1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and
we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and
we exist through Him.
If we were to summarize all that there is to be known or can be known, it would be this: God and creation. The three major headings under which all of God's activites fit are these: Creation, Redemption and Completion. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 states under its article entitled "God" - "There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual,
and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe." Today I want us to consider the significance of the Biblical teaching of creation, and how it is the Bible unfolds it under the following three headings
1. God Planned Creation
2. God made Creation
3. God Preserves Creation
God Planned Creation.
Before Genesis 1:1, what was God doing? As we have seen in other blogs, we know God is revealed in scripture as the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As the Trinity, redemption or salvation was planned before the creation of the world by them entering into what the Bible describes as "the counsel of God". (Ephesians 1:11) With the Bible revealing that truth, we understand that creation and history were also pre-planned by God. Jeremiah 33:20-21 states - “Thus says the LORD, ‘If you can break My covenant
for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not be at
their appointed time, 21 then
My covenant may also be broken with David My servant so that he will not have a
son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers." Similarly Jeremiah writes a few verses later: “Thus says the LORD, ‘If My covenant for day
and night stand not, and the fixed patterns of heaven and earth I
have not established".Creation and all of history were planned by the Triune God.
God made Creation.
We would run out of space in today's blog if we were to list every passage that speaks on this subject of creation. Some sixty passages exist that speak on the subject of creation. Genesis 1:1 and Job 38 are but a few of the major passages that tells us that God made all things. As the Triune Creator, we see the Biblical testimony telling us about how the Triune God went about creating all things:
God the Father Sanctioned creation. Genesis 1:1; Psalm 33:6.
That is He had creation on His mind and with the Son spoke everything into being.
God the Son structures creation. John 1:1; Colossians 1:16-17
"By Him and through Him all things consist" is the language of scripture pertaining to the creative activity of the Son. He with the Father brought into reality what had been on the Father's mind. Without the Son, nothing would be made that had been made. (John 1:3).
God the Holy Spirit sustains creation. After the creation week, the creative activity of God ceased. (Genesis 2:1-3). From thereon God interjected the Laws that He uses to regulate and maintain the created order. Through the four fundamental forces of gravity; the strong force (holding together the nuclei of atoms); the weak force (what brings about radioactive decay) and electromagnetism (spectrum that includes radio waves, visible light and other forms of radiation, as well as what binds together elements into molecules) the Spirit of God sustains and gives life to all things. (Psalm 104).
God Preserves Creation
It is the Holy Spirit who is sustaining and directing all of history and the universe to its intended end as the Son holds together the structure of all things with the Father's continuing sanction. Romans 8:19-21 tells us - "19For the anxious longing of the creation waits
eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20For the
creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who
subjected it, in hope 21that the
creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the
freedom of the glory of the children of God."
This is but a quick thumbnail sketch of the Biblical doctrine of God and creation. As we can see in many of these passages, creation functions as both an environment and illustration of God's purposes for redemption. Furthermore, the Trinity's involvement with the created order is set to bring to completion the Father's will at Christ's return as revealed by the Spirit in the scriptures. May our thoughts be made more Christ-centered as we think on God and creation.
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Thursday, October 4, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
The Eternal Basis for Eternal Security
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
Yesterday I wrote about the relevance of the Bible's teaching on God's eternal covenant of redemption. The Covenant of redemption is God's eternally agreed upon plan of salvation. In today's blog we want to consider a second reason why this truth is so important for Christians: namely the believer's eternal security.
The Covenant of Redemption is the Basis for Eternal Security
Jude 24-25 reads - "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." When you see this text, you see the Triune God active throughout the whole of Eternal Security. Notice the underlined words in the text:
1). The Spirit is the applier of redemption. We see that in the phrase "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling". From the preceeding verses in Jude, we understand the "Him" to be in reference to God the Holy Spirit. Whenever we speak of One of the Members of the Trinity, we can also include the other two, since all Three share the same undivided life and fellowship as One God. With that said, the Holy Spirit has been sent to insure that every true believer in Jesus Christ will endure to the end. A True Christian will not only endure, but they will want to endure.
2). The Father is the planner of redemption. We see that in Jude's use of the phrase: "to the Only God our Savior". The fact He distingishes "God" from "Jesus Christ" tells us that Jude is specifying God the Father, in whose nature the Son shares. It is the Father who initiated, planned and put forth the effort to send forth the Son and the Spirit to execute His plan of redemption. (Galatians 4:4; 1 Peter 1:20)
3). The Son is the purchaser of redemption. Jude rounds out this final verse of His epistle by referring to this plan of redemption being accomplished "through Jesus Christ our Lord". It was the Son who came into time, assumed humanity through the virgin birth, lived 33 years and died on the cross. He raised from the dead and ascended into Heaven. While never ceasing to be God, He became man. Now that He has ascended into Heaven, he has never ceased being man, demonstrating that He is God in human flesh. Ephesians 1:7 states -
"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace."
The Eternal security of the believer is based upon what God planned in eternity, what Christ payed for in history and what the Spirit is applying presently. Jude 25 closes out with a doxology: "be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." Notice the text does not say "glories" but "glory", reminding us that all Three Persons equally share infinitely and equally as the One God of glory.
Praise be to the Triune God for all that has been done in providing the basis for missions and eternal security.
Yesterday I wrote about the relevance of the Bible's teaching on God's eternal covenant of redemption. The Covenant of redemption is God's eternally agreed upon plan of salvation. In today's blog we want to consider a second reason why this truth is so important for Christians: namely the believer's eternal security.
The Covenant of Redemption is the Basis for Eternal Security
Jude 24-25 reads - "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." When you see this text, you see the Triune God active throughout the whole of Eternal Security. Notice the underlined words in the text:
1). The Spirit is the applier of redemption. We see that in the phrase "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling". From the preceeding verses in Jude, we understand the "Him" to be in reference to God the Holy Spirit. Whenever we speak of One of the Members of the Trinity, we can also include the other two, since all Three share the same undivided life and fellowship as One God. With that said, the Holy Spirit has been sent to insure that every true believer in Jesus Christ will endure to the end. A True Christian will not only endure, but they will want to endure.
2). The Father is the planner of redemption. We see that in Jude's use of the phrase: "to the Only God our Savior". The fact He distingishes "God" from "Jesus Christ" tells us that Jude is specifying God the Father, in whose nature the Son shares. It is the Father who initiated, planned and put forth the effort to send forth the Son and the Spirit to execute His plan of redemption. (Galatians 4:4; 1 Peter 1:20)
3). The Son is the purchaser of redemption. Jude rounds out this final verse of His epistle by referring to this plan of redemption being accomplished "through Jesus Christ our Lord". It was the Son who came into time, assumed humanity through the virgin birth, lived 33 years and died on the cross. He raised from the dead and ascended into Heaven. While never ceasing to be God, He became man. Now that He has ascended into Heaven, he has never ceased being man, demonstrating that He is God in human flesh. Ephesians 1:7 states -
"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace."
The Eternal security of the believer is based upon what God planned in eternity, what Christ payed for in history and what the Spirit is applying presently. Jude 25 closes out with a doxology: "be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." Notice the text does not say "glories" but "glory", reminding us that all Three Persons equally share infinitely and equally as the One God of glory.
Praise be to the Triune God for all that has been done in providing the basis for missions and eternal security.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
The Eternal Basis for Missions
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
In last week's post, dated Tuesday September 24th, I wrote on the topic: "The Eternal Covenant of Redemption". Today I would like to follow up on that post, demonstrating why it is extremely relevant to Christians today.
The Covenant of Redemption is the Biblical truth of God's eternally agreed upon plan of salvation. In passages such as 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2 and Hebrews 13:20, we understand that the members of the Trinity entered into Covenant with another before time began, resulting in the following:
1). The Father planned redemption or salvation
2). The Son agreed to come and purchase salvation
3). The Spirit agreed to come and apply salvation to all whom He calls, convicts and believes
I would invite the reader to refer back to my previous post to gain more detail. My aim today is to consider that the Covenant of Redemption is valuable to the Christian because it is the basis for missions.
The Covenant of Redemption is the basis for Missions
If we take God's eternal plan or covenant of redemption: (God the Father planned, The Son purchased and the Spirit applies) and consider passages that speak specifically about missions and sharing the Gospel, we immediately see the richness of salvation.
For instance, Jesus told Nicodemas in John 3:8 - “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Unless the Spirit comes, extending the gifting grace of faith and repentance, whereby sinners can believe, repent and be saved, salvation will not occur. The Spirit comes to apply redemption. Jesus teaches about this further in John 16:8 “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment." The Bible reveals that the faith and repentance required to receive the benefits of forgiveness, reconcilation and justification must have the Spirit of God present. Unless He is present and working in the sinner's heart, faith and repentance won't occur. The Spirit of God is the applier of redemption.
John 3:16 quoted above shows us the other elements of the Covenant of redemption. The Father, the Planner of salvation, sent the Son, to purchase redemption, so that whosoever believes can be saved from the wrath to come. The Spirit's work of conviction and the newbirth is implied from the context. God is the great missionary. He planned, purchased and pursues after sinners. The Father planned to give a redeemed humanity to the Son who agreed to pay the purchase price. The Spirit is out searching after and calling the whosoevers, bidding them to believe and repent and be saved. Without ever negating human responsibility to believe on Jesus Christ, salvation is a work of God from beginning to end.
The Spirit does all this through Christians who proclaim the scriptures. Though it is the efforts of other Christians that goes and does the work, yet it is the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father in Jesus' name, who brings about the results of the work. It is God who ordains the means as well as the ends of salvation - hence why salvation is a work of God from beginning to end. Missions is the first reason why we need to be more familiar with the Covenant of Redemption. More tomorrow....
In last week's post, dated Tuesday September 24th, I wrote on the topic: "The Eternal Covenant of Redemption". Today I would like to follow up on that post, demonstrating why it is extremely relevant to Christians today.
The Covenant of Redemption is the Biblical truth of God's eternally agreed upon plan of salvation. In passages such as 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2 and Hebrews 13:20, we understand that the members of the Trinity entered into Covenant with another before time began, resulting in the following:
1). The Father planned redemption or salvation
2). The Son agreed to come and purchase salvation
3). The Spirit agreed to come and apply salvation to all whom He calls, convicts and believes
I would invite the reader to refer back to my previous post to gain more detail. My aim today is to consider that the Covenant of Redemption is valuable to the Christian because it is the basis for missions.
The Covenant of Redemption is the basis for Missions
If we take God's eternal plan or covenant of redemption: (God the Father planned, The Son purchased and the Spirit applies) and consider passages that speak specifically about missions and sharing the Gospel, we immediately see the richness of salvation.
For instance, Jesus told Nicodemas in John 3:8 - “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Unless the Spirit comes, extending the gifting grace of faith and repentance, whereby sinners can believe, repent and be saved, salvation will not occur. The Spirit comes to apply redemption. Jesus teaches about this further in John 16:8 “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment." The Bible reveals that the faith and repentance required to receive the benefits of forgiveness, reconcilation and justification must have the Spirit of God present. Unless He is present and working in the sinner's heart, faith and repentance won't occur. The Spirit of God is the applier of redemption.
John 3:16 quoted above shows us the other elements of the Covenant of redemption. The Father, the Planner of salvation, sent the Son, to purchase redemption, so that whosoever believes can be saved from the wrath to come. The Spirit's work of conviction and the newbirth is implied from the context. God is the great missionary. He planned, purchased and pursues after sinners. The Father planned to give a redeemed humanity to the Son who agreed to pay the purchase price. The Spirit is out searching after and calling the whosoevers, bidding them to believe and repent and be saved. Without ever negating human responsibility to believe on Jesus Christ, salvation is a work of God from beginning to end.
The Spirit does all this through Christians who proclaim the scriptures. Though it is the efforts of other Christians that goes and does the work, yet it is the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father in Jesus' name, who brings about the results of the work. It is God who ordains the means as well as the ends of salvation - hence why salvation is a work of God from beginning to end. Missions is the first reason why we need to be more familiar with the Covenant of Redemption. More tomorrow....
Monday, October 1, 2012
A Poem: The Broken Heart Healed
Romans 5:5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within
our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
A Poem: The Broken Heart Healed
Lord, Broken and dead you found my heart
God's Law could not save and we were apart
I was dead in sin, undesiring to come
Blinded were my eyes and my ears were dumb
My desires were my gods and the world my friend
Rebellion inherited from Adam and hell my end
Darkened was the sky of my soul overhead
Lest your grace shine in I would remain spiritually dead
But then the ground trembled and the stone rolled away
Your voice had come by your Word that day
You called my name: "come forth you said"
"Forsake yourself and arise from the dead"
In faith I came, faith had arrived
Rescued from wrath, I was now alive
I came forth, "unwrap Him" you said
"For this One is alive and no longer dead"
My broken heart you healed, my life you transformed
Why put on those grave clothes? Why to this world conform?
The Great Physician called me
Prescibed me His Word
Faith did I express, His voice I had heard
Daily I need the pages of His prescriptions for me
To follow the Master whose touch set me free
Your Spirit indwells me and your hope is my sail
In this life for you I walk until I pass through the vale
By grace you called, through faith I did receive
In Grace you will keep me, your will to achieve
When I am gathered at your coming, this body will be changed
Corruption for glory will have been exchanged
The heart you healed, is looking to you
The Master who takes the old and makes all things new
Sunday, September 30, 2012
The Words of Life - A Poem
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
The Words of Life - A Poem
I see an old Bible, wrinkled and worn
When it is preached, faith can be born
The Sinner's heart melts, the work is done
Faith grabs hold, the faith-walk has begun
Hearing is granted, obedience resides
To Christ flees the saint, in His presence He abides
The Bible is alive, its words are breathing force
In its hearing weak faith is strengthened
Resolve resumes its course
The saint faces trials, the Bible in his hand
Eyes raised heavenward, on God's word He does stand
Pages stained with tears, the Bible is a friend
Its truth unchanged, broken hearts it can mend
The Spirit speaks forth, pointing the way
See the Living Savior, become His today
Worn it may be, the words are timeless and true
Open your Bible and take in what God speaks to you
Saturday, September 29, 2012
The Lordship of Jesus Christ
Romans 10:9 "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
What is meant when the New Testament refers to Jesus Christ as Lord? Today's blog aims to answer that question by offering a three-fold definition of Christ's Lordship from scripture:
1. He is God.
When the New Testament refers to Jesus as Lord, it is another way of saying he is God. Matthew 12:28; Mark 2:28 and Luke 6:5 refer to Jesus Christ as Lord of the Sabbath. Lordship refers to excercising dominion over a realm or Kingdom. In Genesis 2:3 we read that God "rested from His work" after creating all things, meaning He was establishing Himself as the Sovereign, uncontested Lord over all things. In fact, Genesis 2:4 tells us that it was indeed the "LORD God" who made the heavens and the earth, giving us the first appearance of the term "LORD" in the Bible. By noting the Old Testament background, Jesus' remarks in John 5:18 make clearer sense, since in healing a man on the sabbath He makes a declaration of Himself as being equal with God. The reason He could do that was because He was there, in co-equal power and being with the Father on the day of the first Sabbath back in Genesis! In fact in Matthew 12:8 Jesus plainly states: "The Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath". Thus Jesus Christ's declaration of Lordship was His way of saying He is God.
2. He is Sovereign.
When we speak of Christ's Lordship, we also are referring to His Sovereignty. The term "Sovereign" means God's comprehensive reign over all peoples, places and times. Sovereignty refers to God's right to reign. Matthew 28:18 has Jesus saying: "All power has been given to me on Heaven and on Earth". Other passages such as John 10:17-18 and 5:22 speak to this end. As Lord He is Sovereign enough to both rise from the dead and excercise judgment. He is Lord. He is Sovereign.
3. He is Savior
The Lordship of Jesus Christ speaks to His role as the Saving Redeemer. Passages such as Philippians 2:7; 1 Timothy 3:16 and Hebrews 4:15 refer to His function as the Savior who excercises His Lordship in salvation. Romans 10:9 is the plainest verse: "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Despite the attempts of some today, scripture's testimony is that you cannot divorce Christ's role as Savior from His role as Lord. The latter term is what gives Him the power and authority to be the Savior. As God, He is powerful enough to save and as Sovereign He has the Authority to save all who by grace through faith believe on Him for the forgiveness of their sins. (Romans 10:8-10)
To confess Jesus Christ as Lord means I am trusting Him to be the Savior who leads me, sustains me and Shepherds me. As my Sovereign, I am His Subject, and He my King. As my God, He is the One who I worship and adore.
What is meant when the New Testament refers to Jesus Christ as Lord? Today's blog aims to answer that question by offering a three-fold definition of Christ's Lordship from scripture:
1. He is God.
When the New Testament refers to Jesus as Lord, it is another way of saying he is God. Matthew 12:28; Mark 2:28 and Luke 6:5 refer to Jesus Christ as Lord of the Sabbath. Lordship refers to excercising dominion over a realm or Kingdom. In Genesis 2:3 we read that God "rested from His work" after creating all things, meaning He was establishing Himself as the Sovereign, uncontested Lord over all things. In fact, Genesis 2:4 tells us that it was indeed the "LORD God" who made the heavens and the earth, giving us the first appearance of the term "LORD" in the Bible. By noting the Old Testament background, Jesus' remarks in John 5:18 make clearer sense, since in healing a man on the sabbath He makes a declaration of Himself as being equal with God. The reason He could do that was because He was there, in co-equal power and being with the Father on the day of the first Sabbath back in Genesis! In fact in Matthew 12:8 Jesus plainly states: "The Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath". Thus Jesus Christ's declaration of Lordship was His way of saying He is God.
2. He is Sovereign.
When we speak of Christ's Lordship, we also are referring to His Sovereignty. The term "Sovereign" means God's comprehensive reign over all peoples, places and times. Sovereignty refers to God's right to reign. Matthew 28:18 has Jesus saying: "All power has been given to me on Heaven and on Earth". Other passages such as John 10:17-18 and 5:22 speak to this end. As Lord He is Sovereign enough to both rise from the dead and excercise judgment. He is Lord. He is Sovereign.
3. He is Savior
The Lordship of Jesus Christ speaks to His role as the Saving Redeemer. Passages such as Philippians 2:7; 1 Timothy 3:16 and Hebrews 4:15 refer to His function as the Savior who excercises His Lordship in salvation. Romans 10:9 is the plainest verse: "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Despite the attempts of some today, scripture's testimony is that you cannot divorce Christ's role as Savior from His role as Lord. The latter term is what gives Him the power and authority to be the Savior. As God, He is powerful enough to save and as Sovereign He has the Authority to save all who by grace through faith believe on Him for the forgiveness of their sins. (Romans 10:8-10)
To confess Jesus Christ as Lord means I am trusting Him to be the Savior who leads me, sustains me and Shepherds me. As my Sovereign, I am His Subject, and He my King. As my God, He is the One who I worship and adore.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Prescriptions for Stronger Faith
Numbers 11:23 "The LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD’S power limited? Now you shall see whether My word
will come true for you or not.”
The Disease of unbelief needed a Powerful Prescription
In this section of Numbers 11-12 we see the situation in the nation of Israel drastically plummet. Numbers 11:1-3 tells us: "1 Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the LORD; and when the LORD heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 2The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the LORD and the fire died out. 3So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the LORD burned among them."
For over 12 months since their deliverance out of Egypt, the people had been camped around the base of Mount Sinai. They had every means of grace available. Yet as Hebrews 3-4 reveals, they ended up not entering into the land which God was calling them due to unbelief. These two chapters of Numbers 11-12 are chapters about the complaining people of God.
1. We see the Children of Israel compaining in Numbers 11:1-9
2. We see Moses companing about the people Number 11:10-15
3. We see Miraim and Aaron complaining about Moses 12:1-2
No faith, struggling faith and weakening faith
No one was happy. These three groups of people were in a miserable condition. The Nation of Israel camped around Sinai were operating with no faith. Hebrews 3:19 describes the generation of Israelites coming out of Egypt being incapable of entering into the promised land due to unbelief.
Moses was operating with struggling faith. According to Hebrews 3:5, Moses was indeed faithful, a "faith-filled man", yet in this particular episode he was overwhelmed. Then we see Aaron and Miriam dealing with weakening faith. They had genuine faith, however jealousy and envy over Moses had sapped their spiritual energy. What these people needed was the same thing we need as God's people living in the 21st century: Stronger faith.
The people of Israel needed saving faith, Moses needed victorious faith and Aaron and Miriam needed greater faith. In the middle of these two chapters we see Moses' raise further doubts to God's ability to provide. It is in Numbers 11:23 that we see God says these words: "The LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD’S power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.”
It is from this text that I see the Lord giving us a set of prescriptions for stronger faith. If someone is in need of saving faith, this prescription from Numbers 11:23 will guarantee salvation. Perhaps you are reading this and are a believer in Christ already, however you are needing victorious faith or stronger faith. May I urge you to consider the following prescriptions for greater faith from Numbers 11:23.
1. Consider the Lord. Numbers 11:23a "The LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD’S power limited?"
This was Moses' problem: He had considered his circumstance more than the Lord. The question posed by Jehovah God can only yield one answer - of course the Lord's arm, ability, strength, is not too short. The people needed to place their faith and trust in the saving power of the one who had rescued them out of Egypt. Miriam and Aaron needed to be reminded that the Lord called Moses to do one thing, and they another. The Lord's power is unlimited (Psalm 90:1).
2. Consider the Lord's word. Numbers 11:23b "Now you shall see whether My word will come true"
Moses, the man of struggling faith, needed to hear the Word of the Lord. The prophet of God, who had already composed Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus at this stage of redemptive history, was at a low point in his ministry. He wanted to die.
The nation of Israel had no faith. Their failure to believe was not God's fault, but theirs. Only the preaching of God's word can bring about the faith needed for the person to embrace Christ. (Romans 10:17). That generation of people needed to be saved. (again compare Hebrews 3 and 4) Miriam and Aaron had weak faith. They needed to heed the Word they had received and consider their words carefully. Dear friend, you and I need to consider the Lord's words more than our thoughts, our impressions and our opinions. God was telling Moses that no doubt, He was going to do as he had said.
3. Consider your heart. Number 11:23 "Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.”
What was the Lord trying to get Moses to consider. He was trying to get him to consider the Lord, and the Lord's word. But He was also appealing to the court of Moses' heart. That word "you" takes what is impersonal and distant and suddenly brings it to bear personally and near. Somewhere along the way, Moses' let the circumstance change his understanding about the Lord, rather than let His understanding of the Lord change His circumstance.
He who had seen the Lord split the Red Sea and rain fire on the Mountain was begging God to let him die. I do not hold Moses in contempt, for I too have had those times, and I'm sure you have as well. It is in those times of trouble that God has had me take stock of my heart.
Proverbs 4:23 tells us - "Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life." Whenever my heart is out of tune with the Lord, it is because I have not considered Him nor His words. This three-fold prescription of considering the Lord, His Word and your heart will lead to stronger faith. Take it in daily, and watch your faith grow.
The Disease of unbelief needed a Powerful Prescription
In this section of Numbers 11-12 we see the situation in the nation of Israel drastically plummet. Numbers 11:1-3 tells us: "1 Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the LORD; and when the LORD heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 2The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the LORD and the fire died out. 3So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the LORD burned among them."
For over 12 months since their deliverance out of Egypt, the people had been camped around the base of Mount Sinai. They had every means of grace available. Yet as Hebrews 3-4 reveals, they ended up not entering into the land which God was calling them due to unbelief. These two chapters of Numbers 11-12 are chapters about the complaining people of God.
1. We see the Children of Israel compaining in Numbers 11:1-9
2. We see Moses companing about the people Number 11:10-15
3. We see Miraim and Aaron complaining about Moses 12:1-2
No faith, struggling faith and weakening faith
No one was happy. These three groups of people were in a miserable condition. The Nation of Israel camped around Sinai were operating with no faith. Hebrews 3:19 describes the generation of Israelites coming out of Egypt being incapable of entering into the promised land due to unbelief.
Moses was operating with struggling faith. According to Hebrews 3:5, Moses was indeed faithful, a "faith-filled man", yet in this particular episode he was overwhelmed. Then we see Aaron and Miriam dealing with weakening faith. They had genuine faith, however jealousy and envy over Moses had sapped their spiritual energy. What these people needed was the same thing we need as God's people living in the 21st century: Stronger faith.
The people of Israel needed saving faith, Moses needed victorious faith and Aaron and Miriam needed greater faith. In the middle of these two chapters we see Moses' raise further doubts to God's ability to provide. It is in Numbers 11:23 that we see God says these words: "The LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD’S power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.”
It is from this text that I see the Lord giving us a set of prescriptions for stronger faith. If someone is in need of saving faith, this prescription from Numbers 11:23 will guarantee salvation. Perhaps you are reading this and are a believer in Christ already, however you are needing victorious faith or stronger faith. May I urge you to consider the following prescriptions for greater faith from Numbers 11:23.
1. Consider the Lord. Numbers 11:23a "The LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD’S power limited?"
This was Moses' problem: He had considered his circumstance more than the Lord. The question posed by Jehovah God can only yield one answer - of course the Lord's arm, ability, strength, is not too short. The people needed to place their faith and trust in the saving power of the one who had rescued them out of Egypt. Miriam and Aaron needed to be reminded that the Lord called Moses to do one thing, and they another. The Lord's power is unlimited (Psalm 90:1).
2. Consider the Lord's word. Numbers 11:23b "Now you shall see whether My word will come true"
Moses, the man of struggling faith, needed to hear the Word of the Lord. The prophet of God, who had already composed Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus at this stage of redemptive history, was at a low point in his ministry. He wanted to die.
The nation of Israel had no faith. Their failure to believe was not God's fault, but theirs. Only the preaching of God's word can bring about the faith needed for the person to embrace Christ. (Romans 10:17). That generation of people needed to be saved. (again compare Hebrews 3 and 4) Miriam and Aaron had weak faith. They needed to heed the Word they had received and consider their words carefully. Dear friend, you and I need to consider the Lord's words more than our thoughts, our impressions and our opinions. God was telling Moses that no doubt, He was going to do as he had said.
3. Consider your heart. Number 11:23 "Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.”
What was the Lord trying to get Moses to consider. He was trying to get him to consider the Lord, and the Lord's word. But He was also appealing to the court of Moses' heart. That word "you" takes what is impersonal and distant and suddenly brings it to bear personally and near. Somewhere along the way, Moses' let the circumstance change his understanding about the Lord, rather than let His understanding of the Lord change His circumstance.
He who had seen the Lord split the Red Sea and rain fire on the Mountain was begging God to let him die. I do not hold Moses in contempt, for I too have had those times, and I'm sure you have as well. It is in those times of trouble that God has had me take stock of my heart.
Proverbs 4:23 tells us - "Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life." Whenever my heart is out of tune with the Lord, it is because I have not considered Him nor His words. This three-fold prescription of considering the Lord, His Word and your heart will lead to stronger faith. Take it in daily, and watch your faith grow.
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