The Greatness and Weakness of Old Testament Worship

We need food. We need shelter. We need love. We need respect.

But what is our greatest need?

Scripture is clear: Our greatest need is to see Jesus for Who He is, and to respond accordingly. Only in this way can we fulfill the purpose of our creation. Only in this way can we draw near the One in whose presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). If we are His people, and He is our God, we can lose everything else – and yet still gain (Mark 8:34-37, 10:29-30).

So the book of Hebrews exalts the Lord Jesus and commands to consider Him, to keep our eyes fixed on Him. In particular, the author shows that Jesus is superior to any Old Testament priest and that the New Covenant in Him is superior to the Old Covenant.

Seeing these contrasts, we today are tempted to denigrate Old Testament worship – either to ignore the long sections of Scripture that describe it, or to go further and think of such worship as false and misleading.

But the New Testament never treats Old Testament worship that way, neither in Hebrews nor anywhere else.

Remember: All Old Testament worship forms were commanded by God! They are all part of God’s torah, His instruction about Who He is, who we are, how we can be reconciled to Him, and how we can fulfill the purpose of our creation in a fallen world.

Thus, there is a greatness to Old Testament worship.

At the same time, as Hebrews make abundantly clear, there is a weakness in that worship.

So let’s ask: How was Old Testament worship great? And how was it weak?

Hebrews 8:5 tells us of its greatness: The Old Testament priests “serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things.”

Think of the glory! These priests were serving a copy of heavenly things!

So their worship forms were not something that they thought up, that they decided would be appropriate ways to worship God.

Neither was their worship patterned after forms that peoples around them were using.

No! God showed Moses the true, heavenly reality! And then God helped Moses to see how to best reflect that heavenly reality on earth, through the tabernacle, through the sacrifices, through the annual feasts and other forms.

Thus, all these forms of worship pointed as effectively as possible to the heavenly reality on which they were patterned. And today, you and I have the privilege of being able to read God’s instructions to Moses, and thereby to learn about the heavenly realities – indeed, to learn about Jesus through them. As He Himself says, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote of me” (John 5:46; see also Luke 24:44).

So Old Testament worship is great because the Israelite priests serve a copy of heavenly things! It is precious! It was a wonderful gift of God to the people of Israel – and the description of it is a wonderful gift to us today.

But if that’s the case, how is it weak?

Old Testament worship is weak because those priests served a copy of heavenly things. Only a copy.

No one was ever redeemed by their sacrifices – that redemption had to take place in the true tent (Hebrews 8:2).

Furthermore, many Old Testament worshipers – even many of the priests – were simply going thru the motions. There was no inner delight in God, no broken and contrite heart before Him (Psalm 51:16-17).

So Jesus has obtained a much more excellent ministry (Hebrews 8:6). He ministers in the heavenly reality! Not in a shadowy copy. And He mediates a better covenant, with better promises – the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:8-12, Jeremiah 31:31-34). The very phrase “New Covenant” – written 600 years before Christ – implies that the first covenant one day will be obsolete (Hebrews 8:13). Now that Jesus has come, has died, and has risen to the right of hand of God, that time has come. Jeremiah’s prophecy is fulfilled. As great as Old Testament worship was, as wonderful as it was for the priests to picture heavenly realities, now that the perfect has come, the partial can pass away.

So the author of Hebrews emphasizes once again: Look to your great High Priest! Keep your eyes fixed on Him!

That is our greatest need today. It will remain our greatest need forever.

So exalt Jesus in your heart – and read about God-ordained, Old Testament worship forms so that you might exalt Jesus all the more.

Then praise God for the Old Covenant – and praise Him all the more for fulfilling that covenant in the New.

[This devotion is taken from part of the July 5, 2020 sermon. You can watch that service here; the sermon begins at 37:35; this section of the sermon begins at 1:03:35.]

A Prayer for Our Country for Her 244th Birthday

Father God,

We thank You for the United States of America.

  • What a privilege You grant us, O Father, to live in the first country that stated in its core documents that “All men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.”
  • What a great blessing to have wise founders who agreed with Your revelation of the fallenness of man, and therefore set up a system of checks and balances within the Constitution to diminish the opportunity for power to corrupt.
  • What a further blessing that our first president voluntarily stepped down from office, and therefore set an example for peaceful succession that we have followed for over 200 years.
  • Thank You for the previously unheard of economic freedom we have had in this country, and the consequent abundance of material goods that we are blessed with.
  • Thank you for those who have given their lives that this experiment in government of the people, by the people, and for the people might not perish from the earth.
  • Thank You for the freedom we have to worship as You instruct, without interference from the state, and for the freedom to speak against our leaders and their policies without fear of imprisonment or worse.
  • Thank You for the blessings of past revivals and awakenings that have led to the salvation of millions and the transformation of entire communities.
  • Thank You for the strategic role You have allowed the American church to play in reaching so many people groups with the Gospel of Your grace.

Whether we ourselves arrived recently or our ancestors have been in the US since its founding, we are blessed to live in this great country – and we acknowledge and thank You that this, along with every good gift, comes from You, and is undeserved by us.

We also confess, Father, the sins of our country, how so often we have failed to live up to our founding ideals.

  • Chanting security and freedom, we have tolerated or even advocated the oppression of different ethnic groups, including Native Americans, African Americans, and Japanese Americans.
  • In the name of “freedom” of choice we have tolerated or even advocated the killing of tens of millions of babies before they took a single breath.
  • In the name of “freedom” we have excused a lack of concern for the poor and downtrodden.
  • Crying out “freedom of religion” we have spawned distortions of Your Word and have bowed down to idols – including those of security, power, and wealth.
  • We have even replaced You with the USA, worshiping our country instead of You, while acting as if Your honor and glory are yoked together with the success of the United States.

We acknowledge, Father, that You have no more need of this country than you had of the Roman Empire. We continue to exist as a country because of Your mercy, and You could justly sweep us away in a moment, with no harm to Your plans for the coming Kingdom.

We confess in addition, gracious Father, that we as individuals have been infected with the virus of the false conception of freedom promulgated so widely in our country – as if freedom only means freedom of choice. You tell us in Romans 6 that true freedom is found in Christ, as we are free from sin and so slaves to righteousness. Cure us of this virus, we pray! May we be free to become what our Creator intends us to be, thereby becoming like Christ! Vaccinate us against further infection, and so use us to help others to find the only true freedom and the only lasting joy: Slavery to You.

By Your command, we seek the welfare of this country where you have sent us, even as we know that our true country is Your Kingdom. Enable us to be good citizens that bless our neighbors, shining the light of Your Gospel in all of our interactions. Make us truly instruments of Your peace and witnesses to Your grace, and so use us to bring many to Christ and to heal our land of its remaining ethnic and racial hatred, thereby forming a more perfect union. Grant us, Your church, wisdom, love, unity, and boldness to be the salt and light you intend.

O Loving Father, we so long to see Your Name magnified in all the cities, towns, and rural areas of this great land. Open eyes, by Your grace. Stir up Your church, by Your Spirit. Conform us to Christ, by Your power. Bless us so that we might be a blessing – and so bless this our country on its 244th birthday.

For the glory of Jesus our Savior we pray, Amen.

What is Biblical Discipleship?

Consider the last few verses of Matthew’s Gospel – what we frequently call “the Great Commission.” The risen Jesus says:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:18-20).

The primary command in these verses is to “make disciples of all nations” or (perhaps better) to “disciple all nations.” Whatever Jesus means by this command, it includes preaching the Gospel so that unbelievers of all nations come to faith and are baptized, and it includes instruction in biblical life and doctrine.

Question: Where do we see such discipling taking place in the New Testament?

Everywhere! Consider a couple of specific instances:

  • There is a good reason why Jesus’ followers are called disciples! He teaches them how to understand their Scriptures; He brings them to the end of their own resources so they must acknowledge their need for a Savior; He shows them by example how to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and how to love their neighbor.
  • Paul’s relationship with Timothy is similar. Consider these words the Apostle wrote to Timothy near the end of his life:

You, however, know all about my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra [this is Timothy’s home town]–which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.  Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:10-17).

Paul (as well as Timothy’s mother and grandmother) have taught him the Scriptures, and he has thus been reproved, corrected, and trained by them. Furthermore, he has seen the Scriptures lived out in Paul’s life through patient endurance, through persistent faith in the face of suffering – even when he was left for dead after being stoned, perhaps right before young Timothy’s eyes (Acts 14:19). As a result of this process, Timothy himself now is thoroughly prepared – that is, he is discipled, equipped for every good work. Paul, therefore, goes on to  solemnly charge his son in the faith to preach that same Word, “with great patience teaching all doctrine, … endure suffering, do the work of a preacher of the Gospel, fulfill your ministry” (paraphrase of 2 Timothy 4:2b and 5b).

And the New Testament examples do not end with these two! Indeed, every epistle is an example of this discipling process, as Peter, Paul, James, John, Jude, and the author of Hebrews flesh out what the Old Testament Scriptures and Jesus Himself imply about God and man, about sin and forgiveness, about marriage and family, about work and possessions. Every New Testament author is engaged in the discipling process as he writes.

But look back again at Matthew 28:18-20. Does Jesus instruct His followers to “teach them all that I have commanded you”? No. He tells His followers to “teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Jesus is concerned not only with passing on a body of teaching, but also with joyous, heartfelt obedience to that teaching. And He means here not only, “Tell them that they must obey” but “Show them how to obey; display for them what obedience looks like.”  This is what Jesus had done for them; this is what Paul does for Timothy; this is what Paul exhorts Timothy to do for others.

So: We have seen that fulfilling Matthew 28:18-20 requires at least four strategies:

  • A strategy for reaching all nations, all people groups;
  • A strategy for teaching the “what”: Biblical doctrine, biblical truth;
  • A strategy for showing the “how”: Examples of biblical life well-lived.
  • A strategy for sharing ministry and life, so that the person being discipled receives feedback and is thoroughly equipped for his or her role in discipling others and in reaching all nations.

This broad, biblical view helps to clarify several common misconceptions about discipleship, such as:

  • “Discipleship takes place when two people read a book together and discuss it.”
  • “Discipleship means meeting regularly with someone who will help me with my problems.”
  • “Discipleship means committing to meet together indefinitely with a group of people who will help each other battle sin.”

Biblical discipleship may – but need not – include meeting together with a mentor. It will necessarily include instruction in doctrine and Christian living, but that can take multiple forms. It will certainly include dealing with sin in our lives.

But there is a key, underlying error that is common to all three of these misconceptions: Discipleship is not primarily about YOU! Jesus commands us to disciple all nations not in order for each of us to improve. Jesus commands us to disciple all nations so that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). He commands us to make disciples so that those from your people group together with those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation will sing, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10).

What then does it mean to be discipled? Consider this definition:

Learning what the Scriptures teach and command;
learning and seeing how to live out those truths;
and getting feedback as you live out (and fail to live out) those truths
in your family, in the church community, and among unbelievers,
so that together we might build up the Church through increased faithfulness and
powerful witness, reaching all peoples to His glory.

With this understanding we are faced with four key questions:

  • How do we structure our local church so that biblical discipleship occurs?
  • How do we help each member of our local church to grow as a disciple?
  • How do we help all members to spread the Gospel and to assist others in growing as disciples?
  • How do we ensure that the teaching ministries of the church accomplish the goals of biblical discipleship?

Different churches will answer these questions differently – there are several possible structures within which biblical discipleship can take place. But we must begin by aiming at the right goal if we are to have any chance of achieving it.

What does that mean for us at DGCC?

We praise God that this already is happening among us. And we encourage you to see to it that it happens all the more. Ponder how we can both step out individually and organize ourselves corporately in order to live out biblical discipleship more fully. We welcome your ideas and initiatives. But clearly living this out includes:

  • Making wise use of the time we already spend together – face to face and virtually.
  • Asking each other good, Gospel-centered questions.
  • Looking for opportunities to do ministry together.
  • Encouraging one another and praying for one another as we reach out to those who don’t know Jesus in our circles of relationships.
  • Praying for the nations, witnessing to the nations God has brought to Charlotte, sending some of us out to the nations, and supporting those we send.
  • Seeing that the preaching ministry, Sunday School, Core Seminar, small groups youth ministry, family devotions, and individual Bible reading all work together so that “with great patience [we] teach all doctrine” – including the centrality of joy in Christ, giving and money, marriage, parenting, fighting sin and temptation, preaching the Gospel to yourself, the devotional life, reaching the nations – and we can therefore say with Paul to one another, “You know all about my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness” (2 Timothy 3:10).

Will you pray that this church might fulfill this biblical calling? Will you commit yourself to living out these mandates? Will you step out in faith – so that we might disciple one another, and disciple all nations?

Face to Face

To what extent is a virtual service a substitute for an in-person service?

Over the last several months, we’ve experienced several positive aspects of virtual services:

  • They have the potential to reach many more people than our in-person services. Our Resurrection Sunday service, for example, was viewed by several times as many as would have been present live.
  • Some have commented that it is helpful to be able to pause the video and discuss a point with others, or to rewind if they didn’t quite understand something.
  • Neighbors who have not been interested in attending have joined some of our folks in watching the service.
  • Some say they can see or hear the preacher more clearly in a streamed service.

On the other hand, we also have experienced problems with virtual services:

  • It is much easier to drift away when services are virtual.
  • It is much harder to know if you are not “there,” and impossible to know if you are not paying attention.
  • There is almost no interaction among the congregation in the service or afterwards. The interaction is solely between the speaker or singer and those listening.
  • Personally, I greatly missed the communication from congregation to preacher when recording in an almost-empty room. Yes, I missed the conversations that normally happen after the service. But a gathered congregation also communicates much to the preacher during the sermon: engagement, interest, excitement, joy – or drifting, boredom, distraction, and apathy.

Because of the benefits, we plan to continue streaming our services as we transition to having more and more of us meet in person on Sundays. Because of the problems, we will encourage folks to attend as soon as they consider it wise to do so.

But can we say more? Does Scripture give us any guidance on this issue?

Of course, the apostles and prophets had no conception of Zoom meetings – or even of telephones, for that matter. When they wanted to communicate, they either had to meet face to face or to write (and praise God for what they wrote!).

We can learn something about our own situation, however, by noting their preference for face to face meetings over communicating in writing.

The phrase “face to face” appears seventeen times in the English Standard Version (translating several different Hebrew and Greek phrases). We can draw four points from these verses:

First: Meeting face to face is a great privilege. “Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:11). Clearly speaking with God face to face is a privilege – but note that speaking face to face is mentioned as an important part of human friendship also.

The second point is a corollary of the first: We should desire to meet face to face. Now, we rightly long to meet one another face to face, as the Apostle Paul longed to meet the believers in Thessalonica:

But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you (1 Thessalonians 2:17-18).

For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? (1 Thessalonians 3:9-10)

But if we long to meet with our fellow believers, how much more do we long to see God face to face! As Paul looks forward to the eternal state, he writes with barely concealed excitement: “Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12 – see also 1 John 3:2 and Revelation 22:4).

Third: Communication is better face to face. Paul says as much in the passage quoted from 1 Thessalonians 3: There are ways he can bless them, ways that he can “supply what is lacking in [their] faith,” that are unavailable to him via letters. Similarly, the Apostle John writes, “Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete” (2 John 12). As mentioned above, this point is true even of preaching.

Fourth: We have a responsibility to encourage one another face to face. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us:

We must consider one another, how to stir one another up to love and good works, not neglecting meeting together, as is the custom of some, but encouraging, exhorting, and comforting one another – and all the more as you see the Day draw near” (own translation).

Now, the author is not only talking about meeting together in weekly worship services, for in Hebrews 3:13 he says we should encourage one another daily. And praise God that today we have the additional means of phone calls and Zoom meetings to encourage one another when we can’t be together physically.

Furthermore, it is perfectly possible to come together physically and not fulfill this passage. Too often the gathered church is an audience, interacting with those up front, but not interacting with one another either before, during, or after the service.

To this end, note the contrast the author draws: On the one hand, there are those who have developed a habit of not meeting together. On the other hand, there are those who do what? Not just meet together, but encourage, exhort, and comfort one another! They think about one another, how they can help one another to become what God intends.

The bottom line: Know the privilege of meeting together. Strongly desire to meet face to face, and therefore to communicate more effectively. Know your responsibility to consider one another, to encourage one another – and live out that responsibility in the best way you can daily. Meet with us Sundays face to face as soon as you can wisely do so.

And know that every in-person worship service, every gathering of believers face to face, is a foreshadowing of the new heavens and the new earth, when we will see Him face to face, when all the redeemed from every tribe and tongue and people and nation will fully love one another and greatly praise the Lamb and the One who sits on the throne.

Living Out the Greatest Commandments after George Floyd’s Killing: Eleven Principles 

When asked which commandment is the greatest, Jesus replied:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

How do we live out these two greatest commandments today, after the killing of George Floyd and the subsequent social upheaval?

Consider these eleven principles:

(more…)

George Floyd and the Misuse of God-Given Authority

The Apostle Paul tells us:

There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God…. If you do wrong, be afraid, for [the ruler] does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer (from Romans 13:1, 4).

The government, the state, thus has authority to work for the good of its citizens.

One aspect of that authority is the authorization to use violence against citizens of the state. But this authority is not to be used haphazardly – randomly harming some and supporting others. That’s terror. Nor is it to be used racially – systematically harming those of one ethnicity and supporting those of another. That’s genocide or its precursors. Nor is it to be used politically – harming one’s political antagonists and helping one’s political supporters. That’s tyranny.

Rather, God grants the state authority to use violence against wrongdoers as agents of God’s wrath. The state should give a foreshadowing of the justice to be implemented on the Last Day, when God sees to it that every sin is paid for – either by the blood of Christ or by the punishment of the perpetrator of the sin. So the state should only use violence when that is either necessary to halt a crime, or when that violence is just retribution for a crime already committed.

The authors of the Declaration of Independence argue that King George III had systematically misused such powers of the state, and thus the American colonies were justified in rebelling against him, and in setting up their own government.

But the government they set up was not another monarchy, substituting one king for another. Rather, “we the people … do ordain and establish this Constitution.” As Abraham Lincoln so marvelously described this political experiment four score and seven years later, it was “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” That is:

  • “Of the people:” The governing authorities are not foreigners nor aristocrats nor a dominant ethnicity, but come from the citizenry, from among the governed.
  • “By the people:” The rulers receive their authority neither from ancestry nor by the decision of a select group, but by the choice of the governed.
  • “For the people:” In line with Romans 13 and the Constitution’s preamble, the purpose of this government is to benefit its citizens as a whole – not to enrich its rulers or to extend the power of one faction or party over another.

When the state or agents of the state violate these principles – when they use law enforcement powers and violence to advance causes other than justice, other than the general welfare – they call into question the legitimacy of the government and thereby undermine their own authority. Most importantly, they misuse the authority God has granted, dishonoring Him, and making themselves liable to His perfect judgment.

The murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman is a particularly egregious example of the misuse of power. Surely as time goes on we will learn what happened prior to this man being handcuffed, whether or not the officers were justified in so doing. But there is no possible justification for standing on a subdued, cuffed man’s neck for more than eight minutes until he dies from asphyxiation.

Why did this happen? What led a policeman – who should see himself as a servant of the public – to abrogate to himself the authority to take a life?

I would suggest it’s the same mindset that led to the misuse of the intelligence agencies in an attempt to take out political opponents in 2016/17; the same mindset that during this pandemic led a governor to open beaches in areas where his supporters predominate, but to close them in an area where his political rival is mayor; the same mindset that led a president to spread horrible rumors about a former congressman being a murderer.

This mindset is not, “I’m a servant of all these citizens.” It is rather: “I’m in charge. I’m here to advance my purposes, and the purposes of those like me. If someone annoys me, if someone gets in my way or in the way of our movement, he doesn’t deserve justice – he deserves to be taken out. I don’t bear the sword in vain.”

This mindset – often clothed in self-righteous justification of one’s actions – is antithetical to biblical teaching as well as to the founding principles of this country. May we, Christ’s church, call to account those who display this mindset – whether we agree or disagree with their political positions. And by God’s grace, may our governing authorities live out Romans 13 as well as the Constitution’s Preamble and the Gettysburg Address.

But it is not only policemen and politicians who are susceptible to the virus of this mindset. Many pastors are infected. Millions of church members have caught the disease. None of us is immune. And there is no vaccination available to prevent it.

So check your social media presence. Consider how you’ve interacted this week with those who are in some sense under you – those in your family, those in your workplace, those serving you in stores. Search your heart via God’s Word. Pray with David, “See if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:24).

Our Lord came “not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). May those who wield the sword see themselves as servants of the people – and may we exercise our authority as those who serve.

 

Representing Christ at the End of the Lockdown

How do you react to our meeting on Sunday morning once again?

Some are ecstatic. Some have concerns. Some will decide not to attend.

All those reactions are understandable. All can be the result of assessing the situation biblically.

All our lives, we make decisions based on our assessment of risks and the benefits associated with taking those risks. Let’s say Frank plans to drive to Atlanta to visit a friend. The latest forecast includes a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch along the route. Frank may decide to postpone the trip. He’ll be more likely to do so if his tires need to be replaced, or if he really doesn’t see well in poor weather conditions. On the other hand, if Frank is not just visiting a friend but traveling to a grandchild’s wedding, the trip can’t be postponed until next week – he’ll be more likely to travel, since the cost of not traveling is missing this one-time family event.

The decision to attend a worship service this weekend is similar. If we are biblical we value meeting together highly. We all long to praise God with one voice. We all have greatly missed interacting in person with other believers.

And yet there is another option: continuing to worship “together” via the stream. While we all acknowledge that participating virtually is inferior to participating in person, we assess differently the added value of being together physically.

There are even greater differences among us on the assessment of risk. We know this virus is much more dangerous for those over 60 and for those with certain other medical conditions. Also, some who aren’t in a high-risk category themselves interact regularly with those who are, and must be especially careful about exposure to the virus.

So we will make different decisions about attendance this weekend – and that is fine.

Remember the exhortation of the Apostle Paul to the church in Ephesus:

Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1b-3).

So may we show who Jesus is by the way we are humble, gentle, patient, and forbearing with one another, as we display our essential unity in Christ.

Furthermore, in these trying political times, when there are sharp differences of opinion about the danger of the virus and the usefulness of the shutdown, may we also live out Paul’s exhortation to the church in Philippi:

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves (Philippians 2:3).

There are appropriate times and places to discuss disagreements about the virus and the public policy response. May we limit such discussions to those times and place – and, in those discussions, may we be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, in humility honoring those who disagree with us as either fellow sinners saved by grace, or lost folks who need to hear of and see Jesus.

We are called to be salt and light to the world around us. As Jesus is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). Let us live that out this Sunday and throughout the time of the virus, among brothers and sisters in Christ and before the world, so that we do all to the glory of God.

Reflections Growing Out of the Recent Epidemic by Francis Grimke

[Born into slavery on a South Carolina plantation in 1850, Grimke served as a pastor for 50 years, primarily at Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church in Washington DC. This devotion is taken from a sermon he preached November 3, 1918, when churches were allowed once again to meet after several weeks of closure because of the Spanish Flu epidemic. The entire sermon – more than twice as long – is available here.]

We know now … the meaning of the terms pestilence, plague, epidemic, since we have been passing through this terrible scourge of Spanish influenza, with its enormous death rate and its consequent wretchedness and misery. Every part of the land has felt its deadly touch…. Over the whole land it has thrown a gloom, and has stricken down such large numbers that it has been difficult to care for them properly, overcrowding all of our hospitals…. Our own beautiful city has suffered terribly from it, making it necessary, as a precautionary measure, to close the schools, theaters, churches, and to forbid all public gathering within doors as well as outdoors. At last, however, the scourge has been stayed, and we are permitted again to resume the public worship of God, and to open again the schools of our city.

Now that the worst is over, I have been thinking … of these calamitous weeks through which we have been passing—thinking of the large numbers that have been sick— the large numbers that have died, the many, many homes that have been made desolate—the many, many bleeding, sorrowing hearts that have been left behind, and I have been asking myself the question, what is the meaning of it all? What ought it to mean to us? Is it to come and go and we be no wiser, or better for it? Surely God had a purpose in it, and it is our duty to find out, as far as we may, what that purpose is, and try to profit by it.

Among the things which stand out in my own mind … are these:

(1) I have been impressed with the ease with which large portions of the population may be wiped out in spite of the skill of man, of all the resources of science.… How easy it would be for God to wipe out the whole human race … if he wanted to; for these terrible epidemics, plagues, the mighty forces of nature, all are at his command, all are his agents. At any moment, if he willed it, in this way, vast populations or portions of populations could be destroyed.

(2) I have had also this question come into my mind, why of those who took the disease some recovered and others did not? The reason may be found, in one sense, in purely natural causes— some were physically better prepared to resist the disease, were stronger in vital power, and so pulled through. Others, not having sufficient vitality, went down under the strain; but I believe there is also another reason, and is to be found in the will of God.… Some day we have all got to go, but how, or when, or where, we do not know; that is with God alone. In Job 12:10, we read:

In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

We speak of accidental deaths, … but there are no accidents with God. All things are within the scope of his providence….

(3) Another question similar to the above kept also constantly going through my mind, why are some taken with the disease and others not? … The ultimate explanation must be found in the sovereign will of God. It must be because He wills it.

(4) Another thing that has impressed me, in connection with this epidemic, is the fact that conditions may arise in a community which justify the extraordinary exercise of powers that would not be tolerated under ordinary circumstances. This extraordinary exercise of power was resorted to by the Commissioners in closing up the theaters, schools, churches, in forbidding all gatherings of any considerable number of people indoors and outdoors, and in restricting the numbers who should be present even at funerals. The ground of the exercise of this extraordinary power was found in the imperative duty of the officials to safeguard, as far as possible, the health of the community by preventing the spread of the disease from which we were suffering….

And so, anxious as I have been to resume work, I have waited patiently until the order was lifted.…

(5) Another thing that has impressed me in connection with this epidemic is how completely it has shattered the theory, so dear to the heart of the white man in this country, that a white skin entitles its possessor to better treatment than one who possesses a dark skin.…

In this terrible epidemic, which has afflicted not only this city but the whole country, there is a great lesson for the white man to learn. It is the folly of his stupid color prejudice. It calls attention to the fact that he is acting on a principle that God utterly repudiates, as he has shown during this epidemic scourge, and, as he will show him when He comes to deal with him in the judgment of the great day of solemn account….

(6) Another thing has impressed me during this epidemic. It has brought out in a way that is very gratifying, the high estimation in which the Christian church is held in the community—the large place which it really occupies in the thought of the people. The fact that for several weeks we have been shut out from the privileges of the sanctuary has brought home to us as never before what the church has really meant to us. We hadn’t thought, perhaps, very much of the privilege while it lasted, but the moment it was taken away we saw at once how much it meant to us….

(7) There is another thing connected with this epidemic that is also worthy of note. While it lasted, it kept the thought of death and of eternity constantly before the people. As the papers came out, day after day, among the first things that everyone looked for, or asked about, was as to the number of deaths. And so the thought of death was never allowed to stay very long out of the consciousness of the living. And with the thought of death, the great thought also of eternity, for it is through death that the gates of eternity swing open…. The grim messenger is God’s summons to us to render up our account. That there is an account to be rendered up we are inclined to lose sight of, to forget; but it is to be rendered all the same. The books are to be opened, and we are to be judged out of the books. During the weeks of this epidemic—in the long list of deaths, in the large number of new-made graves, in the unusual number of funeral processions along our streets, God has been reminding us of this account which we must soon render up; He has been projecting before us in a way to startle us, the thought of eternity.

You who are not Christians, who have not yet repented of your sins, who have not yet surrendered yourselves to the guidance of Jesus Christ, if you allow these repeated warnings that you have had, day by day, week by week, to go unheeded—if you still go on in your sins, should God suddenly cut you off in your sins, you will have no one to blame but yourselves…. God has opened the way for your salvation, through the gift of His only begotten Son, who died that you might have the opportunity of making your peace with God…. Before you go out of this house make up your minds to do the right thing—the wise thing—the only sensible thing. You have come out of this epidemic alive, while thousands have perished. Are you going to spend the rest of your days in the service of sin and Satan, or in the service of God? You know what you ought to do; you know what you will do, if you consult your best interest—if you do the right thing.

(8) There is only one other thought that has come to me in connection with this epidemic; it is of the blessedness … of the sense of security which a true, living, working faith in the Lord Jesus Christ gives one in the midst of life’s perils. I felt … the blessedness of a firm grip upon Jesus Christ—the blessedness of a realizing sense of being anchored in God and in His precious promises. While the plague was raging, while thousands were dying, what a comfort it was to feel that we were in the hands of a loving Father who was looking out for us, who had given us the great assurance that all things should work together for our good. And, therefore, that come what would—whether we were smitten with the epidemic or not, or whether being smitten, we survived or perished, we knew it would be well with us, that there was no reason to be alarmed. Even if death came, we knew it was all right. The apostle says, “it is gain for me to die.” Death had no terrors for him….

In the presence of such a faith, in the realization of God’s love, as revealed in Jesus Christ, in the consciousness of fellowship with him, what are epidemics, what are scourges, what are all of life’s trials, sufferings, disappointments? They only tend to work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. But, of course, if faith is to help us; if it is to put its great strong arms under us; if we are to feel its sustaining power under such distressing circumstances, it must be a real, living faith in God …—a faith that works, that works by love, and that purifies the heart. Any other faith is of absolutely no value to us in the midst of the great crises of life…. [Now] is a good time for those of us who are Christians to examine ourselves to see exactly how it is with us, … whether our faith is really resting upon Christ, the solid Rock, or not….

If, as the result of such examination, we find that we did not get out of our religion very much help, in bracing us up under the strain through which we have been passing, then we know that there is something wrong: either we have no faith at all, or it is very weak…. Or, if we find that we were helped, that our fears were allayed as we thought of our relations to God and to his Son Jesus Christ, then we have an additional reason why we should cling all the closer to him, and why we should be all the more earnest in our efforts to serve him. We ought to come out of this epidemic more determined than ever to run with patience the race that is set before us; more determined than ever to make heaven our home….

Let us all draw near to God in simple faith. Let us re-consecrate ourselves, all of us, to him….

 

Boldly Approach the Throne of Grace

What do you do when you feel condemned? Or when you feel like God is distant, hidden, and silent – you’ve tried to reach Him, tried to obey Him, and nothing happens? Or when life is hard because of disease, death, disappointment – breakdown of relationships, betrayal, or abandonment?

In these times of the virus, many are facing disease, or death, or unemployment, or bankruptcy of a business the family has worked incredibly hard for years to build.

But such questions about God occur not only in these extraordinary times, but in all times in this fallen world. We are always tempted to abandon faith in God, to think He’s not living up to His side of the bargain, to conclude He is not what Scripture says – or, if He is, to think He has rejected you personally.

Hebrews 4:13 could lead to such feelings of condemnation: “All are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” He knows what is inside us. He discerns not only our actions but also our desires, our thoughts, our intentions. We are guilty before Him.

However, immediately after this verse the author tells us: “That guilt need not lead to condemnation! We have a great High Priest, Jesus! He sympathizes with our weaknesses! So there is mercy and grace available – indeed there is a throne of grace, because of our great High Priest and King!”

A throne of grace – that phrase appears only in Hebrews 4:16. The king sits on a throne, exercising justice, punishing evildoers, guiding and directing His kingdom. No one who is guilty, no one who stands condemned, can ever boldly approach the throne if the king knows all.

And yet: This king’s throne is a throne of grace. Though He is completely just, He stands ready to forgive and accept because of the mediatorial work of Jesus the Son, the High Priest. We therefore can boldly approach this throne of grace, whatever our doubts, whatever our sufferings, whatever our discouragements. Through Jesus, the King will grant us grace, and a perfectly-timed help.

That is the main point of Hebrews 4:13-5:10: Given who Jesus is, when the struggle is hard, it makes no sense at all to abandon the faith. Rather, it makes perfect sense to boldly approach this throne of grace – for that is the only place to find real help. You may not see that help immediately. There may be days or weeks or years or decades of walking by faith not by sight. But because of our great, sympathetic, merciful, and effective High Priest, you will receive God’s help at exactly the right time.

So hold fast to your confession!

In first verses of chapter 5, the author introduces three characteristics of any High Priest, and then shows how Jesus exhibits those characteristics – and, indeed, is superior to other such priests. We’ll see that in Hebrews 5:1-10, then consider the exhortations the author gives us in Hebrews 4:14-16 on the basis of those truths.

Three Characteristics of Earthly High Priests

God designed the priestly and sacrificial system in the Old Testament so that before Jesus was even born we would have pictures of who He is and what He does. The High Priest is one key part of those pictures. So we must do our best to understand the High Priest so that we might see JC in the way that God intends.

Three characteristics of earthly High Priests are brought out in Hebrews 5:1-4.

First, from verse 1: The high priest is “chosen from among men,” and thus is a man himself. But he acts “on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.” He thus is a mediator between God and men.

Why do we need a mediator? Because we are guilty, condemned by God. We have rebelled against our rightful king.

While all priests offer sacrifices, picturing the atonement of the people’s sins, once a year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, only the High Priest enters the Holy of Holies (as described in Leviticus 16), picturing the very presence of God.

The second characteristic is mentioned in Hebrews 5:2: “He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.” That is: When the people are rebellious, sinful, or questioning, the High Priest doesn’t just berate them: “You failures! Do better! Work harder!” Why not? Because he too is “beset with weakness.”He too faces those temptations. He understands the difficulty of seeing God, of focusing on Him in the midst of a fallen world. So he can deal with sinful people as God intends.

Furthermore these High Priests also sin themselves, so as Hebrews 5:3 says, the High Priest is “obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins” (see Leviticus 9:7).

So the High Priest is a mediator between God and men who deals gently with God’s people.

We see the third characteristic in Hebrews 5:4: “No one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.”

A High Priest is called by God. No one is to grasp for this position, to put Himself forward and campaign. God Himself has to appoint the High Priest.

Thus a High Priest is a mediator between God and man who deals gently with the people and is called by God.

Jesus: the Great, Sympathetic, and Merciful High Priest

JC is similar to all High Priests in these three ways.

Hebrews 5:5-6 tells us He is called by God. The author quotes Psalm 110:4 to make this point.

But why does the author quote Psalm 2 also? That text doesn’t mention the High Priest.

By quoting that psalm, the author draws our attention back to chapter 1 (where Psalm 2 was also quoted) to begin to show us that Jesus is superior to all other High Priests. He’s not only a man – He is the Son. He is the exact imprint of the nature of God.

So Jesus is indeed similar to the other High Priests, but He’s better.

Hebrews 4:15 indicates that Jesus can also deal gently with God’s people. He sympathizes with our weaknesses because “in every respect [He] has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Perhaps the NEB renders this clause better: “because of his likeness to us, [He] has been tested every way, only without sin.’”

For the point is not: “If I’m tempted to commit some horrible crime, Jesus must have been tempted to commit that same horrible crime.” Rather, Jesus is genuinely like us. He is genuinely human. His entire life was a test, a trial, a temptation.

Whenever life is tough, we humans are tempted to forget the promises of God, to lapse in our faith in God, and thus to lapse in faithfulness to God, thereby falling into disobedience.

In His genuine humanity, Jesus experienced such temptation – and He never gave in. Because He resisted to the end, He knew the power of temptation far better than you or I.

Hebrews 5:7 elaborates on this idea:

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.

Clearly Jesus prayed to God with tears in Gethsemane. But that same night, prior to His prayers in the Garden, our Lord says to His disciples, “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials (temptations)” (Luke 22:28). Since the disciples weren’t with Him when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus is referring to other temptations that came on Him during his years of ministry.

Therefore, we must think of “prayers … to him who was able to save him from death” in contexts in addition to Gethsemane or the wilderness. So think of Jesus in light of Hebrews 2:15: Jesus delivers “all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery”. To do that He first had to conquer that fear of death, that fear of missing out on life Himself. Jesus too was tempted to think that God was withholding something good, desirable, fulfilling, or exciting from Him. He too was tempted to forget God’s great and precious promises. Jesus fought every minute of every day via prayer against such lack of faith. He persevered in faith, in trust, in dependence on God. Thus Hebrews 5:8: Although He was Son, He “learned obedience through what he suffered.” That is: He learned what it means to endure in faith when all your flesh cries out to turn away from God, when all around you say you’re foolish, missing out on life, when you’re mocked, derided, beaten, spit upon – and it could all end if you just say, “God’s promises aren’t true!”

Jesus lived out true faith which leads to faithfulness which leads to obedience from the heart. So, more than any of the former High Priests, more than any pastor, more than any parent, He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward. He knows and sympathizes with our weakness.

Thirdly, Jesus is a mediator between God and man. This truth is the primary focus of later chapters; it’s only alluded to twice, briefly, in today’s passage.

Hebrews 4:14: “We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens.” As Hebrews 9:24 makes clear, Jesus has passed through the heavens into God’s very presence so that He might make intercession for us, so that His death might cover our sins. That is, He is our mediator.

Then Hebrews 5:9: “Being made perfect (or, “complete”), he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. Because He is the mediator, He is the source of salvation, salvation you can never lose, salvation to the uttermost (using the language of Hebrews 7:25). This salvation is for all those who, like Him, have faith in God, in His promises, and thus are faithful to God, and thereby obey Him from the heart.

This is the High Priest we have: Called by God, able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, and the perfect Mediator between God and man.

So Draw Near to the Throne of Grace for Help!

Based on these truths, the author gives two exhortations in Hebrews 4:14-16:

Hebrews 4:14: “Let us hold fast our confession.” That is: Hold fast to the truth! God has spoken! He has revealed who He is, who we are, how we can be part of His grand story of glorifying Himself. And the truth is: He has given Jesus, the Son, the King, for us! He lived like us, He was tempted like us, He suffered beyond what we suffer. He understands our weaknesses and trials. He died as a sacrifice for our atonement. He is the High Priest called by God, the one mediator between God and man. God invites us to Himself via that Mediator. So hold fast to the truth, despite the winds of doctrine swirling around us, despite the trials and the pressures and the fog of unbelief.

Second exhortation, Hebrews 4:16: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to a well-timed help.”

Draw near! Now! Always!

Surely we need to draw near in times of crisis – whether the crisis arises from viruses or job losses or death or abandonment.

But just as surely we need to draw near to that throne of grace every day, every hour. Only then can we enter His rest.

He is King of all that happens, the seemingly trivial details of our lives as well as the big decisions.

He rules over us as individuals and over the entire creation as it moves to the culmination He has appointed.

His throne is a throne of grace! Thus, whatever we have done, however sinful we have been, however hard our heart has been, whatever the ways we have rejected Him and ignored Him and despised Him – we have a great High Priest! He will be our advocate, sympathizing with our weakness.

So our High Priest calls out:

“Come to me! Come to the throne. Don’t be afraid. You are covered by my blood. Trust in God’s great promises. Trust in Me as your Redeemer. Everything you need you will find in Me. I alone am the source of true joy. Come to Me.”

Given what this high priest has done, given that He is the Son, “no exhortation could be more logical … than … to hold fast our confession…. Nothing could be more senseless than for us to abandon our confession … because of the pain of the contest” (Philip Hughes, Commentary on Hebrews, 1977, p. 171).

So where are you? Tempted to throw away your former confidence? Attracted to a life lived by your own wits, by your own resources? Feeling like you’re missing out on life because you’re trying to follow God’s ways, and haven’t seen the benefits? Or thinking that you’re now beyond God’s forgiveness – you’ve strayed too far, you’ve repented and then sinned too many times, you’re no longer worthy to be called his child?

God promises us: He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. And He shows this to us through Jesus, our High Priest.

Because of that High Priest, God’s throne is a throne of grace. So draw near. This is the only path to true joy. This is the only path to true fulfillment. This is the only path to rest.

Come to Him.

[This devotion is a shortened and edited version of a sermon preached May 3, 2020. You can watch a video of the service at this link.]

Strive to Enter God’s Rest

“Let us therefore strive to enter [God’s] rest” – Hebrews 4:11.

What does the author mean by this command?

There is an eternal rest God promises His people in which:

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:4).

And God calls all people everywhere to repentance and faith in Jesus so that they might enter that eternal rest (Acts 17:30).

But there is an important sense in which we enter God’s rest today, getting a taste today of that eternal rest.

How do we strive to enter today’s rest?

Striving to enter God’s rest today is working hard to look away from ourselves, to look to Jesus, to trust in God’s promises, every minute of every day.

Or think of it this way: Striving to enter God’s rest is working hard to live out Psalm 23 every minute of every day:

God is your shepherd; you lack nothing in Christ. He leads you in His paths – and they are good and restful, even if they pass through frightening and dangerous valleys. He delights in you and honors you as His own – and those who try to harm you, those who hate you and abuse you, will have to acknowledge that. His goodness and love will pursue you your entire life – and He will in the end bring you into His eternal rest as part of His beloved family.

We initially come to faith in Jesus in this way, trusting in the promise of the Gospel: that God created us for His glory; that we all reject that purpose and rebel against Him; that He sent His Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of all who would believe in Him hereafter; that the benefits of that sacrifice, including becoming part of the intimate family of God, accrue to everyone who will repent and believe this Good News.

Subsequent to salvation, Hebrews 4:11 calls us to continue to trust daily in the Gospel and in all of God’s promises. Because in this life we are always tempted to lean on our own resources, to lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). We must acknowledge that we cannot save ourselves, nor can we make ourselves into the type of person we desire to be, nor can we accomplish anything for God through our natural resources.

We can never merit salvation through good deeds, nor can we ever merit God’s commendation through acts we do in our power.

So when we strive to enter God’s rest, we confess to God every day:

“I am a sinner; You are the Savior. In my natural self there is no good thing, only darkness – You are all goodness and light. I can only become what I really want, I can only become what You desire, through Christ in me: changing me, working out His purposes in me. So may my work apart from Your power cease. May your power take over.”

As Ray Stedman says:

We do not have what it takes, and we never did. The only one who can live the Christian life is Jesus Christ. He proposes to reproduce his life in us. Our part is to expose every situation to his life in us, and, by that means, depending upon him and not upon us, we are to meet every situation, enter into every circumstance, and perform every activity. We cease from our own labors.

But this is not easy. That’s why the author of Hebrews tells us we must strive to enter God’s rest, we must make every effort to depend continually on God.

Jesus doesn’t want your self-powered effort. He doesn’t need your toiling. He, after all, has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18)! He wants your trust.

What happens when we ignore this command and step out in our own power?

When those who don’t have faith in Christ strive to live up to some standard and fail, they respond in one of three ways:

  1. They fool themselves into thinking they actually did live up to the standard, or will beginning tomorrow.
  2. They justify their failures, saying something like: “I’m only human – no one could really live that The real standard is to do better than most others, and surely I’m accomplishing that!”
  3. Or they feel like failures, overwhelmed, condemned – they can never become what they wanted, even by their own standards.

What about Christians? What happens when we strive apart from God’s power?

We too become burdened. We are so busy, we are working so hard, we are toiling and striving – and all the joy of the Christian life has left us. We get caught in a fog of unbelief, through which we can’t see God – so we go through the motions, saying all the right things, doing all the right things, but we’re not really trusting God. We are not striving with His power; we are flailing away with our own energy. And so we are weary, burdened, feeling like we can’t continue, but wondering how in the world God’s work can go on without our hard efforts.

To such people, Christians and non-Christians, Jesus calls out:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).

So – when faced with a task that must be accomplished, we are not to grit our teeth, saying, “Yes, I can! I can do it.”

We must admit: “I cannot do this! I am unable! In my natural self, I will fail!”

And turn to Him. He is our yokemate. It is His yoke. We are paired with Him. And He pulls. So when we pull – it’s really by his power.

What does it look like when we live out such active dependence on God?

Consider the difference between the Apostle Paul and the rich young ruler.

There is no doubt that Paul works hard. He details in his letters many of the obstacles he had to overcome: Beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, death threats, rejection, betrayals, exposure to the elements – and eventually execution.

So Paul works his tail off.

What about the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-22)? He too has been working hard; he tells Jesus he has kept all of God’s commandments from his youth! We might be tempted to laugh at that – but he is sincere and, undoubtedly, those looking at his life would conclude that he was an upright, honorable man.

But he has a nagging feeling that all that obedience isn’t good enough. He feels that he needs to do something more.

So he asks Jesus: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” You see: He wants to toil for God! He says, “Give me some task to do, even a great one – I’ll do it! I’m able!”

How does Jesus reply? Jesus does not tell him to go do some great feat requiring perseverance, danger, or hardship. Instead, He tells him to do the easiest thing in world. Indeed, all he has to do is to give one command to a servant, and it’s done.

And yet this easiest task in the world is exceptionally hard. To do it, he has to trust in the promises of God.

Jesus says, “Get rid of everything that you think shows that you are important. Give it away.” And Jesus does not say next, “Then you’ll have earned status as My disciple.” Instead He simply says, “Then follow Me.”

This man could strive in His own power to prove his capabilities, but he did not trust God. He saw Jesus face to face – and Jesus looked at him with love! – yet he turned away. His confidence was in himself and in his riches – not in God. So he holds on to his riches, and walks away from Jesus sorrowful.

In contrast, in all his difficult labors, the Apostle Paul strives “with all [God’s] energy that He powerfully works within me” (Colossians 1:29). He served “by the strength that God supplies– in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:11).

That’s how we too must serve, how we too must live. Not by that fruitless striving of the rich young ruler, always trying to prove ourselves, striving to show to God and to others and to ourselves that we’re good enough, we’re strong enough, we’re faithful enough to deserve honor and friendship and commendation. But leaning on Him and on His Word, praying without ceasing, turning to Him in active dependence, trusting in His promises, we live and love and worship and serve, confident in our status because of Christ’s work, delighting in the gifts God gives, thankful for the tokens of His love strewn across our paths.

This is His rest. May we strive to enter it – in complete dependence on Him.

[This devotion follows up on the April 19, 2020 sermon, “Brothers and Sisters, Strive to Enter God’s Rest!” (video). This content draws from a 2008 sermon, “Work Hard Yet Relax During the Race of Faith” (audio, text).]