Our Bible opens with the dramatic events of creation, including the early interaction between God and humanity.  Early in the narrative we read this solemn warning from God regarding the tree of knowledge:  “…in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” (Gen 2:17)  We next learn of the tragic fall into sin by eating of that very tree.  Then follows another 47 chapters and 65 books of holy writ detailing God’s involvement in human history.

What happened here?  Adam and Eve died, sure enough, but it took a lot longer than a day.  Ask any grade school student what happened here and the likely conclusion is that either God didn’t know what he was talking about or things didn’t work out like he had said.  Sadly, many adults are content to abandon the matter with similar conclusions, often adding some retort like ‘the Bible is full of contradictions.’

Here’s the truth:  Adam and Eve did die on the day that they ate of that tree, spiritually.  In their flesh they lived on to see that spiritual death worked out in the lives of their children as one brother murdered another within one generation.  This was the first physical human death.  Adam and Eve knew exactly the death God was talking about long before they met their own physical demise.  What seems contradictory actually points to deeper meaning.

The example may seem rather silly, but is there a principle at work here?  Why would God put something like this in his Word?

Make no mistake; God is not trying to trick us.  He’s not the classic bait-and-switch con artist that sucks us in only to change the rules half way through.  No, he is the pure one, the holy one, and in him there is not even the faintest shadow of turning.  His promise is quite simple:  Seek and you shall find.  (Matt 7:7-8)
There lies the answer to the quandary.  Although they are sometimes easy to overlook, the Bible is full of details like this example that should cause us to draw aside and consider.  Why did God say that?  This wasn’t what I expected.  Why did he allow this?  Doesn’t Isaiah say something like that too?  These are not questions of doubt, but of inquiring faith.  These are the questions of a seeker.  Often at the end of questions like these, we find God.

We may not often think of it this way, but there is a certain playful quality about God.  He loves a good treasure hunt.  He loves the discovery.  He loves being sought out.  And he loves revealing himself to those who diligently seek him. (Heb 11:6)
One time Jesus’ disciples asked him why he spoke in parables:
This is why I speak to them in parables:  "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand."  In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:  "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving." (Matt 13:13-14)
By choosing his words carefully, Jesus knew that some people, the seekers would draw aside to consider what he was saying, while other people would look past his wisdom as if there was nothing there.  As Proverbs 14:6 says, “A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge is easy to one who has understanding.”  Evidently God thinks there is more to hearing than sound waves on the eardrums and more to seeing than light waves in the eyes.  The pressing matter is spiritual perception—seeing and hearing in the heart, the spirit of a person.  Leave it to Jesus to press the issue. 

Just before Jesus’ answer above he told his disciples, “the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you.” (v. 11)  Does God tell secrets?  Perhaps the best way to say it is that while there’s nothing ‘secretive’ about what God shows his people, he does reveal hidden things to those who seek him.  In Colossians Paul refers to the mystery that has been revealed, “which is Christ in us, the hope of glory.” (1:27)  God isn’t keeping this a secret, but it is a mystery that requires revelation.  Later Paul speaks of Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”  It’s pretty clear where to look, but not everyone searches to find those treasures.

When we encounter something interesting, challenging, or even perplexing in God’s word, is it possible that those could be God’s signposts to hidden treasure?  Moses was baffled by the burning bush and drew aside.  God met with him there.  May we also draw aside, seek God, and let him reveal treasures to us.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.  (Matt 13:44)

We have seen before that the men and women on whom the knowledge of God rests, the sons and daughters of the Kingdom, have access to the boundless resources of heaven.  As Peter says, God has “granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness.” (2 Peter 1:3)  God’s kindness is simply amazing.
When we first grasp these truths we are easily transfixed, like kids in a candy shop.  Our minds immediately begin writing checks against God’s limitless account.  Events, plans, labors, plantings, helps, relationships, movements….   We quickly jump to a list of projects, not realizing that the limiting factor in our endeavors may likely be us!  We might become tired and bitter.  Or we may find ourselves overwhelmed, lacking the wisdom to bring our plans to fruition.  Despite our lofty aspirations, our undertakings have lost their savor and we have succumbed to a works mentality.  We’ve bumped into a truth that people have been rediscovering for centuries:  In order to serve God’s purposes faithfully, we need not only God’s resources but also his enablement.  We need God’s empowering presence.  We need God’s grace.

Thankfully, God has made abundant provision in this regard:
For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one [Adam], much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.  (Rom 5:17)
More than just resource, this verse tells us that there is abundant provision of grace to accomplish God’s purposes.  Those who receive grace will be those who reign.  Resources alone (money, buildings, food, supplies, etc.) are insufficient.  Instead, it is on the basis and strength of what we have received from the Spirit of God that we will serve him most effectively.  We will reign by grace.

While concept of “reigning in life” may be simple in principle, reigning by grace sometimes proves harder to accomplish.  Reigning in life is us ruling life instead of life ruling us, freely expressing fruit and actions that are in keeping with God’s nature and his word.  But what does it mean to reign by grace? 

Foremost, it is not achieved by human strength.  In the gospels Jesus commissions his followers to “disciple the nations.”  But before they have opportunity to do anything about it, Jesus tells them to wait for power, for enablement from heaven. (Acts 1:4)  He said that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and then they would become effective witnesses.  The disciples were told explicitly to wait for the divine enablement of the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s purposes.  Let’s face it; left to our own devices, you and I simply don’t have what it takes to order our own lives according to God’s highest intentions, let alone the world’s affairs.  The purposes of God are accomplished “not might nor by power, but by my Spirit.”  (Zech 4:6) 

Paul was well familiar with this principle, as is clear from
1 Corinthians 15:10:
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
I’m sure Paul had a sense of accomplishment for the things he had done in the Kingdom.  But his great rejoicing was not over the deeds but over the grace of God that enabled him.  That was the wonder, the marvel of it all.  Paul knew his weaknesses.  He knew his former way of life.  Yet he could see behind him an increasing harvest of seed that he had sown or tended.  Paul’s unparalleled stamina was not sourced in his own strength, but in the enablement of the Holy Spirit and his certainty of the things God had shown him.  Paul was reigning in life through the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness that he had received.

So it must be for us.  It is those who receive the grace that God has multiplied toward us in Christ Jesus that will realize the purposes of God in their generation.  It is these who will rule in life—not with an authority of their own invention, but a delegated authority of the Lord Jesus himself, who has been granted all authority in heaven and earth.  They will reign, after all, not in their own name but in his.  (Col 3:17)  They will persevere in his strength, not their own.  And such are we, if we are willing…

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.  (Eph 2:10)

When we think about the vastness of our God (e.g., the fact that he is limitless in every measure and every respect) our little brains often fail us.  These are things that we simply cannot fathom.  We scratch the surface and do the best we can, but even with the Holy Spirit’s help our understanding is like child’s play compared to the reality of God’s greatness. 

As true as this is regarding the nature of God, it’s just as true with respect to the favor God has shown his people.  Consider this verse in Second Peter:
His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. (2 Pet 1:3)

What a dramatic statement this is:  everything—that is, limitless resource for life and godliness.  Have you ever daydreamed about having a limitless (and valid!) bank account?  As regards spiritual necessities, that’s what Peter is saying.  God has made full provision for everything we need as regards our life in Christ and the pursuit of godliness.  Just as God is limitless in his person, as we grow in Christ we come to realize that he is also limitless in his resources—resources that he makes available to us.  In other words, we can never place a draft on God’s account that he is unable to fill.  Now, this truth is so exciting that we could quite easily start celebrating over it before we learn how to apply it!
The wisdom of James might serve to restrain our enthusiasm— before go and do anything rash.  There are a couple of things that James tells us about making good on God’s “account.”  First, he says, we have to go to the bank:
You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.  (James 4:2)

Well this is not a pretty picture at all.  Greed, envy, strife—all because of a fundamental failure to go to God for resources and to trust him for the supply.  Our first stop when we encounter a legitimate need must be to ask God.  Then we need to trust God.  But there may be another problem, as James says in the next verse:  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Hmmm.  Evidently God has placed some spending limits on his account.  These are not material limits, measured in dollars or goods.  The supply, after all, is limitless.  However, there are spiritual limits, measured against the purposes of God and the fullness of Christ.  Anywhere within the extent of God’s will and purposes there is no end to the resources made available to us.  We have everything we need.  Outside of God’s will, on the other hand, there’s no provision at all.  Of course, we may see some measure of goodness there because God is good and he sends his rain on the just and the unjust alike.  (Matt 5:45)  But surely we must grow to discern the difference between reliance upon the compassion of God (as those who beg bread) versus access to the storehouses of heaven (as sons and daughters of the King).  Isn’t this one of the lessons we learn from the parable of the prodigal son?  The son who remained was told, “all that is mine is yours.” (Luke 15:31)  If there might be any doubt remaining about these things, recall that Jesus told his disciples directly, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”  (John 15:7) 

Do we recognize the pattern here?  God has granted free access to the resources of heaven to the sons and daughters of the kingdom, to those who abide in Christ, whose hearts and intentions are set upon the things of God.  God has initiated a plan that transforms this world from a barren and hopeless place to one filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord (Hab 2:14), and   in his wisdom God has determined that this is to be accomplished through his people.  Ephesians 1:22 tells us that this is why God gave Christ “as head over all things to the church.” And what is the goal?  That “all things in heaven and earth will be summed up in Christ.” (Eph 1:10)  The task may seem daunting, but there is no end to the resources that God has made available for the work.
Imagine:  What could we accomplish in the Kingdom if we just had the resource?  Are we asking?  And are we asking as sons and daughters who know the King’s intentions for his estate?  Perhaps these questions, and not budgets, highlight the true difference between abundance and lack.

In Ephesians 1:17 Paul prays that Christians would be filled with a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God.   He then expands on what he means, culminating with a picture of Christ seated in the heavens above all rule, authority and power.  This is not the only reference we find to the spirit of God revealing Jesus.  In Matthew 16:13 and following we find a similar pattern.  This is the well-known passage where Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  Their responses are wide-ranging, and don’t get to the heart of the matter.  So Jesus presses the point asking, “But who do you say that I am?” 

This is a telling question.  Evidently it is not enough just to know who Jesus is in some general cultural sense.  Jesus was looking for more than that.  He was pressing the matter of his identity.  Who is this Jesus anyway?  After all the headlines die down, who is this Jesus?  It is a vital matter of revelation—because being acquainted with who Jesus is through what others can see or have said will always prove inadequate.  Surely the seven sons of Sceva found this out the hard way:  At the critical moment their revelation of Jesus failed them—for in fact it wasn’t theirs at all but they were trying to borrow Paul’s!  (Acts 19:11-16)

Peter is the disciple that boldly answers Jesus’ follow-up question with the phrase, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  So where did Peter get his information?  Jesus tells us directly:  “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”  God gave Peter a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.  The Spirit of God revealed to him who Jesus was.  This is the same operation of the Holy Spirit for which Paul prays.

What follows next is quite remarkable both in terms of what it says and what it does not say.  I would have expected Jesus to expound on the revelation of who he is—his authority, his messianic role, how he could be God and man, etc.—but he does not.  Instead, Jesus immediately begins talking about his Church:  “…you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven….”  It is as if the authority and role of the Church is inextricably tied to the revelation of Christ.  Think about this.  Jesus isn’t suddenly changing the subject here, rather he is expounding on the implications of the revelation of who He is on the spiritual, political and physical realities of our world.

Another striking aspect of this exchange is how Jesus addresses Peter.  In Greek, Peter’s name is Petros and the word for bedrock is Petra—so Jesus is using a play on words.  We can follow it better if we use the more familiar nickname “Rocky” for Peter.  After Peter’s revelation, Jesus’ responds in effect, “Simon, that revelation didn’t come from men but from God.  Now, you know I call you Rocky—in fact it’s on this rock that I will build my church.”  In other words, Peter, or “Rocky,” was participating in a revelation of Jesus Christ that would become the bedrock foundation of the New Testament Church.

Now, scholars have long debated Jesus’ exact meaning when he said, “on this rock I will build my church.”  Was Peter the rock?  Or was Jesus referring to himself as the rock?  Or was he talking about Peter’s revelation?  Thankfully we need not anguish over finding an exact answer because all three are true.  Of course Jesus is the rock of our salvation—none would argue.  But this isn’t the first time Jesus mentions building on a rock:  remember the parable of the house built upon the sand?  (Matt 7:24-27)  Jesus said that hearing and acting on His words is like building on a solid rock.  In other words, responding in faith to a God-given revelation offers a sure foundation for life—and so in fact for the whole Church.

But let’s not overlook Jesus’ word play.  “You are Rocky, and I can build on such as that.”  What was it that made Peter “Rocky?”  It was the revelation of Christ.  He had received something from the Rock, and the Holy Spirit was producing the Christ in him.  On this point of revelation, Peter was beginning to look like Jesus.  And with that revelation in place, Jesus did indeed build his church in part upon the work of this early disciple.  This is astounding!  In the greater scheme of things, God can build toward the fulfillment of his ultimate purposes on the earth by using the likes of Peter—and you and me.  May we look to the rock from which we were hewn (Is. 51:1) as we build on the foundation that has been laid.

We are all familiar with the golden rule:  “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” Or, “Treat others as you yourself would want to be treated.”  Even non-Christians are familiar with this motto.  Indeed, the golden rule has become as common as the grass is green in our culture, although perhaps most people could not tell you that Jesus was the one who first coined the expression. 

Interestingly, the complete statement that Jesus made was, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”  (Matt 7:12)  The Law and the prophets?  That phrase suggests there’s more to this terse little statement than we realize.  Consider another place where Jesus makes a similar statement: 

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."  (Matt 22:36-40)

What comes to mind when we think of the golden rule?  Benevolence?  Kindness?  Generosity?  What kinds of things do we hear about when people mention the golden rule?  Gentleness?  Compassion?  Yes, all of these, certainly.  This is the friendly side of the golden rule.  But in our culture today we also hear other things tied to the virtue of the golden rule:  Reduced sentencing for felons.  Condemnation for those who take a stand on moral issues.  Complete license for petty sins that ‘don’t affect anyone else.’  We could even cite the cultural disdain for the disciplining of children.

It should be obvious that these latter examples do not sum up the law and the prophets.  But how did we arrive at this point?  And how do we respond to these vain speculations? 

The answer is found in Matthew 22.  The command we find there is to “love your neighbor as yourself.”  The problem comes when we take this statement as universal truth, outside the context of the biblical revelation of God.  Jesus starts by telling us that we must love the Lord our God with our entire being.  This is the first and greatest command.  The second command is like the first, calling us to express an undefiled love—this time to our neighbor. 

By implication, the only context in which the golden rule may flourish is in a complete and utter, fully abandoned love of God.  Jesus tells us what it means to love God—namely, to do what he says:  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”  (John 14:15)  To put it bluntly, we are incapable of loving our neighbors unless we are first taken up with a captivating love of God.  Apart from that truth, the sole measure of our love for others is our love of self—and that is surely the poorest measure of love imaginable. 

With this in mind, consider now how our unregenerate culture hears and heads the golden rule:  Love your neighbor with the same idolatrous and envious self-willed love that you lavish upon your godless self.  To this the world cheers and says, “Here, here!” for they wish not to be ruled by anyone except self.  Self has become the measure of all things.  Surely this is rotten to the core.  And it is the hallmark of our culture and our times.

What then does the golden rule mean when rightly understood?  It means first that “as you love yourself” is covered with Christ’s redeeming blood.  We are to love God with our entire being, which means laying down our lives, denying ourselves, and taking up our cross daily to follow the only king worthy of our unwavering allegiance.  (Luke 9:23)  The standards are exacting!  They require living by faith and reliance upon the power of the Holy Spirit.

Loving our neighbors in this context takes on a radically different meaning from the examples noted above.  It means holding people accountable to the gospel as surely as we hold ourselves accountable to it.  It means commending people to live solely for the glory of our incomparable and amazing God.  It means helping others as God has helped us.  It means that as we pause and worship God for his rich and abounding forgiveness, we extend this same forgiveness to those around us.  It means encouraging and commending our brothers and sisters in the faith, just as we have been encouraged by people of faith and by the indwelling Holy Spirit.  It is not using self as an excuse for lawlessness, but self sacrifice as an example of holiness.

May we put the first and greatest command back at the helm and demonstrate to this culture a golden rule worthy of the title.

It is a new year and a new beginning.  In light of God’s redemptive plan, that is cause for great rejoicing.  God, who is slow to anger and abounding in love (Ex 34:6), provides us with opportunity after opportunity to be forgiven, to be renewed, to be refreshed—to begin again.  What a joy to be able to put the past behind us and look forward to God’s best.

Can we honestly do that?  Can we really move beyond our past failures and shortcomings?  Thanks be to God, Yes!  In fact, this is another area where the Christian message stands in stark contrast to the wisdom of the world.

First, the world, our flesh, and the devil would like to keep us mired in our inadequacies and failures.  How often are we overcome with pleasant thoughts for days on end when we do the right thing?  By contrast, how often are we constantly reminded for weeks on end when we fall short and miss the mark?  Circumstances, other people, our own thoughts—all seem to point to our failures.  The word of Jesus, however, is a word of change and hope.  It is a word that sees possibilities where the flesh sees nothing but despair.  David said it this way: “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”  (Psa 27:13)

Second, the natural way of dealing with failures tends to be to cover them over or pretend they didn’t happen.  Sometimes this takes the form of excuses like being “misrepresented” or “misunderstood.”   However, there’s no misrepresentation or misunderstanding with God!  We’ve failed!  God does not gloss over our failures.  Instead, he addresses them faithfully and directly and extends to us a forgiveness that is not based on us putting our sin in a positive light.  His forgiveness calls sin sin, and then carries the power to rescue us from it.  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  (1 John 1:9)

A third distinction between God’s way and our human nature is that we tend to look at failure as catastrophic and final.  Now, all the positive thinking books tell us that every failure brings us one step closer to success.  Of course, sin doesn’t work that way at all.  The only thing that can bring us closer to righteousness is righteousness himself intervening on our behalf.  There is no self-help when it comes to sin.  But what about plain old mistakes that aren’t sin?  For all the talk about the mistakes that have lined the path to greatness, how many of us really think that way when we take the royal plunge into error?  This is where positive thinking leaves me stranded.  No matter how I try to convince myself that success is just around the corner, sometimes I just don’t buy it. 

The biblical message of redemption, on the other hand, gives me certain hope.  Romans 8:28 says, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.”  Yes, even my knucklehead mistakes can be turned to good in when I actively submit to God’s will (according to his purpose).  This is not just an arbitrary belief that if I mess up enough times eventually I’m bound to succeed even if by mistake.  Far from it.  This reaches into miracle realm activity, where God begins to take the failures of a child who is submitted to him and turn them toward his purposes by training and correction and by commending us to make amends and stand in integrity.  Not only so but in amazement we can look on as God uses the failures and shortcomings themselves to bring resolution and the message of grace into situations beyond our wildest inkling.  That gives me true hope.

It’s a new year.  A new beginning.  Maybe God wants to take our old stories, failings and all, and give them a surprise ending full of grace.  Maybe God is encouraging us to hope afresh and believe for the impossible again.  Maybe God is creating something new from out of the ruins.  It won’t be the first time. 

For behold, I create a new heavens and a new earth;
And the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing
And her people for gladness.  (Isaiah 65:17-18)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.  (2 Cor 5:17)

If you were to try to capture the heart of our Christian message in a few phrases what would they be?  Take a moment and think about it before reading further.

This is an exceptionally tough question I know, because there is so much that God has done for us in Christ.  The answers we give would undoubtedly resonate with the great anthems of the church:  salvation by grace through faith in Christ; Christ’s sacrificial love; eternal God incarnate in human flesh; Christ’s complete atonement on the cross; redemption and forgiveness by the blood of Christ; the Holy Spirit poured out by Christ on all flesh….  The things that the Spirit brings to mind as we contemplate such a question should lead us into spontaneous worship, so rich is God’s favor upon us.  That much is clear.  What is less clear is whether we would soon arrive at a consensus in our answers to the question.  Perhaps it was exercises just like this that gave rise to the great creeds of the Christian faith.

I find it compelling that based on the record of the New Testament, the early church did in fact have such a cornerstone phrase that captured their revelation and message.  What I find unsettling is that in the list of answers we might compile as we contemplate the question today, there may be no reference to the expression that galvanized the early church.  My list above is no exception.

We need to pause for a moment and recall some of the things that had transpired during the New Testament times.  God had become a man, an event that was utterly inconceivable in the minds of most contemporary Hebrews (or for that matter virtually anyone in history right up to the present).  The great hope of the coming Messiah had been fulfilled.  If we were to hear those words afresh like the people of that day did, wouldn’t we be anticipating some great coup that would cease foreign oppression, subjugate the arrogant ruling classes, end world hunger and—oh why not—solve global warming?  We have to recognize that in Jesus, God fulfilled the Old Testament scriptures and satisfied the hope of Israel.  But he didn’t exactly meet their expectations. 

That is the context in which this oft-repeated New Testament phrase takes on such significance.  Consider Peter’s words on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:22 ff)

Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.  This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross….

God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

The Lord said to my Lord:
      “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies
      a footstool for your feet."
Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

Peter says, God has made this Jesus both Lord (God) and Christ (Messiah deliverer).  One person, both God and man.  He is the one that will be at the right hand of God until his enemies are made his footstool.  In other words, Jesus reigns unchallenged.  No wonder Peter’s hearers were struck through and asked, “What are we to do?”

Did you take note of the verse that Peter quotes in his speech?  That is a direct quote from Psalm 110, and is the most often quoted Old Testament verse appearing in the New Testament.  This was the phrase on which the times of the early church turned.  Messiah has come.  God has crowned his king—and Pentecost is the overflow of the coronation joys.  A new era has dawned.  Jesus shall reign at God’s right hand until every enemy is made a footstool for his feet. 

Read the entirety of Psalm 110—it speaks of the reign of God’s chosen one.  The first verse became a kind of shorthand in the early church for the unparalleled rule of the Lord Jesus Christ in the affairs of men and women.  That is the heart of our message.

We serve a truly amazing God.  Slow to anger, abounding in love, faithful to a thousand generations…  We could go on forever.  And so we should!

One of the characteristics of God that we may not often think about is his passion for his people.  We see this throughout the bible, but it definitely comes into clear focus in the book of Isaiah.  God is doing a lot of the talking as he pleads with Israel to turn from their sinful ways and be restored, to abandon their idols and to trust him completely.  The analogy that comes to mind is a father trying to reason with a rebellious teenager.  In this case it is God who, through Isaiah, is reasoning with Israel. 

An earthly father might attempt to impress upon his son or daughter the value of the wisdom he has gained from his greater experience and longer life.  Likewise in Isaiah, God presents a very impressive list of credentials (could it be otherwise?) that demonstrate his power and wisdom.  Along with it he gives a direct challenge to name anyone who is like him.  (Is 40:12-31). 

The point, of course, is that there is no one like him!  There is no other place, no other person in whom Israel can put her trust.  None other is secure or steadfast, none other faithful to Israel. God contrasts powerless idols against his own unfailing strength. 

Then, tucked away in Isaiah 46, there are a few verses that set God’s faithfulness in stark contrast with the fleeting aid of Israel’s false gods.  In the opening verse we read of idols being carried on the backs of beasts.  “The things that you carry are burdensome,” the Lord says. Idols always are burdensome.  In this case the burden is so heavy that it has led people into captivity. (46:2)  That’s a heavy load.  Then God bares his heart for his people:

Listen to Me, O house of Jacob
And all the remnant of the house of Israel,
You who have been borne by Me from birth,
And have been carried from the womb;
Even to your old age I will be the same;
And even to your graying years I will bear you!
And I will bear you and I will deliver you.  (46:3-4)

Mark those words.  I have borne you from the womb and I will still carry you until you are old and gray.  Those idols of yours will burden you down because you have to carry them.  They sap you dry and lead you to destruction.  But I am the one true God and I carry you.  God is indeed passionate for his people.  His love for us surpasses anything to which we might compare it on this earth, for it lifts us up, it bears us up, and assures us of certain hope.

So now let us examine our own lives.  Likely none of us has gone so far as to fashion a statue from household goods and bow down to it in the family room.  Thank God for that.  It is the grace of God on us that we can recognize the foolishness of such things.  But that’s not the only way to recognize an idol. 

What is it in your life that has become a burden to you in your walk with God?  Is there anything that you’ve spent a great deal of energy crafting that is not God glorifying?  If we’re nurturing desires that have to work out “just so” for us to be satisfied, we may well be fashioning idols in our own image.  All of the energy we expend there leads us only to bondage to that desire, whatever it may be.  When things don’t work out to our plan?  Bitterness, anger, resentment, hatred, jealousy—these are the crippling effects of the idols that we carry.  Each should be a warning flag to us.  What could so capture our mind and emotions as to elicit that kind of response?  Perhaps we have crafted an idol.

Note that it will be very difficult to manage such consequences when the root issue is an idol that has us burdened down.  E.g., Do I resent my boss’s decision, or is the real issue that I’ve held a ravenous craving for his job and I resent that he’s still in it?  Am I bitter over my spouse’s reaction or do I feel entitled to something that I just need to die to?  I may regret my reaction, but the real issue is the deeper covetous idol sapping my zeal and strength.

Just as in Isaiah’s day, now is the time to renew our love for the God that carries us.  We don’t need to go digging for idols.  But we should learn how to recognize and deal with any that we find.  How do we topple an idol?  We “turn it over” to God who can deal with it completely.  Praise God there is a redeemer in Israel and his yoke is easy and his burden is light.  (Mt 11:30)   So shall our strength be renewed, and so shall we mount up on wings like eagles, lifted up by his grace.  (40:31)

Hebrews 12:2—What a compelling verse:  “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

First, that anyone would face execution and consider it a thing to be ‘endured’ is defies comprehension.  In fact, Jesus not only endured the cross, he determinedly gave himself to that end.  Peter soon realized this when he suggested that his Lord ought not to die in such a way.  His statement prompted one of the stiffest rebukes in all of scripture: “Get behind me Satan.” (Mk 8:33)  Jesus’ attitude toward the cross is even more unfathomable when we consider that the cross is the place where for all time Jesus would bear the full force of God’s wrath against sin.  2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that Jesus became sin on our behalf.  Read the Old Testament and you’ll surely know that God hates sin.  Nonetheless, Jesus endured the cross not as something arbitrary that happened to him, but as something that he was determined to accomplish.

Next, having endured unjust condemnation and humiliation as a criminal, having died an agonizing death, and having drunk to the dregs the cup of God’s wrath, Jesus takes up his life again, ascends to the Father and sits down at the right hand of the throne of God.  He what?  Yes, the man who bore our sin sat down at the place of all authority at the very throne of God never to be moved or shaken, but to rule until all of his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. (Heb 10:13)  Whatever questions there may be about Jesus’ character or authority, surely they all cease when we see Jesus at the throne of almighty God.  Indeed, everyone will have opportunity to behold Jesus upon this throne, for “every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  (Php 2:10-11)  Our prayer and motivation is that many people come to see him there now.

But there is yet another phrase in this verse that should arrest our thinking:  Jesus “for the joy set before him” endured the cross.  What was that joy set before him?  What was it that Jesus was seeing?  Was it the resurrection?  Certainly that would seem like a thrill to us, but he told his disciples quite plainly that he would take up his life again. (John 10:17)  Was it to sit at the throne of God?  But he was before the beginning with God, and all things were created by him and for him (John 1:1, Col 1:16), so the throne was not just where he was going, it was where he had come from. 

Was it to accomplish salvation for his people?  No doubt that is a part of it, but scripture goes further than just salvation for the people of God.  The Bible refers to God’s people, the Church, as the bride of Christ.  It says that we have been raised up with Christ and seated with him in the heavenly realm, which indicates that we are to rule with Christ as his bride. (Eph 2:6)  We see this practically worked out when we learn that the mysteries of the kingdom of God are to be made known the world through the Church (Eph 3:10)—through every day conversations and decisions to the glory of God.  Finally, the book of Revelation speaks of the marriage feast of the Lamb (Jesus) that will take place at the culmination of history. (Rev 19:7-9)  Unconstrained joy will belong to both the bride and groom on that day!

Similar truths are expressed in the imagery of the Church as the city of God.  Hebrews 11 says that Abraham left his homeland in search of a city whose builder and architect is God.  Abraham saw God’s promise of the city of God lived his life accordingly, even though he died in faith never having received the fullness of it.  In fact, all people of faith (the Church!) “desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” (Heb 11:10, 16)  Isn’t it interesting that Hebrews 12:2 follows right after these references of Hebrews 11?  Was the joy set before Jesus the same that Abraham had looked to so many years before? 

Shortly after referring to the marriage feast of the Lamb, John describes a city coming down out of heaven. (Rev 21)  In this new Jerusalem, lights aren’t needed because God himself is the light of the city.  To some this may sound like the stuff of romance novels.  To others it’s another expression of the joyous vision that captivated Abraham, John… and Jesus. 

Have you seen the promise of the city of God?  Can you picture Christ’s bride, the Church, in spotless perfection?  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus who for that joy endured the cross.