December 31 2013 - January 2014

So how do we make the transition from one year to the next? This is certainly a time for reflection as well as anticipation. We move from this year to the next without many who were with us when 2013 began. Only One knows who will be gone when 2014 ends. I say that not as a matter of discouragement, but to stir you up in the Lord and in His word.

Here are 7 passages to get you started.

"Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ--assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:17-24).

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these too you once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator" (Colossians 3:1-10).

"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving" (Colossians 2:6-7).

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercy of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:1-2).

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'--yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that'" (James 4:13-15).

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained" (Philippians 3:12-16).

"This is the end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

The Christmas Easter Connection

Christ was born a baby
God Immanuel Messiah
Christ grew up
In wisdom and stature and favor with God and man
Christ lived the perfect life
Under the Law fulfilling the Law
Christ was made the perfect sacrifice
On behalf of those unable so to live
Christ was raised from the dead
That we who have been dead in our trespasses and sins
Might by repentant grace and faith be made alive together with Him
His coming the first time as a helpless infant was in the fullness of time
His coming the second time as reigning triumphant Messiah King of kings and Lord of lords will also be in the fullness of time

Christmas from another perspective

How did Christmas look from heaven?
What were the angels thinking?
What were the saints of the Old Covenant aware of?
We know the angels--at least some of them--were assigned to sing
A great song of revelation to some shepherds (anonymous men,
Nameless angels)
We know from the New Testament that those of the Old Covenant yearned
To understand what was
Or what would be;
No doubt there was unlimited joy at whatever revelation they were given
Given the Event which would Change all and Change all Time.
Well, we don't know precisely but we know enough,
And that enough is this: "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).

This was declared to the shepherds who, after the angels sang, decided to act: "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see these thing which has happened, which the Lord has made known to us" (Luke 2:15).

Did they loiter? No, Scripture tells us: "They went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger" (Luke 2:16).

Did they keep quiet? No, Scripture tells us: "And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child" (Luke 2:17).

Were their words received with skepticism? Scripture tells us otherwise: "And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Luke 2:18-19).

What was the outcome for the shepherds? Scripture tells us this: "And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, as it had been told them" (Luke 2:20).

The shepherds returned to their responsibility, but they would never be the same even as they carried that out.

When we are done celebrating Christmas, may we too be changed by what we have heard and seen.

Peace

In a little more than a week, many will celebrate the birth of the Prince of peace. We get this name for him from Isaiah 9:6-7:  "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this."

The run-up to this celebration of "peace" is often chaotic, however, as anyone who has gone shopping in stores can attest. People in a lot of places seem to panic when it comes to getting the "best" deals on gifts and so pandemonium ensues.

Pandemonium also accompanies a lot of travel this time of year. And given the circumstances of His birth, there must have been a fair amount then too, even when people planned ahead as much as possible. Luke 2 provides the setting:  "In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child" (2:1-5).

When this child was born, Luke records a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" (2:14).

When this child was brought to the temple to be presented to the Lord, a man named Simeon praised God in these words: "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel" (Luke 2:29-32).

That wasn't all Simeon had to say about this child.  He told the child's mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will piece through your own soul also), so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed" (Luke 2:34- 35).

And a lack of peace with God is one of the thoughts revealed.  Such peace is something our hearts yearn for, but it can only be had on God's terms. Grind your teeth at that thought? He isn't obligated to make peace with such rebels as we are. That He deigns to offer peace should cause us to agree to the terms, whatever they are.

What astounds me is that He has not only determined the terms, but seen to it that they are already fulfilled. How could that be? A Holy God and a far from holy person have nothing in common.

That is why a gracious and merciful God decided on His own to bring about the Incarnation, giving His only Son to live a life that would fulfill all the requirements of the Law and then suffer the death of a criminal. God, having raised Christ from the dead, verifies and authenticates His acceptance of this sacrifice.

This salvation is for both Jew and Gentile alike. As Paul wrote to the Romans regarding Abraham and his faith: "But  the words 'it was counted to him' were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised  for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Romans 4:23--5:5).

Mercy

It occurred to me to write about these three blessings--grace, mercy, peace--a week at a time because so often Paul used them, sometimes all three, sometimes two of them, in his salutations to the churches he wrote to.

In doing research on mercy, I went to various sources. Dictionary.com defines mercy first as "compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence: Have mercy on the poor sinner." Yes, you read that right. The example given is "have mercy on the poor sinner."

An on-line Bible dictionary defines mercy this way: "compassion for the miserable. Its object is misery. By the atoning sacrifice of Christ a way is open for the exercise of mercy towards the sons of men, in harmony with the demands of truth and righteousness (Gen. 19:19; Ex. 20:6; 34:6; Ps. 85:10; 86:15, 16). In Christ mercy and truth meet together. Mercy is also a Christian grace (Matt. 5:7; 18:33-35)."

Synonyms: "forgiveness, indulgence, clemency, leniency, lenity, tenderness, mildness."

I found 101 references to mercy in the OT using BibleGateway.com and 56 in the NT. I won't give all of them here, only a sampling.

The first use of the term comes in Genesis 43:14 when Jacob reluctantly says to his remaining sons as they prepare to return to Egypt: "May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved."

In Exodus 25 we are introduced to the mercy seat, which would cover  the Ark of the Covenant, and be where God would meet the Israelites through their high priest.

When Moses asked to see God, he was given this promise in Exodus 33:19: "And he said, 'I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim to you my name, "The Lord." And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.'" Paul would remember this when he wrote his letter to the Romans (see Rom. 9:15).

What occasions caused those in the Old Testament to ask for mercy? Nehemiah prayed at the beginning of the book which bears his name: "'O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.' Now I was cupbearer to the king." Nehemiah had a burden for Jerusalem and only the permission of the king would allow him to carry it out.

David sought mercy multiple times which are recorded, and probably others which are not.

Job speaks of mercy in chapters 8, 9, 19, and 21, including this plea which is recorded in 19:21: "Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me!"

In Proverbs, we find this truth regarding mercy: "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy" (28:13). True then, true now.

Several of the prophets speak of mercy also, both in its being given and withheld.

In what we commonly refer to as the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes this promise: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy" (Matt. 5:7).

Later, parents come to him seeking mercy for their suffering children (Matt. 15 and 17 record two of these events).

It would seem that on more than one occasion, blind men also pled for mercy (Matt. 9 and 20; Mark 10).

Among the matters which Jesus called for woes on the scribes and the Pharisees was their lack of mercy: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done without neglecting the others" (Matt. 23:23).

One of my favorite passages in Ephesians begins this way:  "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--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (2:4-6). His mercy, His love, His grace--my salvation here and my future in His presence.

As Paul wrote to Titus, "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" (3:5).

For those who have received this mercy, we can do what the writer of Hebrews encourages us to do: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (4:16).

Grace

One of my first blog posts in October 2006 had to do with grace, and I have written other times on that subject also. All three--that blog post and the subsequent two--were included in devotional books I did while we lived in California.

The shortest I called Examining Grace:

Grace: what a concept!? Unmerited favor--for merited would not be favor but payback.

Grace--derived from rejoice--and when we experience grace, we can only respond with rejoicing and awed hearts because we don't "deserve " grace.

Grace: said to be descriptive of God's favor, His forgiving mercy, the gospel (of grace of course), gifts (spiritual), and eternal life.

Grace: the source of salvation, call of God, faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), justification, forgiveness, and that blessed comfort.

Grace: described as all-abundant, all-sufficient, glorious, great, manifold, and rich.

Grace: believers are under it, receive it, stand in it, abound in it, are to be strong in it, grow in it, speak with it, and will inherit it.

Grace: who can wrap their mind around such a gift as this?

It is more than one package can contain or hold, yet small enough for the heart to encompass.

It is beyond the most mature believer to fully comprehend but not for the newest or the youngest to receive and rejoice in.

Grace....

Furthermore

Did you know that grace even appears in the book of Revelation? Revelation  22:21 reads: "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen."

Did you know that the psalmist wrote a plea for grace in Psalm 86:6? "Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer, listen to my plea for grace."

This time of year, many read the Gospel accounts of the Incarnation. John 1 contains these verses regarding Jesus Christ: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (14). "For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (16-17).

Luke recorded in Acts, "And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all" (4:33).

There are many more mentions of God's grace throughout the book of Acts. In chapter 20 we have these statements by Paul to the Ephesian elders: "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious in my self, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God....And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified" (24, 32).

Frequently, Paul would begin his letters to the churches with "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Examples are Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he emphasized grace throughout his letters.

God shows what some refer to as "common grace" to all people. The rain falls on all, drought happens to all, weather events of other kinds occur. And the promise through Noah that God will never again destroy all with a flood stands, as do promises concerning the regular seasons.

Saving grace is another matter altogether. This is what Paul refers to in Romans when he talks about our being justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ (3:24), a promise which rests on grace (4:16), through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (5:2).

Does saving grace free us to sin? As Paul wrote, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!" (Romans 6:1-2) and restates this later in the chapter: "What then? Are we to sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!" (6:15).

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, "Working together with him, then we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain" (2 Corinthians 6:1). The church there had given him cause for such concern.

Paul's own testimony of the sufficiency of God's grace comes in a familiar passage later in that same letter: "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (12:9).

Ephesians contains this most awesome statement: "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in  which you once walked....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--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (2:1, 4-10).

I could go on with more references, but will leave you with these thoughts for this week.