Of Faith and Good Works: Part 3

“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king…” Matthew 21:5

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“Thy king…”

 

Here he distinguishes this king from all other kings. It is thy king, he says, who was promised to you, whose own you are, who alone shall direct you, yet in the spirit and not in the body. It is he for whom you have yearned from the beginning, whom the fathers have desired to see, who will deliver you from all that has hitherto burdened, troubled, and held you captive.

Oh, this is a comforting word to a believing heart, for without Christ, man is subjected to many raging tyrants who are not kings but murderers, at whose hands he suffers great misery and fear… . Where the heart receives the king with a firm faith, it is secure and does not fear sin, death, hell, nor any other evil; for he well knows and in no wise doubts that this king is the Lord of life and death, of sin and grace, of hell and heaven, and that all things are in his hand. For this reason he became our king and came down to us that he might deliver us from these tyrants and rule over us himself alone.

See, such great things are contained in these seemingly unimportant words: “Behold, thy king.” Such boundless gifts are brought by this poor and despised king. All this reason does not understand, nor nature comprehend, but faith alone does. Therefore he is called thy king; thine, who art vexed and harassed by sin, Satan, death and hell, the flesh and the world, so that thou mayest be governed and directed in the grace, in the spirit, in life, in heaven, in God.

With this word, therefore, he demands faith in order that you may be certain that he is such a king to you, has such a kingdom, and has come and is proclaimed for this purpose. If you do not believe this of him, you will never acquire such faith by any work of yours. What you think of him you will have; what you expect of him you will find; and as you believe so shall it be to you. He will still remain what he is, the King of life, of grace, and of salvation, whether he is believed on or not.

Thy King, and He will still remain what He is and always has been, the King of life, of grace, and of salvation, whether He is believed or not. We do not make Him Lord of our lives. He is! He owns and directs us, which is a great comfort if we believe Him to be the King of our salvation, our lives, our circumstances, our death, and our resurrection to life eternal, through and for and with Him. Not believing Him will not change who He is, will not lessen the truth that He is the King of kings. He still owns and directs us in spite of our unbelief or wrong belief. Oh, how blessed we are when we believe, even when our reason fails to understand, when our nature fails to comprehend what we see. “Behold, thy king.” 

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Of Faith and Good Works: Part 2

“Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold.” Matt 21:5

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“Behold.”

 

Such waking up is necessary for the reason that everything that concerns faith is against reason and nature.

—Martin Luther

While discussing faith and prayer, my friend and I agreed that what we hope for hardly ever turns out the way we expect or reason that it should. We understandably agreed that prayer, in its huge wake of tears and pleas, first purposes to change us—to dis-reason us—to bring us closer and closer to the fact that we can trust God, even with our lives and the lives of those for whom we plead!

“Behold.” With this word he rouses us at once from sleep and unbelief as though be had something great, strange, or remarkable to offer, something we have long wished for and now would receive with joy. Such waking up is necessary for the reason that everything that concerns faith is against reason and nature; for example, how can nature and reason comprehend that such an one should be king of Jerusalem who enters in such poverty and humility as to ride upon a borrowed ass? How does such an advent become a great king?

But faith is of the nature that it does not judge nor reason by what it sees or feels but by what it hears. It depends upon the Word alone and not on vision or sight. For this reason Christ was received as a king only by the followers of the word of the prophet, by the believers in Christ, by those who judged and received his kingdom not by sight but by the spirit-these are the true daughters of Zion. For it is not possible for those not to be offended in Christ who walk by sight and feeling and do not adhere firmly to the Word.

Let us receive first and hold fast this picture in which the nature of faith is placed before us. For as the appearance and object of faith as here presented is contrary to nature and reason, so the same ineffectual and unreasonable appearance is to be found in all articles and instances of faith. It would be no faith if it appeared and acted as faith acts and as the words indicate. It is faith because it does not appear and deport itself as faith and as the words declare.

Oh, that our gracious God would bless us with healthy eyes to see His splendor, the warning signs and scars of sin, and even our wayward ways and shabby things. Sight, yes sight is a wondrous gift, though it can ruin us, if it should become our lead, lord, and anchor.

“It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank Him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.” –Fanny Crosby (1820 – 1915)

In “Blessed Assurance” Fanny Crosby sings of visions that cannot be found by earthly eyes.

“Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight.”

Faith requires perfect trust, not in what is seen but in what is heard, proclaimed by the prophets in God’s Holy Writ regarding Christ and all that He is (2 Peter 1:19). And thus, true faith submits perfectly, delightfully, and peacefully to the sovereignty and providence of God.

If Christ had entered in splendor like a king of earth, the appearance and the words would have been according to nature and reason and would have seemed to the eye according to the words, but then there would have been no room for faith. He who believes in Christ must find riches in poverty, honor in dishonor, joy in sorrow, life in death, and hold fast to them in that faith which clings to the Word and expects such things.

God blessed us exceedingly in that He gave us much more than earthly vision. He gave us faith.

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:
Behold, thy King cometh unto thee:
he is just, and having salvation;
lowly, and riding upon an ass,
and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”
Zachariah 9:9

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Their Memory Dear

“He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.” 1 Thessalonians 5:10

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In vain my fancy strives to paint
The moment after death
The glories that surround the saint,
When yielding up its breath.

One gentle sigh their fetters breaks,
We scarce can say, “They’re gone!”
Before the willing spirit takes
Her mansion near the throne.

Faith strives, but all its efforts fail,
To trace her in her flight;
No eye can pierce within the veil
Which hides that world of light.

Thus much (and this is all) we know,
They are completely blest
Have done with sin, and care, and woe,
And with their Savior rest.

On harps of gold they praise his name,
His face they always view;
Then let us follow’rs be of them,
That we may praise him too.

Their faith and patience, love and zeal,
Should make their memory dear;
And, Lord, do thou the prayers fulfil,
They offered for us here.

While they have gained, we losers are,
We miss them day by day;
But thou canst every breach repair,
And wipe our tears away.

We pray, as in Elisha’s case,
When great Elijah went,
May double portions of thy grace,
To us who stay, be sent.

~John Newton “On the death of a believer” Olney Hymns

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Precious Words

“Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.” John 8:15-16

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P is for Precious Words, Not Rocks

John 8:2-12

And early in the morning he [Jesus] came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery…

Those sitting around Jesus must have been absorbed in His words.  And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him…. That’s how the enemy works, he interrupts! He disrupts with sin and accusations, and expects immediate recoil at what he’s dragged in.

and when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, “Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.”

Now, if  the accuser were to display our own sins, we’d be very quiet and careful to speak. But oh, how ready and careless we act and accuse when sin falls on someone else.

“Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?” This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him.

The accuser knows how quickly our fingers point. He understands the mind of Eve—the minds of men—our minds—so easily distracted, defensive, and worried, and so easily persuaded to claim and taste that which belongs to God alone; in this case judgment and condemnation.

“But what sayest thou?” All eyes must have landed on Jesus, waiting. All mouths must have gasped, all carnal thoughts polluted with yet more sin.

But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

God’s impeccable  composure cannot be unraveled, neither can His righteousness be caught off guard like some unsuspecting prey! Rather, it exposes all intent and all thought before it is even birthed!

Jesus stooped down and with his finger wrote on the ground. Was this not the same finger that engraved the law into stone tablets? Was this not the same finger that wrote Belshazzar’s judgment upon the palace wall? (Exodus 31:18, Daniel 5)

Jesus stooped down to touch the ground that has been tainted by iniquity since man’s first and fatal sin—as though he heard them not.

The scribes and Pharisees waited, waited for a chance to accuse God Himself. The crowd waited, waited for judgment to fall far, far from their own sin and upon some other wretch.

So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

He lifted up Himself, and spoke words that all of us should hear! “He that is without sin among you…” And again he stooped down. God stooped from His glory, to a temple courtyard, to the ground. And there, with His finger, He touched the dust from which He had fashioned man in His own image and for His own pleasure, purpose, and glory. What did His finger write this time, words of forgiveness? What did He see in the dirt, His own bleeding face, the cross on His back?

And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

One by one the rocks dropped! Why is it that I am still holding mine? Why is this lesson so hard to learn?

When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?

Jesus had lifted up Himself from the ground on which He wrote—the ground that He Himself had cursed to judge man’s sin—the ground from which dust has been returning to dust ever since! And He looked at the woman! He looked at her as He now looks at us—utterly sinful, lost and condemned by His own perfect law, and in dire need of His grace and forgiveness.

She said, “No man, Lord.” And Jesus said unto her, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

Jesus spoke the most precious words ever spoken: “Neither do I condemn thee.” Can you grasp what this means? Can you? “He that is without sin…, let him first cast a stone.” But, He, who was without sin, did not cast a stone!

Can you see the immensity of grace even here, as He forgives and saves a life condemned to die? “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” How could she? How could she now sin, without breaking the heart of Him who loved her like no one ever has? Her heart would break even at the thought of sinning this way again!

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

We too need forgiveness, in the midst of our own temple courtyards–our hearts! Oh, that the One who could rightly condemn us, would forgive us instead! Oh, that we would stoop to His feet to hear those precious words spoken even unto us! “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

Petra O. Hefner

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear his voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son,
And give him the glory, great things he hath done!
~Fanny Crosby (1820-1915)

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Jesus, Whom They Crucified

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:36

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J is for Jesus, Whom They Crucified

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This, then, is Jesus,
whom they crucified,
and this is how
He paid for our sin–
even this, our most
hideous sin of all–
Obediently!

This, then, is Jesus,
whom they crucified,
and this is how
He took the cup–
even this, God’s wrath
reserved for us–
Willingly!

This, then, is Jesus,
whom they crucified,
and this is how
He bore the stripes–
even these, our own
unfaithfulness–
Faithfully!

This, then, is Jesus,
whom they crucified,
and this is how
He cried, “My God!”
even there, in our stead,
so we’ll not die–
Forsaken!

This, then, is Jesus,
whom they crucified,
and this is how
He fulfilled the law–
even now, magnified
and glorified–
Completely!

This, then, is Jesus,
whom they crucified,
and this is how
He rose again to live–
even here, in the hearts
that turn and live–
Glorified!

Petra O. Hefner

“You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.” Acts 3:15

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Acts 3:19-20

“And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on His name.” Acts 22:16

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Thank you for reading!

 

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Greatest Words Ever Spoken

“When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,”
bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:30

…

G is for Greatest Words Ever Spoken: “It is Finished.”

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“It is Finished.”

What is finished?

God’s eternal will and perfect design,
all that was written in the prophets,
all visions and prophesies foretold,
the whole will of God
perfectly obeyed!

The deepest pangs in the garden,
rawest reproach and suffering,
purest shame-
the cost of sin-
the  cold naked cross
of God’s wrath
endured!

Each moral and ceremonial law,
every distinct demand of justice,
all types and shadows and promises,
God’s perfect righteousness forever
magnified and justified
and honorably
fulfilled!

God’s perfect pardon,
Christ’s perfect sacrifice,
fullest satisfaction and atonement,
complete salvation and pardon
completely procured
as never before
nor since!

And…

All the earth shook!
The weighted veil split!
The holy of holies unfurled!
The wailing sky thundered
and all of Hell trembled
as the vast of eternity
looked!

at the red heifer
and at the pure lamb,
at the young bullock
and at the clean ram,
at the male goat
and at the small dove
as they all
stood
still!

While…

The wheat and the tares,
the Light and the night,
the goats and the lambs,
His truth and his lies
divide!

Because…

It is finished!

God’s kingdom is wholly holy!
established and fully complete
in justice and fullest pardon
for every redeemed
believing soul
forever!

And…

Faith blossoms!

It is finished!

So entirely and so fully,
so utterly and so complete
that any help whatsoever
of any man whosoever
would only
soil
it!

Nothing can be added.
Nothing!

It is finished!
and cannot be undone!

It is finished!

It has
eternally secured
Christ’s resurrection,
His entrance into heaven,
His session at God’s right hand,
His Lordship and power and authority
over all
forever
and
ever!

What is finished?

All Glory
divine!

It is finished!

Therefore…

You cannot work hard enough
sacrifice long enough
praise loud enough
reach high enough
pray long enough
cry deep enough
or
learn enough
read enough
give enough
pay enough
or
crawl far enough
on your bleeding knees
to ever be able to earn it!

It is finished!

The utmost Best
has been offered
once and for all!

Eternity
is not long enough
to ever thank Him
dearly enough!

So, stop trying.
Stop crying.
Stop!

Believe!

It is finished!

…

Petra O. Hefner

 

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:36

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Thank you for reading!

 

Photo by Leo Reynolds Flickr

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• Paid in Full (justificationbygrace.com)

The Sower

“Then he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘A farmer went out to sow his seed…’” Matthew 13:3

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Ye sons of earth prepare the plough,
Break up your fallow ground!
The Sower is gone forth to sow,
And scatter blessings round.

The seed that finds a stony soil
Shoots forth a hasty blade;
But ill repays the sower’s toil,
Soon withered, scorched, and dead.

The thorny ground is sure to balk
All hopes of harvest there;
We find a tall and sickly stalk,
But not the fruitful ear.

The beaten path and highway side
Receive the trust in vain;
The watchful birds the spoil divide,
And pick up all the grain.

But where the Lord of grace and power
Has blessed the happy field,
How plenteous is the golden store
The deep wrought furrows yield!

Father of mercies, we have need
Of Thy preparing grace;
Let the same hand that gives me seed
Provide a fruitful place!

Will­iam Cow­per 1731-1800, Ol­ney Hymns

“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:7

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Thank you for reading!

 

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Find

“So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11

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Open the book of life
and find the cord
that binds you
to a promise.

See the start of life
and find one good
and perfect love
in a garden.

Seek the food of wisdom
and find her truth
fill the mouths
of the simple.

Feel the law of justice
and find the weight
of constant failure
and sin within.

Heed the psalms of old
and find the hope
that sings about
a perfect Savior.

Note the voice of heaven
and find the dove
alight on One
who has come.

Hear the shouts of man
and find our madness–
our prideful wish
to crucify God!

Behold the power of love
and find us weeping
one perfect lamb
beat and slain.

Taste the bread of heaven
and find pure wine–
His blood spilled
once for all.

Devour the words of life
and find the Savior’s
grace and mercy,
all sin forgiven.

Live the book of holiness
and praise the Son
God and Spirit,
three in one.

Petra O. Hefner

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Thank you for reading!

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All Mixed Up And Ready To Pour

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” Psalm 56:8

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• Can you say, It Is Well With My Soul? because “A saved soul has many sorrows.” A J.C. Ryle gem!

• I don’t really know Tricia, and she doesn’t know me. I don’t even remember how I happened across her blog, but it’s not left my heart since I’ve found it. Enlarged is a powerful poem that she quotes, one that might help us all.

• The Old Adam Lives and calls for More Forde. I can see why. Can you?

• Here’s a question I must answer honestly again and again, how important is My So-Called Online Life? I actually stepped away from it once to see what would happen. I got a lot done and I’ve learned quite a bit. You can read about it here.

• And while we’re at it, “It is not busyness that eats the life out of the soul...“

• Other than that, I love my boring life, how about you? I think The Church Usher is starting a “stick in the mud club”, and I’m tempted to join.

• Oh, before I forget, “You are the salt of the world”, not the sugar candy… Did you know that? Don’t miss this Gem, but take an umbrella, the Slinger’s got Ink.

But wait… there’s more!

• The beautiful photo at the top is from my friend Becky’s photo journey. Not only are her photos beautiful, they also capture her God-honoring heart and its edifying reflections.

And, last but not least…

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“God can’t give us peace and happiness apart from Himself
because there is no such thing.” — C.S. Lewis

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Thanks for reading!

All About Love

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

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Three Love Themes by Spurgeon.

Plus, a question worth asking!

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Love’s Logic

“We love him because he first loved us.”—1 John 4:19.

God’s love is evidently prior to ours: “He first loved us.” It is also clear enough from the text that God’s love is the cause of ours, for “We love him because he first loved us.” Therefore, going back to old time, or rather before all time, when we find God loving us with an everlasting love, we gather that the reason of his choice is not because we loved him, but because he willed to love us. His reasons, and he had reasons (for we read of the counsel of his will), are known to himself, but they are not to be found in any inherent goodness in us, or which was foreseen to be in us. We were chosen simply because he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. He loved us because he would love us.

The gift of his dear Son, which was a close consequent upon his choice of his people, was too great a sacrifice on God’s part to have been drawn from him by any goodness in the creature. It was not possible for the highest piety to have deserved so vast a boon as the gift of the Only-begotten; it was not possible for any thing in man to have merited the incarnation and the passion of the Redeemer. Our redemption, like our election, springs from the spontaneous self-originating love of God. And our regeneration, in which we are made actual partakers of the divine blessings in Jesus Christ, was not of us, nor by us.

We were not converted because we were already inclined that way, neither were we regenerated because some good thing was in us by nature; but we owe our new birth entirely to his potent love, which dealt with us effectually turning us from death to life, from darkness to light and from the alienation of our mind and the enmity of our spirit into that delightful path of love, in which we are now travelling to the skies. Read all of this sermon here.

Love’s Commendation

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us.”–Romans 5:8.

I shall have nothing new to tell you; it will be as old as the everlasting hills, and so simple that a child may understand it. Love’s commendation. “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God’s commendation of himself and of his love is not in words, but in deeds. When the Almighty God would commend his love to poor man, it is not written, “God commendeth his love towards us in an eloquent oration”; it is not written that he commendeth his love by winning professions; but he commendeth his love toward us by an act, by a deed; a surprising deed, the unutterable grace of which eternity itself shall scarce discover. He “commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Let us learn, then upon the threshold of our text, that if we would commend ourselves it must be by deeds, and not by words. Men may talk fairly, and think that thus they shall win esteem; they may order their words aright, and think that so they shall command respect; but let them remember, it is not the wordy oratory of the tongue, but the more powerful eloquence of the hand which wins the affection of “the world’s great heart.” Read all of this sermon here.

Daniel’s Band

“O Daniel, a man greatly beloved.”–Daniel 10:11.

It did not do Daniel any harm to know that he was greatly beloved of God; or else he would not have received that information from heaven. Some people are always afraid that, if Christian people obtain full assurance, and receive a sweet sense of divine love, they will grow proud, and be carried away with conceit. Do not you have any such fear for other people, and especially do not be afraid of it for yourselves. I know of no greater blessing that can happen to any man and woman here, than to be assured by the Spirit of God that they are greatly beloved of the Lord. Such knowledge might do some of us, who are Christians, the greatest conceivable good. Daniel was not injured by knowing that he was greatly beloved. It has often been said that Daniel is the John of the Old Testament, and John is the Daniel of the New Testament. Those two men, Daniel and John, were choice saints. They rose to the greatest height of spiritual obedience, and then to the greatest height of spiritual enjoyment.

The knowledge that they were greatly beloved of God, instead of doing us harm, will be a means of blessings in many ways. If you know, my dear brother, of a surety, that you are a man greatly beloved of God, you will become very humble. You will say, “How could God ever love me? Read all of this sermon here.

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Last but not least, don’t let this special day end without asking, “How do you know that I love you?” Read more about this special idea at A Multitude of Mercies.

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I find it sweet to retire and be alone with my
best Friend. What a privilege to open our whole
heart, and lean, like John, upon the Savior’s
tender, sympathizing bosom!

(Mary Winslow’s, “Heaven Opened”)

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Thank you for reading! May your day be filled with love!