Three Traits of a Life that Matters (Psalm 78)

This is Part 3 of the series "Fools Rush In: Learning from the Wisdom Psalms". See the links below to read the other parts.

Psalm 78 teaches us that we can build a life that matters by trusting God, remembering His works, and obeying Him.

Trusting God

The Israelites had major trust issues when it came to God. In fact, we all do!

But trust makes us receptive to God’s work and prepares us for fruitful service. God is building an everlasting kingdom in and through us. But we pull back from this privilege when we stop relying on Him (Psa. 127:1).

How can we know that we’re trusting in God? One of the indicators is a vibrant prayer life.

How frequently, and how much time do I give to prayer? How much does God’s Word direct my prayers? Do I commune with God, or just go through a grocery list of petitions?

Remembering God's Works

There’s a saying, “experience is the best teacher”. Our knowledge of anything is abstract until we actually experience it ourselves.

That’s why the Lord didn’t just tell the Israelites about who He was and what He was like; He also showed them by signs and wonders.

God gives us more than true statements. He also gives us a story, a history, that we can point to and say, “Behold, this is God, my God, and this is what He did for me!”

The Israelites were prone to forgetting what God had done for them in the past (Psalm 78:11, 42). As a result, they lost their direction. They rebelled against God, strayed from him, and betrayed him (Psa. 78:17, 36, 57).

God intended for them to be a powerful and glorious nation, one that reflected the power and glory of God Himself! Butby rejecting Him, they forfeited this privilege.

When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel, He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mankind, and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe. (vv. 59-61)

We need to remember God’s works so that we learn to trust Him. “Remembering” means more than recollecting past experiences. How we interpret those experiences matters.

They spoke against God, saying ‘Can God spread a table in the wilderness? He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for his people?’ (vv. 19-20)

Technically, the Israelites remembered that past experience. But they didn’t learn what God wanted to teach them.

So, let's pray along these lines: “Lord, help me to understand what’s happening around me, and in my own life. Help me to see things with the eyes of faith and to trace Your hand in all of these things!”

Obeying God

If we really trust the Lord and remember His works, then we will obey!

When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly. They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant. (vv. 34-37)

There are a lot of people who give lip service to God, but their actions betray them. There are many examples of them in Scripture, and they’re not the ones whose lives mattered.

Maybe one of the best examples is King Nebuchadnezzar. He had several encounters with the four Hebrew wise men: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. God even dealt with him personally, when as punishment for his pride, God made him temporarily insane. He praised God afterwards. But what happened after that? Did he walk in obedience to the Lord after that? Apparently not. He remained unchanged. His kingdom remained unchanged. He was the most powerful man who had ever lived up to his time, the pinnacle of human significance. But time proved that even he, and men like him, have only temporary significance, not eternal significance. They are like grass... The great kingdom of Babylon is long gone. We only remember it now as a symbol of worldly power and wealth that stands in opposition to God.

Brethren, nothing will ruin our usefulness and our prayers more than withholding obedience from God, than sinning willfully. So let’s walk in integrity, and repent of all our known sins, so that our prayers won’t be hindered.

Conclusion

Psalm 78 exhorts us to trust in God, to remember His works, and to obey Him. In return it promises a life of eternal significance because it is bound up with God’s eternal kingdom. Do our prayers reflect a commitment to these things? Do they reflect a thirst for the things of God, and a yearning to be free from the influence of our flesh, the world, and the devil?

Grass or Trees? (Psalm 78)

This is Part 2 of the series "Fools Rush In: Learning from the Wisdom Psalms".

Would you read a book about the history of grass? Or what about this, would you like to be known as a one of the most significant figures in the history of grass? I’m going to go out on a limb and say that nobody cares, right?

The really interesting thing is that the Bible says that man is like grass, and all of his glory is like the flower of the field (Isaiah 40:6). That puts things into perspective, doesn’t it? People say that we’re living in historic times. Years from now, world history teachers will be talking about Barack Obama, the pro-abortion movement, the LGBT rights movement, and now, the presidency of Trump – all things that have blossomed in this generation. From a human standpoint, they’re truly historical! And yet, all of this is just the history of grass as far as God is concerned. Whatever influence all these so-called “world movers and shakers” have is insignificant by God’s standard. You see, God isn’t interested in building something that will last for the next hundred years, or even the next thousand years! God is only interested in building what will redound to His glory for endless ages. That’s God’s standard for significance. That’s the time span we should all have in mind when we’re talking about a life that matters.

So even as the world is making a big fuss over Trump’s election, and other such secular happenings, let’s devote ourselves to the very things that the world dismisses as foolish and useless: the things of God, and of Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit. Because when the last day comes, and heaven’s record is opened before the Great Judge, it is God’s work in and through His people that will be shown to be truly important. And that's precisely what Psalm 78 helps us do.

[READ: Psalm 78:1-11 and Psalm 78:67-72]

Psalm 78 has two main purposes. The first is to exhort God’s people to faithfulness (Psa. 78:7-8). The second is to explain why God chose David and his descendants to rule Israel. The reason is that the tribe of Ephraim was unfaithful to the LORD, so He rejected Ephraim and raised up the tribe of Judah instead. And from the tribe of Judah, he chose David.

Ephraim vs. Judah

At the end of the book of Genesis, Joseph brought his two sons to be blessed by Jacob. Although Ephraim was the younger son, he received the greater blessing than his older brother, Manasseh (Gen. 48:20).

In the period of the Judges, the tribe of Ephraim began to asserts its power among the tribes. In Deborah's Song, they're called the "root" of those who fought against God's enemies, the Amalekites (Judg. 5:14). On separate occasions, they argued with two of Israel's judges for not being called upon to defend Israel (Gideon, Judg. 8:1-3; and Jephthah, Judg. 12:1).

Ephraim also opposed King David. After the death of his predecessor Saul, they supported Saul's son, Ish-bosheth (2 Sam. 2:8-9). Later, they assisted Absalom in his coup attempt against his father David (2 Sam. 18:6).

Ephraim’s opposition to the godly men of Israel became even more prominent after Solomon’s reign. Because of Solomon’s unfaithfulness, God split the kingdom into two. The Southern Kingdom remained under Solomon and his descendants, while the Northern Kingdom came under Jeroboam, an Ephraimite (1 Kings 11:26). Jeroboam then made Bethel, an Ephraimite town, the religious capital of the Northern Kingdom (1 Kings 12:33). But the Lord wasn’t worshipped at Bethel; idols were. From then on, Ephraim represented Israel’s religious apostasy.

In short, Psalm 78 highlights Ephraim because it represents all the sinfulness and idolatry of Israel as a whole. In contrast, Judah represents the minority among the Israelites who remained faithful to the Lord. In the end, Ephraim, and the other Israelite tribes that followed it, faded into insignificance, while Judah became the tribe of the Davidic kings, and ultimately, the Messiah.

Grass vs. Trees

Here’s another thing to keep in mind: just as those who were faithful to the LORD were often the minority, they were the more significant ones. We often equate size and power with significance – whoever has the larger numbers and the bigger stick is the more significant one, right?

But God’s Word tells us that even the most powerful men throughout history are just grass. They are the most significant grass in the world! (Isaiah 40)

But the righteous, we are told elsewhere in Scripture, are like a tree planted by streams of water (Psalm 1).

Most people want to have lives that matter. So they follow trends, they do what’s “relevant”. They value what everyone else values! From a human perspective, that’s really common sense. There’s safety in numbers, especially if those numbers include the elite members of society. It’s that simple.

But Psalm 78 tells us, No! Do you want your life to matter? Then forget what the world says, and pursue God!

Fools Rush In: Learning from the Wisdom Psalms

“Wise men say, ‘Only fools rush in.’” Elvis had a point! Impulsiveness is a mark of immaturity, but wise people think carefully before acting (Pro. 14:15).

When was the last time you evaluated your own prayer life?

We all should, because we can pray poor. This would be a big problem, because through prayer we commune with God. It’s a direct line to God’s throne room. But just like telephone lines and cell sites need constant maintenance, so does our prayer life, or it will eventually break down.

That’s something we should avoid at all costs, because prayer is one of the biggest needs, responsibilities, and perks of being a believer. What could be better and more necessary than having free, unrestricted access to our Heavenly Father? If we couldn’t come God in prayer, we’d be spiritually comatose – fully aware of God’s presence, but unable to speak to Him!

But more than just maintaining our communication with heaven, we’re called to improve it. Just like our ways of communication get better and better as technology advances, so should our prayers get better and better as we advance in the Christian life. Maturity and prayer go hand in hand. As we mature, our prayer improves. Conversely, if our prayers suffer, so does our maturity.

So how can we improve our prayers? One of the best things we can do to grow in prayer is to mature in our thinking, and we can do that by gaining wisdom from the Scripture.

That’s what this series is about: learning from the Wisdom Psalms.

The Wisdom Psalms are different from many of the other psalms in the Bible because they’re addressed to people, not God, and their primary purpose is to teach God’s people how to live. The psalms that are often included in this category are psalms 1, 14, 37, 49, 53, 73, 78, 112, and 119. Most of us are already familiar with some of these, especially psalms 1, 73, and 119. In this series, we’ll be looking at two others: Psalms 78 and 112. They were probably written by different authors at different times, but both of them hold timeless treasures. Together, they teach us that the godly life is the only life worth pursuing (and praying for).

PSALM 78: PRAY FOR THINGS THAT MATTER

Psalm 78 tells us that the people who matter are those who are faithful to God.

Introduction: Grass vs. Trees

Part 1: Three Traits of a Life that Matters

Part 2: Three Ways to Build a Life that Matters [upcoming]

PSALM 112: PRAY FOR TRUE HAPPINESS

As far as Scripture is concerned, wisdom, godliness, and happiness all come in one package. Psalm 112 shows us several ingredients of the truly happy life.

Part 1: Godly = Happy = Secure [upcoming]

Part 2: Godly = Happy = Just & Generous [upcoming]

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

The Best of Both Worlds [upcoming]

A Real-life Example of Mark 10:29-30

A few days ago, I got this feed from Open Doors on my PrayerMate app. While reading and praying over this item, the Spirit brought this verse to my mind:

Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. (Mark 10:29-30, ESV)

May the Lord encourage you with this present-day example of how He fulfills His word.

http://www.opendoorsuk.org/htmlemail/epa/epa_160804.htm

The Effective Intercessor

READ: Exodus 33:1-6, 12-23

Moses was facing a major crisis. After saving Israel from slavery in Egypt, the Lord made a covenant with them at Mount Sinai. Then He summoned Moses up to the mountain alone to receive the Ten Commandments (24:12). Moses was in His presence for forty days (24:18).

But meanwhile, the people grew restless.

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.

Aaron gave in to their demand and the people were soon worshiping their new god, the golden bull (not “calf”). Of course, God knew what was going on, and He disciplined Israel in several ways. The worst one by far was when He declared that He would withdraw His presence from them! (Exo. 33:3)

This got Moses really worried. How could he lead Israel without God? He didn't want to be separated from the God he had come to know in such a personal and intimate way? And so, Moses prayed.

Moses' prayer in 33:12-23 is a masterpiece of intercessory prayer. By studying it we can learn what it takes to be used of God to bless others through prayer.

The effective intercessor walks in God's favor, lives sacrificially, relies on God's promises, and seeks God's glory above all.

This isn't a formula that will always yield visible and measurable results. But the Bible there is a certain kind of person that God delights to bless and use for His glory.

The Effective Intercessor Walks in God's Favor

"Yet you have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.'" (Exo. 33:12)

One of the arguments Moses used to ask God to remain with Israel was their intimate relationship. This gave Moses confidence in God's presence.

If Moses had been lukewarm toward the LORD, could he have prayed as he did? Of course not! In the same way, we can't expect God to bless our prayers if we're not following hard after Him!

Godliness, a passion for the LORD – these aren't things that one just turns on when it's time to pray. It's not about right words, or an emotional high. God looks at the heart, and He weighs your life. We all look pretty much the same when we pray -- head bowed and hands clasped. But God knows what you're living for. He knows from whom, what, or where you really get joy and security.

Does God see in you the earnestness, integrity, and humility that are evidences of the grace of His Son and the work of His Spirit in you? Or will He see a willfully compromised heart, grasping for both the things of God and the things of this world?


The Effective Intercessor Lives Sacrificially

“Consider too that this nation is your people.” (Exo. 33:13)

Though Moses' prayer was personal, he also expressed his sacrificial love for the people. His use of the phrase, “your people” was intentional. God had referred to Israel as "your [Moses']" people (Exo. 32:7). It was like saying, “They're your people, not mine!"But Moses was hoping, pleading, that God would take Israel back.

We already know from an earlier prayer that Moses was willing to die out of love for God's people (Exo. 32:32).It's virtually impossible to read these prayers and not feel shamed and challenged by his sacrificial love for the people of God.

God will always look with favor upon such a man.

If God's not using us or our prayers to effectively bless others, it might be because we're serving Him and His people only in a token, half-hearted way.

The Effective Intercessor Relies on God's Promise

"For how shall it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us…?" (Exo. 33:16)

Moses' argued on the basis of the Lord's promises to His people since the time of Abraham (Gen. 17:7), as well as His personal promise to him (Exo. 3:12). By doing this, Moses took his stand on the unwavering promises of God.

We should do the same. Our prayers should be held up by the unchanging Word of God. That means we have to be constantly immersed in it.

Make sure you're praying according to Scripture! When you pray, ask yourself, “Why am I praying this? On what basis am I bringing this desire before the LORD?” Also, do your best to incorporate as many biblical prayers (especially those in the NT) into your prayer life.

The Effective Intercessor Seeks God's Glory Above All

“Please show me your glory!” (Exo.33:18)

By verse 17, God had already granted Moses' requests by promising to dwell with the people in the Promised Land. But Moses had one final request: to see God's glory. At the moment of exhaustion, when Moses was brought utterly to the end of his own intellect and power, he fell back on the most basic desire of the human soul: to behold the glory of God.

At his very core, the man whom God delights to answer is someone who desires God's glory more than anything else. It isn't enough to be an upright man. It isn't enough to behave in a 'Christianly' way. You and I both know that God isn't fooled by people's pretensions and delusions of godliness.

So let's cultivate a desire to behold God's glory! God's essential glory isn't what He looks like, but who He is. So let's prayerfully dig into our Bibles, so that we grow in our personal knowledge of His holiness, wisdom, kindness, faithfulness, and joyfulness, for example. Most of all, look to Christ, who is "the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature" (Heb. 1:3).

Finally, let's look to eternity. Our hope isn't in this life, but in glory, in the presence of the LORD. There, we will behold God's glory as we never could in this life, and all the trinkets of this world that we thought were so important will seem completely insignificant compared to the blazing glory of God.

Conclusion

Did Moses really change God's mind? Is that what effective intercession is all about? No. God's purpose for Moses' intercession, and His purpose for ours, is to involve us in His work of redemption. He doesn't tell us to pray in order to change His mind. Rather, He molds our minds and character, to be people who seek His will and pray according to His will. Then He answers those prayers in His own way and in His own time, for the glory of His name. That's what effective intercession is about.

A Proper Response to Grace

(This was a message delivered in the mid-week prayer service of Higher Rock Christian Church.)

READ: Exodus 15:1-21

God had just saved Israel from death & reenslavement by drowning Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea. This was the climax of the Exodus event. The ten plagues in Egypt humbled the Egyptians and urged them to recognize Yahweh as the true God (Exo. 7:5). But the drowning of Pharaoh was the decisive blow to Israel's oppressors. In one terrifying display of power, God accomplished both the deliverance of Israel and the extermination of the Egyptian army. After this, Egypt was no longer a threat to Israel.

In light of this great deliverance, Moses led the people in a song of thanks to the LORD. The Song of Moses has two parts. Verses 1-12 are about God's triumph over Pharaoh at the Red Sea, and Verses 13-18 anticipate God leading Israel into Canaan.

This is the first record we have of God's people singing to Him with one heart and one voice. Since then, singing has been a way of life for God's people. Through singing, we come together in one Lord, one faith, one love, and one purpose: to glorify & delight in God our Savior.

From the Song of Moses, we learn that

THE LORD'S GRACE SHOULD MAKE US A HUMBLE, THANKFUL, AND HOPEFUL PEOPLE

Humility is having a realistically modest view of oneself, first in relation to God, and secondly, in relation to others. Thankfulness is a natural response toward a person who helps us. Humility and thankfulness are essential to our relationship God. Both are rooted in our being God's creatures, whom He has blessed with life, health, food, shelter, and so much more. And since the Fall, man has even more reason to be humble and thankful before God – humble because man is not only lowly, but also vile and rebellious; thankful because God tirelessly offers salvation to all men.

Humility and thankfulness are essentially about worship. They come from recognizing God for who He is and all the good He has done for us (1 Tim. 1:17). Conversely, the Bible says that pride and thanklessness are more than just character flaws. They are actually a form of idolatry (Rom. 1:21).

Meanwhile, hope in the biblical sense means much more than an “I hope so”. It refers to a sure expectation of future things that is founded on the promises of God.

Now we can dig into our text. The Song of Moses reminds us how we should respond to God's grace, but it also points us to some very humbling truths about our deeply idolatrous hearts.

Grace Demands Praise as a Proper Response

Note: Verse 1, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously”!

Moses and the people witnessed the greatest display of God's power since Sodom and Gomorrah. Just as they thought they were free from Egypt, a large dust cloud arose in the distance. Israel soon realized that it was Pharaoh's army – all his horses, chariots and troops – rushing after them with murderous intent. The people desperately looked for an escape route, but they were trapped against the Red Sea.

And then, we read in Exodus 14:21,

Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Imagine how terrifying and awe-inspiring that must have been!

If I had been Pharaoh, I would have called off the chase right then and there! There was the LORD in a pillar of cloud and fire, and He had just parted the Red Sea! But Pharaoh was consumed by his anger and pride, and he led his entire army into the corridor, determined to catch up to the Israelites.

But the LORD caused confusion and panic among the army, and as they were trying to escape, the LORD released the waters. The walls collapsed on them, and they drowned to the last man.

How could Israel respond appropriately to this great act of deliverance and judgment? There was no recourse but to praise Him!

We should have the same response today. When God's people behold His glory and grace, praise is the only fitting response! We, of all God's creatures, were made to behold & be captivated by God's glory. Dolphins don't stop to ponder the beauty of coral reefs. Apes don't sit around waiting for the stars to come out. Man has a distinct, God-given capacity to appreciate divine glory and to respond with praise & adoration. That innate knowledge has been warped and suppressed by sin, as Romans 1 tells us. But it comes alive again in a redeemed, born again believer.

Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness!(Psalm 150:2)

Seek glory, and be quick to praise!

Take time to enjoy some wilderness. When was the last time you really listened to the heavens declaring the glory of God? (Psa. 19:1) In the city, we're surrounded all the time by artificial things. We need to go & experience places that remind us that we live in a world we didn't make and could never have made by our meager knowledge and power.

More importantly, take time to plunge into the depths of God's Word! This is the first step to beholding the glory of God – not the glory of His divine essence, but the glory of His character & works. Behold the Lord Jesus Christ. Study the examples of the men of Scripture, men whose lives and ministries best reflect the heart of God Himself. Focus your mind and open your heart as you read God's Word, and you won't get too far before you find a passage that takes your breathe away, or grips your soul with the absolute holiness of God. Then praise will flow naturally from you.

Grace Should Remind Us of Our Unworthiness

Note: Verse 8, “At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.”

In the OT, the sea is often used as a symbol for chaos & danger. Remember Noah's time, when the LORD judged the world by flooding it. Also recall Jonah being thrown into the sea because he disobeyed God. Or how about the Leviathan, the great sea serpent who is the symbolical embodiment of evil, as described in the book of Job?

On the other hand, God is also worshiped for His sovereign control of the forces of chaos and destruction.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. … The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. (Psa. 29:3,10)

Passing through the Red Sea must have been an unnerving experience for the Israelites. Imagine passing through a narrow corridor in the sea, with a wall of water on either side, help up by who knows what, and you know that if those walls suddenly give way you'll be immediately crushed by the sheer weight of water that will come crashing down on you. This was as close as anyone could come to literally walking through the “valley of the shadow of death”.

Notice that just like in the Passover, both the Hebrews and the Egyptians faced the same judgment, except the Hebrews were delivered and the Egyptians were not.

This was yet another of God's to His people that they were saved by grace alone. They were no better than the Egyptians, the Philistines, the Edomites, or the Moabites. But God sovereignly chose to save them and be faithful to them.

Now just as then, grace stands in contrast to our sin and the judgment we deserve. Therefore, we should always bear in mind that we are sinners, undeserving of God's grace. This will help us stay humble and enjoy God's blessings more fully.

But some might think that this approach is too negative. Why should we remind ourselves of our sins and the punishment we deserve, instead of happier things? Isn't this too morbid and depressing?

However, the reality is that we are sinners, and that's what makes God's grace so great! Show me a person who isn't mindful of his sins, and I'll show you a person who feels entitled to God's blessings and cannot appreciate grace. So, be quick to confess your sins to God, and thank Him for undeserved mercies!

Grace Should Produce a Thankful Spirit

Note: Verse 2, “this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.”

When Moses led Israel in singing these lines, he certainly intended to teach them that this was the kind of attitude they should always have toward God from now on. “I will praise him,” meant much more than “I will praise Him today,” or “I will praise Him for the next week,” or “I will praise Him for as long as I'm happy and comfortable.” No. It meant “I will praise Him forever, come what may!”

Sadly, though, Israel's thankfulness was only superficial. It wasn't long before they were complaining again (Psa. 106:6-13). Aren't we just like Israel in this regard: our thankfulness is pathetically small and fickle! Psalm 106:12-13 is just as true of us now as it was of the Israelites back then: “Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.”

We fall far, far short of the Bible's standards for thankfulness. This is unacceptable, and the fact that other people are also failing in thankfulness to the LORD does not make our own failure acceptable! James and Joel Beeke remind us,

The subject of thankfulness highlights a common sore spot in prayer. … We are so prone to count our one or two troubles and so quick to dwell upon that one unkind word more than upon another hundred kind words for which we should be so deeply thankful. ... True thankfulness realizes that anything short of hell is grace. True thankfulness serves as a corrective lens—a lens through which we see God’s grace in all things. Have you ever seen a severely sick person who is deeply thankful for the care he receives? ... Or a dying person who is deeply thankful that he still has time to speak to his family? Such a person has learned something of the art of thankfulness. … Is not our God a wonderful God? When you look back in your life, do you see that His mercy really does endure forever? Looking around you, do you observe that His mercy is surrounding you on every side? Does this not make your sin the more terrible and repulsive? How often are we guilty of not thanking the Lord, of ignoring and insulting Him?

Continually check yourself against Ephesians 4:20, which tells us that we should be “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Offer short prayers of thanksgiving throughout the day. Pause regularly throughout the day to take stock of your blessings, appreciate God for His goodness, and expressing that appreciation in prayer.

Grace Teaches Us to Be Hopeful

Note: Verse 13, “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.”

Moses used the past tense even though the conquest of Canaan was still a future prospect. Why? Because God had proven that He kept His promises. So as far as Moses was concerned, the conquest of Canaan was a done deal.

Reading about the Promised Land reminds us Christians of our eternal home. Just as Moses and Israel lived for the day when they would settle in Canaan, with the LORD dwelling in their midst, we should live for the day when we will dwell forever in the LORD's presence in His earthly kingdom.

I suspect that many Christians think that “not living for the things of this world” is just about being content with what you have. But do you know that you can be completely content and still be worldly? Worldly people aren't just those whose lives are full of vices & avarice. Worldly people are also those whose hopes & joys are tied to this world.

Do you want to know if you're worldly? Don't ask yourself if you're wasteful, selfish, greedy, or materialistic. That would only scratch the surface. Rather, ask yourself, is your hope & joy anchored in present things, or in the future promises of God?

Be a person who is driven by future hope!

Conclusion

The Song of Moses teaches us that the LORD's grace should make us a humble, thankful, and hopeful people. It reminds us of the fact that we were made to behold God's glory and respond in heartfelt adoration and thanksgiving. And if we take a step back, and look at it within its larger context, we also find a rebuke for our fickle gratitude and meager praise. The Song of Moses challenges us to reflect on God's mercies, to grieve over our own spiritual lethargy, and to look forward to the day when we will dwell forever in the presence of our Lord.

Gospel-Driven Prayer - Part 2

PRAYER SHOULD BOAST IN THE LORD, NOT IN THE WORLD

21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

- 1 Corinthians 1:21-24

1 Corinthians is about how the gospel directs the life of the church. Chapter 1:18-31 is particularly important because it reminds us that Christians are called to walk in the way of the cross. We're not to pursue the power, wealth, and prestige of this world.
 
The Corinthian church had a problem with the cross. It's not that they denied the fact of Christ's crucifixion, nor did they deny that He died for the forgiveness of sins. 

What they overlooked was the transformative significance of the cross. It is the most powerful display of God's character: His unrelenting holiness, unfathomable love, unmatched wisdom, awesome power, and Trinitarian purpose. The deeper the gospel of the cross is driven into our souls, the more it will transform us and conform us to His image. The more it will shape the life and worship of the church.

The Corinthians missed this entirely. Paul had laid the gospel as the rock-solid foundation of the church (3:11), but the Corinthians were building on top of it with flimsy material—wood, hay, and straw; things that were taken from false philosophies and idolatrous religions.

As believers and as a church, we can't let human philosophies dictate how we live. The world is always trying to impose its standards of wisdom and morality on the church, but we need to sweep all that aside and just let the Word of God teach us and transform our thinking.

How Often Do Our Prayers Reflect the Priorities of the World, not God's?

Let's say a dear brother asks for prayer because he's sick, what would you pray for?

Of course, it's right to pray for physical healing. But would you also pray that he would learn to depend on God more? Or perhaps that through his situation he would be able to witness effectively to others?

Another scenario: A sister asks you to pray regarding a promotion she's been offered. What might a gospel-driven prayer sound like?

“Lord, thank you for enabling sister so-and-so to work well. Please help her understand what a promotion would mean, and not to accept anything that would compromise her time in the Word or her involvement in the church. Lord, please also search her heart, and show her if there are any sinful motives that she may have in relation to the promotion. Please place her in a work situation where she will be salt and light and can share the gospel with her work mates. May she continue to be sanctified through her work. Above, may she be satisfied in you, and not in the things of this world. Lord, please help her to discern whether accepting the promotion would help her in these regards.”

Conclusion

The goal of everything we've discussed so far is not to modify what we SAY in prayer. It's to remind us to become gospel-driven, cross-embracing, self-denying, Christ-exalting, grace-celebrating people, who then overflow with prayers that reflect what's in our hearts.

Gospel-Driven Prayer - Part 1

(If you haven't yet, read the Introduction to this series here.)

PRAYER SHOULD PURSUE GOD'S AGENDA, NOT OUR OWN

(11) Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. (12) We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. (13) For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. (14) For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; (15) and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

- 2 Corinthians 5:11-15

Paul Lived with Singular Focus

Paul makes it clear that what he does, he does “knowing the fear of the Lord,” and that he is “known to God”.

In a sense, Paul's ministry was a ministry to One: God.

Did Paul minister to many? He had the broadest ministry of any Christian at that time. But he was so God-centered, so Christ-focused, that even his great love for the church and compassion for the lost was servant to, his love for God.

So it should be with us. We shouldn't categorize our lives, as if one part of our day is reserved for God, and another part for family, and another part for work, and another part for friends.

Rather, everything we do should be worship to God.

The problem is that we're not deeply rooted enough in the gospel. There are still many areas in our lives, in our thinking, in our priorities, that are hardly touched by the gospel.

For Paul, however, the gospel was the driving force behind his singular focus.

Paul's Single-Mindedness Was Rooted in the Gospel

The love of Christ, revealed in the gospel, is what controlled Paul. Paul's boast in the Lord was his unwavering integrity and singular focus, because he was so gripped by the gospel.

We might be tempted to put Paul up on a pedestal, because he was an apostle, and a church-planting missionary with a pastoral heart.

In a sense, Paul really should be on a pedestal, especially because of his apostleship. But not to the point that we stop thinking of his life as an example we must emulate with all our strength.

We need more than a firm grip on the gospel. The gospel needs to grip us, like it did Paul.

Our Prayers Should Be Gospel-Driven and Gospel-Saturated

If the gospel really takes a hold of us, if the love of Christ becomes the dominating, pervasive passion of our souls, our prayers would certainly be affected. If we prayed out of gospel-driven hearts, we would spend more time praying for things like

the spiritual health of our cellmates and other brethren in the church,the protection and sustaining (physically and spiritually) of our leaders and their families,

God's empowerment of the church's ministries,

our involvement in evangelism and missions,

more opportunities and boldness to share the gospel, and

being more of an encouragement to brethren in the church, as well as our unbelieving relatives & neighbors.

A Case Study: Acts 4:24-31

We see this gospel-driven prayer, for example, in the believers' prayer after the arrest of Peter and John.

They could have prayed for protection for the apostles, for themselves and their families. That wouldn't have been wrong or sinful. But instead, their first instinct was to worship God as Creator and the sovereign Lord of the earth. Their second instinct was to ask that they “speak [his] word with all confidence.”

Brethren, let's be deliberate about soaking our minds everyday in God's word, and letting the gospel saturate every area of our lives. Then our prayers will be more pleasing to God, more satisfying to our own souls, and more effective in accomplishing God's purposes for us, for the church, and for the world.

(To be continued next week...)

Gospel-Driven Prayer - Introduction

In this three-part series, we will be looking at the Apostle Paul's letters to the Corinthians. These letters can teach us a lot about what a gospel-driven life – and therefore, what gospel-driven prayer – looks like.

They were a very gifted church. 1 Cor. 1:7, “you are not lacking in any gift….” They were also a strategically located church. Corinth a busy, bustling city. Travelers, merchants, artisans, philosophers, slaves, and others crowded its streets every day.

But, gifted in abilities and opportunities the Corinthian church though they were, they also had a lot of problems. Among the many churches that Paul planted, few received more of his attention than this one.

Paul wrote both Corinthian letters to address certain glaring deficiencies. 1 Corinthians addressed, among other things, division and infighting among the church members. In 2 Corinthians, Paul fought off false teachers who were undermining his authority and trying to assume leadership.

In both letters, Paul discussed the practical implications of the gospel. “If God is who He is, if Christ is Lord and Savior, if the Holy Spirit has regenerated and indwelt us… then how should we live our lives?”

Mark Dever summarizes 1 Corinthians in one word: church. It's all about how the gospel should affect the family of believers.

He uses another word to summarize 2 Corinthians: weakness. The gospel overturns the world's notions about power, and teaches us that we are strongest when we are weak and most dependent upon God.

So, let's spend time in these letters, and see how the gospel can transform our thinking, and our prayers.

(Continue to Part 1 of this series.)

Praising God for One Another

True fellowship is not just Christians socializing with one another, but Christians gathering around the Word and sharing the common life we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Fellowship is more Christ-centered and of deeper significance than we usually have in mind when we use the term.

If this is what true fellowship is, then it must include praising God for one another. We will see from the example of the apostle Paul that the act of praising God for one another is not only a direct participation in the life of the church, but also an indication that one has already been participating.

Sharing in the Life of the Church

Paul told the Thessalonian church, “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thes 1:2, ESV)

When Paul said “always for all of you,” was he exaggerating? Only in a literary sense, in order to make a point. He wasn't flattering the Thessalonians, or trying to make them believe that he somehow remembered each and every one of them in prayer. Rather, he simply meant that he was deeply concerned for them, and prayed for them often, maybe every day. At this time, Paul was 300 kilometers away in Corinth and had not been in direct contact with the Thessalonians for several months, yet he was still participating in the life of the church!

(Now, it's important to note that in this sense God is not calling us to follow Paul's example. He was a missionary, the apostle to the Gentiles, and his ministry was to plant churches. Therefore, he was always on the move and was not called by God to remain in one church for many years. Meanwhile, the New Testament makes it clear that the requirement for all Christians—except in extreme cases—is that we should be committed to one local church.)

We should follow Paul's example, however, in being deeply concerned for the spiritual growth of the church.

Excited Over God's Grace

Paul's prayer sprang from amazement at God's saving grace in the life of the Thessalonians. In verse 3 he recounts how he praises God for the believers' “work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” In verse 4 he gushes over the fact that “our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” In verses 6 and 7 he boasts of the fact that they “received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.” Paul's excitement is clear enough in our English Bibles, but it's even more obvious in the Greek text, because verses 2 to 10 (virtually the entire chapter) are actually just one, long sentence. Paul is so excited over God's grace to the Thessalonian church that he's rambling!

If we want to do justice to Paul's pastoral, prayerful concern for the church, however, we should also note that the reason he was so excited about the Thessalonians' salvation was that he saw it as part of God's grand plan of redemption. In verse 10 he says that the Thessalonians were saved “to wait for [God's] Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. All throughout the letter, Paul reminds and teaches them about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Always, he had the “big picture” in mind.

We should note, however, that Paul did not use the big picture as an excuse for being disinterested and nonchalant towards individual believers. How sad it is that while some Christians struggle to see the whole forest, other Christians find it hard to care about individual trees! Thank God for Paul's example here! Indeed, Paul always had the end goal in mind, but it only motivated him to live more fully in the present.

Seeing God's Hand in the Little Things

When Paul spoke of “remembering” the Thessalonians before God, what did he mean? The original Greek word is mnemoneuō, which can simply mean to be mindful of something or someone, but can also mean to make mention, to rehearse or repeat. For example, in Hebrews 11:22, it is said, “By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention [mnemoneuō] of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.”

Another clue can be found in verses 4 and following: “For we know... that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you... in power and in the Holy Spirit and in full conviction...” and Paul goes on. The key is the word translated “know,” the Greek word eidō. While it can mean to know, its primary meaning is to see. So Paul was confident that the Thessalonians were truly saved because of the consistency that he saw between the great God they professed to believe and the divine power that was obviously at work in their lives.

And so when Paul “remembered” the Thessalonians before God, he recalled the reports he had heard concerning them and recounted these in worshipful awe of the God who is gathering for Himself a holy nation out of every tongue and tribe and people and nation on the earth, and will subject all things under the reign of the Son.

Being Properly Impressed

Do we praise God privately for the salvation of our brothers and sisters? Do we allow ourselves to be impressed by what God does in and through the lives of each member? Now, some brethren may be proud and cynical and hard to impress. They may look at a brother's good works and say, “Oh that's not so impressive! I know non-Christians who have even more good works than this brother!” But that is a foolish way to think. Why? Because even though a Christian's good works are not always impressive in and of themselves, they are the evidence of God's redemptive work in the world. The same cannot be said of even the best works of an unbeliever. And so, even the smallest work, even the littlest growth in grace of a brother or sister in Christ has underneath it the cosmic purpose of the Trinity. And that is impressive, indeed!

Interceding for Others' Needs

“Brothers, pray for us,” said Paul to the Thessalonian believers. We might assume that we can easily understand Paul's sentiments here. After all, who doesn't ask others for prayers? It would benefit us, however, to dig a little deeper into the life of the Thessalonian church, and the apostle's ministry to them.

A Loving Church

One of the notable characteristics of the believers at Thessalonica was their love for one another. It was one of the things that Timothy reported to Paul upon returning from his visit to Thessalonica (3:6). Paul knew their character from the short time he spent with them (which we can read about in the seventeenth chapter of Acts) and having Timothy's report as confirmation he then wrote, “Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another” (4:9). This was certainly a high commendation from such a godly leader of the church!

They also had a special relationship with Paul, since he had been God's instrument in founding the church. They always remembered Paul and longed to see him again (3:6). When Paul asked them to pray for him and his companions (“us”), therefore, he knew that he was appealing to a people who were loving in general, and particularly concerned for him. May we be so towards our own pastors and leaders!

An Engaged Church

Where the Holy Spirit moves in power, love abounds not only for brethren, but also for the lost. This was demonstrated in the life of the Thessalonian church, since Paul wrote of them, “[N]ot only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you... but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything” (1:8). The phrase “we need not say anything” – which Paul repeated in a slightly different way in 4:9 and 5:1 – should not be taken in an absolute sense, because then Paul would be saying that the Thessalonians were already perfect and doing perfect work! Nevertheless, it shows just how much the Thessalonians desired for God to be worshiped among the nations.

While the Thessalonian believers' love for one another strengthened themselves, their love for the gospel and the lost strengthened others. Thus, Paul commended them for being “an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia” (1:7).

By the grace of God, the Thessalonians were a big-hearted bunch. Their love, like that of their Lord's, was broad in scope and deep in depth. Moreover, it was no idle sentiment but a gritty, sweaty, bleeding, agonizing commitment (1:3, Gk. kopos) to God's work of saving souls. (This is the kind of love indicated in 1:3, by the use of the Greek word kopos, which connotes beating, wailing and lamentation.) If this is how the Thessalonian church was, it is no wonder that Paul coveted their intercession for his missionary team! Certainly, this is the kind of encouragement we want to provide for one another.

Paul's desire for the Thessalonians' prayers was born out of the need for God's strength, guidance, and power for effective ministry. But while this seems to be Paul's primary motive, I believe he had a secondary motive. He wanted the Thessalonians to pray for their own benefit. I think this is implied in Paul's description of his ministry to them in chapter two.

An Affectionate Mother

In 2:6-8, Paul compared his love for the Thessalonians to that of a mother for her children, saying, “we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves”. It is one thing to give something we possess, and it is something else to give our own selves. This indicates Paul's almost total commitment to their good.

Is it therefore too far a stretch of the imagination to see in Paul's request for prayer a selfless desire to nurture the faith and love of his spiritual children? Just like the Lord Jesus taught the disciples to pray because He wanted them to grow spiritually (certainly not because He needed their prayers!), the apostle urged the Thessalonians to pray for his team because he knew it would further nurture their selfless love and zeal for the gospel.

Brethren, are we moved by the same selflessness when we ask others to intercede for us?

A Challenging Father

Paul also described himself as a strong and disciplined father who led his children in the path of holiness. He said in verses 11 and 12 of chapter two, “For you know how like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.”

This was not a condescending paternalism, since Paul realized that ultimately God was Father and the One who calls each believer to salvation (including Paul). Rather, Paul's “fatherhood” was a stewardship that he gladly accepted from the Lord and was determined to carry out until either his death or the Lord's return (cf. 1Co 4:1).

Like a good father, Paul rejoiced in the Thessalonians' growth, but wanted to stretch them further. He could not be satisfied until the Lord's work was complete in them (cf. Col 1:28), just as he continued to strive for his own growth in holiness (cf. Php 3:12-14). And so, he urged them, “that as you received from us how you ought to live and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more” (4:1).

One of the practical ways to stretch them was to have them pray. How so? Praying for another requires knowledge of his/her needs. In order to do this, one must get to know the other, to stay connected, to maintain concern. Doing it takes effort. Trying to do it “unceasingly” (5:17) will stretch anyone's capacity for disciplined love. This, I believe, is exactly what Paul had in mind.

Conlusion

Praying for others is a labor of love. We should do it because we want God to bless them and their ministries. We ask others to do it on our behalf not only so that we would be blessed, but that they would grow as well. And ultimately, we should do it all for the glory of God.

"We Give Thanks To God Always For All Of You"

We often take the church for granted and focus on our responsibilities in, and the sacrifices we make for, the church. But we forget why it is that we have accepted such responsibilities in the first place, why we are willing to make sacrifices for the church.

In his first letter to the church in the ancient Macedonian city of Thessalonica, the apostle Paul gushed with thanksgiving and love the brothers and sisters there. Here are some examples:

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly remembering you in our prayers (1:2)

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God... (2:13)

... you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you... (3:6)

For without the church, where would we be? What if you were the only Christian in the world, with no one to share your convictions, your love for God, your faith in Christ, your dependence on the Holy Spirit? What if you had no one to pray with, or to share your burdens, or to encourage you during difficult times when you are feeling weak and discouraged? What if you had no one to help you understand God's word, or confront you when you sin?

Instead of brothers and sisters in Christ, you would be surrounded by people who despised God and couldn't care less about His commandments and promises. The pressure to conform to their ungodly ways would be unimaginable. Life would be one unending battle: just you against the world. No rest, no comrades. What an exhausting and bleak life that would be!

Even the apostle Paul drew strength from other Christians. Even the apostle Paul needed the church. And he rejoiced in it, and thanked God for it. So should we.