The Love of God -- 9/27/08

Sunday, September 28, 2008

THE LOVE OF GOD

In recent years there has been a “back to the basics” movement in education. Because our public education system in this country is deeply committed to a social agenda, some are saying, “Forget all the extra curricular things, and get back to reading, writing, and arithmetic.” Sooner or later, that cry is heard is almost every area of life. As I have shared with you before, I was a sports fanatic when I was young. When I played baseball, we spent time working on turning the double play, executing the squeeze bunt, hitting the cut-off man, and other fine points of the game that are foreign to most non-baseball players. Nevertheless, we were always reminded that the key to success in baseball is performing the basics – hitting, pitching, and fielding. No player is ever too advanced to work on those fundamentals.

This morning we want to take some time to be reminded of one of the great fundamental truths of the Christian faith. Though we may learn many other wonderful truths from the Word of God, we must never forget this one. No matter how we may grow and mature in Christ, we will never outgrow our need to remember, to meditate upon, and to proclaim the love of God. Perhaps the first verse you ever memorized from scripture was about God’s love. Say it with me: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16). As we read twice in I John, “God is love” (I Jn. 4:8,16).

We are going to spend our time this morning looking at a broad overview of God’s love, beginning with the creation of mankind and continuing into eternity. We won’t have time to give great details in each area, but we will spend enough time to remind us of the great reach of God’s love. So let’s take our Bibles and explore this precious truth.

I. God’s Love Seen in His Creation

We have asked this question before. Let’s ask it again: Why did God create? And since man is at the climax of His creation, why did God create man? Was it because He was lonely? Absolutely not. God the Father and God the Son were perfectly content in their fellowship with one another. If you want to see that, just read the Gospel of John and look for those passages which speak of the fellowship between the Father and the Son. God didn’t create man out of need.

Then why? God created man out of love, love for His Son and love for His people. We’ve talked about this before. When I say “love for His Son and love for the human beings He would bring into existence,” the order is intentional. First, it was out of love for His Son, as He would provide a bride for His Son through the creation of the church. But that fact does not diminish God’s love for His people; it enhances it. Everything God does for His Son Jesus is also for us, because we are in Christ. And don’t forget those words that Jesus prayed to the Father the very night of His arrest. John 17:23, "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." Though it seems unbelievable, Jesus indicated that the Father loves us who are His own even as He loves His Son Jesus.

See the love of God in the creation of man. Not only did God create Adam, but He noted, “It is not good for that the man should be alone” (Gen. 2:18). And then God created a helper suitable for him; He made Eve and brought her to Adam. I’m glad God did that out of love. Don’t let the beauty of God’s love be clouded by the sin of mankind, which is seen in lust and immorality and divorce. All of that can never change the fact that God loved Adam and gave him a wonderful wife, and He has been doing that ever since.

Not only did God create man and give him a wife, but God gave them something to do. Go back to chapter 1, where God obviously is looking forward to the work of both Adam and Eve. Let’s read it again in Gen. 1:26-28…
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

God blessed them. How? By giving them the privilege of being fruitful, multiplying, and having dominion over all the creatures on the earth. These are no small things. Their relationship was fruitful. Adam and Eve shared life together. And they were blessed with the privilege of having children, for “children are an heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb is his reward” (Ps. 127:3). And there was no chance that they would ever become bored, for they were charged with the care of creation. God gave them meaningful work to do. It was a loving God who poured out these blessings upon them at creation.

II. God’s Love Seen in His Mercy

It isn’t long before we see God’s love demonstrated in His mercy. We only have to go to chapter 3. We won’t spend much time here, because we have looked at it recently. In spite of all their blessings, Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and there were immediate consequences. They were cut off from God because of their sin. In light of their ungratefulness for all His blessings, who could have blamed God, if He had wiped them out on the spot and announced that they would forever be banished from His presence? Such action would have been perfectly just.

Instead, we find that God had mercy on Adam and Eve. Though they died spiritually as God said they would, they were not destroyed and consigned to everlasting darkness apart from God. You will remember that as the Lord spoke to Satan, He included a wonderful promise. Let’s read it again in Gen. 3:15, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." God promised that Eve would have a descendant who would crush the head of that lying, deceiving serpent.

You will remember that this is not the end of the story. Adam and Eve were still hiding from God and from one another, full of guilt and shame because of what they had done. Their make-shift, fig-leaf covering was likely not very effective. But God did something. Yes, the Lord had mercy on them. In His mercy, the Lord killed an animal to provide clothing for them. And the blood of that animal served as the sacrifice that covered their sins, looking forward to the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. God didn’t have to do that, but He chose to do it in His mercy.

Look down the road a few hundred years. The descendants of Adam and Eve multiplied and began to replenish the earth. However, there was a problem. Gen. 6:5, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Again, it would have been perfectly just and right for God to destroy the entire human race. Surely that is what they deserved. But there was one man who found favor in God’s sight. That one man was Noah. Through Noah, God expressed His mercy upon all mankind. You know the story. Knowing what He was going to do, the Lord instructed Noah to build a boat. He told him exactly how to build it, so that it would withstand the flood that was coming. God gave him every detail. A small houseboat would not have weathered the flood, but the ark God designed and Noah built was sufficient to save 8 people and representatives of all the animals. What mercy God demonstrated.

Praise God that He didn’t exhaust His mercy at the time of the flood. He has continued to pour out His mercy down through the ages. Let’s read it from Ps. 103:8-14…
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. 9. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. 10. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. 13. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. 14. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

We deserve to be destroyed by our Creator, against whom we have rebelled. Praise God that He has shown mercy. Surely His mercy is an expression of His love.

III. God’s Love Seen in His Wrath

So far, so good. No problem. We can see His love in the creation. We see even more of that love, when we look at God’s mercy. But now I am suggesting to you that we also see God’s love in His wrath. God’s wrath is simply His settled disposition against sin. God hates sin. His wrath rests upon sin and upon all those who are ruled by sin.

Before we go any further, let’s establish the truth that our God is indeed a God of wrath. The word “wrath” occurs in the KJV 198 times. My count was not absolutely precise, but I counted about 60 uses of the word “wrath” which did not refer to the wrath of God. That would leave roughly 135 or 140 references to God’s wrath in the Bible. And if you think God’s wrath is confined to the Old Testament, just check out the references to His wrath in Revelation.

Let’s read a few passages about God’s wrath. In Matt. 3:7, we read about John the Baptist: "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" Now let’s read Rom. 2:4-8…
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 5. But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6. Who will render to every man according to his deeds: 7. To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 8. But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath…

Now look at John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." In both the Old Testament and the New Testament we read of the day of God’s wrath.

So our God is a God of wrath. For many people, that creates a great problem: How can He be a God of love, if He is a God of wrath? Most often, these two attributes of God are seen as direct opposites. However, that is not the case. If He is a God of love, then He must be a God of wrath. To put it another way, if He were not a God of wrath, He could not truly be a God of love. You say, how can that be?

Those of you who have a young child, do you love your child? Certainly, you do. Because you love your child, you hate those things that would harm that child. When you think of someone kidnapping him or her, you become a parent of wrath. When you think of what internet pornography might do your child, you become a parent of wrath. We read in Ps. 97:10, “Ye that love the Lord, hate evil.” If we truly love God, we hate the things that God hates. Though not a perfect illustration, that gives us a glimpse into God’s character. Because His love rests upon His saints, His wrath rests upon everyone and everything else.

Consider Satan. God’s wrath is upon Him and someday He will cast him into the lake of fire. That is perfectly consistent with God’s love, because Satan is the accuser of the brethren. Because He loves us, His wrath rests upon Satan and all those who will ultimately choose to follow Satan. God’s wrath is the “Amen” to His love.

IV. God’s Love Seen in His Redemption

Now we better come back to more familiar territory for some of you. God’s love is seen in His redemption. The scripture teaches that before a man comes to Christ, he is a slave to sin, Satan, and the world. Rom 6:17, 20… "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you… For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness." Speaking to Christians, Paul reminds them that there was a time when they were the servants (slaves) of sin. To see our former relationship to the world and Satan, let’s look at Eph 2:1-2, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: 2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:" Did you catch that? In time past, we lived according to the course of this world. And who was calling the shots for the course of this world? It was the ruler of the power of the air. And if you have trouble identifying him, look at the next description: “the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience.” Paul is talking about Satan. He was our master. The situation was so bad that Paul says we were dead in our trespasses and sins (verse 1). We weren’t sick; we weren’t afflicted; we were dead.

Can you see the desperation of our situation? We were slaves. Satan had us bound effectively. We were ruled by sin. But maybe we could rise up and rebel against the tyranny of Satan and sin? One problem – we were dead. A dead man cannot rise up and rebel. All he can do is lie in the casket. We were absolutely helpless. If we were ever to be anything other than the slaves of Satan and sin, someone from outside the casket would have to come and rescue us.

I will sing of my Redeemer! I know that my Redeemer liveth! Blessed Redeemer! Precious Redeemer! In the latter chapters of Isaiah the Redeemer is mentioned no less than 13 times. And that Redeemer is identified as “the Holy One of Israel” (Is. 41:14; 43:14; 48:17; 54:5), as “the mighty One of Jacob” (49:26), “the Lord of hosts” (44:6; 47:4). Yes, the Lord Jehovah is the Redeemer. But we read in Is. 59:20, “And the Redeemer shall come to Zion…” But how so? He will come as the Son of God, even as Jesus of Nazareth.

Remember when those two men were walking on the road to Emmaus. The risen Jesus appeared on the road and was walking with them, but they didn’t know it was Jesus. Jesus asked them why they were sad. They said, “Are you a stranger in Jerusalem? Don’t you know the things that have happened?” When Jesus asked, “What things?” they began to recount the story of how their Lord had been a prophet mighty in deed and word and how the chief priests and rulers had delivered Him up to be condemned to death, and how He had been crucified. Then they spoke these words, “But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel…” (Luke 24:21). They were just sure that this Jesus was the Redeemer, but now He was dead. Praise God that wasn’t the end of the story. He was indeed the Redeemer, and He rose from the grave to prove it. And now we look “for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous of good works” (Tit. 2:13-14). Yes, our Redeemer has come. He lived, died, and rose. Now we can say with Peter, “We know that we were not redeemed with corruptible things… but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Pet. 1:18-19).

We were dead in our trespasses and sins, but God has redeemed us through the blood of His Son. Yes, the Lamb of God has taken away our sins. We were dead, but not any more, for “if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection” (Rom. 6:5). We were dead in our sins, but because of this great redemption, now we are dead to sin and alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 6:11). Now we rejoice in the words of Jesus our Redeemer, who said, “Because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19).

We were slaves to sin, but now we are slaves to righteousness (Rom. 6:18). Sin and Satan ruled over us, but now we have a new Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. We gladly give Him all our allegiance, because He is worthy. We eagerly await the day when we will be there with the 24 elders, and we will join them in their praise, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power…” (Rev. 4:11). We will cry out with the thousands upon thousands before Him, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain…” (Rev. 5:12). Even now we will sing of our Redeemer!

V. God’s Love Seen through Eternity

For the most part, it seems that time is the enemy of all mankind. Oh yes, we have the saying, “Time is on our side,” but it seems that we don’t find many opportunities to use it. At a very young age, we begin to battle time. Parents take their child to see Grandpa and Grandma. It is absolutely wonderful… until they say, “Okay, it’s time to go home.” A couple of weeks later, they go to the roller rink and it is great fun. But again, time sets a limit, and they have to leave. Dad comes home from work, the family eats supper, and then Dad lays everything aside and plays with the kids. What could be more wonderful than that. But (you guessed it), before long Mom says, “Time to go to bed.” How the children wish they could kill that thing called time.

As they get a little older, time becomes even more real. Little Johnny really wants to have a horse to ride. Dad says, “Johnny, we will consider it when you are 10.” The trouble is that Johnny is only 8. He learns to hate time. Sally is 14. She sees no reason why she shouldn’t be able to drive a car. She has the mental capability to learn all the facts in the driving book; she is plenty tall enough to see over the dash. So why shouldn’t she be able to drive? Because she isn’t old enough. She will have to wait for some time.

Later on, something else happens. It happens at different ages for different people. After some of us couldn’t wait to become adults, we find that there is a shift. Perhaps for some it is age 40. “I have lived 40 years on this earth, and what do I have to show for it?” Or maybe you’ve lived 60+ years and you begin to say, “I’m running out of time. I have always wanted to serve the Lord, but there isn’t much time left. Time used to be too long, but now it’s too short!”

Some of you here have a different battle with time. Whether you have lived 15 years or 85 years, you understand that time as we know it will run out. You know that Jesus died for you, but you do not belong to Him. You have no confidence that Jesus will say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Instead, you know you are in great danger of hearing Jesus say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.” O the hopelessness of those words from Jer. 8:20, “The harvest is past; the summer is ended; and we are not saved.”

Time is short; eternity is forever. That is why we read in the scriptures: “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Cor. 6:2). We often remind you of that great promise, “You will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13). But we must also remind you that the time is limited. If time runs out before you repent and believe, before you give up on yourself and cast yourself on the Christ who died for you, you will spend eternity in hell. Now you want more time; then you will wish time could be condensed. Jesus commands you to repent and believe.

I have good news this morning for you who are in Christ. The millions and billions and trillions of years of eternity will not exhaust the love of God.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun;
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.
Nor will our God have any less days to love His people. Listen to what the Lord said to His people Israel through the prophet Jeremiah… (Jer. 31:3) "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." Does He love any less those who have trusted the blood of His Son Jesus Christ? He has loved us with an everlasting love.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we can take great comfort in this. God doesn’t promise us a smooth path after we are reconciled to God through Christ. Paul made it clear “that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). He further states that all who want to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (II Tim. 3:12). He tells us to rejoice always and to rejoice in tribulation. Make no mistake about it – a good bit of rejoicing will be in the midst of tribulation. In light of those facts, can we say that God loves us? Certainly. What is love? It isn’t making the beloved comfortable. It is doing what is best for the one you love. God is doing what is best for us right now. God isn’t looking only at today; He is looking down through eternity and working to enlarge our joy forever and ever. He is multiplying our capacity to enjoy Him for eternity. That is love. We may not fully appreciate it now, but we will when we see Him face to face.

In short, the end of this life will not be the end of God’s love. For what do we read in God’s Word? Let’s read it again from Rom. 8:35-39…
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36. As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Praise God for His everlasting love in Jesus Christ our Lord!

It is common for people to speculate about heaven. Books are written to try to tell us what heaven is like. People tend to think something like this: “Jim loves to work in his garden. Since God loves Jim, he will give him a garden in heaven.” Brothers and sisters, I don’t know whether Jim will have a garden in heaven, but I do know that kind of thinking misses the beauty of God’s love. God didn’t make us to garden, or to cook, or do any of those things. Those are temporary earthly pleasures. God made us to worship Him. For those of us who are in heaven, we will be consumed with the glory of God. That’s love, because there is nothing better for us than to worship our Creator and Redeemer. There is nothing that can possibly compare with the joy of falling at His feet and proclaiming His praise. That’s heaven!

Conclusion

So we see God’s love in His creation. Some of us meditated on God’s creation this past Wednesday night. “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained… What is man, that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visitest him? (Ps. 8:3-4). What love that God would stoop down to care about us. And, of course, we see God’s love in His mercy. We deserve destruction; but in His mercy, He has given us glory. And yes, we see God’s love in His wrath. When God destroys the devil and all who follow Him, He will be demonstrating His love for us, as He rids our existence of everything that could possibly defile. God’s love is seen in His redemption through Jesus Christ. We were slaves of sin and Satan, but God bought us out of that slavery and is fashioning us to be the bride of His Son. And this unfathomable love will never end. Our justification is just the beginning; there will be no end.

Let’s close by recalling the powerful words of the song writer. Turn to page 286. Please follow along, as I read the third verse…
Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Tho’ stretched from sky to sky.

Oh love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forever more endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Now let’s sing it together…

Prayer

Baptism: Lou Mauro & Trey Griffin -- 9/14/08

Sunday, September 14, 2008

* This service designed for more participation, as Lou Mauro and Trey Griffin are being baptized this morning. I have invited the folks to share encouragement with them, as the Lord leads. [Quite a number did share; what a blessing]

ENCOURAGING OUR NEW BELIEVERS

Baptism pictures beautifully the truth that a person has been identified with Christ. The Sprit of God has effectively made you a part of the life of Jesus Christ. You share His eternal life. Praise God. How blessed you are, Lou and Trey. How blessed is every true child of God.

But the blessings don’t stop there. Not only do you now share the life of Jesus, but you have been made a part of His body and a member of His family. Trey and Lou, you have inherited thousands of brothers and sisters who are located all around this world. Most of them you will never meet in this world, but you will be privileged to spend all eternity with them, worshipping the Lamb together.

The news that you are part of a huge family may be thrilling, but it’s a little hard to get hold of. It is the local church that allows believers to live out in practical ways what it means to be a part of the family of God. When Jesus said, “I will build my church,” there is no doubt that He was talking about His church composed of all believers around the world throughout the centuries. But when Paul wrote letters to Christians, he wrote to specific local churches. Though it is more than obvious that this local church has its faults and weaknesses, you are blessed to become a vital part of a local church. Now you have brothers and sisters you can reach out and touch, family members with whom you can fellowship day in and day out.

I sense I need to emphasize this truth this morning because it is so foreign to the world in which we live. As I speak to Lou and Trey, understand that I am speaking to the rest of us as well. I think I know you two men well enough to say that for most of your life, you have been very independent. After all, you are men, and men make their own decisions. I am not saying that you have never prayed about decisions, but you have pretty well lived independently of other people. You may have family and friends that you love and respect, but it hasn’t changed the fact that your business is your business. You don’t interfere in the business of others, and you don’t expect them to interfere in yours. That is the message the world has pounded into you, and your flesh has said “Amen” to that message. Lou and Trey aren’t the only ones who have been there. Some of you who profess to know Christ still live there.

Good news. You are part of a family that loves and cares for you. You have brothers and sisters who will listen to you and will pray with you. When you are hurting, you have family that will hurt with you. What a blessing to have those who will genuinely rejoice with you, as the Lord works in your life.

Let’s read a couple of passages that speak of this rich blessing. I Cor. 12:12-27…
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14. For the body is not one member, but many. 15. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 16. And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 17. If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 18. But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. 19. And if they were all one member, where were the body? 20. But now are they many members, yet but one body. 21. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 22. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 23. And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 24. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: 25. That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 26. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. 27. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Isn’t that beautiful! Notice that there is no competition in the body. The hand doesn’t try to outdo the foot. Each performs the function for which it was designed. As the members of our physical bodies work together for the good of the whole body, so the members of the body of Christ work together for the good of the whole body and for the glory of God.
Now let’s read Eph. 5:18-21…
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

The command is that we be filled with the Spirit. This is not a one-time experience, but something that is continuing. “Be being filled with the Spirit.” To be filled with the Spirit is to be led by the Spirit. A drunk person does not direct his own life, because the influence of the alcohol takes over. So the person who is filled with the Spirit does not direct His own life. He rejoices that the Spirit is leading him. Now notice the things that are associated very closely with being filled with the Spirit. There are four of them…
1. Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs
2. Making melody in your heart to the Lord
3. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
4. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God

Those last two really get down into the details of the way we live. Who can possibly give thanks for all things? No one, except the one who is filled with the Spirit. The same is true of submitting to one another. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. What a blessing to be in submission to one another. We don’t have to go it alone. We can live side by side with others who share our longing to glorify the Lord. Brothers and sisters, this isn’t a “have to;” this is a blessing.

Please allow me to give you a concrete example. I was sharing this with Lou the other day. A couple of years ago we were preparing to take a week’s vacation. Our son Mark and his wife Kera were graduating from college in Oklahoma. We were planning to spend a couple of days with them and go to the graduation, then spend a couple of days with Tracy and Lindsay in Dallas, and then spend a couple of days with my mom and family down in Brownwood. A week or so before we were planning to leave, Mark told us that after the graduation they were planning to go to Branson with Kera’s parents. “Dad, why don’t you and mom go with us?” It was a nice thought, but there was just no way we would have time to do that, with all the other things we needed to do. Rhonda and I would talk about it, but we both realized it just wasn’t a possibility. On the other hand, Rhonda hated to disappoint Mark. Finally, one morning we called Mark and told him we just couldn’t do it. Mark said it was fine, but he tends to keep things inside. We sensed that he was pretty disappointed.

That same afternoon I was scheduled to get together with one of my brothers. During the time we spent together, he asked me what was going on in my life. I told him about the situation I just described to you. He thought for a minute and then he began to ask me some questions. Basically, in less than five minutes, he was able to show me that this was an opportunity that I shouldn’t miss, that this was very important to Mark. He assured me that if time was a problem, no one around here would miss me. He would talk to Norman and some of the guys and make sure it was okay for us to take a couple of extra days. If it hadn’t been for a faithful brother who loved me and could see things more clearly than I, we would have missed that opportunity. It wasn’t that we cared anything about going to Branson, but we do care about Mark and Kera.

Do you see that submission to one another is not a “have to.” It isn’t a matter of us bossing each other around. Rather, it is an opportunity to practice the twice-repeated principle of Proverbs: “There is safety in a multitude of counselors” (Prov. 11:14; 24:6). Through the years, I have seen Christians do foolish things that could have been prevented, if they had been submitted to their brothers and sisters in Christ, if they had just talked to some members of the body and been willing to consider their wise counsel. Trey and Lou, my brothers and sisters in Christ, we have resources that the rest of the world doesn’t have.

May God give us grace to care for one another, to love one another, to pray for one another, to hurt with one another, to rejoice with one another, to submit to one another in the fear of God. In this kind of family atmosphere there are blessings beyond our understanding.


Brief Explanation of Baptism based on Romans 6:1-6

... Indentified with Christ in His death and resurrection
... When you are put in the water, it is a picture of Jesus’ death and burial. When you are raised, it is a picture of Jesus’ resurrection.
... When you are placed in the water, it shows that you died with Jesus. When you are raised, it shows that you have been raised with Jesus to live a new life (=His life, for He lives within you).

Trey has commented, “I don’t know why I still sin.” Here is the good news. Though you still commit sins, something fundamentally changed when you became a part of Jesus Christ. We see this in verse 6. Our old man was crucified with Christ. The end result? That we should not be slaves of sin. Sin is no longer our master, as see down in verse 14, “Sin shall not have dominion over you; for you are not under the law, but under grace.” Law gave us no power against sin, but grace does!

So Much More... 9/07/08

Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008

GOD’S SOLUTION & OUR BLESSING
or
SO MUCH MORE

We have been looking in some detail at the first three chapters of Genesis. We know that these early chapters of the Bible lay the foundation for everything else. God created man and put him in the beautiful Garden of Eden. So where do we go to look for the fall of man, for that time when man first disobeyed God? That’s right – chapter 3. It didn’t take long. We have seen that because of sin, Adam and Eve were cut off from God. That is why they hid themselves and covered up with fig leaves. Last week we saw that God in His mercy killed an animal and clothed them with the skin of that animal. Not only did they receive clothing, but that animal was actually a substitute for Adam and Eve. They should have died, but that innocent animal died in their place. What a picture of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus died in our place, taking upon Himself the wrath of God which we deserved.

Nevertheless, we also saw that Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, where the Tree of Life stood. So they could not partake of the Tree of Life, God placed a guard at the entrance. The guard consisted of two cherubim and a flaming sword. This shows us how sin bars man from the presence of God.

Down through the centuries, man has concocted hundreds and thousands of ways to try to get back into the presence of God. We see man’s attempts illustrated beautifully at the tower of Babel, where people came together and tried to build a tower to heaven. You will recall that God frustrated their efforts by confusing their languages, clearly indicating that man’s efforts to reach God will never be effective.

Think of all the religions of the world. They are all attempts to reach God. I think particularly of religions like Hinduism. The common Hindu will worship many, many gods. It has been noted that he has millions of gods to choose from. In this and other religions men try to appease the gods, to make them happy so that they will not be angry at human beings. Can you imagine the futility of living this way. Even if I make this god happy, what about all the others? How can I make sure that I am satisfying all of them? And if I don’t, one or more of them may take out his anger on me.

There are two great problems with this kind of religion. First of all, there is only one true God. We read in Ps. 96:4-5, “For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols; but the Lord made the heavens.” The Psalmist is not conceding that there are many gods. He is simply saying that the so-called gods of the pagans are nothing but empty idols. Jesus spoke of the one true God when He defined eternal life in John 17:3, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” Listen to what Paul said to the Thessalonian Christians in 1 Th 1:8-9…
For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. 9. For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God…

Paul explains it this way in 1 Cor. 8:5-6, "For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 6. But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." We are taught this truth way back in Deut. 6:4-5, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5. And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." No matter how many people recognize many gods, in reality there is only one God, the LORD Jehovah, Yahweh, the great I AM.

The second problem in man’s religion down through the centuries is the idea that man can appease God, that man can do something to turn away the wrath of the gods (or God). The true and living God will not be satisfied with anything from sinful man. It doesn’t matter whether it is religious ceremony, doing good deeds to others, or attempting to live a good moral life; none of those things will satisfy God. None of those things will change the fact that all people in their natural state are under the wrath of God (John 3:36). What hope is there for a sinful man to appease God, when the best deeds of that man are nothing but filthy rags (Is. 64:6)?

Please understand that we speak of man’s religion, we are not just speaking about a small minority of humanity. We are talking about the great majority of people in this world, both now and in the past. We are talking about billions of people. Not only are we talking about Hindus and Buddhists, but Muslims as well. While the Muslims recognize but one god, their god is not the true and living God of the Bible. And no matter how many good works they try to do, the LORD God of heaven will not be satisfied by the deeds of sinful man.

I checked some statistics, which can be very misleading. The ones I checked said that 20% of the world is Islam, 13% is Hindu, and 33% is Christian. But we must not be fooled by such statistics. How many who call themselves Christians are still relying upon their own good works to make them right with God? You yourself might be in that category. In third world countries, many of those who call themselves Christians still do all the things that the pagans around them do. (For more on this, read And Beginng with Moses, by John Cross.) And of Christianity in this country, I believe we could safely say that less than a fourth of those classified as Christians know the true and living God.

As we think about the hopelessness of man, doesn’t it make you appreciate the gospel? In light of what we have talked about, we have good news! Praise God that man is not limited to what he can do! So if the two great problems of man’s religion down through the centuries is that it has often recognized many gods and has believed that those gods can be appeased by what man can do, what is the solution of the gospel?

In answer to that question, I want us to consider two things this morning. First, God has done something to deal with the sins of man. And second, God calls people into fellowship with Himself. We will give most of our attention to the second idea.

I. God’s Solution for Man’s Problem

Let me put this very concisely: God Himself took the initiative and fully executed the plan that appeases His wrath. Make no mistake about it, all people are sinners from the time they come into this world, and all sinners are under the wrath of God. But praise God that He did indeed do something for sinners. From the beginning, He planned to send His own Son to bear the sins of His people. Last week we were reminded of Rev. 13:8, which speaks of “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” In actual history, the angel announced the coming birth of the Lamb in Matt. 1:21, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins.” When Jesus was born into this world, “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn. 1:14). Yes, God became man in Jesus Christ.

And why is that so important? Let’s read it again in 1 John 4:9-10, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Yes, God sent His Son that we might have real life, the life God intended us to have, but what about the barrier? What about our sins, which separated us from our Creator? What about the deep rebellion and hatred of God that was such a part of us? Because He loved us, God sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. That is, He sent His Son to turn away His own wrath. We rebelled, but God sent His own Son to take the punishment for the rebels. Isn’t that amazing? “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Is. 53:6).

Think about it like this. Someone breaks into your house, steals everything of value, and then sets the house on fire. After a few weeks, the authorities catch him. They fine him $100,000 and sentence him to ten years in jail. But then you step forward and say to the judge, “Judge, I know he is guilty, but I beg you to let me pay his fine and serve his time so that he can go free.” Which one of us would do that? God did that and more. That arsonist thief didn’t treat you anywhere near as badly as you treated God. If you don’t believe that, then you have never truly understood sin. That man who robbed you and burned your house was a stranger from off the streets. But we were created by God. We were blessed by Him. Every good thing we ever experienced came from Him. In spite of all that, we rebelled against Him and spit in His face, saying, “God, I appreciate you creating me, but I’ll do things my way.”

How can we think of what God has done for us and not be driven to fall on our faces before Him in worship and adoration? Even though he was on the other side of the cross, David said, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Ps. 34:1). How much more shall we who have seen the sacrifice of the Son of God rise up to praise the God who brought our salvation!

II. And So Much More…

Now if we stopped right there, surely that would be enough. Would it not be enough that God took away the penalty of our sins through the death and resurrection of His own Son? What if God said to you: “Because I loved you, I have redeemed you. You will not get what you deserve. You deserve to spend eternity in hell, totally separated from me. Because I loved you too much to let that happen, I gave my Son on your behalf. You won’t have to spend eternity in hell. For the rest of your days in this life, I have arranged for you to stay in a little prison. It’s not bad—three square meals a day, regular recreation, opportunities to read and learn, with no forced labor thrown in. I don’t think that’s a bad deal at all, considering what I rescued you out of. When this life is over, you will have a nice house in heaven. There won’t be any more sickness or problems. You’ll be able to be with all your friends. And I’ll check on you once a week just to make sure everything is going okay.”

We may think it’s funny, but I tell you that if God did that, we would have to say that He is a God of endless mercy and grace. Any person who receives such a deal from God would be blessed indeed. Surely no one could fault God for that arrangement.

Now let’s read Psalm 65:5-13…
By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea: 6. Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power: 7. Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people. 8. They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. 9. Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it. 10. Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof. 11. Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. 12. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side. 13. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.

What a mighty God we serve. He answers us with awesome (that’s the sense of “terrible”) deeds of righteousness. He is the God who alone provides salvation. This God put the mountains in place; yes, He has that much power. Not only is His mighty voice like the sound of many waters, as we read in Revelation, but He also has the power to calm those mighty waters. Let all the nations rise up together, but our God will still them as well. He waters the earth with His river. He is the one who produces the crops, sending the rain when it is needed. The hills are blessed with flocks and covered with corn because of His mighty hand. Yes, even the hills and the valleys shout for joy and sing because of what our mighty God does.

You may have noticed we started reading in verse 5. Let’s go back and read the first four verses, where we find something even more amazing than the power of the Lord. Read Ps. 65:1-4…
Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed. 2. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. 3. Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away. 4. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.

Yes, we read here that the Lord is able to cleanse us from our sin, but then we read something else. Verse 4, “Blessed is the person you choose and cause to approach you, that he/she may dwell in your courts.” To whom is David speaking? Yes, he is talking to this mighty God that is described in the verses that follow. The God who made all the mountains in this world actually chooses a person and causes him to approach His presence. Is that not amazing? Our God doesn’t just remove the penalty of sin, but He actually brings a person into His presence. I started to say that He invites us to come into His presence, but that is not what this Psalm says. David pronounces the blessing upon the person whom the Lord causes to approach Him. The NIV and NASV says simply “bring near.” It is God who does this. He ushers His chosen into His presence.

Notice that next phrase – “that he may dwell in thy courts.” “Thy courts” simply speak of the Lord’s presence. Ps. 84:2, “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord.” The Psalmist is simply expressing his great desire to be in the Lord’s presence. We see that when we read the entire verse: “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.” It is similar language to what David said in Ps. 27:4, “One thing have I desired of that Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.” We find the same kind of language in Ps. 15:1, “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill.” These are all expressions of God’s presence. Here in Psalm 65:4 David speaks of the great blessing of being in the presence of the God who created and sustains the universe. O that we might sing out these kind of praises from our heart, when we realize the reality of this blessing.

Do you see? God does not just forgive the rebel and then give him a comfortable place to live for all eternity, a place where no evil will touch him. That would be well enough, but what can we say about a God who takes the rebel into His own house to live every day forever!

When we read the great New Testament promises for the saints of God, we must never forget the background out of which we have come. We are the God-hating rebels for whom Jesus came to die. Remember that Jesus didn’t come for the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). In Christ we are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people (people for His own possession).” We who were not a people have been made the people of God (I Pet. 2:9-10). Would you long for Osama bin Laden to become a part of your family? God has adopted millions of bin Ladens into His family. In the same way, He makes a new person out of the prostitute and actually makes her a part of the bride of Christ.

And who is that is the bride of Christ? We who are believers are the bride of Christ. You fathers, would you want your son to marry a woman who formerly had a reputation as being a woman of the world? Read with me I Cor. 6:9-11…
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10. Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

What an ugly list, but such were some of us. I dare say that there are few of us that wouldn’t fit at least one of those descriptions. God has not only washed, sanctified, and justified us, but He has also taken us for the bride of His Son.

This morning I want us to pause and think about the privilege of having fellowship with God and His Son Jesus Christ. Read with me I John 1:1-4…

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2. (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Why did John and His fellow-apostles want others to have fellowship with them? Because their fellowship was truly fellowship with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, and that fellowship filled them with joy. Tasting the presence of God was such a powerful thing that they could not keep it to themselves. It was much too rich for that.

Let me share a verse with you. You may not have given a great deal of thought to this verse, but it is precious indeed. Turn with me to Romans 7. Let’s read 7:1-4…

Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2. For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. 4. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

Let’s focus on verse 4. Lord willing, we will talk some tonight about what it means to be dead to the law, but right now let’s think on the concept of being married to the one who was raised from the dead. Jesus died in order that we might be married to Him. Yes, this is that concept of the bride of Christ. As I thought about this verse, I began to realize that I haven’t taken time to really meditate on the truth presented here.

Think with me. We understand that the marriage between a man and woman picture the relationship between Christ and His church, though the picture we paint often leaves a lot to be desired. But even with an imperfect painting, there is much we can understand. Rhonda and I have been married for a little over 34 years. During those years, I have provided for her. I haven’t lavished her with luxuries, but I have provided for her needs. I have protected her. I may not be very strong, but she takes great comfort in knowing that I am at her side. When I am gone overnight, it is more difficult for her, because she doesn’t have her husband there for protection. I am a companion to her, though my companionship has been less than perfect. We sometimes talk about how difficult it would be if we suddenly didn’t have each other to talk to. From me Rhonda receives forgiveness. I don’t hold a grudge against her; if she sins against me, I forgive her. With me Rhonda has intimacy. I don’t give myself to her because I have to, but because I want to. I want her to know me more deeply than anyone else on this earth, and I want to know her in that same way. That is the desire of my heart.

Now think about that in relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ, for we are His bride. Even an imperfect husband like myself loves his wife. How much more does Jesus love His bride! Think especially about companionship and intimacy. Do you ever think about that? The Lord Jesus wants to be with you. Your relationship with the Lord is not a one-sided affair. Your Lord strongly desires your fellowship. It isn’t that He needs you; He chooses to be with you. He enjoys your presence. He doesn’t fellowship with you just so He can teach you something; He likes being in your presence. That’s what fellowship is. We are His bride. Whoever heard of a bridegroom that didn’t long to be with his bride? He thinks about her and longs for the day when they will be together. If that is true of the human bridegroom, how much moreso of Jesus Himself! God didn’t use the bride/bridegroom imagery by accident. This is reality.

Look at the end of verse 4. Why are we married to Him who was raised from the dead? That we might bring forth fruit unto God. That is not to say that the companionship and intimacy of marriage is not important, but that fruit is the result of the union of a man and woman. The fruit of our marriage unions are a great blessing to us. Now the Lord talks about spiritual fruit. Before we were married to Christ, there was no possibility of fruit. If we went on to verse 5, we would find out that we only brought forth fruit for death. But when we are married to Christ, we bring forth fruit for God. In other words, now that we are married to Christ, we can do the things that please our heavenly Father and bring Him glory. This is what we are told in John 15:4-5…
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Conclusion

For the last month or so I have been reading in My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers. If you aren’t familiar with it, this is a classic devotional book. It has a reading for each day of the year. The August 30th entry was from Luke 10:19-20, which reads…
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Chambers says: “The snare in Christian work is to rejoice in successful service, to rejoice in the fact that God has used you.” But Jesus says we are to rejoice in our relationship to Him and the Father, not in the fact that He has used us. I got to thinking about that. What a precious truth. What a dangerous thing it is to be preoccupied with service and how well we are serving. If I think I am doing well, then I may find that I don’t need God. After all, I’m serving more effectively that most. If I don’t think I am doing well, then I may be ashamed to come into His presence, for fear that He will scold me.

Praise God that we can come into His presence regardless of what our service looks like. Let’s suppose that I am a miserable failure. He gives me opportunity to serve Him, and I blow it. Does that mean that He won’t welcome me into His presence? Suppose a son disappoints his dad. His dad had trained him well for the situation, but when the situation arose, the ten-year-old son blew it. So what does he do? Dad comes in. The son starts toward his dad. Then he runs to his dad’s outstretched arms and begins to sob uncontrollably. Dad squeezes him in his arms and comforts him. Do you see? The sweet fellowship of that moment is not built on how well the son performed, but it is built upon the relationship they have with one another as father and son. If that is true of the human father, how much moreso with our heavenly Father?

Consider Peter. He denied the Lord three times. But what happened when he was once again in the presence of Jesus? Did Jesus say, “Is this the Peter who said he would never deny me, that he would even die for me? Depart from me, Peter. I don’t want anything to do with you?” No, that is not the way our Lord treated Peter. There was no sarcasm in His voice, when He asked, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Jesus didn’t consider Peter a failure, because He then said, “Feed my lambs.” He went on to tell Peter how he would be greatly used. Remember that it was Jesus who sought Peter out after his failure. (Read the story in John 21)

The bottom line is this: The Lord strongly desires to have fellowship with all those who are His children. Remember what Jesus said: "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you" (Jn. 15:15). Paul tells us that God has gone even beyond calling us servants. Let’s read it in Gal. 4:7, “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” And hear Jesus again in Rev. 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” That is, “I will eat with him” or “dine with him.” In that culture eating was a symbol of close fellowship. Jesus longs to have that close fellowship with each of His own.

Child of God, regardless of where you are in your present life, you can fellowship with your Lord. I recognize there is one requirement; we must walk in the light, as He is in the light (I John 1:5). Yes, of course, we have to come to Him honestly; we can’t play games. But again, good news – it is our very nature as children of God to walk in the light and deal truthfully. That is who we are.

If the enemy has been fooling you into thinking that the Lord doesn’t want fellowship with you, rebuke him by believing the truth! Here is the truth – God has reconciled us to Himself through the death of His Son. Yes, He justified us. Yes, He has forgiven us and saved us from the penalty of sin. But He has done far more; He has reconciled us to Himself. When two people are reconciled, they are no longer at odds. They want to be together. That is the case with our Lord, to whom we have been married, that we might bring forth fruit for God. We can come into His presence and live there, claiming the promise: “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Ps. 91:1).