Category Archives: God’s Blessings

GOD DESERVES OUR THANKS

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THIS VIDEO IS DESIGNED TO TELL US THAT WE NEED TO THANK GOD AND FOR WHAT MANY THINGS HE GIVES US THAT WE DON’T EARN. TO WATCH CLICK THE ARROW IN THE PICTURE. IF YOU PREFER, YOU CAN READ THE ARTICLE.

           GOD DESERVES OUR THANKS 11-26-23

While it should be easy to say “thank you” to someone who has done you a favor or had some kind words, but there are times when we forget or just don’t take the time. It should be easy to thank God for the tangible things in our lives. After all, they are right in front if us, and we can see them and even feel them. We certainly should thank God for these things, but God’s blessings in our lives extend to spiritual benefits, emotional healing, relational restoration, and more. All these blessings grow out of His love and grace for us. We have so much to thank God for. One of the problems in not thanking God is we don’t recognize them as from God. This is truer than we choose to admit. God has showered us with numerous blessings. As we approach the Thanksgiving season (or maybe as you watch this video, we are in the Thanksgiving weekend) it is the time when there is that nudging of our souls to remind us that God deserves our thanks. We must express thanksgiving to God for His many blessings to us.

                                      Read Psalm 65:1-4

1 Praise awaits[b] you, our God, in Zion; to you our vows will be fulfilled.
2 You who answer prayer, to you all people will come.
3 When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave[c] our transgressions. 4 Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.

      Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion: The psalmist David described a wonderful picture, the idea that praise was waiting to be given unto God in Jerusalem. The sense is that when God came to meet His people, He would be received in an atmosphere of praise. “The word translated ‘waited’ [awaiting] comes from a root meaning to be silent…. This does not mean that there is no praise, but on the contrary that praise is so complete that at first it can find no utterance.”  “Literally, ‘Praise is silence for thee’…. It may sometimes be the height of worship, in other words, to fall silent before God in awe at His presence and in submission to His will.” “Certainly, when the soul is most filled with adoring awe, she is least content with her own expressions, and feels most deeply how inadequate are all mortal songs to proclaim the divine goodness.”

        To You the vow shall be performed: God’s people would gather together in Jerusalem to thank God for answering their prayers and to give sacrifices and praise in fulfillment of vows made. Believers should take seriously their vows before God. In addition to vows and promises made to God, our baptism is itself a vow to God. Our association with God’s people is a vow. These should be regarded with a solemn and serious dependence upon God. “A vow unkept will burn the conscience like a hot iron. Vows of service, of donation, of praise, or whatever they may be, are no trifles; and in the day of grateful praise they should, without fail, be fulfilled to the utmost of our power.” At Mount Zion the Son of David fulfilled the greatest vow, coming to completely do the will of God (Psalm 40:6-8) and giving His life as a sacrifice and atonement for the sins of the world.

        O You who hear prayer, to You all flesh will come: Praise awaits and vows are performed because God hears and answers prayer. This goodness of God draws not only Israel, but also all flesh. This starts a thought that will be developed later in the psalm. Iniquities prevail against me; as for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them: This shows a proper understanding of the sacrificial system in God’s greater plan. David understood his personal struggle against sin, and how he sometimes failed in that struggle. He also understood that God’s answer for transgressions is an atoning sacrifice that God provides. David was humble enough to say, iniquities prevail against me. “No man was ever rejected by God for his confessed badness, as sundry have been for their supposed.

         Iniquities prevail against me: “Our sins would, but for grace, prevail against us in the court of divine justice, in the court of conscience, and in the battle of David believed in the system of animal sacrifice established by the Law of Moses, but he also looked beyond that system to a perfect sacrifice that God Himself would provide. In this David looked to the Messiah and His perfect, atoning work on the cross fulfilling the promise, You will provide atonement for them.

        Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You: In the connection between God and man, David knew that God was the cause of the connection. The connection begins when God chooses and then causes a man or a woman to come to Him, that he may dwell in Your courts. Some think that the chosen man in David’s mind is the priest. Yet he mentions the part of the house of God where all were welcome, the courts. “He mentioned courts, because the people were permitted to go no further into God’s house.” If there is a priest in view, then prophetically we can apply this in an ultimate sense to Jesus, our Great High Priest. “Blessed, above all blessing and praise, is the man Christ Jesus, elect, precious, chosen of God to be a high priest for ever.”

        We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house: Once established and enjoyed, the connection between God and man brings satisfaction to men. They experienced God’s house as a place of goodness received. The goodness of Your house gives the image of God as a host for His people. “It happily dwells a guest in the house and is supplied with that which satisfies all desires. The guest’s security in the house of his host, his right to protection, help, and food, are, as usual, implied in the imagery.” 

                           Read Psalm 65:5-8

5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, 6 who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, 7 who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. 8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;  where morning dawns, where evening

fades you call forth songs of joy.

       By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation: This was an ongoing confidence in the continuation of God’s goodness. God had answered prayer and provided atonement; David expected such awesome deeds in the future also.. You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth: David again lifted his vision from beyond Israel to the ends of the earth, to the far-off seas. He understood that though Israel belonged to God in a special sense, He was and is the God of the whole earth.

       You who still the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples: God’s might is shown in His ability to quiet not only the oceans but also the noise of the peoples of the world. His authority extended far beyond Israel, to the farthest parts of the earth.

i. Stormy and noisy seas put forth enormous energy. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an average hurricane releases energy equivalent to 6×1014 watts of electricity. This is 200 times world-wide electrical generating capacity. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) says that in its lifetime an average hurricane can release as much energy as 10,000 nuclear bombs. Yet God can and does still the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves.

        Knowing this great power of God should build our faith when we see the tumult of the peoples and are concerned for God’s salvation to reach the ends of the earth. We can think of those at the ends of the earth as those who are farthest off, least known, least thought of, most afflicted, and the hardest to reach. “The child of God in seasons of trouble should fly at once to him who the seas: nothing is too hard for him.” “In pagan mythology the ‘sea’ connoted chaotic and life-threatening powers. However, Israel knew that the Lord created everything and established his rule over the ‘roaring’ seas and their waves.”

        Established the mountains by His strength: “Philosophers of the forget-God school are too much engrossed with their laws of upheaval to think of the Upheaved. Their theories of volcanic action and glacier action, etc., are frequently used as bolts and bars to shut the Lord out of his own world. Our poet is of another mind, and sees God’s hand settling Alps and Andes on their bases, and therefore he sings in his praise.”

       You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice: The exercise of God’s authority over the earth does not bring it fear and oppression; it brings rejoicing to the day. Outgoings of the morning and evening: “What is pictured, then, may be either the glory of day and night (cf. Psalm 19:1f.; Job 38:7, 19f.), or the whole expanse of earth from east to west, praising the Creator.”

                                 Read Psalm 65:9-13

You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.  10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops.11 You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness.13 The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.

        It seems that the psalmist is inspired to write about the abundant harvest and give thanks to God. He summarizes the generosity of God’s care of the land (v. 9), and develops the theme of blessing on the land (vv. 10-13).   In the future one of the things Jesus will do when He comes to reign is to bring the weather under His control. The deserts will be banished and no longer will the flash floods scourge the countryside. Often people spend a lot of their time complaining about the weather which is a waste of time. It is something that man has absolutely no control over and besides God knows what is best for us. In Elijah’s day He used it to bring people to their knees and He has the right to do the same today. We are also told that it rains on the just and unjust alike.

       Verses 9-13 sounds like little more than a lovely nature poem, but it is much more.  That’s the problem with cutting it off from the first part of the Psalm.  If we read it in the context of verses 1-8, we’ll discover that it is not so much about the goodness of nature, as about the goodness of God.  Particularly, the point of Psalm 65 is that our God hears and answers prayer.  In Psalm 65, that is the essence of God’s goodness.  “O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come (verse 2)…. You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas (verse 5)…. ” We enjoy the goodness of God’s creation in green summer and at golden harvest because God hears our prayers.

       This is an important corrective to a purely hedonistic enjoyment of “the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” and the relentlessly secular focus on the richness of life in our North American celebrations of Thanksgiving Day.  James Luther Mays says it very well.  “This Psalm directs attention first of all to God, away from any preoccupation with secular good fortune.  It insists that thanksgiving is a theological work whose subject is God, not ourselves.  It is an antidote to self-satisfaction and self-congratulation.”

       Robert Davidson looks at the various movements in the entire Psalm and suggests that it was written in a situation like the one described in I Kings 8:33-36. The people’s sin against God had led to a crisis.  Their sin was punished by a drought.  The people needed forgiveness more than anything else.  The people look to God for such pardon, and for rain.  In Psalm 65 the long-awaited rains have come and the people gather in the temple to praise God for his awesome deeds.

       The word “forgave” there is a Hebrew word that means to make atonement by covering sin with blood.  The Hebrews offered bloody sacrifices of atonement, but, as Hebrews 10:4 says, the blood of bulls and goats could never gain the forgiveness of sins.  Those sacrifices were the human side of atonement, the Old Testament way of expressing repentance and faith.  The divine side was to cover those sins with the blood of Christ, says Hebrews 9:11-14.

       As a result of such atonement, God’s sinful and once separated people now have access to God.  “Blessed is those you choose and bring near to live in your courts.  We are filled with the good things of your house.”  By God’s grace, through the atonement God provides, we can now enjoy all the blessings that come with being in the very presence of God.  Forgiveness enables us to enjoy full communion with God.  “It’s all good.”

       By his awesome deeds of righteousness, God our Savior has not only reconciled us to himself but has also reconciled hostile peoples to each other.  So, God is called “the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the seas….”  Those “living far away fear your wonders,” those signs of your power (think of the Ten Plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and the conquest of Canaan). And even as reconciliation with God brings happiness to God’s people, the reconciliation of the warring human race brings joy to all humanity; “where morning dawns and evening fades you call forth songs of joy.”  By God’s awesome deeds among the nations, “it’s all good.”

       “It’s all good” between us and nature.  He cares for the land and waters it.  The rain that has come is his gift, flowing from “the streams of God.”  The forces of nature are not independent.  They are God’s way of bringing life to the world.  “You crown the year with your bounty.” Life is so good, in fact, that creation itself, the desert and the meadows, the hills and the valleys, and everything in them “shout for joy and sing.”  By God’s blessings upon his creation, “it’s all good.”

        All is well.  Joy flows freely.  Faith is easy.  It’s all good. The problem with Psalm 65 is that life is not all good.  As I write this, the world if filled with people whose sin has separated from God.  They don’t know forgiveness.  They don’t enjoy the blessings of God’s presence.  They don’t have a clue who the Christ is.  And the nations are not in harmony.  From the Middle East to the Far East and from Russia to America, the nations are in turmoil.  My own nation is in constant turmoil internally.  And nature has run amok, as the seemingly intractable Western drought was replaced by rain and flooding of almost biblical proportions.  The earth shakes and the winds blow.  As the weather changes dramatically, crops are in jeopardy.  In my own little life, I need both hands to count the dear friends whose lives have been devastated by nature gone rogue.  It’s not all good, not by a long shot.

       So how do we see Psalm 65 in the real world?  Perhaps we can read it eternally. Maybe this is a picture of the goodness that is coming in the new heaven and the new earth. Note the future tense in verses 1 (“to you our vows will be fulfilled”) and 2 (“to you all men will come”).  The opening words of verse 1 may point in this future direction, though they are notoriously hard to interpret.  The NIV translates it, “Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion,” which could be read as a future reference.  That praise is waiting for the fulfillment of the vision painted in the following words.  It lies silent, waiting to be uttered when “it’s all good.”  But another translation says that “praise is fitting, is due” because of what God has done for us.

       These little hints suggest that we could see Psalm 65 as yet another example of the “already but not yet” of God’s kingdom.  We are reconciled to God through Christ, but God’s work is not done because many have not yet heard of Christ.  God has begun the work of reconciling the nations to each other, having broken down the dividing wall of hostility that divided Jew and Gentile.  But God’s work is not done, because the peacemakers are outnumbered by the warriors.  God does bless his creation with bounty, but there is much work to be done in the spheres of agriculture and medicine and conservation before all will experience the goodness of life.  God has done awesome deeds, but we are still waiting for the new heaven and the new earth in which righteousness dwells (II Peter 3:13).

       We can sing this song of praise today, because God does hear prayer.  It’s not all good yet, but “you answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea.”  Whatever else Psalm 65 is, it is a Psalm of hope, because God hears and answers our prayers.  “If this is not true, then the whole biblical tradition collapses like a pack of cards, and most of the Psalms [and our prayers] are an exercise in self-delusion.”   The Psalm assures us that our hope is sure.  “O you who hear prayer, to you all will come.” We can thank God for all He has done and the blessings of today, but we must think about and thank Him for what He will do.

CAN YOU BE SURE OF YOUR SALVATION?

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The first question is not: How can I be sure of my salvation? Your first question needs to be: Am I saved? What does it mean to be saved? It means to spend eternity in Heaven with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The other choice is to spend eternity in Hell, being punished constantly. Not really a good choice, is it? So, let’s deal with the real question first- How to become a true believer in Jesus and be a Christian for eternity? To be an eternal Christian one must confess their sin, believe that Jesus died for their sin, give their life to serve Jesus and God, believe that Jesus rose from the dead and lives now with God in Heaven and then to pray to God to receive His Grace as a gift. There is nothing you can do to earn your salvation. It is totally a gift given to you by our Creator- God.

            Having confessing Jesus as your Savior, you now can ask the other question about being sure of your salvation. Here are a few of those question: Am I going to Heaven? Can I know for certain that when I die, I’ll be with the Lord? Is there any way to be sure I’m really a Christian? Can we be assured? Many have been in church all their lives. Some have had a faith experience when they were a small child, but over the years doubts have crept into their hearts and they have begun questioning the reality of their salvation. To amazement, most of those who asked these questions were church going people. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, observed, “My experience in counseling thousands of students and laymen through the years since I met Christ personally ha convinced me that there are literally tens of thousands of good, faithful church-goers who have received Christ in prayer, but who are not sure of their salvation”. Mr. Bright is NOT saying that most or many of these people are not saved. He is saying they are just not sure of their salvation.

        Perhaps during their Christian experience, they’ve allowed some sin to root in their lives and now they doubt if they were ever saved in the first place. Some have gotten away from a close relationship with God. Others experience doubts while going through difficult periods of life. There are times when a person’s doubt may be traced to a false teaching they have heard on radio or on television, or from a “friend”.  Many Christians are saved in childhood or many, many years ago, but can’t remember the date or occasion.  When our bodies are sick, sometimes our souls catch the disease. It is easy to become disillusioned when our dreams are dashed, our families or our finances are in crisis, or our spirits are low. Do you ever feel that way or in a way like that? If you ask them if they are going to heaven, their answer will likely be something like, “I certainly hope so”.

            Tony Evans, who our men are doing his study “No More Excuses”, observes, “A great spiritual malady permeates the church of Jesus Christ today. If I were to give it a name, I would call it ADD: Assurance Deficit Disorder”. When a person has ADD, it is almost impossible to live the Christian life as vigorously as we should. We have a difficult time praying. We seldom witness. If we are not sure of our salvation, why would we want to share it with anyone else?

On this case sermons may make you feel worse, not better. The peace of God, so richly promised in the Bible, doesn’t seem at home in your heart.

            Well, I can tell you as plainly as I can that you can know you are saved, for sure, for certainly; you can have security. You can have absolute confidence in your eternal hope. The Bible tells us can be certain of our relationship with God and our heavenly home. We can be persuaded. Near the end of his life, the apostle Paul used the word persuaded again when he wrote, “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I believed and persuaded that He is able to keep what I committed to Him until that Day? (2 Timothy 1:12) We can live beyond the needling torment of doubt. Assurance of salvation is not only possible, it is what God longs for us to posses in our minds and hearts. He does not want His children (all believers) to live in insecurity, uncertainly, or uneasiness about His love for us or His ability to keep us to the end. We can know what we believe, for we can know Whom we have believed.

            The words assure, assuredly, and assurance are basic terms in the New Testament’s vocabulary. Here are some verses that use these words.

      Jesus said to (the thief on the cross), “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise”- Luke 23:43

      “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life”. John 5:24   

       “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” John 6:47

        “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in mu h assurance.”  

         “Continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of.” 2 Timothy 3”14

         “We desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end.” Hebrews 6:11

            “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” Hebrews 10:22

            “By this we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before Him.” 1 John 3:19.

            The Bible uses terms like persuaded, assurance, and knowing, so we can be persuaded, we can have assurance, and we can know for sure. It has been quoted (unknown author), “God wants us to have a “know-so” salvation. Figuratively speaking, He does not want us to be a question mark, all bent over with our head hung low. Rather, He wants us to be an exclamation mark, standing erect with head held high, strengthened by a God-produced confidence in our faith with Him.”        While the entire Bible stresses certainty assurance, there is one section of Scripture that stresses this theme as its central theme- the letter of 1 John. The Gospel of John and 1 John both end with similar statements, giving their respective thesis statements or declarations of purpose.

  1. The Gospel of John was written “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31)
  2. The book of 1 John ends by saying “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)

The Gospel of John was written so we can believe and have life. The letter of 1 John was written that those of us who believe can know we have eternal life. The key word is “know”. As Steven Lawson wrote, “The greatest thing in all the world is to be saved. The second is closely related. It is to be absolutely sure that you are saved.”

            Apparently, there were some in John’s day who read his Gospel and trusted Christ as their Savior, but they still harbored lingering doubts about their eternal destination. That is one of the reasons John wrote his first epistle, 1 John, to show those who believed in Christ that they could know they were saved. As we read through 1 John, we notice a five-fold argument for assurance of salvation. Five times in 1 John we see the phrases “born of God” and “begotten of God”. On each of these occasions, we have a different piece of evidence to reassure us of our hope. Every time Joh uses a phrase about new birth, he gave us another test to prove our salvation. These are five of the birthmarks of the Christian.

                   THE BIRTHMARK OF CONFESSION   (1 John 5:1)

“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God”. Before you can have assurance of salvation, you have to believe and be saved. You have to confess Jesus Christ as Lord. That is the key- you must confess Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. In John 3, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again”. We are born again when we repent of our sins, trust Jesus Christ to save us, and confess Him as Lord of our lives. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”. This verse does not say “you might be saved” it says emphatically, you will be saved. We are saved by God’s grace through faith; it’s not of our good works but of Christ’s eternal work on the cross. As stated earlier, Jesus said in John 5:24 all who believe in Jesus will assuredly have everlasting life. Additionally, we have the witness of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God”.

                            THE BIRTHMARK OF CHANGE   1 John 2:29

The second birthmark is a changed life, as seen in 1 John 2:9, “Everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him”. When Jesus truly saves us, it makes a difference in how we think, act, speak, and conduct ourselves. The Bible states, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17) As we begin learning to practice righteousness, our habits change. Many times, the changes are dramatic, but there are always changes.

We will not be sinlessly perfect while we’re on this planet; but if we’re Christians, we need to behave like Christians. If we say we’re saved but nothing has changed about us, something is wrong.  We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works, and the Gospel is a transforming agent in our lives.  In John’s epistle he was saying, “Do you want to be sure that you have been born again? Take the brief test- what do you believe? And take the behavior test-has your life changed as the result of your belief?”

                              THE BIRTHMARK OF COMPASSION   1 John 4:7

Those who are truly saved also bear the birthmark of compassion. How can we know you are a Christian and saved? It is by what we believe, by how we live, and by whom we love. Love is the reoccurring theme in 1 John, and the apostle leaves no doubt about how it permeates the lives of true believers in Christ. John wrote, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God of God and knows God…We know that we passed from death to life, because we love the brethren” (1 John4:7) We know we are saved by our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. The early Christians say they love one another and are ready even to die for one another. There is a popular hymn that says the same type of thing- “They know we are Christians by our love.”

      The epistle of John contains some of the richest words ever written. The word love occurs 26 times in this letter, as we read verses like, “He who loves his brother abides in the light…Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!…For this is the message that you heard from the beginning that we should love one another…He who does not love his brother abides in death…By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us…Whoever has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in Him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth…Love one another…Let us love one another, for love is of God…God is love,,.This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us…If we love one another, God abides in us.”

            This is the “brother” test. Do you love your brothers and sisters in the family of God? Those who are truly saved are those who enjoy and bless the household of faith, the family of God.

                                      THE BIRTHMARK OF CONFLICT   1 John 5:4

A fourth sign of being truly being saved is conflict. According to 1 John 5:4, “Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world- our faith’. The word “overcome” implies a struggle. We are faced with an adversary whom we must overcome. Our adversary is identified in 1 John 2:14: “I have written to you , young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have to overcome the wicked one.” This is Satan! When you genuinely born of God, you’ll be growing to be an overcomer as you deal with the temptations around you- the world. You make progress in gaining more victories and losing less battles as you grow stronger in Christ and in the power of the abiding Word of God. Romans 8:37 says, “In all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us”. And in 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “Now thanks be to God who always lead us in triumph in Christ”. We can claim those promises as our own in struggle against temptation. We have His help. His commands are promises in reverse, for every command comes with His enabling strength to obey it.

The Birthright of Conduct 1 John 5:18

The final point is we can see evidence for the validity of salvation in our desire to conduct ourselves in a way that pleases God. According to 1 John 3:9: “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin; because he has been born of God”. The point is repeated in 1 John 5:18: “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin, but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.” This does not say that anyone who is born of God never sins. James 3:2 , “We all stumble in many things”.

What then did John mean. In using the word sin in these passages above, John was talking about ongoing rebellion against the laws of God. In 1 John 3:4: “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness.” John was concerned about ongoing conscious and intentional violations of God’s laws. He was talking about a lifestyle of rebellion. Each day we all sin, omitting things we should do and committing things that we should not do and displaying wrong attitudes. When we sin and become aware or our sin, we come to the throne of grace in confession, asking God to forgive us as we forsake our sins. John made this clear when he wrote “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is exactly what King David did every time to earn him the praise from God of a “man after My own heart”. When we are truly born of God, we have God’s seed in us and we inherit His nature, which is in direct conflict with all sin. With God’s seed in us we will never become comfortable with sinning.

His grace is inexhaustible and His salvation is irreversible. So, make sure you have confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and then trust Him with your eternal future. He will never leave you or forsake you. He will never drop you from His Book of Life and He will never turn His back on your need. Nothing can separate you from His love, and of that you can fully be persuaded (John 10:28-29). His word was given that you might know Jesus Christ as your Savior and that you might know that you have eternal life. You can have this assurance because of your conduct everyday. This includes ongoing obedience to all of God’s laws and Jesus’ commands.

ONLY ONE WAY- TO GOD

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**Read this article and/or go to the bottom and watch the 2 videos (PT 1 & 2)

   Is there only one way to God?  This probably the most toxic and volatile question in our age of pluralism and tolerance. What is said most of the time is that we must be more tolerant and “permit all ways to go to God” or at the very least say that there has to be more than one way to God. A very popular author, Lee Strobel, that as an atheist he disliked John 14:6 that states “no one comes to the Father except through me (Jesus)”. Lee Strobel felt it was way too intolerant to say there was only one way to God, but after pouring over the evidence for truthfulness of Christianity, he became a believer and is now a follower of Jesus Christ. In his three books, A Case for a Creator, A Case for Faith, and A Case for Jesus, Mr. Strobel admits and tells of his conversion. I own all three of these books.

       There is a large group of people who shares Mr. Strobel’s previous thinking that it is too intolerant and not inclusive enough to talk against those who want many ways to God. There are many who not only talk against those who believe Jesus said- “there is only one way” but launch tirades, form organized groups to cause problems to Christians, or even harm some Christians for their views. Even way back in 1940 Walter Chaplinsky caused a real problem in Rochester, New Hampshire by consistently loudly denouncing organized religion as a racket and denouncing many Christian denominations by name. Since then, there are many that create real problems, violent situations, and attempts to harm those who just quote the Bible, like Steve McSwain a popular speaker and author in liberal circles and an ambassador to a Council for a Parliament of World’s Religions who does what he can to ridicule anyone who believes in John 14:6. Even Oprah Winfrey has been quoted as saying “One of the biggest mistakes humans make is to believe there is only one way.” She continues “actually, there are many diverse paths leading to what you call God”. While we are told not to judge, it sounds like Oprah needs to come to find a different position for her eternal benefit.

       Popular Jewish rabbi and television host Shmuley Boteach shares a similar conviction and states “I am absolutely against any religion that says that one faith is superior to another”. He further states- “I don’t see how that is anything different than spiritual racism. It’s a way of saying that we are closer to God than you are, and that’s what leads to hatred”. We are seeing and hearing that there a group who says if anyone does not agree with their position against Christianity “that they are racist”. In Lee Strobel’s book A Case for Faith, he says- “Many people consider it arrogant, narrow-minded, and bigoted for Christians to contend that the only path to God must go through Jesus of Nazareth. In a day of religious pluralism and tolerance, this exclusivity claim is politically incorrect. A verbal slap in the face of other belief systems.” However, Lee Strobel has completely changed this type of incorrect position in all three of his books. He now firmly believes in the truth of John 14:6.

        On the night of Jesus’ arrest, Jesus gathered His disciples around Him in an upper for what was called the Passover Supper. Jesus tells His disciples “Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And I where I go you know, and the way you know.” Jesus was telling His disciples that the way to God was certain and knowable, Thomas responded with a question of perplexity. This was in keeping of what we know about Thomas’ personality. Thomas was always skeptical and saying: “Show me”, but once convinced, Thomas was dauntless and a true believer. On this occasion, Thomas said to Christ, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, and how can we know the way?” Thomas had missed our Lord’s point in the earlier verses. Jesus was talking about going to heaven to prepare for us. Thomas evidently thought Jesus was announcing that He was going to take a trip to a hidden location, perhaps a secure spot within the boundaries of Israel or somewhere in the eastern Mediterranean region. Whatever the case. I am glad that Thomas asked the question. Jesus’ simple response was what

recorded in John 14:6- that he was the only way to God.

       In this simple answer, Jesus declared Himself to be the answer to the three greatest questions of the human heart.

     How can I be saved? Jesus is the way.

     How can I be sure? Jesus is the truth.

     How can I be satisfied? Jesus is the life.

In order to understand what Jesus was saying, we need to take our minds all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Before Adam sinned, he enjoyed three very special privileges with God his Creator:

     He communed with God intimately; we see him walking with God.

     He knew God in reality; we see him believing what God said.

      He possessed spiritual life fully; we see him living in paradise.

But when Adam fell in rebellion against God, he lost all three of his privileges with God. His communion was broken; he hid from God. His knowledge was corrupted; he believed Satan’s lies. His life was shattered, he was beginning to die.   Of course, Adam did not die immediately but he, like everyone since, needed a way “back” to God. The truth found in John 14:6 reverses those three tragic realities.

         Our present condition apart from God is a mirror of Adam and Eve’s condition after the Fall. We cannot comprehend God in reality. We are alienated from God. We don’t have fellowship with Him. We are ignorant of the truth of God. Everything that Adam lost is exactly the same state all humanity finds themselves without God. That is why we call the Gospel of Jesus the Good News. In Christ we can recover everything lost in the Fall. We can have fellowship with Jesus. Instead of alienation from God, we can know His truth. Instead of death, we can know life in Him. The early followers of Jesus were so convinced that Jesus was the only way to Heaven that they didn’t even call themselves Christians…they called themselves, “followers of the Way”.

       The way, the truth, and the life! Jesus is communion restored. Jesus is truth recovered. Jesus is life regained- the full and permanent reversal of Genesis 3. That is the meaning of John 1:6. Now, let’s look at it phrase by phrase.

                           JESUS IS COMMUNION RESTORED

The first phrase in verse 6 says, “I am the way.” Apart from Christ, we cannot have communion with God because of the impenetrable barrier of sin, but Jesus came to remove that barrier. Apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:5: “5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” This is one of the most memorized, quoted, and useful verses in the Bible. Paul begins with the Old Testament truth that the God of the Bible is the only God who actually exists. This statement is the Shema, meaning “the saying,” the foundational saying of the Law: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4–5).

       The second phrase transitions to the concept of a mediator. A mediator is a person who serves as an intermediary between two people or parties. Jesus serves to bring people to God (John 14:6) and is the only way to God (Acts 4:12). Hebrews 9:15 mentions this same theme, saying, “Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant …” Similarly, Hebrews 12:24 uses the phrase, “Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant.”
       Paul also highlights the humanity of Jesus, calling him “The man Christ Jesus.” He is God in human form, one hundred percent God and one hundred percent man (John 1:1–14). This verse not only speaks to the reality of the Christian God, but also that Jesus Christ is the only way to be reconciled to God. No other being, spiritual or human, is needed as a go-between for us and God. The symbolism of the torn temple veil (Matthew 27:51) applies here: Jesus is the way we communicate with God, period. There is no additional step, and there is no other channel. Jesus is certainly the teacher of the way. He is the guide along the way and the provider of the way, but He is more than that. He is the way. He is the way to restored communion with the heavenly Father. (Relate my directions story in Phoenix.)

                              JESUS IS THE TRUTH RECOVERED

The next phrase in John 14:6 says, I am…the truth”. Jesus is utterly dependable and trustworthy. We can take Him at His word. When we meet Him, we move from the false to the truth, from deception to reality, from relative confusion to absolute knowledge, Throughout his gospel, the apostle John stressed Jesus as the truth. Here are three of John’s scriptures that tell of Jesus’ truth: John 1:14: 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. -The reality of the moral power and change wrought in those that believed recalls and is itself evidence of the reality of that in which they believed. Man came to be a son of God, because the Son of God became man.

John 1:17,“  17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” This explains an important difference between the ministries of Moses and Jesus. Moses’ ministry brought knowledge of the law. But the law could only show us how sinful and broken we were (Romans 3:20). Rather than just bringing us truth, Jesus also brought us grace. Instead of simply telling us that we were broken, Christ gave us a way to fix what was wrong.  John 8:32, 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Here the, truth and holiness are spoken of as correlative. The light of truth dispels the darkness in which lies the stronghold of evil. Sin is the bondage of the powers of the soul, and this bondage is willed because the soul does not see its fearful evil. When it perceives the truth, there comes to it a power which rouses it from its stupor, and strengthens it to break the fetters by which it has been bound.

       There are several other verses that convey the truth of Jesus and His power. Here are just three others listed John 8:46, John 17:17, and John 18:37.

                                    JESUS IS LIFE REGAINED

Jesus is also the life. He is life incarnate, the opposite of death and darkness. Life is another of the great words that run like a golden chain through the Gospel of John. It’s a word that occurs more than forty times in this fourth Gospel, and it’s often modified by the adjective everlasting. Here are three of John’s scriptures that tell of Jesus’ life. John 1:4 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. This verse proclaims Christ’s role as the giver of eternal life. John will spend much more time later in his gospel explaining Jesus’ role in bringing life to mankind. This verse also refers to Jesus using the second of John’s seven names for Jesus: “The Light.” To a Hebrew, “light” was the ultimate value. All good things were said to be “light,” and evil was “darkness.” Light implies a revealing. John 3:16, “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 is a widely quoted Bible verse that summarizes the cornerstone Christian belief that their God sacrificed his son for the salvation of humanity. This verse teaches us that anyone who believes in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, will be saved. John 3:16 gives us the glorious hope of eternal life. No other verse in the Bible so succinctly summarizes God’s relationship with humanity and the way of salvation. Some consider John 3:16 as the “theme verse” for the entire Bible. John 3:16 tells us of the love God has for us and the extent of that love—so great that He sacrificed His only Son on our behalf.  John 4:14 , “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jesus’ comments here present some interesting facts about the nature of salvation. In order to get literal water from a well, a person has to lower a bucket, then haul up the full container. This has to be repeated as often as required in order to get more water. The water Jesus promises will become a permanent spring within the person.  In fairly direct terms, Jesus is pointing out that salvation is neither obtained nor kept through works. In fact, Jesus is contrasting the nature of salvation with the nature of human efforts. One is temporary and requires work. The other is eternal and is obtained only as a gift.

       Three other outstanding verses about life are John 5:21, John 5:40, and John 6:35. The temptation is to list all forty-one references to “life” in John’s Gospel, but these more than gets the point across.  There is only one name by which we must be saved, and it’s the name Jesus, a name that literally means “Jehovah Saves”. He forged the way. He is our way, our truth and our life. John 14:6 is one of the central passages in the Word of God, and it gives us the answer to the question: Is there only one way to God. The answer is YES!!!His name is Jesus Christ, and I recommend Him to you.

THE GIFT OF GRACE

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This is a promise from God- presented in this article- that we can embrace: “God’s grace allows me to face anything life throws at me.” God’s grace is always there but we become more acutely aware of it in our time of need. Our lives are filled with both joys and sorrows- sometimes the sorrows overwhelm us. Opportunities we embrace and difficulties we’d rather avoid can often come without warning. We don’t question God’s presence in the good times, although we might when life gets hard. God is with us through it all: good and bad. We are no less in God’s hands or useful as His instrument when we face challenges. It is often when we are at the end our rope that we are in a position to understand and experience God’s grace. God’s grace is always with us.

                               Read 2 Corinthians 12:2-7a

Verse 1 (not read) tells of Paul’s boasting that extended to spiritual experience. The Corinthians may have felt that a spiritual leader should be able to point to unusual visions and mystical experience as qualifications. The false apostles may have claimed such experience themselves. In any case, Paul let them know that he had experienced such a vision but he made it clear that this was not the key to his effectiveness as a minister. He referred to himself simply as “a man in Christ” to soften the element of boasting and to show how different the experience was from his usual experience. The incident had occurred fourteen years before, around AD 41. Paul had probably been a Christian for about seven years at the time. It must have been a crucial point in his life.

          Paul continued his “boasting” by telling about visions and revelations he had received from the Lord (vv.2-3). Paul explained that he didn’t know if he was taken up in his body or in his spirit but he had been in paradise (“The Third Heaven”, perhaps referring to the highest part of heaven, beyond the atmosphere and the stars, where God Himself lives). This incident cannot be positively identified with a recorded event in Paul’s career, although some think this may have been when he was stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19-20). Paul told about that he had been uniquely touched by God.

          Paul was very reserved about the details of his experience. This was in line with the whole emphasis of the Bible, which avoids giving a lot of details about heaven and the spiritual order. He continued to speak of his experience as though it had happened to someone else. Concerning himself, he would only speak of his weaknesses, for it was there that he felt the real point of his ministry was to be found. He would not carry his boasting game to the point of boasting about his private spiritual experience in his life. He also knew that he was called to preach Christ and speak on visions. Paul wanted the Corinthian believers to respect and follow his teachings and guidance because of what they had seen in his life- not to confuse him as a false teacher due to any “extraordinary revelations”.

                             Read 2 Corinthians 12:7b-8

There was a danger that such subline spiritual experience would go to Paul’s head. But God was at work om Paul’s life to prevent that. He was given a “thorn in the flesh” which served as “a messenger of Satan” to prevent any unreal spiritual elation. We do not know the exact nature of this thorn. Some speculate that it may have been metal and spiritual anguish arising from his hardships or his grief over having persecuted the church in the past. They point to the fact that the words could be translated “for the flesh”, and Paul uses flesh for human nature in general. But most interpreters take the phrase more naturally and literally and conclude Paul meant a physical ailment. The guesses include epilepsy, malaria (because it was common in the regions where he traveled), and eye trouble (because Paul wrote with large letters in Galatians 6:11). Whatever the thorn was, the lesson Paul learned is clear. He asked God to remove it, but God did not. He wanted Paul to depend on His grace, not on Paul’s own strength. He could affirm his disabilities because they were channels of God’s power.

           Three times Paul prayed for healing and did not receive it. He received, however, things far greater because he received greater grace from God: a stronger character, humility, and an ability to empathize with others. In addition, it benefited those around him as they saw God at work in his life. God, according to his sovereign plan, doesn’t heal some believers of their physical ailments. We don’t know why some are spared and others are not. God choses according to His divine purposes. Our task is to pray, to believe, and to trust. Paul is living  proof that holy living and courageous faith do not ensure instant physical healing. When we pray for healing, we must trust our bodies to God’s care. We must recognize that nothing separates us from His love (Romans 8:35-39) and that our spiritual condition is always more important than our physical condition.

        Think about what has helped you discover that God’s grace is sufficient for you to endure anything!

                                 Read 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Although God did not remove Paul’s affliction, He promised to demonstrate His power in Paul. The fact that God’s power is displayed in the times of our weaknesses should give us courage and hope. As we recognize our limitations, we will depend more on God for our effectiveness rather than on our energy, effort, or talent. Our limitations not only help develop Christian character but also deepen our worship, because in admitting them, we affirm God’s strength.

          When we are strong in abilities or resources, we are tempted to do God’s work on our own, and that can lead to pride. When we are weak, allowing God to fill us with His power, then we are stronger than we could ever be on our own. God does not intend for us to be weak, passive, or ineffective- life provides enough hindrances and setbacks without us creating them. When those obstacles come we must depend on God. Only His power will make us effective for Him and will help us do work that has lasting value.

         Only when we lean on God in the difficult times, listen for his voice, and allow His grace to work through our weakness can we experience Him on a deeper level and bring glory to Him as He works in and through us. Grace from God is a gift we don’t deserve but God gives it no matter.     

CELEBRATING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

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LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING GOD

Ps. 63:1; Rev. 22:4; 1 Tim. 6:16; Heb. 10:19; Ps. 27:4; John 14:9; Matt. 5:8; 1 John 3:2

We first needed to establish a clear picture of our physical, resurrected life on the New Earth. Having done that (although more to come) we must look forward to the time when we will see God. We now need to approach the topic of our eternal relationship with God with the riches and vitality it deserves. Psalm 63:1 says that God is the one we really long for: “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water”. This is stating that God’s presence brings satisfaction; His absence brings thirst and longing. Being with God is the heart and soul of Heaven.

       We are told in Revelation 22:4 that “They will see His face”. To see God’s face is the loftiest of all aspirations- though sadly, for most of us, it’s not at the top of our wish list. To be told we’ll see God’s face likely will be shocking to many, given what we see in the Old Testament.  When Moses said to God, “Show me Your glory,” God responded, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you…But, you cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live…When My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove My hand and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen” (Exodus 33:18-23).

       The New Testament says that God “lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16). So, to see God’s face was utterly unthinkable. However, the wonder of our redemption- to be welcomed into the very presence of our Lord and to see Him face-to-face. We are given a foretaste now in Hebrew 10:19; “We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus”.

        Let’s read Ps. 27:4; John 14:9; Matt. 5:8; and 1John 3:2

     2.God Dwelling With Us

Lev. 26:11-12; Ez. 37:27; 2 Cor. 6:16; Ep. 1:10; Rev. 21:3-4; John 14:3; John 17:24; Rev. 1:7; Gen. 1:26; Heb. 9:14; Isa. 25:6; Ep. 2:6

 In Eden, God came down to Earth, the home of mankind, whenever He wished (Genesis 3:8). On the New Earth, God and mankind will be able to come to each other whenever they wish. We will not have to leave home to visit God, nor will God leave home to visit us. God declares His truth in the following three Scriptures: Lev. 26:11-12; Ez. 37:27; 2 Cor. 6:16. Read these for an understanding that God and mankind will live together forever in the same home- The New Earth. The marriage of the God of Heaven with the people of Earth, will also bring the marriage of Heaven and Earth. There will not be two universes- one the primary home of God and the angels, the other the primary home of humanity. Nothing will separate us from God, and nothing will separate Earth and Heaven. This is really made clear in Ephesians 1:10- “To bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ”.

       Revelation 21:3- “God Himself will be with them”. This emphatically said “God Himself” because God won’t merely send us a delegate, it will be Him-“Himself”. He will actually come to live among us on the New Earth. God’s glory will fill and permeate the entire new Heaven, not just one centralized place. God’s glory will be the air we breathe, and we’ll always breathe deeper to gain more of it.

        John 14:3 – Says Jesus will return to take us with Him to be where He will be.

        John 17:24- Jesus says: “Father, I want those you have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world”.

        Revelation 1:7: Consider the promise that when Jesus returns “every eye will see   Him”. Think about how that will happen!

        Let’s read Gen. 1:26; Heb. 9:14; Isa. 25:6.

“God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” – Ephesians 2:6.

  • How Will We Worship God?

Matt.16:25; Rev. 7:9-12; 1 Thess. 5:16-18; Rev. 5:11-14; Ps. 16:6; Heb. 10:25; John 4:23; Matt. 6:6; Ps. 52:9; Ps. 115:18

Have you ever- in prayer or in worship at our church or during a walk or while sitting on your porch- for a few moments experienced the very presence of God? If you have, it was a great experience, but it soon disappeared in the distractions of life. What will it be like to behold God’s face and never be distracted by lesser things? Over-whelmed by God’s magnificence, we fall on our faces in unrestrained happiness and say, “Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” (Revelation 7:9-12). In Revelation 5:13-14 we are told that every nation, tribe, and people, and language will gather to sing praise to God for His greatness, wisdom, power, grace, and mighty work of redemption. In the previous section, we reviewed Revelation 21:3 that told us that God will be with us. That should excite us. If it doesn’t, we are not thinking correctly.

        It should be obvious that Revelation would be filled with Scriptures about God and our worship, but there are many others that give us clear and perceived (read between the lines) thoughts on how and when we will worship God.

      1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – God expects us to do other things as ways to worship and glorify Him; such as work, rest, and be with our families and Christian friends to show that we are to be joyful, pray, and give thanks while doing other things.

      John 4:23 – Tells us that God seeks worshipers, but it is not compulsory.

      Matthew 16:25 – Says we will not lose our identity when we see Him: “Whoever loses his life for me will find it”.

       Hebrews 10:25 – States it is unbiblical to imagine that we can successfully seek God on our own.

       Psalm 16:6 – God is our inheritance, but so is Heaven.

       Psalm 115:18 – “But we will bless the Lord from time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord!

       Psalm 52:9 – “I will praise You forever.”

  • Worship Services in Heaven

Rev. 4-5; Rev. 1:12-14; Ps.119:89; Rev. 5:11, 13; Rev: 7:12; Col. 3:1-4; 1 John 2:15-17; Rev. 19:6; Rev. 1:6; Ps. 89:1; Ps. 72:19; Ps. 113:2

It is important to note that in Revelation 4-5 there is no one in these passages that are under compulsion to worship God. No one is just standing there, demanding veneration. The whole heaven is rejoicing voluntarily and from the heart. Those whose praises fill the heaven know that Jesus Christ is exalted. He is all in all, and heaven’s in habitants never tire of worshipping Him.  Neither will we. Praising Him will never become boring. If that is true (and it is), don’t we think we should begin now?

      Imagine, moving from earthly worship to heavenly worship without skipping a beat. That is what happened to apostle John, but in Revelation 1:10-11, he wrote, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, The First and the Last…”. Then in Revelation 1:12-14, John turned to see who was speaking, and he said, “I saw seven golden lampstands and in the midst of seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, a white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire”.

       Let’s read four other passages in Revelation: 1:6; 5:11, 13; 7:12; and 19:6.

       In Colossians 3:1-4, Paul says that in worship, wisdom keeps us from the ups and downs of the rollercoaster experiences of life. (Paul road the rollercoaster after getting off of his moped.) Let’s read these 4 verses.

       To close out this section, there are 4 passages in Psalms that “sing of the mercies of the Lord forever”; “bless His glorious name forever”; “bless the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore” and 119:89, “Forever, O LORD, your word is settled in heaven”. But we will not have to exhort anyone to trust it or obey it, for we will be living in a state of perfect spirituality, for everyone will be saved and forever safe.

ARK OF GOD

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2  SAMUEL    OUTLINE- Background!

This outline of 2nd Samuel begins where we learn that Samuel died (1 Sam. 25:1). His work for the Lord was finished.  As we left the book of 1 Samuel David had just lead his men to attack & destroy the Amalekites, who had raided David’s home and took David’s wife’s Ahinoam and Abigail and all of the rest of the people and possessions. David immediately turned to God for strength and direction. David was lead to an Egyptian slave who had been abandoned by the Amalekites and was eager to pay them back. So the slave helped them surprise the Amalekites who were celebrating in a field. David and his men defeated them and recovered everyone and everything.  In the meantime the Philistines attacked Israel and killed 3 of Saul’s sons, including Jonathan. Saul was so severely wounded that he finally fell on his own sword. So as 1 Samuel ended, the stage was set for David to soon become king over Judah.

Overall the book of 2 Samuel tells the story of David as King- first as king of Judah and then in 2 Sam. 5:1-5 over all of Israel. These two kingdoms would remain unified through David and Solomon’s reign. Then in 1 Kings 12 the northern tribes of Israel would revolt and remain divided. In Isaiah, Israel is devastated except for the City of Jerusalem because of God’s promise to David.

In 2 Sam 1:4 it tells that David learns of Saul and Jonathan’s death and David composes a funeral song for both 2 Sam 1:17-27. David is anointed king of Judah (2:3). However, one of Saul’s surviving sons, Ishbosheth, was named king of Israel (2:9).  Then a war between Judah & Israel developed (2:12-16) and in 2:17 we are told David & his men defeated Abner, Ishbosheth’s army commander. It did not end the war but signaled the start of a very long war between the two nations (3:1).  During this time 3:2-5 gives an account of the birth of 6 sons to David.  The turning point in the was is told in 4:7-8 when Ishbosheth is murdered.  The tribes of Israel came to David (5:1-2) and wanted him to be king of Israel. This occurred in 2 Sam 5:3.  With God’s direction David captures Jerusalem from the Jebusites and made it the City of David 5:6-7. Now the Philistines became concerned about David strength and combined all of their forces to attack David 5:17-18. In 5:19 David went to the Lord for direction and was given the go ahead to take on the Philistines and given assurance of victory. 5:20-25 tells of the two battles with the Philistines. Between these battles David went to the Lord again and was given the direction to circle them and wait for the Lord’s signal. This is our lesson for waiting on the Lord (Isaiah 40:31).  This brings us to the heart of today’s lesson.

BASIC THOUGHTS

Chapter 6 begins by moving the Ark of God to Jerusalem. Saul had virtually ignored the Ark- another of Saul’s many failures.

Read 2 Samuel 6:1-5   Honor God in God’s Way

David would reign for 33 years over all of Israel and Judah. David was determined to bring the Ark of the Covenant home. All seemed Good!  However David was human and he failed to follow God’s instructions and law for the Ark. David had the Ark placed on a cart- which was exactly the way the Philistines had moved the Ark from the Israelites (1 Sam 6:7).  In Numbers 3:30-31, 4:15, & 7:9 it tells how the Ark should be carried by the sons of Kohath- using poles and leather base described in Ex. 25:12-15. However not even the Kohath were permitted to actually touch the Ark. David used 2 of Abinadab’s sons to guide the cart. So David was dishonoring God even though his motives were sincere.

Read 2 Samuel 6:6-11    Respect What is Holy

We learn when the oxen pulling the cart stumbles, Uzzah, Abinadab’s son, grabs the Ark to prevent it from falling. Uzzah thought he was doing the right thing but was outside of God’s will. Uzzah was struck dead. This is a clear message to all of us. This could have been avoided if the move had been handled according to God’s instructions. We are not to become complacent about God’s Holiness. David became angry over the death and then his anger turned to fear. This renewed his respect for God. Essentially David put the Ark in storage after this and waited to see if and when the Lord would permit the Ark to be moved to Jerusalem.

Read 2 Samuel 6:12-15, 17 Worship With Enthusiastic Reverence

Upon hearing about the 3 month blessings that the family had received while Ark was in their care, realized it was time to move the Ark to the City of David. So this time the Ark was handled exactly as the Lord had commanded to show the proper reverence. David became exuberant, put on a priest’s ephod, and began dancing in public. David prepared a special tent to place the Ark to honor God. David also made several offerings to the Lord.  So we are to worship God joyfully and enthusiastically to praise Him and obey Him. This is to respond to His infinite Holiness and Mercy!  Finally- we find our highest good in relating to Him through faith in Jesus and reverently doing His will in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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