The Merry Wicked

Job 20-22; Psalm 40:11-17; Proverbs 22:2-4

 

Part of the problem with Job’s friends was that they simply didn’t have their eyes open. They had their whole world figured out and prettily packaged, and so long as their own lives didn’t seem to be out of alignment with their worldview they were pretty happy with themselves.

 

But they were highly uncomfortable with Job. Why? Because once God allowed Satan to strike him and his family, Job’s life no longer matched up with their pretty little package of The Way Things Are. Here are some things they thought about The Way Things Are:

 

• God is real, and He is good
• Some people do good things
• Some people do bad things
• Good people have comfortable lives
• Bad people have wretched lives

 

But then Job’s wealth was carried away by raiders, his children were killed in a storm, and he himself was struck with painful sores all over his body. And when these friends came to visit Job, they were shocked to find him refusing to admit that he deserved any of it. Instead, Job was calling on God to explain why He would even allow Job to live to see such a terrible day. He said that God was in control of his circumstances.

 

To Job’s friends, this seemed too uppity and disrespectful a way to address God. So they began to try to persuade Job that perhaps his view of God was wrong. Before long, they even began to accuse him of sinning badly enough to deserve this judgment. And they began to talk as though God swiftly judges evil men—as though no evil man could possibly have a happy life.

 

In contrast, Job says about the wicked:

 

They sing to the music of tambourine and harp; they make merry to the sound of the flute. They spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace. Yet they say to God, `Leave us alone! We have no desire to know your ways. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him? What would we gain by praying to him?' – Job 21:12-15

 

Doesn’t that sound like a nice life? I mean, obviously they shouldn’t talk about God that way. But Job’s eyes are open. He sees reality. And reality is that, in this life, wicked people frequently seem to live as though they have God’s blessing—despite their rebellion.

 

And yet Job insists that he is not willing to join them:

 

But their prosperity is not in their own hands, so I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked. – Job 21:16

 

“I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked.” Why, Job? You just described an awesome lifestyle! Why not take some advice from them? They seem to be wise to at least some extent. They know something, and it’s making a difference in the way they live. So why stand aloof from them?

 

“But their prosperity is not in their own hands.” What are you talking about, Job? Of course it’s in their hands! These wealthy rich folk are rich because they understand how the economy works. They know money. They understand how to run a business. They work hard. They work smart. They earn their wealth. They may not be morally good, but they’ve figured something out. Right?

 

No, says Job. They’re wealthy for the same reason, ultimately, that anyone else is wealthy. God has blessed them. And despite God’s blessings, they curse Him. So Job says, “But their prosperity is not in their own hands, so I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked.” God could take their prosperity away any day. It’s more safe to be physically cursed and in pain—but upholding God’s honor—than physically blessed and prosperous and comfortable—while cursing God.

 

Father, may I rather be like Job than like the “merry wicked”. May I prefer pain and torment as a righteous man to ease and comfort as a wicked man. May I rest my hope in You—even when You seem to give me no reason for hope. To be Your opponent is not a wise option, no matter how long You allow wicked men to prosper. May I allow You to bless wicked men and curse me without ever being tempted to turn away from You. You are more valuable than cushy circumstances, and I need to be in Your camp.

 

Weekly Sermons in Swanton: Make Jesus the Talk of the Town

The message covered Philippians 1:12-18a, and it can be heard via streaming audio at http://www.swantonalliance.org. Be amazed at what Paul is willing to endure so long as Jesus becomes the focus of everyone’s conversation, and join Paul’s efforts.

 

Misfortune 101

Job 12-15; Psalm 39; Proverbs 21:30-31

 

Job had quickly moved up from junior high to high school in studies on Misfortune, but his friends hadn’t moved past elementary school. While Job was trying to get to the other side of pain and persuade God that he wasn’t worth the trouble, his friends were taking pot shots at him from the side. They thought, despite the fact that he had always been known for his faith and integrity before God, that Job was being punished for his sins.

 

For instance, Zophar said:

Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin. – Job 11:6b

 

But Job knew their perspective was incomplete. It was childish. It was inexperienced. And it put God in a very small box. He correctly diagnosed their problem:

 

Men at ease have contempt for misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping. – Job 12:5

 

Their lives were easy. They were resting in their Lazy-Boys, looking over at Job as he sat in the mud and telling him how to clean himself up. They were inexperienced in misfortune, while Job was clearly not. But from their inexperienced vantage point, the notion that God could have anything to do with harmful circumstances seemed just too much to accept. They wouldn’t listen to Job. They thought they understood everything

Misfortune is certainly the end for those whose feet have slipped. It is their destination.

 

But misfortune is not only a destination. It is also a path. And God leads many people along the path of misfortune, whether they have sinned against Him or not. Today, His Son Jesus Christ is evidence of that. Job understood this, though he had not yet come to see clearly what other reasons God might have for allowing His people to hurt. He had gone beyond elementary thinking to high school. It was still true that misfortune was for the ungodly. But Job understood from his experience that God was sovereign over all misfortune, and that He could be trusted even when the righteous suffered. Zophar and Job’s other friends were still stuck in elementary school, unable yet to trust or conceive of a good God who allowed good people to suffer.

 

Father, thank You for using Job’s story to teach us that You are good, even when You allow good people to suffer. You have a plan, and it is working out exactly as it ought to . Thank You for helping us to see that You are in control, even when it seems from our perspective that evil has the upper hand. Thank You for being so big and powerful a God that Satan must ask Your permission to wreak havoc, and thank You for limiting what he is allowed to do on this earth. You are good, and I ask that You help me and other believers to deepen and strengthen our faith in You so that when we face misfortune, we can rest because we know that it’s all in Your hands—that we’re in Your hands. Or perhaps, if like Job we have a hard time resting, at least we have the foundation of knowing that You are in control. Be in control. I’ll stop trying to be in control, and I’ll trust that You still have the reins in Your hands even when I can’t even see them through my tears.

 

A Righteous Plea for Death

Job 4-7; Psalm 37:30-40; Proverbs 21:25-26

 

Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, that God would be willing to crush me, to let loose his hand and cut me off! Then I would still have this consolation--my joy in unrelenting pain--that I had not denied the words of the Holy One. What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient? – Job 6:8-11

 

Do believers ever want to die? This one did. Job had been wealthy, and his wealth had been taken away. He had been healthy, and now his body was covered with sores. He had been the loving father of ten children—seven sons and three daughters—and they had all died in one giant calamity. His wife was urging him to give up on his integrity, to “curse God and die.”

 

He’d had enough.

 

Even so, Job’s hope was that he could manage to cling to “the words of the Holy One.” If everything else turned out wrong, Job did not want that to turn out wrong—he did not want to end his life rejecting the LORD’s words.

 

But Job recognized his weakness. He was overwhelmed. He really did not feel that he had any strength at all. He could not hold on. He could not walk in God’s words, and he could barely even overcome the temptation to stop listening to them entirely. He was discouraged. In pain. Grieving. Destroyed . . . almost.

 

And so he pleaded for death. Not because he was ashamed of his life. Not because he had given up on God. Not because he had been destroyed. Not because he had lost his integrity. Job pleaded for death because he felt that he was almost there. Almost ashamed. Almost giving up on God. Almost destroyed. Almost without integrity. Job pleaded, “God, take my life before the almost fades into shame and disgrace, before I have the chance to dishonor You.”

 

Job’s burning desire was to honor God, but he didn’t know how he could keep it up. So rather than fail to honor God, Job wanted to die.

 

Father, may I prefer death over a life that dishonors You, too. Throughout my life, keep me faithful to You no matter what. Please, may my family have such a deep commitment to Your Word, too. May we all know that Your Word is our life and depend fully on You.

 

Integrity

Job 1-3; Psalm 37:12-29; Proverbs 21:25-26

 

When Job suffers all the horrible things he suffers, his wife reacts with amazement and scorn that he is holding on to his integrity. What did she mean by integrity?

 

She seems to have been talking about Job’s willingness to receive anything—good or bad—from God’s hands. Job’s response to the first disasters was this:

 

Naked I came from my mother's womb,

    and naked I will depart.

  The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;

    may the name of the LORD be praised. – Job 1:21

 

And after Job’s body was afflicted with painful sores, he still refused to curse God. That was his wife’s accusation, anyway: “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die (Job 2:9)!” Job’s response to her also indicates that she was complaining about his willingness to receive affliction without questioning God:

 

You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? – Job 2:10

 

Integrity for those who claim that God is praiseworthy is continuing to say that God is praiseworthy even when His sovereign decisions allow us and our loved ones to get hurt. God is not good one day and unreliable the next. Job recognized that, despite the fact that his circumstances had changed. Job could tell the difference between a change in his circumstances and a change in the character of His God. May we be able to do the same and have the integrity he had here.

 

Father, please don’t let painful circumstances deceive me or anyone else into thinking You have changed and that you’re no longer good. May we have integrity in the way we think about You. In our minds and hearts, may we always know—even when we can’t understand why—that you are praiseworthy, trustworthy and good.

 

God Saves His People

Esther 8-10; Psalm 37:1-11; Proverbs 21:23-24

 

The God who worked out the most intricate details of Mordecai’s and Esther’s lives is the same God who maneuvers the course of nations for His purposes. He never gets too focused on the details, forgetting the big picture. Nor does He ever think so hard about His big picture plan for the world that He misses even the most insignificant moment in the most insignificant person’s life. Both are fully in God’s hands—the big picture and the small.

 

God did not work everything out in Mordecai’s and Esther’s lives just so that they could have a cool experience with Him. His goal was not to entertain them, not even to make them say, “Wow,” in response to His deeds.

 

God did it for His people.

 

The Jews were still in exile. And they were vulnerable. Haman’s plan had not only taken aim at Mordecai, but at all Jews throughout the empire. And it was all the Jews throughout Xerxes’ empire that God was busy defending. Successfully.

 

God knows how to weave threads into a tapestry, personal lives into the life of His kingdom. We need to trust Him not only that He knows what He’s doing with us, but that He knows what He’s doing with everything.

 

Father, even if my personal life’s story ends up being a fairly drab thread in your overall kingdom tapestry, may I be content to know that I am a part of Your tapestry, Your people, the ones You’ve always planned to save. And since I know it’s Your plan to save all Your people, may I be able to more confidently and boldly trust You to use the thread of my life correctly—even if it doesn’t seem all that great or exciting to me.

 

Detecting the God We Can't See

Esther 4-7; Psalm 36; Proverbs 21:21-22

 

What if we didn’t have to have faith? What if we could simply see God and walk right up to Him to ask for help? What if we could always hear an audible response?

 

One day we will see God.

 

But not yet. Not now. For now, we wander through our lives seeing all the various events and patterns of our lives unfolding in pretty ordinary looking ways. When we have problems and they’re resolved, we’re often tempted to think we fixed things for ourselves, or perhaps that everything would have turned out all right on its own.

 

The book of Esther is like that in some ways. It never mentions God, either by name or by title. It doesn’t even mention any times when the main characters heard from God, whether through the Scriptures or a direct encounter or angelic message. Nothing like that. The main characters have to make some tough choices and step out in faith. It almost feels like they’re acting on their own or as though God isn’t there for them. In short, the book of Esther feels very much like our own lives.

 

And like our lives, if you look at the book of Esther with eyes of faith, you see God’s hand everywhere.

 

The first inkling in the book that we’re even dealing with people of faith (besides the fact that we know Mordecai and Esther are Jews) is in chapter 4:12-16. Mordecai and Esther know that Haman has scheduled a date on the royal calendar to kill all the Jews, and Mordecai has asked Esther to go to the king (her husband) for help. When she hesitates—for fear of approaching him at a bad time and getting herself killed, a legitimate hesitation—Mordecai says this:

 

Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this? – Esther 4:13-14

 

So there’s a hint of destiny. It’s still not clear that the destiny is coming from the hand of God, though the very fact that it is the Jews who need delivered should point us toward that thought. It’s in the next two verses, though, that it finally becomes clear we’re dealing with Jews who trust in God:

 

Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish." – Esther 4:15-16

 

They’re fasting—not eating or drinking for three days and nights. Not just Esther and Mordecai. All the Jews in Susa. Though He’s not mentioned by name or title, they could only be fasting to one person: the LORD their God.

 

Esther, Mordecai, and all the Jews are looking to God for their deliverance. And even though He’s never mentioned by name or title, from this point on it the book, God takes over. Esther goes before the king and is allowed to live. The king and Haman attend the banquet that Esther invites them to, and agree to attend a second. On the very day that Haman hopes to kill Mordecai, the king commands him to honor Mordecai. By the end of today’s reading (Esther 4-7), Haman is dead—hanged on the very gallows he built for Mordecai.

 

There’s more to the story, but we’ll save that for tomorrow and go back to the beginning instead, because once you start to see the hand of God in this book, you realize God was working even before Mordecai, Esther and the Jews began to fast. God was at work when King Xerxes commanded his queen to appear at his party and she rebelled, when King Xerxes deposed Queen Vashti, when there was a kingdom-wide search for a replacement queen, when Esther began to receive special treatment within the king’s harem, when King Xerxes chose her to be his queen, and when Mordecai happened to discover and report an assassination plot against King Xerxes. All these things had happened already, before the Jews called out to God for help. God was already setting the stage for His response to their prayers, for His deliverance of His people.

 

Father, may we today take this story to heart. May we realize that even though You are invisible, hidden in the deepest recesses of the background of our lives at times, You are always there. You are always in control. You are always faithful to Your children, to Your people. In every circumstance of our lives, You are always setting the stage for the story of Your faithfulness to be made abundantly clear. Help us to remember that You are present, even when You seem hidden, and to trust in Your unfailing love, just like Esther and Mordecai had to do. We praise You that You leave a trace, that You are detectable even though You are not visible. May we not fall before the temptation to pass Your blessings off as coincidence or chance, but may we stand firm in pointing to You as the God in whose hands all things work for the good of those who love You. Thank You for being such a present, faithful, prepared, sovereign God!

 

Ever-Building Conversation of Praise

Nehemiah 11:1-12:26; Psalm 34:11-22; Proverbs 21:14-16

 

When someone begins to praise Jesus Christ in front of you, what’s your response? Do you smile and nod, feeling awkward? Do you roll your eyes, wondering when they’ll stop spouting off all their Sunday school knowledge and thinking, “So what? I already knew that.”?

 

The appropriate response is to pile on more praise for Jesus. When someone else is praising God, join in! Respond! It’s not a competition to see who can praise Him more, but at the same time you certainly don’t want to pass up a great opportunity to praise God with someone else.

 

David set up temple worship to work like this, people spurring each other on to greater praise and thanksgiving. The Israelites picked this pattern up again after the exile:

 

And the leaders of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their associates, who stood opposite them to give praise and thanksgiving, one section responding to the other, as prescribed by David the man of God. – Nehemiah 12:24

 

The temple worship was a picture of the ideal—a day when no matter where you go or whom you encounter, all will gladly praise God and will respond in thanksgiving when others praise Jesus. We don’t expect to see the ideal yet; we know that many of the people we encounter will not be so enthusiastic about praising Jesus. But as God’s redeemed family, shouldn’t that give us all the more reason to carry on a conversation of praise when we have the chance? Let’s remind each other how wonderful and worthy our God is!

 

Father, may I never shy away from an opportunity to tell how amazing You are! May I join other believers when they praise You, and may I spur them on to more praise. May we tell each other all the good things You are doing in our lives so that we constantly have the opportunity to rejoice in some new thing You have done.

 

Leaders Repent First

Ezra 10; Psalm 31:9-18; Proverbs 21:3

 

When the Israelite exiles returned to Israel, you would think that they would have learned to avoid offending and disobeying their God. But they hadn’t. They still sinned by intermarrying with neighboring nations and becoming familiar with their gods and practices; the Israelite leaders “led the way” (Ezra 9:1-2).

 

While they may not have learned not to sin, they seem to have learned the value of repentance. Ezra led the people to confess their sin and turn away from it. The sin was widespread. So when the people gathered, it was overwhelming to deal with all their sin right away. But the sin still needed to be dealt with, confessed, repented of, rejected.

 

So they came up with a plan. The leaders would represent the people’s heart by repenting first, and the people would follow their leaders in repentance over the next few months:

 

Let our officials act for the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at a set time, along with the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away from us. – Ezra 10:14

 

The leaders led the people into sin. It was up to the leaders to lead the way back to God.

 

Father, please help me to follow Christ wholeheartedly day by day, because You have made me a leader. May I not sin, but may I lead my family, friends, and fellow-believers in righteousness. However, when I sin and lead others into sin, may I not insist that they get right first. May I humble myself before You and repent—may I lead others in repentance so that we all keep our eyes on You and our feet on Your path. Give me the grace to humbly repent first.

 

A Shame That Pushes Us to Prayer

Ezra 8:21-9:15; Psalm 31:1-8; Proverbs 21:1-2

 

How much do you say you can depend on God? How much do you actually depend on God? We’re right to boast about our God, His love for us, His care for us, His ability to keep us safe and healthy—all that. But what happens when we’re facing a trial? Do we look to the nearest human for help, even if we previously told them we didn’t need their help because God would take care of us? Or do we entrust ourselves to God?

 

Ezra had told the king that God’s gracious hand would care for those who looked to Him. But now Ezra and other exiles were preparing to return to Israel—a trip that would take them several months. And they would be carrying loads of silver, gold, and precious bronze (Ezra 8:26-27). So now, after boasting about God’s care for His people, would Ezra ask the pagan king for protection?

 

No. Instead, this is what Ezra did:

There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. – Ezra 8:21

 

Ezra proclaimed a fast. He led the people to humble themselves before God, admitting to Him their need for protection and begging Him for a safe journey. Why didn’t he turn to King Artaxerxes for help?

 

I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him." – Ezra 8:22

 

Sometimes we turn away from human aid not because it would be sinful for us to receive human help, but because we recognize that after boasting about our God’s great love for His children, it would be shameful not to call for His help instead of men’s. God doesn’t just want His children to tell people what a loving Father He is; He wants us to act like He’s a loving Father and ask Him to take care of us.

 

Father, may I not just trust You with my lips. May I trust You with my life, and with my wife and kids and parents and siblings and friends and church and finances and house and pets and health and deadlines and enemies and fears and pains. May I trust You for everything, because You are truly trustworthy and gracious to everyone who looks to You! May I not forsake You and find my help anywhere before You. Be my one fortress, my one rock, my one God, and help me to remember when I’m at the doctor’s office or the bank or the grocery store or the insurance agent’s that no matter how stable and supportive they seem to be, You are the only completely stable and trustworthy One I look to. May my confidence never be in men. You are God alone.

 

Grace!: For Students, Practitioners and Teachers of God's Law

Ezra 7:1-8:20; Psalm 30; Proverbs 20:28-30

 

It was God’s grace that gave us God’s Law. But God’s Law is not nearly so gracious to men as Jesus Christ. John 1:17 tells us that “the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Although God’s law is good, sin has produced death in us through the law—proving how terrible sin really is (Romans. 7:7-13). Because sin has used the law to kill men, we have a hard time looking back to the LORD’s Law and seeing any good associated with it whatsoever. We have a hard time remembering that God’s grace was still at work among those who lived with God’s Law.

 

Enter Ezra. A priest. A prophet. A student, observer (practitioner) and teacher . . . of God’s Law.

 

When we first encounter Ezra in Ezra 7:1-10, we hear twice in those ten verses that the hand of his God was on him (vv. 6, 9). God was for Ezra, extending grace to him. What was it that set Ezra apart?

 

Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. – Ezra 7:8-10

 

Ezra had been set apart to receive God’s grace precisely because he had wholeheartedly received God’s gift, the Law of Moses (Ezra 7:6). He studied it, he lived it, he taught it. This was a man intent on seeking God and getting others to do the same.

 

God is gracious toward such men. He loves men who recognize His Law as an expression of His desire for good in the world, who seek to please God and encourage others to please God by the way they live. None of us is able to stand before God justified (without Christ, that is) because none of us fulfills God’s Law perfectly. But God is still pleased with men who care so much about pleasing Him that they study His Law and devote their whole lives to His service. Such men still sin. They still need to repent. They still need God’s grace. Thankfully, God is pleased to pour out His grace on men whose lives are devoted to pleasing Him.

 

Father, may I not hate any of Your words just because they are also Law. Instead, may I admit that I do not live up to Your Law. And may I repent. And may I devote my whole life to learning what pleases You, to doing it, and to teaching others to please You. But may I remember all along that I have already failed You, and that I need Your grace. Be pleased to pour out Your grace on me, not because I have earned it, but because I recognize that Your Law is worth pursuing even when I can’t earn Your grace. Your Law is good, because You are good. Thank You that we do not ultimately depend on our ability to obey Your Law, but on Your Son’s ransoming death for our sins, and on His resurrection from the dead. May that free us up to boldly seek to please You, knowing that He has already provided so that we can stand in Your presence.

 

Weekly Sermons in Swanton: Praying for Practically Perfect People

The message covered Philippians 1:1-2, and it can be heard via streaming audio at http://www.swantonalliance.org. Discover how much there is to pray for, even when the people you’re praying for seem to be in great condition.

 

Even Kings Need God

Ezra 5-6; Psalm 29; Proverbs 20:26-27

 

The Jewish remnant had returned from exile and was rebuilding the temple, supported by Cyrus king of Persia. But then during Artaxerxes’ reign, the work had to stop because he was persuaded to oppose the temple’s completion by the Jews’ enemies. What would happen now that Darius was king of Persia?

 

The Jews began to work on the temple again during his second year (Ezra 4:24). And their opponents once again tried to stop them. They sent a letter to Darius, and in that letter they questioned whether King Cyrus had actually authorized the Jews to rebuild God’s temple.

 

King Darius had men look into it, and they found the original order from King Cyrus. So King Darius decided to support the temple, too. Here’s part of what he said:

 

Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God: The expenses of these men are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop. Whatever is needed--young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem--must be given them daily without fail, so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.- Ezra 6:8-10

 

Darius needed God, even though he was the king of a vast empire. He needed God to be pleased with him and to keep him well. That was part of his motivation for commanding that the Jews’ opponents help the Jews with the temple costs—including sacrifices!

 

When the Jews celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread, they celebrated with joy “because the LORD had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria, so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel” (Ezra 6:22). The king needed God, but he knew he needed God and supported the work on the temple because God gave him the right attitude and inclination.

 

Every king needs God. And every king’s heart is in God’s hands.

 

Father, thank You that You direct the hearts of even the world’s most powerful rulers wherever you want them to go. And even kings can have their attitudes brought to the point where they realize that they need You to make them whole. If kings need You, I really need You. Father, shape my attitude day by day to keep me wanting to worship You, wanting to tell how wonderful You are, building Your kingdom. You are God. We all need You.

 

Time to Worship God!

Ezra 3-4; Psalm 28; Proverbs 20:24-25

 

When’s the right time to worship God? Sundays at 10:40 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.? Early every morning? Late every night, just before bed? Does everything have to be “just right” before it is time to come before God’s throne in praise and sacrifice?

 

Judah had been in exile, but after 70 years Cyrus sent the Jews back to Jerusalem to rebuild God’s temple. Well before the new temple was completed, the people began to offer burnt sacrifices to the LORD:

 

On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, though the foundation of the LORD’s temple had not yet been laid. – Ezra 3:6

 

They didn’t even wait for the temple’s foundation to be laid! As soon as they had an altar, the Jewish remnants were offering sacrifices in worship to God!

 

Since Jesus Christ died on the cross, our altar is in place. Hebrews 13:10 tells us: “We have an altar—of grace (Heb. 13:9)—from which those who serve at the tabernacle have no right to eat! Our altar’s in place; we should be worshiping God through our Lord Jesus Christ and by His sacrifice any chance we get, whether at appointed times like worship services or at “freewill offering times”—times when we approach the altar simply because our hearts are bursting to offer God the worship He deserves!

 

Not only is our altar in place, but our temple foundation has been laid, and the temple is being built:

 

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. – Eph. 2:19-22

 

Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone of this new temple, the apostles and prophets are the foundation, and we are being built up together with the rest of the church to be God’s holy temple where God’s Spirit lives!

 

The altar’s always ready. The sacrifice—the Lamb of God—has been offered. The foundation is complete and the temple walls are going up. The time is right! Worship God through Jesus Christ!

 

Father, thank You for establishing an age of worship through Jesus Christ’s life among us, death on the cross, and resurrection from the grave. I will worship You. May I lead my family, my brothers and sisters in Christ, my neighbors and the world to worship You, too!

 

Weekly Sermons in Swanton: Point to the Grace and Peace of God

Sunday was my first day preaching as Swanton Alliance Church’s pastor. The message covered Philippians 1:1-2, and it can be heard via streaming audio at http://www.swantonalliance.org. Listen to God’s call for Christ’s servants to greet Christ’s saints with the grace and peace of Christ and His Father.