Month: June 2017

A Picture of Repentance

Genesis 44:1-45:3

Our last section in the life of Joseph served as a picture of electing grace. This one illustrates repentance. Joseph worked to draw this out of them so that his relationship with them could be restored. Again, let us remember not to push the details of this historical narrative too far. The repentance of the brothers is evident, but everything is not a parallel to what happens in conversion.

First, we see a change of mind (44:1-13). Joseph had a clever plan to discern his brothers’ hearts (44:1-5). He had to use this stratagem (cf. 1 Samuel 16:7). Though God knows our hearts (Jeremiah 17:10), he, too, uses events to bring out our repentance and faith; for example, Abraham, Genesis 22:12. Joseph’s action is not a model for us to follow. The fact that any Biblical character did something is not in itself a warrant for us to do the same. The imperatives of the New Testament set forth God’s wisdom for our way of life. The narrative sections of the word provide examples of how men and women honored or dishonored the Lord by their choices. We must compare their choices with the imperatives.

The change of mind produced evidence of their repentance (44:6-13). They acted honestly regarding the silver. Previously, they had sold Joseph for silver, but now they had offered the silver back to rescue Simeon. They also were loyal to Benjamin. Although he was Rachel’s son, they cast in their lot with him. They acted as brothers ought to act. They didn’t say, “Too bad Ben; a rather sorry turn of events for you. Keep a stiff upper lip, young man.” They did not leave him even when they had the liberty to leave. Instead, they tore their clothes as a sign of their sorrow. Their remorse, at least, would be evident when they were taken to Joseph. While there have been emotional excesses in the past when people were converted, I hardly think the present lack of emotions is healthy either (cf. 2 Corinthians 7:8-11).

Second, they pleaded for mercy (44:14-34). Immediately, they had to face Joseph’s seeming reluctance (44:14-17). He put on a stern face to draw out their true attitudes. Consider Christ and the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:21-28). Jesus used this means so that she could express her faith. The brothers had nothing to say in their defense. What could they say? Though the parallel is imperfect, note Romans 3:19. Joseph declared his justice (44:17). They tried to bargain in the face of their uncovered “guilt”, 44:9, 16. Both times the answer was justice. God doesn’t want bargains from the sinner. He demands justice. What hope can a guilty sinner have? Only the death of Christ our Sin-bearer. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:25-26 NIV).

Judah humbly offered a fervent plea (44:18-34).

  • He acknowledged Joseph’s superiority over them (44:18).
  • He recounted their recent history (44:19-29). It was a very moving account.
  • He set forth Jacob’s condition (44:30-32). This also showed their repentance. They would now do anything to avoid bringing Jacob more grief. Judah would even become a slave that Benjamin might be free.
  • He offered himself as a substitute (44:33-34). This is another picture of Christ!

Third, Joseph made a great and gracious discovery (45:1-3). His time had arrived. In his case, it came at this point, in part, because of his human weakness. His emotions were so strong they overcame any other possible courses of action. Emotions are very powerful in humans. Facts and logic will matter little to anyone under their control. Ask yourself, “What is ruling me, my mind or my emotions?” Joseph wanted his disclosure made in privacy – only to his brothers. The relation between Christ and his people is intimate, like that between husband and wife. He meets us privately. The world has no part in it (cf. Matthew 7:6). He revealed his identity. This was unbelievable to them. Wasn’t Joseph dead? They had told that story so long that they believed it. What would he do to them? “What a discovery the soul makes when it perceives that Jesus whom it crucified is Lord and God” (Spurgeon, cf. Acts 2:37).

Let us learn the following for our own growth. There is hope of repentance for those we esteem unlikely to repent. “We cannot judge what men are by what they have been formerly, nor what they will do by what they have done… Those that had sold Joseph would not now abandon Benjamin” (Henry). We should learn what our attitude should be in reaching out to people who have changed their minds (cf. Luke 17:3-4). Most of all, learn God’s attitude toward every repentant sinner. Read Luke 15 on your own.

Grace and peace, David

The Christian Ministry

1 Thessalonians 3:2-3

We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them (NIV).

We all have heard of too many scandals involving men who are ministers of the good news about Jesus Christ. A week ago Sunday, Sharon and I heard about another serious one. Thankfully, we were spared the details. Power and authority turn the heads of many pastors and elders, even if they don’t fall into sexual sin, like the man we recently heard of. We seem to have an abundance of men that want to manage or control slick, efficient organizations. I pity the people under such leadership. The apostle by the Spirit presents God’s alternative through the example of Timothy, who was a young man at the time of the writing of the first letter to the Thessalonians. Young men can be good men, useful to the Lord in caring for his dearly loved people.

First, Paul recommended Timothy to the Thessalonian believers. He gladly called Timothy his brother. Later in 2 Timothy, Paul talked about Timothy’s faith and salvation. Here, true to his theme in this letter about spiritual relationships, he simply called him brother. Every leader must have this outlook about the congregation in which he serves the Lord. It is a family gathering. We are brothers and sisters in the Lord. We share an equal standing in the family. In other words, leaders are not “super brothers”, with a better position. In God’s family, there is mutual acceptance and appreciation. Leaders must model this attitude, because each one is a co-worker in God’s service. A leader serves God and his people, not himself. He is content to be known as a co-worker because service is what matters, not prominence (cf. Matthew 20:25-28; 23:8-12).

Second, Paul described the work of a minister. He labors in spreading the gospel of Christ. Leaders in the church have their focus on telling the good news of salvation in the Lord Jesus to all people everywhere. They have large hearts, concerned about the eternal welfare of those whom the Lord brings into their lives. They look for possible opportunities to offer the free gift of salvation. For example, a friend of mine told me how he and his son started math tutoring to gain contacts with people in their community. They do good to others by helping them with math, which is excellent in itself. And they meet new people to whom they might be able to tell the good news. One of our biggest obstacles in telling the gospel is meeting people. I’m sure you know this already.

At the same time, ministers seek to strengthen and encourage you in your faith. This implies some measure of spiritual experience and maturity. They know what it is to be strong in the Lord (Ephesians 6:10). They have received comfort and encouragement from the Father, and understand how to lead other believers to the Father’s care (2 Corinthians 1:3-7).

Third, Christ’s ministers keep the spiritual stability of their local assembly in their hearts. They do not want anyone to be unsettled by these trials. In our time, the faith, hope, and love of God’s people are weak. It seems like even the slightest opposition or difficulty can turn people from the way. A wise leader understands the character of the times, the weakness of his people, and the way to strengthen and encourage others in their trials. He knows that he will have to invest time and work in their lives to keep them from becoming unsettled. He realizes that with some he will need to repair their foundation, while with others, he will need to help them clear out the clutter. He can evaluate and serve them in their needs. May the Lord give you leaders like this!

Grace and peace, David

The Attributes of God (Part Nine)

Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 106:1 ESV)

God is Good. “In one aspect of this word, it is merely equivalent to holiness… On the other hand, the goodness of God may be spoken of as kindness, benevolence, or beneficence towards others, in which it is seen to terminate outside of himself. Thus we speak of him as being very good to us.” (Boyce, Abstract of Theology, p. 93). God wants to act for the benefit of others; he desires that others enthusiastically share in the joy and peace of all that he is (Exodus 33:19; 2 Chronicles 5:13; 30:18; Psalm 25:7-8; 31:19; 52:9; 100:5; 119:68; Nahum 1:7; Matthew 19:7). Out of this desire flows goodness toward his creation (Psalm 145:7, 9, 15-16; Lamentations 3:25; Acts 14:17; James 1:17). In fact, since the creation came by the power and will of the One who is good, all that God made was “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

God’s people should rejoice in his goodness (2 Chronicles 6:41; Psalm 106:1; 107:1; 118:1), and we should seek to experience the goodness of the Lord (Psalm 34:8). And we find that God in his goodness reaches out to his people (Psalm 73:1; Matthew 7:11; Romans 8:32; 2 Peter 1:3). God is “essentially good; not only good, but goodness itself: the creature’s good is a superadded quality, in God it is his essence. He is infinitely good; the creature’s good is but a drop, but in God there is an infinite ocean or gathering together of good. He is eternally and immutably good, for He cannot be less good than He is; as there can be no addition made to Him, so no subtraction from Him” (Manton, quoted by Pink, The Attributes of God, p. 65).

“When others behave badly to us, it should only stir us up the more heartily to give thanks unto the Lord, because He is good; and when we ourselves are conscious that we are far from being good, we should only the more reverently bless Him that He is good. We must never tolerate an instant’s unbelief as to the goodness of the Lord; whatever else may be questioned, this is absolutely certain, that Jehovah is good; His dispensations may vary, but His nature is always the same” (Spurgeon, quoted by Pink, p. 69).

God’s goodness motivates God’s people to act for the good of others. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone (Titus 3:8 NIV). Since we have experienced the goodness of God, we should act for the good and benefit of our neighbors. In this way, we are instruments of his goodness in the lives of all around us.

Grace and peace, David

The Holy Spirit (Part Eighteen)

2 Peter 1:20-21

Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (ESV).

One of the great questions of humanity involves the study of knowledge. “How do I know?” and “How do I know that I know?” There are only a few basic answers to that question, such as “mankind can’t know,” or “mankind can know through some mystical process,” or mankind has all the ability to know,” or “mankind can only know truly through revelation.” All the first three answers are defective or insufficient for many reasons, which are outside of our theme in this article. What remains is the Biblical position that we can know because God has spoken. This brings us to the place of the Holy Spirit in God revealing himself to mankind.

Revelation has two parts: general and special. General revelation is God revealing himself in creation (Psalm 19:1-6). Special revelation is God revealing himself by speaking to mankind. God chose some of that special revelation to be permanently recorded in written form to speak with God’s authority. The Lord does this so that we might know his person, his will, and his saving activity. This written record God calls the Scriptures, and we often call it the Bible, the Book.

Our focus in this article is the activity of the Holy Spirit of God in giving us the written message. As we begin, it is wise to state that we will encounter mystery here. The Spirit does not answer all our questions in the Bible. In it he gives us true truth, though not exhaustive truth, for a good reason (John 21:25). But though we cannot know fully, we have all we need to know. Consider an example.

The games of the great chess grandmasters have been preserved for people to enjoy and study. If you have some understanding of chess, you can replay them and grasp to some degree how they achieved victory. But sometimes it is a marvel how they could discern the possibilities in a position and bring out its potential sometimes through a sequence of many moves. Watch the movie, Searching for Bobby Fischer, if you want to see some of this. In a similar way, when we come to the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures, we can learn what he has done, but he has not made known the full process of how the Scriptures were written. We will have to stop where the Scriptures stop. Be content that the Spirit knows, even though you do not.

The Scriptures are a joint product of the Holy Spirit and people. We see this divine-human interaction in many areas of Biblical teaching.

  • Christ has two natures (one divine and one human) in his one person. Both are clearly attested in the Scriptures, though the exact nature of their interaction is beyond our understanding.
  • God’s sovereignty interacts with human responsibility in salvation. God clearly chooses people to salvation, yet everyone who is saved repents and believes.
  • The mission of evangelism is another divine-human interaction. Our task is to tell others the good news, but unless the Holy Spirit regenerates, all our evangelistic efforts fail.
  • As we shall see, the whole area of growth in grace involves divine-human interaction.

Each of these divine-human interactions varies in different ways. But the product of the Scriptures is closer in kind to the relationship between Christ’s two natures than the others, all of which involve human sin.

The apostolic teaching is that “men spoke from God” or “holy men of God spoke”, as the NKJV reads following the textual variant. In either case, we are clearly taught that the Scriptures came through human instrumentality: “men spoke”. We see this same assertion made in other places: David (Luke 20:42; Ac 2:34), Isaiah (John 12:39), Joel (Ac 2:16), and “the word of the prophets” with Amos in mind (Acts 15:15). Compare also Matthew 13:14; 15:7; 22:43; Mark 12:36. Yet as these men spoke, God spoke through them (Matthew 2:17; 3:3; 13:35; 21:4; Acts 4:25). We can also see this in the differences of style among the various human writers. Ezekiel does not sound the same as Moses, nor does Paul sound like John. Yet in all, we read the same consistent teaching, sense the same heart of the master author, and are presented with the same zeal for God’s glory in the face of Christ. All this occurred in about forty human writers over the space of 1600 years! The observable facts of Scripture attest to this divine-human interaction.

This should lead us to worship the Lord. “Who are you, Almighty God, that you can work in human hearts in such a magnificent way?”

Grace and peace, David

An Illustration of Electing Grace

Genesis 43:15-34

As the Scriptures tell us the story of God’s glory in Christ, some sections are illustrative of God’s acts of grace. Obviously, an illustration should not be pressed at all points, and we should not lose touch with the historic nature of the account. But with that in mind, we can observe some matters about God’s electing grace.

Electing grace is not the result of human effort (43:15-16). Joseph’s brothers were involved in the normal pursuits of this life. Their minds were set on finding food. They were not looking for Joseph. This is a characteristic of the lifestyle of a worldly person, involved in matters of life to the exclusion of God. Jesus calls us to a different way to live. For the Gentiles [the nations] seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:32-33 ESV). As the brothers were not looking for Joseph, so people do not seek the Lord (Romans 3:11). Sin rules over them so that they have no room for God in their thoughts (Psalm 10:4).

Yet Joseph had a plan to work for their good, a plan for a greater good than they could imagine. All that he has done to this point in time has been with a concern for their ultimate happiness, even if they had to have sorrows along the way. The time had come to interrupt their lives. He wanted to restore his relationship with him, though they had greatly wronged him. God interrupts the lives of his chosen people. He meets them as they go their own way. This interruption comes from his grace alone. View Joseph’s method. Were they seeking food? He would use a banquet to begin to teach them his grace! Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? (Romans 2:4 ESV).

Electing grace uses ministers in its plan. His servant acted according to Joseph’s will (43:17). Obedience to the master’s will is the first concern for proper service. Once R.C. Sproul was asked in a seminary class, “Why bother to evangelize if God has chosen who will be saved?” He answered, “I guess possibly because he told us to.” Joseph’s brothers misinterpreted the servant’s obedience (43:18). For this reason, the servant had to deal with their objections. The brothers stumbled over the events of providence in their lives and tried to justify themselves (43:20-22). But the steward pointed them to God as the true explanation for the event (43:23). God was the first cause, though Joseph was the second cause (cf. 42:25). We must tell people that God is involved in human history.

The servant did the most important thing; he led them to Joseph (43:24). He took them to the correct place. Sinners meet the Savior at the cross. Take them there to Christ (1 Corinthians 2:1-2). He dealt with them kindly. God’s servants ought to show forth the generosity, kindness, and compassion of their Lord. Do sinners see the beauty of the Lord when you speak to them?

Electing grace throbs with love. Joseph’s affections were set on them, even when that was hidden from them. He was interested in their well-being and inquired about it (43:27). Joseph was deeply moved when he saw his brother (43:29-30). Compare Christ’s attitude (Hebrews 12:2).

Joseph was self-controlled in the pursuit of his plan (43:31). He would not directly eat with them until the relationship was restored (43:32). He gave evidence of his great wisdom (43:33). He was discerning in his bountiful provision (43:34). In the same way, we should honor God for his wisdom in electing grace. Read Romans 8:28-30 with joy!

Grace and peace, David

The Holy Spirit (Part 17)

Psalm 104:29-30

When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground (NIV).

On our previous stop on our “tour” in the “dimly lit chamber” of the Old Testament Scriptures, we saw the Holy Spirit’s care in creation and his power to bring God’s plan in creation to full realization. When the Spirit completed the work, everything was “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

Next, we see the Spirit of God as Perfecting Presence of God.

The Spirit discloses the presence of God. Please do not confuse God’s “presence” with God’s “omnipresence”. The second is the teaching that God is everywhere throughout the universe, and indeed, beyond it. But the presence of the Lord is “God being present with his people… acting in particular situations to bless faithful folk and thus make them know his love and help and draw forth their worship” (Packer, Keep in Step with the Spirit, p. 48). See Ex 3:12; 33:14-16; Josh 1:5,9; Is 43:2,5.

In the Old Testament Scriptures, we find that the Spirit makes God’s face or presence known. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. (Ps 139:7-10 NIV; cf. Psalm104:29-30; Ezekiel 39:25-29). When we’re in the presence of a person, we can see their face. If they hide their face from us, they don’t want to be known by us. God’s Spirit reveals God’s face to us. God wants us to know him personally.

In agreement with this, the Spirit of God rested on people to empower them for important tasks.

  • Moses and the elders of Israel (Numbers 11:24-30)
  • Joseph (Genesis 41:38)
  • Daniel (Daniel 4:8-9; 5:11-14)
  • Bezalel (Exodus 31:1-11; 35:30-35)
  • Saul (1 Samuel 11:6-7)

The Old Testament Scriptures prophesied that the Spirit would rest on the Messiah to help him in his work (Isaiah 11:1-5; 61:1-3). When God is at work to fulfill his will for his glory, there you will find the Spirit of God (Zechariah 4:6). Therefore, we must seek the gracious presence of the Lord in the Person of the Holy Spirit of God.

With this in mind, we can begin to grasp something of the Spirit’s relationship to the people of God in the old covenant. The Spirit was the Guiding Person. By this phrase, we mean the Spirit was the executive in charge of carrying out God’s purpose of grace.

  • The Holy Spirit worked among the people of God as a whole (Isaiah 63:7-14).
  • The Spirit is linked with Moses in the working of miracles. Compare Exodus 8:19 with Luke 11:20; Matthew 12:28.
  • The Spirit guided the people into the blessings of being in covenant with the living God.
  • The Spirit carried out the redemption from Egypt, which is typical of our better redemption from sin. Notice that they “grieved his Holy Spirit” (Isaiah 63:10; cf. Ephesians 4:30). You cannot grieve an impersonal force or breath; you can only grieve a person.

The Spirit of the Lord worked with old covenant believers. David sensed the great benefit of the Holy Spirit’s ministry—to have the Spirit is to have the joy of salvation (Psalm 51:10-12). Yet what David had does not measure up to what we now have (John 14:17).

God willing, in the articles ahead we want to explore this greater blessing of the Holy Spirit in the new covenant. But for now, think about the Spirit as the One leading or guiding God’s people into the experience of God’s blessing. What do you know of this mighty Comforter and Guide? You only receive his blessings through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 7:37).

Grace and peace, David