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Daily Bible thoughts 799: Monday 26th January 2015: Ephesians 5:21-33

Ephesians 5:21-33

To follow John Stott’s outline, ‘Ephesians’ is about ‘New life’, ‘new society’, ‘new standards’, and finally ‘new relationships’ God gives people new life, forms them into a new community, and in it they hold to new standards and have new relationships.

In conducting all our relationships the main issue is Jesus (21). How can we please Jesus? What behaviour on our part will honour Jesus? How would Jesus want me to be with this person? It’s about seeing Jesus in people and serving Jesus in people.

The first part of this section on relationships relates to marriage (22-33), and Paul has particular things to say to both husbands and wives.

First of all he says that the relationship of a wife to a husband should be like that of the church to Christ (22-24). It should be one of complete submission. I attended the wedding of a friend some years ago, and in the ceremony she made a commitment to her husband ‘to love, honour and follow your spiritual leadership.’ I think that gets pretty close to what the apostle is calling for here. (Don’t forget that verse 21 precedes these verses. I know that sounds like stating the obvious, but it is important. Paul has called for mutual submission across the church. Husbands need to listen to their wives humbly and courteously, and there will be times when they need to adjust their thinking and behaviour accordingly.)

Secondly he says that the relationship of a husband to his wife should be like that of Christ to the church (25-33). It is hard to conceive that any woman would not want to follow a man who loves her like Jesus. A Christian husband should love his wife:

  • Sacrificially (25): He will lay down his own life for her sake;
  • Beneficially (26, 27): She should be a better person; more holy and godly, more radiantly Christ-like, because she is united to this man in the mystery of marriage;
  • Thoughtfully (28-33): He must treat her like he would treat himself; he is to love her as he loves himself. In a sense she is his body, for they are ‘’one flesh’’ (31), just as the church is Christ’s ‘body’ and one with Him (29, 30).

Mention of the creation order for marriage (31) forcibly presses home the point that God’s original intent was for a man and woman to come together and unite. The Bible knows no other starting point for marriage. There’s nothing else on the drawing board other than one man leaving one father and one mother to be married to one woman.

‘’It’s all about you Jesus.’’ Properly understood, marriage is all about Jesus. We are called to be like Jesus. We are called to behave like Jesus we are called to do all that we do as husbands and wives for the honour of Jesus. What a calling! Without the fullness of the Spirit (18) we can’t be the people we are intended to be. But with His freely available help we can rise to great heights of loving service.

Prayer: Let me see you in everyone I meet today Lord Jesus, and serve you in them.

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Daily Bible thoughts 798: Friday 23rd January 2015: Ephesians 5:8-20

Ephesians 5:8-20

Have you ever seen those ‘before and after’ photos from slimming groups and the like? The Christian’s story is one of ‘’…once…but now…’’ (8; see also 11). Paul’s call for new standards in this section is based on the fact that Christians are new people. They are not what they once were; they are not who they were. They should now live in keeping with who they are; they have to be what they are. Paul tells the Ephesians to live out of who God has made them; who He is making them to be. Here are some things about the new life they are called to. They are to:

  1. Live fruitfully (9): In union with Jesus such a life is possible (John 15);
  2. Live thoughtfully (10): They are to be sensitive towards the Lord’s feelings and seek to please Him;
  3. Live brightly (11-14): This is a morally ‘dark’ world, and Christian people used to be dark themselves. But they have been brought out of darkness into ‘’wonderful light’’ (1 Peter 2:9). Christ, the ‘’light of the world’’ (John 8:11) has raised them (2:1-11) and shone upon them. They are now to reflect His light in the world (Matthew 5: 14-16) They cannot expect to be popular when they ‘’expose’’ the ‘’fruitless deeds of darkness’’ (11). There is no place for compromise (11a). Christians need to put distance between themselves and sin. So they must also
  4. Live carefully (15, 16): The world is not only dark, it is also dangerous (‘’evil’’ ). It will take great wisdom to seize the opportunities that come our way for witness/service in such a hostile environment. (I heard the results of a survey this morning, revealing that half the men in the U.K. say they are atheists or agnostic. If this is even only partially true, it speaks about the great challenge we face);
  5. Live insightfully (17): Ask God for the wisdom to know how you should live your life day by day (James 1: 5-8);
  6. Live powerfully (18): This is a command, not a suggestion. The idea is ‘always be filled’. D.L. Moody was asked, ‘Why do you pray so often to be filled with the Holy Spirit?’ He replied, ‘Because I leak!’ In an age where Christians generally feel more liberated about alcohol, it is important to remember that the Bible forbids drunkenness. Don’t let your liberty become license. (I got a picture of my life when I was praying just the other day. I saw a sea cave, and I felt that the Lord was saying to me that He wants to wash in; flood in with the waves of His Spirit. But He also wants to wash things out. I know this picture is not just for me);
  7. Live thankfully (19, 20): When should Spirit-filled people give thanks? Always, in all circumstances and for all things. Only the fullness of the Spirit can make this possible. Let’s be careful about what we say to each other. We should seek to lift one another up as much as possible with joyfully constructive words.

This morning, when I came into the office, it was still dark, so I needed to put the light on to be able to see. It is an unusually dark and snowy morning. A couple of times I tried turning the light off, but there still wasn’t sufficient natural light in the room. In a few minutes I will try again. It is impossible to see to do anything without light. Let us be that light in God’s World, giving people reason to be glad that we are there.

Prayer: Lord, you have changed me. You are changing me. Help me to live out my new and true identity in this dark world.

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Daily Bible thoughts 797: Thursday 22nd January 2015: Isaiah 66:14-24

Isaiah 66:14-24

This wonderful prophecy of Isaiah concludes on a note of triumph. In the end God will triumph over all His enemies. However, what is a triumph for God and His people will be a tragedy for those who reject Him and worship other gods.

‘’Many may wonder why Isaiah ends his book with such a negative final verse. The reason is simple: it is the true ending for all those who rebel against God. If, after hearing all of Isaiah’s marvellous promises and terrible warnings, one still chooses to rebel against God, let that person know what his end will be. Isaiah’s book is written not so much to make believers happy as to bring unbelievers to repentance. Remember that Jesus Himself quoted Isaiah’s last verse in order to deter people from going to Hell (see Mark 9:47-48). The good news of salvation must always be combined with warnings of judgment; otherwise we will end up preaching only half the truth.’’ Tom Hale: ‘The Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.1074.

I read a story about a simple Christian man who took a labouring job. Each lunch time he took out a book of Moody’s sermons and read them. One day one of his fellow-workers asked him what he was reading. He told them, and they said, ‘Well read them to us.’ So that was what he did, every lunch time, until one day he forgot his book. ‘Then you’ll have to give us one of your own sermons,’ they laughingly told him. ‘’All right’’, he said. When a friend asked him what he said, he answered, ‘’I told them about ‘ell. They’d never heard about ‘ell.’’

It seems to me that many Evangelicals are going soft on the Bible’s clear and repeated teaching about Hell and Judgment. We have no right to re-write Scripture. A preacher’s job is to say what the Bible says. It is not to re-create the content. This last part of Isaiah is a reminder that there are two ways we can choose, and the way that leads away from God will have eternally disastrous consequences (14b). ‘’Many, oh so many, are under GOD’s sentence of death.’’ The Message. That is something people don’t like to hear and we may feel reluctant to say it. But we didn’t write the script; our job is to deliver the lines. God will bless our preaching if we honour Him and His Word.

In (19-21) Isaiah foresees the day when Jews and Gentiles will be one before God (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11. They will be a ‘’holy priesthood’’ (1 Peter 2:5, 9). He also looks ahead to when all people will ‘’bow down’’ before the Lord (Phil.2:9-11). It is good to know that a day is coming when every knee will bend before Christ and acknowledge His Lordship over the entire universe. They will not all be saved; but they will all ‘’bow’’ and ‘’confess’’.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I thank you for this wonderful book of Isaiah and its timeless message. Help me to never be ashamed of any part of it. Please strengthen me to always say what you say, even though it might be unpopular.

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Daily Bible thoughts 796: Wednesday 21st January 2015: Isaiah 66:7-13

Isaiah 66:7-13

This final chapter of Isaiah, it has been said, deals with trembling (1-6), travail (7-13) and triumph (14-24).

Normally, there is no birth without travail; without labour pains. But (7-13) point to a rather unusual kind of childbirth, i.e. one that is pain free, and incredibly quick. Commentators seem to agree that Isaiah is looking beyond the restoration of Jerusalem, following the exile, to the ultimate coming of Christ’s Kingdom. Under Jesus’ rule there will be a ‘population explosion’. There will be multiple miraculous, supernatural ‘new’ births. Our God is the ‘God of surprises’. He does surprising things in surprising ways (8). It is clear that God is responsible for these births (9). He brings people to ‘birth’ with great ease. He also is the ultimate source of all the nurture, care, comfort, abundance and deep satisfaction that these brand new ‘babies’ are going to find in ‘’Jerusalem’’ (11-13). In this day of Christ’s of Kingdom, people should be able to find all of these wonderful realities in the church, but ultimately they come from God.

Do we look to Him for our ‘’comfort’’? (13). Do we trust Him to be to us what only He can be? God offers more ‘’peace’’ than you know what to do with (12a). It’s so deep you could swim in it. Do we live like paupers when in fact we are in a place of lavish provision? (11, 12) Do we ‘’drink deeply’’ and ‘’delight in’’ all that God so generously provides in Christ? (11). There is no need for anyone in Jesus’ Kingdom to go hungry or thirsty, or to lack any good thing.

Prayer: Help me, Lord, to grasp all that is mine in Jesus. Enable me to revel in it, and draw on all these wonderful and limitless resources in Christ.

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Daily Bible thoughts 795: Tuesday 20th January 2015: Isaiah 66:1-6

Isaiah 66:1-6:

This is a tale of two types of people – those who respond appropriately to God and those who don’t; those who have true religion and those who have trivial ritual

‘’What sort of house could you build for me? What holiday spot reserve for me? I made all this! I own all this!’’ GOD’s Decree. ‘’But there is something I’m looking for: a person simple and plain, reverently responsive to what I say.’’ The Message.

There is a danger of putting too much emphasis on buildings. They can take on an iconic status and be (almost) worshipped. There is no preoccupation with church buildings in the New Testament. It is clear that the people form the church; they are God’s building (1 Corinthians 3:9). This is not to say that it is wrong for a church to have a building. If the church is going to meet it will be in some kind of building. But we must never think that God lives in a man-made building. God’s temple in Jerusalem was only ever a symbol of His dwelling place among men (Acts 7:48-50). People are His temple; people who humbly and receptively bow before Him and His Word (2; see also Isaiah 57:15).

However, people who respond positively to God won’t necessarily find life easy. They will be a counter-cultural group in society, and will swim against the tide. They will be opposed by others who want to go their own way. They will be on a collision course with secular society.

‘’ But listen to what GOD has to say to you who reverently respond to his Word: ‘’Your own families hate you and turn you out because of me. They taunt you, ‘Let us see GOD’s glory! If God’s so great, why aren’t you happy?’ But they’re the ones who are going to end up shamed.’’

The most fierce opposition to God-fearing people may well come from those who are merely religious. There was a lot of religion in Isaiah’s day, but the people wrapped up in it carried on living how they chose. The religious do not like humble, simple, godly people who love God and His Word and who live to obey it. They can be violently and murderously angry with them. The people described in (3 and 4) are always liable to persecute those described in (2 and 5). This is part of the cost of true discipleship. It is important to remember that in the end they will not win. God says through Isaiah that he hates merely ritualistic acts of worship (see Proverbs 15:8). In God’s eyes they are equivalent to brutality and idolatry. These things are ‘’abominations’’ to Him (3b).

‘’Your acts of worship are acts of sin: Your sacrificial slaughter of the ox is no different from murdering the neighbour…You choose self-serving worship, you delight in self-centred worship – disgusting!…You did the very things I exposed as evil, you chose what I hate.’’ The Message.

Prayer: Help me today, and every day, to humbly respond to your Word, Lord. If this means that I am despised and mis-understood, strengthen me to endure it. I want to cheerfuly carry the cross for you.

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Daily Bible Thoughts 794: Monday 19th January 2015:Isaiah 17-25

 Isaiah 65:17-25

This is a remarkable prophecy. It’s theme is picked up and reiterated in the New Testament ( See, for example, Revelation 21, 22.) Although Isaiah may have had in mind, to some extent, the joy and peace to follow the restoration of Jerusalem and return from exile, it is obvious that he had in mind something greater and far more glorious; a reality that even now is obviously still future tense. The vision of the Bible is immense, and we so often scale it down. God’s purpose is nothing other than a totally renewed cosmos, free from the ugliness of sin, suffering and pain. The allusion to (11:6-9) implies that this will be brought about through the Messiah.

‘’The new is portrayed wholly in terms of the old, only without the old sorrows; there is no attempt to describe any other kind of newness. Hence the familiar setting, Jerusalem, and the modest satisfactions, largely the chance to ‘enjoy the work of (one’s) hands.’ This allows the most important things to be prominent in the passage: the healing of old ills (17b); joy (18-19); life (20…); security (21-23a); fellowship with God (23b-24) and concord among his creatures (25). The point of a hundred years old is that in this new setting a mere century is shamefully brief, so vast is the scale…all this is expressed freely, locally and pictorially, to kindle hope rather than feed curiosity.’’ Derek Kidner: ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.669

Prayer: Thank you for the glorious hope you hold out to all your people,

 

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Daily Bible thoughts 793: Friday 16th January 2015: Psalm 112

Stuart Briscoe, in his autobiography, ‘Flowing Streams’, recalls a mission at Manchester University, in which, during a ‘Question Time’, John Stott was aggressively asked, ‘’How can there be a God when there is so much evil in the world?’’ Briscoe says that as well as he can remember, Stott replied, ‘’My dear young friend, I have asked myself that question a thousand times but always coupled with another question of equal importance, namely, ‘How can there not be a God when there is so much good in the world?’ We cannot ask the one without the other, can we?’’ (pp.47, 48)

The truth is that in this fallen world, scarred by suffering and pain, bad things happen, even to good people. This beautiful psalm speaks of a man who fears God and is committed to His ways. It does not say that he will receive no ‘’bad news’’ (think about what happened to that ‘’gracious and compassionate and righteous man’’ Job), but only that he will not ‘’fear’’ it (7). He has a ‘’secure’’ (8) and ‘’steadfast’’ (7) heart that comes from ‘’trusting in the LORD.’’ (7). There is an absence of ‘’fear’’ (8; Luke 1:74, 75). ‘’Even in darkness’’ he has ‘’light’’ (4), and he takes the long view (8b). Whatever ‘’bad news’’ may pay him a visit in the short term, he knows that ‘’in the end’’ it is all good news. ‘’Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people – God’s grace and mercy and justice!’’ The Message.

Godly people are not necessarily prosperous, but they may be (3). There are many, many godly poor in the world, but there are also the godly wealthy. Of course, at different stages in their lives, believers may experience both poverty and plenty (Phil.4:11-13). But one thing that marks people who ‘fear the Lord’ and have a lot of money is this: the ‘’Wealth and riches’’ that are in their houses (3a) are not hoarded there. They are generously shared (5) and given away (9; see 1 Timothy 6:17-19). ‘’Their houses brim with wealth And a generosity that never runs dry…The good person is generous and lends lavishly…They lavish gifts on the poor – A generosity that goes on, and on, and on. An honoured life! A beautiful life! The Message. Ungodly people who just want to have lots of lovely lolly for themselves, look with envy (10) when they see the blessing of God on those who fear Him and honour Him with their lives (including their goods). They can’t work it out. They just don’t get it. So they become angry, seeing something of what they want, but it eludes them.

Just as it is important to point out that godly people are not all, and always, wealthy, so it needs to be said that they don’t all have trouble-free times with their children. This psalm should not be taken as a cast iron guarantee that the children raised in believing homes will always turn out well. Nevertheless, it must be said that those children who do grow up in Christian homes are in a place of privilege and blessing (2). They are exposed to the example of their parents day after day, and they are the recipients of so much teaching and prayer. It is not surprising that many do turn out to be ‘’mighty in the land’’ (2). This is a great prayer to pray for your children, wherever they are today.

Prayer: Help me Lord to be fearless and generous as I seek to love you, worship you and honour you in every detail of my life. Thank you for your truly undeserved blessings.

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Daily Bible thoughts 790: Tuesday 13th January 2015: Ephesians 4: 17- 1

In John Stott’s break down of the structure of ‘Ephesians’, he says that God gives people new life, bringing them into a new society in which they have new standards. The section dealing with these ‘new standards’ starts here at chapter four verse seventeen and goes through to chapter five verse twenty.

When you are in Christ you are supposed to live differently (17), and along with the apostolic insistence about this, we are going to see that there is also a divine infilling (Ephesians 5:18) to make it possible. The Christian life begins with repentance which is an ‘about turn’. The word to repent literally means to change your mind. It’s a change of mind leading to a change of behaviour. It is a fact that ‘’futility of thinking’’ lies behind all pre-Christian conduct, and the Bible always connects the dots between the way we think and the way we behave. As we think in our hearts, so are we! That is why you have to repent in order to live the life God is calling you to.

It is imperative to live a new life once you are in Christ. Paul’s language is strong. But his insistence is not his own, but Christ’s: ‘’…I …insist on it in the Lord…’’ The new standards are set by Christ. Indeed they are shaped by who Jesus is. We are intended to be a reflection of Him (20, 21) The call to Christian discipleship is not on a ‘take it or leave it’ basis. We are under orders to live differently. Jesus Christ is ‘’Lord’’ (17).

So before someone becomes a Christian they are ‘’separated from the life of God’’ (18). This is at the heart of being spiritually ‘’dead’’ (2:1); it is to be cut off from God. Someone in that state has a problem with their ‘’thinking’’ (18) and ‘’understanding’’ (18). They are ignorant regarding the most important matters. And not only do they have blind minds, but they also have hard hearts (18b). Most of all this is hardness towards God, but it often shows itself in hard-heartedness towards people. But the loss of ‘’sensitivity’’ is particularly God-ward in direction, and shows itself in doing things that displease Him (19) and wanting to do ‘’more’’ of them.

It’s been said that the last words of (19) could be engraved on the tomb of every materialist: ‘’…with a continual lust for more.’’ Materialism is like drinking sea (salt) water; the more you have, the more you want!

When God raises you from death with Christ, He makes it possible for you to live in a way that is totally different (2:10), and He ‘insists’ that you do.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for setting me free from that old, futile, sin-dominated way of thinking and living.

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Daily Bible thoughts 789: Monday 12th January 2015: Isaiah 65:1-17

When God ‘’called’’ to His people they ‘’did not answer’’; when He ‘’spoke’’ they ‘’did not listen’’ (12). We know from our reading of this great prophetic book thus far that if we do not listen when God speaks to us, we cannot expect Him to listen when we try to talk to Him in prayer. He calls us to turn from our own sinful ways that are displeasing to Him (12b). Think back to Friday’s notes on chapter 64 (verses 4-7 especially).

God takes the initiative in salvation (1). But so many of the people He revealed Himself to turned away from Him to idols and disgraceful practices (2-5), for no religion can be better than its gods! So the Lord was going to bring punishment upon His sinful people (6, 7, 11 and 12).

But, thankfully, this is far from being the entire story. Amidst the prevalent unfaithfulness there was a godly remnant (8-10). There were those who genuinely did seek the Lord, and He promised His blessing to them. God would take care of them. Beyond the inevitable exile there would be a new dawn; a new beginning for God’s chosen people.

This chapter is headed ‘’Judgment and Salvation’’ in the ‘New International Version’ of the Bible. It is true that both ‘options’ are ‘on offer’ here (13-17). We can turn from our sins, to the Lord, and find blessing; or we can turn from Him to our idols and have judgment. Someone observed that ultimately all God does in judging people is to confirm the choices they have already made. So be wary of what you desire for it will surely be yours. As C.S. Lewis said, in the final analysis there are only two kinds of people in this world – ‘’those who say to God, ‘Your will be done’; and those to whom God says, ‘Your will be done.’ ‘’

Thought: What is God saying to me today? What am I doing about it? What am I going to do about it?

Prayer: Lord God, help me to approach you with a clean heart. I want to repent of all my sin so there is no blockage in the prayer channel.

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