The word many can’t pronounce – propitiation

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

When I was young I hated big words and I detested writing. I was a lazy reader and an even worse student. I happily refused to use dictionaries or any book that would assist me in learning and understanding the little that I did read. And then Jesus changed all that. It began as an irresistible desire to understand big words that frustrated me. But I still hated and avoided reading. A few years later my desire to read mysteriously hatched and little by little grew. So, by the age of 24 I enjoyed reading and searching out the understanding of big words.

This Holy Spirit generated desire continued to grow so that I felt compelled to teach what I was learning to others. It only took a few months and that desire motivated me to begin writing for Jesus Christ. Computers were new on the scene then, so, in the mid 1980’s I bought my first Amstrad computer for writing Bible notes and lessons.

Before long I was drawn to the higher doctrines of God and the less common big words that I once avoided. One word especially caught my attention early on, “propitiation.” Ignorant of it’s meaning, I asked around. Most were unfamiliar with it and even less could say the word correctly, including myself. This launched my love for the doctrine of propitiation and the exploration of words and theology.

In my mind, propitiation is the crown jewel of biblical doctrines because it reveals the amazingly merciful and just heart of holy God. Only mentioned 4 times in the New Testament  (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 4:10), propitiation shows us the most passionate attributes of Yahweh’s holy character.

At the Cross, God does something sinful humanity could never have thought of. God, the righteous judge of sin, sacrificed His Son as the recipient of His divine wrath against mankind’s violation of His glory. God put forward (Jesus) as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith… It was to show His (God’s) righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus  (Romans 3:25-26). Jesus was sent to the cross by His Father, and Jesus voluntarily obeyed (John 6:38). On the cross, Jesus became the Justifier, receiving the full extent of His Father’s wrath for others sin.

Jesus’ work of propitiation pacified His Father’s wrath for our sin, by calming the Father’s fury down to a state of calm peace. Jesus took our place, as our substitute on the Cross. This was the only way God could accomplish 2 objectives: 1) To be the righteous judge whose demands for justice would be fully satisfied, and (2), to equally be the one receiving the full wrath of His own justice for sins not His own.

God could not violate His holiness, even to save the sinful world which He loved (John 3:16). At the Cross, wrath and justice worked together to display the full extent of God’s mercy. Paul explained that the benefits of Jesus’ propitiation are ONLY applied to “the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Friend, only sinners who place repentant faith in Jesus’ substitutional death will receive the mercy and forgiveness offered in propitiation. Have you done that? Have you spoken those words to God? Pray in your own words, your dependence upon God’s wrath for your sin being calmed by Jesus’ death on the cross. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, believers in Jesus have much to be thankful for, and much truth to worship with. Propitiation is a great word, telling us of a great God and Saviour.

 

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The Lord is My Shepherd

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

Familiarity can easily reduce our appreciation of something we once considered precious. Sadly, this can become true in our spiritual lives also. The statement “The Lord is My Shepherd” is found in Scripture, in songs, in poems, on headstones, and in quotations of all kinds. Quoted by people from across the spectrum of spiritual beliefs, and often quoted with little thought and even less affection given to the serious nature of these words.

The Old Testament words “Jehovah-Rohi” means precisely that, “The Lord is My Shepherd.” Rich with meaning and an abundance of real life applications, “Jehovah-Rohi” is an intimate confession of belief for every child of God.

Psalm 23:1-3 could be amongst the best known passages with this name. The LORD is my shepherd  (Jehovah-Rohi); I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. There is no time when the LORD stops or reduces His shepherding of His people. His commitment is unwavering and comes with total engagement in our lives as His redeemed children. As a compassionate Shepherd, the Lord protects, provides for, directs, leads, and cares. His patient grace compensates for our inconsistencies, our hypocrisies, our sinful stumblings, and our self-righteous attitudes and behaviour.

At one time all of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on Him (Jesus) the sins of us all (Isaiah 53:6 NLT). As lost sheep living independent of the Shepherd, Jesus stepped in, taking our sin penalty. The cross further qualified Jesus as Redeemer and co-shepherd with the Father. Jesus told His disciples, I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep (John 10:14-15). What an astounding truth! Jesus willingly sacrificed His life on the cross to atone for the sins of lost sheep. Consequently, as forgiven and reconciled sheep, we have the privilege of knowing Jesus as our Shepherd, and to know Him as He knows His heavenly Father. What a massive comfort! Our Shepherd wants to be known fully by each and every one of His sheep at all times.

God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are heavily invested in shepherding their sheep. They never leave us unattended, they are constantly interceding for us, and invisibly protecting us from our devilish  enemies. They seal the security of our eternal life, administering all facets of our salvation, both seen and unseen, ensuring the certainty of our heavenly destination (Php 1:6).

Jehovah-Rohi leads me (us) in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. This assures us of His purpose, to direct us in the righteous paths of life. If ever we find ourselves on an unrighteous path, we know that is not of Him, but of our own fleshly desires, or of Satan. This highlights our need to change the paths we sometimes find ourselves on. Those paths that are weak, compromised, or accompanied by wicked people, paths which are biblically questionable, or loaded with temptation. Commit to walking consistently on His righteous path, where you can testify that “He restores my soul.” For only there will we discover the “still waters” within the messiness of this world.

For only walking the Shepherd’s paths of righteousness will we be able to honestly say that it’s for His name’s sake. Walking with Jesus our Shepherd, we can truly say, it’s to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:12).

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Fear that Saves and Worships

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

Fear is the multifaceted emotion which exists at the deepest level of the human heart, expressing itself in different ways according to the situation. Fear is a primal internal activity that impacts our conscience, our emotions, our beliefs, our stress levels, our desire for self-preservation, our loyalties, and our worship. To influence these diverse aspects of life, fear must operate in both the positive and negative realms. Likewise, it must be able to whisper direction and wisdom while also shouting warning and advice when life demands assertive action.

In the wisdom of God, He created mankind with both the capacity for fear and the ability to understand its different types. A healthy level of fear is critical for knowing God and our spiritual well-being. Solomon says in Proverbs 1:7, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. It is this strong reverential and emotional attitude that Solomon says is the start line for knowing God. Buried in there will be a measure of being afraid of God’s power and wrath also. Understandably, Solomon warns that to ignore God’s wise council and instructions on this matter is just plain foolish.

When Yahweh revealed Himself to Moses and Israel at Mount Sinai, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die” (Exodus 20:18-19). Moses responded to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin” (Exodus 20:20).  God kindly tests us by allowing us to see within ourselves, if our knowledge of His greatness and  holiness will motivate us against sin. A right understanding of God’s perfections should create fear, causing us to hate evil, like how God hates evil (Proverbs 8:13).

If we, like Israel, fail this test of the heart, we should realise that we need a Saviour to rescue us from God who will judge us for our sin. Praise God, there is a Saviour up to the task; the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14). For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son (Romans 5:10 NLT). You see, a healthy fear of God directs us to His Son who reconciled us to God  by taking our death penalty on the cross for our sin.

Without realising it, Solomon pictured the response that believers would have to Jesus’ hundreds of years earlier. In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge (Proverbs 14:26). Our fear of God dissolves our hearts in grateful confidence of what Jesus Christ has accomplished on our behalf. Therefore, we take refuge in Christ, we worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3). It is confidence in Christ that moves our fear of God from terror to awe, from being a terrified enemy to being a worshipping child of the Almighty.

The writer of Hebrews captures both aspects of fear in Hebrews 12:28-29. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. May our conversations and prayers today reveal true fear of the Lord, for His glory and our blessing.

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Life Beyond Measure

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

When the Bible speaks of eternal life, it’s not merely referring to longevity of years, or of never ending spiritual life. No, the phrase “eternal life” is laden with implications critical to Christian faith. In John chapter three, Jesus enlightened Nicodemus, who was Israel’s lead teacher, how he could see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). Jesus informed this enquiring Pharisee that unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Poor Nicodemus, his lifetime of religious achievements counted for nothing, and he didn’t understand what it meant to be born again. He was outside of God’s Kingdom and therefore without eternal life. His religion had failed him badly!

As part of Jesus’ answer to perplexed Nicodemus’, Jesus explained, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life (John 3:14-15). Drawing from Nicodemus’ knowledge of Numbers 21:9, Jesus shows that He would be lifted up to crucifixion in order to save the lives of everyone who would look to Him believing to be saved from the eternal condemnation of death resulting from personal sin.

Nicodemus now had gospel truth to work with, which, by the way, he later put into practice following Jesus’ crucifixion, leading him to bury Jesus (Jn 19:39). So, eternal life, entry into God’s Kingdom, occurs when a person attaches their dependant belief to Jesus, realising that Jesus had their sins placed in His body upon the cross by God, and their punishment from God for their sin was taken by Jesus. The sinner confesses their sinfulness in repentance, turning from disbelief to belief. Faith reaches out to Jesus as the only possible source of forgiveness and cleansing of sin. It is this specific belief that initiates God’s gift of eternal life.

Having believed in Him, (you) were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:13-14). While God often uses our circumstances and struggles in the lead up to salvation, it is belief alone in Jesus as forgiver and Lord that actions salvation. The instant authentic belief occurs, never ending spiritual life is granted. Simultaneously, God the Holy Spirit moves into the life and body of the new believer, sealing the permanency of His irreversible regeneration.

The inheritance of eternal life and the certainty of heaven is guaranteed by the Holy Spirit, galvanising this irrevocable gift until we transition from earthly mortality to heavenly glorification (1Co 15:42-44). This spectacular gift is all of God, planned from eternity past and enabled by Jesus’ substitutional death and resurrection, then actioned by the Holy Spirit. Every step leading to salvation, with the subsequent blessings, were purposed for the praise of His glory. As redeemed sinners, we are the earthly expressions of praise, declaring the excellencies of Jesus Christ.

For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses – as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honour than the house itself (Hebrews 3:3). The only appropriate response to all that the LORD graciously does for the saved, is to think, speak, and live worship. Eternal life’s ultimate purpose shall reach its zenith when we join the heavenly hosts saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing! (Revelation 5:12). May we today, walk in worship of God’s gift of eternal life, which really is life beyond measure.

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Everyone Loves Grace

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

It’s a word we don’t hear often in society unless it’s used as a name. However, occasionally we hear the term “grace period” when referring to additional time that is granted to complete a task or fulfill a commitment without incurring penalties.

In the spiritual realm, grace speaks of the undeserving love of God towards people who have no relationship with Him, no interest in Him, and prefer to live isolated from Him. In other words, God focuses His loving grace upon people who do not want His grace and happily live without any understanding of Him.

The apostle Paul spoke openly of grace in his life. In 1 Timothy 1:13, Paul admitted that in His pre-Christian life, he was a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man. Everything about Paul’s life displayed his indifference to, and hatred of Jesus Christ, even though he was a religious man. So, we could hardly blame God if Paul was taken off any list of favourites. But that’s not what happened. Paul continues in verse 13, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. While grace and mercy are similar, mercy focuses more on compassionate love, while grace focuses on love in spite of the recipient’s unworthiness.

Then, in verse 14, Paul says the grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly. Appreciating God’s mercy heightened Paul’s awareness of his unworthiness and God’s grace in loving him. This is why Paul could say, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst (1Ti 1:15).

Our appreciation of grace’s beauty increases as we think of how grace saved us from God’s wrath, keeps us secure from judgement, and shall deliver us to heaven. God’s grace is like the ground under our feet and the glue that keeps us stuck to the LORD through both the sweet and sour times of life.

Grace empowers us to embrace His love in exchange of our old and less than pure affections. Grace strengthens our resolve to filter out old voices from a past lifestyle when they speak loudly. Grace energises our desire to walk away from the place of temptation looking instead for those places and friendships which advance Christlikeness.

It’s good to pray like David; Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace (Psalm 86:6). God’s response to such prayers begins by locking our attention onto the fact that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). Therefore, focusing on the character and work of Jesus Christ is essential to experiencing His power in our lives. This involves an intentional exchange in our affections, in how we allocate our time and personal resources. But most of all, it’s a deliberate and ongoing shift of our deepest desires, from being self-oriented to being Christ-oriented. This monumental shift of our passions is fuelled by faith in Christ, and stubbornly leans upon His grace to keep the forward movement of our hearts towards Him (Eph 2:8-9).

While this redirection of our hearts began at salvation, it continues over our entire lives in  God’s transformative work. Which Paul explained in 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom… And the Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into his glorious image. God’s grace works over time, bringing the heart and mind changes needed within us. Everyone should love grace, as grace patiently implements God’s love, bringing   Him glory, and His blessing to we who don’t deserve it.

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