Thanksgiving and Honor

     When you think of Thanksgiving, what food do you think of? When you think of turkey, what holiday do you think of? When Israel celebrated with palm branches, the people naturally thought of giving thanks, especially when they would think of the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths. 

    4. THANKSGIVING. The fourth virtue in Rev. 7:12 is Thanksgiving and it is the only one that is not also contained in Rev. 5:12. In Greek, it is eucharistia. When we think of the saints being welcomed in to heaven as they are shown in Revelation 7, it is easy to imagine them (and us) as having an attitude of thanksgiving to God. 

     Palm branches reminded the Israelites of their 40 years of wandering in the desert and living under the tabernacles and temporary shelters thatched with palms leaves and branches of trees. 

     The people ushered Christ into Jerusalem, honoring him by laying down their outer garments on the road before Jesus. Imagine the waving of palm branches coinciding with the parade and the shouts of “Hosanna” filling the air.

   That image of praise and thanksgiving is carried forward to Rev. 7:9-13. In heaven, John saw a multitude which no one could number appearing before God. They will be the believers who die during out of the Great Tribulation. 

    It is estimated that half of the world’s remaining population, currently more than 7 billion people, will die in this short intense seven-year period. Just as their white robes are miraculously furnished, the palm branches in their hands would be a natural sign to John and any Jewish reader to symbolize the thanksgiving to God. Jesus described this time in Matthew 24:21 as this: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

    Romans 1:20-23 says, “²⁰For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, ²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.” 

    What is generally a cause for a lack of thanksgiving? 

    What causes a spirit of thankfulness?”

    

     1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 

    How is it possible to give thanks in everything? 

     What is the difference in giving thanks in everything rather than for everything.

    5. HONOR. The fifth godly attribute ascribed to God in Rev. 7:12 is "honor." To honor something is to give it value, or to recognize the value of something. The word used here is sometimes translated as “price,” such as the price or value of land. 

     In the parable of “The Pearl of Great Price,” the word "price" is the same word as is translated in Rev. 7:12 as "honor." The lesson to be learned here in our study is “Do we value God? What is the ‘price’ of God? What is His honor worth to us?” 

     From our perspective, the “Pearl of Great Price” should be about Jesus. However, even if we sold everything we owned to purchase our salvation, we could not do so because our righteousness is like filthy rags before God. The true meaning of this parable is that the Kingdom of God is like God being the merchant, and seeing our lives so valuable to God. 

     1 Cor. 6:20 uses the same word for "honor" found in Revelation 7:12, “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. ” 

    In 1 Cor. 7:20, it says, “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.” 

     How is the honor we give to God related to the price He paid for us?

    God gave His only begotten Son to purchase us for His Kingdom. We honor and value God because He first valued us with so great a price!

     When Mary extravagantly poured out the spikenard oil to anoint Jesus' feet, some criticized her for her extravagant gift. And yet she did it because she apparently understood what the disciples seemingly missed: that Jesus Himself would soon be buried (See John 12:7, “But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.”)

     As we look towards this next week being "Holy Week", how do we express that we value and honor God? 

    The price God paid for us was the price of His only begotten Son. What honor should we give back to God in return for our salvation?

Wisdom belongs to the Lord

    What is true wisdom? Have you known people who are educated beyond their intelligence? Mark Twain said the sad thing about common sense is that it is not so common.

    Proverbs says the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. You may find numerous wise sayings, but true godly wisdom begins with knowing reverence of God.

    3. WISDOM. In Revelation 7:12 the third attribute to God praises God for His wisdom or in Greek “sophia.” This attribute of God is listed as the third attribute here and also third in Rev. 5:12. The Bible says in Luke 2:40, and again in 2:52 that when Jesus was on earth, He grew in wisdom. 

     Philippians 2 explains that Jesus who was God and equal with God, made Himself of no reputation, or as the Holman Christian Standard Bible translates it, “He emptied Himself” of some aspects of His omniscience or all-knowing attributes of wisdom when He took on flesh. If Christ grew in wisdom, how much more should we?

     While there is a realm of man’s wisdom, only God is truly wise (see Rom. 16:27). Jude 1:25 says that “To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.” (Found in the KJV and NKJV, but omitted in later versions).  God’s wisdom is wiser than that of man’s wisdom 

Read 1 Cor. 1:17-30. 

¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. ¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." ²⁰ Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. ²² For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; ²³ but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, ²⁴ but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. ²⁶ For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence. ³⁰ But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—

     When the saints in Revelation extol God’s wisdom, it means that Christ possesses and exemplifies the wisdom of God which is hidden and a mystery to the world.

     Col. 2:2-3 says, “¹ For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for … (those who) have not seen my face in the flesh, ² that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

    In what ways is God’s wisdom greater than that of the wisest of all humans? In what ways is human wisdom different than God’s wisdom?

    If Jesus grew in wisdom while on earth, what are ways we also can grow in wisdom? Will there ever be a time in which we can stop growing in wisdom?

I clapped my hands and sang Glory!

    I cannot adequately explain "glory" but this past Tuesday, when Johnny Memphis sang "I Bowed My Knees and Cried Holy" at in our Fellowship Hall, it is a pretty good example!

    Johnny Memphis, the son of a long-time Killeen pastor and now an 'Elvis Tribute Artist,' sang for the Jesus Hope and Love Benefit and I immediately signed him up to sing at our Senior Adult Banquet on May 7. The song (click here to hear it) depicts what it will be like when we come into the presence of God in His Glory.

    2. GLORY. The second Greek word used for God by those holding palm branches also is a word we know in English, “doxa” from which we get the word “doxology” and “orthodox.” It means Glory, Splendor, Radiance. 

     Second on this list, it is also second from the last in the Rev. 5:12 passage, and like “Blessing” it is repeated in Rev. 5:13. We glorify God by praising Him for His glorious radiance and essence. 

     Paul told Titus that we are looking for the “blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). 

     Matthew 25:31 says that Jesus will come “in His glory, and with all the holy angels with Him, and He will sit on the throne of His glory.” Peter also spoke of Christ’s return as being the “glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7).

    Glory will come at Christ's Second Coming but it also was manifested at His First Coming, both in proclamation to and shining on the shepherds (see Luke 2:9, 14). During Jesus' earthly ministry, this glory was foreshadowed at the Transfiguration (Luke 9:31-32) and will be consummated at His Second Coming. For the New Jerusalem, the Bible says there will be no need for the sun and the moon to shine upon it for the glory of God will illuminate it.

    “What does the glory of God mean to you? In what ways can we glorify God or bring Him glory?”

    In John 17:24, Jesus prayed, “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one.” What are some practical ways that we can not only bring glory to God but that He can give us or let us share in His glory? How can we reflect His glory in our lives?

    Romans 8:18 says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” 

   2 Cor. 4:17 says, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” How does God’s promised glory help us go through the hard times of this life?

Are you Blessed? Then be a blessing!

Seven praise-worthy attributes of God

     Today’s devotional and all this week is not about the specifics of the End Times, but rather an overview of praise-worthy attributes of God, as found in Revelation 7:9-12. 

     The exclamation of seven “virtues” of God in this passage is different than the song of the Redeemed found in Revelation 5:9-10, which will be sung by all of those who are redeemed by the Lamb of God in heaven at the beginning of the tribulation on earth. It is also a different but very similar to the praise given to Christ, the Lamb, found in Rev. 5:12-13. 

    Revelation 7:12 is specifically given by the martyrs who will sacrifice their lives during the Great Tribulation, the seven years after the rapture of the church but prior to Jesus’ Second Coming when He will establish His rule on earth. These Tribulation martyrs will be clothed in white robes in heaven and hold in their hands palm branches.  So, what are the seven praise-worthy attributes of God and how do they compare to Rev. 5:12?  

Revelation 7:12

1.       Blessing (praise, NIV) (eulogia)

2.       Glory (doxa)

3.       Wisdom (sophia)

4.       Thanksgiving (Thanks, NIV)(eucharistia)

5.       Honor  (timē)

6.       Power  (dynamis)

7.       Might (Strength, NLT, NIV, HCSB)  (ischys)

Revelation 5:12

1.       Power

2.       Riches

3.       Wisdom

4.       Strength or Might (ischys)

5.       Honor

6.       Glory

7.       Blessing or praise

    1. BLESSING. The first virtue or praise-worthy attribute of God listed is “blessing” or in the New International Version, it is translated “praise”. It is the final of the seven attributes listed in Rev. 5:12 sung by the 24 elders and angels. The Greek word is familiar to us: “eulogia” from which we get the English word “eulogy,” meaning good words, often spoken at a funeral. In this listing, praise or blessing is not what we receive from the Lord, but rather what we give to the Lord. It will be distinct from the fourth attribute of  “thanksgiving.”

    Thanking someone else shows your appreciation for that person. It shows how their goodness has blessed you. Praising someone, especially God, is different. You are simply extolling their goodness and saying "good words" about who they are. Think about times when people have said good things about you or when you have praised your child or someone else.

    How is praising God for who He is can be different from thanking God for what He has done, especially what He has done for you.

    All of these seven “virtues” or seven praise-worthy attributes are given to God in Revelation 7:12, but can also be reflected in our lives. There are numerous commands for us to give “blessings” to others (“Bless those who curse you,” Luke 6:28, for instance). 

    What are ways we can reflect the attributes of blessings or praise of God in our lives? In other words, how can we be a source of blessings to others?

    Blessing and Palm Sunday. Exalting God with “good words” of praise and blessing is different from thanking God in that we are proclaiming the good virtues of God in His character. This same word can be found in a verb form specifically used on Palm Sunday in John 12:13, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel” (see also Luke 19:38 and Matt. 21:9). 

     Blessing and the Second Coming. When Jesus lamented over Jerusalem and the destruction that would come upon the Jewish people, He said that this phrase of “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” would not be used again until His Second Coming. 

    “See,” Jesus said in Matthew 23:38-39, “Your house is left to you desolate, for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

     The New Testament in Rev. 1:7 states explicitly that at Jesus’ Second Coming, “Every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him.” The Old Testament in Zech 12:10 also affirms that specifically the “house of David” will see Christ when He returns, and know it was they, the Jewish people, who pierced Him: “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced.”

    How does the fact that Jesus is coming again make you want to praise and bless Him?

Palm Branches remind us our earthly "tents" will one day be "mansions"

     Why Palm Branches? When Jesus rode in to Jerusalem they waved and laid palm branches on the road before Him. True, they are a naturally made pennant banner, fit for "fans" of Jesus to wave. And in the spring warmth/heat, they also are fit for fans to wave to beat the heat. (Okay, don't groan, I promise no more puns...this devotional gets better.)

     For the next two Sundays, in observance of Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday, we are taking a break from BELIEVE (the book) to concentrate on some “beliefs” we have that are not necessarily stated in our study on “BELIEVE.” This Sunday, April 9, we are at the mid-point of the final third section concentrating on ten virtues of our faith. I suggest that we look at the prophetic return of Christ and the seven “virtues” of God proclaimed by those with palm branches in Revelation 7:9.

     I use the word “virtues” in quotes because we typically think of virtues as being for people and not the Lord. Thematically, we are discussing the human virtues in chapters 21 through 30, so what better time to discuss the morally praise-worthy attributes of God?

Lesson for Adults

Palm Sunday, April 9, 2017

25.5 Seven Key “Virtues” of God

---------------------------------Key Question---------------------------------

How do worship attributes of God relate to and reflect in me?

-------------------------------Key Idea---------------------------------

By faith and obedience, God’s glorious attributes can be reflected into virtues in my life.

-----------------------------------Key Verse---------------------------------

Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, ​​Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, ​​Be to our God forever and ever. ​​Amen.”
Revelation 7:12

Background of Palm Branches and Palm Sunday

     Palm branches are prophetic of the first and second comings of Christ; that is, palm branches were used in the Triumphal Entry of Christ to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, just a week before His resurrection nearly 2,000 years ago. Also, palm branches are prophetically stated in Revelation 7:9 as being held by those who will be delivered from the Great Tribulation, just prior to Christ’s Second Coming. 

     The Old Testament prophecy can be found in Leviticus 23:40, where the Israelites were to initiate the feast of booths or tabernacles in September by taking palm branches as a symbol of rejoicing and triumph:

“‘And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.”

     Dr. Henry Morris, a prolific Biblical scholar of the early 20^th century, said the Feast of Tabernacles has great prophetical significance. As the seventh and final of the Levitical feasts, “The Feast of Tabernacles speaks of the coming eternal rest in the holy city when ‘the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people’ (Rev. 21:3)”. 

     The gospel of John records the people in Jesus’ day taking specifically “palm branches from palm trees” for His triumphal entry on the Sunday prior to His crucifixion. It appears to be a significant parallel, particularly noted by the Apostle John, who wrote both the final gospel and the final book of the New Testament.

     Palm branches remind us of the temporary tabernacles or “tents” we currently have (that is, our bodies) and that these bodies will someday be replaced with a permanent dwelling. In a sense, Christ dwelling in us is a temporary dwelling in our mortal, finite, feeble bodies. At the end of Peter’s life, he twice referred to his body as a “tent” (2 Peter 1:13, 14), the same word he used when he wanted to build a tabernacle for Moses and Elijah at the Mount of Transfiguration (see Matt. 17:4). 

12 For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things,
though you know and are established in the present truth.
13 Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent,
to stir you up by reminding you,
14 knowing that shortly I must put off my tent,
just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.
15 Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you
always have a reminder of these things after my decease.

     Both the Feast of Tabernacles in Leviticus 23:40 and the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday cause us to look forward to Jesus’ second coming, as seen in Rev. 7:9. In that passage, it says that a “great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues,” will be in heaven before the throne of God and before Jesus, the Lamb of God.

     Also, those people will be clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands. Like at the Triumphal Entry, where the people shouted “Hosanna,” or cries for salvation, the people in heaven who have come out of the Great Tribulation (see Rev. 7:14) are also proclaiming triumph to God for the “Salvation of our God.”

    As you prepare for Palm Sunday, rejoice and give thanks to the Lord for His Salvation. 

Week 25 Hope -- You Can Cope Because of the Hope

     Sunday in three different LifeGroups, I taught on what it means to “believe.” We discussed briefly that to believe (a verb) is essentially the same as trust (generally a verb) and faith (generally a noun of the same word believe). So what is hope?

     It's sometimes hard to see the difference in faith and hope. Perhaps it is easier to see the difference if we look at the opposites. The opposite of faith is doubt and the opposite of hope is despair. Thus, faith speaks to the intellect or understanding, and hope speaks to the emotions. Both are battles within the soul, the seat of our intellect, will and emotions. Martin Luther said that faith rests with the understanding, and teaches and prescribes; hope rests in the encouragement of the soul and gives strength and courage.

     Hope brings joy and its opposite, despair, brings sadness. Faith is an “evidence,” (see Hebrews 11:1) and its opposite, doubt, is also fueled by conflicting evidence. But Paul adds a third part to the faith and hope discussion--love (1 Cor. 13:13). All three must be used in the battle within our souls. Faith fuels the battle of the mind with unseen evidence; Hope fuels the battle of our emotions with courage and joy; Love fuels the battle of our will with a sacrificial motivation for all we do. Love is greater than faith or hope and it will also endure. 

The above was originally published on September 5, 2016, when Believe was just starting. We are now in Week 25 of 30 weeks of studying our basic core beliefs. The following devotional comes from Zondervan in preparation for BELIEVE.

It is impossible to cope without hope.

False hope causes people to plan, build and risk for something that is not likely to happen. The Bible identifies several things humans unfortunately place their hope in only to be disappointed in the end.

False hope ... in riches.

Because of his fearless confidence in God, David is able to hurl condemnation at his enemy who trusts in wealth. (See Psalm 52:1–9.)

False hope ... in people.

The psalmists tell us that we will be disappointed if we place our hope in people rather than God.

Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. (Psalm 146:3–4)

False hope ... in idols.

An idol is any object we place above God. The prophet Habakkuk declares how foolish it is to place our hope in such man-made inventions. (See Habakkuk 2:18-19.)

Hope is only as good as the power and character of the one who offers it. Since God’s character is rock solid, trustworthy and true, we anchor our hope in his promises to us.

KEY VERSE

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. (Hebrews 6:19–20)

KEY IDEA

I can cope with the hardships of life because of the hope I have in Jesus Christ.

KEY APPLICATION: What difference does this make in the way I live?

Hope in Christ gives us a different place to look.

The author of Hebrews describes how hope gives us a different place to look: “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2).

24: Self-Control -- What stone will you take or sacrifice will you make?

     Self Control, as found in the fruit of the Spirit, is a word that used to be translated as “temperance.”

     In my family McKeown Bible from the 1870s, there are pages filled with births, marriages and deaths. Strangely and I am sure purely accidental, the only page that is blank was the page entitled “Temperance Pledge,” which in the day meant a pledge against partaking of alcohol.

     As a result of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, our “self” is controlled by God’s presence and Holy Spirit, not as a result of will-power or simply by “thinking.” In BELIEVE, the first 10 weeks is on how to “think” like Jesus, but it is more than that. It is as the title states, we need to really believe that Jesus is with us always and at all times and then behave and become like Jesus.

     In the story of David and Goliath, all of David’s brothers and Saul’s army believed in God but only David put his faith into action. With Abraham, he believed but it was only evidenced and actually realized when he offered Isaac as a sacrifice. Hebrews says “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called,’ concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.”

     David’s faith led him to go to battle with a sling and a stone. Abraham’s faith led him to pledge that both he and the lad would return from Mount Moriah (Gen. 22:5, Heb. 11:19). What action is your faith leading you to have “temperance.”

Today's devotional comes from Randy Frazee. as we finish out the week of preparation for BELIEVE. 

KEY QUESTION:

How does God free me from addictions and sinful habits?

God desires all of us to have self-control over things that can destroy us and others. The writer of Proverbs places options before us, clearly showing the virtue and benefit of self-control.

•          Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. (Proverbs 16:32)

•          The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. (Proverbs 17:27)

In essence, self-control means having power over one’s own impulses, reactions and desires.

The Bible offers practical instruction on how to grow in the virtue of self-control. One of the primary applications is to “flee” — flee from the person, environment or situation that tempts us to lose control.

We can tame our tongues, reduce fights and quarrels amongst us, control our selfish desires and mitigate against the negative influences of the world and the devil. But ultimately complete self-control is unattainable. Our sin nature, or flesh, eventually wears us down and gets the best of us. The ultimate solution to gain self-control is “God-control.” The believer has the presence and power of God within them to live a life not undermined by our inner desires and the corruption of the world. As believers, we are to draw on this power to live productive and effective lives.

KEY VERSE

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:11–13)

KEY IDEA

I have the power through Christ to control myself.

KEY APPLICATION: What difference does this make in the way I live?

As we develop the virtue of self-control, our sin will decrease and our character will increase.

Let me tell you a story. The late George Gallup Jr. was a good friend of mine who significantly helped me in the early journey of forming these thirty key ideas of the Christian life. In one of our several all-day sessions in Princeton, New Jersey, tucked away in the gunroom of the historic Nassau Club, we were discussing this virtue of self-control.

I was pontificating proudly on how Christians just need to get their act together and be self-controlled. In George’s always kind and gentle demeanor he stopped me and said, “Randy, you’re not an alcoholic, are you?” Startled by the question, I said, “No, I’m not.” He went on to say, “Well, I am. My father was also an alcoholic. When I took my first drink, something happened to me that likely didn’t happen to you or many others. I was hooked and couldn’t stop. Even as a Christian, I tried and tried and tried. I felt so defeated, and it was ruining my life. Then in a moment of quiet desperation, I heard Jesus whisper to me, ‘George, if you never lick this, that is okay. I died for this struggle in your life, and I still love you deeply.’” He paused for a moment, reflecting on that tender encounter with the Savior, and then said, “From that very moment I haven’t had a drink. It has been over thirty years.”

At that meeting, we added the phrase “through Christ” to the key idea of self-control: “I have the power, through Christ, to control myself.” Yielding to the love, grace, and presence of Christ in us is the only way we can be victorious. While not every Christian struggling with an addiction may experience the deliverance George did, the truth of Christ’s commitment and deep love applies to all of us.

YOUR TURN

Why is self-control important in living a Biblical lifestyle? How does self-control relate to other fruit of the Spirit? 

23 Peace -- Where do I find strength to battle anxiety and fear?

     On Sept. 3, Labor Day Weekend, I posted the devotional below, anticipating this week's study on PEACE. Six months later, we are at Week 23 in our BELIEVE study. How have you grown in this study? Did your grow in the virtue of JOY last week? Are you ready to grow in PEACE?

     For me, as I anticipated, this section of study on virtues has been the most convicting. Last week, I was actually embarrassed to admit I struggle with the virtue of Joy, or being content. This week will also be a week of conviction to be at peace, with Shalom.

     I was mentored in hospital visitation by a missionary who would visit, read a Scripture, and then pray with the person in recovery. (I will always remember our first visit was with a man who asked "Do you want to see my scar?" I don't know why he asked because he went ahead and showed us anyway!) My mentor always used the same verse, Philippians 4:6-7. Years later, I understand why. No other verse fits any better for hospitals than the one which speaks on having a "peace that passes all understanding" to guard and protect our hearts and our minds.

     Come to think about it, Philippians 4:6-7 fits just about any situation and struggle that we face in life that makes us prone to worry. Read it outloud, from the new New International Version:

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in every situation,

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

     Labor Day weekend during presidential elections is typically the weekend that many people get serious in thinking about who to vote for. Today’s devotional speaks about peace and one of the readings in Week 23 will be passages that speak about praying for those who have authority over us, including the government, that we may “lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence,” 1 Timothy 2:2.

     A common greeting in Jewish custom is “Shalom,” meaning peace. I like to think that when Jesus would greet the disciples such as in John 20:19, 21, 26 and other places that He would say, “Shalom.”

     I am finding the most conviction of the BELIEVE study in these virtues. I can intellectually and Biblically defend the theology aspects we have learned. But these lessons on “love”, “joy”, and “peace” will hopefully bring the most life change in me and in our church. After all, Jesus said that if we make peace, we will be most blessed (Matthew 5:9).

The following devotional comes from Zondervan. Be sure to check today’s Killeen Daily Herald about our church and BELIEVE.

Most of us think of peace as a feeling. We want to trade our anxiety, depression and fear for calming tranquility. There are many harmful and ineffective ways people attempt to achieve this feeling, most notably by using alcohol or drugs. Biblical peace, however, starts not with the feeling of peace but with the root cause of it, meaning a strong and healthy relationship with God and with others. Of course, peace with God is made possible only through the Prince of Peace. When Christ establishes his eternal kingdom, societal peace will be the norm.

Two-thirds of the use of the word “peace” (shalom) in the Old Testament involves the fulfillment that comes to humans when they experience God’s presence. Such peace can be experienced from God’s presence in our lives even in difficult circumstances.

Worry is the chief robber of peace in our lives. It prevents us from lying down and sleeping in peace at night. It keeps us on edge during the day. Our Prince of Peace, Jesus, emphasized the immense capacity of God the Father to love and care for his people individually before they let the worries of this life overtake them. He also stressed the important role of the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Father, in supporting God’s people. [See Matthew 6:25-34.]

KEY VERSE

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6–7)

KEY IDEA

I am free from anxiety because I have found peace with God, peace with others and peace with myself.

KEY APPLICATION:

What difference does this make in the way I live?

When it comes to difficult situations you can’t immediately change or fix — broken, hurting relationships; illnesses or diseases; financial crises — go to God in prayer. Begin by rehearsing all the things you are thankful for — down to the smallest bit of beauty. Leave no stone unturned. Then lay your request before God. Just speak it out to him in complete honesty and clarity. Be specific. Offer to him the things beyond your control and ability to fix. 

As you engage in this spiritual practice of prayer, a peace beyond your comprehension will begin to bud on the end of your “branches.”

Let me tell you a story. In 1956, when Steve Saint was five years old, his father, Nate, flew with four other missionaries into the jungles of Ecuador to attempt to make contact with the most dangerous tribe known to man, the Waodani. After several months of exchanging gifts with the natives, the five men were speared repeatedly and hacked to death with machetes. Years later, Steve found out that a tribe member named Mincaye had delivered the blow that ultimately killed his father.

At the age of nine, Steve went to the Waodani territory for the first time to visit his aunt, who was a missionary there, and he visited every summer after that until her death. Her affection for the tribe was a major influence in Steve’s life.

When he was fourteen, Steve and his sister, Kathy, decided to be baptized by a couple of Waodani tribe members in the water next to the beach where their father had been killed. Steve says he has never forgotten the pain and heartache of losing his dad. “But I can’t imagine not loving Mincaye, a man who has adopted me as his own, and the other Waodani,” he says. “What the Waodani meant for evil, God used for good,” says Steve. “Given the chance to rewrite the story, I would not be willing to change it.”

This famous story of martyred missionaries and their families could have a much different ending — one filled with rage, bitterness, and hatred. But they pressed on despite horrible personal tragedy and saw God work miracles. Why? Because through forgiveness, the peace of Christ was chosen both as a response to the Waodani and as an eternal gift offered to the tribe. Once again, God used his people to bring peace and reach the unreachable.

22. The Surprising Joy/Test-Tribulation-Temptation Connection

     After writing on the sorrow/joy connection, I came across this:

The tree dug in,
 facing fiercest wind,
   will stand well past tomorrow;
It's the deepest roots
 which yield sweetest fruits,
   though grown by greatest sorrow.

    As I go through this week’s BELIEVE material on Joy, I am finding that this lesson is the one out of all 22 chapters so far which I need to learn the most. Of all of the lessons, this is the one I score the least for the test on page 171. Ironically, this is also the one Randy Frazee’s wife gives testimony that she too struggled with the most.

    Why? Here’s my theory: there is a love connection with joy and a sorrow connection with joy, but there is also a temptation / tribulation / testing connection with joy. I fail to enter into the joy because I falter at one or all of the “Triple T” connections.

    All three words, temptation, tribulation and testing are found in James chapter 1.

²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face temptations (#1) of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing (#3) of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

¹² Blessed is the man who perseveres under temptations, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. ¹³When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

²⁷This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their tribulation (#2), and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

1.   Peirazo = Temptation with evil (James 1:2, 12-14)

    Satan is the Tempter. When we are tempted, we are not in sin, but we are in serious danger. Jesus was tempted every day of His existence, in every way (Heb. 2:18) that we are, yet He was without sin (Heb. 4:15). He is able to help us but temptation is a battle. There is an escape, 1 Cor. 10:13 say, but every temptation has the potential…

•         of being an opportunity to get us closer to God, resulting in joy and perseverance
•         of being an obstacle to get us closer to Satan, resulting in sorrow

     Stephen Charnock, a preacher from the 17th century, said, “A deep sense of the Divine Goodness of God would strike Satan’s temptation dead at a blow.” A way to victory is to remember God is good, divinely good and will deliver from evil (Matt. 6:13).

2.   Thlipsis = Tribulation; a pushing together, anguish, tribulation.

    John McArthur says that "Thlipsis (tribulation) has the underlying meaning of being under pressure and was used of squeezing olives in a press in order to extract the oil and of squeezing grapes to extract the juice ... In Scripture the word thlipsis is perhaps most often used of outward difficulties, but it is also used of emotional stress."

     People may think they are being tested by God, when in reality they are experiencing the natural consequence of sinful humanity. Widows and orphans have tribulations (James 1:27) not because of Satan’s temptation or God’s testing, but because of the nature of a fallen world. Joy can be found when we help people in times of trouble.

     The word "tribulation" is from the image of separating the wheat from the chaff. We experience tribulation to rely on God’s grace to purify us from the chaff. It is used by Christ in Matt. 13:21 saying the trouble robs people of their initial joy of salvation. Again in John 16:20-24, Jesus said the joy of birthing a child helps overcome the “tribulation” of labor. Paul linked the two in 1 Thess. 1:6 with joy coming from the Holy Spirit and in 1 Thes. 3:3-7, with joy coming from other believers.

    We cannot avoid the storms of the sea, but we can rest assured God will give us joy when we make it safely to the harbor.

3.   Dokimion = Testings resulting in proven character (James 1:3, Rom. 5:4)

    The third link with joy comes from God’s testing. When God puts His people into the furnace, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. He knows how long and how much we can take.

    The difference in testing and temptation is that God tests us to bring out the best, while Satan tempts us to bring out the worst.

22. The Sorrow Joy Connection

     The love / joy connection (see yesterday's blog) may be obvious, but the sorrow / joy connection may not be so obvious.

     When my grandmother died at age 87, I went back to my hometown from south Texas. People from my first church pastorate, First Baptist Church of Whitt, came to the visitation and we sat right there in the funeral parlor with the casket open and laughed and had a wonderful time. All the while my grandmother’s body was a mere few feet away. But her spirit was at home with Christ in God.

     This is not unique to me to have joy and sorrow mixed at a funeral. In fact all Christians have those bitter sweet emotions just like Jesus did at the grave of Lazarus. But it is unique for Christians to be able to have joy like the world could never understand or imitate.

     The people of Nehemiah’s day had a similar experience, but not because of a death, but because of their own home coming to the promised land and the rebuilding of the walls around the city and the reading of the law. Ezra told the people, “Do not mourn nor weep…do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Neh. 8:9b,10b.

     The reading of the law made the people sorrowful for their sin, yet they rejoiced because they knew that God had restored them. Believers understand that. We sorrow over the sins of the world, and the sins of our past. Yet we rejoice over the forgiveness and the presence of the Lord.

     Nehemiah then implemented the feast of tabernacles or booths where the Israelites would gather branches and “camp” outdoors, even on their own rooftops, for a few days to remember their 40 years of wandering.

     I personally believe that the Feast of Tabernacles should be remembered by Christians but not just to remember the Old Testament story how the people of God had to wander for 40 years. No the Tabernacles remind us that some day we too will leave behind our earthly tents and be clothed anew with our heavenly and perfect heavenly bodies.

     I could not sorrow for long at my grandmother’s funeral. I knew her tabernacle in the casket was her old tent. But what made her “Nonna” to me, her spirit, was now in heaven with her preacher father and mother, her only daughter (my mother) and so many other loved ones. Her hearing was now perfect, she no longer said “ouch, ouch, ouch” as she walked as she did in her latter days.

     When sorrows like sea billows roll, welcome the tears with joy because every tear is kept in a bottle by the Lord and the weeping will be turned into laughter when this tabernacle of twigs in the earthly realm turns to magnificent mansions in the heavenly realms.