil he had done previously, and he eventually died in peace.

Manasseh had done some pretty awful things.  He was one of the worst kings Judah had ever had.  And yet, even for him, it wasn’t too late to repent.

God will judge people for their sins, as he did with Manasseh. 

But as slow as he can be to pass judgment, and he did wait a long time before passing judgment on Manasseh, he is very quick to forgive.

Are you feeling it’s too late for you?  That you’ve messed up your life too much for God to forgive you? 

It’s never too late.  All you have to do is turn. 

And when you do, you’ll find that God is not only waiting for you, but is running to greet you, hold you in his arms, and say “Welcome home.”

Categories
2 Chronicles 2 Kings Isaiah

Humbled

Kings,Chronicles, and Isaiah

Once again, a small caveat on the chronology of events:  I’m purely guessing here. 

Unfortunately, the Bible doesn’t put in one book, the blow by blow events of what happened.  So all I can do is try to piece together things as best I can.

As we saw earlier Sennacherib, the king of Assyria had already taken the northern Kingdom of Israel, and had then attacked Judah.  Judah had been paying tribute to them, but then stopped. 

When Sennacherib came the first time to attack Jerusalem, Hezekiah bought him off with treasures from the temple, and from his own coffers.

But now Sennacherib had come again, and so Hezekiah made further preparations, blocking off the water from the springs outside the city to make sure that they would have enough water during a siege, while denying it to their enemies. 

He also had the walls repaired, had weapons made, and basically did everything humanly possible to prepare for the siege.

Again, I’m purely speculating here, but even though his treaty with the Egyptians failed to protect him from Assyria, and while was doing everything humanly possible to prepare, he still wasn’t trusting in God. 

Hezekiah was putting all his trust in Egypt and his own efforts.  And so God struck him with an illness.

And after months or perhaps even years of ignoring Isaiah’s warnings, he finally called Isaiah to the palace to inquire of the Lord.  And Isaiah told him,

This is what the Lord says:  “Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”  (2 Kings 20:1)

What must have gone through Hezekiah’s mind at that time?  His city under siege, he was dying, and there was no son to take his place (Manasseh, his son, wasn’t born until three years later).

Perhaps he raged at God.  “Why is this happening?  Why are you doing this to me?”

Maybe that rage turned to self-pity.  “Why does this have to happen to me?”

But then it turned to humility.

With no other recourse, he humbled himself before God, pleading that God not remember his sin and pride, but the good things that he had done.  To remember how he had sought the Lord in the past. 

And as he wept before the Lord, God stopped Isaiah as he was going home and sent him back to Hezekiah, saying,

This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says:  I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. 

And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria.  I will defend this city.  (Isaiah 38:5-6)

And then the Lord, gave him a sign, causing the shadow cast by the sun to go backwards on the sundial. 

How he did that, I don’t know.  Whether he reversed the earth’s rotation, or whether it was a trick of the light is not clear.  But whatever he did, God kept his promise, and Hezekiah recovered.

What can we get from this?  Many times God will humble us in order to get our attention.  If we refuse to listen to him, and go our own way, he loves us too much to just leave us be.  He will work to bring us back.

Hezekiah wrote later,

What can I say?  He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this.  I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul…

Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish.  In your love, you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind our back.  (Isaiah 38:15,17)

Are you suffering because of the sin in your life?  God doesn’t desire to destroy you.  He desires that we humble ourselves and live.  To trust in him that our lives may go well.  And that we might teach others to trust in him too.

Hezekiah finished his psalm of praise by saying,

Fathers tell their children about your faithfulness.  The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the Lord (Isaiah 38:19-20).

So let us not trust in ourselves.  But every day, let us humble ourselves before God, trust in him, and teach others to do the same.

Categories
2 Chronicles

A call to repentance

2 Chronicles

One of the interesting things in this passage was that at a time when there were probably still hard feelings between Israel and Judah, Hezekiah reached out to the remnant that remained in the northern kingdom after the Assyrians had sent most of them into exile.

And basically, Hezekiah told them, “We, like you, have turned our backs on God and have paid the price for it.  Now we’re turning back to God.  Won’t you join us?  Won’t you come back with us?”

As I look at this passage, I think there are several things we can learn when calling people to repentance.

One is that we need a heart of forgiveness and compassion even for those who have hurt us.

The Israelites of the northern kingdom had joined forces with Aram, and had caused much trouble for the people of Judah during the time of Hezekiah’s father Ahaz.  (Isaiah 7)

But when Israel fell to Assyria, Hezekiah reached out with compassion, begging them to return to the Lord.

We need that kind of heart as well.  A heart that longs for the repentance and salvation of those around us, even those that have hurt us.

But too often, instead of reaching out to them, we rejoice at their suffering.

The second thing to note is the message itself.

What is the message of salvation?

“Return to the Lord.  Your life is a mess because you’ve turned back on him.  But if you will return to him, ‘he is gracious and compassionate and he will not turn his face from you.'” (2 Chronicles 30:9)

The message is the same today.

“Maybe you have messed up your life because of the choices you’ve made.

“But God still loves you and wants a relationship with you, no matter how messed up your life is.  And if you return to him, he will forgive and restore you.

“All you have to do is turn.”

That’s the message we need to be giving people.  A message of repentance and hope.

The final thing to remember is that we cannot control how people will respond to the message.

Many of the people in Israel scorned and ridiculed Hezekiah’s messengers.

But others humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem to join in the Passover Feast with the people of Judah.

And when it was all done, they not only helped destroy the places of idol worship in Judah, but they went home and destroyed the places of idol worship in their own towns as well.

Some people will reject the message of the gospel.

That’s okay.  You can’t control their response.

But there will be others that will respond with open hearts, and they will repent.

So don’t get discouraged.  Just keep preaching the message.

As God told Isaiah,

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth.

It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.  (Isaiah 55:10-11)

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Isaiah

The day of judgment

Isaiah

This chapter starts a series of judgments that God proclaims against the different nations.

Isaiah starts with Babylon, but as he does, we also see in it the judgment that is yet to come.

Isaiah wrote,

See, the day of the Lord is coming – a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger – to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.

The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light.  The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.

I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins.  I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.

I will make man scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir.

Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of his burning anger.  (Isaiah 13:9-13)

If verse 10 looks familiar, it should be.

Jesus quotes this passage when talking about the last days in Matthew 24:29.

And what Isaiah makes clear is this:  God’s patience will not last forever.  Right now, we are in the age of grace.  And as Peter wrote,

The Lord is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  (2 Peter 3:9)

But then Peter adds,

But the day of the Lord (there’s that phrase again) will come like a thief.

The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed with fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.  (2 Peter 3:10)

The words in Isaiah strike me, “cruel day,” “wrath,” “anger,” “destroy,” “desolate,” “burning anger,” and “punish.”

We all like to think of God as a God of love, and that’s true.  He is.  But he is a God of justice as well.  And a just God must eventually deal with sin.

Sometimes we think God is late in dealing out justice.  But God makes clear here that that day is coming.

That was the warning God gave to Babylon and its king.  And that’s the warning God gives us today.  The question is, are you ready for the day of judgment?

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that God will just overlook your sin.  That it’s beneath his notice.

The day is coming when God will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their sins.

The only hope we have is to turn to him and beg for his mercy and forgiveness while we still have time.  And that time is now.

Paul wrote this,

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.  (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Won’t you turn to him today?