What Is God Like? (2)

In church today, we read Psalm 25, one of my favorites. In it, we see a few facets of God’s many-splendored character.God is personal; he has a name, Yahweh in the Hebrew Old Testament, and Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the New. (verse 1) So we can talk to him in a personal way, in prayer, as David does. We can even cry out to him in earnest and heartfelt prayer. (verse 1) He shows us his ways and teaches us his paths. He doesn’t leave us in the dark about what we should do to please him and honor his name, but guides us, step-by-step, into attitudes and actions that resemble, more or less, his own ways of doing things. (verses 4-5) A comprehensive category for God’s ways with us is captured in the phrase, “You are the God of my salvation.” He is the Deliverer, the one who rescues us from sin, and death, and Satan, and everlasting misery in hell. (verse 5) He is filled with tender mercies and lovingkindnesses. David uses the plural of both words here, I think, to emphasize the riches and generosity, even the abundance and, of God’s compassion and mercy towards us. As John wrote later, “God is Love.” (verse 7) God employs selective memory in dealing with his errant children. He chooses to forget our youthful follies and our adult rebellion, because he is good. (verse 7) His goodness and moral rectitude could – and eventually does – issue in wrath upon the unrepentant, but he surprises us by showing contrite sinners how we should amend our lives. (verses 8-9) Indeed, for the sake of his reputation as a God of mercy, he will pardon our iniquity – our abominable wickedness – though it is very great and grievous. (verse 11) Though he hides himself from the arrogant, he reveals himself and his promises to those who fear him. (verse 14) We could go on and on, but these few verses in Psalm 25 give us plenty to think about, and many reasons to delight in, pray to, and adore our great God.

Our Heavenly Husband

As we saw last time, Jesus referred to the Old Testament when He called Himself the Bridegroom of His people. The New Testament picks up this theme in a number of important passages referring to Christ. John the Baptist, when questioned about his ministry, said that he was not the long-awaited Christ, and then declared, “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice” (John 3:29). Christ Himself told a parable about a wedding feast, in which the son of the king clearly refers to Jesus, the Son of God, who came to be joined to His people in an unending covenant of love. Those who reject the invitation to the wedding celebration will be cast out forever (Matthew 22:1-14). In another parable, Christ urged upon His disciples the necessity of waiting eagerly for His return, like the sudden coming of a bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-6). All these passages – and others which we shall introduce later – tell us several things: - Jesus is Yahweh come in the flesh as the unique God-Man. By applying the title of bridegroom to Himself, our Lord clearly intends to claim the highest dignity. - The sense of expectation which rises with mounting intensity in the Old Testament has given way to the gladness of fulfillment. The long-expected Messiah has come to deliver His people! - As in the message of the prophets, so in Jesus we see a mixture of passionate love for His people and furious jealousy for His relationship with them. He will tolerate no rivals for our affection, and His Father will reject those who refuse the invitation to His Son’s wedding banquet. - But for those who do receive Him, who believe in His name, there is joy unimaginable. The happiest occasion we know – a wedding – hints dimly at the thrilling rapture of union with Christ. - We must wait, however, for the final consummation. The Bridegroom will be taken from His disciples and they will mourn for a while, longing for His return to consummate the wedding and usher us into eternal bliss.

The Ideal Husband

In response to a question about fasting, Jesus reveals something very precious about Himself: He is the long-awaited Bridegroom of Israel. Yahweh frequently identifies Himself as the husband of Israel, his people in the Old Testament. - Psalm 45 shows Him to be a glorious King, resplendent in majesty as He rides on to endless victories. - Hosea the prophet declares to the northern kingdom of Israel that their worship of idols amounts to spiritual adultery against the LORD who had loved and saved them. - Later, Ezekiel proclaims the same message to the southern kingdom of Judah, and relates how God had found her as an abandoned baby in the wilderness; cleaned and clothed her; wooed her with tender words; and fed her with the finest fare. Both of these spokesmen for Yahweh reveal His broken heart over their infidelity, His burning jealousy for their dedicated affection, and His faithfulness to His promise to be their God and Savior, despite their sins. In the meantime, however, He cannot abide their unfaithfulness, which amounts to self-destructive folly as well as inexcusable rebellion. As King, He deserves and demands total obedience. If they refuse to heed His warnings and return to Him, He will pour out upon them His anger, through plagues, locusts, and ruthless foreign invaders. They will be left naked, desolate, and despised in a barren wilderness once again. And so it happened, again and again, until Israel was destroyed by Assyria and then Judah was taken into captivity by Babylon. But what of the promise that God would not forget or forsake His chosen people, whom He had once sworn to love forever? Had not Zephaniah foretold a time when Yahweh would be in their midst, rejoicing over them with songs of love? Longing for redemption from the Romans, who had occupied their land and installed a puppet Edomite as King, Israelites looked for One who would come to save. Imagine their thoughts when Jesus, in this parable and others, revealed Himself as the heavenly Husband!

Jesus Calms Our Storms

The disciples had followed Jesus into a little boat and out onto the Sea Galilee. Suddenly a huge storm arose and the waves threatened to swamp the boat. Meanwhile, Jesus was calmly sleeping. Terrified, Jesus’ disciples woke up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” To their utter amazement, Jesus uttered two rebukes, one to them for their fear, and another to the wind and the waves, which immediately settled into a great calm. Why did Jesus speak so harshly to these frightened men? Did they not have cause to be afraid? Was He simply annoyed that they woke Him up from a rest which He obviously desperately needed after His strenuous labors? Should He not have commended them for their obvious confidence that He could save them from drowning? What is going on here? Perhaps the key lies with the presence of the Lord in their little boat, into which He had led them out into the deep waters. Despite the raging gale and crashing billows, He slept soundly in the tossing craft and soaking waters. Maybe He wanted them to realize that if they followed Him, they would be safe – not from trouble, but from ultimate danger. If they thought He had the power to rescue them from capsizing, they should have known that His very presence was their guarantee of safety. How like them we are! We allow the gales of life to scare us into thinking that Jesus is “asleep” – unaware of our difficulties and even danger. He seems so far away, so unconcerned with our problems and perils. We even complain when He doesn’t seem to care enough about our troubles to deliver us from them. Who knows? If they had waited a bit longer, maybe Jesus would have awakened on His own and stilled the storm. Perhaps the tempest would have quieted down as quickly as it had arisen. Lacking faith in the security of their proximity to Christ, they panicked. Friends, let us remember the words of Paul, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

No More Sickness?

Jesus healed all whom He touched for that purpose, and Matthew connects this with the famous prophetic passage in Isaiah in which the coming Servant “bore the sin of many” (Isaiah 53:12; see also 53:5-6). Does that mean that the atoning work of Christ on the Cross not only brings full and instant forgiveness to all who trust in Jesus, but also ensures complete and immediate healing for all who pray in faith? After all Peter writes, referring to the same prophecy in Isaiah, that by His “stripes [wounds] we are healed” (1 Peter 2:24). And the Psalmist declares that Yahweh “heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:3). This view faces two major problems, however. First, most of the people who ask in full faith for healing go away as ill as they were before. Despite many inflated claims by televangelists and itinerant “health and wealth” preachers that we can simply “name it [whatever it is we want from God] and claim it,” the fact is that this assertion lacks evidence. On the contrary, the experience of Christians throughout the ages, including our own time, testifies to the continuing presence of sickness, even for those with the strongest faith. Second, Paul, who certainly had the apostolic gift of healing, wrote, “Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick” (2 Timothy 4:20). Furthermore, he taught explicitly that “the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also …groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body,” because of the “sufferings of this present time” (Romans 8:22-23, 18). And Peter precedes “by whose stripes you were healed” with the explanation that Christ died for us so that “we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness,” and follows it with, “For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 2:25). We must await the resurrection of our bodies for full healing of all disease. Meanwhile, we rejoice that the Shepherd of our souls has freed us from the penalty and power of sin, the ultimate root of all illness and of death itself.

Why He Came

Why did the eternal Word of God, the unique Son of God, who was equal in dignity, might, and being with the Father and the Spirit, leave the glories of heaven above to descend to this grubby earth? What motivated Him to become a little baby in a small town in a backwater province of the mighty Roman Empire, with obscure parents lacking prestige, power and abundant possessions? Thousands of weighty tomes could not adequately answer this question, but this short passage from Matthew provides at least one small clue: He came to save us from “all our sins and sorrow.” Though not every sickness results any particular sin (John 9:3), illness does come from the penalty for sin which God pronounced upon Adam and Eve: “In the day that you eat of [the tree of the knowledge of good and evil], you shall surely die!”(Genesis 2:17). Every ailment of the body, including fatigue, weakness, and disease, points toward that final dissolution into dust that we call death. Now Jesus came to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21) – from the penalty, power, and finally even the presence of sin itself. When He healed the sick and delivered the demon-possessed, the beginnings of this salvation proved that His kingdom of light, life, and liberty was advancing to inevitable and total victory. In short, He came to take upon Himself our infirmities and bear our sicknesses, as Isaiah had foretold long before His incarnation (Isaiah 53:4). By taking our sins and placing them upon Himself, He gained the authority to heal those who were brought to Him from these effects of disobedience and bitter foretastes of its ultimate penalty, death itself. How shall we adequately honor the one who divested Himself of all the comforts of heaven to deliver poor sinners from the consequences of rebellion against our most holy Creator and Lord? Let us offer to Him daily our unfeigned praise, thanksgiving, worship, and heartfelt love.

What He Bore

When the Son of God deigned to become a little baby, He clothed Himself in mortal flesh. From that moment, He began to carry in Himself the consequences of our sin. He knew hunger and thirst; aching fatigue; exhausting labor. Misunderstanding, lack of respect for who He was, neglect, and hostile rejection were His constant companions. Though we have no indication that He was ever beset with illness, by submitting to baptism and accepting the Father’s commission to “save His people from their sins” by becoming the “Lamb of God, who takes away [carries] the sin of the world,” Jesus assumed in His body the pain of our physical infirmities. By choice, He became “a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” With omniscient eyes and compassionate heart, He perceived, and somehow felt, the bitter sadness of this broken world. Frustration, blocked communication, broken relationships, the grief of parting and the desolation of death – He bore them daily on His broad carpenter’s shoulders, until that dark day when He carried them up to the Cross of Calvary and was pierced for our iniquities, dying that we might have life. For all of our sickness and sorrow issues from sin, for which He endured the just penalty which we deserve when He cried, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” That is why we can sing, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!” We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who was like us in every respect, except for sin. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

Demons Defeated

Right after His baptism, Jesus had been driven by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, where Satan tempted Him (4:1-11). Having overcome the devil’s clever wiles, Jesus returned to Galilee “in the power of the Spirit” and began His ministry of preaching, teaching, healing, and deliverance from evil spirits (Matthew 4:23-25). Matthew now relates how Jesus not only cured Peter’s mother-in-law but also cast out demons from those who were brought to Him for deliverance. The King has come! The kingdom of God is at hand! Satan, in whose power the world had lain in darkness for millennia, has not been able to deflect the Son of God from His mission. The light of truth dispels darkness. The love of God brings healing to the sick. And the powerful word of Christ expels demons from tormented souls. No wonder the crowds flocked to Him! Is it strange that they sought out this Man, who not only “taught as one having authority” (7:29), but exercised that same authority over evil spirits? That same authority empowers even the simplest believer today not only to resist the wiles of Satan (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9), but to bring freedom to those who are held captive by him and his wicked minions (Mark 16:17). Though deprived of his former power to accuse and to deceive (Luke 10:18; John 12:31; Revelation 12:10; 20:3), Satan still “prowls around, like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). His evil servants, likewise, can still cause great trouble, inflicting illness and leading astray through idolatry and false teaching (Luke 8:36; 13:16; 1 Corinthians 10:20; 1 Timothy 4:1). What a great comfort to know that those who are in Christ have the Spirit of God within them, and can call upon the authority of their Lord and Savior to resist the devil and to cast out demons with a word of command!

Jesus Heals

When Jesus announced, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (4:17), He backed up this declaration with words and with deeds. He taught about the life of the kingdom, and He demonstrated the power of the kingdom, and thus added credence to His claim to be the coming King, the Messiah. The healing miracles of Jesus reveal both His pity and His power. He cares for the welfare of those whom He has made, and He is able to deliver them from all their troubles. We must avoid two errors when thinking about the healing work of Jesus today. On the one hand, we can not believe all – or even most – of the extravagant, usually exaggerated, often self-promoting, and extremely profitable advertisement of widespread healing by televangelists and itinerant ministers of the “health and wealth” message. Widespread fraud and deception mar these ministries, which are often also marked by luxurious lifestyles and sloppy accounting (to put it kindly). Healings resulting from prayer are considered “miraculous” precisely because they are relatively rare displays of God’s creative and redemptive power. On the other hand, we should not fall into the trap of “Christian Deism” that restricts the wonder-working power of God to the age of Christ and the Apostles. Not only does this sort of theology rest upon very shaky exegesis, but it defies the experience of untold believers around the world and throughout the ages. This writer has personally witnessed medically-attested miracles of healing through prayer. Jesus heals today. Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law not in order to draw attention to Himself, or to attract donors, but that He might show His love for Peter and for her. She obviously felt that love, for after her recovery, she “arose and served them.” That’s also a reminder to those of us who enjoy good health: Our lives belong to God, who calls us to love Him and those around us. May we all devote ourselves to the health and welfare of others, and not to our own pleasure, prestige, or profit!

Impossible Standard?

Jesus has told His disciples that their righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees if they want to enter the kingdom of heaven (5:20). In the Sermon on the Mount, He lays out the basic principles of this sort of righteousness, as we have seen. Does He mean for His followers actually to attain to the necessary degree of righteous conduct that He has taught them? Scholars debate this question, and for good reason. On the one hand, Matthew’s Gospel contains many indications that there are some who can, even in this life, properly be called “righteous.” Joseph was a righteous man (1:19), as was Abel (23:35). God sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (5:45). Those who receive a righteous man will receive and appropriate reward (10:41). Though they may not be aware of what they are doing, followers of Christ who serve other believers will be called “righteous,” and will later enter eternal life (25:46), where they will “shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (13:43). Likewise, Jesus refers often to “good” people who bring forth “good fruit” by doing “good works” (5:16, 45; 7:17-18; 12:35). On the other hand, Jesus told the rich young ruler that “only one is good,” namely, God (19:17). He Himself came to “fulfill all righteousness” by being identified with sinners in His baptism (3:15). He taught His disciples to pray daily, “Forgive us our debts” – by which he meant our sins (6:12). He came to “save His people from their sins” (1:21), not just by teaching, but by His death on the cross as a “ransom for many” (20:28). His suffering and death, which Matthew uses two full chapters to narrate, inaugurated a new covenant by His blood, which was shed for “the remission of sins” (26:28). Here, then, we see the “already” and the “not yet” of Jesus’ kingdom. Disciples of Christ are already children of God who, by God’s power, can do good works and, to a significant degree “observe all that” Jesus has commanded us (28:20). On the other hand, we are still sinners in need of daily forgiveness. We are not yet fully obedient or righteous. We must wait until He returns before we “shine forth” like the sun. That is why we must constantly seek coming of the kingdom and the righteousness of God, trusting in Jesus to save us fully from our sins.

Seeking God’s Righteousness

How, then, can we seek the righteousness of God? What practical steps do we take? From the Gospel of Matthew, we see that those who desire to “fulfill all righteousness” will identify with sinners, as Jesus did at His baptism (3:15). With repentant hearts they too will receive baptism (28:19). They will put their trust for salvation in Christ alone, who came to “give His life a ransom for many” (20:28). Having been baptized, they will do their best to “observe all things that [He] has commanded” them to do (28:20). First, however, they will try to understand His will by listening to His words (7:24; 28:20). In imitation of Jesus Himself, they will study the Old Testament, that they may use its words to resist the temptations of Satan (4:4, 7, 10). Like the early disciples, they will attend to the teachings of Christ (5:2 ff.), and as did the believers after Pentecost, they will devote themselves to the instructions of the chosen Apostles (28:20; Acts 2:42). But they will not be hearers of the Word only, but also doers, knowing that only those who hear and do are building upon a solid foundation (7:24-25). They will forsake all to follow Christ (4:19-23; 9:9). In their fight against indwelling sin, they will spare no pain to gain the victory (5:29-30). Like their Lord, they will pray, “Your will be done,” even if the answer to that prayer leads to Golgotha (6:10; 26:39, 42). Knowing that they cannot follow Jesus alone, and that they have been called into a worldwide fellowship of disciples, they will join others in remembering the death of Christ (26:26-28). When they are rebuked by other believers for doing wrong, they will listen and change (18:15-17). And at the end of the day, aware that they have failed to follow Christ as they should, they will pray, “Forgive us our debts [trespasses]” (6:12, 15). While others are panting after possessions, prestige, position, and pleasure, they will be consumed by one pure and holy passion: to know and follow after Jesus Christ their Lord.

God’s Righteousness

We have seen that the righteousness of which Jesus here speaks refers to that practical obedience to His commands which our Lord said was necessary for admission to the kingdom (5:20). To seek for God’s righteousness, therefore, is a necessary corollary of seeking His kingdom, for He is the righteous King who requires that His subjects obey and imitate their Ruler. Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His disciples what this sort of righteousness looks like:

• Renouncing anger (5:21-26)
• Making war on lust (5:27-30)
• Remaining faithful to one marriage partner for life (5:31-32)
• Avoiding impious and insincere oaths, and speaking simple truth (5:33-37)
• Giving to the unworthy (5:38-42)
• Loving the unlovely and the unloving (5:43-48)
• Giving generously, but in secret, for God’s eyes only (6:1-4)
• Praying privately, in faith, to our Father in heaven (6:5-13)
• Forgiving our enemies (6:14-15)
• Fasting for God’s pleasure alone (6:16-18)
• Laying up treasures in heaven, not on earth (6:19- 21)
• Worshiping God, not Mammon [money] (6:22-24)
• Forsaking all worry as we trust God to provide (6:25-32)

These are the things for which we should hunger and thirst every day (5:6).

Longing for Kingdom

What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God? We seek God’s kingdom when we:

• Listen to the voice of the King (Psalm 45:2).
• Delight in the beauty of the King (Psalm 45:2).
• Pray for the victory of the King (Psalm 45:3-5).
• Praise the King at all times (Psalm 145:1-3).
• Proclaim the mighty acts of the King and the glory of His kingdom (Psalm 145:4-7, 10-12).
• Esteem the kingdom more highly than every other precious thing (Matthew 13:44-46).
• Obey all the commands of the King (Matthew 7:24; 28:20).
• Preach the Gospel of the kingdom to all nations (Matthew 24:14; 28:18-20).
• Long for the coming of the kingdom in all its fullness (Matthew 6:10).

First Things First

Instead of focusing on bodily needs, Jesus commands us to set our hearts and minds on the kingdom and righteousness of God above all. He had earlier told them to pray, “Your kingdom come” (6:10). The kingdom of God is His reign and rule over the universe, and especially over men and women. Our heart’s desire should be for God to have His way in our lives and in the lives of others. That includes, of course, “Your will be done,” as Jesus cried in the Garden of Gethsemane (26:42). More than anything else, we must long for God to exercise His sovereign sway. His “righteousness” has been variously interpreted. Some think Jesus refers to the justice for all which God will bring on the last day, and for which we must work even now. Others believe that it means that righteousness which God confers by grace to all who trust in Christ for salvation. These are both true, of course. Probably, however, the main meaning here is that personal righteousness – holiness, virtue – which Jesus had told His disciples must surpass even that of the Pharisees, as a requirement for entrance into God’s kingdom (5:20). In any case, the Lord requires that we hunger and thirst for righteousness (5:6), even to the point of being willing to suffer for it (5:10). Nothing – not even an eye or a limb -must come before our pursuit of moral likeness to God Himself, who alone is fully righteous (5:29-30). Like Jesus Himself, we must be willing to forsake all to follow God’s way, even if it leads to Golgotha (10:37-39). After all, that is what Jesus meant when He said to the first disciples, “Follow Me” (4:19). He had Himself submitted to baptism by John in order to “fulfill all righteousness” (3:15), and He had refused to let Satan deflect Him from the path of obedience to God the Father (4:1-10). As the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews said, Jesus preferred to suffer rather than give in to temptation (Hebrews 2:18). How about you? What is your main goal in life? To feed and fulfill yourself, or to follow in the steps of Him who sought, first and foremost, the kingdom of God and His righteousness?

Useless Worry

Jesus continues his argument against worry. “Therefore” points to the reasons He has already given: If God takes care of the bird of the air, and clothes the grass of the field, will He not also provide for human beings created in His own image, who are of far greater value? Of course! He repeats the warning against worrying about food and clothing, adding two more reasons: First, “Gentiles” – that is, those who do not know God – are obsessed with these things. That is certainly true! Around the world, in every culture, the pursuit of physical survival consumes the thought, time, and energy of almost everyone. They are all more or less “seeking’ the things that make life possible. That is, putting food on the table and clothes on our body outranks all other goals in our list of priorities. In some societies, like ours, people have gone beyond focusing on necessities to a passion for pleasure and self-indulgence. Who really needs a luxury car, the latest fashion-designed clothes, or a house filled with more rooms than they can use? But millions even incur debt in order to live like monarchs of old. Jesus’ second reason goes deeper: Our Father in heaven knows that we need food and clothing to survive. Here Jesus assumes the truth of what He said before, that God will take care of His children (7:26,30). If an earthly father knows what his children need, he will do all he can to provide for them. How much more will our Father in heaven take care of us? Jesus rebukes His followers for their “little faith” (6:30). Does that apply to us as well? How much time and energy do we expend on figuring out ways to acquire material possessions? We need to work for a living, of course. That is part of being human. “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat,” warned Paul (2 Thessalonians 3:10). But Jesus is not talking about making legitimate efforts to care for our physical existence. What He warns against is not work, but worry. From my own experience, I know that worry can literally make you sick. By not trusting in God to take care of us, we fall back upon our own limited resources. We think and act as if we are fatherless orphans, who must scrape and fight and scratch for every morsel we can find. That inner fear wears us out, and makes us loveless and joyless. How much better to consider who we are: Not “Gentiles” without God, but beloved children of a gracious and generous heavenly Father, who not only knows what we need but holds in His omnipotent hand all the wealth required to provide for every one of His children.

Fruitful Fasting

At least some Pharisees fasted twice a week, abstaining from food as a spiritual exercise (Luke 18:12). Moses and Elijah fasted for forty days; David, Daniel, Nehemiah and others fasted for shorter periods of time; and the whole nation was called to fast on the Day of Atonement (Exodus 34:28; 1 Kings 19:9; Daniel 10:2-3; Nehemiah 1:4; Leviticus 16:29-31). Jesus fasted for forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-2), and the Apostles sometimes fasted at critical times (Acts 13:2-3; 14:23). It seems that Jesus assumed His disciples would abstain from food for shorter or longer periods of time, as expressions of contrition, devotion to God, and waiting upon the Lord for guidance. Throughout the centuries, some Christians have found fasting to be a helpful way to focus on God in prayer, and to discipline the body against sinful habits (see 1 Corinthians 9:24-27). At least in America today, such a practice might be one way to combat the epidemic of obesity! But – and here is the main point of Jesus’ teaching – we must never engage in any religious act in order to be seen by others or to gain their approval. As with charitable giving, our fasting must be done in secret, where only God sees. In other words, when you fast, don’t tell anyone! And, like giving to those in need, secret fasting will yield the fruit of God’s attention and approval, and He will reward us for our self-denial. The results may be seen in greater victory over sin, but they will surely receive God’s commendation and recompense on the last great day of judgment, when all those who love the Lord will receive an imperishable wreath of glory.

He Heals the Brokenhearted

Last night I awoke at 3:30 and couldn’t go back to sleep. Rather than just lying there frustrated, I began to pray for a family that has just lost a loved one, asking God to comfort their grieving hearts. Then I thought of two students in our fellowship whose fathers had deserted the family for another woman. I prayed that the Lord would heal their broken hearts. After that, one person after another came to my mind- children of divorces; neglected wives and husbands; spouses locked in apparently irresolvable conflicts; young adults struggling with the legacy of tension-filled childhood homes – they are all, in one way or another, broken-hearted. My thoughts then started to probe the causes of the broken heart. It seems that almost always grief for a major loss has dealt the blow. Either we have lost something very precious to us – a loved one, a valued relationship, a job or career, for example; or we have suffered crushing disappointment over failure to attain something or someone that we consider essential to our happiness – such as a spouse, or children, or a job; or a happy marriage, healthy and happy children, success in our work. Of course, these losses should occasion pain for any normal person. We live in this world, after all, and we have feelings that reflect our creation in the image of God as well as our participation in a universe that lies under the influence of Satan and the judgment of God. Probing deeper, however, I pondered another source of our sorrow: We have placed our hopes for happiness too much on things of this world. We have not made knowing God our main purpose in life. We have not, in short, loved the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength (see Mark 12:28-31). Instead, we have invested too much of our expectations on people who are both finite and fallen, and on things which, being both created and corrupted, will of necessity fail us. We have forsaken the fountain of living waters and made for ourselves cisterns which were broken from the beginning. To change the metaphor, we have deserted God our only true Husband and committed adultery with false and empty idols. This is all familiar stuff to Christians, but then my mind took a sudden and unexpected turn. Certain passages in the Bible speak of God’s response to the unfaithfulness of His creatures, whom He made for fellowship with Himself. The LORD was grieved by the violent and wicked generation of Noah (Genesis 6:6). The rebellion of Israel “grieved His Holy Spirit” (Isaiah 63:10). Bitter wrangling among Christians will also grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). Finally, consider this stunning statement by Yahweh from Ezekiel 6:9: “I was hurt by their adulterous hearts.” God is personally hurt when we turn from Him to seek life from that which He has made, rather than from our Maker. So, what did He do? Just stand idly by, wallowing in anger and sadness? NO! He sent His only-begotten Son, the one whom He loved, to die for us upon the Cross, that we might be forgiven and restored to friendship with Him. Now, cover your face and consider the unutterable agony of that awful day when God the Father poured out all His holy wrath upon His innocent and only Son. We cannot fathom the horrible pain of Jesus as He suffered the torture of men and the anger of God. But can we understand, either, what the Father must have “felt” like then? We must not imagine that His emotions are like ours, or that He can be utterly undone by grief, like us. He is always a serene Sovereign, secure in the assured salvation of His elect and the vindication of His justice. But neither must we see Him as Aristotle’s Unmoved Mover, who never “feels” pain. We are in the dark here, like those around the Cross when the light of the sun was turned off while this terrible transaction was enacted. Was it all over when Jesus died? In a sense, Yes, for He had finished the work of atonement. He does not need to die again for our redemption. But in another sense, No, because Jesus died for us, that we “having died to sin, might live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24 ). What does that mean? Ascended on high, Jesus pours out His Spirit upon all who truly trust in Him. That same Spirit gives us a new heart – a new heart! – that we might love the Lord with all we are and all we have (see Hebrews 8:8-12; 10:15-22). In other words, God has made it possible for us now to return His love for us, and so fulfill the purpose for which He made us in the beginning. In the process, He comforts us in our earthly losses, for we know that He knows, and that He has prepared for us a place and a time when all our tears will be wiped away. Then both He and we shall enjoy a mutual love like that between the Father and Son from all eternity (John 17:26), and our hearts – ours and His – will be filled with a happiness beyond imagining. Then His grief and ours will be forgotten forever. No more broken hearts! Friends, will you bow with me today in wonder and admiration for the God who heals our hearts by first breaking His own?

Must I forgive Others?

This short passages poses at least three problems: (1) Why does Jesus say, “For, if you forgive…”? What does the for refer to? (2) Is the Lord putting a condition on God’s forgiving grace? I thought grace came to sinners through faith alone? (3) Is Jesus talking about final forgiveness, at the Last Judgment, or is He only speaking of individual sins which somehow won’t be pardoned in this life? (3) Let’s start with the last question first. Since any and all sins, even the so-called “little” ones, are each sufficient to call down upon us the righteous wrath of God, for Him not to forgive even one of our trespasses is for us to face condemnation and eternal punishment. We are dealing with matters of everlasting life and death here. Furthermore, the Lord really does seem to be saying that we must forgive in other to be forgiven. What could that mean? Forgiveness comes to those who repent of their sins and ask for God’s mercy. Indeed, that is what the Lord’s Prayer has just taught us to seek from God the Father. But repentance involves admitting that are wrong; renouncing our sin; and turning decisively away from our old ways towards God. We do this only through faith, of course, trusting in the kindness of God to pardon our iniquity. And even this faith comes as a gift from God. Now, if the second great command is to love my neighbor as myself; and if I am asking, and trusting, God to forgive my offenses against Him; how can I at the same time withhold from another person that which I am seeking for myself? Is that not the height of hypocrisy, an internal contradiction that calls into question the sincerity of my supposed repentance and faith? As the parable in Matthew 18:21-35 illustrates, how can I be aware of the magnitude of God’s mercy to me compared to the minimal offense my brother has committed against me, and yet fail to forgive the relatively slight debt he owes me? In other words, forgiveness of our fellow offenders is not so much a condition of God’s forgiveness, as a natural consequence of receiving His mercy, and a necessary confirmation that we have truly repented of our pride and resentment and have sought to obey and imitate the one who laid down His life as a ransom for many.