A personal revelation.
Too often, we (Christians) live as though God's love for us is merely some kind of tolerance. As if he's sitting up in heaven, some very great distance away from us, murmuring to himself, "Oh, bother, they've slipped up again. Good thing I'll work that out for good, eventually!...." or "WHEN will they ever LEARN! Good thing they'll die and get to Glory, eventually! I can't wait to finally make them holy; THEN they'll be acceptable...."
This is INSIDIOUS!
As if our God is somehow surprised by our weakness and failure? As if the price of Jesus' blood was somehow insufficient to accomplish the work of securing us in the affection of God for all eternity? Has he not known ALL from the beginning? To the extent that when we see Jesus revealed in his glory, he is described as appearing "as a lamb SLAIN FROM THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE WORLD!" (see Rev. 5:6, 13:8) In God's economy, the cross was already a FINISHED work. We just didn't see that manifest until Jesus made the declaration, hanging there ~ ("It is FINISHED!" see Jn 19:30) ~ the ultimate agony for ecstasy! (see Heb. 12:1-3)
(Or do you think perhaps that "insidious" is too strong a word? Ah, but how much of a prison it has been to me, thinking that I only ever continue to FAIL to please my Father? What is my snare? if not the fact I have failed to realize and receive his LOVE? GOD DOES NOT "TOLERATE" HIS CHILDREN! If God "tolerates" anything, it could be said he TOLERATES evil, he TOLERATES the evil-doer. But God LOVES his children, and in them he is WELL-pleased, because of Jesus! This is absolutely STAGGERING! If we would but grasp it, even if unsee-ingly! nevertheless by Faith! Thank you, Lord!)
No WONDER we continue to give ourselves over to sin as though it still has a death-grip on us! We haven't really reckoned ourselves as dead to sin (see Romans 6), and why? Could it be that we haven't been captivated by the UNFAILING, SUPERCEDING, CROSSING-ALL-SPACE-AND-TIME TO PURSUE AND WOO US LOVE of our Father, God.
Our awareness of our weakness is only intended to fan the flame of our JOYFUL dependence! Our Father does not condemn us; he HIMSELF took on our condemnation, so we are not just free FROM sin, but free TO love HIM!
It's not just "the greatest story ever told." It's the greatest LOVE story ever told!
Oh, Lord God, my good Father, help me ALWAYS remember, I am not merely tolerated, I am dearly BELOVED! because of Jesus ~ for HIS sake, for YOUR glory, and for MY joy!
Showing posts with label Covenant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Covenant. Show all posts
27 December, 2011
02 December, 2009
~Week 10 of 10: "Before His Throne" study - and One Last Assignment~
NOTE: Click on GCC ~ Before His Throne tag at end of this post to see others in this series.
Week 10 of 10: "Before His Throne" study - and One Last Assignment
Submitted by Leah Page on Tue, 12/01/2009 - 5:15pm
My original intent was to compose, here, a "summary" of what would have been our 10th week together, but I didn't realize I would find it so difficult, having not been in class with you our last evening! Apparently I rely more heavily on your feedback in class for my own "note taking" than I realized. Nevertheless, I thought I would at least attempt the "next best thing" with the hopes that you might be encouraged to do ONE LAST ASSIGNMENT in preparation for tomorrow night's final "After Party."
No worries, it won't take long. In fact, time-wise, it will take very LITTLE time in comparison to all the work you have already done.
We started this journey together in Ephesians 1, reading through the various characteristics that were readily apparent as "identifiers" of those who are "in Christ." The repetition of variations on this phrase alone in this chapter are telling, but I think our study through Malachi (with points all throughout Genesis to Revelation as we visited hither and yon!) has (I hope!) made some of the real, transforming truths of what we do in fact possess and who in fact we really ARE if we are IN CHRIST even that much more precious to you.
Thus, I thought it would be appropriate to "book end" our time in Malachi with another high-point chapter, (and perhaps you can already guess of what book I am thinking even before I tell you!). Before I give you the assignment, however, I would like to travel Malachi with you by just highlighting some of these themes:
*What are God's first words? "I have loved you" ~ God's "peculiar" covenantal affection for his people
*Were is the honor due God as a Father? Where is the fear and reverence due God as a Master?
*What kind of sacrifice is PLEASING to God? ~ unblemished, firstfruits, the sacrifice offered from faith, the sacrifice of a broken and contrite spirit, a living sacrifice!, a sacrifice of praise
*What does it mean to "fear the Lord" aright? ~ "...Perfect love casts out fear...."
*How can we approach the Throne of Grace with confidence? OUR "righteousness" is as filthy rags! ~ JESUS, the beloved son in whom the Father is well pleased; HE has made the once for all unblemished (!), holy sacrifice. HE is our "ark of safety" ~ preserving us "to the end" that we might be saved.
*Are we "performing" our righteousness only with an expectation of the Lord's benefits and rewards? Have we neglected to "incline our hearts" to the Lord, recognizing that HE is our reward? Are we loving his GIFTS more than we love HIM?
*Are we resenting his apparent lack of justice in judging wickedness, having forgotten we ourselves stand in desperate, dependent need of his mercy and grace?
*Are we thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought? ~ Are we ... esteeming ourselves (whether "highly" or "lowly"?) rather than fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith?
And finally, I am reminded especially of our comments at the beginning of class, echoed and repeated as we've progressed. Why did we sign up for this study? I hope it has proven to be a means of getting to know God more, as he really is, as he has revealed himself to be, with the preciousness of even our "fear" of God becoming more apparent. But in the end, our "knowledge" is not merely as the acquiring of more and more information - It is, rather, "knowledge" quite literally "in the biblical sense!"
It is for intimacy with our God, for we are his people, redeemed by his hand, and as we know him more we LOVE him more! And whether now as through a glass dimly, or then when finally face to face, we "know" in such a way that it spills over into worship. In a class I am currently auditing concerning "the knowability and incomprehensibilty of God," the expression continually repeated has been that "Doctrine is for Doxology!" Meaning, that we study and examine and learn the WORD of God because it is BY MEANS of the Word of God that we know HIM in person; and for the one who is being saved, this becomes the spring from which our worship overflows!
So. If you're still with me after all of the above,
Here is your assignment. :)
Set aside approximately 40 minutes during which you are confident you will not be interrupted. Read through Malachi, all four chapters. Slowly. Perhaps out loud so you can really remember all we've looked at. Then, with Malachi fresh in your minds, turn to Hebrews chapter 12. And again, read through this whole chapter, slowly, perhaps out loud. But don't just read for information. Pause to think about God, what he has shown you these past few weeks.
Some describe tasting wine as this kind of experience - Look at its color, swirl it around in the glass, take a deep breath in through your nose and see what kinds of aromas you can discern - a hint of apple or peach, close your eyes and think of the grapes on the vine, and then finally, having done all this, take a sip, let it sit on your tongue, roll it around in your mouth exploring the various different kinds of flavors it can change into in just that moment, and only after you've paused sufficiently, swallow. Read Hebrews 12 like you're "tasting" it in just this way, let your mind remember all the various Scriptures we've looked at over the past few weeks, pray your way through the verses, thanking God for how he's taught you, convicted you, comforted you, and sit at his feet and worship him. If he brings a song to mind, sing it! If he brings a sin to mind, confess it! If he brings a loved one to mind, intercede for them in prayer. BE with him through his word. [ABIDE!]
Thank you for finishing well, ladies. It has been an honor to "lead" you and to be a student WITH you of God's word. I am looking forward to our next adventure beginning in January - "Lord, Only You Can Change Me"! (a study in the beattitudes).
~Leah
Week 10 of 10: "Before His Throne" study - and One Last Assignment
Submitted by Leah Page on Tue, 12/01/2009 - 5:15pm
My original intent was to compose, here, a "summary" of what would have been our 10th week together, but I didn't realize I would find it so difficult, having not been in class with you our last evening! Apparently I rely more heavily on your feedback in class for my own "note taking" than I realized. Nevertheless, I thought I would at least attempt the "next best thing" with the hopes that you might be encouraged to do ONE LAST ASSIGNMENT in preparation for tomorrow night's final "After Party."
No worries, it won't take long. In fact, time-wise, it will take very LITTLE time in comparison to all the work you have already done.
We started this journey together in Ephesians 1, reading through the various characteristics that were readily apparent as "identifiers" of those who are "in Christ." The repetition of variations on this phrase alone in this chapter are telling, but I think our study through Malachi (with points all throughout Genesis to Revelation as we visited hither and yon!) has (I hope!) made some of the real, transforming truths of what we do in fact possess and who in fact we really ARE if we are IN CHRIST even that much more precious to you.
Thus, I thought it would be appropriate to "book end" our time in Malachi with another high-point chapter, (and perhaps you can already guess of what book I am thinking even before I tell you!). Before I give you the assignment, however, I would like to travel Malachi with you by just highlighting some of these themes:
*What are God's first words? "I have loved you" ~ God's "peculiar" covenantal affection for his people
*Were is the honor due God as a Father? Where is the fear and reverence due God as a Master?
*What kind of sacrifice is PLEASING to God? ~ unblemished, firstfruits, the sacrifice offered from faith, the sacrifice of a broken and contrite spirit, a living sacrifice!, a sacrifice of praise
*What does it mean to "fear the Lord" aright? ~ "...Perfect love casts out fear...."
*How can we approach the Throne of Grace with confidence? OUR "righteousness" is as filthy rags! ~ JESUS, the beloved son in whom the Father is well pleased; HE has made the once for all unblemished (!), holy sacrifice. HE is our "ark of safety" ~ preserving us "to the end" that we might be saved.
*Are we "performing" our righteousness only with an expectation of the Lord's benefits and rewards? Have we neglected to "incline our hearts" to the Lord, recognizing that HE is our reward? Are we loving his GIFTS more than we love HIM?
*Are we resenting his apparent lack of justice in judging wickedness, having forgotten we ourselves stand in desperate, dependent need of his mercy and grace?
*Are we thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought? ~ Are we ... esteeming ourselves (whether "highly" or "lowly"?) rather than fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith?
And finally, I am reminded especially of our comments at the beginning of class, echoed and repeated as we've progressed. Why did we sign up for this study? I hope it has proven to be a means of getting to know God more, as he really is, as he has revealed himself to be, with the preciousness of even our "fear" of God becoming more apparent. But in the end, our "knowledge" is not merely as the acquiring of more and more information - It is, rather, "knowledge" quite literally "in the biblical sense!"
It is for intimacy with our God, for we are his people, redeemed by his hand, and as we know him more we LOVE him more! And whether now as through a glass dimly, or then when finally face to face, we "know" in such a way that it spills over into worship. In a class I am currently auditing concerning "the knowability and incomprehensibilty of God," the expression continually repeated has been that "Doctrine is for Doxology!" Meaning, that we study and examine and learn the WORD of God because it is BY MEANS of the Word of God that we know HIM in person; and for the one who is being saved, this becomes the spring from which our worship overflows!
So. If you're still with me after all of the above,
Here is your assignment. :)
Set aside approximately 40 minutes during which you are confident you will not be interrupted. Read through Malachi, all four chapters. Slowly. Perhaps out loud so you can really remember all we've looked at. Then, with Malachi fresh in your minds, turn to Hebrews chapter 12. And again, read through this whole chapter, slowly, perhaps out loud. But don't just read for information. Pause to think about God, what he has shown you these past few weeks.
Some describe tasting wine as this kind of experience - Look at its color, swirl it around in the glass, take a deep breath in through your nose and see what kinds of aromas you can discern - a hint of apple or peach, close your eyes and think of the grapes on the vine, and then finally, having done all this, take a sip, let it sit on your tongue, roll it around in your mouth exploring the various different kinds of flavors it can change into in just that moment, and only after you've paused sufficiently, swallow. Read Hebrews 12 like you're "tasting" it in just this way, let your mind remember all the various Scriptures we've looked at over the past few weeks, pray your way through the verses, thanking God for how he's taught you, convicted you, comforted you, and sit at his feet and worship him. If he brings a song to mind, sing it! If he brings a sin to mind, confess it! If he brings a loved one to mind, intercede for them in prayer. BE with him through his word. [ABIDE!]
Thank you for finishing well, ladies. It has been an honor to "lead" you and to be a student WITH you of God's word. I am looking forward to our next adventure beginning in January - "Lord, Only You Can Change Me"! (a study in the beattitudes).
~Leah
17 November, 2009
~snapshot of wk 9 of 10, lesson 8; BHT study: "What is our Gain? our Reward? our Prize? ~ CHRIST!"
Snapshot of wk 9 of 10, lesson 8; BHT study: "What is our Gain? our Reward? our Prize? ~ CHRIST!"
Submitted by Leah Page on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 12:39pm
"No Half-Godfearers"
Malachi 3:13-18
"Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, 'How have we spoken against you?' You have said, 'It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.'" Then those who feared the LORD 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. "They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Intro: Let's start at the very .... end of this week's lesson. P. 147 in your books. We listed on the board all the "promises" and benefits that attach to those who fear the Lord according to: Psalm 25:14, Psalm 31:19, Psalm 33:18-19, Psalm 103:13, Psalm 115:11, and Psalm 145:19
1. What's in it for me? Exposing a heart set on itself
We talked through our "consumer" mentality here in America, today. We have the luxury of a multitude of vendors trying to woo us by our own self-importance with ad campaigns like "Because you're worth it," and "Have it your way, right away...."
The mentality exposed in v. 13-15 in the hearts of these unfaithful people of God is this exact idea - "What's the point? Clearly God is letting the arrogant and evil-doers get away with murder! Why should we even bother being righteous when God is so indifferent as to just ignore this unrighteousness all around us?!" Not only are they implying accusation against God's character, but they expose their own self-righteousness. What self-serving superiority! They might as well be saying "God, I thank you that I am not like other men who do evil against you. But SEE what righteousness I do! Where is my reward?!" (see Luke 18:9-14)
Read Psalm 73 - Notice the turning point in Psalm 73:16-17. What is the Psalmist doing to remedy his misconception about God's seeming lack of justice against the wicked? He is recalling to himself God's character, seeking company with the Lord in prayer, and reminding himself that his only hope is that God save him, even if he does not see the playing out of this in his earthly life. He can nevertheless trust God's goodness to execute justice - justice which he himself also rightly deserves (notice v. 21-22) BUT for God's mercy.
2. What's in a word? (self-esteem; isn't it just semantics?) Self-worth? or Self-evaluation?
The problem in wailing to God about "all those unrighteous out there" is that we are ignoring the wickednesses of our own heart, first of which is pride! And in our culture, we are not only taught to be self-confident and self-actualizing, we are taught that we "ought" to esteem ourselves. So, let's examine that. We talked through a host of synonyms for "esteem" and considered them in relationship to "self" -
to prize self, to revere self, to bow down to self, to honor self, to favor self, to marvel at self, to pay homage to self, to respect self, to laud self, to value self, to hold self in high regard, to admire self, to delight in self, to glorify self, to cherish self, to idolize self, to adore self, to treasure self, to extol self, to think the world of self, to venerate self, to applaud self, to apotheosize (to "deify") self, to worship....self.
"well, when you put it like that...." does ANY of that sound remotely biblical?
So called "High" self-esteem and "Low" self-esteem are at their root the same error because at the root of each is "self" and "self-focus."
If by "esteem" we mean to "estimate" as in to "compare to a standard so as to assess the true value of," then we MIGHT be able to redeem the term, but only in this respect - if we are "esteeming" ourselves rightly - that is, according to God's unchanging standard of righteousness, then the only "estimation" we can rightly appraise is something that looks like "Woe is me, I am undone! I am a man of unclean lips and I come from a people of unclean lips! God have mercy on me a sinner!" (see Isaiah 6, and again Luke 18:9-14)
This is the point. Our "value" - whether high OR low! - is not something WE have the luxury of assessing. GOD makes the assessment by having created us in his image and by whether or not he chooses to declare us righteous. So our "self-evaluation" then ought to be only for ONE purpose - to examine ourselves to see if we are in Christ. Because it is CHRIST who is worthy of our laud and honor. See what happens when we DIE to self, DENY self, and "fix our eyes on Jesus,"
we prize Christ, revere Christ, bow down to Christ, honor Christ, we favor Christ, marvel at Christ, pay homage to Christ, respect Christ, laud Christ, value Christ, hold CHRIST in high regard, admire Christ, delight in CHRIST, glorify CHRIST, cherish CHRIST, adore CHRIST, treasure CHRIST, extol CHRIST, think the world of CHRIST, venerate CHRIST, applaud CHRIST, worship....CHRIST!
I am not saying we ought not think of ourselves at all - See Romans 12:3-8 - but we ought to examine ourselves, think of ourselves with sober judgment and NOT think more highly of ourselves than we ought....
3. What's the Big Idea? "Choose you this day whom you will serve"
Read Joshua 24:1-28 In this chapter, God first lays out "It was I who...." and all the things he had done for the people of Israel having led them into the promised land. Only after this recounting does Joshua finally say in effect, "All right, people, you've heard what the Lord your God has done, NOW choose whom you will serve, whether the one true God! or the false gods of your past!" which is to say "There really is no choice, here!"
And how do the people respond? "We will serve the Lord!" To which Joshua then says, "Well, you can't. He is HOLY! And if you prove to be unfaithful, he will turn and consume you!" (see Joshua 24:19-21) That is to say, "Understand what you are committing yourselves to!"
(consider what it means to "fear the Lord" rightly!)
4. What's in your .... book? Rebuke - Repent - Restore - Remember - (Reward?)
Now, in Malachi 3:16, we get our first glimpse of how the people respond to this so far 2 1/2 chapter rebuke from God.
Those who feared the Lord - those who were his true followers, the remnant - and we do not know how many this entailed - got together and started to talk with one another. About what? About the word of the Lord! They started discussing the rebuke of God and whether it has any merit, and are they guilty of these very things, and what will they do now....And where are they meeting? "in the presence of the Lord" or "before Him." Where are they? Scripture says that where two or more are gathered, there he is in the midst of them? They're at "church," in essence. Or their Wednesday night Bible study! And what are they doing? They are remembering the Lord.
We didn't get into this in detail as it would involve a whole 'nother study, but "Remember" is a covenantal term. This is why we "remember" Jesus in his blood and body given when we participate in the Lord's supper - which we also call "communion" - why? Because it is a term of intimacy. It is akin to "knowing God" - quite literally "in the biblical sense." As we've said before, knowing/communing/remembering - all are terms of covenant. (Remember God's first words to open the book of Malachi, before he speaks his rebuke to his people?)
So they create a book of remembrance in the presence of the Lord, and he takes pleasure in them - who are "them"? Those who FEAR HIM and who meditate on his name. And because they fear him, they in turn commit themselves to him. And again we see God's stamp of ownership on them, as we see similarly in 1 Peter 2:9-10. See Malachi 3:17-18. He will make those who fear him to be his jewels, his "spared ones" who are able to discern - to REALLY see the truth - about those who are righteous in God's sight, and those who are wicked, who are able to discern what it means to REALLY "serve the Lord."
Conclusion -
God's rebuke is to turn us to repentance! To get our eyes off our Self and to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith! And God's promise, then, to all who repent and who rightly "fear Him" is to restore them. To what? To intimacy with Himself!
HE is our reward! HE is the one we adore! HE is the one on whom we have fixed our eyes....and our affection! HE is the object of our desire, and HE is the object of our remembrance. HE is the one to whom we are running. HE is our reward.
~May we truly decrease and He increase....~
Groups: Women of Grace
Submitted by Leah Page on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 12:39pm
"No Half-Godfearers"
Malachi 3:13-18
"Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, 'How have we spoken against you?' You have said, 'It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.'" Then those who feared the LORD 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. "They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Intro: Let's start at the very .... end of this week's lesson. P. 147 in your books. We listed on the board all the "promises" and benefits that attach to those who fear the Lord according to: Psalm 25:14, Psalm 31:19, Psalm 33:18-19, Psalm 103:13, Psalm 115:11, and Psalm 145:19
1. What's in it for me? Exposing a heart set on itself
We talked through our "consumer" mentality here in America, today. We have the luxury of a multitude of vendors trying to woo us by our own self-importance with ad campaigns like "Because you're worth it," and "Have it your way, right away...."
The mentality exposed in v. 13-15 in the hearts of these unfaithful people of God is this exact idea - "What's the point? Clearly God is letting the arrogant and evil-doers get away with murder! Why should we even bother being righteous when God is so indifferent as to just ignore this unrighteousness all around us?!" Not only are they implying accusation against God's character, but they expose their own self-righteousness. What self-serving superiority! They might as well be saying "God, I thank you that I am not like other men who do evil against you. But SEE what righteousness I do! Where is my reward?!" (see Luke 18:9-14)
Read Psalm 73 - Notice the turning point in Psalm 73:16-17. What is the Psalmist doing to remedy his misconception about God's seeming lack of justice against the wicked? He is recalling to himself God's character, seeking company with the Lord in prayer, and reminding himself that his only hope is that God save him, even if he does not see the playing out of this in his earthly life. He can nevertheless trust God's goodness to execute justice - justice which he himself also rightly deserves (notice v. 21-22) BUT for God's mercy.
2. What's in a word? (self-esteem; isn't it just semantics?) Self-worth? or Self-evaluation?
The problem in wailing to God about "all those unrighteous out there" is that we are ignoring the wickednesses of our own heart, first of which is pride! And in our culture, we are not only taught to be self-confident and self-actualizing, we are taught that we "ought" to esteem ourselves. So, let's examine that. We talked through a host of synonyms for "esteem" and considered them in relationship to "self" -
to prize self, to revere self, to bow down to self, to honor self, to favor self, to marvel at self, to pay homage to self, to respect self, to laud self, to value self, to hold self in high regard, to admire self, to delight in self, to glorify self, to cherish self, to idolize self, to adore self, to treasure self, to extol self, to think the world of self, to venerate self, to applaud self, to apotheosize (to "deify") self, to worship....self.
"well, when you put it like that...." does ANY of that sound remotely biblical?
So called "High" self-esteem and "Low" self-esteem are at their root the same error because at the root of each is "self" and "self-focus."
If by "esteem" we mean to "estimate" as in to "compare to a standard so as to assess the true value of," then we MIGHT be able to redeem the term, but only in this respect - if we are "esteeming" ourselves rightly - that is, according to God's unchanging standard of righteousness, then the only "estimation" we can rightly appraise is something that looks like "Woe is me, I am undone! I am a man of unclean lips and I come from a people of unclean lips! God have mercy on me a sinner!" (see Isaiah 6, and again Luke 18:9-14)
This is the point. Our "value" - whether high OR low! - is not something WE have the luxury of assessing. GOD makes the assessment by having created us in his image and by whether or not he chooses to declare us righteous. So our "self-evaluation" then ought to be only for ONE purpose - to examine ourselves to see if we are in Christ. Because it is CHRIST who is worthy of our laud and honor. See what happens when we DIE to self, DENY self, and "fix our eyes on Jesus,"
we prize Christ, revere Christ, bow down to Christ, honor Christ, we favor Christ, marvel at Christ, pay homage to Christ, respect Christ, laud Christ, value Christ, hold CHRIST in high regard, admire Christ, delight in CHRIST, glorify CHRIST, cherish CHRIST, adore CHRIST, treasure CHRIST, extol CHRIST, think the world of CHRIST, venerate CHRIST, applaud CHRIST, worship....CHRIST!
I am not saying we ought not think of ourselves at all - See Romans 12:3-8 - but we ought to examine ourselves, think of ourselves with sober judgment and NOT think more highly of ourselves than we ought....
3. What's the Big Idea? "Choose you this day whom you will serve"
Read Joshua 24:1-28 In this chapter, God first lays out "It was I who...." and all the things he had done for the people of Israel having led them into the promised land. Only after this recounting does Joshua finally say in effect, "All right, people, you've heard what the Lord your God has done, NOW choose whom you will serve, whether the one true God! or the false gods of your past!" which is to say "There really is no choice, here!"
And how do the people respond? "We will serve the Lord!" To which Joshua then says, "Well, you can't. He is HOLY! And if you prove to be unfaithful, he will turn and consume you!" (see Joshua 24:19-21) That is to say, "Understand what you are committing yourselves to!"
(consider what it means to "fear the Lord" rightly!)
4. What's in your .... book? Rebuke - Repent - Restore - Remember - (Reward?)
Now, in Malachi 3:16, we get our first glimpse of how the people respond to this so far 2 1/2 chapter rebuke from God.
Those who feared the Lord - those who were his true followers, the remnant - and we do not know how many this entailed - got together and started to talk with one another. About what? About the word of the Lord! They started discussing the rebuke of God and whether it has any merit, and are they guilty of these very things, and what will they do now....And where are they meeting? "in the presence of the Lord" or "before Him." Where are they? Scripture says that where two or more are gathered, there he is in the midst of them? They're at "church," in essence. Or their Wednesday night Bible study! And what are they doing? They are remembering the Lord.
We didn't get into this in detail as it would involve a whole 'nother study, but "Remember" is a covenantal term. This is why we "remember" Jesus in his blood and body given when we participate in the Lord's supper - which we also call "communion" - why? Because it is a term of intimacy. It is akin to "knowing God" - quite literally "in the biblical sense." As we've said before, knowing/communing/remembering - all are terms of covenant. (Remember God's first words to open the book of Malachi, before he speaks his rebuke to his people?)
So they create a book of remembrance in the presence of the Lord, and he takes pleasure in them - who are "them"? Those who FEAR HIM and who meditate on his name. And because they fear him, they in turn commit themselves to him. And again we see God's stamp of ownership on them, as we see similarly in 1 Peter 2:9-10. See Malachi 3:17-18. He will make those who fear him to be his jewels, his "spared ones" who are able to discern - to REALLY see the truth - about those who are righteous in God's sight, and those who are wicked, who are able to discern what it means to REALLY "serve the Lord."
Conclusion -
God's rebuke is to turn us to repentance! To get our eyes off our Self and to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith! And God's promise, then, to all who repent and who rightly "fear Him" is to restore them. To what? To intimacy with Himself!
HE is our reward! HE is the one we adore! HE is the one on whom we have fixed our eyes....and our affection! HE is the object of our desire, and HE is the object of our remembrance. HE is the one to whom we are running. HE is our reward.
~May we truly decrease and He increase....~
Groups: Women of Grace
26 October, 2009
~B4Throne wk 6 of 10: Holding All Things With an Open Hand~
~B4Throne wk 6: BIG IDEAS Outline, and Holding All Things With an Open Hand~
Submitted by Leah Page on Mon, 10/26/2009 - 10:52am
The below "Big Ideas/Personal Application Worksheet" was printed out on paper for our ladies this past Wednesday - just an "at a glance" view of the major passages we've studied and discussed the past several weeks, with room to journal or take notes during our discussion time. The intent was to provide an open discussion in class, to offer room for the ladies to share their personal insights, experiences, convictions, as the Lord has been applying these truths to their hearts and lives as we've worked through the book. (to "pull back on the throtle" a little bit and catch our breaths to make sure we are seeking practically apply what we've been learning)
The "Big Idea" that was our take-away thought for this past week (brought in at the end of the below form) ties in with the theme of the lesson - which had primarily to do with the "unfaithfulness" of God's people, both in terms of marrying "the daughters of foreign gods" and also the practical outworking of that which meant divorcing their spouses and literally intermarrying with these other nations, breaking covenant with God AND with each other.
So our discussion of application of these themes led nicely into talking about what Pastor Krogh (and others) has (have) described as "holding all things with an open hand." What "daughters of foreign gods" have WE "married" (so to speak) in our own lives -
What entices us?
What are we unwilling to give up?
What do we feel the Lord is "withholding" from us?
What steals away our love and devotion to the Lord?
What things might be holding with a tight fist, refusing to give God rulership and sovereignty?
In effect, these things are idols of our hearts, and rob us of our faithfulness to God.
Our discussion recalled a GCC womens' retreat a few years ago where Bette Jo Nienhuis had taught on the very topic of "idols of the heart," and very practically speaking she had shown us how there is a visible progression that occurs:
Hopes --> Expectations --> Demands ("I have a right to...." and "you OWE me this ....")
We were challenged again this past Wed. night to examine ourselves, to see if there are any "good things" that have become "god things" in our own hearts -
What are we NOT holding with an open hand?
What "hopes" as regards the sometimes very good things God gives and/or promises have we allowed to morph into expectations and demands, so that they RULE our hearts, and steal away our first love for God?
******
“Before His Throne” – 10 week study
Week 6, Lesson 5: Spiritual Faith-less-ness
BIG IDEAS Outline ~ Personal Application Worksheet
I. Our Identity if we are “In Christ”
Eph. 1
1 Pet. 2
II. “the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom....”
Ex. 19
Is. 40
Ps 33
Ps 34
III. God’s first words: “I have loved you”
Malachi 1:1-5 ~ Jacob I have loved, Esau (Edom) I have hated....
Rom. 9 ~ What is “covenantal” love?
(Eph. 1, Rom. 8:29)
end of Rom. 8, end of Eph. 3
Heb. 12 ~ The Lord’s “severe mercies”
IV. Honoring God as Father, Revering God as Master
Malachi 1:6+
Rom. 6
Rom. 8
“Identity in Christ” ~ “X marks the spot” ~ [2 Cor. 10:3-5]
V. What Pleases the Lord (“Right Sacrifice”):
Malachi 1:7-10
Lev. 22
Ps. 51
Rom. 12:1-2
Col. 3 ~ “put off, put on”
Eph. 4 ~ “put off, put on”
1) __Perfection / Unblemished / Firstfruits / BEST _______
2) __Blood offering / Jesus’ blood / Substitutiary Atonement _______
3) __Broken and contrite Spirit / Broken heart / Repentance _______
4) __Living sacrifice / offer your bodies (whole self) / holy _______
5) __Sacrifice of praise / worship _______
6) __Spiritual sacrifices / put off the old / put on the new _______
VI. God’s Great Name:
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain....”
Malachi 1:11-14
1 Cor. 10:31, Col. 3:22-25, 1 Tim. 6:1
1 Pet. 2:4-5, 9-10 ~ living stones, built up together, made to be a declaration (!) of the excellence of HIS worth
VII. Starting Strong, Finishing Well
Malachi 2:1-9
Gen. 6 ~ Noah’s “ark” / a type of “Christ”
Heb. 11 ~ looking forward to a heavenly city whose designer and builder is God
[Heb. 8-10 ~ Jesus ushers in a better covenant (“identity” / “right sacrifices”)]
Heb. 12 ~ run the race, endure to the end, fix your eyes on Jesus ~ Matt 10:22
VIII. You have forgotten your First Love ~ Adultery / Idolatry
Malachi 2:10-16
Deut 7:1-6, 1 Kings 11:1-8 ~ the sin of Solomon; sin’s consequences
Ezra 9-10
Rev. 2:1-7
[Ezekiel 16, book of Hosea]
Isaiah 44
1 John 5:21
Proverbs 4:20-27
Groups: Women of Grace
Submitted by Leah Page on Mon, 10/26/2009 - 10:52am
The below "Big Ideas/Personal Application Worksheet" was printed out on paper for our ladies this past Wednesday - just an "at a glance" view of the major passages we've studied and discussed the past several weeks, with room to journal or take notes during our discussion time. The intent was to provide an open discussion in class, to offer room for the ladies to share their personal insights, experiences, convictions, as the Lord has been applying these truths to their hearts and lives as we've worked through the book. (to "pull back on the throtle" a little bit and catch our breaths to make sure we are seeking practically apply what we've been learning)
The "Big Idea" that was our take-away thought for this past week (brought in at the end of the below form) ties in with the theme of the lesson - which had primarily to do with the "unfaithfulness" of God's people, both in terms of marrying "the daughters of foreign gods" and also the practical outworking of that which meant divorcing their spouses and literally intermarrying with these other nations, breaking covenant with God AND with each other.
So our discussion of application of these themes led nicely into talking about what Pastor Krogh (and others) has (have) described as "holding all things with an open hand." What "daughters of foreign gods" have WE "married" (so to speak) in our own lives -
What entices us?
What are we unwilling to give up?
What do we feel the Lord is "withholding" from us?
What steals away our love and devotion to the Lord?
What things might be holding with a tight fist, refusing to give God rulership and sovereignty?
In effect, these things are idols of our hearts, and rob us of our faithfulness to God.
Our discussion recalled a GCC womens' retreat a few years ago where Bette Jo Nienhuis had taught on the very topic of "idols of the heart," and very practically speaking she had shown us how there is a visible progression that occurs:
Hopes --> Expectations --> Demands ("I have a right to...." and "you OWE me this ....")
We were challenged again this past Wed. night to examine ourselves, to see if there are any "good things" that have become "god things" in our own hearts -
What are we NOT holding with an open hand?
What "hopes" as regards the sometimes very good things God gives and/or promises have we allowed to morph into expectations and demands, so that they RULE our hearts, and steal away our first love for God?
******
“Before His Throne” – 10 week study
Week 6, Lesson 5: Spiritual Faith-less-ness
BIG IDEAS Outline ~ Personal Application Worksheet
I. Our Identity if we are “In Christ”
Eph. 1
1 Pet. 2
II. “the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom....”
Ex. 19
Is. 40
Ps 33
Ps 34
III. God’s first words: “I have loved you”
Malachi 1:1-5 ~ Jacob I have loved, Esau (Edom) I have hated....
Rom. 9 ~ What is “covenantal” love?
(Eph. 1, Rom. 8:29)
end of Rom. 8, end of Eph. 3
Heb. 12 ~ The Lord’s “severe mercies”
IV. Honoring God as Father, Revering God as Master
Malachi 1:6+
Rom. 6
Rom. 8
“Identity in Christ” ~ “X marks the spot” ~ [2 Cor. 10:3-5]
V. What Pleases the Lord (“Right Sacrifice”):
Malachi 1:7-10
Lev. 22
Ps. 51
Rom. 12:1-2
Col. 3 ~ “put off, put on”
Eph. 4 ~ “put off, put on”
1) __Perfection / Unblemished / Firstfruits / BEST _______
2) __Blood offering / Jesus’ blood / Substitutiary Atonement _______
3) __Broken and contrite Spirit / Broken heart / Repentance _______
4) __Living sacrifice / offer your bodies (whole self) / holy _______
5) __Sacrifice of praise / worship _______
6) __Spiritual sacrifices / put off the old / put on the new _______
VI. God’s Great Name:
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain....”
Malachi 1:11-14
1 Cor. 10:31, Col. 3:22-25, 1 Tim. 6:1
1 Pet. 2:4-5, 9-10 ~ living stones, built up together, made to be a declaration (!) of the excellence of HIS worth
VII. Starting Strong, Finishing Well
Malachi 2:1-9
Gen. 6 ~ Noah’s “ark” / a type of “Christ”
Heb. 11 ~ looking forward to a heavenly city whose designer and builder is God
[Heb. 8-10 ~ Jesus ushers in a better covenant (“identity” / “right sacrifices”)]
Heb. 12 ~ run the race, endure to the end, fix your eyes on Jesus ~ Matt 10:22
VIII. You have forgotten your First Love ~ Adultery / Idolatry
Malachi 2:10-16
Deut 7:1-6, 1 Kings 11:1-8 ~ the sin of Solomon; sin’s consequences
Ezra 9-10
Rev. 2:1-7
[Ezekiel 16, book of Hosea]
Isaiah 44
1 John 5:21
Proverbs 4:20-27
Groups: Women of Grace
16 October, 2009
~Starting Strong, Finishing Well; BHT Study from week 5~
~in class outline from week 5/Lesson 4; originally planned small groups~
Submitted by Leah Page on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 6:39pm
STARTING STRONG
(p1. allow approx 20-25 min.)
Take a moment to greet one another, introduce yourselves. [allow maybe 2-3 minutes at most to ensure we don’t run out of time for the lesson.]
Refer to p. 64 in your books, and read Genesis 6:5-10 and Hebrews 11:7 together.
What are some of the words/phrases you listed to describe Noah, according to these passages? [answers may include: found favor with God, was righteous, was blameless in his generation, walked with God, believed God (by faith), feared God (in reverent fear), obeyed God (constructed the ark), “condemned the world,” became an heir of righteousness]
Have you ever noticed that the most common way we present this story to our kids in children’s books is by teaching them (wrongly!) that Noah was a righteous man, in fact the ONLY righteous man on the earth, and that’s why God chose to preserve him through the flood. But according to the Scripture, what comes first in Genesis ch. 6, God’s favor (same as the NT word we translate as “grace”) or Noah’s “blamelessness”? [see v.8-9]
You could also ask it this way: What came first, Noah’s faith? Or Noah’s obedience?
Read Hebrews 11:1-7 together.
Noah “found favor” with God – Noah was “graced” by God – “chosen” by God. God set his “peculiar affection” on Noah and his family – and he acted on this love by preserving Noah both in his faith and his obedience. Noah and his family were safely delivered from the flood which destroyed the world because God faithfully kept them. Did you know that the “ark” which Noah built is a “type of Christ”? We have talked about what it means to be “in Christ” – as Noah was “in” the ark! Do you remember who shut the door to guarantee Noah’s “preservation”? [see 7:16]
Turn to p. 66 in your books
Studying Malachi 2:1-9, you observed how the first Levitical priests “started well” by walking faithfully in “covenant” with God. You entered information in the chart on this page concerning their attitudes and actions and the results thereof. Take a few moments to share what you observed from Malachi ch. 2.
Did you notice there is kind of an “if/then” pattern as you progress through the chart? Do you see any correlation between these patterns and the promises in Psalm 34:4-10 (see p. 73 in your books)? Do you see any application of this in your own life?
Keeping these things in mind, turn to 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10 and p. 70 in your books.
What words and phrases are listed in these verses to describe our position if we are “in Christ” (remember Ephesians ch. 1 from our first week)?
As we wrap up the 1st half and take a short break, let’s think about this: What is our identity? On what do we base our confidence that we are “In Christ”? (As with Noah, what came first? God’s grace? Or our “righteousness”?)
Now...how do we KEEP our “identity”?
**5 MIN. BREAK**
------------------------------------------------------
FINISHING WELL
(p. 2 allow approx 30 min.)
In the first section, you wrapped up by looking at what we are if we are “in Christ.” And we confess, our faith is, in effect, a “strong start”! Considering that CHRIST is our firm foundation, our “Ark of Preservation,” let’s look, now, at what it means to finish well.
Read Philippians 1:6, and turn to p. 74-75 in your books.
Take a minute to skim Matthew 10:17-33, with special attention on verse 22 and refresh your memories as to the context.
Keep a finger in Matthew ch. 10 and read Hebrews 11:13-16, and 11:32 - 12:2 together.
How do you think this might tie in with what you observed in Matthew 10? (feel free to “brainstorm”, using Scripture as your evidence)
Now, take several minutes to carefully read through the following verses (we will stay in Hebrews for now for the sake of continuity):
Hebrews 3:12-19
and Hebrews 4:11-16
and Hebrews 8:8-12
and Hebrews 10:19-25
and Hebrews 10:35-11:2
and Hebrews 12:18-29.
Based on what you have read in the above Scriptures, what does it mean to “endure to the end”? Can we have “confidence” and “assurance” as to our salvation? Why? (or why not?) (Support your answers with Scripture.)
And based on what you have read in the above Scriptures, do you have a stronger picture of what it means to “fear the Lord aright”? (You might want to look back at your notes on p. 74 and 75.)
Finally, sisters! Let us “finish” back where we “started.”
Turn to p. 65 in your books.
Take a few minutes, as time allows, to share some of the “roles and responsibilities” the Lord has given you in your life. Did he show you any specific areas in your life, this past week, he wants you to surrender to him? (Share only as you are comfortable. It can be a significant encouragement to “struggle” through some of these things together!)
Prayer Focus:
· For the Lord’s preservation (keeping) and your perseverance (endurance).
· For any specific things that you would ask of God for the “roles and responsibilities” he has given YOU, that you might be able to “walk in dependence on God’s grace.”
Groups: Women of Grace
Submitted by Leah Page on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 6:39pm
STARTING STRONG
(p1. allow approx 20-25 min.)
Take a moment to greet one another, introduce yourselves. [allow maybe 2-3 minutes at most to ensure we don’t run out of time for the lesson.]
Refer to p. 64 in your books, and read Genesis 6:5-10 and Hebrews 11:7 together.
What are some of the words/phrases you listed to describe Noah, according to these passages? [answers may include: found favor with God, was righteous, was blameless in his generation, walked with God, believed God (by faith), feared God (in reverent fear), obeyed God (constructed the ark), “condemned the world,” became an heir of righteousness]
Have you ever noticed that the most common way we present this story to our kids in children’s books is by teaching them (wrongly!) that Noah was a righteous man, in fact the ONLY righteous man on the earth, and that’s why God chose to preserve him through the flood. But according to the Scripture, what comes first in Genesis ch. 6, God’s favor (same as the NT word we translate as “grace”) or Noah’s “blamelessness”? [see v.8-9]
You could also ask it this way: What came first, Noah’s faith? Or Noah’s obedience?
Read Hebrews 11:1-7 together.
Noah “found favor” with God – Noah was “graced” by God – “chosen” by God. God set his “peculiar affection” on Noah and his family – and he acted on this love by preserving Noah both in his faith and his obedience. Noah and his family were safely delivered from the flood which destroyed the world because God faithfully kept them. Did you know that the “ark” which Noah built is a “type of Christ”? We have talked about what it means to be “in Christ” – as Noah was “in” the ark! Do you remember who shut the door to guarantee Noah’s “preservation”? [see 7:16]
Turn to p. 66 in your books
Studying Malachi 2:1-9, you observed how the first Levitical priests “started well” by walking faithfully in “covenant” with God. You entered information in the chart on this page concerning their attitudes and actions and the results thereof. Take a few moments to share what you observed from Malachi ch. 2.
Did you notice there is kind of an “if/then” pattern as you progress through the chart? Do you see any correlation between these patterns and the promises in Psalm 34:4-10 (see p. 73 in your books)? Do you see any application of this in your own life?
Keeping these things in mind, turn to 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10 and p. 70 in your books.
What words and phrases are listed in these verses to describe our position if we are “in Christ” (remember Ephesians ch. 1 from our first week)?
As we wrap up the 1st half and take a short break, let’s think about this: What is our identity? On what do we base our confidence that we are “In Christ”? (As with Noah, what came first? God’s grace? Or our “righteousness”?)
Now...how do we KEEP our “identity”?
**5 MIN. BREAK**
------------------------------------------------------
FINISHING WELL
(p. 2 allow approx 30 min.)
In the first section, you wrapped up by looking at what we are if we are “in Christ.” And we confess, our faith is, in effect, a “strong start”! Considering that CHRIST is our firm foundation, our “Ark of Preservation,” let’s look, now, at what it means to finish well.
Read Philippians 1:6, and turn to p. 74-75 in your books.
Take a minute to skim Matthew 10:17-33, with special attention on verse 22 and refresh your memories as to the context.
Keep a finger in Matthew ch. 10 and read Hebrews 11:13-16, and 11:32 - 12:2 together.
How do you think this might tie in with what you observed in Matthew 10? (feel free to “brainstorm”, using Scripture as your evidence)
Now, take several minutes to carefully read through the following verses (we will stay in Hebrews for now for the sake of continuity):
Hebrews 3:12-19
and Hebrews 4:11-16
and Hebrews 8:8-12
and Hebrews 10:19-25
and Hebrews 10:35-11:2
and Hebrews 12:18-29.
Based on what you have read in the above Scriptures, what does it mean to “endure to the end”? Can we have “confidence” and “assurance” as to our salvation? Why? (or why not?) (Support your answers with Scripture.)
And based on what you have read in the above Scriptures, do you have a stronger picture of what it means to “fear the Lord aright”? (You might want to look back at your notes on p. 74 and 75.)
Finally, sisters! Let us “finish” back where we “started.”
Turn to p. 65 in your books.
Take a few minutes, as time allows, to share some of the “roles and responsibilities” the Lord has given you in your life. Did he show you any specific areas in your life, this past week, he wants you to surrender to him? (Share only as you are comfortable. It can be a significant encouragement to “struggle” through some of these things together!)
Prayer Focus:
· For the Lord’s preservation (keeping) and your perseverance (endurance).
· For any specific things that you would ask of God for the “roles and responsibilities” he has given YOU, that you might be able to “walk in dependence on God’s grace.”
Groups: Women of Grace
14 October, 2009
~review wk 3&4, and preview wk 5: BHT study~
review wk 3&4, and preview wk 5: "Before His Throne" GCC Women's Bible study
http://www.solagrace.org/growing2gether
Submitted by Leah Page on Mon, 10/12/2009 - 3:05pm
In weeks 3 and 4, we spent a good deal of time in the historical context of the book of Malachi, setting the timeline as to where this “rebuke,” from God the Father towards his people, falls in terms of redemptive history.
(If you haven’t already, take a look at Nehemiah ch. 12 and 13 in light of our discussion about the state of the people's hearts as the OT comes to a close.)
What kind of sacrifice is pleasing and acceptable to God?
1) The Beloved Son whose body was broken on our behalf and
2) a broken and a contrite spirit and
3) a living and holy sacrifice.
We have also settled (somewhat “accidentally”) full-on to this theme of what it means to “abide” in Christ and for God to “abide” with his people (both in an OT sense and in a NT sense). This will take on greater significance as we procede through this study.
Approaching the halfway point of our study, it seems appropriate that this week we begin to look at “beginning strong, but failing to finish well,” and we will look into what it means to “find favor” with the Lord.
(Take a look, in light of all we've learned so far these past few weeks, at Hebrews ch. 8-10 ~ You might particularly appreciate just reading these chapters straight through.)
Blessings!
~Leah
Groups: Women of Grace
http://www.solagrace.org/growing2gether
Submitted by Leah Page on Mon, 10/12/2009 - 3:05pm
In weeks 3 and 4, we spent a good deal of time in the historical context of the book of Malachi, setting the timeline as to where this “rebuke,” from God the Father towards his people, falls in terms of redemptive history.
(If you haven’t already, take a look at Nehemiah ch. 12 and 13 in light of our discussion about the state of the people's hearts as the OT comes to a close.)
What kind of sacrifice is pleasing and acceptable to God?
1) The Beloved Son whose body was broken on our behalf and
2) a broken and a contrite spirit and
3) a living and holy sacrifice.
We have also settled (somewhat “accidentally”) full-on to this theme of what it means to “abide” in Christ and for God to “abide” with his people (both in an OT sense and in a NT sense). This will take on greater significance as we procede through this study.
Approaching the halfway point of our study, it seems appropriate that this week we begin to look at “beginning strong, but failing to finish well,” and we will look into what it means to “find favor” with the Lord.
(Take a look, in light of all we've learned so far these past few weeks, at Hebrews ch. 8-10 ~ You might particularly appreciate just reading these chapters straight through.)
Blessings!
~Leah
Groups: Women of Grace
~snapshot of week 4, BHT study~
Snapshot of week 4 of 10: Lesson 3 ~ "Before His Throne" GCC Women's Bible Study
http://www.solagrace.org/growing2gether
Submitted by Leah Page on Fri, 10/09/2009 - 7:36pm
WEEK FOUR OF TEN
Before His Throne: Lesson 3 ~ Beholding & Honoring God as Father and Master
1st half – The first indictment God raises against his people in Malachi is that they have not honored him as Father or feared/respected him as Master. We talked through the line-graph in the book, seemingly pitting our relationship with God as “child” (Romans 8) against that of “slave” (Romans 6) when in fact BOTH are true of us. How quickly we swing from one extreme to the other. [We visited 2 Cor. 10:3-5 by way of talking about how when we are merely looking at ourselves, as if to assess how we “feel” about God at any given moment, we are at best limited in our scope, and at worst, subject to lies and our own self-deceit. Rather, we need to “turn our eyes upon Jesus,” and take every thought/feeling captive and make it obedient to Christ.] We need to trust God’s self-revelation which is, in short, that God’s “mastery” demands our holiness, AND God’s “fatherliness” gives us that holiness by giving us his own Son, Jesus, who became our substitute – both as the “perfection” God required and as, then, that perfect “blood sacrifice.”
So we continued the discussion by talking through some of the Levitical requirements for the quality of the sacrifice. We listed the various qualities we found in Scripture: the sacrifice was to be pure, unblemished, not blind, not lame, not diseased, not mutilated, and even the specifics of the sacrifices’ anatomies were attended to (ie: not “unfruitful!”) in God’s requirements. He had given his people everything they needed to know, and repeated himself again and again as if to say, “Ok, let’s be clear! THIS is what I mean by this, and THAT is what I mean by that....” But the people repeat their pattern of rebellion and refuse to worship as God has instructed them. By this time, the people have endured multiple exiles, have returned to the city of God – Jerusalem – and have rebuilt the walls of the city (cf Ezra and Nehemiah), but we find the people still fail to honor God as Father and Master. [note: In Ps. 51 we saw that ultimately, God desires the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart and spirit. Notice, even David, at the end of this Psalm expresses longing for a “rebuilt Jerusalem” because then (finally?!) right sacrifices will be offered.] It was as if the external conditions were about as perfect as they could get, and they still could not “be holy” as God required. And this is how the OT ends, as if the people of God are crying out “Who will save us from this body of sin and death?”
2nd half – We talked about how JESUS is the unblemished sacrifice, the only one that can satisfy God on our behalf. [Sidenote: The Gospel call is NOT “you need to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior;” the Gospel call is to REPENT! God needs to accept Jesus on our behalf!] We talked through what it means, then, if JESUS is the means by which we can know God in that perfect balance as both “child” and “slave” ~ (our “standing” is SURE if we are “in Christ”!) ~ what does God require of us NOW? [“Being precedes function.”] We reviewed Romans 12:1-2, and talked about what it means to be a living sacrifice. This included reviewing our exercise in Colossians ch. 3 ~ putting off the old and putting on the new. We revisited talking about what it means to “take the name of the Lord in vain.” More than mere “apathy” – “taking” is intentional. We are quick to say “Oh, I didn’t mean that,” or “That doesn’t mean anything,” as though these are sufficient excuses for our cavalier attitudes; but in fact, we have just confessed we’ve broken God’s commandment! What, after all, does “vain” mean, but that the thing is meaningless, empty, etc. Instead, what would it look like if we were intentional about living in such a way that ALL we do is “in Jesus’ name.”
In summary:
If we are in Christ, our standing with God is sure – he is both our Master AND our Father – and he lovingly disciplines us and molds us into the likeness of his Son for our good and for our joy. Jesus is the perfect, all-satisfying sacrifice, and in him we have the fullness of life. So now we are to let the peace of Christ rule our hearts, and the word of Christ dwell (abide!) in us richly. Because we ARE (being) children of God in Christ, we DO (function) live wholly surrendered to him out of love. And so, if we do everything we do “in Jesus’ name,” even the most mundane task can be transformed into an act of worship.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face!
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace!”
~
Groups: Women of Grace
http://www.solagrace.org/growing2gether
Submitted by Leah Page on Fri, 10/09/2009 - 7:36pm
WEEK FOUR OF TEN
Before His Throne: Lesson 3 ~ Beholding & Honoring God as Father and Master
1st half – The first indictment God raises against his people in Malachi is that they have not honored him as Father or feared/respected him as Master. We talked through the line-graph in the book, seemingly pitting our relationship with God as “child” (Romans 8) against that of “slave” (Romans 6) when in fact BOTH are true of us. How quickly we swing from one extreme to the other. [We visited 2 Cor. 10:3-5 by way of talking about how when we are merely looking at ourselves, as if to assess how we “feel” about God at any given moment, we are at best limited in our scope, and at worst, subject to lies and our own self-deceit. Rather, we need to “turn our eyes upon Jesus,” and take every thought/feeling captive and make it obedient to Christ.] We need to trust God’s self-revelation which is, in short, that God’s “mastery” demands our holiness, AND God’s “fatherliness” gives us that holiness by giving us his own Son, Jesus, who became our substitute – both as the “perfection” God required and as, then, that perfect “blood sacrifice.”
So we continued the discussion by talking through some of the Levitical requirements for the quality of the sacrifice. We listed the various qualities we found in Scripture: the sacrifice was to be pure, unblemished, not blind, not lame, not diseased, not mutilated, and even the specifics of the sacrifices’ anatomies were attended to (ie: not “unfruitful!”) in God’s requirements. He had given his people everything they needed to know, and repeated himself again and again as if to say, “Ok, let’s be clear! THIS is what I mean by this, and THAT is what I mean by that....” But the people repeat their pattern of rebellion and refuse to worship as God has instructed them. By this time, the people have endured multiple exiles, have returned to the city of God – Jerusalem – and have rebuilt the walls of the city (cf Ezra and Nehemiah), but we find the people still fail to honor God as Father and Master. [note: In Ps. 51 we saw that ultimately, God desires the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart and spirit. Notice, even David, at the end of this Psalm expresses longing for a “rebuilt Jerusalem” because then (finally?!) right sacrifices will be offered.] It was as if the external conditions were about as perfect as they could get, and they still could not “be holy” as God required. And this is how the OT ends, as if the people of God are crying out “Who will save us from this body of sin and death?”
2nd half – We talked about how JESUS is the unblemished sacrifice, the only one that can satisfy God on our behalf. [Sidenote: The Gospel call is NOT “you need to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior;” the Gospel call is to REPENT! God needs to accept Jesus on our behalf!] We talked through what it means, then, if JESUS is the means by which we can know God in that perfect balance as both “child” and “slave” ~ (our “standing” is SURE if we are “in Christ”!) ~ what does God require of us NOW? [“Being precedes function.”] We reviewed Romans 12:1-2, and talked about what it means to be a living sacrifice. This included reviewing our exercise in Colossians ch. 3 ~ putting off the old and putting on the new. We revisited talking about what it means to “take the name of the Lord in vain.” More than mere “apathy” – “taking” is intentional. We are quick to say “Oh, I didn’t mean that,” or “That doesn’t mean anything,” as though these are sufficient excuses for our cavalier attitudes; but in fact, we have just confessed we’ve broken God’s commandment! What, after all, does “vain” mean, but that the thing is meaningless, empty, etc. Instead, what would it look like if we were intentional about living in such a way that ALL we do is “in Jesus’ name.”
In summary:
If we are in Christ, our standing with God is sure – he is both our Master AND our Father – and he lovingly disciplines us and molds us into the likeness of his Son for our good and for our joy. Jesus is the perfect, all-satisfying sacrifice, and in him we have the fullness of life. So now we are to let the peace of Christ rule our hearts, and the word of Christ dwell (abide!) in us richly. Because we ARE (being) children of God in Christ, we DO (function) live wholly surrendered to him out of love. And so, if we do everything we do “in Jesus’ name,” even the most mundane task can be transformed into an act of worship.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face!
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace!”
~
Groups: Women of Grace
05 October, 2009
~snapshot of week 3, BHT study~
WEEK THREE OF TEN
Before His Throne: Lesson 2 ~ God's "Peculiar" Affection for His People
1st third - reviewed first two weeks' materials, themes of 1) the blessings we have because we are IN CHRIST (Eph. 1:1-14), and 2) what it means to fear the Lord aright (Isaiah 40, Ps. 33, Romans 1). Intro: Read an article from a medical website I had received that same day concerning "phobias" and "anxiety" - and posed the question how that differs (or does not differ) from what we mean by "the fear of the Lord." When people are "afraid" they tend to run FROM what they fear. But running FROM God in fact exposes our pride - as if we could outrun or escape from God?
We laid out the "big events" timeline from Creation up to Malachi (and Nehemiah ch 13) where the OT ends. Emphasis on repeat pattern all throughout - especially from Judges through the time of the Kings and the Prophets, when the people were brought INTO the land of promise, the land where they were to "devote to destruction" all that was unholy, so that this place, this Jerusalem, this city on a hill, would be a place where God could dwell ("abide") with his people - where they would worship him as he deserves to be worshipped and his glory would be their joy! But instead they time after time after time turned away, doing what was right in their own eyes. We saw that despite the continuous unfaithfulness and profanity of God's people, he continued to promise them restoration and a NEW covenant wherein he would give them new hearts! so they could know him more intimately, and be righteous. We had read through Malachi ch. 1-4 during our lesson time in the week, so we could see that the book takes on the pattern of a rebuke, but even in this is God's PROMISE of rebuilding and restoring and renewing. We noted that God's very first words in this rebuke are, nevertheless, "I have loved you."
2nd third - broke into small groups, examining especially Hebrews 12:7-11 concerning how God's LOVE for his people translates into his discipline of them - for he is treating them as true sons (and not illegitimate sons) and the FRUIT of this discipline, for those who have been trained by it, is the peaceable fruit of righteousness. This small group time allowed for women to have more face-to-face time. Our class is approaching 30 women, so breaking down into groups of 4 or 5 women seemed to be positively received by the ladies as it enabled names to be put with faces, and a more intimate setting for sharing. We talked about God's "severe mercies" in our lives and how what may seem unpleasant at the time is in fact the Lord's kindness. Due to time limitations, we didn't get to explore the 2nd part very deeply - I suggested the ladies may like to take the assignment home and add that to their quiet time. Namely: to review p. 35 and 37 in their books which contained a couple of assignments through other lists of verses earlier in the week, and to read Romans 8:28-39, (and Ephesians 3:14-21) and then come up with a single sentence that summarizes God's love, based on what they learn from these verses.
3rd third - we again came back together as a larger group, revisited the timeline, and talked about the "R's of Redemption" - pointing out the various places on the timeline where the terms seemed best to fit, including: Revelation - Rebellion - Regeneration - Repentance - Redemption - Restoration - Rebuilding - Renewing - Rest - even Remnant, and so forth.
Closed with quote from John Piper's recent blog entry, which was in part our "review" at the beginning of class:
***quote***
Consider two important truths in Psalm 31:19. "Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!"
1. The goodness of the Lord. There is a peculiar goodness of God. That is, there is not only God’s general goodness that he shows to all people, making his sun rise on the evil and the good (Matthew 5:45), but also a peculiar goodness for “those who fear him.” This goodness is abundant beyond measure. It is boundless. It lasts for ever. It is all-encompassing. There is only goodness for those who fear him. Everything works together for their good. Even their pains are filled with profit (Romans 5:3-5). But those who do not fear him receive a temporary goodness—a goodness that does not lead to repentance, but leads to worse destruction (Romans 2:4).
2. The fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the fear of straying from him. Therefore it expresses itself in taking refuge in God. That’s why two conditions are mentioned in Psalm 31:19—fearing the Lord and taking refuge in him. They seem to be opposites. Fear seems to drive away and taking refuge seems to draw in. But when we see that this fear is a fear of not being drawn in, then they work together. There is a real trembling for the saints. “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). But it is the trembling one feels in the arms of a Father who has just plucked his child from the undertow of the ocean.
Before His Throne: Lesson 2 ~ God's "Peculiar" Affection for His People
1st third - reviewed first two weeks' materials, themes of 1) the blessings we have because we are IN CHRIST (Eph. 1:1-14), and 2) what it means to fear the Lord aright (Isaiah 40, Ps. 33, Romans 1). Intro: Read an article from a medical website I had received that same day concerning "phobias" and "anxiety" - and posed the question how that differs (or does not differ) from what we mean by "the fear of the Lord." When people are "afraid" they tend to run FROM what they fear. But running FROM God in fact exposes our pride - as if we could outrun or escape from God?
We laid out the "big events" timeline from Creation up to Malachi (and Nehemiah ch 13) where the OT ends. Emphasis on repeat pattern all throughout - especially from Judges through the time of the Kings and the Prophets, when the people were brought INTO the land of promise, the land where they were to "devote to destruction" all that was unholy, so that this place, this Jerusalem, this city on a hill, would be a place where God could dwell ("abide") with his people - where they would worship him as he deserves to be worshipped and his glory would be their joy! But instead they time after time after time turned away, doing what was right in their own eyes. We saw that despite the continuous unfaithfulness and profanity of God's people, he continued to promise them restoration and a NEW covenant wherein he would give them new hearts! so they could know him more intimately, and be righteous. We had read through Malachi ch. 1-4 during our lesson time in the week, so we could see that the book takes on the pattern of a rebuke, but even in this is God's PROMISE of rebuilding and restoring and renewing. We noted that God's very first words in this rebuke are, nevertheless, "I have loved you."
2nd third - broke into small groups, examining especially Hebrews 12:7-11 concerning how God's LOVE for his people translates into his discipline of them - for he is treating them as true sons (and not illegitimate sons) and the FRUIT of this discipline, for those who have been trained by it, is the peaceable fruit of righteousness. This small group time allowed for women to have more face-to-face time. Our class is approaching 30 women, so breaking down into groups of 4 or 5 women seemed to be positively received by the ladies as it enabled names to be put with faces, and a more intimate setting for sharing. We talked about God's "severe mercies" in our lives and how what may seem unpleasant at the time is in fact the Lord's kindness. Due to time limitations, we didn't get to explore the 2nd part very deeply - I suggested the ladies may like to take the assignment home and add that to their quiet time. Namely: to review p. 35 and 37 in their books which contained a couple of assignments through other lists of verses earlier in the week, and to read Romans 8:28-39, (and Ephesians 3:14-21) and then come up with a single sentence that summarizes God's love, based on what they learn from these verses.
3rd third - we again came back together as a larger group, revisited the timeline, and talked about the "R's of Redemption" - pointing out the various places on the timeline where the terms seemed best to fit, including: Revelation - Rebellion - Regeneration - Repentance - Redemption - Restoration - Rebuilding - Renewing - Rest - even Remnant, and so forth.
Closed with quote from John Piper's recent blog entry, which was in part our "review" at the beginning of class:
***quote***
Consider two important truths in Psalm 31:19. "Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!"
1. The goodness of the Lord. There is a peculiar goodness of God. That is, there is not only God’s general goodness that he shows to all people, making his sun rise on the evil and the good (Matthew 5:45), but also a peculiar goodness for “those who fear him.” This goodness is abundant beyond measure. It is boundless. It lasts for ever. It is all-encompassing. There is only goodness for those who fear him. Everything works together for their good. Even their pains are filled with profit (Romans 5:3-5). But those who do not fear him receive a temporary goodness—a goodness that does not lead to repentance, but leads to worse destruction (Romans 2:4).
2. The fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the fear of straying from him. Therefore it expresses itself in taking refuge in God. That’s why two conditions are mentioned in Psalm 31:19—fearing the Lord and taking refuge in him. They seem to be opposites. Fear seems to drive away and taking refuge seems to draw in. But when we see that this fear is a fear of not being drawn in, then they work together. There is a real trembling for the saints. “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). But it is the trembling one feels in the arms of a Father who has just plucked his child from the undertow of the ocean.
16 March, 2009
Edwards: The emerald rainbow around the throne of God....
**I have reflected on this very thing - the emerald rainbow around the throne of God - I have seen, similarly, a statistic to the effect that the color "Green" is the most soothing to the human eye. It would stand to reason, then, that God himself would surround himself in a light upon which it is most SOOTHING to gaze for eternity! How right, then, that we could consider such a mediating glow that of God's covenantal LOVE for his children in Christ!**
~
"...Love is the principal thing which the gospel reveals in God and Christ. The gospel brings to light the love between the Father and the Son, and declares how that love has been manifested in mercy; how that Christ is God's beloved Son in whom he is well pleased. And there we have the effects of God's love to his Son set before us in appointing him to the honor of a mediatorial kingdom, in appointing him to be the Lord and Judge of the world, in appointing that all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father.
There is revealed the love which Christ has to the Father, and the wonderful fruits of that love, as particularly his doing such great things, and suffering such great things in obedience to the Father, and for the honor of the Father's justice, authority and law. There it is revealed how the Father and the Son are one in love, that we might be induced in like manner to be one with them, and with one another, agreeable to Christ's prayer, John 17:21-23, "That they all may be one; as thou Father art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."
The gospel teaches us the doctrine of the eternal electing love of God, and reveals how God loved those that are redeemed by Christ before the foundation of the world; and how he then gave them to the Son, and the Son loved them as his own. The gospel reveals the wonderful love of God the Father to poor sinful, miserable men, in giving Christ not only to love them while in the world, but to love them to the end. And all this love is spoken of as bestowed on us while we were wanderers, outcasts, worthless, guilty, and even enemies.
The gospel reveals such love as nothing else reveals. John 15:13, "Greater love hath no man than this." Rom. 5:7-8, "Scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
God and Christ in the gospel revelation appear as clothed with love, as being as it were on a throne of mercy and grace, a seat of love encompassed about with pleasant beams of love.
Love is the light and glory which are about the throne on which God sits.
This seems to be intended in that vision which the apostle John, that loving and beloved disciple, had of God in Rev. 4:3. He tells us that when he had a vision of God on his throne there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.That is, God as he sat on his throne was encompassed round with a circle of exceeding sweet and pleasant light,' pleasant like the beautiful colors of the rainbow, like an emerald. An emerald is a precious stone of exceeding pleasant and beautiful color. This represents that the light and glory with which God appears surrounded in the gospel is especially the glory of his love and covenant grace. For the rainbow, you know, was given as a token of God's love and covenant grace to Noah. Therefore this spirit, even a spirit of love, is the spirit to which the gospel revelation does especially hold forth motives and incitements. And this is especially and eminently the Christian spirit, the right spirit of the gospel...."
(Jonathan Edwards, from Charity and its Fruits)
http://truthinheart.com/EarlyOberlinCD/CD/Edwards/Sermons/Cor13book/1.htm
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