Restoration, Deliverance and Safety

Psalm 53:6 "Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores His captive people, Let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad."

Restoration, Deliverance and safety are three words that are often found together or in relationship to one another when describing the benefits of God's salvation in scripture.  Psalm 53 defines salvation as when God will restore His people Israel.  Psalm 54 speaks of how God delivers His people from the hands of their enemies.  Then Psalm 55 is David's heartbreak over the betrayal he experienced by his best friend, and how God shielded David from his enemies.  Psalm 55:22 is repeated in 1 Peter 5:7 where we read: "cast all of your cares upon the Lord, for He cares for you".  

As you turn to Acts 27, the Apostle Paul has been captive on a ship that has been in the midst of a gale force storm at sea.  Though all seemed lost, Paul knew and communicated to his captors and ship mates that God would save them, deliver them and restore them.  The soldiers commanding the ship attempted all they could to avoid listening to their Apostolic prisoner.  However the sails were torn, the anchors had to be cut loose, the life boat attached to the side had to be cut-loose and their supplies thrown overboard.  Quite literally the only they could be "saved" is to crash land the ship on the shore and ride out the storm.  

When it comes to God's salvation, how often do we find ourselves attempting to hoist sails and land anchors of our own making.  The Lord will by His Spirit blow the ships of our lives into the jagged edge of God's law.  The law is what shows us our inability to stand in the sight of God on our own two feet.  When by grace we see the cross behind the jagged rocks, we by faith will be glad to run the ship of our self-effort aground in order to find safe harbor at the cross.  Just as God's word through Paul had said, all the people were saved from perishing at sea.  Only when we have by grace through faith heeded the Spirit's call can we receive restoration, deliverance and safety from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:9-10; 1 Peter 3:18) 

God's Providence and Redemptive Purpose

Acts 28:28 "Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.”

How the Book of Acts illustrates God's providence and redemptive purposes

The Book of Acts is a very important part of God's divinely inspired library - the Bible.  First of all it is the companion sequel to Luke's Gospel.  Luke wrote both Luke and Acts to detail the life, death burial and resurrection of Christ and the events that would proceed from all He accomplished.  Secondly, the Book of Acts provides the background to all the New Testament letters.  Roughly speaking, Acts 1-12 details the ministries of Peter, John and Jesus' half brother James, providing background material for the New Testament's first epistle - James.  Acts 13-15 records Paul's first missionary journey, the background for the Book of Galatians.  In Acts 16-18 we see Paul's 2nd and 3rd missionary journeys, wherein he wrote his letters of 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Corinthians and Romans.  Then in Acts 19-28 we see Paul's trials and imprisonments, which would provide the context for his writing Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon and the books of 1 Timothy and Titus.  Acts covers the period from shortly after Jesus' ascension in 33 A.D up until around 62 A.D.  From 62 A.D-75 A.D we would see Peter writing his letters, quite possibly Paul composing Hebrews and definitely writing his final letter 2 Timothy, as well as the letter of Jude.  

How God's Providence and Redemptive Purpose affects you and me

It must be remembered that the Bible is not just about the salvation of God's people, but the historical/redemptive unfolding of salvation, leading to the Bible's grand purpose - God's glory.  In Psalms 56-58 we see the celebration of God Providence - namely the manner in which he exercises His Sovereignty (right to reign) by actually ruling through man's activities and choices the events of history (providence). The word "Providence" is composed of two words that you may recognize: "Pro" meaning before and "video" meaning "to see".  Thus God's Providence is His ability to see things in His mind before they happen and to "provide" the means and grace necessary to accomplish the ends of His will. History is truly His-story.  

The Psalmist's confidence of what God is going to do is based upon His faithfulness to His people in times past.  One preacher I know of has observed that looking back through the times of His life enables him to see God's Providential fingerprints in those events.  Truly hindsight is 20/20.   May we remember that in our daily lives, Providence, not chance, governs and directs the course of events.  Though people may and can make legitimate decisions, nevertheless all things work together for the good, to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) 

5 Key thoughts to knowing God better

Psalm 50:2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth.

Psalms 50-52 gives you five key thoughts by which you can understand and know God better.  The first idea has to do with God being Sovereign.  Sovereignty has to do with God's comprehensive control over all people, places and times.  David calls Him "The Mighty One" in Psalm 50:1, and as the rest of the Psalm explains, the Sovereignty of God extends over all things.  

The second idea about God in these Psalms is that He is Holy.  Holiness is that quality of God's nature that places Him in a class by Himself and which defines His infinite purity as the Objective standard of truth and righteousness.  In Psalm 50:2 we see God's "perfection of beauty" being compared to the radiance of the sun.  

Thirdly we see what is called God's grace, as spelled out in Psalm 51:1.  As Sovereign and Holy God is the standard for right and wrong, and as the God of grace He is the source of salvation to all who by His grace believe on Jesus Christ.  God's grace is Him doing for you and I what we could never do for ourselves by extending His unmerited, unearned favor.  

Fourthly we see the justice of God as exampled for us in Psalm 52:8.  God is fair in all His dealings.  His justice regulates how He operates both internally and how He deals with believers and unbelievers.  

Then fifthly we see the glory of God in all three of these Psalms.  What is God's glory? His glory is the full display of all His Goodness.  When you turn to Acts 27, you see the Apostle Paul being a rock of peace in the midst of a howling storm at sea.  How can he be that way when everything and everyone is falling apart? His intense God centered focus.  Like David, Paul kept in mind that God is Sovereign, Holy, Gracious, Just and Glorious.  Knowing how great God is, Paul also knew how personally involved God is in the affairs of His people and the proclamation of the Gospel.  God dispatched an angel to Paul to encourage him in Acts 27:23 just as He did so for a trembling Isaiah in Isaiah 6:6.  This same Sovereign, Holy, Gracious, Just and Glorious God is here to minister to you dear Christian.  If you who are reading this blog are not yet converted to Christ, I urge you to repent and believe on Jesus Christ, since God in His Grace is also Just.  It is in the goodness and severity of His Justice that the Sovereign and Holy God calls you by grace to receive His glorious forgiveness through Jesus Christ.  (2 Corinthians 4:4-6)

A Recipe for Hope from Lamentations

Lamentations 3:22-23 "The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.

23 

They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."

Whenever you turn to the Book of Lamentations, you are reading a book written by the Prophet Jeremiah who witnessed the fall and carrying away of his people into exile in Babylon.  Jeremiah has been coined "the weeping prophet" due to the fact that much of his ministry carried sorrow over the non-repentance of his nation.  The Book of Lamentations are a series of five poetic songs written to lament over the eventual carrying away and destruction of the Jewish people in Jerusalem in 586 b.c. 

Thankfully not everything in Jeremiah's book of Lamentations is hopeless, for among the tear soaked verses we find some places where hope shines through.  In Lamentations 3:19:25 we find a recipe of hope tucked in the midst of circumstances that desperately needed a word from God.  In today's post I would like you to see the recipe for hope found in these verses.  The question we can ask of these verses is this: how can you retain your hope in the Lord? 

1. Recall God's Faithfulness.  

Lamentations 3:20-23 states: "Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me.

21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.
22 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."  This is an important principle to remember whenever your present circumstances yield no evidence of God's activity.  God's silence does not equate to God's absence.  At times you and I must hold our Bible before our eyes to understand the reality of God's faithfulness, even if other people and situations in our lives try to tell us otherwise.

2. Rely upon God's Graces. 

Consider these words in Lamentations 3:24 -
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have hope in Him.”

The Hebrew word translated "portion" can refer to "a share of possession".  To say that the Lord is our portion indicates that He has a claim on our lives.  Whenever you and I are viewing God as our portion, we are relying completely on Him.  Because of His "lovingkindnesses" and "compassions" being new every morning in verses 22-23, we can say: "the Lord is our portion".  Why? Because in taking up His provisions in the realm of daily graces, we are automatically saying that the Lord alone is enough.  

3. Rest in God. 

Note what Jeremiah writes in Lamentations 3:25 - "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him."
How can you tell you view something as good? When you are willing to wait upon it.  God is always good, no matter what.  Waiting on God is the equivalent of resting in God.  Often you and I never grasp how good He is until we are made to slow down and experience His goodness. To wait for God in 3:25 means to wait with the expectation that He will provide hope, namely Himself.  

Conclusion

May you and I partake of this recipe for hope in Lamentations 3:20-25 by Recalling God's faithfulness, Relying upon His graces and Resting in Him.  

How the Christian church thrives amidst adversity

Revelation 1:10 "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet."

In yesterday's post we considered how the Christian church survives.  We noted that the church is able to survive because of three things spoken of in Revelation 1:9a - "I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus....".  Tribulation or persecution is how the Christian church is deepened, the kingdom is how the Christian church is motivated and perseverance is the calling the church has to endure to the end.  Jesus promised in passages such as Matthew 16:18 and Paul wrote in passages such as Ephesians 4:11-12 that God's grace would equip and ensure the church's victory and incapability of ultimate defeat.  In today's post we want to consider how the church can take God's ordained "survival kit" and thrive in the midst of adversity.  In this post we will note two truths brought out by John concerning a thriving Christianity: Reliance upon God's Word and Revolving ourselves around Jesus Christ.  

The Church thrives when relying upon God's Word.  Revelation 1:10-11
We read these words in Revelation 1:11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea."  We must remember that the churches to which John wrote were under increasing persecution by the Roman Emperor Domitian. New Testament Scholar Merrill Tenney writes: Domitian was hard by nature and suspicious of rivals.  Lacking the geniality of his brother Titus, he made numerous enemies.  When their plots were discovered he was pitiless in his revenge.  The last years of his reign were a nightmare....". 1

What was Christ's words to John to get the churches to thrive amidst difficulty? Simply put: "write in a book".  Whenever the church of the Living God turns back to the Book, the Bible, that is when she thrives.  Dr. Steve Lawson, a Southern Baptist pastor and author notes: "Doing God's work God's way requires an unwavering commitment to feeding people God's Word through relentless biblical preaching and teaching."2  

Christianity in general and Baptists in particular have been known simply as "a people of the Book." Quite literally we believe that the Bible is the only Book on planet earth revealed from God and through which God speaks forth to call sinner's to repentance and saints to greater commitment.  The  Book of Revelation is one book in God's great encyclopedia of 65 other revealed "books" which when considered together equal "The Book", the Bible.  We turn to the Book of God to meet Jesus Christ, the chief subject of it.  The Christian church can only thrive when she is relying upon God's Word, but notice secondly...

The Christian Church thrives when she revolves around Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:12-16
Why is it that the church must turn to the living book of God? Because only when I turn to the scriptures can I meet and hear the voice of the Living Christ.  In Revelation 1:12-16 we see a seven-fold description of Jesus Christ in His post-resurrected, glorified state.  Commentator Steve Gregg notes: "The description of Christ in verses 13-16 is the only description the Bible gives of His features, though this (like the descriptions of Revelation 5:6; 14:14; 19:11-13) is without doubt a symbolic rather than a literal description."3

John would had been writing to churches composed of Christians from Jewish and Greek/Roman (Greco-Roman) background.  Revelation 1:13-15 employs the imagery of the Jewish Old Testament temple such as the Golden Lampstand (compare Exodus 25) and High Priestly garment with its golden sash and flowing white robe.  The imagery of Christ's head and hair "white like wool" fits the "Son of Man" vision from the Jewish prophet Daniel in Daniel 7:13.  Hence Christ is reminding those of Jewish background that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy and expectation.  In short - Jesus Christ is to be central to Jewish Christians.

To the Greco-Roman Christians who were familiar with the cult of the Emperor, Revelation 1:16 would had been startling.  Many of the symbols and pictures used in Revelation are purposefully revealed by God to combat the false pagan system of emperor worship that would had been familiar to John's readers.  For example, the coinage of those days had the image of Emperor Domitian's deceased son, sitting on a globe of heaven playing with seven stars.4  The following picture is of the coin in question:

The revelation given to John for the churches was saying that the one to be worshipped is Christ the Living Son of God, not a dead imitation.  John's readers would had recognized what John was saying.  Much like what Jesus did in using a coin to point people to the fact of His authority (Matthew 22:18-21), John most likely does the same here to unfold the Sovereign authority of Jesus Christ over His church and the world. 

Furthermore, Jesus Christ is Lord over His church and Lord over the Roman and Greek world.  No other deity exists and no other Supreme Ruler of the Cosmos exists save the One God who is revealed perfectly by the Son. Hence Jesus Christ is also the center of Greco-Roman Christian life.  Whether Greek/Roman or Jewish, Jesus Christ is central and Supreme (or should be) in the life of the church composed of both.  In Christ there is no Jew nor Greek, and thus he is to be central to every Christian and every church - period!  

Application for you and I today For you and I living in this 21st century, Jesus Christ is Supreme Lord and center of life.  The historical details unfolded above provide the backdrop to the doctrinal truths of Christ's three-fold office of Priest, Prophet and King revealed throughout the Bible.  Revelation 1:12-16 uses these three offices to underscore why Jesus Christ is necessary for the church to thrive.

a. Revelation 1:12-13 underscores the fact that He is the High Priest who represents His people before the Father in Heaven. 

b. Revelation 1:14-15 uses the imagery from Daniel 7 to underscore Christ being the Prophet who reveals the Father's glory to His people by way of the scriptures here on earth.  Assumed in Christ's revelation of Himself is the co-equal activity of the Holy Spirit who makes the voice and Person of Christ known.

c. Revelation 1:16 thirdly shows Jesus Christ to be the Supreme Emperor or King over His church and creation.  By right He reigns invisibly and when He returns he will reign by fact and sight.  The truth of the "sharp two edged sword" is repeated again near the end of Revelation in Revelation 19:15.   

Conclusion
In order for the church at large and for Christians individually to thrive in the midst of adversity, we must rely upon the scriptures and revolve around Jesus Christ.  May the Lord be with us as we aim ourselves toward this two-fold goal.  
 Endnotes_______________
1. Merrill C. Tenney. New Testament Survey. WM.B Eerdmans Publishing. 1985. Page 12.  

2. Steven J. Lawson. Famine in the Land: A Passionate Call for Expository Preaching. Moody Publishers. 2003. Page 27

3. Steven Gregg. Revelation: Four Views a Parallel Commentary. Nelson. 1997. Page 59

4. John Walvoord. The Revelation of Jesus Christ. Page 45.  Dr. Walvoord in his commentary gives a great description of this coin which I find helpful and insightful. 

How the Christian church survives amidst adversity

Revelation 1:9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

Introduction
I begin today's post with a quote from late great Bible teacher, theologian and author Dr. John Walvoord, who writing on the above verse notes: "The exile of John to the Isle of Patmos is in itself a moving story of devotion to Christ crowned with suffering. This small island, rocky and forbidding in its terrain, about ten miles long and six miles wide, is located in the Agean Sea southwest of Ephesus just beyond the Island of Samos." Walvoord later on then writes: "It was in these bleak circumstances, shut off from friends and human fellowship, that John was given the most extensive revelation of future things shown to any writer of the New Testament.  Though men could circumscribe his human activities, they could not bind the Spirit of God nor the testimony of Jesus Christ."1

As you read and study the Book of Revelation, John the Apostle is given access by the Holy Spirit of God into two sets of realms and times: namely this present age and realm of men and the future time and the invisible realm.  In the Book of Revelation, both realms and times blend into one another.  At times you will be wisked far off to the end of history to witness of the Second coming of Jesus Christ, as described in Revelation 1:3-8 and other passages.  However you will also be brought back to here and now to understand how this present age and realm of men is directly affected by the ages to come and the invisible realm.  Revelation is as much a book about you and I today as Christians fighting the good fight of faith, as well as it is about the destinies of the saved, the lost, of history, of Christ's coming Kingdom and Eternity.

In today's post I want us to consider what John has to say to us about ways in which the Christian church will continue to survive.  Despite the many reports we here of Christianity's decline in our nation and the Western world in general, the Book of Revelation reminds us that faithfulness to Jesus Christ, not popularity in the culture, is the true measure of success.  Three terms are mentioned in Revelation 1:9 that detail for us the survival guide for the Christian Church today: tribulation, kingdom and perseverance. 

Christianity survives because of persecution
You read it correctly - the Christian individual and church survives because of persecution.  We know John is writing to the church at large because of the fact that the letter was to be circulated among the seven churches in Asia Minor. (Revelation 1:10-11; 2:1-3:22)  The word translated "tribulation" in Revelation 1:9 is not speaking of the future seven year period that John will write more about in Revelation 6:1-19:6 and what Jesus earlier termed "The Tribulation" or "The Great Tribulation" in Matthew 24:9,21,29.  Rather the idea of "tribulation" in Revelation 1:9 has to do with the persecutions that he and his readers were enduring under the tyrannical reign of Emporer Domitian at the end of the first century.  

Whether we speak of trials and tribulations endured under an hellish regime or the trials of health or normal everyday circumstance, scripture bears witness that Christianity can only survive when such persecution is present. Jesus notes in John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”  Both James 1:3-4 and 1 Peter 1:6-7 explain that trials actually serve to purify and galvanize the Christian faith against weaknesses and the world.  2 Corinthians 4:18 reminds the reader that the "momentary and light afflictions" of this world, comparatively speaking, are working forth in us a true desire to strive toward our ultimate goal of being with Jesus for eternity.  Acts 14:22 states - "strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”  As one friend of mine once told me: growth never occurs on the mountain, but always in the valley.  So contrary to human reasoning, the Bible clearly states with that the church survives because of persecution.  As we already saw in Acts 14:22, persecution drives the Christian church to survive on striving to enter the Kingdom.  Therefore the Christian church survives negatively because of persecution and positively because of the Kingdom.

The Christian Church survives because of the Kingdom
John writes in Revelation 1:9 "I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom ...".  The Kingdom of God is God's reign and realm expressed over and among His people.  Wherever God's reign and realm are, there is His Kingdom.  The Kingdom of God in one respect is general, eternal and everywhere, since there is not one square inch of creation that is not touched by His Sovereign reign. (Psalm 102; 145:13; 147:5; Matthew 6:9-13)  There is a second way that the Kingdom is described, namely by Jesus Himself as being the Mediator of it, in bring His Father's invisible Heavenly purposes to bear here on this earth. (Matthew 4:17) The church is not the entirety of the kingdom, but rather functions as the foyer of the Kingdom, the "front porch" into which true believers experience the wider blessings of Kingdom life.  The Kingdom of God is also that which is coming, meaning that what is mainly invisible and heavenly will soon be visible and earthly. (Titus 2:13; Revelation 19:7-21)  God's unlimited power exercised by the Son over His church ensures the church's continuing survival. (Matthew 16:18; 28:18-20) Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:33 "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you." What things? Things you and I worry about or wonder whether or not God will come through and complete.  If you and I had an inkling of who we are and Whose we are in Christ, we would not worry near as much. (Philippians 4:6-9) We discover in Romans 14:17 "for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."  This Kingdom element for Christian living is positive because of the Spirit's continual provision of power to live it. Consider these words from Colossians 3:2-3 "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is,seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." The church survives because of persecution - a negative, and it survives because of its kingdom relationship - a positive.  Just as a battery has positive and negative ends to produce electric current, God has ordained both the "positive" and "negatives" of persecution and the Kingdom to promote growth and life in His people.  But notice thirdly how the Christian church will continue to survive...

The Christian church survives because of endurance for the kingdom and under persecution
John writes in Revelation 1:9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus."  I underlined that phrase "in Jesus" to remind the reader that no Christian persecution, positive kingdom blessing or effort to endure occurs outside of Jesus Christ.  As one sign I saw one time reads: "God's grace will never lead you where that same grace will not sustain you." When John wrote what he wrote, he identified himself as a "fellow partaker" in the tribulation and the kingdom and the perseverance. The Greek word translated by "perseverance" could just be as easily translated "endurance".  The wonderful Greek Scholar W.E Vine writes concerning the meaning of this word: "it denotes to abide under, to bear up courageously (under suffering)." 2  John was not addressing his readers in pleasure but pain.  Not amidst delights but underneath extreme duress. Despite the uncertainty around John, within John was nothing but certainty.  We read in Philippians 3:13-14 that we are to "forget what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead", pressing onward to God's upward call in Christ Jesus.  Jude wrote his short little book and expressed in Jude 3 the reason: "Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints."  The Apostle Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 4:19 "Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right."

Conclusion
The Christian church as a whole and Christians in particular can expect to survive regardless of current circumstances because of three truths revealed in Revelation 1:9: Persecution, The Kingdom and Endurance. 


Endnotes:_________________
1. Dr. John Walvoord. The Revelation of Jesus Christ. Moody Press. Page 41

2. W.E. Vine. Expository Dictionary on New Testament Words. Fleming H. Revell Company. 1966. Page 29 in Volume 2.