68 - Where Were You Born?

Psalm 87:1–7 On the holy mount stands the city he founded; 2 the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob. 3 Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God. Selah 4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush— “This one was born there,” they say. 5 And of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her”; for the Most High himself will establish her. 6 The LORD records as he registers the peoples, “This one was born there.” Selah 7 Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in you.”

My brother and I used to do a lot of genealogy research at one time. It was always a thrill to find a birth certificate on which the names of the parents were people we knew for sure were in our family tree. We had discovered a new member of the family! “This one was born into our family,” we could say. Of course, in this kind of work, people sometimes surface that you may rather not be associated with - along with other very honorable names to which it is a source of delight to be linked! But there are records and registers so that we may know who is in our family and who is not.

Turning to the psalm above, we want to see that God has birth records too, and that this is clearly a matter of tremendous glory and joy. 

The sons of Korah record the glory of the City of God and of Mount Zion in their day. Founded by God and loved by God, she was known as a place of glory - indeed the shekinah glory was present within the temple. She was referred to as “The Joy of the Whole Earth” (as the same writers refer to her in Psalm 48:2). The psalm talks about the singular honor of having an interest by birth in this city - God’s particular earthly dwelling place - of having the rights of citizens there. I am not sure but it seems to me that those who loved her unashamedly, whether Jews or Gentiles, were spoken of as having been “born there.” There is a famous old song, “I left my heart in San Francisco,” in which the city is said to outshine other great cities of the world, partly because of its beauty but also because the love of the writer’s life was living there. One might say that wherever he was originally born, he had transferred his allegiance now to a new city - he was born there “in spirit”. That is something of the idea in this psalm. The City of God is glorious, not only because of its surpassing beauty but above all because it is His dwelling place!

Taking a broader view of God’s purposes in redemption, we realize that Jerusalem, the City of God and indeed the Temple are all emblematic of the church, and the psalm bears re-reading with that in mind. From this perspective, being “born in her” seems to refer to the new birth - by which we enter into the new Jerusalem. If earthly Jerusalem was glorious, how much more glorious is the church of God! How He loves her, that He sent His Son to die for her! How precious she is to Him! And note that Gentiles take their place alongside the Jews as those who know God - who are citizens of the New Jerusalem (v 4)! 

Clearly there are those of whom it can be said that they have been born of God - born into the church - and there are those of whom this cannot be said. But take a look at verse 6, and note that the Lord makes no secret of the fact that He records and registers those who were born in her - they have heavenly birth certificates, if you like! And this is far from being the only place where the idea is presented that God keeps a book in which He records the names of all His children. Here are a few examples: Exodus 32:32, Psalm 69:28, Daniel 12:1, Luke 10:20, Philippians 4:3, Hebrews 12:23, Revelation 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12-15, 21:27. Of course, God forgets nothing and needs to be reminded of nothing, but in referring so often to these registers, He wants us to know that our new birth is a matter of eternal record with Him!

God has books for other things, too - for the tears of His saints, for example (Psalm 56:8), and a book of remembrance of those who feared the Lord and esteemed His name (Malachi 3:16 - thought this may be another way to refer to the book of life).

Shouldn’t we long to have our names written in God’s family register - the Book of Life - to show that we belong in God’s household? What a wonderful thing to have it said of us, “He/She is born of God - they are a child of the living God and a member of the Royal Family of Heaven!” What a badge of honor! Not that we did anything to deserve it, of course - it is all of grace - but isn’t it a heartwarming and comforting thought - since our names are written there indelibly through the work of Jesus? 

It is a sad fact that many churches in our day have abandoned the concept of a formal church membership, as a part of which there is a “membership roll” listing all of those who belong. Some say that such a system is too formal and restrictive and that it is not appropriate for a time of gospel liberty. But if God keeps a register of those who have been born into His church, why would we shy away from having our names written in a physical book to show that we belong to His church here? Shouldn’t we long to be identified with Him and His children here in the same way that we should long to be identified with Him by being registered in the Book of Life?

67 - The Firstborn of the Dead

Revelation 1:4–6 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

I did a study once on the names by which Jesus is known in the Bible. I found at least 110 of them, of which “Firstborn of the Dead” is one! We shouldn’t be surprised at this, since we know that the names given to people in Scripture tell us something about them and about their character. Whereas most individuals only have a few names, it seems appropriate that someone as wonderful and majestic as the Son of God would have many more, and that by considering them carefully, we would learn more about Who He is, what He came to do, the offices He fills etc.

For this meditation, I decided to dwell for a while on the title, “Firstborn of the Dead,” which appears in verse 5 above. It’s just a few words but it contains a lot of wonderful truth!

“Firstborn” speaks of preeminent standing within a family. In the Bible, to be the firstborn was to be the firstfruits of the strength of the father (Deuteronomy 21:15–17). Accordingly, the firstborn son received a double portion of the inheritance. This was his birthright (Esau despised this great privilege and sold it to Jacob for a bowl of stew). So Jesus is the preeminent Son. Of course, Jesus is so preeminent that He holds the title, “firstborn” in several senses:

• He is the firstborn of all creation in Colossians 1:15, Paul sets out the utter supremacy and preeminence of Christ. He is the image of God, the One in Whom, through Whom and for Whom all things were created, in heaven or on earth, and the One Who upholds all created things - so He is firstborn here, too.

• He was Mary and Joseph’s firstborn (Luke 2:7), so that in His earthly family He had the preeminence among His brothers.

• He is the firstborn among many brothers (Romans 8:29) - God’s plan is that many people will be conformed to the image of His Son.  He foreknew, predestined, called, justified and glorified them to that end, and Jesus was the firstborn among this group as well, so that He may also be preeminent here.

Summing all of this up, the writer to the Hebrews simply says that He is “the firstborn” (Hebrews 1:6). Whichever way you look at it, Jesus has the preeminence. It is not saying that He had a beginning, because as God, He didn’t. Rather, it is a clear indication the Father has determined that in everything, Christ will have the preeminence (Col 1:18)!

And now we can come to one additional sense in which Jesus holds the distinction of being firstborn:

He is the firstborn of the dead. We find a very similar title in Col 1:18. Let’s unpack this by looking at some other related passages:

• In his defense before king Agrippa, Paul calls Jesus “the first to rise from the dead” (Acts 26:23). We know there were others who came back from death in the Bible - both Elijah and Elisha raised people. Jesus did also, and so did Peter and even Paul himself. However, all of those individuals were raised in their old bodies that were still subject to death - they had to die again. Jesus rose from the dead as Victor over death, and in a body that is no longer subject to death, so that He will never die again! He rose from death, says Peter, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it (Acts 2:24).

• Talking about the resurrection of Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15:20-24, Paul calls Him the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep”. As the One Who is “The resurrection and the life”, Jesus is Trailblazer for a new, glorified humanity whom He will raise and bring into heaven with bodies that are like His - no longer subject to death!

Jesus, then, is the first to be born from among the dead, having overcome the curse of death and thus never to die again. He is the firstborn of the dead and holds the position of preeminence among all whom He will raise from the dead to eternal life!

Another passage in Revelation 1 is relevant here:

Revelation 1:17–18 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

Can you see how this goes hand-in-hand with being firstborn of the dead - with having conquered death and risen in a body that will never die again? And with having taken that glorified body into heaven as the first representative (the firstborn) of a new race of redeemed and glorified humanity. He holds the keys of Death and Hades. He can shut them so no-one can open; He can open so no-one can shut. He is supreme. He is preeminent. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and He will reign forever and ever - Hallelujah!

In the light of this, we should take to heart in the midst of our fears and our troubles at this time the word spoken to John by The Firstborn almost 2000 years ago: “Fear not!”

66 - How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place!

Psalm 84:1–12 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! 2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. 3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. 8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! 10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!

This seemed to me like an “already," "not yet” psalm as I looked through it. Let's take a look and break it down into 4 sections as we do so:

The want (v 1-4). The psalmist spends the first few verses expressing his desire and longing to be at the dwelling place of God - which would have been the place where God was symbolically present with His people in the Ark of the Covenant. Wherever the LORD of hosts is specially present, that is a special place for His people. His whole being rejoices and worships at the very thought of it. He almost seems to envy the sparrows and the swallows that have been able to make their permanent homes in that place. Indeed, all who dwell there and sing God’s praise are truly blessed. Perhaps the writer is excited because he is about to travel to Jerusalem for one of the appointed feasts, since he now apparently turns his attention to those journeys.

The walk (v 5-7). As the people travel, their hearts are set on reaching their goal and they find strength for the journey by the thought of what awaits them at their destination (v 5). It may be meant physically, but I am sure the psalmist also means that the pilgrims were refreshed by the blessings of God as they traveled towards the City of God - and that barren wastelands became fertile streams and pools for them. They get stronger and more expectant as they draw nearer to the end of their journey.

The worship (v 8-9). Now he has arrived and he sets about pleading with God to be heard - to be received into His presence. He reminds God of His promises by addressing Him first as the God of Jacob and then by asking that God consider the Messiah (anointed), great David’s greater son and hear him for His sake.

The “Wow” factor (v 10-11). He seems to take a step back and meditate on what he has been able to do in drawing near to the LORD of hosts and being heard by Him. Can there be a greater privilege, or a better or more profitable way to spend one’s time than this? Even the lowliest position that can be thought of among those who are present in the Lord’s House is more desirable than to be out in the world with those who have no regard for God. This God is the light and the protection of His people, and He graciously blesses them and raises them to places of honor in His kingdom. He doesn’t hold back in His blessings, but lavishes good things upon His children. Amazing grace!

So where does the “already” and “not yet” come in?

Already. As God’s children here and now, He lives in each of us by His Spirit. We are the temple now - we are the House of God! We may know more fully and at a more spiritual level all the blessings and all the good things that the psalmist was writing of under the Old Covenant! So go back and read the psalm in that light, in terms of your personal devotions, and think about your own times of worship and prayer accordingly. Think of the access you have to be heard for the sake of the Messiah - see if there isn’t a “wow factor” in that for you!

Already. We know God’s presence especially as we come together for worship as His church - as the building that He is constructing for His eternal dwelling. That is a matter of promise from the lips of our Savior! Re-read the Psalm, and think of our church in that regard. The “House of God” is the redeemed saints! We are the “Temple” (not the building in which we meet). We are the “sanctuary” (not the gymnasium for the time we are worshipping there). The only thing that makes the gym more holy during the worship is the people of God, in whom He dwells! Another “wow factor”!

Not Yet. We live in the anticipation of the gathering of all God’s people, the wedding supper of the Lamb, the New Jerusalem (which is the church again) and the full and final consummation of God’s plan of redemption for His glory. We should look forward with longing to that day! So read the Psalm one more time but with that great day in mind, when we shall see our Savior as He is and we shall be made like Him, and there will be no sin to get in the way of our worship and no tears, pain or grief. He will have made everything new - a home of righteousness for us to dwell in with Him forever. There’s the ultimate “wow factor”!

65 - A Hallmark of God's Children

1 John 4:7–12 Beloved, let us agape one another, for agape is from God, and whoever agape's has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not agape does not know God, because God is agape. 9 In this the agape of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is agape, not that we have agape'd God but that he agape'd us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so agape'd us, we also ought to agape one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we agape one another, God abides in us and his agape is perfected in us.

Yesterday, we looked at the kind of love God has given to His children. It is very different than anything that the world labels as “love.” Indeed, it is a foreign concept to us as we are born into this world and will remain so unless and until God gives it to us.

Today, through John, God calls believers to love each other with the love that He has given them.
When a craftsman works to make objects out of precious metals, he will stamp a mark onto each object that he makes - called a “hallmark.” That mark is unique - no other metalworker can use it. When an object bears such a mark, it shows that the object is authentic - a genuine creation of the one who made it. Other pieces of metalwork may look impressive but without the maker’s mark, they are at the best mere imitations of the real thing.

The same is true in the spiritual realm, and one of the hallmarks God places on His true children is that they love each other with the very different kind of love that God has given them in making them His children.

So when we come to a passage like the one above and read about “love,” we shouldn’t bring to it the world’s understanding of what love is, because that is a cheap and tawdry mockery of the real thing. We should understand that John is still talking about the kind of love that God has given to believers in order to call them His children.

I have substituted the word “love” in the passage above with the Greek word, “agape” to try to help us understand that John is talking about something different here than the world’s concept of “love”. I am not a Greek student, so I know I haven’t used Greek tenses here but that isn’t the point. Read the passage through slowly and realize that John here is talking about this idea of love that is foreign to the world but lives in God’s children because He has given it to them and called them by His Name. John (who is called “The Apostle of Love”) argues that because these things are true, there are certain inevitable consequences:

• The only people who can agape one another are the ones who have been born of God and who know God (v 7). No one else can love like this! Take another look at yesterday’s post to see something of how different this love is from anything that is called “love” in the world.
• If you don’t demonstrate this agape in your life, you don’t know God, because He is agape and He gives agape to His children when He adopts them into His family (vs 8).
• As we saw yesterday, God demonstrated His agape when He sent Jesus into the world and ultimately to the cross so that those who believe in Him might have eternal life. (v 9).
• Again, God takes the initiative in this matter of agape. He doesn’t agape us because we first agape'd Him. Not at all. He demonstrated His agape for us by sending Jesus into the world to die for us while we were still sinners - still His enemies (v 10, Romans 5:8).
• If that is the kind of agape God has for us, then we who are God’s children (the beloved) should manifest the same kind of agape for one another (v 11).
• When we exhibit this agape toward one another, and since God is agape, we manifest God to a world that has never seen Him (v 12).

So this love of God, this agape, becomes a hallmark that shows who are the true children of God. The world cannot love each other in this way, only His children can. That is why Jesus said this:

John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have agape for one another.”

So let’s take this to heart. If we are God’s children, let’s agape each other more and more. Let’s not allow ourselves to be conformed to the world’s thinking of “love” when it has been given to us to both experience and to show forth the agape of God - and so to manifest God to the world and to show that we are the disciples of Jesus!

If you haven’t been born of God, don’t try to agape others in your own strength. This love comes as a gift when you turn from sin and trust in the work of Jesus alone to save you. Then God will give you His agape, call you by His Name, and enable you to agape all whom He has adopted into His family!