Lincoln

Righteousness that counts

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

As Paul began writing to the believers in Corinth, he could not address (them) as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1). They had become so distracted from the truths of Christ that they failed to recognise the sinful passions which had dominated them. Had they kept their thoughts and affections anchored in Christ as portrayed in 1 Corinthians 1:30-31, sin would never have overthrown them. Because of him (God), you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Salvation accomplished all the spiritual necessities that we could not provide for ourselves. God, not us, activated in Christ the four essentials required to be acceptable to Him. Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, all of which we could not produce. And even if we could, we would present them to God, claiming to be worthy of His acceptance.

Recognising our complete inability or desire to atone for our sin, the Lord exercised His sovereign will to accomplish that which we could not (Eph 1:5-10). He did this by appointing His Son, the spotless Lamb of God (1Pe 1:19; Rev 5:12), who personified all that we are not, or ever could be. Operating as God’s appointed High Priest (Heb 5:5), Jesus became our substitute wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. So perfect is He in this ministry on the sinner’s behalf, that it is impossible for the repentant believer to add to, to enhance, or to extend any of these four, even to the slightest degree. Christ is so sufficient in these four, that our Heavenly Father is fully satisfied with Him, and with us simply trusting in Christ’s sufficiency.

Even if we were to dedicate our life-long efforts in trying to obey God’s law, we would fail. As for our efforts, whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it (James 2:10). It is foolish to think that we can supplement Christ’s righteousness by attempting to satisfy even one component of God’s law, because we fail in so many other areas. But, praise God, Christ fulfilled every element of God’s law on our behalf, satisfying Yahweh’s holy demands fully.

This explains why Paul says in Romans 3:10-12, none is righteous, no, not one… no one does good, not even one. The moment mankind thinks they have attained even the slightest degree of righteousness through obeying even one tiny part of God’s law, we typically hold it up to God and say, “now I have earned or contributed to your grace.” To which God responds, by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight… (Romans 3:20).

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law… the righteousness of God (is) through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe only in Christ’s substitutional righteousness (Romans 3:21-22). Christians boast in Jesus Christ’s righteousness at the expense of self. Even a superficial understanding of how Christ’s righteousness has been credited to a believing sinner is humbling and exhilarating at the same time, as Christ is exalted within the redeemed heart.

May we examine our hearts to check there is no sense of deserving merit because of our adherence to rules and regulations. May we only boast in Christ’s accomplishment, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10).

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Distinctive Humility

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Humility is God honouring and manifests the character of Jesus Christ. Few would ever complain at being in the presence of humility, and humility is rarely found complaining or demeaning others. The apostle Paul walked in humility and often as the result of great suffering.

During his farewell speech to the Ephesian elders, Paul testified of himself, that serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me (Acts 20:19-23).

There are many lessons here, of which we shall touch upon just a few. If anyone had reason to complain, to take offence, or to carry a grudge, it was Paul. Yet, we don’t read any of those self-entitled responses to the harsh realities of his life of service. Instead, we hear the tones of an open-hearted man humbled by the ugly trials of life and the controlling influence of the Holy Spirit. A soft-hearted man who never denied or cowered from trials and used the pains of life to grow Christlikeness instead of resentment. Within Paul, the high cost of following Christ nurtured courageous humility which strengthened his determination to graciously declare Christ through both public and private teaching of the gospel and sound doctrine. Grace enabled humble courage with perseverance.

The inescapable fact that others witnessed in Paul was that he cared more for Christ and others than he did his own comfort and desires. Declaring Christ clearly so that others benefited was his priority. Living the truth and love of Christ with authenticity was the constant motivation in all Paul’s relationships and activities. Ethnic differences were never an issue in the gospel Paul proclaimed as he testified both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. He knew that once repentance of sin and faith in Christ as Lord is neglected or removed, the gospel ceases to exist.

Humility before God emboldened Paul’s integrity with passion to teach the gospel of Jesus and to follow His lead. Consequently, he could say that he was constrained by the Spirit, meaning, Paul lived in bonded and surrendered fellowship to the Holy Spirit who directed his desires, his ambitions, and his purposes. This resulted in Paul realising that as he travelled to Rome, even though he didn’t know the micro details of what was ahead, he accepted that there would be imprisonment and afflictions. As the Holy Spirit revealed these certainties, so He also enabled Paul’s resolute and humble walk into the future. Paul mimicked Jesus’ humility in that when he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23). Neither Jesus or Paul lashed out, they didn’t turn back or stop serving, they didn’t whisper slander or share gossip, they entrusted themselves to God and continued faithfully.

May the Holy Spirit grow our humble dependence upon the Lord for our inner resources to remain faithful to Christ. May we seek to nurture humility like Jesus and Paul for God’s glory and the blessing of others.

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Memories for God – Part 2

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

God administers His perfect memory well for His glory and our blessing. I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD (Leviticus 26:45). Yahweh  reminds Himself continuously that He is a covenant keeping God, meaning, in spite of Israel’s or our foolishness and  sins, He will show Himself to be glorious. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth (Genesis 9:16). Not only does God place the rainbow in the sky to remind mankind of His promise to every living creature, but as a reminder to Himself of the everlasting covenant He made and will never break.

As we are unlike God in so many ways, memory serves as a good evaluation tool of our faith, as it allows us to relive and catalogue the lessons of the past as well as those in the present. Moses instructed Israel to remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not (Deuteronomy 8:2). Don’t just recall the favourable past, and don’t unduly linger on the painful parts either, but give consideration to the whole way in which God has providentially led you over the years. In spite of our many unwise decisions and inconsistent patterns of behaviour, God has faithfully kept us within the boundaries of His will and purposes. Give thought to the many silent and invisible ways God’s grace has protected and preserved you, provided for you, directed you, and woven His will into your life.

Remembering the whole way that the LORD has led us should firstly imprint into our wayward hearts that He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities (Psalm 103:10). In all circumstances of life within this wicked world, our LORD shows compassion to those who fear him (Psalm 103:13).

The apostle Paul, who suffered more earthly pain than any other New Testament believer, was sure  that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). It is good for us to remember daily the certainty of eternal life in Christ and God’s commitment to walk us through our mortal lives into His presence. Wise memory management is an essential part of a healthy Christian life, as it keeps Jesus Christ central in our thoughts. A wisely administered memory is informed from Scripture of who to forgive and the offenses to forget. It tells us often the path worth walking based upon past lessons. It warns us of the dangers of doing things our way rather than God’s way. It instructs us where to go for wise and compassionate counsel in times of confusion. But most of all, it informs us to remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my (Paul’s) gospel (2 Timothy 2:8).

Today, may you remember Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen (Jude 1:24-25).

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Memories for God – Part 1

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Memories are part of who we are, they greatly influence our character and how we respond to life. Good, bad, and everything in between, memories are stored and unconsciously carry enormous power over our lives. For some, painful memories are a dictator which controls with relentless determination, robbing life’s beauties found in love, joy, and peace. For others, they are blessed with sufficient pleasant memories which they catalogue ready for recalling, bringing a sense of wellbeing, security, and belonging.

As memories are an intrinsic part of being made in the image of God, it’s important that we manage them well for God’s glory, for our sanity, for our equipping, and for being instrumental in blessing others. Should we choose, all memories are able to be used for good. Some require supressing while others need promotion. Some automatically produce pleasure and seek to be shared, while others should be learned from, then filed in the category of forgetfulness.

King David, like many, had a memory vault packed with both  wonderful and disastrous memories. From the highest pleasures to the lowest and most despicable regrets, David had a past which haunted him, and he needed God’s internal cleansing and organisation. From overwhelming guilt (Psalm 51), to two of his own sons conspiring to overthrow his thrown (2 Samuel 15; 1 Kings 1-2), David’s memory bank was packed full.

In the complex and confusing mix of life’s circumstances and personal sin, David first of all came to God for forgiveness and cleansing. Psalm 51:1-2 is a sample of this. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! The Lord’s forgiveness enabled David to transfer those memories of guilt to the “forgiven and forgotten by God” column. As he states in Psalm 103:12, as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. David clung tightly to divine forgiveness which enabled him to focus his thoughts upon the Lord, on the glorious splendour of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate (Psalm 145:5). A shift in memory habit was enabled and actioned by God’s Spirit within wayward David’s heart and mind.

Malachi 3:16 tells of those who feared the LORD (who) spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed His name. Although Malachi lived in a time of great idolatry, suffering, and wickedness, those who were authentic in their faith for God made a record for good. They chose to maintain a written memorial, not of the evil people, but of the righteous ones. Obviously, this caught God’s attention with great favour as He listened to them recounting the righteous memories instead of the foul ones only. For these believers in Yahweh, this was an intentional and effective tool for expressing their love for Him through their thoughts, while robbing bad memories of undue authority. This simple tool elevated good and beneficial memories above the painful and debilitating memories of the wicked.

Memories require deliberate management, otherwise, our fleshly hearts will predominantly gravitate towards the painful records of the past with crippling repetition and false authority. May we follow David’s example of how to glorify God with our memories. As he states, I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word (Psalm 119:15-16). Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! (Psalm 103:1).

To be continued…

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Jesus Christ our Intercessor

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

While compromising Lot was living in Sodom, he would have had no idea that Abraham was a short distance away interceding face to face with the Lord to spare the city from imminent destruction. Abraham said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten righteous are found there. The Lord answered, For the sake of ten righteous I will not destroy it (Genesis 18:32). Well, unable to find even ten righteous people in Sodom, two angels conducted an emergency extraction of Lot, his wife, and two daughters. As far as we are aware, Lot never discovered the critical part Abraham played through intercession with the Lord.

This depicts well, the intercessory work of the glorified Lord Jesus Christ on behalf of every believer. Invisible, yet critical to every Christian, Christ’s tireless ministry goes unnoticed by the church for the most part. Every child of God should ask themselves the following question with gratitude, who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us (Romans 8:33-34).

Asaph the Psalmist rightly declared, “Whom have I in heaven but you?” (Psalm 73:25). Asaph realised that in heaven, there is only one who is of use to sinful mankind. Angels, Mary, dead Christian ancestors, the apostles, and even our forefathers of the faith, are of no use to us in the throne room of God Almighty. There is only One in heaven who serves and operates on behalf of sinful mankind, and that is God Himself through the second person of the trinity. God’s Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs (Hebrews 1:2-4).

Only Jesus Christ, who is eminent over all created beings, who alone has made purification for sins possible through His sacrificial death on the cross as our substitute, is of any use to us in pleading our case before His Holy Father. Only Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high, from where He intercedes on our behalf. Only Jesus Christ, equal with the Father (Philippians 2:6), who lived in human flesh yet was without sin (Hebrews 4:15), and has satisfied the wrath of God on sinner’s behalf (Romans 3:25-26). Only Jesus Christ ministers tirelessly at God’s throne to administer and maintain the repentant sinner’s cleansed status. While God the Holy Spirit intercedes with the Father, presenting our prayers and progress of sanctification on believer’s behalf, it is Christ alone who intercedes through His own blood sacrifice for our salvation.

Job’s understanding and appreciation of God was heightened through his suffering. And he, having lost everything of earthly value, testified, as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives… (Job 19:25). Amen Job! It is Jesus Christ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). This we belief and rejoice in with confidence, that Jesus Christ our Redeemer, intercedes on our behalf, securing our  salvation which He purchased at the cross.

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