The passage of scripture for today's short thoughts is found in Hebrews 11:26-27. As the author continues to write of Moses' faith, his refusal "to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter", and his choice to "endure ill-treatment with the people of God", he tells us that Moses was "considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen."
Like Moses, we too should consider the "greater riches" that are found in Christ, even "the reproach of Christ", than the treasures of this world, our "Egypt". As we see in this passage, there were the "treasures of Egypt" and there was "the reward". The treasures of "Egypt" include all that is alluring to the flesh, while "the reward" is the allure of the new creature in Christ we have been created to be. It is the Spirit within us that cries, "Abba, Father" and longs to do His will. Make no mistake, the "treasures of Egypt" tug strongly at the flesh and the flesh longs for them in return. But, brother in Christ, "greater riches" are always found in Him! No matter what your "Egypt" may offer you, "greater riches" are yours in Christ.
As we had seen previously in verse 25, "enduring ill-treatment" may go hand in hand with any decision we make to stand with God, His Son, His people and His ways. Jesus taught that we should not be surprised at such. We are called to be people who fix their eyes on Jesus and to look heavenward while we sojourn on this earth. Where we are looking with our heart and mind can make all the difference in our daily walk.
In today's text we see that focus was instrumental for Moses as well. We read that he endured, "seeing Him who is unseen". May I suggest this? As sure as He is unseen, is He not also seen? This is not intended to be double talk. But have you not seen Him in His word? Have we not seen Him in our lives and in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ? Can we not see Him working in this world and in the church He is building? I
suspect that you will join with me and say "yes" and "amen" to these questions.
As a final thought I must bring attention to how faith worked similarly in Moses as it did with his parents. Back in verse 23 we saw that fear "of the king's edict" was overshadowed or overcome by the faith of Moses' parents. And in today's passage we see that it was again faith that allowed Moses to not fear "the wrath of the king". I'm reminded of 1 John 4:19 where we read that perfect love casts out fear. Loving Him is trusting Him; having faith in Him. May your faith and mine grow through the bountiful provision of His grace. By faith, may we "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus", always looking to our reward; seeing "Him just as He is".
Friday, May 21, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
A Non-Denominational Reminder
At a recent Saturday morning men's Bible study at our church, a reference was made to the passage of scripture where Jesus had proclaimed that He would build His church. The passage is found in Matthew 16:18, where the author records these words spoken by Jesus to the Apostle Peter; "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it."
The point of this short article is not to debate the various views held by professing Christians regarding "this rock" that Jesus said He would build His church upon. I will simply say I believe He is building His church upon the truth that Peter had been inspired to proclaim in Matthew 16:16, where he said of Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." As the Apostle Paul also wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:11, "For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." And speaking of those of the Exodus, in 1 Corinthians 10:4 Paul wrote, "and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ."
Anyway, my thoughts are really on the building of His church, and the promise that the "gates of Hades will not overpower it." The proclamation is clear and precise. Men will still quibble about His statement but I suggest that we take Him at His word. "I will build My church", Jesus said. I believe He is. It was through Him that the world was created and thank God, "in Him all things hold together". I trust He knows best how to build His church. I trust that He is building His church just as He has purposed to do so. He is making no mistakes.
The Church, or the body of Christ, is God's purposeful work of art and grace. As we see in Romans chapter 6, there are many members of the body of Christ, each believer, individually a member, and each one, "members one of another." And in 1 Corinthians 12:18 we read, "But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired." You and I are in the body of Christ, the Church Jesus is building, not by chance or by accident, but just as He has desired!
When I consider all of the bad news a person can read or hear about on any given day, most of it declaring loudly the depravity of man, I remind myself of this truth. Christ is still building His church. The Holy Spirit is still moving in the hearts and minds of individuals all over this world, revealing the truth of Jesus according to His sovereign will. I believe it is true today and that it will be so again tomorrow; a boy, a girl, a man or a woman will be the object of the Spirit's life changing work and come to know the truth of Jesus today. They will come to know the joy of forgiveness, the hope of salvation and the love of a Savior. They will become members of the body of Christ and the Church He is building.
In the flesh, men are prone to have the desire to usurp the place of God in the building of His church. I chose this term because its meaning, to seize or to take the place of without right or legal claim, seems appropriate in what I wish to express. We have no right to take His place in the building of His church. Without the right, without the knowledge, without the wisdom and without the power. And yet, perhaps often with good intentions, we find ourselves trying to build His church. We ought to be content with the privileges that are bestowed upon us, to be those who plant and those who water. As Paul was inspired to write to the Corinthian believers, the one who plants and the one who waters are nothing. The One who is anything, the One who is everything, is God. He is the One who causes the increase. He is the One building His church.
Oh, to be sure, there is much that He has called us and equipped us to do and I wish not to minimize the importance this. So great is this subject that it would take much time and space if I attempted to write an all inclusive list here and now. I will just say that building His church would not be on the list I would write. Jesus is building His church.
I say all of this to get to the thought that had first come to my mind when this verse from Matthew 16 was referenced at the bible study mentioned above. The latter part of the verse quotes Jesus as saying "the gates of Hades will not overpower" His church. This is crucial for us to take note of. For sure, we have been given a tremendous promise in this verse. It is one that has been leaned on by His children throughout the centuries. But let us see clearly that His promise is in regards to the church He is building and not the ones that men build apart from Him. The church built by a man or a group of men is susceptible of being overpowered and most likely will be in time. It can be overpowered by the very ones who built it. Let us rejoice and be glad to learn of, and walk in our proper role in the Church He is building, the one "the gates of Hades will not overpower"!
The point of this short article is not to debate the various views held by professing Christians regarding "this rock" that Jesus said He would build His church upon. I will simply say I believe He is building His church upon the truth that Peter had been inspired to proclaim in Matthew 16:16, where he said of Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." As the Apostle Paul also wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:11, "For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." And speaking of those of the Exodus, in 1 Corinthians 10:4 Paul wrote, "and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ."
Anyway, my thoughts are really on the building of His church, and the promise that the "gates of Hades will not overpower it." The proclamation is clear and precise. Men will still quibble about His statement but I suggest that we take Him at His word. "I will build My church", Jesus said. I believe He is. It was through Him that the world was created and thank God, "in Him all things hold together". I trust He knows best how to build His church. I trust that He is building His church just as He has purposed to do so. He is making no mistakes.
The Church, or the body of Christ, is God's purposeful work of art and grace. As we see in Romans chapter 6, there are many members of the body of Christ, each believer, individually a member, and each one, "members one of another." And in 1 Corinthians 12:18 we read, "But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired." You and I are in the body of Christ, the Church Jesus is building, not by chance or by accident, but just as He has desired!
When I consider all of the bad news a person can read or hear about on any given day, most of it declaring loudly the depravity of man, I remind myself of this truth. Christ is still building His church. The Holy Spirit is still moving in the hearts and minds of individuals all over this world, revealing the truth of Jesus according to His sovereign will. I believe it is true today and that it will be so again tomorrow; a boy, a girl, a man or a woman will be the object of the Spirit's life changing work and come to know the truth of Jesus today. They will come to know the joy of forgiveness, the hope of salvation and the love of a Savior. They will become members of the body of Christ and the Church He is building.
In the flesh, men are prone to have the desire to usurp the place of God in the building of His church. I chose this term because its meaning, to seize or to take the place of without right or legal claim, seems appropriate in what I wish to express. We have no right to take His place in the building of His church. Without the right, without the knowledge, without the wisdom and without the power. And yet, perhaps often with good intentions, we find ourselves trying to build His church. We ought to be content with the privileges that are bestowed upon us, to be those who plant and those who water. As Paul was inspired to write to the Corinthian believers, the one who plants and the one who waters are nothing. The One who is anything, the One who is everything, is God. He is the One who causes the increase. He is the One building His church.
Oh, to be sure, there is much that He has called us and equipped us to do and I wish not to minimize the importance this. So great is this subject that it would take much time and space if I attempted to write an all inclusive list here and now. I will just say that building His church would not be on the list I would write. Jesus is building His church.
I say all of this to get to the thought that had first come to my mind when this verse from Matthew 16 was referenced at the bible study mentioned above. The latter part of the verse quotes Jesus as saying "the gates of Hades will not overpower" His church. This is crucial for us to take note of. For sure, we have been given a tremendous promise in this verse. It is one that has been leaned on by His children throughout the centuries. But let us see clearly that His promise is in regards to the church He is building and not the ones that men build apart from Him. The church built by a man or a group of men is susceptible of being overpowered and most likely will be in time. It can be overpowered by the very ones who built it. Let us rejoice and be glad to learn of, and walk in our proper role in the Church He is building, the one "the gates of Hades will not overpower"!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Short Thoughts for Today
As I continue to "blog" through the Book of Hebrews, the passage for today's "short thoughts" is in Hebrews 11:24-25 where the author writes, "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasure of sin". I find myself in one of those passages of scripture where I must endeavor to keep my thoughts short. Doing so may prove difficult, so bear with me if this is a little long.
When we were young, our parents and other adults often encouraged us to grow up, to be "big boys" and "big girls". We would argue over who got to be "the dad" or "the mom" in our childhood games. Time and experiences passed and we did grow up. And now that we are grown, there are times when we wish for the simple things of childhood again. Many decisions and responsibilities come with growing up. Some decisions are routine and we make them daily. We don't even take the time to see the impact they may have on our life. Other decisions are made after much thought and hopefully, much prayer. Some of these decisions can greatly impact our lives and the lives of others.
Oh, the importance of growing up! Growing up in Christ that is. As believers we are directed and encouraged to grow up and to become mature in our faith. I think it is worth noting that Moses' act of faith referenced in today's scripture occurred after "he had grown up". For some time he had already been a "grown-up" or a physically mature man. But more importantly, he had grown in his faith, thus preparing him to make a very important decision. He would side with the ''people of God". Pointedly, he would side with God Himself. Through his growing up he had obtained the measure of faith that would allow him to "refuse to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter". I must refrain from going into a long discourse and simply say that giving up the things that came with being Pharaoh's daughter and the wealth and allure of Egypt was, using my favorite biblical adjective, no small decision.
The decision Moses made to refuse one thing was in light of something greater. Rather than being called the son of pharaoh's daughter, and all that this represented, he chose to "endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasure of sin". Clearly it was not ill treatment that he wished for but he was prepared to endure it for the right reason. He would endure it with God's people. He would be on the right side, God's side. This was the greater choice. Is this not always the greater choice?
We might assume that his faith saw beyond the ill treatment that would be endured to the blessings that would follow in time. As he looked forward to all the God would do, he would endure. Because he had grown up, Moses also saw beyond the glory that came with power and position in Egypt. Despite the unarguable "benefits", being the son of pharaoh's daughter and having Egypt at one's fingertips was not all that life was about.
We must not read this passage and fail to acknowledge two important truths that are seen here. The first is that sin can be pleasurable, pleasurable to the flesh. There is no advantage in pretending that this is not so. It is the flesh's appetite. Sin will feed this appetite but the flesh will always want more. The second truth that we see is that the pleasure of sin passes. It does not last. It is without value to endure. And I would be remiss if I did not speak of yet a third truth that I am compelled to make note of. If you have never taken the time to consider this, I pray that you might write it down. I have never suggested that you write anything down that I have written. Perhaps write it down on paper with pencil or pen but most assuredly write it down in your heart and mind. Though the pleasure of sin is passing, its consequences are not. Though the pleasure of sin may last but a while, the consequences of sin may last a lifetime, extending even through generations.
May we grow up in Christ and progress towards maturity. In our decision making, may we seek His will and wisdom, and always choose to side with Him. Ill treatment may come our way, but by faith we can endure as we fix our eyes on Jesus and wait "eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body." "For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay."
When we were young, our parents and other adults often encouraged us to grow up, to be "big boys" and "big girls". We would argue over who got to be "the dad" or "the mom" in our childhood games. Time and experiences passed and we did grow up. And now that we are grown, there are times when we wish for the simple things of childhood again. Many decisions and responsibilities come with growing up. Some decisions are routine and we make them daily. We don't even take the time to see the impact they may have on our life. Other decisions are made after much thought and hopefully, much prayer. Some of these decisions can greatly impact our lives and the lives of others.
Oh, the importance of growing up! Growing up in Christ that is. As believers we are directed and encouraged to grow up and to become mature in our faith. I think it is worth noting that Moses' act of faith referenced in today's scripture occurred after "he had grown up". For some time he had already been a "grown-up" or a physically mature man. But more importantly, he had grown in his faith, thus preparing him to make a very important decision. He would side with the ''people of God". Pointedly, he would side with God Himself. Through his growing up he had obtained the measure of faith that would allow him to "refuse to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter". I must refrain from going into a long discourse and simply say that giving up the things that came with being Pharaoh's daughter and the wealth and allure of Egypt was, using my favorite biblical adjective, no small decision.
The decision Moses made to refuse one thing was in light of something greater. Rather than being called the son of pharaoh's daughter, and all that this represented, he chose to "endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasure of sin". Clearly it was not ill treatment that he wished for but he was prepared to endure it for the right reason. He would endure it with God's people. He would be on the right side, God's side. This was the greater choice. Is this not always the greater choice?
We might assume that his faith saw beyond the ill treatment that would be endured to the blessings that would follow in time. As he looked forward to all the God would do, he would endure. Because he had grown up, Moses also saw beyond the glory that came with power and position in Egypt. Despite the unarguable "benefits", being the son of pharaoh's daughter and having Egypt at one's fingertips was not all that life was about.
We must not read this passage and fail to acknowledge two important truths that are seen here. The first is that sin can be pleasurable, pleasurable to the flesh. There is no advantage in pretending that this is not so. It is the flesh's appetite. Sin will feed this appetite but the flesh will always want more. The second truth that we see is that the pleasure of sin passes. It does not last. It is without value to endure. And I would be remiss if I did not speak of yet a third truth that I am compelled to make note of. If you have never taken the time to consider this, I pray that you might write it down. I have never suggested that you write anything down that I have written. Perhaps write it down on paper with pencil or pen but most assuredly write it down in your heart and mind. Though the pleasure of sin is passing, its consequences are not. Though the pleasure of sin may last but a while, the consequences of sin may last a lifetime, extending even through generations.
May we grow up in Christ and progress towards maturity. In our decision making, may we seek His will and wisdom, and always choose to side with Him. Ill treatment may come our way, but by faith we can endure as we fix our eyes on Jesus and wait "eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body." "For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay."
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