08 - One Thing is Needful

This is an inscription from a window pane in Southold, New England, which came to mind as I read from Philippians 3 this morning:

Philippians 3:7–14 — But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

Here is the story behind the inscription:

Evangelist George Whitefield visited the house of a Mr Thomas Fanning in 1765. Mr Fanning was ‘possessed of an abundance of the good things of this life’ but according to George Whitefield was destitute of the ‘one thing needful’; namely to stop and listen to Jesus and and have his life changed for the better – the quote is from Luke 10:42

‘In the morning, Mr. Whitefield arose, and ere he left the room in which he had lodged, wrote with a diamond on the pane of glass those important words…. Since that time, the house has been occupied by a number of different occupants; it has several times been repaired; nearly every pane of glass has been broken, yet this distinguished one remains entire to this day (written in 1828), being a period of more than sixty years.’

In Luke 10, Martha had her eyes focused on the here and now - the challenges of serving her guests and the frustration that she had been left alone to do it while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet to listen to His teaching. She had become distracted, anxious and troubled, forgetting that the Prince of Peace was in her home! Jesus reminds her that only one thing is really necessary for her (one thing is her “duty,” her “business,” as the word for “necessary” can be translated). Mary was in the right place, doing the right thing!

Paul displays the same focus and single-mindedness in the passage above. He has many qualifications that the world esteemed to be of value, but he regards them as rubbish compared with pressing on to know Christ! He will not allow these worldly things to distract him from the glorious prize that is his in Christ.

It is really easy to get our attention taken away from Jesus, and in these days especially to give in to periods of distraction (to take our minds off the coronavirus) anxiety (because we do not know where this issue will end) and frustration (at having our normal routines turned upside down). Let’s sit at Jesus’ feet for a while and hear what the Prince of Peace, Who dwells in our hearts, has to say to us today. That is the one thing that is needful!

07 - Speak a Word in Season!

Proverbs 15:23 — To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!

I have been thinking about this verse on and off through the day and the more I do, the more I realize how especially relevant it is to the time we are living in.

I think “apt answers” and “words in season” can take at least two forms:

First, can we speak a better word in season to those who do not know Jesus than to tell them about Him and His salvation? Several in the church have been given wonderful opportunities over the last week or so to share the gospel with unbelievers. Without exception, they have all been blessed by the Lord in doing so and have related their stories with great joy! Isn’t it amazing that the Lord saves us by His precious blood, puts His word in our hearts, creates opportunities to tell others what we have experienced, enables us to overcome our fears and anxieties and then blesses us with joy as we do so? How gracious He is!!!

Second, we can be engaged with our brothers and sisters in a ministry of comfort and encouragement - as we heard last Sunday, one reason the Lord leads us through difficult times, and comforts us in them, is so that we can comfort others with the same comfort that we ourselves have received. And when we speak to those we love in Christ, and He gives us a word in season or an apt answer, we know that it has come from Him and that He is using us in this really important “one another” ministry of encouraging, strengthening and comforting - and that is a really joyful thing!

There is none of us who has a personal relationship with Jesus, yet has no words they can speak to bless others outside or inside the church. We are all stewards of comfort that the Lord has poured out upon us, so we can all engage in this ministry to others. It’s one facet of spreading the joy of treasuring Christ in all of life - and according to the verse above, there is a reward for us as we do so - we experience joy as we spread that joy to others!

Let’s challenge ourselves in the coming days to ask for, and to look for God-given opportunities to speak words in season and to give apt answers by His grace. We will find that He is true to His word and will fill us with joy as we do so!

06 - Will Just a Few Be Saved?

Luke 13:22–24 — He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

I heard a sermon in this passage once, the point of which was that Jesus didn’t directly answer the question He was asked, but rather stressed that it is of first importance for each of us to make sure we press into the kingdom of God, and keep pressing into it. In the history of the church, some have believed that indeed few will be saved and others have believed it will be many. The preacher did pause at one point, though, to indicate that there are good grounds in the Bible to believe that it cannot be just a few whom Jesus will save. A verse I read this morning brought me back to this subject, which I think is one of great hope and encouragement for us:

Proverbs 14:28 — In a multitude of people is the glory of a king, but without people a prince is ruined.

We thought recently about how an excellent wife is the glory of her husband, and therefore the church has been made excellent, full of splendor, to be a crown of glory for Christ. In the verse above, the picture changes to that of a king and his subjects, and the writer reminds us that a king or a prince with no subjects is a king or prince of nothing. The glory and splendor of a king lies in good measure in the number of people over whom he reigns. Surely, this has to be true of Christ also! If the souls of the saved are effectively rattling around in a largely deserted heaven, how does that bring glory to Christ? How would that reflect on the heart of God and of our Savior? I love the passage in Isaiah which, I believe, records a conversation between the Father and the Son:

Isaiah 49:5–6 — And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength— 6 he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” 

Here is the heart of our God - it would have been too small a thing for Jesus only to bring salvation to the Jews - God wanted Him to shine as a light to the ends of the earth! God’s heart is full of mercy and also focused on the Son being glorified (read John 17 on this). This could not be achieved by Jesus saving just a few! And so in one sense it is no surprise when we read this amazing account of the worship in heaven:

Revelation 7:9–12 — After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

No one will be able to count the redeemed in heaven, who will come from all over the world. And the impossibility of putting a number on their gathering will magnify and glorify the King who is their Lord and Savior! No one will ever have been king over such a vast and diverse multitude of people - the new humanity, purchased by His blood through His grace and mercy, and made new in Him.  No king will ever have had glory to compare with our King Jesus!

If we know Jesus personally, we will be there to see this amazing spectacle! So (as Jesus answered His questioner at the beginning of this meditation) the thing of paramount importance for us is that we enter into the kingdom and persevere in His service!

05 - Ministry in times of Separation

Ephesians 6:21–22 —  So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.

Paul is probably under house arrest in Rome. He sends Tychicus to Ephesus, taking his letter to that church (and it is believed he took the letters to Colossae and Philemon at the same time). His letters, as we know, are full of pastoral concern - particularly, he desires them to be strengthened and to grow in maturity as they fight the spiritual warfare he has described earlier in chapter 6 and he also deals with false teachers (which is a focus of his letter to Colossae).

It was a long, difficult and dangerous journey that Paul sent his friend and brother Tychicus on, and one can only assume, therefore, that Paul felt it was critical for this to happen at a time of danger and uncertainty, when Paul himself was separated from them and his movements were restricted. How does Paul describe the mission of Tychicus? First, to tell the Ephesians how Paul and his brothers and sisters are, and what he is doing (preaching the gospel to the imperial guard and pointing both Jews and Gentiles to Christ!), and second, to encourage their hearts.

The Greek word translated "encourage" here is "parakalese". Chris spoke of it in the sermon on Sunday, as it is a name used of the Holy Spirit - the "paraklete". It literally breaks down into two parts - "calling" and "alongside" and refers very much therefore to comfort. So, Paul thought it was worth risking Tychicus's life to send him on this journey to tell the Ephesians how he and the believers in Rome were and what they were doing, and also to comfort (strengthen and encourage) them.

Thankfully, we don't have to travel many hundreds of miles today and take such risks as Tychicus did to accomplish these goals! But if it is much easier for us to tell each other how we are and how we are doing, and to seek to comfort and encourage each other, that doesn't make it less important than it was in Paul's day - so let's seek out opportunities to be in the "parakalese" business with one another when we are separated and it's not so easy for us to meet face to face!

04 - The Most Excellent Wife!

A bit of a roundabout meditation today - I started in Ephesians 5, considering Christ's love for the church, His bride, and what her amazing destiny is as a result:

Ephesians 5:25–27 —  Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Then I linked that to one of the Proverbs I read in Proverbs 12:4 —  "An excellent wife is the crown of her husband..." and thought about how Jesus has an excellent wife but only because he has made her excellent - full of splendor!

A cross reference in my Bible to the idea of the wife being the crown of the husband led me to this passage:

Song of Solomon 3:11 —  Go out, O daughters of Zion, and look upon King Solomon, with the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, on the day of the gladness of his heart. 

I started to ponder in what way the church, the bride of Christ, might be a crown upon His head. I thought about the glory He receives through her redemption and sanctification, and how we are at least in part the joy set before Him for which He endured the cross. It does seem that the idea of crowns and weddings go together, and Paul tells us that on “that day”, His bride will be stunning - truly an ornament to reflect the grace and love He has showered upon her!

Matthew Henry had some interesting things to say on the crown in the Song of Solomon passage too:

When believers accept of him as theirs, and join themselves to him in an everlasting covenant, [1.] It is his coronation-day in their souls. Before conversion they were crowning themselves, but then they begin to crown Christ, and continue to do so from that day forward. They appointed him their head; they bring every thought into obedience to him; they set up his throne in their hearts, and cast all their crowns at his feet. [2.] It is the day of his espousals, in which he betroths them to him for ever in lovingkindness and in mercies, joins them to himself in faith and love, and gives himself to them in the promises and all he has, to be theirs. Thou shalt not be for another, so will I also be for thee, Hos. 3:3. And to him they are presented as chaste virgins. [3.] It is the day of the gladness of his heart; he is pleased with the honour that his people do him, pleased with the progress of his interest among them. Does Satan fall before them? In that hour Jesus rejoices in spirit, Lu. 10:18, 21. There is joy in heaven over repenting sinners; the family is glad when the prodigal son returns. Go forth and behold Christ’s grace toward sinners, as his crown, his brightest glory.

Lastly, and a little later on, these verses came to mind:

Philippians 4:1 —  Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

1 Thessalonians 2:19–20 —  For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 For you are our glory and joy.

The crown is an emblem of glory and in the context of a wedding, its wearing is accompanied by great joy. Isn't it true that the church is the glory and the joy of Christ? And aren't we who rest in Him a part of the church, his matchless bride?

03 - Show Us the Father

I was struck a few mornings ago by this account in John 14:6-11:

John 14:6–11 — Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father. I have a cross reference in my Bible at that point to Exodus 33:18, where Moses makes the audacious request to God that He might see His glory. In response, God graciously undertook to show Moses as much as he would be able to bear, but said that this could not include seeing His face.  What a different response Jesus gives to Philip when he asks to see the Father: "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father!"

As believers, we have the hope of heaven, and that when we enter we will be like Jesus, for we will see Him as He is. But it is clear that the moment our eyes are opened to see Jesus by faith, we can see the Father here and now!  More than that, as Jesus goes on to say in John 14:15-24, when He departed from this world He and the Father would come to dwell in His disciples by the Holy Spirit!  It's no wonder that Jesus responds to Philip as He does: "How can you ask that? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father!" And we have seen Him too, and indeed we also have Him and His Son dwelling in us by the Spirit.

The writer to the Hebrews knew something of this truth also, when he proclaimed Jesus, the One we know and have seen through the eyes of faith, to be the radiance of the glory of God:

Hebrews 1:1–4 —  Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.  

Something thrilling to ponder on in the days!