143. A Prayer Of Openness To God. Psalm 139:23-24. Series No.5 of 7

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

“I’m so glad that when I asked the Lord to search my life that He did it with a candle and not a searchlight!” That was the way one person put it. She had prayed the prayer of openness to God in Psalm 139:23-24, asking God to search her life. She wanted Him to show her things that He saw as needing attention. The prayer was answered. She later reflected on what had happened. She realised that God could have shown her a lot more than He had at the time. He had progressively shown more as time when went on, in an ongoing answer to her prayer. What He revealed was never too much for her to handle at any one time.

King David wanted to be right with God. In Psalm 139 he declared the attributes of the God whom he served, YHWH. As we saw in previous articles, he outlined the Omniscience of God (God knows all things). Then he wrote on the Omnipresence of God (God can be experienced by His people everywhere). Then he described the Omnipotence of God (God can do all that He purposes to do). These are the subjects of previous blogs. This is the God whom David worships. In the light of those attributes, David turns those truths into prayer to his God.

Verse 23.  Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

It is interesting to note the wording David uses in the prayer. He turns the statements in verse 1 about God into a prayer. Psalm 139:1, “O LORD, you have searched me and known me!”

In the prayer in verse 23 he asks God, Psalm 139:23, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!” In both the Hebrew text and in the Greek Septuagint text, the words for “search” and “know” are the same as those in verse 1. It’s as though David is saying, “Lord, You are the God who searches and knows. I invite You to search me and know me.” He wants to be the man of God that he is meant to be. He can’t see himself as God sees him, so He asks God to do the searching.

The word for “search” is “chaqar”. This has the meaning to examine, probe, ascertain, to do a thorough search. David has already affirmed that God searches, so why is he asking God to do what He does anyway? The answer is that David wants God to do the search and then to let him know the result of the search.  He wants to see himself as God sees him so that he knows what he needs to change in his life.

Similarly in verse 23 he asks God to “try” him and to “know” his thoughts. “Thoughts” comes from the Hebrew “sarappim” which is also translated as “anxious” thoughts.  Support for this comes from the Greek text where the word is “καρδιαν” = “heart”. The heart was seen as the seat of desires and feelings. Again David is asking God to reveal to him what he sees in David’s inner-most being, especially in his thought-life.

Verse 24.  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

What does David mean by a “grievous” way? The word “otseb” has a variety of meanings. It can mean pain, sorrow or even an idol. The focus appears to be on the grief David would cause to God by his wrong behaviour. In the Greek Septuagint text the word is “ἀνομία” (anomia) which can mean lawless, hurtful, grievous, wicked, offensive, way of iniquity. Some folk think that David is writing about the pain he might receive if he was resistant to God. But in this context David seems to be saying that he wants God to show him anything in his life that was offensive to Him.  His ultimate aim is to be led by God in the way everlasting (God’s way). Here is the mark of a person who really wants to be open to God by being set free from the negative, and positively walking in His ways. David was seeking to be the leader God wanted him to be in the terms Samuel told Saul, 1Sam 13:14  But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out ‘a man after his own heart’, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”  The only way David could become a man after God’s own heart would be to allow God to share His heart with David. That was the motivation behind his prayer. It needed also a willingness to change. David was willing.

On a personal level. Would we be game to let God shine the searchlight of His purity and His love into our hearts? Would we be willing to let Him share with us how He sees us? Would we be willing to change the things in our lives that are grievous to Him? Would we be willing for Him to make us willing to be totally open to Him? Why not pray the prayer and see what God does in your life, to your benefit and to His glory.

Blog No.143. Jim Holbeck.  Posted on Sunday 23rd February 2014.

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142. The Omnipotent God. He Can Do All Things. He Made Us. Psalm 139:13‑18. Series No.4 of 7

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

What does it mean for God to be described as “Omnipotent.” A simple definition could be “He can do all things.” That is true provided we remember that He cannot act contrary to His nature. Paul wrote in 2 Tim 2:13  if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. He is utterly dependable for that is His nature. So a more accurate definition for His omnipotence might be,  He can do everything He purposes to do.

What then are some of the things God can do or has done as the Omnipotent One? And what are the implications of this for the human race? These verses show us that He cannot be ignored or be seen as irrelevant. But this is not to be seen as threatening in any way. Rather the verses show us that God is concerned with the life of every individual. The truths in these verses have brought meaning and deep comfort to millions through the ages. They are deeply personal. We now examine these truths.

1).  God Made Us As Part Of His Wonderful Creation.  {13} For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. God is saying through King David (the writer of the Psalm) that every person is an individual creation made by God Himself. He created us and knit us together in our mother’s womb. The Creator of all things reminds us that we as individual humans are part of His eternal plan. As I loved to say to people at teaching seminars, “You can say of yourself ‘I am a person of eternal significance. God meant me to be!’”  It was amazing to see the responses. Some smiled at being reminded of a familiar truth. Others looked shocked. Others looked a little perplexed or confused. But later on as people grasped the truth, there was often very deep inner healing that took place that blew the minds of some of the participants. They could not believe they could be changed so quickly and healed so deeply.

At our teaching seminars there were often those who had been told the following things about themselves as they grew older as children, “You were not a planned baby!” “You were a mistake!” “You were an abortion gone wrong!” and many other hurtful things that had affected some of those who heard them quite adversely all their lives. As they were acquainted with the truth of verse 13, many began to realise for the first time in their lives that they were meant to be on planet earth. They were a “planned” person. There was a purpose for them being on earth after all. They didn’t have to hide in the shadows as a “nobody”. They were a “somebody” that God had planned to be part of His creation.

I would sometimes say to participants, “When did you become significant to God? Was it when you were born, or baptised, or confirmed, or when you gave your life to Jesus, or when you asked Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit, or when you fully surrendered your life to God? There would be various answers. Then I would introduce the truths found in Ephesians 1:3-4, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4  even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will… . Many were amazed to know that they were in the mind and purpose of God before the world was made. Chosen before they were born, to be beloved children of God. People of eternal significance indeed!

 2).        God Made Us As Wonderful Parts Of His Wonderful Creation. {14} I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. How do you and I go on the mirror test? Can we honestly look in a mirror and say to ourselves, “Hey, I appreciate you!” Or do we come out with less flattering words like “ugly, too fat, skinny, unattractive, mousy, ears too big, nose too large, mouth too big, rotten complexion etc.”? Or as we gaze at our reflection are we thinking of the words that others used to describe us. Words spoken to us 20, 30 or even 50 years ago that were meant to hurt us then,  and still hurt us today as we think of them. Often!

However the more we affirm the truth of verse 14, the more it becomes a part of us. We can begin by saying. “Thank You Lord for making me the way I am. Help me to appreciate me more and more.” By the grace of God none of us will ever go on to a narcissistic state where the focus moves off God and thanking Him for who we are, to becoming besotted with our reflection, focussed on our appearance  and forgetful of the God who made us.

3).        God Has His Eye On Us Throughout Our Lives. {15} My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, {16} your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  God is conscious of all the different stages of growth. He should be as the Creator of all things! He knew the moment of our conception. The circumstances for some people might have been a mutual act of love. The circumstances for many others might have been something far from desirable. But in both cases the child was desirable! God wove us together in our mother’s womb. Nothing was ever hidden from Him. But He also knows the days ordained for us.

In a world in which God has given humans free-will, bad things can happen. Innocent children are sometimes subjected to behaviour that is not glorifying to God. Nor is it helpful for the children involved. Often it is downright damaging and destructive. The privilege of having children as a gift from God also involves the responsibility of caring for them and bringing them up in His love. All too often the responsibility is not taken up by adults in caring roles, and the innocent suffer. It was never in the purpose of God for bad things to happen to innocent children. However He knows everything that was ever said to us and done to us that was contrary to His will. He even knows about the unspoken attitudes adopted to us which may have hurt as much as spoken words.  He knows exactly the damage that was caused to us. He also knows how to bring the healing that He knows we need. By His healing grace and by His grace alone, victims can become victors in life. That is not an abstract theory. It is a reality seen in the lives of hundreds of people who grasped these truths in Psalm 139. His care is never-ending.

 4).        God Should Be Praised For His Plans And Purposes For Us In His Creation.  God is our Creator.  He made us for Himself.  He made us for a purpose. In the light of this great love, what is meant to be our response to Him? For King David, the experience of God’s love made him committed to serve God throughout His life.  That would happen in two ways.

Firstly, he would be forever singing the praises of God. {17-18} How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! {18} Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. Earlier in the Psalm David had written of the Omniscience of God, the fact that He knows all things. In these later verses he has expressed a more personal view of God’s knowledge especially His knowledge of David’s life in the womb.  God not only knows about his birth but he knows the full extent of David’s life. No wonder David finds it difficult to comprehend such detailed intimate knowledge. If he were to try to measure God’s thoughts he could not because they would outnumber of grains of sand in the world. If he went to sleep thinking about the immensity of God’s thoughts he would wake up still pondering the imponderable in the presence of God.  Job also expressed the impossibility of understanding God, Job 11:7  “Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?  God in His grace and love has revealed these aspects of His character. We are privileged to know them and to experience them.

 Secondly, he would never side with God’s enemies. {19-22}. If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! {20} They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. {21} Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? {22} I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

We need to note the context of these verses. David is not speaking about the bad time his enemies are giving him. Rather he is upset for the glory of God. How dare God’s enemies speak evil of Him! Note the “You” meaning God, in these verses. If they have made them themselves the implacable enemies of God then they will remain enemies, not friends, of David. David says that he will never side with God’s enemies. The verses are a strong declaration of David’s loyalty towards God. They are not the ravings of hating, unforgiving person.

What a powerful Psalm is Psalm 139. It is as relevant today as it was when David wrote it. The reason being of course that God is immutable, He does not change. He remains the God who knows everything. He is present for His people everywhere. He is the all-powerful God who has a plan and purpose for each and every one of us. God used Jeremiah to bring us the same message of His love and care. In Jeremiah 29:11-14,  God speaks to His people, “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out–plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. 12  When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. 13  When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, 14  I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” … (The Message Translation.)

Planned people! Planned for a purpose by a loving Almighty God! To become His children!

Blog No.142.   Jim Holbeck.  Posted on Monday 17th February 2014

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141. The God Who Is Present Everywhere. Psalm 139:7-12. Series No.3 of 7

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

In this series on Psalm 139 we come to the second of the attributes of God that David deals with in this Psalm. The first attribute we looked at in the previous article described in verses 1 to 6 was God’s Omniscience, the fact that He knows everything there is to know about everything in the world. In these verses 7 to 12, David goes on to describe the Omnipresence of God, the fact that He is present everywhere in His creation. 

God’s Omnipresence. Verses 7‑12. He Can Be Found Everywhere

The question David seeks to answer. How can one get away from God? {7} Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? The same question is expressed in two ways. David is wondering if there was any way in which he could get away from the presence of God.  He answers his own question. He realised that could not flee from God’s presence. He explains why in the following verses. He thinks about the world in which he lived and the directions he might go to escape. He thinks first of the vertical dimension. Then of the horizontal dimension. If he can’t hide by going in those directions, there remained only one alternative, to run into the darkness so that God could not see him.  We will see that all those options would fail. He explains why.

 i).  The option of trying the vertical dimension.  {8} If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

God told Moses to remind the people that He had spoken to them from heaven, Exodus 20:22  And the LORD said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. Later he reminded them of that occasion, Deut 4:36  Out of heaven he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you. And on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard his words out of the midst of the fire. He added that God was God of heaven and earth, Deut 4:39  know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.

Moses later prayed for the Israelites as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. He describes heaven as being the habitation of God, Deut 26:15  Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.’

David knew that going up to heaven would in fact bring him into the presence of God, for heaven is His home.

If David couldn’t go up to the heavens to escape from God, then what about going down to the depths of the earth? He considers the possibility, if I make my bed in the depths. He again answers his own question, “you are there”. What did David mean by “the depths”?  In the Hebrew it is “Sheol” and in the Greek Old Testament it is “Hades”. It was seen as the place of the dead.  But perhaps David is simply thinking about the extremes of height and depth as he considers this vertical dimension. For example in Isaiah 7:10 the Lord speaks to Ahaz, “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”  David has made his decision. It doesn’t matter how high he might go or how deep he might venture, God will still be there. It is impossible to escape from Him.

ii). The option of trying the horizontal dimension. {9} If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, David is thinking of the light from the rising sun, streaking across the sky to light up the surface of the earth. He considers whether it would be possible for him to travel like that to the ends of the earth to escape God. He knows the answer, {10} even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

It is interesting to note that when he considers escaping from God in the vertical dimension that he concludes, with the words, “You are there.” But in this verse there is a change. God would be there in the extremities of the earth, but His presence would be beneficial. He would be there to guide him and to hold him fast. We see similar references in the Psalms to the “right hand” of God. Some examples, Psalm 18:35  You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. Psalm 60:5  That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer us! Psalm 63:8  My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. And Psalm138:7  Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. God’s right hand speaks of His presence to protect and to bless no matter what the outward circumstances might be.

That brings us to David’s final option to try to escape from God’s presence. Hiding in the darkness.

iii).  The option of trying to hide in the darkness. 11} If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”  {12} even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

The deepest darkness we can imagine is like bright daylight in the sight of God. David is saying that nothing can ever be hidden from God. That truth can be taken in a number of ways. For example it is true that God knows every thought we have ever had. He knows every word we have ever spoken. He knows everything we have ever done. That is why we need to be open to Him to confess every sin we have ever committed in thought, word or deed. He knows about them all. But we need to confess them and to ask for His forgiveness to be able to walk in the freedom of forgiveness.

However there is another aspect to this truth.  It is this. Nothing is ever hidden from the ever-present God. He not only knows about our sins but he also knows about every sin that was ever committed against us. He also knows how to bring healing to the damage those things caused. But more about that soon!

Suffice it to say that there is no place on earth where God as the Omnipresent One is not present to bring direction, comfort and strength to His people. Praise God we cannot escape Him!

Blog No.141. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Friday 14th February 2014

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140. God Knows Everything About You And Still Loves You. Psalm 139:1-6. Series No.2 of 7

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

“You can’t hide from God!” These words may make some people feel that their personal space has been invaded. Others may feel that if the words are true then they cannot ever be completely free. On the other hand there are those who read the same words and praise God that they are never out of His sight. King David knew perfectly well that God’s eye was always upon him.  He tells us of his experience in this Psalm.  He tells us that not only does God have His eyes upon him, but He knows everything there is to know about him. And he is glad!

As we work through the verses in this Psalm we will see why they have brought a great deal of blessing to those who have studied them. We begin with the first of the attributes of God that David describes in this psalm, namely His omniscience.

GOD’S OMNISCIENCE. He knows all things. Verses 1‑6. 

{1}  O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.

God’s search is not like ours. Some of us when we are sent to look for something, return and declare that our search has been unfruitful. To which the reply by the female of the species often is, “I bet you only had a man-look!” Sure enough the “female-look” uncovers the missing item! But God never misses anything in His searches. Ever!

The word for “search” here is châqar. It has the meanings to penetrate, to do a thorough search, to explore, to find out. In Jeremiah 17:10, God declares, “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” He is entirely fair in all His doings with His creatures because His knowledge of every individual is perfect.  But just how precise is His knowledge? The following verses tell us.

{2} You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

The Lord knows every action we ever make. Most of us would not know how many times we sat down and later got up during a day. Even the most diligent employer would not know how often his employees sit down during a day. But the Lord knows these things, precisely.

His precise knowledge covers another area where we may have felt we were in our own private zone. It is in our thought life. He knows what we are thinking at all times. There was an old expression which said, “A penny for your thoughts.” It may have been that we were wondering what our spouse or a friend was thinking and it was our way of finding out what was going on secretly in their minds. But God is not going to ask that question of any human. He knows what is going on in a person’s mind at all times.

 {3} You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

The Lord also knows our routine, even though we may change it drastically from time to time.  He even knows exactly the times when our teenagers leave home and arrive back several hours later. When we ask our kids what time they got home they might reply, “Pretty early really!”  But the Lord knows that it was exactly 3.15am. Not only that but the verse says that the Lord is “familiar with all our ways.”  Nothing is hidden from Him. He knows our thoughts. He knows our motivation in whatever we do or say. He knows what we read and what we watch on TV. If He was to play on national TV what was going through our minds, many of us would be extremely embarrassed. But He knows it all.

 {4} Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. Many husbands have the disturbing experience of having their wives read their minds. Accurately! But their readings are not always perfect! However the Lord reminds us that even before we formulate our speech, He knows what we are going to say. Many Christians testify to the fact that at times they were about to say something to another person, when they “felt a check in their spirit” (as they expressed it) and said nothing. They realised afterwards that what they were about to say would have been inappropriate. The indwelling Holy Spirit “nudged” them, as it were, to be silent.

I remember my wife and I driving a woman we had just met around Sydney one night. As we drove along I pointed out a well-known cliff where several people a year leap to their deaths. I was about to add something to what I had said, formulating the words in my mind, when the woman burst out before I could utter what I was about to say, “Our son did that last year but it was under a train.” I was so grateful to God that He had stopped me from saying something that would have been insensitive and totally inappropriate in that situation. It would have stopped the healing process that later followed. A fraction of a second off verbal disaster! Praise God!

What a difference it would make if we allowed the Lord to give His verdict on every thought that came into our minds, on every word we were about to speak and on every action we were contemplating taking. It would be great preventative medicine. As James wrote about speech in his epistle, Jas 1:19  Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. Or in the delightful words of The Message, Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. Or the words I found so helpful when I first became a Christian and shyly began to attend Christian meetings, Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent,Pro 17:28. The Lord wants to be the Lord of our thoughts and of our speech.

{5} You hem me in‑‑behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.

The Hebrew word here can mean to besiege, to encircle. But it is also used in the sense of encircling for protection. The Message translates it as I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too– your reassuring presence, coming and going. The laying of the Lord’s hand on David is seen by him as a sign of His protection, guidance and blessing in which he feels secure.

It is interesting that in the Greek Old Testament version the word πλάσσω (plassō) is used which is translated as to form, fashion, mould, shape, so that Brenton’s translation for this verse is thou hast fashioned me, and laid thine hand upon me. Other versions say, “You have shaped me.” The hemming in is for David’s protection and blessing.

 {6} Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

There is nothing that God doesn’t know about us. He knows what we do, what we are thinking, what we are going to say even before we say it. He knows the motivation of our hearts. One of the deepest hurts we can suffer in life comes from being misunderstood. It hurts when we believe our motivations are right before God but people still seem to misunderstand us or question our motives. The great truth is that others may misunderstand us, but God never does. It’s so comforting to know that there’s Someone in the universe who never gets it wrong. He is the most important Person in the universe. His opinion matters the most. He knows exactly the motivation of every heart.

The doctrine of God’s Omniscience is a blessing to those who understand it. We will see even more clearly what the doctrine means when we come to the prayer at the end of the Psalm. But for now, how wonderful to know that the world is not out of God’s control. We often feel like letting Him know what is happening in the church and in the world that we are not happy about. It seems to our way of thinking that He doesn’t seem to realise the danger of what is happening in various places around the globe. Doesn’t He realise that His name is being blasphemed even in Western cultures and sometimes in His church. Doesn’t He realise that His people are being persecuted and killed in many parts of the world. Doesn’t He realise that there are those trying to destroy the power of His word by ridiculing it or by having it banned in schools and made scarce to the military.

Yes! He knows all things. We help His purposes by praying that His kingdom may come and that His will may be done in all those areas of concern. That is our responsibility. It is also our responsibility to pray for all those who are rejecting Him, ignoring Him, blaspheming Him. They have been blinded by Satan and don’t realise it. We need to pray that God’s kingdom may come into their lives before it is too late for them to repent, to change and to help undo the damage they have done in their rebellion against God.  After all, He and He alone knows the time when Jesus will return. He knows everything!

A prayer in Anglican Prayer Books reminds us of this truth. It has these words which Anglicans have been praying for centuries, “Almighty God unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no Secrets are hid:” It then goes on to express the desire that God by His Spirit might work within us to enable us to live in such a way as to bring glory to His name, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blog No.140.  Jim Holbeck. Posted on Monday 10th February 2014

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139. An Outline of Psalm 139. The Character Of The God Who Knows, Loves And Cares. Series No.1 of 7

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

In this 139th article it would be a shame not to say something about that magnificent Psalm 139. In seminars in the past when we have taught on the Psalm, a lot of deep healing has taken place. The truths it contains are powerful and indeed life-changing. We will do a quick outline of the Psalm and then in later articles look at the riches the Psalm contains.

What we say in prayer gives a good indication of how we view God and our relationship with Him. The prayer of the writer of Psalm 139, King David, showed that he obviously wanted to be in the centre of the will of God. In the Psalm he recalls the attributes of the God to whom he prays.  He describes God as:-

  • Omniscient. He is the One who knows all things. Nothing past, present or future is hidden from Him.
  • Omnipresent. He can be experienced in any place by those who want to know Him.
  • Omnipotent. He is the God who can do all things that are in accord with His purpose.

The Psalm ends with a prayer in which David invites this all-knowing, ever-present, all-powerful God to search him so that he can be aware of the areas of his life that need change in the sight of God. Then he believes that as he cooperates with God he can continue to be led in God’s eternal way. His prayer is based upon his understanding of God. It reminds us that all prayer needs to be based on the character of God as He has revealed Himself in the Bible.  So here is an outline of the Psalm.

The first thing David recognises about God is that He knows everything, so that he cannot hide from Him, even if he wanted to.

1.  GOD’S OMNISCIENCE. Verses 1‑6.  HE KNOWS ALL THINGS.

{1}  O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. {2} You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. {3} You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. {4} Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. {5} You hem me in‑‑behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. {6} Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Secondly David knows that there is nowhere to escape from God.

2.   HIS OMNIPRESENCE. Verses 7‑12. HE CAN BE FOUND EVERYWHERE.

{7} Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? {8} If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. {9} If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, {10} even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. {11} If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”  {12} even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

 Thirdly, David was aware of the Almightiness of God.

3.   HIS OMNIPOTENCE.  Verses 13‑18. HE CAN DO ALL THINGS.

{13} For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. {14} I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. {15} My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, {16} your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. {17} How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! {18} Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

 He is our Creator.  He made us for Himself.  He made us for a purpose. In the light of this great love, what is meant to be the response to Him? For King David, the experience of God’s love made him committed to serve God throughout His life.  He would never side with God’s enemies as verses 19-22 show. {19} If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! {20} They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. {21} Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? {22} I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

This led to his prayer of openness to God, that he might become the person God wanted him to be.

THE PRAYER OF THE PERSON WHO WANTS TO BE IN GOD’S WILL. (vs 23-24)

{23} Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. {24} See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Nothing is hidden from God.  He knows all the things that have made us what we are.

He knows the damage others have caused us by their words and deeds.

He knows the things we have said and done, that have harmed us and others. He knows the inner attitudes we have, that are destructive to our human relationships.

David comes with an openness to God that God might search him. He wants to be all that God wants him to be. If he is carrying anxiety which is indicative of a lack of trust in God, then he wants God to reveal it, so that he can be rid of that anxiety and be more useful as a man of God.

If he has areas of his life that are an offense to God, he wants God to show him so that he might repent of them and be changed.  The word can also mean an image or an idol. God knows the idols we have in our lives that stop us from being totally committed to God.  It could be the idols of covetousness and greed. Or the hankering after a status or relationship or power that is not what God wants for us. Or it can mean the deep inner pain or sorrow that inwardly paralyses us, and to some extent, ruins our lives. Whatever it is, David prays, {24} See if there is any offensive (harmful, wicked way), (or any path that grieves God)  in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  He wants to be free of anything that would mar his relationship with God, and prevent him from reaching his potential before God.

Is that what you and I want? Would we be game to let God shine the searchlight of His purity and His love into our hearts? Why not pray the prayer and see what God does in your life, to your benefit and to His glory.

Blog No. 139. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Thursday 6th February 2014

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138. Rejecting God’s Commandments Means Missing Out On His Blessings

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

We live in a world that by and large rejects the God of the Bible. You can see it increasingly in the way that Christians are being persecuted in many parts of the world, yet so few people seem to care. You can also see it in the way that the Bible is being rejected or ignored or even mocked in our Western societies.  Christian values are being rubbished and efforts are being made to reduce the influence that the Bible has on the general population in many countries. Unfortunately in many parts of the world it seems as though the church is not helping stem this concerted effort.  However there is one factor that people fail to grasp when they reject God and His word.

The factor is this. When you reject God and His word, you distance yourself from His ongoing protection and blessing. When we cry, “I don’t want anything to do with you God!” He respects our freewill and allows us to go our own way. We saw that principle in Romans chapter 1 where three times it is said that when people rebelled against Him He “handed them over” to do what they wanted to do. In previous blogs we saw what that meant for the modern-day issues regarding abortion, false religions and inappropriate sexuality. When people turn their backs on their Creator they think they will find greater freedom. However the opposite is true. They come under greater bondage than they ever imagined.

What would happen if we really believed God’s word in the Bible to be true?

What if we seriously accepted God’s word as really being His revelation of His will to humankind? It would mean that we would seek to live for example, by the 10 Commandments given by God to His people. If humans with God’s help made every effort to obey the commandments there would be much less delving into false religions. YHWH would become more central in people’s love and devotion. There would be honour given to parents and more care exercised by their children towards them. There would be much less of social evils such as murder, adultery and theft. Human conversations would not be filled with defaming, critical, destructive, inaccurate comments on fellow humans. Humans would be deeply grateful for all they had been given in life and would not be desiring or planning to take what belonged to other people. What a wonderful world it would be.

Simplicity? Naivety? Or human possibility?

Some may laugh at such apparent simplicity and naivety. But that is because they do not take God seriously. They cannot imagine the world ever being any different, because they cannot imagine that they themselves could be radically different. Indeed many don’t ever want to be different. But change IS possible. You see, if people are set on pleasing God in their everyday lives, He promises to help them do so. We see that promised in the Old Testament in Ezekiel 36:26-27 to those in the New Covenant who would be open to God,  And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27  And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. God would change His people by giving them His own Spirit, and He would motivate and empower His people to do His will. There would be a radical change within them and in their outward behaviour.

We see the same concept in the New Testament in Philippians 2:12-13, Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Christian believers (who in the New Covenant) have received salvation freely through faith in Christ. But they have to work out the implications of their salvation. They have to work out in their everyday lives what God us working in them. Again it is a case of His people allowing God to motivate and empower them to live according to His will.

This gives a completely different scenario. If God Himself is inwardly helping His people by His Spirit to be motivated and empowered to do His will, then what was once in the realm of human impossibility (change), now becomes possible through the love, mercy and power of God. Persecutors like Paul become the preachers. The outstanding examples of immorality are radically changed to become highly moral people. People are changed by the power of God.

A warning to the modern day church. Don’t water down God’s word

There has been a tendency among those in church leadership in recent years to try to make it easier for outsiders to be attracted to the Christian church. One of the ways they have attempted to do this has been by diluting the teaching of the Bible to make it more “palatable” to those outsiders. They have tried to “soften” God’s commandments by suggesting that the world is evolving, so the church has to adapt to the changing or evolving culture. So they say that the “old fashioned” and restrictive commandments need not be taken seriously in a more progressive, more mature world.

But as Jesus said, God’s law can never be changed. He Himself as He lived on earth lived by the dictates of the law. He said that He had come to fulfil the law, not to abolish it,  Mat 5:17  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. And in this context He issued a stern warning to those who refused to take God’s commandments seriously, Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. Christian ministers and teachers are responsible to God for how they live and for what they teach. It matters to God!  Immensely! By contrast the Christian teacher who obeys God’s commandments and who encourages others to do so are honoured by God, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Mat 5:19.

 On the one hand then you have many in the church weakening the commandments of God and teaching that people no longer have to obey them in their original force. On the other hand you have God saying that His commandments will always remain in force. They cannot be diluted or ignored. But what He promises to do for those who want to love Him and obey Him, is to work within them by the power of His Holy Spirit to strengthen them to be more able to obey those commandments.  Quite a difference!   One is man’s way which is in fact the way of rebellion against God and His law.  The other is God’s way which is the only way that leads to victorious Christian living by the grace of God. As I mentioned in my previous article, those who deny the power of God are often those who have not experienced His power in their own lives. They have little concept of the incredible transforming power of God as His Holy Spirit works in the lives of those who are open to Him. They cannot visualise or imagine the people they know being changed to any great degree. But as many of us have discovered in ministry, when people respond to the gospel of Christ they become different. As Paul wrote in 2 Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. New! Brand new! By the power of God!

Hopefully in forthcoming articles we will see what it will take for the church to become what it is meant to be, the dynamic agent of God in helping bring transformation to individuals, and to societies in ways we cannot at the moment begin to imagine.

Blog No. 138. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Friday 31st January 2014

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137. Denying The Power Of God In Today’s World. 2Timothy 3:5

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Jim Holbeck

I was surprised. I was disappointed. I had been sharing with an acquaintance what God had been doing through my ministry over recent months. He was delighted as I briefly told him about some folk who had committed their lives to the Lord. However when I mentioned some physical and emotional healings that had taken place, it was as though shutters came down over his eyes.  I thought, “He doesn’t want to hear about these healings.”  I was surprised because he was held in great respect among the different denominations. But as I later reflected on the incident, I could not remember him making any provision in his ministry for praying for people for physical or emotional healing. I began to think about other Christian leaders who loved to preach the gospel but who never prayed for the sick and needy in services.

Recently I read the words of 2 Timothy 3:5, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. The passage mainly refers to the end times when people will turn away from God and false teachers will worm their way into churches. But I wondered whether many of us in ministry have actually seen much of the power of God in our ministries. Could it be that some of us in ministry are “denying” the power of God by not making provision for praying for the sick and needy as we minister?  To see the power of God come on people as you pray for them and to see some of them instantly healed makes you realise how powerful is the power of God. Or to see the incredible change in people as they are born again and become progressively renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Or to hear people who were healed in a Healing Service come back after seeing their doctor who told them they were definitely healed but there was no obvious medical explanation for their healing. Every healing is a demonstration of the power of God and of the incredible love of God for His people.

There are many folk who come to our churches today who wonder where the power of God they read about in the Bible has gone. Some of them move on to other churches where there have been reports of people being healed. In the thoughts of such folk why should they hang around in churches when God doesn’t appear to be doing anything, and where ministers don’t seem to have any expectancy that God will move in power. I have known some people who received marvellous healing through a ministry outside their local church who, when they have shared with their own local minister what happened, have been mocked and told not to share the news of their healing with others in the parish. Is it any wonder that some of those people moved on to other churches where healings were expected, appreciated and glory given to God for the demonstration of His love and power in their healing?

Some years ago a preacher was contrasting the life of the church in Acts with life in the modern church. He made this point. In Acts, God was seen to “interfere” in the life of the church. (Echoing the words of the late CS Lewis who called the Lord, the “Transcendental Interferer”.) In the modern church, the preacher stated, congregations would not expect God to interfere and if He did, they would be highly resentful. It was an astute perception. Many church leaders today are obsessed with doing things decently and in order (which is a noble aspiration) but leave no room for the Spirit of God to do what He wants to do in the congregation. It could be seen as a modern form of “quenching the Spirit”.

St Paul wasn’t afraid of the power of God. He reminded the Corinthians that when he ministered among them, they heard his words, but they also witnessed the power of God at work in their midst, 1Cor 2:4  and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5  so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. He knew that God’s kingdom was not characterised by talk only but by the power of God, 1Cor 4:20  For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

 He certainly prayed for his followers to know the power of God in their lives and ministries. Looking at Ephesians alone we see how he prayed for his readers in Ephesus. In Eph 1:19-20 he prayed that they might know “what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20  that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. He wanted them to know God’s resurrection power in their lives. His power that also seated Jesus at His own right hand in glory. How might they come to know that power? He tells us in Eph 3:16  that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being. An inward strengthening by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Paul’s thoughts moved to a Doxology in which he reminded them that they could have no idea of the magnitude of the power of God at work in them, Eph 3:20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us. No matter what they asked for in prayer, He could do more. No matter what they imagined the power of God to be, it was beyond their imagination. And this power was at work in them now as believers. They needed to be reminded as to what they already possessed in Jesus. It was more than they could ever imagine.

 Why then do we not hear messages celebrating the power of God available to the people of God as they seek to live in this world? There may be many reasons but how sad it would be if one of the reasons was that today’s preachers have not known the power of God in their own lives and ministries. Well I don’t want to be critical or judgmental because none of us have tapped into all God has for us in His Son. But it would be helpful for all of us as preachers and teachers and believers to pray a prayer like the following. “Lord Jesus, I want to be all You want me to be in Your plan and purpose for me. I want to minister in the power of Your Spirit so that You can do in me and through me what You wish. Remove all the blockages in my life that would prevent me from being filled with the Holy Spirit and filled unto the fullness of God. I want to be able to say with St Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  (Gal 2:20)  I ask these things in Jesus’ name and for His sake, AMEN.

Blog No.137. Posted by Jim Holbeck. Sunday 26th January 2014

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136. Christmas. The Time When God Sent Forth His Son. For Us. Galatians 4:1-7

Posted on December 15, 2013 by Jim Holbeck

Hugely significant incidents in life sometimes are described in very simple language. I am old enough to remember the shock in our household upon hearing the words on the radio, “The King is dead!” when King George VI passed away in 1952.   However there was another very significant king whose birth was referred to in very simple terms in Galatians 4:4. In this verse St Paul is looking back to the Christmas event. But simple language is enveloped by majestic language as he writes, But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son… .  As we approach another Christmas season we should look at those majestic words to see what we can learn about the King who was described in these terms as He came at that first Christmas.

1.         Jesus came at just the right time (in God’s timetable). “when the fullness of time had come”, verse 4.  We may give human reasons why the time was right for Jesus to come.  For example there were these factors. There was a common language at that time. Koine Greek was the lingua franca and the language in which the New Testament was written. There had been a spreading of Jewish people throughout the known world and many synagogues had been built in various places. These were places where Jesus and Paul and other missionaries exercised part of their ministries. There was also the pax romana, a peace throughout the world of that time so that it was possible for people to travel safely. Roads had been built which made travel both easy and safe.

But only God knows why He chose that time. Human timetables do not always correspond with God’s timetable, something we need to remember as we pray.  As Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:8  But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.   The birth of Jesus came at exactly the right time, in His plan and purpose.   

2.         God the Father sent His Son into the world. “God sent forth his Son”. It shows that the initiative for the salvation of humankind comes from God Himself. The magnitude of the Christmas event is that God sent His only Son. Not an angel. Not a robot especially built for the occasion, but His beloved Son.

3.         His birth was unique.  born of woman. His birth was both natural and supernatural. Natural in the sense that He was born like other humans, of a human mother, Mary.   Supernatural in the sense that the conception leading to the birth was from the Holy Spirit and not from a man. It means that He became a real human person, not a ghost or an apparition. He became flesh and blood like other humans.

4.         He came to belong to the people of God.  born under the law. His birth in this way had been planned from eternity. God’s people throughout the ages had been prepared for His coming. They were a people “under the law”. They were to obey it and to live by it. But they failed to live as they should. But He as the TRUE JEW did live by it. Perfectly. By His life He fulfilled the law of God in perfection. It meant that no one can ever get right with a God by attempting to obey the law. A man had done it! Jesus! Now there was a new way of getting right with God. It was through faith in what He had done in His life, death and resurrection and the benefits deriving from that ministry.

5.         The purpose of His coming. (5)  to redeem those who were under the law. The word for “redeem” is  εξαγοράζω (exagorázō) which means to set free, to release. It is found only 4 times in the NT. Twice it means to buy back (redeem) time, Eph 5:16 and Col 4:5. But the other 2 references have a much deeper meaning. In Gal 3:13, the expression is “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us–for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’.” It means that Jesus came to set people free from the law’s curse. The law pronounced judgement on those who broke it. Jesus as the innocent One bore the penalty that was due to all of us as He died on the cross for sinners.  He died in our place as the Robertson’s Word Pictures Dictionary puts it, “We were under (hupo) a curse, Christ became a curse over (huper) us and so between us and the overhanging curse which fell on him instead of on us. Thus he bought us out (ek) and we are free from the curse which he took on himself. This use of huper for substitution is common in the papyri and in ancient Greek as in the N.T. (Joh_11:50; 2Co_5:14.)”.

The word here in Gal 4:5 is used simply as “to redeem those under the law.” The emphasis in this passage is to place the focus on the result of that redeeming, that is, the possibility of adoption into the family of God.

6.         The result of His coming. Our adoption into the family of God.  so that we might receive adoption as sons. The term “adoption as sons” is just one word in the Greek, (υιοθεσία or huiothesia). It is only used in the Bible on 5 occasions. The other references are in Romans, in 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” and in 8:23, And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies,  and in 9:4  They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.

The other reference is in Eph 1:5 which helps give meaning to these references in Romans  and to our text in Gal 4:5. Eph 1:5 reads he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. What this verse tells us is that God had chosen people to belong to Himself from all eternity. It was always His will. That will was fulfilled when Jesus redeemed His people through His death on the cross, through His resurrection and His ascension to heaven. There He received the gift of the Holy Spirit which He poured out on His believing people.

7.         The Privilege we can enjoy. Personal Intimacy with God. (6)  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” The gift of the Holy Spirit was not just an objective truth to take hold of. Rather it was an experienced reality in which the recipients of the Spirit were inwardly motivated by the Spirit to cry out in personal intimate terms to God. The experience gave one the sense of belonging. To a Heavenly Father. To One whom they could trust like a young child trusts his or her earthly father.   

8.         Our new status before God. (7)  So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Paul wants His readers to take hold of the freedom Christ has won for them. They weren’t meant to serve God with the mentality they were slaves. Rather as they lived for God they were to have the mentality that they belonged to God as His children. Indeed heirs of God. As Paul wrote elsewhere, they were fellow heirs with Christ, Rom 8:17  and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.

SUMMING UP.  No wonder so many people, when they hear the words of Gal 4:4 being read out, when the time had fully come…, have a deep sense of excitement within them. They know they will be hearing in the words that follow, the gospel in a nutshell. That Christ came and died for them. That God adopted them into His family. That Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit to indwell them and to give them a deep sense of His grace and love for them. No wonder they feel like crying out, “Abba Father”! Not just at Christmas. But every moment of every day!

Simple words in Galatian 4:4. But what  depth of meaning is found in every phrase that follows!

May you and your loved ones this Christmas know the joy of belonging to Him and become the recipients of His amazing grace, love and His indwelling presence by His Spirit.

Blog No. 136. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Sunday 15th December 2013

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135. Bishop Peter Chiswell, 1934-2013. A Former Bishop of Armidale NSW. A Tribute

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Jim Holbeck

Peter served the Lord in the Diocese of Armidale for virtually his entire ministry. His influence was wide-spread throughout the diocese over several decades. Together with his close friend the late John (Chappo) Chapman he helped open the diocese to “gospel men”. Certainly, as a Bishop, he encouraged Bible believing ministers to come into the diocese. At the same time he was willing to allow parishes to have the type of ministry they desired when that was possible.

My wife Carole and I were warmly welcomed into the Diocese when I accepted his invitation to become the Dean of the Cathedral in 1978. As a result, our family was privileged to be able to live in the beautiful city of Armidale for 10 years and to minister to the godly people in the widely spread out Cathedral parish. He wanted to be a ‘hands-on” Bishop and introduced a “Bishop’s Deacon” system which allowed him to personally encourage and help train individual new Deacons in the Diocese. Many of them have since had significant ministries in the Australian church.

He was concerned to see the diocese grow numerically, but even more so, spiritually. He tried to come to grips with the charismatic renewal that was moving in many Australian dioceses including his own diocese and tried to ensure that those involved did not depart from Biblical truths. He felt a real responsibility for the Diocese to be Bible based in its theology and in its practice. He was also a very experienced administrator throughout his ministry.

The requirements for a Bishop are found in Titus 1:6-9.   if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. His wife Betty shared his love for the gospel and together they encouraged their children to walk in the ways of the Lord. As a result they committed their lives to the Lord at an early age and all of them have gone on to serve the Lord in full-time service. He also fulfilled another requirement in that passage in being faithful to the word of God in his own life and in the life of the diocese, verse 9  He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. He was very careful in his preaching and teaching to base what he said on the word of God. He was also vigilant as a Bishop to ensure that all the ministry in the diocese was Bible based.

God has His purpose in raising up individuals to serve Him in His church. Peter was one such individual. He was single-minded in his commitment to serve his Lord with all his being. Many through the decades were blessed through his ministry and later through his oversight as Bishop in the diocese of Armidale.

We join with many others in the Australian church in extending our sympathy to his wife Betty and to their children Graham, Margaret and Rodney and their families in their very sad loss.

Blog No.135.   Jim Holbeck.   Posted on Tuesday 10th December 2013

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134. Jesus Appeared (at Christmas) And Will Appear Again. The Need To Be Ready. Titus 3:1-7

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Jim Holbeck

One of the terms used to describe the coming of Jesus into the world at the first Christmas was the term “appearing”. St Paul used it in Titus 3 to give the significance of that appearance for humankind. He wrote, Tit 3:4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, 5  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.  It’s interesting to see the significance of the word “but” in this context.

Earlier in chapter 3 Paul had been warning his readers about the dangers of lawlessness and encouraging them to be submissive to authority, Tit 3:1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarrelling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. It’s not that he took a “holier than thou” attitude in his writing. Instead he admits that he and all other humans were guilty of wrong attitudes and behaviour, 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. (Sounds like our 20-21st century failures to live as we should).

But Jesus’ “appearance” brought a change

The word “but” here in Titus 3:4 is highly significant.  It introduces a contrast. The contrast between two entirely different ways of living. What caused the difference? Paul tells us. God did something. There was an appearance. The appearance of His Son at that first Christmas. An entry into the world that would change individuals in the world. Changed individuals would help to change the world. Paul describes this entry into the world as an “appearing”, Tit 3:4 “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared.” The word Paul used was the verb (επιφαίνω) epiphaínō. It has the meanings to shine, to come forth, to become manifest. At that first Christmas, God’s goodness and love were revealed to the world in human form in His Son.

It was a change that could affect humans

Those inner qualities of goodness and loving kindness mentioned in verse 4 had always characterised God. But they were manifest, they appeared in the coming of Jesus. It’s interesting to note also that though these qualities of “goodness” (χρηστότης = chrēstótēs) and loving kindness (φιλανθρωπία = philanthrōpía) were existent in God, they could also characterise the lives of those who would become His followers. That would happen through the ministry of His Holy Spirit within them. (See for example, “kindness” is used of God in Rom 2:4, 11:22, Eph 2:7 and used of humans in  2 Cor 6:6, Gal 5:22 as part of the fruit of the Spirit and in Col 3:12). As Peter reminds us in 2 Pet 1:4 believers are “partakers of the divine nature”.  God’s Holy Spirit imparts His characteristics to the people of God. If they remain open to His grace, love and power!

How could that change in humans take place? Through being “saved”

It was through the salvation Jesus came to bring as the Saviour of the world. As Paul wrote in our passage in Titus 3, 5 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, (6) whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Here is the gospel message in a nutshell. It contains these elements. a. The author of salvation is God Himself. It was His initiative.  b.  His motivation for saving us was His merciful nature. It had nothing to do with our works. We could never deserve or earn His acceptance.  c. He saved us by working in us to cleanse us of our sins as we were born again (regeneration) and experienced an inner transformation (as His Spirit renewed us). In His love He poured out His Spirit upon us “richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.”

 At that first Christmas God put in place the final stage of His plan for the salvation of the world. He sent His Son to live as a human so that He might eventually die as a human, for humans. Not only that but He could renew humans as they later responded to the gospel message by giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit. He could also enable them to love with His love. As Paul wrote in Romans 5:5, … God’s love (agape) has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. He enables us to more readily fulfil the two great commands He gave us. Mar 12:30  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31  The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” We can love people with God’s agape love because His Spirit indwells us as His people and releases His love through us.

Jesus is to “appear” again. At His Second Coming

There are two references to “appearing” in the same passage in Titus. The first (a verb) refers to His coming at that first Christmas.  The second is the noun two verses later which refers to His second coming, Tit 2:11  For the grace of God has appeared (the verb επιφαίνω = epiphaínō) bringing salvation for all people, 12  training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13  waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing (the noun επιφάνεια = epipháneia) of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

At His first Coming at that first Christmas Jesus appeared in weakness as a human babe. When He appears next time He will appear in power, might and glory. That is the sure Christian hope. Paul urges His readers to prepare for that coming by renouncing everything in their lives that was not pleasing to God.  He reminds them that the Jesus who is to appear at His second coming was the One who had previously come into the world and who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Titus 2:14

As we celebrate another Christmas our minds naturally return to the Christ-child. We praise God that He, as the eternal Son Of God, Creator of the world,  came so humbly to live in His creation and eventually die for us.  But our minds and hearts also need to focus on Him who is the Kings of Kings, the Lord of glory. And we need to prepare for His appearing by asking Him to fill us with His Holy Spirit so that we might be motivated and empowered to live for Him for every remaining moment of our lives. For His sake. For our sakes. For the sake of the world which so urgently needs His transforming love and power.

Blog No.134. Jim Holbeck. Posted on Monday 9th December 2013

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