Can caring for ourselves be a way of caring for others?

Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
Mark 12:29-31

Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment.  His answer reveals a number of incredibly important lessons.  Here are just a four of them:

First, the two commandments Jesus cited are summaries of the entire 10 Commandments.  The greatest commandment is “love God,” which is a summary of the first four of the 10 Commandments.  The second greatest commandment is “love our neighbors,” which is a summary of the last 6 of the 10 Commandments.  Those who dismiss the 10 Commandments as irrelevant are dismissing the two greatest commandments.

Second, which of us is not guilty of breaking both of these greatest commandments?  Fact Check: We are all guilty of breaking both—and all 10!  This is why we need a Savior!

Third, a false teaching that some still affirm as true is that we must love ourselves before we can love our neighbors.  That is not only not what Jesus said, since He gave two, not three commandments; it is at odds with the general teaching of scripture.  The fact is, all of us already love ourselves and we are continually instructed in the importance of humility, which is contrary to the notion of loving ourselves—especially before loving our neighbors.

Fourth, having said that, Albert Mohler recently said that in these days of the Corona Virus, if we are loving our neighbors we must be careful not to get sick—not merely for the sake of our own health, but for the sake of (a) being able to lovingly care for others, and (b) for the sake of not unnecessarily needing others to care for us.

That is not saying that we should view those who need our care as a burden.  It is a reminder that optimally, loving others means giving care, and not receiving care unless we legitimately need it.

Why to take off your grave clothes!

And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."
John 11:44

Lazarus was dead.  Completely.  With no hope of walking out of his grave.

But Jesus spoke the word and Lazarus was raised from the dead.

When Lazarus came out of the grave he was still bound hand and foot with the clothing of a dead man.

But Jesus commanded that he be “loosed,” meaning that no longer dead but alive, Lazarus needed to remove the clothing of death so that he would go forth as one who is alive.

Two simple lessons:

First, Lazarus did nothing to raise himself from the dead.  Why?  Because he was dead and dead people do not, nor can they cause themselves to be alive.  Likewise, salvation is God’s work in and for us.  It is not our work.  At all.  And His work of raising the spiritually dead [saving those who are dead in sin] happens by His “word.”

Second, though Lazarus was no longer dead, but fully alive, being clothed in the apparel of the deceased, he was still displaying the marks of the dead.

The Lord didn’t want this man He had raised from the dead to go about clothed with death.  Just as Jesus commanded that the clothing of death be removed from Lazarus so he could go forth as a fully alive men, the Lord does not want those He has saved to continue walking like those who are still spiritually dead.  Salvation is more than release from the grave.  It is liberation into life.  May we who were dead, but are now alive in Christ, no longer be clothed in the rags of the dead.  Let us instead, shed the vestiges of spiritual death and live in the light of newness of life in Christ.

For those who think of themselves

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Luke 14:11

Humility is a certain mark of Christian character and virtue.  But do we know what humility really is?

Humility is not thinking lower of oneself, but simply not thinking of oneself.  Or as C.S. Lewis is purported to have said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.”

True humility is thinking truthfully of oneself.  It doesn’t mean that if you are good at something, you insist that you are no good at it.  Rather, it is doing what you do to the very best of your ability and not thinking or talking about how well you do this or that.  If you are to be complimented, let someone else do it.  And rather than responding that you didn’t do a good job, a simple, “thank you,” or “you are very kind,” is sufficient.

Since humility is about being truthful, let us never forget that ultimately how we measure up to Christ’s standard is most important.  So, without going on and on about how bad you are, go on and on about how great the Lord is—without unnecessary comment on yourself.  After all, we know that many speak of how bad they are as a means of fishing for compliments from those who would happily tell us either that we are not that bad, or even how good we are.

Let us learn also how to pay a person a compliment without crossing the line into flattery, which stokes the fires of pride.

In 1 Peter 5:5-6 the Apostle (making reference to Proverbs 3:34), wrote:  “…be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”

Everyone is not a child of God

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
John 8:42

A common misunderstanding is that all human beings are children of God, as though being created by God makes one a child of God.  It does not.  Only those who believe or trust in Christ alone for salvation from sin are children of God (John 1:12).*

And according to Jesus in John 8:42, those who are children of God love Jesus.  Conversely, those who do not love Jesus are not children of God.

Let us examine our hearts and lives regarding our love for Jesus.  No one loves Jesus perfectly, but the children of God do love Him pervasively.  Let us grow in our love for Jesus by meditating on His love for us.  As we understand His vast and measureless love for us, how can we not love Him more and more in return?

Let us pray for people we know who profess love for Jesus, yet seem to love the world more than they love Him.  May God either reveal to them that they have not received Christ and need to, or that they too need to grow in their love for Christ.

* Jesus spoke of people being our neighbors or our brothers and sisters.  Neighbors are all people around us who are not our brothers or sisters.  Brothers and sisters are those who, with us, are children of God.

There are no contradictions in the Bible!

He who is not with Me is against Me… Luke 11:23

For he who is not against us is on our side. Mark 9:40

These two sayings by Jesus seem at first glance to be contradictory.  What do we do with such passages?

Since God cannot contradict Himself, His Word cannot contradict itself.

So, where there appears to be a contradiction, since there cannot be any contradictions in God’s Word, we must dig deeper to understand the apparent contradiction.  There are two keys that unlock this apparent contradiction.

The first is discerning what is meant by being for or against.  It is possible for believers to be in agreement or disagreement both in essential matters and in non essential matters.

That being true, we can easily understand that Jesus was saying that if one is not for Him in essentials (e.g., the gospel), one is truly against Him.  Yet we may differ on lesser matters and still be His disciples (e.g., modes of baptism).

The second key is that in Luke 11:23, this issue is being for or against Christ Himself.  Not being for Christ is tantamount to being against Christ. In Mark 9:40 the issue is not being for or against Christ, but being for or against others of Christ’s disciples.  While it is desirable that Christ’s disciples agree as much as possible, we are not always in agreement with one another.  Disagreements between believers doesn’t mean we are on opposing sides concerning Christ.

Why would we follow our hearts!

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.
Proverbs 28:26

One of the most common and popular tidbits of counsel given by so many is “Follow Your Heart” (or any number of derivations of it).  This counsel, that comes from nearly everywhere, is virtually agreed upon universally.  But no matter who says it, how it is said, or in what context, it is bad counsel.  It might even be diabolical.

Why?

Because “the heart is deceitful, above all things and desperately wicked,” says the Word of God (Jeremiah 17:9).

Because those who trust in [and follow] their own hearts are fools says Proverbs 28:26.

Rather than follow our hearts, we need to know God’s heart, as revealed in God’s Word, and follow His, discarding outright anything that percolates up from within our hearts that is not in lockstep with what is in God’s heart!

Now when our hearts are captivated and led by the Holy Spirit per the Holy Scriptures, sure, we can follow our hearts—but the fact is, in that case, we are not following our hearts but God’s.

Please do not follow your heart.  Please do not tell your children to follow their hearts.  Please be discerning enough to know the difference between what is from our hearts and what is from God’s heart.

The good news is that when we walk wisely in Christ [remembering that 1 Corinthians 1:24 clearly states that “Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God”], we will be delivered.  Delivered from what?  From all sorts of error, including the error of “following our hearts.”

The world is never our friend

…Herod was afraid of John [the Baptist], knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him.
Mark 6:20 (NASB)

Before you read another word, take note: I am not saying that John tried to be friends with Herod.  Not only did John not try to make friends with Herod, John rebuked Herod for sin and called him to repent (Mark 6:18).

Nevertheless, Herod “enjoyed listening to John the Baptist” and even afforded the prophet a measure of protection (v.20).  But when Herod feared losing face with the wife he sinfully married, and with his political cronies, Herod folded (v.26).  He ordered John’s execution (v.27).

Let Christians beware!  Friendship with the world only lasts as long as the world “enjoys” us.  When it is unpopular or less than politically expedient, the world will turn on Christians in a heartbeat—regardless of how we may have been favorably treated previously.

When the Church adopts worldly methods, thinking the world will like us, we are fools.  When the Church enjoys the favor and even protection of godless politicians, let us not be complacent, taking that favor for granted.  The instant we no longer serve a politician’s re-election plans, that same politician will sever our heads from our bodies.

The Church, and every individual Christian must live to serve Jesus Christ and to please Him alone.  He is the only one who will never turn on us.

Our marching orders are to preach Christ to the world, not to make friends with the world.

God is our Creator as well as our Savior!

The earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters.
Psalm 24:1-2

As Christians our first thought regarding why we worship God is because He saved us.  Indeed, worship God our Savior, for He is a great Savior, and great is our salvation.

But is it not also true that even before He saved us, He is God, our Creator?  And is it not true that the reason we needed to be saved was because we rebelled against the Creator by breaking His law and sinning against Him?  Indeed.

Besides God Himself, everything else exists because God created everything.  Does that not also call out for worship?

So while taking nothing away from worshiping God our Savior, let us not neglect also to worship God our Creator.

People need to judge Christianity on the merits of the gospel and the person of Christ—not on the merits of Christ’s followers

And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying: ‘We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not weep.’ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’”
Luke 7:31-34

Non-believers, and scoffers in particular, will find reasons to reject the gospel.  Those reasons often make little or no sense, but in the mind of one who does not want to believe, their reasons are “enough, thank you!”  Jesus pointed this out in a way that is as true today as it was then.

The scoffing non-believers in Jesus’ day rejected John the Baptist because he was too austere for them.  Meanwhile, they rejected Jesus because He was not righteous enough for them.  They wanted it both ways and there are people today who do the same thing.

They reject the gospel because “Christians (so they say) are too strict,” or as they say, “too self-righteous.”  Meanwhile they also reject the gospel because, “Christians are a bunch of hypocrites!” because we aren’t sinless.  Both accusations are sometimes true, while at the same time neither is true, and neither has anything to do with rejecting the gospel.

But since people simply refuse to believe, they comfort themselves with the erroneous thought that their unbelief is the fault of Christians.

Two take-aways:

(1) People need to judge Christianity on the merits of the gospel and the person of Christ—not on the merits of Christ’s followers. 

(2) We Christians must live our lives striving to follow Jesus, while encouraging people to judge Jesus—not us.

How can David write of his righteousness?

O my soul, you have said to the LORD, "You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You."
Psalm 16:2

Christians often question how David could speak of his righteousness (e.g., Psalm 7:8).  David is thought to be self-righteous and not understanding either his own sinfulness or the universal sinfulness of all mankind. Three lessons:

First, In some cases, David was pleading “not guilty” to a particular charge that had been made against him.  If I am in court, charged with a crime I did not commit, I will plead “not guilty.  That plea is not a declaration of sinlessness—it’s just “not guilty” of a particular charge.

Second, there are plenty of other Psalms in which David is clear about owning his own sin and guilt before God.  Psalm 51 is a classic example.  So is Psalm 16:2 in which David declares that [His] goodness is nothing apart from [the Lord]”

Third, scripture does teach that those who are saved, born again, “in Christ” are securely wrapped in Christ’s flawless righteousness, and therefore secure.  In Psalm 16:5 David declares that God “is the portion of [David’s] inheritance,” and that God “maintained his lot.”  This is another way of saying that David was not trusting in anything in himself, but solely on the Lord and His righteousness.

"Doubting," or simply "missing"?

The other disciples therefore said to [Thomas], “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
John 20:25
Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20:27-29

“Ninety percent of discipleship is showing up.”  That is what my former pastor told me in 1982.  Each of my 35 years of pastoral ministry convinces me more of the accuracy of that statement.

“Doubting Thomas,” as he is often called, wasn’t with Jesus and the other disciples on the Sunday evening when Jesus rose from the dead.  Those who were there encountered the risen Savior and believed.  They told Thomas about it and he said he would only believe if he could touch Jesus.  On the following Sunday, the disciples were assembled again, and again Jesus appeared.  This time Thomas was present.  He encountered Jesus and he too believed.

Thomas’s problem wasn’t merely that he doubted.  It was that he was missing.

One of the ordinary means of grace God has ordained for our spiritual growth is showing up.  That means that the Christian who really wants to grow spiritually will, at the very minimum, be in church every Sunday unless hindered by health or being out of town.  This does not mean that “going to church makes one a Christian.”  It means that going to church (every Sunday) is where we experience corporate worship, hear God’s Word preached, receive the Lord’s Supper,  pray together, and give and receive encouragement from one another.  Those who are serious about spiritual growth do not want to miss any opportunity to show up to experience those essential factors.

And while we are thinking of it, “every Sunday” is the barest essential.  In addition, we do not want to miss other times when the body meets.  Those include Thursday evening worship, prayer meetings, Home Fellowships, being in a discipleship group, and yes, even work days.

How serious are you about spiritual growth?  How much do you desire to never miss an opportunity to realize that growth?  What changes might you need to make to make that a reality?  Are you willing to make those changes?

"My God isn't like that!"

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
Psalm 5:4-6

These words from Psalm 5 do not fit with many people’s ideas about God—including a great many who call themselves Christians.  There are those who believe all people are basically good.  Why would God say this about Himself if that were true.  Others believe that though we are not perfect, God forgives everybody of everything.  If that were so, why would Jesus have spoken so much about Hell, and why the word picture of an eternal lake of fire in Revelation 20?  Still others think God will take the people who are better than most, or those whose good deeds outweigh their bad deeds to Heaven—and certainly these imagine themselves among the good people.

Yet God’s Word, the Bible, says God hates the wicked and the bloodthirsty.  Most are okay with that.  But what about the boastful (proud)?  And those who lie?  Which of us hasn’t?  Well, God sees all of us in these few verses because elsewhere He says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

There is only One who is good: Jesus, because He is God.  And yet on the cross, “He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Think of that in light of the words of Psalm 5.

While on the cross, as our sins were poured out on Jesus, God took no pleasure in Him.  He was not allowed to dwell with His Father.  God hated Him.  He was destroyed as a liar.  God abhorred Him.

Jesus willingly endure all that for those who trust in Him so that we may be embraced by the Father as only Jesus deserves to be embraced.

Glory!

Who associated with whom? And when?

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him [consented].
Matthew 3:13-15

John’s baptism was not Christian [believers’] baptism as we practice baptism this side of the cross and resurrection.  While believers’ baptism proclaims our association with Christ, John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance.  In that day and in that culture, Gentile converts to Judaism were baptized as a sign of that conversion.  For a Jew to be baptized by John was nothing less than an acknowledgement that the person was no nearer to God than a pagan.  Why then did Jesus request to be baptized by John?  He had no sins for which to repent, and He certainly was not estranged from God.

As believers we get baptized to declare our association with Christ.  Jesus was baptized to declare His association with the sinners He came to save.  His baptism was necessary to fulfill all righteousness, since every sinner He came to save must “repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38).

When we are baptized as believers, we are declaring our faith in Christ and our association with the sinless Savior who condescended to publicly declare His association with the sinful people He came to save.

If you have been baptized as a believer, think of your association with the Savior who stooped to associate with you.

If you are a believer and have not been baptized, please speak with one of the elders.  We can help shepherd you to “fulfill all righteousness” in your baptism.

The boy Jesus and the ordinary means of grace

Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Luke 2:51-52

Sometime after the first Christmas (it may well have been two years later), Joseph took Mary and Jesus away from Bethlehem, to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15) to escape Herod’s maniacal murder of the male children, two years and younger, in the district of Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16-18).  When God instructed Joseph to return to Israel after the danger had passed, they went home to Nazareth (Matthew 2:19-23).  At that point, life returned to “normal.”  What did “normal” look like for Jesus?  And how does that instruct us?

• The boy Jesus, though fully God, subjected Himself to His parents.  That is to be normal.

• The boy Jesus, though He was God, grew and matured.  That is to be normal.

• The boy Jesus, though He was God grew in wisdom.  In His deity, He is always the fountainhead of all wisdom.  But in His humanity, He needed to mature in wisdom.  That is to be normal.

• The boy Jesus, though He was God, grew in stature (that is, physically).  As God, the universe can fit in the palm of His hand, but in His humanity, His body grew and matured.  That is to be normal.

• The boy Jesus, though He was God, grew in favor with God.  Though the second Member of the triune God, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, in His humanity, Jesus had to learn the scriptures, how to pray, and how to live in obedience (Hebrews 5:8).  That is to be normal.

• The boy Jesus, though He was God, grew in favor with man.  As God, what did He not know about social interaction?  But as a human, Jesus grew and matured socially.  That is to be normal.

Oh, the mystery of God become man!

Oh, the necessity for us, like the boy Jesus, to grow and mature!

He's a King like no other

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest…”
Luke 2:13-14

The fourth Advent Candle is the Angel’s Candle.  It reminds us that just as the angels were messengers proclaiming Christ’s birth to the shepherds, we are God's messengers proclaiming the gospel of Christ’s to the world.

Hark The Herald Angels Sing

Hark the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.
Joyful, all ye nations, rise, join the triumph of the skies,
With the angelic host proclaim, "Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
Hark the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King."

Christ, by highest heaven adored: Christ the Everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come, to the earth from heaven's home;
Veiled in flesh the God-head see; hail the incarnate Deity;
Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King."

Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!  Hail, the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth.
Hark the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King."   Amen.

Charles Wesley, who wrote this Christmas hymn, is credited by some with having written over 6,000 of our hymns!  He was inspired to write this carol as he walked to church on Christmas morning in 1793, hearing the ringing of the church bells.  An organist, William Cummings, in 1856, set the words to music that Felix Mendelssohn had composed in 1840. 

This is a familiar song—but look again at the words.  Jesus Christ is King.  He came to reconcile us to God.  He is adored in Heaven and certainly should be adored in our lives.  Without ceasing to be God even for a moment, He laid aside His glory (not His divinity) to come to live as man in order to give us new life.

What a King indeed!

Better than being a bath-robed shepherd in a Christmas pageant, let me be as sensitive to Christ as the Christmas shepherds were...

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

Luke 2:8-9

The third Advent Candle is the Shepherd’s Candle. It reminds us of: (a) the fear the shepherds felt when the angels appeared, (b) the curiosity that urged them to go to Bethlehem to see the newborn Child, (c) the eagerness they sensed to tell others about the Christ-Child, and (d) their worship of God “for all the things that they had heard and seen.”

Take a moment to read the following familiar Christmas carol, thinking about the words.

WHILE SHEPHERDS WATCHED THEIR FLOCKS

While shepherds watched their flocks by night, all seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down, and glory shone around,
And glory shone around.

“Fear not,” said he—for mighty dread had seized their troubled mind—
“Glad tidings of great joy I bring to you and all mankind,
To you and all mankind.”

“To you, in David’s town this day, is born of David’s line, the Savior,
who is Christ, the Lord, and this shall be the sign:
And this shall be the sign.”

“The heavenly Babe you there shall find to human view displayed,
All meanly wrapped in swathing bands, And in a manger laid,
And in a manger laid.”

Thus spoke the seraph, and forthwith appeared a shining throng
Of angels praising God, who thus addressed their joyful song:
Addressed their joyful song:

“All glory be to God on high, and to the earth be peace:
Good will henceforth, from heaven to men, Begin and never cease!
Begin and never cease!”

This is a very old carol. The words were written by Nahum Tate in 1700 (George Handel wrote the tune we sing in 1728). Let us experience similar sensations and actions as did the Christmas Shepherds this Christmas season.

Why no one but Jesus can be the Savior.

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
Micah 5:2

On this second Sunday of Advent, we light the Bethlehem candle.  This not only reminds us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but that God foretold this fact through the prophet Micah somewhere between 680 and 750 years before Jesus was in fact born.  Bethlehem was and is a real place.  The Christmas story is no made-up fairy tale that happened in a mythical location—it’s all true!  And Jesus, who is eternal God, was born as a real baby who grew into a real man. 

Why is this important?  Jesus had to be God to be sinless in order to die in our place for the forgiveness of our sins.  But because God cannot die, He had to be a man—so He could live sinlessly for us, and die and rise vicariously for us.  For whom did Jesus do this?  He did it for those who believe that Jesus is who He said He is (God) and that He did what He did as the only way to be forgiven and accepted by God as righteous.

A favorite Christmas hymn is “O Little Town Of Bethlehem.”

O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie;
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel, Amen.

This carol was written by Phillip Brooks, the pastor of a small church in Boston.  While visiting the Holy Land, Brooks composed a poem while on a hillside overlooking Bethlehem.  On his return home he took the poem to his church organist, Lewis Redner, for the tune.  Redner composed the melody on Christmas Eve, and the song was first sung in that church on Christmas day 1868.

God wasn’t making this up along the way…

“For thus says the LORD of hosts:

Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the LORD of hosts.”

Haggai 2:6-7

On this first Sunday of Advent, we light the Prophecy Candle which reminds us that long before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, God spoke through the Old Testament prophets to foretell of the coming of the Messiah, who would bring forgiveness of sins to His people and establish His kingdom.

The following hymn was written by Charles Wesley in 1744.  Note the line that references Haggai 2:7, which promised that Jesus (the “Desire of All Nations”) shall come.

COME THOU LONG EXPECTED JESUS

Come, Thou long expected Jesus, Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in Thee.

Israel's Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;

Dear Desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver, Born a child and yet a King;

Born to reign in us forever, Now Thy gracious Kingdom bring.

By Thine own eternal Spirit, Rule in all our hearts alone;

By Thine all sufficient merit, Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Note some of the things (there are many others!) the prophets foretold about Jesus, what Jesus accomplished for the people He came to save:  He came to set us free, to give us rest and joy, to deliver, to reign, to rule, to raise us to Himself.

May Christ and His kingdom be the greatest “desire” in our lives.

Three things many do not understand about the book of Job

And so it was, after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. 

Job 42:7

Reading Job is tricky.  Here are three realities about the book you must keep in mind when reading it:

First, the reader knows what neither Job nor his friends knew about God’s conversations with the devil in Chapters 1-2.  We must not assume they knew what we know.

Second, Job’s three friends were mostly wrong.  Why else God’s rebuke in Job 42:7?  They made a few statements that were true, but even then, they came to wrong conclusions about God and about their friend’s suffering.  When speaking about Job’s suffering, they made God out to be a dispenser of karma, insisting that when good things happen, it must mean a person is good and when bad things happen it must be because the person is bad.  Not true.  God is gracious so in this life, even the worst person doesn’t get what he deserves.  And since no one is good but God (Mark 10:18, Romans 3:10-18), any good we receive from God is not earned, but is grace.  Any good we receive from God is not earned, but is by God’s grace.

Third, even a relatively righteous man can be worn down.  As human beings go, Job was a good man, but because of his suffering, and because his friends were miserable comforters, Job finally succumbed and questioned God in a less than proper manner.  Let us not provoke those who suffer with too much counsel.  What they need most is quiet, sympathetic love.

God’s purpose is not to solve the mystery of suffering, but that His people will humble ourselves and glorify Him.

God's boast in us is really about Him

Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?"

Job 2:3

God bragged about His servant Job.  To the devil no less!  And what was the content of His boast regarding Job?  “There is none like him on the earth.”  He is “a blameless and upright man.”  He “fears God and shuns evil."

Could God make that boast about you?  I know He can’t about me.

Actually there is only one person about whom that boast is 100% accurate.  Jesus.  As good as Job was, Jesus is the only human being ever who is sinless.

Here is the good news for all believers.  Because we are “in Christ,” God can and does make this boast of us, not because of who or what we are, but because of who we are “in Christ.”  Get this, child of God, because we are “in Christ,” our Father in Heaven sees us as He sees Jesus.  As the Father can boast in Christ, He can boast in us.

But His boast in us is not for our glory—we have none of our own, the Father’s boast in we who are in Christ is for His Glory.  It is for His glory because He has saved us.  He has not only declared us to be holy (as we are “in Christ”), He is making us holy as He sanctifies us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We have nothing in ourselves in which to boast.  But our Heavenly Father can boast in us because we are in Christ.

Let these truths both thrill us and humble us.