the Gospel

The Great Deliverer

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Exodus 13:17-15:18; Psalm 26; Proverbs 6:16-19; Matthew 21:23-46

 

“In Your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed. In Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling.” -Exodus 15:13

 

The character traits outlined in our Proverbs passage describe what God hates: pride, liars, murder, deceitfulness, divisiveness, and hatred. Examples of this nature are seen in Pharaoh and his army as well as the Pharisees who challenge Jesus’ authority. The nature of man apart from God does not change. How the Lord addresses our sin may vary. Meaning, the Egyptians experienced immediate consequences as they were drowned in the Red Sea. Their wickedness brought about their own ruin, but God’s glory.

On the other hand, the Pharisees’ rebellion against Jesus does not receive prompt judgment. It looks like they’ve won as Jesus is crucified and they triumph over His death. But this isn’t where the Story ends. Death did not hold Christ. The One murdered on the cross will judge the hearts of men at the end of Time. Like the Pharisees, all who remain unrepentant in their sins will be held accountable on Judgement Day. This is the worst consequence of all.

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The righteous pray for God’s salvation over them. As David does in Psalm 26, we can seek the Lord without fear as He no longer sees our former nature. We boldly come before His Throne and appeal to the Lord. He has covered us in the righteousness of Jesus and our sins no longer condemn us (Romans 8:1). Our love for the Father grows and deepens hope. The desire to live in holiness is His gift to us and the mark of genuine faith.

El Shaddai delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. Then in His perfect wisdom and time, the Lord came in the person of Jesus Christ to be our Great Deliverer. Rest in God’s wisdom today. He will watch over you and be your Help for those who know their need of Him and seek His Face.

 

Grace upon grace,

April

Macro and Micro

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Exodus 12:14-13:16; Matthew 20:29-21:22

 

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.” -Hebrews 1:1-3

 

Before Jesus’ earthly ministry began, God spoke through appointed men and prophets. When Christ came He dealt face to face with people. Still the same true God, the Lord reveals Himself in a much more personable, tangible way as Jesus became flesh, living among men. Suddenly our view of God is up close.

Jesus meeting us where we are in our humanity is significant for many reasons, but it is especially important for how we relate to Him. Christ had to become like one of us, perfectly keeping the Law, thus fulfilling the Law and becoming a Perfect Sacrifice. He identifies with man so that man could identify with Him. God has always been the same majestic Lord, unchangeable yesterday, today and forever. Yet in His love and grace the Father sent His Son to a world in need of redemption. Jesus condescends from His Heavenly Glory momentarily to teach us more about Himself. Just as created things like bread, water, and blood point to a deeper spiritual truth, so God incarnate teaches us of His sacrificial intimate love for the Father and the people He died for.

God’s holiness is also applied to our environment as Jesus daily interacted with others, enduring physical limitations as a human, experiencing hunger, temptation and tiredness yet He did not sin (Matthew 4:1-11; Hebrews 2:14-18). Jesus Christ is uniquely and supernaturally fully God and fully man (Hebrews 1:1-12; Matthew 22:41-46; Psalm 110:1).

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The God of Moses Who delivered His people from Egypt is the same God Who restores sight to the blind, encourages children to praise Him, displayed foreknowledge of a donkey and colt to be used for His purposes, and curses a fruitless fig tree. The macro and micro pictures we have of our Great God are one in the same. What a mighty God we serve!

The Lord redeems His children and destroys the wicked, just as Pharaoh and his army were suddenly overtaken by the same sea God protected Israel with. His ways are limitless, His power unmatched; this is God. He sent His Son, God incarnate, to die for a lost world, in order that we could know Him, enter His Presence and have peace with the King of the Universe. The most wonderful question we can ask ourselves is: Who is Jesus? What is your answer?

 

Grace upon grace,

April

 

 

 

Set Apart

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Exodus 8:1-9:35; Psalm 24; Matthew 19:13-30

 

There is a fatal misconception that there many ways to heaven- in the end all people are God’s people. This simply isn’t true. The Bible shows us how God set apart the people of Israel for Himself. He is a Covenant-keeping God, long-suffering with wayward, scared, ungrateful and at times faithless people. Good news for us. We aren’t that much different in our sin nature from Israel and yet God still pursues His people, displaying a love and power only He can possess.

The Lord wields His dominion over creation with the plagues He set upon Egypt. Scripture specifically points out how God protected His people from these afflictions, passing over the land of Goshen where the Hebrews lived (Exodus 8:22-23; 9:4; 26). He saved them from His wrathful plagues. The wonder of salvation is that none of us deserve it. We are all dead in our sins, guilty to have plagues set upon us before a holy God. Yet in His great mercy the Lord created and preserved a holy nation, a royal priesthood, the body of Christ, the Church. We who are in Christ Jesus are set apart as His holy possession. All acts of redemption recorded in the Bible foreshadow God’s greatest work in Jesus, rescuing us from the slavery of sin, resurrecting spiritually dead men and women for His ultimate Glory and our eternal good.

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Jesus told His disciples that with man salvation is impossible. We cannot save ourselves or find another way to heaven than through Him (John 14:6). But with God, the miracle of salvation is not only possible, He actually made this a reality for all who place their trust in Jesus. God makes the impossible, possible.

Since the beginning of Time it was God’s desire to enjoy fellowship with His creation- us. When we separated ourselves from Him in sin, God made a way in Christ to set us apart once again, but this time with a purpose to make us holy. As Christians we are no longer held captive to our culture and the depravity of man. He has made and is making us holy to be like He is. Paul explains it this way, “And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). If you are a Christian, you are becoming what God has already called you to be. He is faithful to sanctify you and me until the day of Christ Jesus when we see Him face to face (Philippians 1:6). As God’s beloved, we are set apart to be free.

 

Grace upon grace,

April

Fight like a good neighbor

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For my birthday Jason and I rented Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, the recent documentary about Fred Rogers’ life. Most of us knew him as Mister Rogers from his children’s show, with the same name, on PBS. I was reduced to tears halfway through the film, seeing this man fight for goodness in a culture hell bent on being hell bent. Mister Rogers was a counter-cultural show, and relevant at the same time.

He purposely talked slower, keeping a quiet pace for his viewers, in reaction to the fast moving, in-your-face entertainment catered toward young consumers. Mister Rogers never dumbed down his message but instead spoke directly to children as people, not half-human martians. He also addressed the current issues of his day with subjects about assassination, politics and race. It was never overt but more like a gentle conversation, leading by example.

The documentary shows how Fred Rogers used his life to display kindness to all people. In essence, he saw every person with inherent value, choosing to treat others with dignity. Mister Rogers demonstrated what it means to show grace in an angry world. It’s a good lesson for Christians too.

It doesn’t mean we ignore the wickedness of our time, but first view each person as an image-bearer in need of God’s salvation and grace.

We start the good fight here, not for external moralism, but compassion for heart transformation. The greater war within each of us is spiritual. A person, a people, a nation cannot change without the inner man being renewed.

It is so easy to become disheartened in our current climate, to watch evil win. When everyone does what is right in his own eyes sin will prevail. We do what we want under the disguise of “tolerance” to justify our sin. Helplessness sets in for the Christian so we keep our heads down.

But Fred Rogers bravely and publicly lived out his conviction to reach children with the hope of transforming the next generation from hate to love, anger to kindness. And yet we go a step further because it isn’t enough. Outward change only results from inner change first. We operate out of our own regenerated hearts before engaging in spiritual battles/culture wars. Only then can we approach others from a place of sincerity and live out the Gospel message.

Friends, don’t grow weary in doing good. Even with mass chaos in our world we have the invaluable gift of giving the lost what they need most- Hope. We are the Light Bearers to darkness.

Remember who you are in Jesus Christ and fight the good fight right in your own neighborhood.

 

Grace upon grace,

April

 

Go deeper:

Revelation 2:2-7

Hebrews 12:3

Galatians 6:9-10