Hope grows as we remember who is with us. This year has been challenging, but because of God I have had the strength, wisdom, peace and joy that I needed to face each day. I have had an assurance that I have someone greater than me to deal with the matters that 2020 threw at me. It's not just the fact that He is in control that brought peace, its the fact that he sees, hears, knows, and engages in my life. This Sunday I shared a message from Exodus 3 about Moses and the burning bush. There God appears to Moses and what he says reveals who He is. "Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey..." (Exodus 3:7-8) He is not a cosmic force which is isolated from us, or who can't feel what we are going through. Though he transcends the universe, he also enters into it and relates with others. He sees, he hears, he knows and he comes down to act. That's reassuring isn't it. He sees all we have gone through this year. He hears all our our cries of exhaustion, frustration and pleas for help. He knows the full situation of what we are experiencing. That's a wonderful thought. The creator of the universe knows what we are going through. But what is even greater, is that He enters into our life to help us and to lead us out of the situation we are facing. In Exodus 3 God knows Israel's situation and determines to send Moses to rescue them. Moses questions whether he has what it takes to do the job and asks, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” And God's response is, "I will be with you". It doesn't matter who I am, and whether I can face this new year. I know that on my own I'll feel overwhelmed and discouraged. What matters is not, "Who am I?" but "Who is with me?" Moses would ask a similar question when he asks for God's name. In ancient times a name usually reflected the persons character. By asking for God's name, he is asking, "Who are you?" And what does God say? “I am who I am.” (Exodus 3:14) That sounds like a pretty cryptic name, doesn't it. What does it mean? Here's what I have discovered.
That's who God is. So, let me ask a question. Is He with you? If you have turned to Jesus in faith and received his gift of salvation, then God IS with you. And as Paul writes in Romans 8:31 - "If God is for us, who can stand against us?"
Over the next couple months, I want us to focus on the one who is with us - God. And we will do that by exploring some of his names.
0 Comments
Have you ever had to download something and it took forever? Have you waited in line at a fast-food chain for over a few minutes? Have you ordered something online and the parcel took longer than expected to arrive? Waiting…we don’t like it. We are used to a world where things are quick, fast, instant. If we want approval we will send out texts to a multiple of people so that we can hear quickly from at least one person. If we want a quick meal we go through a drive thru or throw a meal in the microwave. If we want to shed a few pounds we find a slim-fast diet. If we want a parcel to arrive quickly we spend the extra money to get Amazon Prime delivery. You get the picture…we like things quick. This same mentality creeps into all aspects of life. But sometimes we need to wait. There is a person in the Christmas story that reminds me of this truth. His name is Simeon. We read about him in the gospel of Luke. There we read: “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon Him” (Luke 2:25) He was waiting. For what? The consolation of Israel. That’s a title for Jesus. To console someone is to bring comfort and strength to a person, especially someone who is disheartened. How long was he waiting? I would imagine from an early age. As a nation, Israel had been waiting for a long long time for the promised one who would strengthen and rescue them. One of my favorite Christmas carols focuses on this longing. O come, O come Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the son of God appear Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanual Shall come to you, O Israel. Now Simeon wasn’t simply waiting for Jesus, he was waiting for a promise to be fulfilled. We go on to read about this promise:
“And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (Luke 2:26). That’s a wonderful promise. He would see Jesus. But when was this promise made? It doesn’t say. How long did he have to wait? It doesn’t say. He could have been waiting for years. Could you imagine being in his position? Waiting can often feel like an eternity. Waiting is also difficult when you see things coming closer and closer. Like a child at Christmas. The hardest day for me was Christmas Eve. I couldn’t sleep. I wanted Christmas to be now. There are events that were happening as Simeon was waiting. The angels had appeared to the shepherds. And the shepherds had been spreading the news of the baby that was born. This news no doubt reached Simeon. Can you imagine the excitement? But he wouldn’t see this baby for another forty days. Waiting…ugh. But the day arrived. “And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, ‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel’.” (Luke 2:27-32) Waiting can often be difficult. As Christians we are waiting. Like Simeon we are waiting for the arrival of Jesus. We are expecting his return, and that will be a glorious day. And just as the promise was fulfilled and Simeon saw Jesus, the promise of his return is just as sure. What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for things to go back to normal? That may never happen. Then what? There is something far grander to wait for…and that is Jesus’ return. You see, on that day, all the injustices will be dealt with...all the miseries will come to an end…and there would be peace and joy all over the whole earth. But for now, we wait. Yet waiting doesn’t mean inactivity. As we wait, we serve others. We share of God’s greatness and goodness to a world that needs to see it. And sometimes, as we wait for his return, we also wait for his timing for things to happen in our life. And in this waiting, there is much blessing and growth. But that is another story for another time. The Christmas season is here. For me, it feels a whole lot different from the ones from the past. And I know I am not the only one feeling this way. The times we are living in seem to have dampen our spirits. But there is a reason for the times we are living in. Last time I wrote, we looked at God’s sovereign control over the world. Today, I want to bring up something that goes alongside sovereignty…and that is providence.
These two are connected and yet they are distinct. Sovereignty is God’s right and power to rule. Providence is God’s active influence in the world leading to his intended purpose. "He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knoweledge to those who have understanding" (Daniel 2:21). Changes...removes...gives...those are action words. God is actively involved in world today. And sometimes the way he actively turns the times is unexpected and even inconvenient. Recently I have been reflecting on Luke 2. Which is pretty standard for a pastor during Christmas I suppose. It’s the classic Christmas story. Perhaps you are familiar with it. The story goes: “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:1-7) We might pass over that whole “registry” thing and jot it down as a historical event and nothing more. But that registration is much bigger than we realize. It leads to a fulfilled promise. But we will see that in a little later. Let’s stop and consider a few things. First, was this register an ordinary event? When we look at history, we find out that registers were common things. Augustus really loved them because it generated revenue for his building projects. The census’s though were more localized and moved from place to place. Here the whole kingdom, include Israel, was registered. That would mean this one would affect Mary and Joseph. Keep that in mind. Second, was this register simply decreed by the free will of Caesar Augustus? Consider these two verses
Third, did those who were registered find this a convienent situation in life? Mary is pregnant. The Bible doesn’t say how far along she is. It simply says that as she was in Bethlehem the time arrived for her to have a baby. We know she is at least three months pregnant, probably more. No matter how far along she was, comfortable would not be a word I would use to describe her experience. This ninety mile journey would have been an inconvenience. Sometimes the way God changes times and seasons isn’t comfortable and convenient for us either. But there is a purpose in what he does. Why would God have permitted there to be a register? What was his purpose? Well, hundreds of years earlier God made a promise. "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days." (Micah 5:2) Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth. But their family was from Bethlehem. So, what is one way in which they would be forced to go to Bethlehem so that the child would be born there? A census being decreed. The times we are living in today aren’t by happenchance. God has permitted and has led the course of events so that we are where we are today. And sometimes His ways are unexpected, uncomfortable, and inconvenient…but there is a purpose behind it. We may not know what it is, but maybe, just maybe, one reason is to bring about the fulfilment of a promise? Just as God prepared the stage for the arrival of Jesus according to the promises foretold, perhaps he is preparing the world for his second advent? I would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and questions, so don't hesitate to comment below. Or you could send a message by clicking on the "Get in Touch" tab. |
Author
Archives
May 2021
Categories |