Author: words and signs

Normal

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The normal human being..

A mixture of neurosis, psychosis, paranoia, phobia, predisposition to illness and moral failure, psychological nuances and weakness, intellectual limitations, emotional fragility, life-long physical deterioration, spiritual insensitivity, self-centred motivations, prejudice, negative attitudes, and unknown future…

The redeemed human being..

All these aspects listed above are now subject to the Lord of Life. All are in His care as the life is laid down at the feet of Christ… all difficulties are overcome by the power of His Spirit in the life of the one who believes. Some are not normal…

Scars

incredulity-of-saint-thomas-1602Painting sited…. Sancoussi, Potsdam: Prussian Royal Collection

One day the Christian will see Him who is loved so completely by those who believe. The Christian will be able to see and touch the one who died for them and has brought them safely to heaven forever. What a day that will be…

The Eternal Son of God, the second person in the Godhead, took a body to Himself and is now forever identified with His beloved people. Jesus the Saviour is forever man and we will ever see God as we look on Him.

The body of Christ will bear the scars of the torture and bloody death that He endured on the cross for the sake of His own people. We can never tell the extent of what He endured, but we shall see the marks of love on that glorified and glorious body. They are not there to blame or cause guilt, but are the medals of His fight with sin, death and hell. The Saviour wears them with joy, as they are the marks of His triumph in the fight. He alone has purchased salvation for those who come and repent and believe. He has paid for sin, reversed the certainty of death, and blocked the way to an eternal hell for all who believe.

The holy God, in the person of Jesus Christ, is forever disfigured by deep and comprehensive scars. How can this be? Heaven is a perfect place. How can there be any tokens of suffering and pain? The Lord Jesus is the Lamb that was slain, before the foundation of the world. He is forever the conquering Saviour and all His people will see and know that. Those scars are not unsightly to the people of God. They are the glorious representations of a fight fought, the blood that was shed and the life laid down bringing them eternal life.

Those scars represent peace, peace with God. They are love, the marks of love laying down its life for the unworthy. They sing out songs of joy, because the song will be the Lamb, once slain but now forever glorified with the people He redeemed.

Paul speaks of his scars, which he has gathered in service to his master Christ.

“From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus.”  Galatians 6:17

The scars we bear for the sake of Christ are very precious to Him and He looks on us with pity and regard for all we suffer for His sake. These scars need no treatment or disguising. They are worthy and represent the sacrifice of a life given over to God.

“But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.”  Isaiah 53:5

Christ suffered every kind of wound. The marks remain and will ever remain. They are the subject of the songs of the Redeemed. The everlasting song that only the Redeemed people of God can sing. Angels cannot sing it, nor cherubim or seraphim. Only those in the eternal city who have human bodies, like the King Himself – Jesus our Redeemer, Saviour, Master and Altogether lovely one….

May we regard Him and love Him with everything we are. May our words reflect our love for Him who took on the form of a Servant and was obedient to death, even death on a cross…

Fruit

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Psalm 71:20-21 WEB   “You, who have shown us many and bitter troubles,you will let me live.You will bring us up again from the depths of the earth.  Increase my honour,and comfort me again.”

This is the personal testimony of a person who knows and loves God, but has greatly suffered in their lives. The purposes of God for them have been very testing and have brought sorrow, questioning and fear.

This sufferer has a soft heart towards God, and has come through the suffering clinging to their Saviour. The troubles are many and often. The sufferer realizes that God’s purposes often lead through the dark valley and this is the way strength of faith is built.

This person has learned the futility of life and the inability of people to help, and the unreliability of anything outside the Word of God. Their mind and soul cling to Christ, the eternal Word. They have become strong because of it. As they fight against sin, they are given the power to overcome and get the victory over that sin and the troubles of life that come along with it.

The comfort of God is worth having and has overpowered all hurts and disappointments. This is the purpose of suffering. It is not about us, or the people around us, but about proving the power of the living Saviour, Jesus Christ. It is about faith and finding Him able in all circumstances to bring His people through. He may cast us down for a time, but will raise his people up to find comfort and a pace of honour in his kingdom. The fruit of faith is what pleases God.

Psalm 31:19-20 WEB   “Oh how great is your goodness,which you have laid up for those who fear you,which you have worked for those who take refuge in you, before the sons of men!
In the shelter of your presence you will hide them from the plotting of man.You will keep them secretly in a dwelling away from the strife of tongues.”

The troubles pass and we find our refuge in Christ alone. The shelter of Christ is the only place to find succour and healing from the hurts of other people, and the consequences of our own sin. When others plot against the Christian to bring them down and show them up, the refuge of the cross is a sure retreat. The Christian can find the refuge from such negative things, as they call on the Words of God. To think of all that is laid up for those who fear God is supreme encouragement to the Christian believer.

The way of the world cannot prevail in the life of the Christian. As we further taste the fruit of the Spirit, the attractions of life become less and the desire to serve and influence others for Christ becomes stronger.

Let us be bold and strong, looking only to Christ. Then all our troubles and conflicts with sin, will be beaten in the power of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit will then dwell in us richly and bear even more fruit in our lives. The Christian is safe, with Christ their everlasting stronghold and protection against the carping of other tongues.

 “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 

Therefore will we not be afraid, though the earth changes, Though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas;

Though the waters of it roar and are troubled, though the mountains tremble with the swelling of it. 

God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved.”    Psalm 46

There is no firmer promise than this and such assurance should give us mighty boldness to produce fruit to God.

A tight issue

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“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”  Matthew 6:14-15 WEB

Forgiveness is a tight issue. There is no wriggle-room… 

It’s easy to forget the enormity of what we have been forgiven and delivered from as the people of God. Forgiven is the hallmark of our psyche. We must never forget what we have been cleansed from. It should be the thankfulness in our prayers and joy of deliverance in our songs. 

The unforgiving human psyche has no understanding of its wretchedness and sees no value in forgiveness. Indeed, we justify ourselves so comprehensively that we don’t see our sin. Even as Christians we need to pray for a sensitive conscience that sees sin and temptation coming and deals with it. The soul that has felt its rottenness can more easily pray for these insights. 

However, the river runs deeper than we suspect. God puts a condition on our forgiveness from Him. He is clear and speaks clearly to us. If we refuse to forgive another person for the wrongs they have done against us, then we will not be forgiven. This is supremely difficult. God does not allow any deep hurt or major sin to be excluded from this condition. This is because, the wrong we have done against the holy God, could not be greater. We have purposefully and continually sinned against His person and perfect law. If He is prepared to forgive us, we are expected to no less forgive our detractors. 

The reason is that we will become increasingly like Him in all our dealings, even in this world. The Christian grows in grace and becomes more like the Saviour Jesus. If we are serious about faith, repentance and walking with God, this will be our mindset. 

Unfortunately we think that God is like us and we can pick and choose what parts of God’s righteous demands in our life we will obey. This is not a godly mindset and shows a lack of understanding of our own sinfulness. 

The Lord Jesus forgave the cruelty of the men who tortured Him and nailed Him to a cross. We have absolutely no excuse for not forgiving anyone. This is a difficult statement. 

It is easy to justify ourselves. The command is clear. If we want to be forgiven we must forgive. The mind of Christ must be in us and take hold of us, so that we think as He thinks, and forgive as He forgives… 

May we love Him with an unfailing love…

Visions of Rainbow

 

Genesis 9:13-17 WEB   “I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth. When I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud  and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.  The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”  God said to Noah, “This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

The rainbow is a symbol of the promise of God to stay the hand of judgment and offer forgiveness and new life to the fallen human race. God’s powerful judgment fell on wicked humanity to purge the earth from their sin. He saved only eight. So, God sent the rainbow to comfort and keep humans and offer His mercy to them.

When the clouds gather and trouble follows our way, the reality of the rainbow assures is that salvation is at hand. When we repent and believe we are rescued from wrath. The everlasting covenant of God brings us mercy and joy in the colourful bow that overarches the earth. It includes every colour in the physical spectrum, and reflects the truth that God’s people will be from every “kindred, tribe and tongue.”

The promise does not depend on us – we have no control over the rainbow. It depends on a holy and faithful God. He will bring His people safely home. As we can never reach the end of the rainbow, so we never reach the end of God’s mercy.

 

Ezekiel 1:27-28 WEB    “I saw as it were glowing metal, as the appearance of fire within it all around, from the appearance of his waist and upward; and from the appearance of his waist and downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him.  As the appearance of the rainbow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. This was the appearance of the likeness of Yahweh’s glory. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of one that spoke.”

The glory of Christ is hard to express. His beauty glows like a vat of glowing super hot metal. We cannot look at that brightness, as it is beyond the ability of human eyes. Christ appears as fire and an unworldly light surrounds Him. That light is the radiance of the rainbow. The glory of it in the sky cannot be manufactured. It is the absolute radiance of God’s glory, brighter than any earth based rainbow. Sun and water pale into insignificance compared to the crystal light, a light not created. It is best seen in the day of rain, the darker days, when we need the reassurance of the promise of God.

The rainbow was a likeness of the glory of the Lord. The glory of the Lord is His holiness. That holiness makes His promises certain and reliable. We can trust the Lord because of who He is and He is not bound by this world and it’s rules. He made the world and everything that exists. This realisation causes the disciple John, to fall down in wonder, amazement and terror. This is the only appropriate reaction to the Lord of all.

 

Revelation 4:2-6 WEB    “Immediately I was in the Spirit. Behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting on the throne 3 that looked like a jasper stone and a Sardius. There was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald to look at. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones. On the thrones were twenty-four elders sitting, dressed in white garments, with crowns of gold on their heads. Out of the throne proceed lightnings, sounds, and thunders. There were seven lamps of fire burning before his throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Before the throne was something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal. In the middle of the throne, and around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes before and behind.”

The rainbow-circled throne is the seat of the everlasting ancient of days. The judge inhabits His throne shining in His glory of Jasper and emerald. Around that great central throne are twenty four thrones where the elders sit. They sit to judge with robes white, washed in the blood of the Lamb, sacrificed before the world was born. The people of God are assuredly His even before time began.

These twenty four elders have gold crowns which they have won in the fight for the souls of women and men. The sound is of extreme turmoil in the heavens and the light comes from the perfect light of eternity that forever blazes in the presence of God. These lights are the Spirit of God who does all things perfectly and makes perfect every redeemed soul born to God. The holy, all-seeing God has never relinquished His sovereign will and the majestic outworking of His mercy towards His redeemed people.

 

Revelation 10:1-3 WEB   “I saw a mighty angel coming down out of the sky, clothed with a cloud. A rainbow was on his head. His face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. He had in his hand a little open book. He set his right foot on the sea, and his left on the land. He cried with a loud voice, as a lion roars. When he cried, the seven thunders uttered their voices.”

This could be no other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is robed in the beauty of the skies. Above His head, the crown of a glorious rainbow, glorifies His person and position, as the sovereign King of all. His feet straddle burg land and sea and His voice asserts His authority as the pinnacle of creation. All other voices bow to Him. The eternal promise stands unshaken. The people of God will prevail and the promised heritage of Christ will be brought safely to the perfect kingdom.

May we ensure we are part of that place. To face the rainbow circled King with unwashed robes, is eternal exclusion from His feast. As we look on Him, and remember what He has done for sinful soul like ourselves, may our knees and will bow to Him. The rainbow promise stands, so let us enter in, before Genesis ends and Revelation begins…

 

 

Judges with Christ

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“Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church?”     

1 Corinthians 6:2-4

The people of God are to be full of faith and the wisdom that comes only from God. We should be able to judge the situations of life with great insight and correct judgment. This is true of our family life, work life and church life. The principles of godly living are through our whole being. Our thought processes are learned from protracted, personal reading and study of the Word of God. In other words, we have spent time with God and know Him and are totally devoted to Him.

Our personal state before God is the key to how we live our lives. The level of wisdom we have from God is dependant on our desire for Him. To be like Jesus will involve sacrifice, and there will be very difficult experiences to go through, so that we will be in harmony with the mind of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

The circumstances of this life and the mindset of Christ that Christians all share, will teach us and make us able to make godly judgments, especially when things go wrong. To walk with God is difficult because most others will not be going in that way. The closer you get to your Saviour Jesus, the more will be your desire to be like Him.  This will usually alienate you from the mindset of others going another way. Criticism can be very difficult to handle and more wisdom will be required. Once a person starts down the way of wisdom, they can only go forward. We must take up the cross and follow, if we are to gain the crown.

The price is high and the testing is tough. If you are to be a judge with Christ, you must follow His way. Every one of us must learn sound judgment, and have knowledge about God’s ways and human ways, and use these perspectives to judge as Christ would judge. Are we anywhere near that situation? Are our churches places where that happens?

We can find ourselves in the situation where the people in the secular life are far better at judgment than the people who are supposed to belong to God. As Christians together, we can find ourselves becoming complacent and homogenised into the social group, and we stop looking to God and end up looking to and at each other. This is what closes the group and stops the life of Christ being seen in our lives and other lives.

Christians who take the mantle of judgment and oppress the people of God with their own views and loveless character, just cause even more problems for people. Christians who set themselves up as totally correct counsel, but twist the Word to suit themselves, face their own judgment before a holy God. It is a fearful thing to set ourselves up as authorities, and deviate from the ways of God, which we have access to in the Scriptures. Our attitude to these Scriptures is of vital importance. Perhaps in these days, we should revisit the words of the prophets of old, who spoke plainly and truthfully for God.

As Christian people we must all train our minds to think rightly and seek the ability to contribute positively to the lives of others, and make wise decisions regarding our own lives and our families. As we learn and prove the Lord’s ways, so our realm of influence will grow. The test of time will prove our witness for the Lord Jesus and other people will see it and be built up in the Lord. Our families will see the love of God working out in daily life, and see the difference between God’s ways and this world’s ways.

Then there is the skill of communicating with people. To communicate with sound judgment, is a God-given ability. It comes to be part of us, as we immerse ourselves in the Word of God, and speak to people around us. This is dependant on the work of the Holy Spirit in us, witnessing with our spirit and speaking rightly to us. The law of love always applies. Not just speaking what pleases, but sharing what God would have us say for the long term good of sisters and brothers and those still outside the kingdom. These can seem to be hard words, but we must be clear and not baulk under fear of being misunderstood.

Wisdom, discretion and godly words, always go together. Our prayer is that our words will help and not hinder. Even if some are offended for a time, our words and deeds will be brought to the full fruition of the fruit of the Spirit and the rescue of souls from this dark world.

It’s easy to be a hypocrite. To be sincere means a complete change in heart and mind, and a complete daily surrender to the truth of Christ and the power of the Spirit. Lord, may it be so within me and in all your holy people who love you with an unending love…

The axe

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“The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:10-12 NIV

The privilege of the nation of Israel is almost over. They have not followed their God and Saviour. The huge benefits they have received in terms of spiritual history and holy example, have not turned the nation to God. Salvation is by grace alone and the Israelite nation has not exercised faith in their Messiah. There have been the remnant that have believed and have been saved. The rest have rejected the way to God in favour of idols and man-made rules.

The picture is of a sharp and heavy axe that is being raised to cut down the tree that has born no fruit for God. They have grown for themselves bad fruit that only benefits them in this life, but is not the fruits of righteousness that God requires. The rules and regulations they have constructed around the purity of the sacrificial lamb, has rendered the offering of no value. The legalism of the Jewish system, cannot save them from the consequences of their sin. So, the tree will be used as fuel in the fire against them.

The same is true for all those who refuse God and His offer of a free and full forgiveness through Jesus the eternal Son. All who lack the fruits of righteousness, faith, love, peace and joy, will face the axe of separation from God’s kingdom and eternal life.

But, there is hope for the Jews, and the Gentiles.  The water baptism of repentance carried out by John the Baptist, paves the way for the saving work of the Saviour, Jesus Christ. God will rescue His people and He will break down every barrier that we can construct against Him.

This Jesus is more powerful than even the powerful John the Baptist. In fact, this Saviour, Jesus, has such authority and reverence, that John is not worthy to even carry his shoes. The amazing, holy, spirit- filled John the Baptist, is lower than the shoe-shine boy…

This Jesus is going to do such a work in people’s lives that they will be filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit of God. All those who repent and believe will be immersed in the power of the Spirit and their lives will be on fire for God. These will be the fruitful wheat on the winnowing floor of the Saviour of the world. As they are chosen and as they repent from sinful hearts and lives, they are winnowed up into the barn of eternity. The threading floor will be cleared. The wheat will be lifted to God and the dead chaff into the fire unquenchable.

This is no game of leisure. This is a winnowing, a sorting that is going on all the time. The destiny of the wheat and the chaff couldn’t be more polarised. There is no in-between or compromise with the outcome, but a serious and permanent state of being when the threashing floor is cleared. There is no stopping the axe or the winnowing fork. The Sovereign Lord of all is this Saviour, the Garner of repentant souls. All who seek Him and forsake their sin, are saved from the fate of those who refuse Him. These repentant ones are the souls who live to God and are the wheat in the garner of the Lord.

The situation of the nation and religion of the Jews, is not unique to them. Without careful study of the Scriptures and earnest seeking the Lord for ourselves, we also fall into the deadness of orthodoxy. We will remain as chaff without the work of the Spirit in our souls. We must take this Scripture to ourselves and think on its seriousness. The contents of the threshing floor will be sifted. This world will be judged by its Saviour. Wheat or chaff? This is the final destiny of all people.

Pressing on…

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“I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me..”Philippians 3:12

There is an urgency in the Christian life that supersedes everything else. It over reaches education, work, relationships, service, earthly pursuits – all are second to the need to know Christ and walk with Him. The pity for the Christian is that often, we don’t think so. At least we might agree in principal when pressed, but a person cannot realistically follow in the same way as the Saviour of the world.

The Apostle Paul spoke these words from a position of privilege in this world and in His religious society, but He counted it all rubbish compared to Christ. He realised his power was from the Holy Spirit and his authority to speak from the Word of God. His complete demeanour was humility and his whole life was on the altar of sacrifice to the glory of God. It is a wonder that such a man as he once was as a self-righteous and proud Pharisee, could be the spokesperson for God. Most of the New Testament was written by him and the teaching he has recorded for us is intense and challenging.

Christ took hold of Paul to rescue him from sin and punishment and to lift him up in the eternal kingdom as a bright light. Paul teaches us how to live our lives to please God and to teach others the way as well. Paul’s life was not his own and he could tell people to copy him, as he was copying Christ.

We can excuse ourselves by saying Jesus is God and it was easy for Him to walk this world… but the example of Paul, leaves us with no excuse. As Christ took hold of Paul to change and conquer his pride and selfishness, so it is the same for us. Every child of God is part of that eternal kingdom and has a personal life with God. The Saviour Jesus pursues and takes possession of those who are His people. He saves them and raises them to new life in Him. He forgives them when they repent and keeps their lives safe in His personal care.

The Christian takes hold of these same things, because they are valuable. To walk with Christ is an amazing privilege and a right given to every redeemed child of God. The Christian “presses on…” there is great effort and urgency about vehemently following Jesus everywhere He would go. The Christian presses on and on, right to the end- right to the shores of the last river until they are welcomed into the eternal city. There is no time off. What ever our situation, there are opportunities to show Christ and help others to believe in Him too. Our remit is huge and life-engulfing, so we need to constantly remind ourselves in the Scriptures, of what we are and who we serve.

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”  1 Corinthians 15:58 WEB

“And I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus, our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service;”  1 Timothy 1:12 WEB

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good. In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate one to another; in honor preferring one another;  not lagging in diligence; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;  rejoicing in hope; enduring in oppression; continuing steadfastly in prayer;   Romans 12:9-12 WEB

Whatever we do is for the sake of Christ and whoever we interact with or are involved with, we are witnesses for Him. Self takes a back seat and we take hold of our Salvation and obey our Lord Jesus. The glory is ahead, laid up for us in the presence of God. This is our eternal rest. Meanwhile as we walk here in this life, we serve and we find that same rest, in Him…