More Joy (Psalm 4:7)

You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.
Psalm 4:7

The content of Christian joy is never placed in material possessions or temporal prosperity. Rather, it is always placed in the firm foundation of God’s character to us in Jesus.

Notice the contrast in this verse: while grain and wine abound for those who do not know God, David, without those things, still has more joy than them. It must be therefore that David’s source of joy is not based on the whimsy securement of physical pleasure, but on who he knows his God to be. Even if he doesn’t have luxury, physical safety, good health, or a good reputation in this life—he has his God, and this is enough.

Jesus told his disciples in John 16:22 that “no one will take your joy from you.” How could this be true if our joy was based on something that could be gone tomorrow? Jesus is centering our hearts on the eternal. He is grounding our lives—what we worship, what we put our hope in, where we derive satisfaction—in Himself.

Reader, this world will always leave you gasping for joy. Others can never live up to who you wish they were. You will never be all you desire to be. The world is in turmoil, there are forces outside your control—like sickness, suffering and sorrow—which daily intrude your self-contrived plans for the “good life.” When this happens, the first temptation is to narrow your focus on yourself and say “why me?” Somehow, we convince ourselves we are entitled to a life without trouble. But what if true joy can be had even with these things?

Get this: David had much to lack in this verse, but he still had more joy. So when our lives seemingly lack in whatever area we wish they wouldn’t, we must turn our gaze to what we have in God. The reason why David was satisfied is because he knew that God’s love for him was never-ceasing. As those in Christ, we know that God is for us, with us, and working all things together for our good. He knows what is best for us, so when unexpected trials and sufferings come, we are reminded by James to “count it all joy…when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (Jas 1:2-3). Indeed, we are able to count our trials and sufferings as joy because we know that God, in His infinite wisdom, love and sovereignty, is able to use them for our good. And our ultimate good is to be made more like Jesus.

So when Jesus tells you that “no one will take your joy from you,” this is only possible if the entirety of your being is focused on Jesus Himself. For He—as the loving, tender, good Shepherd—never changes. And if He never changes, then your joy is secure. Not that your life will be free from trouble, or that you’ll never be sad, but that you can always have joy.

And often that perspective is what makes all the difference.

The Lifter of Your Head (Psalm 3:3)

But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head.
Psalm 3:3

There are three descriptions of who the Lord is for you in this verse.

First, He is a shield about you. David, the psalmist-King, knew the dangers and anxieties of war. Constantly escaping from evil, vulnerable to violence, he knew his only security came from the Lord’s sovereign protection. David knew the function of a shield—to be a wall of protection between him and an oncoming threat. This word-picture does not change for us: God is our shield, our fortress, our protection. As it is written elsewhere, we can hide “in the shadow of his wings” (Ps 17:8). Though God’s shielding of us is not physical, that is, seen with our eyes, it is nonetheless powerful. God, in infinite power and wisdom, is able to protect us through the working of His sovereign providence. If you are a child of God through Jesus Christ, “who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?” (Rm 8:33). Though our enemies may look more like lies against our salvation, guilt from the devil, and persecution for living for Christ—God is our shield ever more.

Second, God is your glory. What reputations do we seek apart from the Lord? What securities do we build our lives upon that are not God? David knew that if everything was stripped away—his kingdom, how others perceived him, his family—he still had God as his glory. To have God as our glory is to know the infinite worth we have in Him despite what is happening around or within us. David knew God would vindicate him, for he did not place his worth in his own strength or abilities, but in the Creator Himself. Is all of your life set, fixated—obsessed—with being about God? Do you know who you are in Christ, all the promises laid out for you in Scripture? For God to be your glory, He must be your everything—or else He is secondary to another competing glory in your life.

Finally, God is the lifter of your head. What a tender promise we have here. There will surely be times we cannot lift our own heads from sorrow, despondency, fear, shame, anxiety, or grief. There will be times we tremble under panic, not knowing how to go one more day. But God—our great, merciful, slow-to-anger, and rich-in-love God—is the lifter of our heads. This is not something He only does once in a while; no, it is who He is. He is the lifter. It is what He does. Are you downcast today? It is ok; in due time the Lord will lift your eyes for you. Are you scared for your future? Do not fear; God has your days within His hands. His tender hand reaches down, softly pulls your chin up, so that you look at Him. God is in the business of reorienting our often-limited sight, lifting our heads to see Him, who He is for us in Christ, His everlasting love, protection, care, and security. Turn your eyes to Jesus today!

So whatever comes, God is your shield, your glory, and the lifter of your head. What encouragement we find in our great God!

The Rightful King (Psalm 2:1)

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
Psalm 2:1

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There will undoubtedly be times in life we will ask this question. If God is in control, why does it seem like sometimes He is not? The chaos of the world, the godlessness of the present age, the havoc wreaked by those in power — why do the nations rage?

The context of this psalm is a royal coronation for the King of Israel. It was written as an assurance that, although the surrounding nations plot against Yahweh and his “Anointed” one (v.2), the LORD’s chosen King will be established. God tells this King: “You are my Son; today I have begotten you…I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession” (vv.7-8). The other kings of the earth will “Kiss the Son,” and serve God with fear, and “rejoice with trembling” (vv.11-12). Clearly, God’s appointed King is in control. The nations and people rage in futility, for the King of Israel has command.

But when we read the Old Testament, we know that the kings of Israel—whoever may have fit into this psalm—fell short of it. David, Solomon, and all those who followed him, were not the King who would sit on the throne forever. This psalm must not refer to them, therefore, but to Someone greater, Someone stronger—the better and truer King of Israel.

Yes, this psalm is all about Jesus.

He is the “Anointed” one, the Messiah who comes to rescue his people. He is the only-begotten Son, truly God and truly man. He is the King, the One who sits on Zion, God’s holy hill (v.6). His kingdom will never end, for He is risen from the grave. His authority will never be matched, for He sits at the right hand of the Father.

Now we see the reason why the nations rage and the people plot in vain. They “set themselves…against the LORD and against his Anointed” (v.2). They despise authority, saying “let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords” (v.3). A heart in love with sin will do everything it can to throw off the yoke of Jesus’ rule. We have all found ourselves in this raging, in this plotting: at some point before Jesus broke the brittle kingdom of our own hearts, we sought to reject God and live for ourselves. In other words, we acted as our own kings. A heart so puffed with pride will avoid God at all cost.

But praise be to God that He has invaded our lives. Jesus, the rightful ruler, crushed our crown of self-dependence by wearing one of thorns. He squelched our pride by humiliating himself. He took our sin by bearing the cross. This Jesus, this King, loves us. In response we “kiss the Son” (v.12). We bow down in trembling awe and joy. While the nations rage in rebellion, we rejoice in reverence. We know who is in control of our lives. We know who is in control of the world.

Reader, is Jesus your King? Either you plot in vain against Him, or you surrender in love to Him. Daily He calls you to bring your petty, shifty, shaky kingdoms to Him, and bow to His firm, eternal, loving reign. There is nothing greater than to serve Him, to love Him, to worship and adore Him. For all who know this King, the promise is clear: “blessed are all who take refuge in him” (v.12).

Trade your raging for refuge today in the rightful rule of Jesus. Amen.

Hard Things (Psalm 60:3)

You have made your people see hard things; you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger
Psalm 60:3

In David’s time it was very common for the corporate body of Israel to view the outcome of national or political events as either God’s favor or indictment upon them. In this psalm, which sits within the context of a military campaign, we find David (an individual) lamenting for his people (a corporate body). As Christians we can learn from this practice, although we should never apply it on such a strict basis as the Israelites did: for we are not under a theocratic nation-state as they were, but under the heavenly kingdom of the Spirit. Even still, this psalm clearly expresses a difficult time for the Israelites, and it applies to ours as well.

First note the agent of the “hard things.” David does not hesitate to say it is God: “Lord, it is you who have made your people see hard things. God, you have given us this bitter wine!” As Christians, we must remember the sovereignty of our Lord. There is not one situation in which He does not exercise complete control, wisdom and direction over the outcome. He reminds us of this elsewhere through His prophet: “I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things” (Isa 45:7). So we see that, as difficult as it may be in the “hard things,” God is in control of both our blessings and our brokenness, our triumphs and our tragedies, our laughter and our lament. When we are tempted to doubt God’s wisdom and goodness for what He allows in our lives, we must ask our souls like Job, “shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10).

Second, we must be careful to note that this does not make God the author of evil. Evil as the absence of good is foreign to God’s nature. We are not talking about evil in the moral sense, but evil in the sense of disaster, calamity, strife, or suffering—the effects of living in a fallen world. What we see through David’s words is that God is able to use these various sufferings for our good. It is easy to believe that suffering is pointless; it certainly feels that way. But there was an immediate purpose for the staggering wine of affliction which God made His people drink. It was to make them trust in Him. Our “hard things” have a way of emptying our self-dependence and making us realize how frail and destitute we really are apart from God. Unless God shows up, we don’t know if we will be able to carry on. This makes us cling to God, and this is good. God’s purposes for our sufferings are often outside of our immediate view, but through grueling dependence we learn to say “whom have I in heaven but you?” (Ps 73:25). When everything is stripped away, only God remains. So we see that God has a purpose for our hard things.

Finally, we recollect the plural nature of this psalm: lament is done together. There were national events occurring which caused the Israelites to grieve. So too will there be events in our lifetime that should grieve the corporate body of Christ. On a smaller level, in our local bodies there will inevitably be hardships among our individual members. In these times we must remember that the sufferings of one impact the whole. Paul tells us to “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Rm 12:15). In your sufferings, then, you need the body of Christ; and in others’ sufferings, they need you.

To end, the good news is that in our “hard things,” we have One who has walked the wasted roads of a fallen world with us, and for us. The Good Shepherd Himself wept at the grave, grieved loss, felt betrayal, was falsely accused, and took a piercing bed of thorns upon His head. This Jesus is Emmanuel—God with us. So no “hard thing” will remain that way. In reality, it is “light and momentary” (2 Cor 4:17, NIV), for we know that He is there with us, He has beaten death, and one day He will return to make all things new.

Enter His House (Psalm 5:7a)

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house…
Psalm 5:7a

Everyone has a manner in which they approach God. Some offer quick requests in the face of dire circumstances. Some bring their list of long deeds and their perceived worthiness. Still others come stuck in a state of shame or condemnation, never believing the gospel.

But David teaches us the right way: we come through the abundance of His steadfast love. The Hebrew word behind “steadfast love” is qesed, the covenantal favor and kindness of God towards His people. This is the same word found in the other psalm which refrains, “His steadfast love endures forever” (Ps 136). It is a strong love, based upon God’s character—not on our present feelings or actions.

So the manner we are to “enter” God’s house is through His abundant, never-ending, secure qesed love. Later in the New Testament we find proof of His love towards us: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:4-5). This is our standing as children of God: we are secure. We have forgiveness of every sin. We are lavished with grace. We are given the Holy Spirit. This is all because of God’s great, unshakable, glorious love for us in Christ Jesus.

But we cannot stop here! We can recognize this love, we can view it from afar, peering into the house from the outside—but all of this does us no good if we do not enter his house for ourselves. David knows his soul would be bereft if he could not go into the temple of God for himself. He needs to be with God. So too for us, the love of God in Jesus invites us to come, abide, dwell, and glory in God’s house. Because we know that He is “able to save to the uttermost those who draw near” (Heb 7:25), we trust that we—by the gracious, firm, declarative favor of God poured out on us in Jesus—can draw near. And when we do, we go boldly to the throne room of grace, “that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). I leave you with two applications:

First, there is never a reason why you cannot go to God in prayer today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your life. Condemnation is removed through Jesus. He took your shame upon His shoulders. Bring to God your empty works, and trust in the finished work of Christ. Go through the abundance of His love.

Second, there is never a time when you cannot enter his house. You do not have to schedule an appointment with God; His door is always open. If the gospel is true on your worst day, then every day is an opportune time to draw near. Whether in a time of need, praise, confession, or intercession, the abundance of His steadfast love assures you that He always has an ear for you. We can never deplete His grace, so we return to receive it as He has given it: freely, in abundance.

All this is yours in Christ Jesus. Do you believe that this morning?

The Earth is the Lord’s (Psalm 24:1)

The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof…
Psalm 24:1

Our lives are often marked by a forgetfulness of these two truths about God: His all-seeing presence, and His ownership of all things. This verse speaks to both, and we will take each in turn.

First, His all-seeing presence. David says the fullness of the earth is God’s. In other words, there is not a square inch where He is not present. He is everywhere at all times, though He is distinct from His creation as the Creator. Theologians call this God’s omnipresence. However, because of sin’s dimming effects in our lives, the natural human tendency is to run away from the Lord’s presence. This is what our first parents did in the Garden of Eden once their sin ruined their innocence and caused great shame (Gn 3:8). They tried to mask their guilt with man-sewed fig leaves, but the Lord, seeing all things, knew their inward rebellion. We are no different from them—trying to cover our sin with good works, excuses, leisure, or pleasure—anything that will keep us one more moment from seriously reflecting on our condition before a holy God. We are afraid that if we stop, we must reflect on the absurdity of our attempts to run away from God. We are like a hamster on a wheel: we run, thinking we are escaping, but in reality we don’t move one inch. This is what we do when we forget God’s presence.

Why do we try to hide? David knew he could not. Elsewhere he asked, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” (Ps. 139:7). It is only when we bring our sin to the Lord in humble cross-examination, knowing that God sees what we have done, yet has graciously provided our forgiveness in Christ while we were yet enemies (Rm 5:8)—only then can we draw near to God’s all-seeing eye. Amazingly, while he sees the depths of darkness in sinners’ heart, He has chosen to draw near by making Christ the propitiation for our sins. Christ reminds us of God’s nearness to us—even when our sin or feelings attempt to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rm 8:39).

Secondly, this verse teaches us to remember God’s ownership of all things. David says “the earth is the Lord, and the fullness thereof.” He does not limit God’s reign to a geographical boundary. He does not limit God’s possessions to a finite amount of resources. He does not limit God’s control to a select few circumstances. No, the entire globe is under the grip of a sovereign God. He owns all things: the money in your bank account, the palaces of princes, the gold under the earth. He is in control of all things: the movement of the birds, the breath of a child, the heartbeat of the elderly. He moves all things according to His purpose: turning evil to good, suffering into beauty—the cross into salvation. The earth is the Lord’s. As Abraham Kuyper once said, “There’s not a square inch in the whole domain of human existence over which Christ, who is Lord over all, does not exclaim, ‘Mine’!”

But we struggle, once again, to remember this truth. Our self-sufficiency dims our view of God’s control over our lives. How easily we believe that life is in our hands, that we turn the wheel, that we sail the boat, so to speak. Our vision is so short-sighted. We grasp onto the limbs of life while forgetting the trunk of God’s power which holds us up. Everything we have therefore is a gift from God, who gives and takes away (Job 1:21). Our time. Our money. Our children. Our physical health. Our future. Either we recognize God’s claim on every domain of our lives (i.e., the fullness) or He does not have any at all. There is no middle ground. You cannot at once say “Jesus is Lord” while hiding how you spend your pennies (Mt 6:24). You cannot at once say “God is first” without an honest audit of your time.

Yet under Christ’s full reign, there is a sweetness when we surrender every part of our lives to say “Lord, what would you have of me in _________?” When we order our lives under the truth that all we have is God’s, we are free to give our best to the Lord. And when we live with the awareness that God Himself is our greatest treasure—that the all-surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus deserves the throne of our hearts—only then will we see that everything in this earth, therefore, is by God, from God, for God, and to His glory.

So daily we are called to recognize these wondrous truths: there is no where you can run from the Lord, and there is nothing you have which is not already His. In Christ we have the privilege of drawing near to the all-seeing One, and in Christ we have our greatest possession of all: God Himself. The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.

Podcast #17 – The Veil is Removed (2 Cor. 3:12-16)

Text: “12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.” -2 Cor 3:12-15

Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/17-the-veil-is-removed-2-cor-3-12-16/id1628176611?i=1000581373940

Podcast on Spotify:

Podcast #16 – The Ministry of the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:7-11)

Text: “7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.” -2 Cor 3:7-11

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/16-the-ministry-of-the-spirit-2-cor-3-7-11/id1628176611?i=1000580639582

Spotify:

Do What Makes You Happy..?

“The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.”
Psalm 58:3

In our culture it is very easy to dismiss what the Bible says concerning human nature. Generally, our world proposes that human beings are naturally good people who sometimes do bad things. They advocate that any intensely wayward behavior or disorder can be chalked up to a malnourished childhood, societal oppression, or simply an unmet need. When human nature is given such a benevolent stroke of sincerity, almost any action can therefore be justifiable. For instance, the world may say: “Are you unhappy in your marriage? If so, it is not because of you, oh poor friend, it’s because of that other person who just isn’t right for you! Just leave and do what makes you happy.”

Do what makes you happy. That is the whisper of the world today. But oh, how foolish we are to believe the lie. We imagine and paint scenarios in our minds of the “good life”; we fantasize what life on “the other side” may look like. We play god by living off our desires. No, we let our desires become our god.

Oh please do not miss the psalmist’s words today: the wicked are estranged from the womb. This is the natural state of any human being. From the womb we know evil, as we grow we do evil, and as we are old we seek evil. It is not to say we are as terrible and despicable as we could be; rather, it is to say that our desires are naturally bent towards throwing off the chains of God’s authority. It is not necessarily pure-evil-all-the-time behavior, but it is a daily waywardness which takes the form of living for the god “ME.” It is not even doing the most heinous of crimes, but it is daily participating in the first crime: pride before God. You see, being wicked from the womb is our natural state. We naturally rebel against the Lord and His anointed, Jesus Christ. We are naturally at odds with our Creator.

Oh reader, how I implore you to understand the state of your condition apart from God’s rescue of your life. Without Him, how can you do any eternal good? All you know is to live for yourself and your kingdom. Yes you may truly “care” for others, but what is that worth when all is said and done? The best way to live your life is to bring others to God; but how can you do so if you refuse His complete authority and rule in your life?

Reader, this is why you need a Savior. You may try your ‘best’ — and some people say that God accepts your ‘best’ — but I’m sorry to tell you that even your ‘best’ effort is still a dirty rag to a holy God (Isa 64:6). You are still under His judgment for your rebellion.

But praise be to God for sending His very Son, God in the flesh, to bear your sin upon a cross. Forgiveness is offered to you if you will accept it. Do you see your need? Will you accept God’s grace?

Are You “Blessed”?

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night”
Psalm 1:1-2

Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Pexels.com

I used to read this verse to see how well I was doing these things: not walking with the wicked…not associating with them…meditating day and night on God’s Word, etc. In other words, I wanted to be the “blessed” man. I wanted to be the one who walked uprightly. And I tried so hard.

Looking back, I don’t think there was anything inherently wrong about this motive—I wanted to please God. But I had the methodology wrong. I was relying on my own strength and willpower to be righteous before the Lord.

It is never long before one who tries to be righteous on his own comes to find his inability to do so. No matter how hard you try, you cannot perfectly avoid walking, standing, and sitting with sinners. Why? Because you are one of them! It is in your nature. We are selfish to the core, making our own ‘gods’ out of anything and everything. We fall into the passions of the flesh and the pride of life: lust, anger, irritability, grudges, gossip, selfish ambition—and much more. Even those of us who do not commit the most “overt” of sins find deep within our hearts a constant waywardness when it comes to loving God first. Our hearts are “idol-factories,” to quote John Calvin. We find ourselves completely incapable of perfectly, consistently, happily, delighting and meditating on the Lord. Our thoughts turn to and fro, mostly landing back upon the central subject of our lives—“ME.”

Oh, so what is the hope? How could I ever be this “blessed” man? Praise be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Listen: in reading this psalm today, what if we were never meant to be the “blessed” man? In fact, the singular use of “man”—the psalmist is talking about one man here—is key to our understanding of how we should read this psalm. This “blessed man” is the archetype, the representative head, of a godly and upright person. But when we square this with the verse where it says “there is none righteous, not one,” we have thereby excluded every man!

Every man except One.

Yes, when we read this psalm in light of Jesus Christ, the perfect, spotless, Son of Man, we find in him our hope. I don’t have to be this blessed man. Why? Because Jesus did it for me. He is the blessed man on my behalf. The God-man perfectly walked righteously; he perfectly obeyed God. He is the “tree planted by streams of water…in all that he does, he prospers” (v.3). Oh Jesus, thank you for doing this for me! Because he fulfilled this psalm, I can receive the benefits of his salvation. Though I once was like chaff whisking away in the wind of sin, on my way to judgment and fire—Jesus, with his righteous roots standing in the waters—traded his blessed life for mine. Oh, blessed day!

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked.” Jesus, you are that Man. My righteousness comes from you and you alone. Thank you for taking my judgment and punishment on the cross, making me spotless and blessed. Praise your holy name. Amen.