Unbreakable Promises

I sometimes wonder if there is any more vital lesson for Christian living than this: that God has condescended to our weakness by making us promises, that he will never break them, and that faith reckons on his faithfulness by grasping hold of them. We sometimes smile at the Victorians' 'promise-boxes'. Biblical promises were printed on small pieces of paper, rolled up like miniature scrolls and stored in a wooden box for random selection in times of need. And, to be sure, that practice did wrench the divine promises from the context in which they were originally given. Nevertheless, I rather think that even such a naive trust in detached promises was better than the present-day accurate but unbelieving knowledge of the promises in their context. So many of us complain of spiritual doubt, darkness, depression and lethargy, of besetting sins and unconquered temptations, of slow progress towards Christian maturity, of sluggishness in worship and in prayer, and of many other spiritual ills, while all the time we do not use the secret weapon which God has put into our hands.

--From "Life in Christ" (Eastbourne: Kingsway; Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1991), p. 27. Thanks JRW Stott.

On Temptation

No temptation has overtaken you
that is not common to man.
God is faithful,
and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability,
but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape,
that you may be able to endure it. 
1 Corinthians 10:13


This text is a needed encouragement in the times of temptation of God's faithfulness to those who trust in Jesus. 
Charles Spurgeon puts that ol' English preacher spin on it:


"It may help such a person if I remind him that there is no sin in being tempted. The sin is that of the tempter, not of the tempted. If you resist the temptation, there is something praiseworthy about your action. There is nothing praiseworthy about the temptation; that is evil, and only evil; but you did not tempt yourself, and he that tempted [you] must bear the blame of the temptation. You are evidently not blameworthy for thoughts that grieve you; they may prove that there is sin still remanining in you, but there is no sin in your being tempted. The sin is in your yielding to the temptation, and blessed shall you be if you can stand out against it. If you can overcome it, if your spirit does not yield to it, you shall even be blessed through it. "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation." There is a blessedness even in the temptation, and though for the present it seemeth not to be joyous, but grievous, nevertheless, afterward, it yieldeth blessed fruit to those who are exercised thereby.

C.H. Spurgeon Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington (Thursday Evening September 27th, 1883). 

Promises - A Selection of Sweet Delights to the Soul: The Peace of God

If you've just joined in, this is the fifth installment of the series on A Selection of Sweet Delights to the Soul. Feel free to feast yourself in what God promises for those who love him in Jesus Christ from these previous posts. Today's will be looking at the peace of God.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.
The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, 
but in everything 
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving 
let your request be made known to God.
And the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7

These words may be hard to read, not just because it's ESV, but because of what the text is asking.
That is: to rejoice.
Try reading the above passage again.

Rejoice - what does that mean exactly? Macbook dictionary says
"to feel or show great joy or delight".
That is not easy. I believe Paul understands this. He, while writing this from prison, is still giving thanks to God. But, can we trust the words of a dying man? Yes - for God had carried his words along by the Holy Spirit. Paul tells the church of Philippi that they should be known for their reasonableness, gentleness, and forbearance with everyone. How often do we lash out at others due to our own worrisome attitude? Out of our impatience and ungrateful attitudes? When this happens, the question isn't "is my attitude based in sin?", but rather "which sin is my attitude coming from?". What are we told to do? In everything make your requests known to Jesus. Bringing the requests to God knowing that it is he alone that will help us weary sinners. Ask for help to turn from our sin to God. We are dependent on him. Present the requests thankfully, that through Jesus we can actually offer our requests to God! For Jesus our God intercedes amidst the Triune God-head, being our high-priest he brings our requests before the sacred throne. And when we have lifted our supplications and thanksgivings to the God-head, knowing they have been heard, there should be a peace in us. It is the peace that surpasses everything we will ever know on this earth. The peace of salvation which through Jesus is brought to destitute sinners and is guarded by the truth of his death and resurrection.
We sung these words in church yesterday and they are reminiscient of the compassion that Philippians 4 here exhibits:

"Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
and has shed his own blood for my soul."

So let it be.

Promises - A Selection of Sweet Delights to the Soul: God is For Us (pt 2)

How then should we approach petitions in prayer?
It is once we have left our sin with it's own motives and will for God's will: then we are prepared.

We can humbly approaching our great God by faith in Jesus Christ asking for whatever he puts on our heart.
James recommends where we should start in our petitions and his is reminiscient of Solomon's request:

"If any of you lacks wisdom,

let him ask God, who gives generously to all 

without reproach, and it will be given him.

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting,

for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea 

that is driven and tossed by the wind. 

For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." James 1:5-9

Direction and warning is what James is here proposing. As we ask through Jesus Christ our Saviour, to know that he has the power to accomplish all things, small and great. So we should not doubt. This is hard. We aren't signing a contract with God. We aren't pinky-swearing. We aren't even getting an audible response. What we get is the promise that he will be generous to the faithful who submit to him in and with what they need. They can be sure that his plan will prevail. Let us pray that in us the response would be,  "Your will be done in us." Let us not swim upstream when God doesn't respond how we would like. When we ask for what we want God to do, its easy for our sinful motives to slip right in. Our petition must be humble submission to his purpose: for Jesus to be glorified as we delight in him. So in this heart, we are laying the requests and embracing the results of his response. Praise him in good and bad. Knowing that with God he does not abandon his own but gives generously to all. It is the man who doesn't see the results he wanted and doubts that God did not answer, because it was not what he wanted. But James tells us that that man is double-minded. He is only looking to serve himself, while  at the same time seeking God to see if God will bow to his sinful wishes and/or intent. He isn't being faithful, but he is using God as a pop-machine. Let us rather default to come before the throne, by faith. Ready to embrace God's response with praise to Jesus. 

Promises - A Selection of Sweet Delights to the Soul: God is For Us (pt 1)

"If God is for us, 

who can be against us?

He who did not spare his own Son 

but gave him up for us all,

how will he not also with him

graciously give us all things?

Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? 

It is God who justifies."Romans 8:31-33

Let this be no excuse to lash out, to pick fights, to hold the argument that "I hold the keys to the knowledge of God and you must submit to my divine inclinations." No, we as humans have sinful tendencies. We are prideful, and should be open to rebuke, to correction, and consideration of alternative views to our interpretation of Scripture and the Christian life. In gentleness, assessing what others say, and comparing their views with Scripture.

But in this passage we are given the hope that God will not abandon us. He in fact will give us everything we need. What does that look like? It's hard to say, but with a submissive attitude to the Lord, in humility and need asking him for provision, it could be just about anything. 

But if we hold sin in our heart - bitterness against another, hatred, irresponsibility, idleness, unrepentant sin - we are not acting as God's chosen people; we are then living in sin, and our motives are therefore tainted. 

It is once we have changed our heart's motives and submitted to God's will that we are prepared: ready to seek what is needed before him. We can biblically approach our holy God through Jesus Christ our priest, who is in heaven making our requests to God the Father for us. Let us ask then through faith in Jesus. For we have this promise from God that he will not hold back his hand from giving us all things.

(To be continued...)

Promises - A Selection of Sweet Delights to the Soul: God's Purpose

When your plans for the day change, for the future change,

when you are trying your best, but your plan is just not being accomplished - 

look to this promise of God:

And we know,

that for those who love God

all things work together for good

for those who are called

according to his purpose.

For those whom he foreknew

he also predestined to be conformed

to the image of his Son,

in order that he might be the firstborn

among many brothers. Romans 8:28-29

When my day is going downhill this is a passage that gives perspective. 

What am I doing? Why is this happening to me? What did I do wrong? 

When I am being corrected, 

even because of my own sin, 

the correction is purposed for conformity to Christ: 

to being more like Jesus, and less like the man I use to be. 

God calls sinners to himself,

not for abandonment but for accomplishment - 

and what is to be accomplished?

it is his PLAN to conform me, you, the church of God to Jesus Christ. 

Even in the depths of trials our Almighty God is in control. 

That is wonderful, and that is a promise of God. 

Praise be to you: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. 

Promises - A Selection of Sweet Delights to the Soul: Life Forever

This morning I was at church and one of our elders delivered a message on being delighted in Jesus. Whether in that moment you are healthy and enjoying dinner with your family, or its 3am in the morning before work and your baby is puking all over you - the excellent and the horrendous - we need to be delighting in God. The hard thing is - you can't get over your situation. You try, but your mind gets stagnant and incorrigible. We go guilt trip, introvert, anxiety wreck - we get hopeless.
Our elder gave us some great advice for these situations - look to God's promises in the Bible.
As a Christian I love to hear about the promises of God.
To hear them, know them, and believe them.
So when times shoot low, shoot high. Look at the message that is without error, and is trustworthy.
This week I'd like to share a few of those promises.
The first promise is one of life forever.
"For God so loved the world that
he gave his only Son, 
so that everyone who believes in him 
will not perish but
have eternal life." John 3:16

This is important.
For those who believe in Jesus there is an assured hope of salvation.
For those who don't believe, you need to stop and fix things with your God.

First - know that Jesus died for sinners, people who hate God and don't obey him.
Second - know that you are a sinner.
Third - God loves you and desires you to stop hating him and be restored to him.
Fourth - believe that God in Jesus Christ has the power to
             save you from perishing in hell.
Now Act - Give up your sin to God in Jesus, know that he took your sin
             and by believing in him you are saved.
            Live your life for the praise and glory of God and not yourself.

*You will never be saved by your good life.
>You will be saved by faith alone in Christ alone by God's mercy.


Tomorrow - Romans 8:28.
For now here's a great theme song for this week...