The Pastor’s Pen

Lincoln writes to encourage and build up God’s people with God’s Word.

God of Glory – Part 3

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

It’s one thing to acknowledge God’s glorious nature, and to say He deserves glory, but it’s a completely different matter to live for the purpose of glorifying God with YOUR life.

Through him (Jesus) we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:2). While salvation may have been out of our hands, our response to Jesus’ grace is intended to produce joy, hope, and glory in God. Salvation is not primarily for or about us, it’s for and about the glory of God through Jesus Christ in us. This gospel fact dramatically changes the trajectory of our lives. Our salvation was not foremost for our pleasure or our glory, but for God’s.

Our capacity and desire to glorify God only exists because the Holy Spirit operates within us to awaken and enable us to grow in Christlike character which expresses God’s glory. Our desire should manifest Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:20-21. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. God’s power works within His church to accomplish far more than we believers ever thought possible throughout every generation of Christian for God’s glory. This fact is not open for negotiation, and it will never be compromised by God who is the One doing this work.

We may not always enjoy God’s sanctifying methods to fulfill His will in the matter of glory, but we are to submit to the Lord with contented obedience. King Nebuchadnezzar learned this lesson the hard way, as have many of us. The king really did think life was all about himself. He made a point of letting everyone know that everything was for his glory and others need to get onboard with his self-exalting mission. Nebuchadnezzar said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). Fortunately for Nebuchadnezzar, the Lord’s grace was willing to send the king to “glory school” for a few sessions in humility.

Like many of us, Nebuchadnezzar was not the fastest learner, and it required 7 years of the strictest education before the student complied. However, we praise God for His 7 years of persevering tuition with Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws (Daniel 4:33). God’s mercy was willing to employ such extreme measures to save this self-righteous sinner. Only a loving God would do such a thing. Concluding 7 years of continuous humiliation, God produced within the King the most spectacular confession, praising His tutor. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble (Daniel 4:37).

As our Christian character is daily challenged in this matter, may we learn faster and easier than Nebuchadnezzar. Be encouraged, God’s divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence… (2 Peter 1:3). May the joy of such a rich calling inspire us to live for God’s glory.

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God of Glory – Part 2

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

Rising from the pages of God’s Word comes an exhortation which is repeated many times and with many different wordings, but the essence remains constant, as in Psalm 22:23. You who fear Yahweh, praise Him; All you seed of Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you seed of Israel. Because we Gentile believers are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise (Galatians 3:29), we therefore share in this inspiring exhortation to glorify the God of Israel.

For those born again by the Spirit of God, this should not be difficult. We know that through Christ, Yahweh is revealed to us as overtly glorious. Of all the subjects and objects of our possible meditations, this is the pinnacle of all that demands our attention. On the glorious splendour of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate was the commitment of David’s thought life (Psalm 145:5). No subject is more worthy of a Christians’ daily attention than focusing on and walking in the reality of God’s glory.

The world happily follows the arch enemy of God, who constantly challenges believers to relegate the God of glory to a low place in their priorities. The allurements of fleshly pleasures and materialistic possessions are daily calling God’s people to exchange the glory of God for self-glory. The Lord challenged Israel through the prophet Isaiah, to whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike? (Isaiah 46:5). Obviously, the answer is no-one. No human, and no angelic being is holy or majestic enough to even be compared with Yahweh. Yet, our self-deceiving hearts (Jer 17:9) are inclined to distraction, to self-promotion, and to anything that de-escalates the transcendent glory of God.

Although God alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see (1 Timothy 6:16), yet He has provided a single way of access for sinful humanity to Himself. By God’s immeasurable grace he has spoken to us by his 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 (Hebrews 1:2-3). Access to God is precisely as Jesus said, no one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). Jesus alone, being divine in nature, is qualified to redeem sinners of their sin and grant access to His holy heavenly Father. Jesus alone opened a path of access to God through the Cross of Calvary. Therefore, it is right that saved sinners proclaim that Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God.

God, who had previously been unapproachable is now approachable through the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 17:3, Jesus prayed, this is eternal life, that they (sinners) know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Through faith in Jesus, we are not only able to know about God, but we are able to know God actually and personally. This is a magnificent expression of God’s glorious character; He wants to be known, and He has done everything necessary for rebellious humanity to know Him.

This amazing gospel truth is both humbling and exciting. As Christians, we are a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:9-10).

To be continued…

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God of Glory – Part 1

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

As society increasingly looks inward for meaning and purpose, so its obsession with self becomes all-consuming. Consequently, mankind’s ability to perceive transcendent glory diminishes into spiritual darkness which pervades their hearts. But for those with open eyes and hearts, who look not for earthly satisfaction, but for heavenly glory, they shall discover it through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

David proclaimed, “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). Any examination of the cosmos shows the impossibility of this infinitely complex universe coming into existence by any means other than by the intelligence and almighty power of God. The created universe is God’s testimony of Himself. Romans 1:19-20 explains; “for what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse.”

We get a greater sense of God’s glory as we consider His divine attributes; His triune personhood, His creative and governing sovereignty, His holiness, His infinite power (Omnipotence), His infinite knowledge  (Omniscience), His presence everywhere (Omnipresence), His truth, His mercy and grace, His loving kindness, and His wrath against injustice and sin. All these combined, display God’s majestic glory.

Exodus chapter 33 records a discussion between God and Moses, where Moses asks; “Please show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18). Moses had already been exposed to God in more ways than any other person, he had heard God’s voice, and he had seen God’s great and miraculous power at work. Yet Moses desperately wanted to know the very BEST of God, His glory. In response to Moses’ bold request, the Lord explains that He would need to protect him, as this exposure could kill him. God explained in Exodus 33:22-23; “while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” “You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Exodus 33:20).

The point was, God wanted to be known more fully by Moses, just as Moses wanted to know God more fully.

And so it happened, “the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6-7). Here, as spectators, we catch a glimpse of Yahweh’s condensed self-revelation to Moses.

The LORD parades himself before Moses, declaring a summation of His character while protecting fragile Moses from being consumed by His glory. Of all that God could have said about Himself, He reveals the holiness of His heart. Divine mercy, grace, patience, love, faithfulness, forgiveness, and justice are revealed.

Moses’ immediate response was appropriate, and matched this momentous revelation, “Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped” (Exodus 34:8). David also reminds us that worship is the only right  response to any exposure to God; ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendour of holiness (Psalm 29:2).

To be continued…

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God of Pleasure

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

It continues to be an irony of this age; although there is so much suffering and deprivation around the world, the world remains hedonistic. Being self-indulgent and pleasure seeking is the god of so many, for which they are willing to sacrifice so much. Those who pursue pleasure without restraint tend to see God as boring and lifeless, one who robs mankind of fun. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. Mankind is only capable of pleasure because he was created in the image of God who, likewise, experiences pleasure (Gen 1:27).

God’s point of difference is that He does not sacrifice holiness to experience pleasure. Participation in sin is never Yahweh’s path to enjoyment. Psalm 5:4 declares, You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil does not sojourn with You. Holiness is the cornerstone of everything God is and does. Holiness is the foundation on which His pleasure stands. Moses testified of the LORD, …who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:11).

The greatest thoughts any Christian can have, are how to glorify God and bring Him pleasure. This was the very purpose of our spiritual rebirth into Christ. In fact, God went to extraordinary lengths in predestining us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will (Ephesians 1:5). Believers are the direct result of God’s will and God’s pleasure. What a wonderful and reassuring thought. While the devil mutters his lies of self-importance and discontentment with life, Yahweh proclaims that you are the materialisation of His pleasure. So, the Almighty moved heaven and earth to accomplish your salvation, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). Nothing was left to chance or to our fleshly wills.

John 1:12-13 states that all who did receive him (Jesus), who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. This spectacular truth should lift us above the mondain, above the superficial, and above the frivolous and depressing thoughts of this world. Understandably then, the LORD takes pleasure in his people; He adorns the humble with salvation (Psalm 149:4).

Living in the sweetness of knowing that Jesus Christ has enlivened your capacity to glorify God and bring Him pleasure should direct our hearts to living which exemplifies Christlike character. David prayed, I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness… (1 Chronicles 29:17). Like David, our righteous living in Christlike character is a source of pleasure to God.

God’s Word is not shy in explaining that believers get pleasure when they give God pleasure. So, we make it our aim to please him (2 Corinthians 5:9). Therefore, we are to walk as children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true, and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord (Ephesians 5:8-10).

Here we should pause, bringing together two great truths for His glory and our blessing.
1) As a Christian, you exist because God acted to make you an expression of His glory and pleasure.
2) As a Christian, you live as an expression of, and for the purpose of, radiating God’s glory for God’s pleasure.
In these two truths we find our joy, our pleasure, and our contentment, which is in Christ. Here, there is fulfilment in life, and a satisfaction that lifts us above the difficult events and the perplexing pains of life.

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Fear to awe to joy

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

Humanly speaking, understanding how fear of God can produce joy is bewildering. Yet, in Christ, that is precisely the result of our relationship with the Saviour. In a prophetic Psalm, David looks forward to Christ who would bridge the chasm between fear of God and joy in His Son. Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him (Psalm 2:11-12 NIV).

These two verses reveal the two sides of fearing God which operate together to produce our awe of Him. And it is our awe of Him that produces our joy, satisfaction, and hope.

Our fear of the Lord begins to grow as we see that the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation (Jeremiah 10:10). God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day (Psalm 7:11). As we learn more of God’s holiness, we discover that our sin arouses His wrath. We, like Israel, do wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger (2 Kings 17:11). Compared to Yahweh’s ultimate holiness, mankind is found to be severely lacking. In mankind’s natural condition there is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands (God); there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away from God (Romans 3:10-12). Our sin is offensive; therefore, God declares the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). When God awakens us to this reality, we are rightfully terrified of Him because His justice demands hell, and we are powerless to do anything to rectify our situation.

From a negative stance, fear of the Lord begins to rise in our hearts as we acknowledge God’s greatness, His holiness, His wrath, His justice, and His absolute authority over us. This fear becomes the seed of awe. There is a dual awakening taking place within us; God’s majestic greatness and our sinfully helpless minuteness. This is the heart of what David meant when he said, serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.

But that still leaves us short of awe that produces joy towards God. Again, David prophetically speaks to this. His strange saying, kiss his son, points us to God’s Messiah Son, Jesus Christ. Only Jesus can quench God’s indignation against our sin (1 John 4:10). Only Jesus can turn us from God’s destruction through granting us faith and repentance (Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Timothy 2:25). This is because only Jesus Christ has suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit (1 Peter 3:18). Only Jesus bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:24). In Christ we are healed of the worst disease of all, the sickness of sin. And here is our joy of appreciation. We take refuge in Jesus Christ where there is forgiveness (Colossians 1:14), and we are so glad that God has made a hiding place for us in His Son.

Awe of God grows out of a healthy fear of taking Him for granted or misrepresenting Him. Awe is maximized when we realise the blessing of God’s grace, because it is so undeserved, yet given so freely in Jesus Christ.

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