The 'Want To' Comes From Above

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.” (Php 2:13 AV)

There are many verses that have multiple entries over the span of a lifetime.  For me, this is one of them.  Every time I fail when I am trying my hardest, the truth above must come to mind.  It doesn’t matter if I am struggling with sin or failing to serve, the result is still the same.  There is too much reliance on self.  There is something even more profound here.  The sovereign hand of God not only enables us to please Him.  It is His sovereign hand that brings about the desire and/or will to do so.  This is an easy concept to accept but a very hard one to explain.  The will is free.  We can choose as we wish.  How God changes the will from a ‘don’t’ to a ‘do’ is something that borders on a mystery.  He may use several influences to accomplish that end.  Consequences, or the fear thereof, can often change our actions.  Promised blessings can modify the will.  We can point to several tools at His disposal that change our wills from dissidence or fear to obedience or faith.  The actual change itself is an operation of the Holy Spirit and a miracle above most.  The point is this: in our human sinful nature, we do not possess the ability to please God.  We simply do not want to.  If we do, the desire and/or will must come from Him.

There is another very important word for us this morning.  That word is ‘worketh’.  Strong’s number defines the word as meaning “to work for one, aid one; to effect”. This is very important to understand.  God does not exercise His sovereignty without regard to man’s ability to choose.  If all God wanted were creatures that pleased Him with no ability of independent or moral wills, He would have stopped with the animal kingdom.  The definition of the word ‘worketh’ is profound.  God does not force our wills or dictate them like a puppeteer pulling strings.  He works for us.  He aids us.  His motive is to affect us and our will to conform to His pleasure.  God does not force our wills to change.  He encourages our wills to change.  That encouragement comes from Him.  It cannot come from within our own wicked heart.

This is good news.  This means that the encouragement resulting in a desire and action to please God comes from God.  He is greater than that which He created.  There is nothing He cannot do.  Therefore, if my will is bent toward rebellion or self-pleasure, I need not look within to find the strength or ability to please my Creator.  All I need to do is yield to that which He sends my way.  I must yield my will to His effectual working, which is on my behalf!  That is great news.  Just when we think we cannot overcome the will to displease God, He gives us the answer.  We need to yield to His will-changing work.  This is passive on our part.  Active on His.  Living for the pleasure of our Creature begins by yielding our wicked hearts and wills to the influence and work of the Holy Spirit.  Yielding comes first.  Desires then change.  Praise be to God that He didn’t leave us without the means to please Him!

He Sees

“Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether [he be] bond or free.” (Eph 6:8 AV)

This is a very encouraging statement.  Paul doesn’t promise immediate reciprocation.  But there is reciprocation.  It is nice to have the reassurance that if we do good, the LORD will recognize it.  Not that affirmation should be our biggest motivator.  It shouldn’t.  Love for Christ and gratitude for what He has done should be motive enough.  But praise the LORD that He is gracious to affirm our efforts to serve Him and His kingdom.  Paul also makes the distinction that this affirmation is available to all.  Bond or free refers to the status someone in the Roman kingdom would hold.  Those who were bound were bound by service and taxation.  The free were those who were freeborn or who bought their freedom.  They were full citizens of the Roman empire and enjoyed freedom from some taxation and most service.  The Roman system divided people into classes, and the more menial the class, the less affirmation they would receive.  Having been under such a system for generations, this idea of affirmation based on class would have been natural.  Now that Christ has come and there is no difference, encouragement by affirmation regardless of status means even more.

Paul calls full surrender our reasonable service.  “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.” (Ro 12:1 KJB)  Being in complete obedience and sacrifice is what the glory of God requires.  There is nothing we could do more than do it all.  That is what is owed to our Creator.  Yet Paul also tells us that the Creator, to whom all is owed, is more than happy to affirm our sacrifice and service.  He is not a tyrannical king who sits on a throne, demanding complete and absolute conformity, without acknowledging the effort and dedication of those who do.  He owes us nothing.  We own Him everything.  So when the God of the universe expresses His gratitude for our commitment, that is saying something.  Again, we shouldn’t need it.  He has done so much, and we have done so little.  Our existence is by the grace of His will.  Our salvation came from the love of His infinite heart.  He did not need to do this.  He could have simply judged mankind as a failed creation and started over.  From eternity past, He saw you and me as someone whom He wanted in His existence, whom He wanted to love, and whom He wanted to bless.  What a great and loving God who worship and serve.

Paul reminds us that the good we do is appreciated by God for whom we do it.  The LORD will not allow the good we do to go unrewarded.  Much of our reward is waiting on the other side of creation.  There await crowns, a robe, a new name, precious metals, gems, and praise for what He has done through us.  The LORD does not always wait for eternity to reward the good we do.  There are times when the good we do is rewarded in this life.  God will not allow us to serve and sacrifice without some extension of affirmation directly from His heart to ours.  What an encouragement this is!  We get the Mr. Holland syndrome (Mr. Holland’s Opus).  We think that our work and effort did not amount to anything.  We wonder if we have made any impact at all and if that impact would be appreciated.  I have a sneaking suspicion that heaven will be a surprise to most.  We will arrive expecting very little.  But the LORD has kept a record of it all.  Praise by to His wonderful name!

Don't Give In

“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.” (Pr 1:10 AV)

Great advice.  I am particularly moved by the word ‘consent’.  To give consent is to allow something.  Either directly or indirectly.  We might use the word ‘yield’.  To give consent is to give permission.  It is to allow those who are bent on sinning the permission to entice the saint to join them.  This leads to an obvious but often forgotten truth when applied to temptation.  We give consent.  We are not forced into it.  We are not entrapped.  We give consent.  Especially when the temptation toward sin involves the actions and invitations of others.  We are not strong-armed.  We are not intimidated.  We are not coerced.  We are enticed, and we give consent.  This then suggests the very obvious.  If we give consent, we can also refuse to give consent.  If we give in, we can also refrain.  The act of giving consent is our choice.  Solomon is the wise king who is sharing with his children the nature of how sin works.  Sin is not forced upon us.  We are not hopeless victims of sin's enticements.  Rather, we yield.  We give consent.  Paul had something to say about this very thing in Romans chapter six.  Yielding is our failure.

The state fair was one of those places my wife and I enjoyed.  We enjoyed different things.  I enjoyed the conference center.  It was packed with salesmen of all different stripes.  Most of the stuff for sale was cheap stuff you could order from late-night infomercials.  But I also liked the outside venues with craftsmen selling their art or work.  It was all overpriced, so rarely did we pick something up.  But it was interesting and impressive.  The skill of some of those artisans was exemplary.  There was one place, however, I avoided.  Absolutely no interest.  I never went to the arcade section.  All the games are rigged.  There is no chance of winning anything of any value.  Unless you are addicted to risk versus small reward, the arcade isn’t for you.  However, my wife and her family would drag me through there just to see how hard the game-runners were pitching their offering.  It was relentless.  Sort of like those people in the middle of the mall who are trying to sell you an new phone contract or a massage.  They will not leave you alone no matter how much you say no.  The only answer is to walk away.  Do not consent.  Just turn and focus on something else.

This is the nature of sin.  Many times, we fall because we gave consent.  Solomon suggests a sort of powerful autonomy we are all endowed with.  We do not have to be somewhere or do something.  We have the power of self-determination.  If wickedness comes our way, we do not need to yield.  The world tries to tell us that we cannot live without their offerings.  After all, our life will never reach the fulness of pleasure in that which they have to offer.  Not true.  Just walk away!  As you drive down the road, you are hit with billboard after billboard selling you something you do not need.  Then there are the floppy inflatables doing their weird dances in front of car dealerships.  There are spotlights dancing in the sky.  There are commercials on radio, TV, and every minute or so as you use an app.  Wickedness entices.  We do not need to give consent.  The choice is ours.  We are free.  As Jesus says, we are free indeed.  Time to say no thank you.  Time to turn the other way.  It is time to claim our autonomy and walk with God rather than the wickedness of mankind!

Hope of Righteousness

“For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” (Ga 5:5 AV)

What a thought!  The hope of righteousness!  When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the debt for all the sins of mankind.  Those who have trusted in that gift have a clear and clean record before the Father in heaven.  Even those things which we have not done or those which we will fail to do are satisfied in the offering of Christ on Calvary’s cross.  There is a doctrine called imputation.  That is when, in a legal way, the sins of the sinner were place on dying Jesus, and His righteousness was placed on the sinner.  The righteousness of Christ is imputed to the sinner.  Legally speaking, the Father sees the saint in perfect righteousness.  There is nothing between the sinner and the Father as far as a status of relationship is concerned.  We are the righteousness of Christ insofar as our standing before a holy God.  However, we are still in a sinful state.  The old man of sin has to be crucified with Christ afresh.  Selfishness and rebellion are bad habits that need resolving.  In a doctrinal sense, we are perfectly righteous.  In a practical sense, we are still sinful.  This is why there is hope of righteousness.  We look forward to the day when God will glorify His children and take every atom of our sinful state from us, and we will become, in a practical sense, righteous and sinless.  This is the hope of everyone who knows and loves God.

I love a good orchestra.  My wife and I used to go all the time.  There was a time when one could do this rather inexpensively.  We would go to different places and hear different programs.  Some were open air venues.  Others were in classic opera houses.  We would go for all sorts of reasons and hear all sorts of composers.  I can only imagine the work that went into playing an instrument well enough to make the cut for a Philharmonic Orchestra or a Symphony Orchestra.  One motivation which I am sure all the musicians used was to follow a role model.  They may have learned of a master and listened to a performance.  They may have watched videos and emulated technique.  One thought goes through the mind of a student like that.  “If I work hard enough, I will play like the master.”  This makes mistakes all the more difficult to accept.  Hitting a wrong note, missing a cue, or playing in the wrong tempo would bother a musician.  He or she lives for perfection.  If only they could play like the master.

This is what the saint who loves and knows God faces every day.  As he or she learns more of Christlikeness through the life that Jesus lived, the more dissatisfied he or she is at failure.  The more guilt is part of the human experience, the more the child of God simply wishes to live perfectly.  The more he or she reads the word of God, the more he or she is well aware of how far short they truly are.  This is why the hope of righteousness is so important.  The desire of a sincere saint is to be free from sin.  He or she may have differing motives based on spiritual maturity, but ultimately, he or she wishes to love God with pure heart, knowing there is nothing that can be done to fail the God whom they love.  The saint who has repented of sin wishes to be forever free from it.  That is our hope of righteousness!  That is my hope of righteousness.  There is coming a day when perfection is the only way one can live.  Praise be to God!

Concluded But Not Hopeless

“But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” (Ga 3:22 AV)

The first part of our passage is not comfortable.  But it is absolutely necessary.  The law is often frowned upon.  Without it, we would not know of our need of the promise of Jesus Christ.  When Adam and Eve fell, there was a promise given to mankind.  God would come in the flesh and lift the curse inherited from that fateful day.  The curse of sin was conquered by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.  In order for the gift of salvation to be efficacious, the sinner must see him or herself as needing it.  This is where the first part of the verse comes in.  In order to be saved, we must see ourselves as under sin.  That is, we must see ourselves as totally lost by sin through the freewill choices of our hearts.  We cannot be saved from something of which we do not want to be saved.  Salvation is all about sin.  Heaven is the result.  The law concludes, or condemns totally, the souls of all people everywhere and at all times.  Only the grace promised to Adam and Eve can save us from it.

Only by admitting where or what we are can change occur.  Everyone goes through this.  Everyone who has visited the doctor for any reason has to go through a series of minor tests before the specific reason for the visit can be addressed.  The first stop is the scale.  We are weighed.  Sometimes, the attendant will review or weigh compared to former data.  We are either gaining or losing.  If we are not headed in the right direction, it may become a point of discussion.  Once we are embarrassed at the scales, then we go to the examination room.  It is there our nurse measures temperature, oxygen levels, blood pressure, and pulse.  It doesn’t matter if we are there for the flu, pulled muscles, or some internal problems.  The reason for our visit is immaterial to the collection of the vitals.  Once we sit with the doctor, he goes over our labs.  He looks at several factors.  He or she mentions our A1Cs, our cholesterol levels, and our kidney function.  He or she may look at gender-specific hormones, endocrine labs, and liver function.  All this is done so that the physician can review our general state of health.  Bases on these data points, treatment, lifestyle changes, or prescriptions are recommended.  The thing is, if we are sick, admitting that we are based on unbiased data points is the start of a healthy life.  Without acknowledging our state, change will come.  Yet in the wrong direction.  It starts with internalizing the truth.

The law is unbiased and unbending.  It is hilarious to watch people as they are weighed at the scale.  They say all sorts of things.  Some of which is directed at the scale.  Somehow, the patient things that the scale is deliberately misleading when they are weighed but is totally accurate when weighing all others.  The law is out to get us.  But only because we are not obeying it.  So, it does the next best thing.  The law condemns us.  It condemns us yet still offers hope.  That hope is in the grace of our LORD, Jesus Christ.  He knew before Adam and Eve were ever formed that mankind would need an out.  The law will not bend to accommodate anyone.  God’s law is perfect.  His do’s and don’ts do not change.  They do not give any space for mercy or grace.  We are condemned in and by them.  Therefore, another way had to be provided.  That other way is Jesus.  In order to enjoy the gift of free grace, we must first come under the condemnation of the law.  That is not comfortable.  It is humbling.  But that is the way it must be.  There is no grace to those who do not want it nor think they need it.  Only by being condemned can we be saved.  And that is the beauty of the law!  Praise God I was once condemned.  For now and forever, by God’s grace, I am no longer condemned!

Every Parent's Wish

“For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, [even] your perfection.” (2Co 13:8-9 AV)

It is that last phrase uttered by Paul that shows his heart for the people for whom he labored.  What makes this statement even more potent is that his closing remarks of this letter include encouragement toward continued sanctification.  Corinth had come a long way.  This letter was actually Paul’s third letter to the church at Corinth, which means the condition of the church may have been worse than it appears in his first letter.  One thing we do know is that this precious church made great strides to clean up their fellowship and walk in Christlikeness.  That brings us to Paul’s statement.  I think that is exactly where a pastor’s heart should be.  For all the ambition he could have, his first priority should be the Christlikeness of those whom he leads.  There may be a large congregation and invitations to speak.  There may be books published and titles to wear.  But if the people are not transforming into the image of Christ, then it is all in vain.  Paul’s heart is golden.  All he wants is for the saints in Corinth to enjoy the blessings from godliness.

Anyone who has ever been a parent knows the feeling when your child excels.  Part of the challenge is to find the child's interests and abilities that will result in excellence.  Whether the arts, athletics, academics, or management, when he or she finds that niche, they have the chance to become the best version of themselves that they could be.  It doesn’t matter what that talent or ability might be, Mom and Dad simply want their child to be the best version of what they can be.  Who hasn’t sat through grade school dramatic productions?  Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, brothers and sisters; they all gather to watch their child, grandchild, or sibling star in the school play as a tree.  When he or she comes on stage, there are whoops and hollers.  There are flashes from cameras.  There are claps and whistles.  Why?  Because for that shining moment, Junior was the best tree on stage.  From the grade school stage to being among the thousands who walk the stage to receive a diploma, it is all the same.  They are growing, learning, contributing, and succeeding.  Perhaps they serve in the military, or become a worker in the trades.  Or maybe they are working a service-type job, a government career, or in the medical field.  It doesn’t matter what road they take as long as they try their hardest and succeed in who and what God made them to be, that is all that matters.

This is the heart of Paul.  Their continued spiritual growth was precious.  That is all he wanted.  He knows they will never be completely sinless.  But being further down the road from one day to the next is what he wanted.  He didn’t expect perfection overnight.  There were many battles that need fighting.  There was doctrine still unlearned.  Self-discipline doesn’t come easy.  Paul is willing to pay the price for their perfection.  He mentions weakness.  In context, it was the harsh criticism of those still fighting revival.  They accused Paul of being overbearing.  Well, wouldn’t you be?  Given the circumstances of that church, wouldn’t you go in there with spit and vinegar?  I would.  Paul took the hit so that others would turn toward perfection.  He wasn’t concerned over the fallout that would come his way.  It didn’t matter.  All he wanted; all he ever wanted; was the perfection of the saints.  That is a man who has a pastor’s heart.

Not More Than We Are Able

“For if there be first a willing mind, [it is] accepted according to that a man hath, [and] not according to that he hath not.” (2Co 8:12 AV)

The context is giving.  More specifically, giving toward Paul’s need.  Accepting is done by the LORD.  Zeal according to ability is accepted by God.  Zeal without ability is not accepted.  For this little church with big problems, this was a good one to have.  In Paul’s first letter, he addressed many issues.  Some of them were very serious.  They had a common cause in carnal thinking and selfish living.  They competed with one another.  They abused one another.  They did what they could to wreak damage on the church they loved.  Above, that same energy was exhibited in self-sacrifice beyond their abilities.  Talk about a transformation.  It reminds me of Paul’s words in Romans chapter six.  In that chapter, he encourages the Romans to take vengeance on their sin to the same degree they pursued it.  Here is an example of a church that did a complete one-eighty.  When they were young and carnal, they pursued sin almost to their destruction.  Now, they are pursuing ministry with the same degree of commitment.  That is admirable.  However, if one does not have it, one cannot use it no matter how willing one might be. 

There comes a time when our bodies or minds tell us that we are over-committed.  We have it in our heads that what we did in our thirties can still be done in our sixties.  We have limitations.  We have restraints.  What was once possible is no longer doable.  And there is no shame in that.  In fact, if we are the younger and more able, we sometimes are inpatient with those who cause more damage than is necessary by trying to be someone they are not or do something that cannot do.  Ill-advised commitment on their part is often frowned upon.  Sometimes, it can get downright scary.  We see this all the time.  Especially with the elderly.  They try to do something that cannot be done.  Commitment is never in question.  Obviously by their actions, they are committed.  Having served as a hospital chaplain and pastor for decades, I have countless stories to tell.  And it is not limited to the elderly.  Many accidents happen because of overcommitment without ability.  One year, I got a chainsaw for Christmas.  The giver made me go through chainsaw training class before he would let me use it.  Even though I had used one as a kid, he still insisted a mutual friend of ours hold a class on the safe usage of such a tool.  That was a good thing.  I think the first time I used it, this trainer had to be present to be sure I was safe with it.

There is no doubt that the Corinthian church loved God and loved Paul.  They appreciated the blunt ministry of an Apostle who was willing to call them out for ungodly behavior.  They loved him and the LORD to the point that they were willing to do more than they could.  Paul reminded them that committing to more than is possible, even with the hand of God upon them, is not acceptable to the LORD.  It is not a matter of what God can or cannot do.  It is a matter of God’s will for you or a church.  Pragmatism is involved.  Not to the exclusion of God’s miracles or mighty hand, mind you.  But sometimes, common sense is part of our decision-making process.  If I committed to cycling from one end of our nation to the other, God will not make me forty years younger.  It is simply not in the cards.  To attempt such would be misguided and irresponsible.  The same is true with our commitment in all things.  Praying it through and getting the mind of God on the matter is the answer.  What is it that God wants us to do?  Sometimes, it takes just as much faith to let a mountain stand than to try to move it.  Wisdom, humility, and faith in God are the answers.