August 7, 2002
Coming Home To God's Love
A study in the book of Hosea by Woodrow Kroll
Part 11: Life Lessons About Sin Learned From Hosea - Continued (Number 2 of 3)
Now, in the Book of Hosea there are lessons for us to learn about our relationship with God. I want us to focus today on the lessons that you and I learn right out of this book about God and us and how we get along with God.
Chapter 7, verse 1, "Whenever I would restore the fortunes of My people, whenever I would heal Israel, the sins of Ephraim are exposed and the crimes of Samaria revealed. They practice deceit, thieves break into houses, bandits rob in the streets; but they do not realize that I remember all their evil deeds."
Now, having a kind of relationship with God in which He remembers all of our evil deeds can somehow be a threat to us. I'm the first to admit that, but I want you to learn from God's Word that God is far more eager to restore us to our relationship with Him than He is to punish us.
Look back one chapter at chapter 6, verse 1, "'Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds.'" If there's anything I've learned in my own spiritual pilgrimage with God about the character of God it is God is holy; God is just; God must deal with my sin. But God is much more anxious to heal me than He is to wound me. God is much more anxious to forgive me than He is to punish me. God is much more apt to deal with me in grace and in mercy than He is in His own wrath.
Now, He has to take my sin into account and He has to deal with that sin because He's a holy God. But when I get to know God, this God, the God that I see in the Book of Hosea, I discover a God who's far more eager to restore me than He is to punish me. Micah, chapter 7, verse 18 says, "Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but You delight to show mercy." See, that's the kind of God that we serve; a God who must be angry at our sin, but a God who delights much more in showing mercy to us than being angry with us.
In fact, isn't that true when Jonah, remember the prophet Jonah? He's the guy who had a good dose of whale-belly theology. And he got his life straightened out. Jonah was going the wrong way, a great fish swallowed Jonah and Jonah finally got his life right with God, or so it seemed. And then he went to the Ninevites. In chapter 3, he preached an eight-word message to the Ninevites and the whole city came to Christ. I mean, can you imagine? How would you like to have a pastor who could preach eight words and sit down?
Some of you would like that to happen right now, I understand. Eight words, that's a pretty short message, but it was very effective because God was in that message. This whole town of the Ninevites came to God, Jehovah God of Israel, because of the great repentance that came to the city. Now, it'd be delightful if the story ended there. But if you remember chapter 4 of Jonah, Jonah is arguing with God. And he's complaining that God showed mercy on his hated enemy, these Assyrians.
In fact he says in verse 2 of chapter 4, "I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity." I just knew You were that kind of God. And he's complaining because God showed mercy on the hated Assyrians.
But I want to tell you, friends, that's the kind of God you want to confess your sins to, a God who is more apt to show mercy than show wrath. That's the kind of God you want to get to know, that's the kind of God you want to be intimate with, a God who is more eager to restore you than He is to punish you. God will punish us for our sins, don't make any mistake about that. But God is far more eager to restore us to Himself than He is to dish out punishment on us.
Certainly Gomer in the story of Hosea can appreciate and understand the coming back to God's love. It means your coming back to a God who is far more interested in forgiving you than He is in punishing you. Now go back with me to Hosea, chapter 2, verses 13 and 14, two of the best verses in this whole book. "'I will punish her for the days she burned incense to the Baals; she decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers, but she forgot Me,' declares the Lord.'" 'Therefore, I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her.'"
I'm never short of amazement the more I learn about God. I mean, He's talking about Israel here in the person of Gomer. And He says to Hosea, "My people Israel have forsaken Me, they've forgotten all about Me, they've gone after the Baals. I'm going to lead My people Israel into the desert." And, you know, if I were a good prophet in those days, I'd say, "Yeah God, good this is great. Yeah, really zap them good when they're in the desert."
And then He says something like; "I'm going to allure her in the desert." This is love talk, friends, this is not hate talk. God is going to speak tenderly to her. And I, the righteous person that I am, say, "No, no don't do that God, give it to them, they really deserve it."
God says, "Shut up and listen to Me."
Well, maybe, He didn't say that; but He came close. He said, "Pay attention because this is the kind of God I am." I want to learn something about God from the Book of Hosea. And I find out that here is a God who is far more eager to restore me than He is to punish me. And I also find out that this is a God who shows His tender side, even in His judgment. I mean God is so loving, so tender, so caring that even when He's dishing out judgment to these people, you see something about the tender side of God. Come see the many sides of God.
The tender side just constantly shows through. Listen to the tenderness in the Father's words as He pleads, "Come now, let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall become as white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18). Feel the tenderness in Jesus' words when He says, "Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). This is a God who is just and righteous and perfect and never makes a mistake.
And we're just the opposite of that. And yet His tenderness shines through. God is holy and He must judge sin. But give Him the opportunity, my friend, and He will show you His tender side because He's just that kind of God. I want to learn something about God from this book. And I know that He's more eager to restore me than He is to punish me. And I know that even in His judgment, He's going to show me His tender side.
But in the same chapter, chapter 2 of Hosea, look at 21 and 22 and 23, the last 3 verses of the chapter. Hosea, "In that day I will respond," declares the Lord---"I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth; and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and oil, and they will respond to Jezreel. I will plant her for Myself in the land; I will show My love to the one I called 'Not My loved one.' I will say to those called "not My people,' 'You are My people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.'"
I want to tell you, friends, as a Gentile, I'm glad these verses are in the Bible. See, what I learn about God's love is that God's love is not ethnically restricted. Sure, He chose the Jewish people. He also told them why He chose them, not because they were brighter or smarter or more abundant. He chose them because of His grace. But then the day came, my friends; and Paul assured the Ephesian believers that even though they were Gentiles, even though they were not the chosen nation of God, God loved them too.
God's love is not ethnically restricted. God doesn't love just one race and not other races, God doesn't love one kind of people and not other kinds of people. God doesn't love one country and not other countries. God doesn't love one gender and not other genders.
Paul said to the people of Ephesus, "Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ."
See, the great equalizing force, the great leveling force in the universe, friends, is the blood of Jesus Christ and the love of God. God loves us in such a way, and what I learn about God from this passage is that He could love Hosea; He could also love Gomer and He can love you and He can love me.
Perhaps the greatest verse in all the Bible, John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever in this world believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." You know, those who experience God's love are from every nation, every tribe, every tongue, every kindred. In fact, Revelation, chapter 5, verse 9 says, "And they sang a new song: 'You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.'"
Now, it's been my great joy to speak and preach God's Word in more than 70 countries in this world. I enjoy meeting people from every tribe, every nation, every ethnic background. You know what I've learned? God loves the Muslim of Saudi Arabia as much as He loves me. God loves the fire-walker in Sri Lanka as much as He loves me. Linda and I have watched these people walk on hot coals without getting burned. And it's a religious thing, and God loves them in their religion. He doesn't love their religion. But He loves them as much as He loves me.
God loves the Hindu in India as much as He loves me. He loves the Jew in Tel Aviv, He loves the Buddhist in Nepal, He loves the atheist in Germany, He loves the New Ager in California, God loves people. And He's not ethnically restricted in His love.
And I learned that when Gomer was out in her sin, it would've been very easy for God to tell Hosea, "Get rid of her, I'll give you a new wife." But instead God said, "Hang in there Hosea, I want you to love her and love her and lover her and never let her get away from your love. Sure, she's not going to love you back. She's not going to be faithful to you back, but because she is not faithful to you doesn't mean that you shouldn't be faithful to her." Because if it does mean that then every time you and I are unfaithful to God, He has the right to be unfaithful to us.
And God's love is not ethnically restricted.
In fact, what I learn about God's love is that God's love is never exhausted. Look at chapter 14, verse 4, one of my favorite verses in this whole book, chapter 14, verse 4, "I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for My anger has turned away from them." "I will love them freely." Paul picks up on this theme in Romans, chapter 4 and chapter 5. He uses the word 'dorean' in Greek. "I will love them freely." That means no strings attached, prior conditions not having been met.
What do I have to do to receive God's love? I have to breathe because God loves me. And God's love is not restricted. And God's love is never exhausted. That great Frederick M. Lehman hymn, I am just taken aback every time I hear this hymn,
The love of God is greater far
than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star
and reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair bowed down with care,
God gave his Son to win.
His erring child he reconciled and
pardoned from his sin.
God is more apt to want to forgive us than He is to punish us.
Could we with ink the ocean fill
and were the skies of parchment made;
were every stalk on earth a quill,
and every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
though stretched from sky to sky.
Oh love of God, how rich and pure,
how measureless and strong.
It shall forevermore endure
the saints and angel's song.
You cannot exhaust God's love. You don't have a son or daughter that's gotten so far away from the Lord God that He can't love them. You don't have a church that's gone so haywire from in-fighting that God can't love the people in that church. And you, my friend, have not hidden sin so long that if you confess that sin, if you repent of that sin, you've not hidden sin so long that God will not be there to express His love.
The love of God is absolutely inexhaustible.
Paul came to grips with this, at least he tried to. In Romans, chapter 8, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" (Romans 8:35). I mean it's almost like grasping at straws here. Now, give me an idea of what might separate me from the love of Christ. "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth," just in case I've forgotten something, "nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
See, the great thing about God's love is not that God loved Gomer while Gomer was living out in sin. The great thing about God's love is, God loves me. I'm appreciative of the fact that He loved Gomer. I'm appreciative of the fact that He loved Israel while Israel was sinning against the Lord God.
But the most amazing thing to me about God's love is that He loves me and His love is inexhaustible to me, as it is inexhaustible to you.
God would much rather love you than punish you. That's why God is so interested in our coming to grips with our sin. Because when we come to grips with our sin, we know that sin brings judgment. And when we come to grips with that sin we can avoid that judgment by repenting of that sin because repentance brings salvation. And underneath it all is the love of God calling us to come home to Him.
Next week - Part 12: Life's Lessons About Sin Learned From Hosea - Number 3 of 3 (Final lesson)
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August 14, 2002
Coming Home To God's Love
A study in the book of Hosea by Woodrow Kroll
Part 12: Life Lessons About Sin Learned From Hosea - Continued (Number 3 of 3)
We've been thinking about what we can learn from the story of Hosea. It's a great book, fourteen chapters. It's a personal story, a story of a husband who is going to take a wife, Hosea to take the wife, Gomer.
God warned Hosea that Gomer was going to become an adulterous wife. He said, "I want you to marry her anyway. You will have children with her and these children will be a constant reminder of Israel's bad past and glorious future." Now, if I was this man Hosea, I'm not sure I could have done this. I don't know if I could obey God the way Hosea obeyed God. As much as I appreciate you, folks, I'm not sure you could have done this either. Hosea must have been a pretty special guy.
I want us to learn some lessons about life from Hosea. We've learned some lessons about sin; we've learned some lessons about God. Now let's learn some lessons about life and look at Hosea himself as a person. I want you to think with me about what this book teaches us about life.
The first thing I notice is here in chapter 1, all the way back in the beginning of the book. "The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri, during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel." When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord.' So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son" (Hosea 1:1-3).
Now, notice all the questions Hosea asked before he obeyed. Notice all the arguments he preferred, to a Holy God; inviting him to take a woman who is going to become an adulterous wife. Notice all the alternative plans he suggested to God before he obeyed.
Oh! Don't waste your time because none of those things are there. What I learn about life is that life obeys God when life is rich. Real obedience, my friend, does not pander after explanations. You and I live in a part of the world, in a society that will do just about anything as long as people explain it to us. God says, "I want you to do it without explanation."
Think with me�God came to Abraham in the Chaldees and then He came to him in Haran. He said, "Abraham, I want you to leave your family behind and I want you to come with Me. And we're going to go to a wonderful land. I'm going to give it to you and your descendants." And Abraham said, "Fine God, tell me where it is before we go. Tell me how far away it is. Give me a little! Take a digital camera and take some pictures and bring them back to me so I can see what this land looks like. And God, I'd like to sign an order that if I don't like this land, that You'll return me to this land, because it's pretty good where I'm at now." That's sometimes how it is today when people serve the Lord.
A young couple is raising support to go to Nepal, and they say to the mission agency, "We'd like to come with your mission. Can you tell us about the retirement plan? Do you get a 401K with this mission agency? Most importantly, if we go and don't like it, how soon can we come back?" What a bunch of babies we are anymore.
See, real obedience does not pander after explanations. This man Hosea never questioned why God would tell him to do such a stupid thing. He couldn't understand. He thought this had to be dumb, certainly not the holy thing to do, and yet he did exactly what Abraham did.
He trusted God's character, even when he did not understand God's directives. I read a story of Corrie ten Boom. You know Corrie ten Boom, a wonderful Christian woman. When Corrie was older, in fact she was eighty at the time, she felt this impression from God to go spend some time ministering to two nurses that she knew. And she went to their building. She told this in one of her books, she said, "I felt God telling me to go up to the tenth floor where they lived and to simply minister to these two nurses."
Now the problem is, Corrie is eighty years old and she has a bad heart. And there is no elevator in the building and it's ten floors up. She said, "I got up to the first floor and I just sat there a while and puffed. I got up to the second floor and I leaned against the wall. And I made it to the third floor." And after much time, she finally made it to the tenth floor, huffing and puffing all the way.
She went and knocked at the door. The two nurses were home but what she didn't know was that the nurses' parents, their unsaved parents, were there visiting. She told this delightful story in one of her books. She said, "I had the great joy of leading their mothers and fathers to the Lord." Imagine what she would have missed if she had asked God for some explanation for her obedience.
Real obedience does not pander after explanations. Hosea chapter 6 verse 6 says, "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." See, what God wants from us is not our stuff. God doesn't want our money. God doesn't want our time or our intellect. God wants us, He wants us to simply say, "Here I am God. You do with me whatever You wish to do with me."
Now if I were Hosea, and God came to me and said, "Hosea, are you willing to follow Me?"
I would say, "Yes Lord, I'm willing to follow."
"Are you willing to do whatever I ask you to do?"
And I would say, "Yes, Lord, I'm willing to do whatever You ask me to do."
"Are you willing to take a wife that you know is going to become an adulterous wife and not love you?"
"Would You say that again, God? Would You give me a list of the best reasons why You have to ask something like that of me?"
What I learn from Hosea is Hosea doesn't bat an eye, he simply obeys. Obedience is better than sacrifice. God is not looking for what you can give Him. God's looking for your obedience. Now I learn that, from the Book of Hosea, these lessons about life. I learn that God is interested in my obedience. I also learn that God tells me that righteous living is its own reward. Remember the other day when I was saying that judgment and sin bring about their own consequences, that all God has to do in order to punish us for sin, all He has to do to correct us for sin is let sin take its natural course? Sin is its own punishment.
The flip side of that is that righteous living is its own reward. You don't have to have a pat on the back for living righteously. You don't even need heavenly rewards to live righteously. For living righteously is its own reward. Let me show you what I mean. Chapter 10 of Hosea, in verses 1 and 2, "Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones. Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones."
Now, these verses tell us how bad it is when we simply sin against God, and God allows the natural consequences of our sin to happen. Go now to chapter 14 verse 9, the end of the book, the last line, the summary page, the epilog: "Who is wise? He will realize these things." See, we're talking about lessons we can learn. This verse is perfectly suited for us.
"Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them." Now it doesn't say, "Walk in the ways of the Lord and you will never become ill." He doesn't say, "Walk in the ways of the Lord and your cancer will be gone tomorrow." He doesn't say, "Walk in the ways of the Lord and you will become wealthy." In fact he doesn't say most of what you hear on TV.
What He says is, "Walk in the ways of the Lord because they are right." You do it because it's right, not because it's rewarding. Righteous living is its own reward. Let's look at a sampling of the verses that I picked up out of the Psalms about righteous living. The promises of God for righteous living are your promises. Listen to this, Psalm 34 verse 15, "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are (open and) attentive to their cry." You want your prayers to get through to God, live a righteous life. It's its own reward.
Psalm 37 verse 39, "The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; He is their stronghold in a time of trouble." Psalm 55 verse 22, "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall." That's God's promise to you! Psalm 37 verse 25, "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread." Now it doesn't say, "His children will have all the bread they need." He does say however that, "the righteous will be never be forsaken by God."
Psalm 112 verses 6 and 7, "Surely he will not be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will not have fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord."
Listen, I don't know what bad news awaits you when you get home. I don't know what bad news awaits me when I get home. Quite frankly, I'm willing to wait until I get home to find out. I don't know what bad news awaits us, but I do know this: If you and I live a righteous life, there isn't any bad news that the Lord and I can't handle together. Righteous living is its own reward. This man Hosea lived righteously when his wife did not, and God said, "It's OK, Hosea. It's OK."
You're probably not familiar with the name Max Dukes. Max Dukes lived in New York City. Max was not a Christian. He refused to take his children to church. He refused to send them to church. He was not the kind of person who was godly. Max Duke had 1,026 descendents. Of his 1,026 descendents, someone kept record of what this family did. Three hundred of these descendents went to prison. The average stay in prison for his 300 descendents was 13 years. One hundred and ninety of his descendents were prostitutes. Six hundred and eighty were admitted alcoholics. His family cost the state of New York, where they lived, an excess of $420,000 just to incarcerate them and put them in rehab programs. Max Dukes lived in New York City and lived an unrighteous life.
Jonathan Edwards lived about the same time as Max Dukes. He loved the Lord. He went to church; he made sure his kids went to church as well. Somebody has tracked the descendents of Jonathan Edwards as well. He had 929 descendents. Of that 929, 420 of them became ministers of the Gospel, 86 of them became university professors, 13 of them became university presidents, 75 of them authored books, 7 of them were elected to the U.S. Congress, 1 of them was vice president of the United States, and to date his family has cost us nothing.
Righteous living is its own reward. Hosea lived righteously even when his wife did not. At the end God said to him, "I want you to continue to love that wife and I will bring her back to you." There's one last lesson I think we need to learn. It's right here in the last verse of the Book of Hosea. It's the lesson that there are two ways in life, and one of them is wrong:
"Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them" (Hosea 14:9).
See, here's a husband and a wife. Hosea is living God's way; Gomer is living the world's way. Hosea loves Gomer; Gomer does not love Hosea. God loves Israel. God is living the righteous way; Israel is living the unrighteous way. God loves Israel, but Israel does not love God. They have forgotten God. And if it's the 1st Psalm or anywhere else in Scripture...
Proverbs chapter 12 verse 15, "The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice." See if it's that verse or if it's the advice that the Lord Jesus is the only Savior this world will ever have. If it's the advice of the Lord Jesus, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few will find it" (Matthew 7: 13-14).
Whether it's the advice of God in the Old Testament or the advice of God the Son, Jesus, in the New Testament, we have to understand, folks, that one of the great lessons to come out of the Book of Hosea is that there are two ways to operate your life. And one of them is wrong. And in a world that seems to migrate to the Gomer side of life, and claim it's none of our business how they live their lives,I want to remind you, God's Word says there are two ways to live your life. One of them is wrong, and one of them is right.
Proverbs chapter 14 verse 12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the ways of death." Gomer was headed for death when she was brought back out of that marketplace of sin in Hosea 3. She was loved back to her relationship with Hosea in that chapter. The world is headed for death. There are two ways to live life: One of them is right and one of them is wrong. And, my friends, you have to decide which of the two you will choose.
Now the choice is yours, but I want to remind you, it's not right for you. It's either right or wrong. God doesn't say, "You can live however you want that will be right with you." That's a post-modern world thinking, but it's not God's Word's thinking. God's Word says, "There's a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
I remember when I was in college. There was a very popular song, back in college and seminary and graduate school days. A very popular song sung by a very popular singer, but I'm not going to identify the singer. But he had blue eyes. The song said, "I did it my way." What a fool! Because the Bible says "There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is death."
You can live your life in a Gomer mode, or live your life in Hosea mode. One of these will lead to life and the other will lead to death. Things haven't changed from the eighth century B.C. to the twenty-first century A.D. There is still a lesson to be learned from life, and about life, from the Book of Hosea. The lesson is that there are two ways to live life, and one of them is wrong.
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Copyright �1996-2002 The Good News Broadcasting Association, Inc.
All rights reserved.
August 21, 2002
Unborrowed Worship
What does it mean to be a worshipper?
There are probably ten ways to answer that, but one of the best ways in a daily life situation is that you are always looking for the things that magnify and glorify God. You look at somebody's hair and you contemplate the fact that a strand of hair is a string of proteins, and by some bizarre process, the hair on their head can grow a long way, but fortunately the hair on their arm doesn't. How does that work exactly? How does that dead protein string know that it's in your arm instead of in your head? How does it know how long it is, since it's dead? How does it know when to stop growing? If you pull that strand of hair out, it will grow back to about the same length. How does it know when to stop, when it is dead anyway?
So, the nature of looking at the simplest things is part of being a worshipper. Considering a strand of hair might seem like an exaggeration, but it's not something that escapes my notice - because I want to be a worshipper. I didn't just make that up right then. I have thought about that before, and I've marveled at God at that exact seemingly foolish point. A worshipper is someone that notices how ingenious, creative, unbelievably loving, kind, and astoundingly brilliant God is and then continues on the process to tell Him so - to tell Him how we feel about Him. That's a worshipper. You've got to notice, and you've got to get outside of yourself to tell Him so. If you don't notice, then the most you could ever be is religious. You would never be a worshipper. You've got to notice you've got to look around.
Worshippers Always Notice
Worshippers always notice. They notice the most minute detail of a clod of dirt or of a piece of technology or of a woven carpet. They notice all the analogies like Jesus did with the parables.
Jesus obviously was the ultimate worshipper. Jesus wasn't full of analogies and parables simply because He was a good storyteller, and that was His gift. Jesus was a worshipper because He could just see that a farmer was so much like His Father, and a seed was so much like the Word of God. He could see it in His heart. He just noticed stuff. He noticed the analogies and the pictures and the stories that were all around Him, and then He spoke freely of those things to His Father and to others around Him. He was discerning. He was very particular in noticing the details around Him. He was one, as the analogy goes, "that stopped to smell the flowers." He could distinguish between a tulip aroma and the aroma of a daffodil, not because He wanted to be an expert in flowers, but because He marveled at His Father's creativity. He noticed everything and could worship. And thus out of that overflow came parable after parable of everything that He saw around Him, everything that He marveled at. It was easy for Him to communicate Truth in pictures and analogies because He was a worshipper.
Have the Eyes of a Worshipper
"Who can ascend God's holy hill?" Without clean hands and a pure heart, we are not going to notice very much because we are too self-consumed to have any energy left to care about the details of life - the details of the things around us. If we're so consumed with work or our appearance or food - if our god is our belly instead of Yahweh - then we're always going to miss the important things. And we won't be worshippers - at least not of God.
The verse, "Offer your body as a living sacrifice, which is your spiritual worship," is very related to being a worshipper. If you don't deal with your sin, if you don't have clean hands and a pure heart, if you don't lay yourself out and expose yourself before God and man expecting nothing in return, you're not in a position to have the eyesight to see anything else. You'll be a worshipper if you empty yourself and make yourself nothing. There is nothing left but God when you make yourself nothing. But if you are busy catering to your own flesh rather than offering your body as a living sacrifice, you have blinded eyes. You have scales over your eyes. You won't be a worshipper because you won't notice anything that doesn't revolve around you. Everything is about what has to do with me - my comfort, my opinions, and my desires. Everything is about me unless I offer myself as a living sacrifice - in which case I can begin to notice the small things. And then worship is a very natural process, if you have any eyesight at all.
Project Yourself Into Other Situations
Being aware, discerning, and attentive are not only necessities for being a worshipper, but they will also help you find answers to the question: "What things can help set me free to grow the fastest?" As you look around yourself and see what other people are doing to serve God, ask yourself, "How would I do with that?" Being aware and attentive is essential for your spiritual growth.
Although I don't wash a lot of dishes at home, I do ask myself the question, "Why don't I wash dishes a lot? Is it okay that I don't wash a lot of dishes? Would I be intruding on something that someone else genuinely wants to serve God in?" If that were the case, it might be selfish of me to run around doing everything all the time. Or I could ask myself that question and realize, "This person seems to genuinely enjoy doing the dishes. If I'm being honest, I don't think I'd really like it much at all. I would probably be a little impatient about it. Why? What about washing dishes would I not like? How am I going to deal with this? What are the roots of it all? And what does it mean?" If I see somebody that's especially good at something or committed to something - I watch. I try to see what they find joy in, what things they find challenging, and how they face those challenges. By projecting myself into that situation, I try to learn something.
A Practical Illustration
I am sitting here doing a lot of the talking. If I were you all, I'd be saying, "What if I were in some other city and somehow I found myself in a situation where I needed to be responsible with people. What would I do? Would I sit there and 'veg' out, or would I be willing to be responsible? Maybe I would never have to, but would I be willing? What would I feel? What would I be tempted with? Would I be tempted with pride? Would I be tempted with fear? What things would be difficult or challenging for me if I were in this seat instead of that seat?"
So, not only does being a worshipper require that you be very attentive to the details around you, but spiritual growth also requires you to be aware to the pictures of life through people, situations, flowers on the road, and clouds in the sky. Spiritual growth - growing in grace, growing in the knowledge of Jesus, growing in Gifts, and growing in Life - requires being attentive to those situations and projecting yourself into situations that you wouldn't necessarily feel comfortable in and maybe you would never picture yourself in in a million years. Well, put yourself in that situation anyway and ask yourself how you would do, because in some form or another, "You all ought to be teachers by now." That is what the scriptures say. If you are so ultra dependent that you can't even write a letter to your mother with any great depth, fullness, vision, sense of conviction, and passion unless someone cuts and pastes it all together for you, then there is something wrong. "You all ought to be teachers by now." I'm not saying that you shouldn't work together to serve God or that you shouldn't be involved in equipping for works of service - those are all biblical ideas. But on the other hand, what if you were in a concentration camp or the IRS singled you out and framed you, and you ended up in prison? What are you going to do? Who are you going to be? Are you going to be a couch potato in prison, or are you going to rise up and take responsibility?
Have His Vision for Your Life
If you don't project yourself now into situations that are beyond your comfort zone, stretching your heart and mind into situations that you maybe don't like and can't ever picture yourself in because you're demeaning of the Christ in you, the Hope of Glory, then you will underestimate what being "clothed with power from on high" might allow you to be and do. If you don't have vision for it all now, you're probably going to waste a lot of time when the opportunities do come. You'll miss them because you are viewing yourself wrong; you're viewing Him wrong.
So, be attentive to the flowers, clouds, wind, and trees, as well as to all the demonstrations of God's wisdom in technology and polymers and Boise Einstein Condence and all the millions of ways that God shows us His qualities, but also understand that who you are and who God wants you to grow up to be, as you grow from a child to a father to a young man, requires that you be attentive and project yourself into other situations and say, "If I were sitting in that seat instead of this one, what would I be tempted with? What would hold me back from being all that God wants me to be?" I'm not saying be ambitious, but I am saying to make sure you are prepared to be anybody God wants you to be. Don't view yourself in some miniscule, trivial sort of way. That isn't Jesus, and if He lives inside of you, He's anything but trivial.
If we're really going to be worshippers, it's not about a songbook or the latest chorus on a Maranatha tape. It's about letting our hearts and our minds be stretched. It's about noticing our Father and complimenting Him from the heart on all of His glorious, wondrous works, His character, His Love and everything around us that is in Him...the hard things, the fun things, the easy things, the beautiful things. Complimenting Him from the heart - that's worship!
Attentiveness is NOT Introspective
There is nothing about being attentive that is at all introspective. Being attentive is not about thinking about yourself, but rather taking the time to smell the flowers, watch the clouds, watch the trees sway, and watch how the leaves change color from white to green, white to green as the wind blows. Watch. Care. Be plugged into the miracle of God. Zoom in with your heart and mind to the nature of photosynthesis. Ask yourself, "Why does that leaf turn upside down when it's about to rain? What is the purpose of that?" Marvel at God. There is nothing introspective about that. And when I'm projecting myself into my responsibilities of serving God rather than disappearing into my own little world of sitting in the pew of my mind and letting everybody else do things, I'm saying, "God, I am willing and open. Help me see what the price would have to be. Show me what sins there are in my life that keep me from being prepared for everything that you might want me to be." That is a matter of vision, not a matter of introspection. That's a matter of saying, "God, I can be anybody You want me to be, and I'm very willing to be who you want me to be. Show me the sins, fears, and ambitions that get in the way of that. Show me the stuff that has gotten in the way in the past and could get in the way in the future of me becoming all you want me to be. I want to get rid of that junk. Give me a vision. Let me project myself into these other situations and ask myself, 'Could I do that? Could I be that? And if not, why not?' Show me the path towards being free from my sins." That's a vision issue and doesn't have anything to do with introspection. That's being discerning and attentive to all that could be, instead of slumping into my own little world and letting the rest of the world happen around me and just expect that that's the way it's supposed to be. We become unprepared for the future by living that way. We stay children forever if we never expect to be a father.
The little five-year-old girls who are playing with their dollies show us there is some innate sense about learning how to be a mother. If they knock the baby out of the highchair we say, "You hurt the baby. Bad idea. You are never going to be a good mother if you are knocking your baby out of a highchair. When did I ever knock you out of your highchair?" :o) There is something about projecting ourselves on into the vision of the next level of who perhaps we could be in our service to God that inspires us and challenges us to get out of the pew of our brain. There are a lot of pews. Just because you are in a living room right now doesn't mean you're not also in a pew right now. Those are choices. Without vision the people perish.
Take the Time to Look Around and Speak to Father
So, I'm saying be attentive enough to have a vision of what could be, instead of being stuck in the pew of your mind of who you think you are and who you think you could be at best. Go past that. Project yourself into a world that is way beyond you. It is introspection that destroys what I'm talking about because you are so self-consumed that you can't get outside of yourself to be a worshipper or to be a visionary of what God could want you to be when you grow up. You can't see what a father is because you are too busy being a baby, thinking about yourself all day. It's introspection that is the enemy of what I am talking about. It is a state of introspection that keeps you from ever daring to have a vision of who God wants you to be.
So, get rid of the introspection, and you'll be much more able to be aware of what's around you. If you're thinking about yourself, you'll never be a worshipper. As Keith Green's song says, "There's a lot more I can see if my eyes aren't on me." I'm saying, "Look around." You'll never be a father instead of a baby if you don't look around, if you're not discerning, if you're not aware, and if you're not attentive. You'll never be more than a baby. You'll never be a worshipper. You'll never be mature. And you'll never be a father or a young man (as the apostle John said) if you don't take the time to look around. Take the time to speak to the Father.
The Father seeks worshippers. Offer your bodies as living sacrifices...this is your spiritual worship. Be attentive to the flowers, birds, and the clouds, as well as to the trees blowing and the leaves changing color, but also know that God wants your LIFE. Let your worship change your LIFE. THAT'S your spiritual worship.
Written by Mike Peters
August 28, 2002
God's Cure For Depression
By Dr. J. Allen Blair
Do you ever get depressed? Do you ever feel that life is useless and hopeless? If you do, and, if you are a child of God having received Christ into your life, Paul, the apostle, has some good news for you. Consider carefully three verses from Philippians, which the Holy Spirit directed him to write: "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted (Jesus Christ), and given Him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11).
The theme of these three verses is found in verse 11: "Jesus Christ is Lord." In times of depression, this is a truth that seems to be most quickly and easily forgotten. But, at all times, we must keep in mind that there isn't any time when Jesus does not possess all authority and power. He is always Lord of all.
Christ did not assume this position. It was bestowed upon Him by His Father. We are told that God, the Father "highly exalted Him." Christ's name is above every name, and His authority is above every other authority.
It is for this reason that we have nothing to fear. It matters not what may befall us; we are in Christ and He is above all. If He were a weakling and possessed only human strength, we would have reason to be fearful and depressed. But ours is the all-conquering Christ. There are no circumstances too difficult for Him to handle. There is no individual that He cannot manage. Jesus Christ is Lord. God, the Father, has "highly exalted Him"! His throne is upon a rock that shall never sink. Regardless of what people say of Him or us, He holds the upper hand.
Because you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord, you have an unbroken relationship with Him. He is not a Lord, but YOUR Lord. He is yours and you are His. This is why you need never fear what might happen to you. You are one with Christ and this relationship is insoluble. Because He is your Lord, He understands your situation thoroughly. Knowing everything, nothing is ever new to Him. He is aware of the temptations that plague you. He "was in all points tempted like as we are" (Hebrews 4:15). He differed from us, however, in that He never yielded to temptation. Why? Because He is Lord. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He has been exalted, and so have you because you are in Him. You are one with Him. You have a position that no one can ever take from you. As of this moment, you have not come into the fullness of your glory. The crown is not on your head, but it will be one of these days. You have the pledge and promise of God's Word.
Above all, you need to realize your position and possessions in Christ. You may not be feeling well now, but the best is yet to come. You can count on the Lord Jesus to keep His Word. People change, but He never does. He is "the same yesterday, and today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). Do not be tempted to grieve over your circumstances. Rather, consider your resources! "For all things are yours," in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:21).
Possibly you are saying, "You don't know what I have been through." You are correct. But regardless of what you have been through, it was not as bad as what Christ when through to provide deliverance and peace for you.
Maybe you've been falsely accused. What about your Lord? He was accused of being "a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners" (Luke 7:34). He who was selfless and always sought to help others was accused of having a devil and being mad. For His deeds of mercy, He should have been honored and respected, but what happened to Him? He was tortured, spat upon, beaten, and crucified. But did this in any way deprave Him? No, God exalted Him and gave Him a name which is above every name.
You may be sure that "the servant is not greater than his Lord" (John 13:16). As Christ was maltreated, His followers may expect the same. But keep in mind, the same exaltation He enjoyed is ours because we are one with Him.
Christ won the battle over sin and provided salvation and deliverance for everyone. As the result of this victory, there is never a time when He does not win any battle of life. The road may be uncertain and difficult at times, but the glory is at the end because Jesus Christ is Lord.
The lesson we need to learn is that the way up is down. Often, it is down through the valley of uncertainty and suffering. The trial you are experiencing at this moment is not the first of its kind. All of us have been through it in one form or another. But most important of all, our Lord has been through it, and He understands.
Would you be exalted in Him? Would you have victory and blessing? Remember, the way up is down. Humble yourself in God's sight. Lay aside your desires and plans and let Christ be Lord of all in your life. Doubtless, the reason that you are so miserable in heart and mind is because of your lack of surrender to the control of Jesus Christ. Your plans have been disrupted; thus you are distressed. But keep in mind, His plans are being fulfilled. And, after all, there is nothing more important for you than God's plans.
How necessary it is that you come to the place that Paul experienced saying, "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
Why not at this moment bow before the Lord Jesus and say, "Dear Jesus, I want You to be the Lord of my life. Deliver me from my own will and selfish desires. Cleanse me from prejudice and hate as I allow Jesus to reign in my life."
When one commits to Christ completely, suffering from cancer does not matter; limited finances are not disturbing; an uncertain future does not perplex us; being misunderstood does not provoke us. We know that Christ is Lord and since He is Lord, that's all that matters.
Maybe you thought Christ was your Lord, but the fact of your present condition suggests that possibly you may have not definitely invited Him to enter your life. My advice to you is in the word of the Psalmist, "Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him" (Psalm 2:12). Christ is waiting to become your Lord. He will not force you to receive Him; He gently offers Himself to you. If you never have, will you bow your head now and say, "Lord Jesus, I want to be saved. I am sorry for my sins and at this moment I claim you as my sin-bearer and Lord."
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