Certitude in an Uncertain World
We live in an age of tremendous uncertainty. People are not sure of anything and they are not sure that you can know anything with any degree of certitude. In fact, many are quite sure that they know you cannot really “know” anything, but they don’t “know” how they “know” that.
How do you know and how do you know that you know? And what is meaningful in life and what is the meaning of meaning? Who are you? Why are you here, how did you get here, and what are you going to do while you’re here–and why? And then where are you going–and why? How are you going to get there? Why are there so many different things and places in the world? Where is unity within the diversity of life? How did the world and the universe get here? Who put it here and for what purposes? Where did you get the ability to think and reason? But is your reasoning reasonable or valid or logical or true? What is truth? Who or what is the standard for truth? Can people communicate with one another so that they understand? Were you programmed to do all the things you do or do you make meaningful decisions that affect the external form of the universe or that affect human history?
You’ll recognize these questions as some of the basic philosophical/theological questions of life, particularly of epistemology (which means “how we know and how we know that we know.”) How can you find answers to those questions? It may not be as difficult as you think because the Bible claims to have the answers to ALL those questions! Does it? Well, yes it does, but are they the correct or true answers? How do you know? One way to get at this problem is simply to take the Bible at its word and accept the “self-authenticating claims” of the Bible and accept the Bible’s answers to all the above questions.
When you stop to think about it, you really only have two choices: you either accept what the Bible for what it claims to be, the very Word of the Living God, or you reject it and say it is NOT the Word of God; it is only man-made, contradictory fragments–like every other book that has ever been written.
Now there’s a problem in reasoning like this. You’re setting yourself up as Judge over the Bible and you are trying to decide whether it is in fact what it claims to be, the God-breathed Word of the only living and true God who has existed eternally, and has all power and all knowledge and all authority in heaven and in earth. Jesus Himself said that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 And if Jesus, who claimed to be God, says that God spoke in the words of the Bible and you say, “No, He didn’t,” then you are calling God a liar.
Well, now, that’s O.K. IF God does not in fact exist or IF He didn’t actually inspire the writers of the Bible supernaturally or IF God is not in fact a God of righteousness and justice and IF you want to risk NOT standing before God as Judge as the Bible claims, “For the word of God is living and active . . . discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Heb. 4:12-13 ESV
Well, you know you can’t really be the “judge” because no one gave you that authority and you are not self-created. You didn’t give yourself, existence, or life or breath and you can’t keep yourself alive or teach yourself something you don’t know out of your own limited or finite knowledge. But you do have to make a decision. You do have to decide. You do have to live. So here’s how you can put truth to the test. You’ve only got two choices: either the Bible is what it claims to be, the Word of the Living God and Jesus is who He claims to be, the eternal Son of God to whom “all authority in heaven and earth is given unto me” Mt. 28:18 or else it’s not.
So let’s assume first that it is not. Then you’re on your own and you have to make your own universe and your own value system and your own code of ethics and your own purposes in life. That’s what most people do and you can see the results with your own eyes: chaos, relativism, wars, and strife. After all if all “truth” is relative and “my truth” is as good or as valid as “your truth,” it should be obvious that no one has to pay any attention to anyone else–except as they might cooperate simply for survival. History is strewn with the shipwrecked ideas of man who thought he was going somewhere but finally discovered he had arrived at nowhere.
So try the second alternative since you really only have two choices: let’s seriously consider the claims of scripture and the claims of Jesus (after all most people seem to think He was a pretty good man and they killed Him even though He was always trying to help people and never harmed anyone.)
Actually Jesus gave us an awesome challenge and a lot of people have never heard of it. It’s just a tiny little comment tucked away in the middle of the 7th chapter of the Gospel of John. You see, although Jesus was the eternal Son of God, existing forever from all eternity past, while He was here on earth, He deliberately totally subordinated Himself to God the Father and taught what the Father wanted Him to teach. So when some people who didn’t like what He was claiming, “they were amazed and asked’ How did this man get such learning without having studied?”
But listen to Jesus’ answer to that question (and I’ll paraphrase it slightly) “Jesus answered, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from Him who sent Me. If anyone is willing to do God’s will, he shall know whether my teaching comes from God Himself or whether I speak as a man.” (John 7:16-17)
So why not accept the challenge? If you’re willing to go God’s way instead of your own way, you can begin reading the Bible and God will help you discern whether it is really the truth of God as it claims to be or not. And I would suggest you begin reading the Gospel of John and as you read, keep in mind your ONLY two options: it is either true as it says or it is not. So you must at least consider the possibility that it is in fact the true word of God. And when you begin thinking in those terms, a whole new world opens up before your very eyes. I’ll tell you what will happen if you do that honestly: God Himself will convince your heart that what you are reading really happened and it’s true. Try it. “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” Psalm 34:8 “Test all things; hold fast to that which is good.” And what’s your criteria? How do you recognize what is “good.”
Now look at all the things the omniscient, all-wise God tells us we “know”–if we know God through Jesus Christ who came to reveal God to man. “For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 2 Cor. 5:1 In other words, when we die, God has a place or a body for us to live in, in heaven.
“Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That you might know the certainty of those things, wherein you have been instructed.” Luke 1:1-4 No “epistemological uncertainty” here! They saw what Jesus did and said and they know they saw it.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 15:58 Now how did they “know” that? Because the omniscient God who knows all things, told them so.
1 John 2:3 “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.”
1 John 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
In the Greek language in which the New Testament was written, there are different words translated “know” in English. One is ginosko which means “to know in the sense of realizing.” Another is eidon “to see” in the sense of perceiving knowledge. “Ginosko frequently suggests progress in ‘knowledge,’ while eidon or oida suggests fullness of knowledge.” A third Greek word epiginosko means “knowing full well.”
You can detect the difference in the way the English is expressed. For example, I Cor. 13:12 “now I know in part (ginosko) but then shall I know (piginosko) even as also I have been known (epiginosko).” Epignosis is “knowledge directed towards a particular object, perceiving, discerning,” whereas gnosis is knowledge in the abstract. To have the fuller knowledge (and not just a casual knowledge), a greater participation by the “knower” in the object “known,” thus more powerfully influencing him. Proginosko means “to know beforehand” and is used of divine “foreknowledge” of what is going to happen.
The concept of “knowledge” of God and His truth is obtained, not by mere intellectual effort, but by the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing that knowledge to believers. The longer we walk with the Lord and the more we experience the strength He gives us and live in the light of His Word, the greater is our confidence in Him, but the single most important reason why we have such a steadfast confidence and conviction of truth is because of the witness of the Holy Spirit directly to our hearts. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” Romans 8:16 And not only that we are the children of God but that God is the faithful God, the God of truth. The very name “Holy” Spirit testifies to His character. And He is the One who brings that inner conviction to us.
John Calvin explained it this way: “the testimony of the Spirit is more excellent than all reason. For as God alone is a fit witness of Himself in His Word, so also the Word will not find acceptance in men’s hearts before it is sealed by the inward testimony of the Spirit. The same Spirit, therefore, who has spoken through the mouths of the prophets must penetrate into our hearts to persuade us that they faithfully
proclaimed what had been divinely commanded. Isaiah very aptly expresses this connection in these words: ‘My Spirit which is in you, and the words that I have put in your mouth, and the mouths of your offspring, shall never fail.’” Isaiah 59:21 (The Institutes, 1.7.4, vol. I, p. 79) So the Holy Spirit authenticates to our hearts what He earlier inspired as the “God-breathed” scripture. 2 Timothy 3.16
A hundred years later the Westminster Confession of Faith expressed that great Biblical truth this way: “We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the church to an high and reverent esteem of the holy Scripture. And the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts,
the scope of the whole (which is, to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man’s salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God: yet notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.” (Westminster Confession of Faith, 1643-46, I.5)
That’s why the Apostle Paul wrote, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance. . . .” Ephesians 1:18 NIV
That’s why we teach our children to place their confidence in God as a Biblical act of faith and pray that act of the will, that obedience to God, will be rewarded by the inner testimony of certitude in the heart put there by the Holy Spirit. One of the Psalms brings all that together: “That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.” Psalm 78:6-7 God is our Refuge, our objective security outside of ourselves and He is also our confidence, our subjective assurance of truth and of the future. God is the source objectively of truth and He also brings the subjective assurance that we know Him. “Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath
quickened me.” [brought life and renewed my spirit] Psalm 119:49-50
“So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain. . . .” Hebrews 6:17-19
And the very common word hope in scripture in both Hebrew and Greek implies absolute certainty because you are expecting and anticipating that which you hope for. You are looking forward to what is most surely going to happen in the future. It’s not necessary to be adrift, lost on the uncharted sea of relativism.
–Pastor Burnside
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Attitude of a weaned child
"Hey, I'm not only 'OK' with the new arrangement, I'm actually better off because now I have solid food and not just wonderful milk."
"Just as a weaned child is content simply having his mother's presence, so the faithful worshiper is content with God's presence, even when there are many things he would like God to explain (such as how one's own little story relates to the big story." (ESV Study Bible, p. 1109)
Psalm 131
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up [with pride];
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me. [Meaning "matters beyond human powers to comprehend"]
[2] But I have calmed and quieted my soul, [You can calm and quiet yourself just as the Psalmist did. "Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid" Jesus told His disciples. Jn. 14:27]
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
[3] O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.
[See also yesterday's blog, "Like a weaned child."]
"To the weaned child his mother is his comfort though she has denied him comfort. It is a blessed mark of growth out of spiritual infancy when we can forego the joys which once appeared to be essential, and can find our solace in Him who denies them to us . . . and every childish complaint is hushed. If the Lord removes our dearest delight we bow to His will without a murmuring thought. . . . This grows out of humility and lowliness, and it is the stem upon which peace blooms as a fair flower. . . . Blessed are those afflictions which subdue our affections, which wean us from self-sufficiency . . . which teach us to love God not merely when He comforts us, but even when He tries us." (Spurgeon, Treasury of David, III, 131)
"Just as a weaned child is content simply having his mother's presence, so the faithful worshiper is content with God's presence, even when there are many things he would like God to explain (such as how one's own little story relates to the big story." (ESV Study Bible, p. 1109)
Psalm 131
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up [with pride];
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me. [Meaning "matters beyond human powers to comprehend"]
[2] But I have calmed and quieted my soul, [You can calm and quiet yourself just as the Psalmist did. "Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid" Jesus told His disciples. Jn. 14:27]
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
[3] O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.
[See also yesterday's blog, "Like a weaned child."]
"To the weaned child his mother is his comfort though she has denied him comfort. It is a blessed mark of growth out of spiritual infancy when we can forego the joys which once appeared to be essential, and can find our solace in Him who denies them to us . . . and every childish complaint is hushed. If the Lord removes our dearest delight we bow to His will without a murmuring thought. . . . This grows out of humility and lowliness, and it is the stem upon which peace blooms as a fair flower. . . . Blessed are those afflictions which subdue our affections, which wean us from self-sufficiency . . . which teach us to love God not merely when He comforts us, but even when He tries us." (Spurgeon, Treasury of David, III, 131)
Saturday, November 6, 2010
"Like a weaned child"
"We do not lose heart"
The other day we were talking about how debilitating discouragement is and how the devil (the Old Lion walking about seeking whom he may devour) wants to de-rail all of us and our ministry for the Lord by whispering in our ear "you should be discouraged! It's doing no good. Just quit and be a "defeated person. Then you can wallow in your own self-pity and be useless to yourself, to God, and to everyone else."
I get a lot of e-mails from around the world from all those dear friends in those several places Minnie and I lived and ministered and God gave us so many permanent friends. And the note of discouragement often comes through in spite of trying to "put the best face on things."
So 2 Corinthians chapters 3-4 are so helpful as I've already pointed out in earlier blogs. But I have a habit as most of you know of reading the Psalms every morning after breakfast. (Continuing what Minnie and I did together for 54 years). And presently I am reading the "Songs of Ascents," those 15 Psalms (120-134) that were sung going to and during the three annual feasts of ancient Israel in Jerusalem at the Temple. (Passover (and unleavened bread ) and Pentecost (or Feast of Weeks) in the Spring and Feast of Tabernacles (or Ingathering or Harvest Festival or Feast of Booths) in the fall of the year. Such a joyful time of celebrating the Lord's bounty, goodness, and salvation.
Browse through those Psalms with me and gain some insights in how to deal with the ongoing struggle of discouragement as we journey through this fallen world with our own impediments of being fallen creatures ourselves, realizing that often we are our own biggest problem--when we don't have the right attitude or Biblical perspective. "Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!" 130:1-2 ESV The Psalmist is in desperate shape and he tells us why "Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth" and reminds himself, "yet they have not prevailed against me." 129:2
So how does he find encouragement in the midst of his discouragement?
1) He reminds himself of the greatness of God and what He has done for us: "When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad." Psalm 126:1-3
2) He reminds himself of our dependence on the Lord: "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep." Psalm 127:1-3
3) He reminds himself of the blessings of the Lord: Psalm 128:1-4 ESV
Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways!
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
4) He reminds himself that his troubles are temporary and the Lord will bring him through them:
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him. 126:5-6 ESV
5) He reminds himself that we are in an endurance race and "have need of patience that we might receive the promise" Heb. 10:36 and 130:5-6
"I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning."
6) He quiets and calms himself like a weaned child:
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 131 ESV
And what means the picture of our behaving "as a weaned child"?? Think of a nursing child and how warm and content he/she is on their mother's breasts. It's a beautiful picture of contentment and sharing between mother and baby, another of God's wise provisions in His providence. But there comes a day when the baby needs to become "a weaned child" and no longer a baby and often there is a struggle and protest on the part of the little child who doesn't understand what is happening. He doesn't really want to "grow up" and go to the next stage of life. But he needs to. The hour has come and it's time for him to grow up and mature.
"To the weaned child his mother is his comfort though she has denied him comfort. It is a blessed mark of growth out of spiritual infancy when we can forego the joys which once appeared to be essential, and can find our solace in Him who denies them to us . . . and every childish complaint is hushed. If the Lord removes our dearest delight we bow to His will without a murmuring thought. . . . This grows out of humility and lowliness, and it is the stem upon which peace blooms as a fair flower. . . . Blessed are those afflictions which subdue our affections, which wean us from self-sufficiency . . . which teach us to love God not merely when He comforts us, but even when He tries us." (Spurgeon, Treasury of David, III, 131)
We behave "like a weaned child" when we learn that "In returning and rest shall you be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength:" Isaiah 30:15 "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." Psalm 27:14 Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, "In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33 --Pastor Burnside
The other day we were talking about how debilitating discouragement is and how the devil (the Old Lion walking about seeking whom he may devour) wants to de-rail all of us and our ministry for the Lord by whispering in our ear "you should be discouraged! It's doing no good. Just quit and be a "defeated person. Then you can wallow in your own self-pity and be useless to yourself, to God, and to everyone else."
I get a lot of e-mails from around the world from all those dear friends in those several places Minnie and I lived and ministered and God gave us so many permanent friends. And the note of discouragement often comes through in spite of trying to "put the best face on things."
So 2 Corinthians chapters 3-4 are so helpful as I've already pointed out in earlier blogs. But I have a habit as most of you know of reading the Psalms every morning after breakfast. (Continuing what Minnie and I did together for 54 years). And presently I am reading the "Songs of Ascents," those 15 Psalms (120-134) that were sung going to and during the three annual feasts of ancient Israel in Jerusalem at the Temple. (Passover (and unleavened bread ) and Pentecost (or Feast of Weeks) in the Spring and Feast of Tabernacles (or Ingathering or Harvest Festival or Feast of Booths) in the fall of the year. Such a joyful time of celebrating the Lord's bounty, goodness, and salvation.
Browse through those Psalms with me and gain some insights in how to deal with the ongoing struggle of discouragement as we journey through this fallen world with our own impediments of being fallen creatures ourselves, realizing that often we are our own biggest problem--when we don't have the right attitude or Biblical perspective. "Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!" 130:1-2 ESV The Psalmist is in desperate shape and he tells us why "Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth" and reminds himself, "yet they have not prevailed against me." 129:2
So how does he find encouragement in the midst of his discouragement?
1) He reminds himself of the greatness of God and what He has done for us: "When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad." Psalm 126:1-3
2) He reminds himself of our dependence on the Lord: "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep." Psalm 127:1-3
3) He reminds himself of the blessings of the Lord: Psalm 128:1-4 ESV
Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways!
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
4) He reminds himself that his troubles are temporary and the Lord will bring him through them:
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him. 126:5-6 ESV
5) He reminds himself that we are in an endurance race and "have need of patience that we might receive the promise" Heb. 10:36 and 130:5-6
"I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning."
6) He quiets and calms himself like a weaned child:
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 131 ESV
And what means the picture of our behaving "as a weaned child"?? Think of a nursing child and how warm and content he/she is on their mother's breasts. It's a beautiful picture of contentment and sharing between mother and baby, another of God's wise provisions in His providence. But there comes a day when the baby needs to become "a weaned child" and no longer a baby and often there is a struggle and protest on the part of the little child who doesn't understand what is happening. He doesn't really want to "grow up" and go to the next stage of life. But he needs to. The hour has come and it's time for him to grow up and mature.
"To the weaned child his mother is his comfort though she has denied him comfort. It is a blessed mark of growth out of spiritual infancy when we can forego the joys which once appeared to be essential, and can find our solace in Him who denies them to us . . . and every childish complaint is hushed. If the Lord removes our dearest delight we bow to His will without a murmuring thought. . . . This grows out of humility and lowliness, and it is the stem upon which peace blooms as a fair flower. . . . Blessed are those afflictions which subdue our affections, which wean us from self-sufficiency . . . which teach us to love God not merely when He comforts us, but even when He tries us." (Spurgeon, Treasury of David, III, 131)
We behave "like a weaned child" when we learn that "In returning and rest shall you be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength:" Isaiah 30:15 "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." Psalm 27:14 Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, "In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33 --Pastor Burnside
Friday, November 5, 2010
6. 2 Corinthians ch. 4 Affliction, discouragement, and eternal weight of glory
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." 2 Cor. 4:16-18 ESV
I forgot to send a summary of the 2nd Corinthians home Bible study last week so let this serve for both. These verses are some of the most wonderful and important for us as Christians in the whole Bible. Among other things they tell us that God is using affliction and suffering in our lives to accomplish His important purposes. "They are working for us," producing something wonderful. And what are they producing? I've listed in the .pdf attachment 10 categories of things God is producing in our lives through human suffering, one of the most important of which is to make us more like Christ and to produce endurance and to burn out the dross that keeps us from being the kind of person that God wants us to be. God accomplished so much through the sacrifice and death of Christ on the cross (and His subsequent resurrection from the dead). In a much lesser way He is also accomplishing important things through your suffering and affliction. I'll also post these on my new blog and you can find them there http://billandminnieburnside.blogspot.com/2010/10/traveling-together.html
Another of the wonderful verses in chapter 4 is verse 7: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." The "treasure" comes from the Gospel and is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives making us more like Christ and using us as His ambassadors in this world "as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." 2 Cor. 5:20 The most important part is for us to recognize our own weakness and inadequacy and "that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us."
Twice in chapter 4 we read these words: "So we do not lose heart." (1,16) KJV says "we faint not." We could say, "We do not get discouraged" (or, more accurately, "we are not discouraged, we do not stay discouraged"--though tempted to do so when the pressures build.) "We are not ignorant of Satan's devices" 2 Cor. 2:11--and one of his most potent, pervasive, and deadly weapons is to get us discouraged and take us out of the struggle or endurance race we are in (or you could say, "the battle" because we "wrestle" with "this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Eph. 6:12 ESV "The Old Lion’s on the prowl again. . . ." And the same scripture tells us what to do about it: I Peter 5:8-9 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brethren in the world." "Resist the devil and he will flee from you"--and that's a promise. James 4:7
The reason we should NOT be discouraged is quite simple: there is no reason to be discouraged! God is still on His throne and He is still the sovereign Lord and He is still working "all things after the counsel of his own will" Eph. 1:11 so that in the end "we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Rom. 8:28 God is still our immutable, unchangeable, faithful God. You could preach many sermons to yourself on this one subject, as King David did when he asked himself, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." Psalm 42:11
Another reason for not being discouraged is because Jesus wasn't! And if anyone had "reason" for discouragement, surely it was He! He came into the world to save sinners and they turned against Him, the only perfectly righteous Man who ever lived. And his followers left him. In the Garden of Gethsemane "they all forsook him, and fled." Mark 14:50 And the brutality and suffering and agony of the cross?! And yet Jesus did not get discouraged. Isaiah 42:4 "He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law."
Jesus is not failing nor being discouraged today either–so neither should we be! "We are more than conquerors through him that loved us." Romans 8:37 Not even when, "For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." (That’s the preceding verse 8:36.) Brethren, "you have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, you might receive the promise." Hebrews 10:36
But a person may be discouraged for what is really a very good reason: he has unconfessed sin in his life, sin that he will not let go of. That leads to the 2nd point: Satan has another common device, the one he’s best known for: he tempts you to evil. And sadly enough there are Christians who fall into his trap. "God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desires, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." James 1:13-15 NIV
If you have fallen into sin, of whatever description, one way that you can tell whether you really know Jesus as Savior and have "passed from death unto life" is your attitude towards sin. If you don’t really care or if it doesn’t bother you and you continue in sin, then it might mean that you don't really know the Lord "because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:16 Holiness of life is a vital mark of a Christian. And when you do sin–and we all do–then there is genuine repentance and remorse. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 Not a casual attitude towards it. But genuine sorrow and repentance and the sincere intention never to be guilty again of that sin. "Create in me a pure heart, O God. . . . Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51
We can’t expect "sinless perfection" in this life but we can "walk in the light as He is in the Light." "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:5-7
There’s another "Lion" that is much more important and surely He’s "on the move," too! He’s the "Lion of the tribe of Judah." We bow to Him and honor and serve Him as King of kings and Lord of lords. And our powerful, glorified Lord told us during the days of His flesh here on earth, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:35 We need a visible love, one that can be seen in the way we treat each other and think about each other. And that love is God’s love "shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit." "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient. . . ." 2 Tim. 2:24 "Encourage one another daily . . . so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness." Heb. 3:13 NIV
I forgot to send a summary of the 2nd Corinthians home Bible study last week so let this serve for both. These verses are some of the most wonderful and important for us as Christians in the whole Bible. Among other things they tell us that God is using affliction and suffering in our lives to accomplish His important purposes. "They are working for us," producing something wonderful. And what are they producing? I've listed in the .pdf attachment 10 categories of things God is producing in our lives through human suffering, one of the most important of which is to make us more like Christ and to produce endurance and to burn out the dross that keeps us from being the kind of person that God wants us to be. God accomplished so much through the sacrifice and death of Christ on the cross (and His subsequent resurrection from the dead). In a much lesser way He is also accomplishing important things through your suffering and affliction. I'll also post these on my new blog and you can find them there http://billandminnieburnside.blogspot.com/2010/10/traveling-together.html
Another of the wonderful verses in chapter 4 is verse 7: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." The "treasure" comes from the Gospel and is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives making us more like Christ and using us as His ambassadors in this world "as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." 2 Cor. 5:20 The most important part is for us to recognize our own weakness and inadequacy and "that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us."
Twice in chapter 4 we read these words: "So we do not lose heart." (1,16) KJV says "we faint not." We could say, "We do not get discouraged" (or, more accurately, "we are not discouraged, we do not stay discouraged"--though tempted to do so when the pressures build.) "We are not ignorant of Satan's devices" 2 Cor. 2:11--and one of his most potent, pervasive, and deadly weapons is to get us discouraged and take us out of the struggle or endurance race we are in (or you could say, "the battle" because we "wrestle" with "this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Eph. 6:12 ESV "The Old Lion’s on the prowl again. . . ." And the same scripture tells us what to do about it: I Peter 5:8-9 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brethren in the world." "Resist the devil and he will flee from you"--and that's a promise. James 4:7
The reason we should NOT be discouraged is quite simple: there is no reason to be discouraged! God is still on His throne and He is still the sovereign Lord and He is still working "all things after the counsel of his own will" Eph. 1:11 so that in the end "we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Rom. 8:28 God is still our immutable, unchangeable, faithful God. You could preach many sermons to yourself on this one subject, as King David did when he asked himself, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." Psalm 42:11
Another reason for not being discouraged is because Jesus wasn't! And if anyone had "reason" for discouragement, surely it was He! He came into the world to save sinners and they turned against Him, the only perfectly righteous Man who ever lived. And his followers left him. In the Garden of Gethsemane "they all forsook him, and fled." Mark 14:50 And the brutality and suffering and agony of the cross?! And yet Jesus did not get discouraged. Isaiah 42:4 "He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law."
Jesus is not failing nor being discouraged today either–so neither should we be! "We are more than conquerors through him that loved us." Romans 8:37 Not even when, "For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." (That’s the preceding verse 8:36.) Brethren, "you have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, you might receive the promise." Hebrews 10:36
But a person may be discouraged for what is really a very good reason: he has unconfessed sin in his life, sin that he will not let go of. That leads to the 2nd point: Satan has another common device, the one he’s best known for: he tempts you to evil. And sadly enough there are Christians who fall into his trap. "God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desires, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." James 1:13-15 NIV
If you have fallen into sin, of whatever description, one way that you can tell whether you really know Jesus as Savior and have "passed from death unto life" is your attitude towards sin. If you don’t really care or if it doesn’t bother you and you continue in sin, then it might mean that you don't really know the Lord "because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:16 Holiness of life is a vital mark of a Christian. And when you do sin–and we all do–then there is genuine repentance and remorse. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 Not a casual attitude towards it. But genuine sorrow and repentance and the sincere intention never to be guilty again of that sin. "Create in me a pure heart, O God. . . . Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow." Psalm 51
We can’t expect "sinless perfection" in this life but we can "walk in the light as He is in the Light." "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:5-7
There’s another "Lion" that is much more important and surely He’s "on the move," too! He’s the "Lion of the tribe of Judah." We bow to Him and honor and serve Him as King of kings and Lord of lords. And our powerful, glorified Lord told us during the days of His flesh here on earth, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:35 We need a visible love, one that can be seen in the way we treat each other and think about each other. And that love is God’s love "shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit." "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient. . . ." 2 Tim. 2:24 "Encourage one another daily . . . so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness." Heb. 3:13 NIV
5. 2 Corinthians 3.18 'being transformed into his image'
Last week we talked about what the "glory of God" is. It is who He is in His being--His attributes and all His works that He has done and is doing. So there is the Glory of God's greatness; the Glory of God's goodness; the Glory of God's grace; the glory of God's mercy and God's righteousness and God's holiness and God's wisdom--and everything else about Him. There is also the Glory of His Creation--"the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork." And especially the Glory of Redemption accomplished by Christ on the Cross and through His resurrection and ascension and coming again. God also gave us a visible representation of His glory in the glory cloud in the Tabernacle and in the Temple. Peter, James, and John saw that brilliant physical sight of the glory of God on the Mount of Transfiguration: "And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white." Luke 9:29 ESV
Our study for tonight was 2 Corinthians chapter 3 which divides into 3 paragraphs. The first paragraph is 3:1-6 which discusses our inadequacy and God's sufficiency. "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God. . . ." 3:5 ESV It is possible to believe in the truth of scripture and yet not realize that it is sufficient for our life and guidance through life. Some people will take what they can from scripture and still look to modern psychology or our culture for guidance, not realizing that "God's divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness." [and given us] "exceeding great and precious promises" [that enable us] "to escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." 2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV
The second paragraph 3:7-11 tells of the greater glory of the New Covenant. The Old Covenant was glorious because it revealed God to man and revealed His will for man. It brought God into relationship with man (through the redemptive sacrifices offered in faith in the coming Messiah) and it revealed the "exceeding sinfulness of sin." But it was inadequate because it lacked the dynamic, the power, for obedience which comes in our relationship with Christ. So the New Covenant "far exceeds the old in glory" especially since it includes the greater glory of Christ. "For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory." 3:9 ESV
The third paragraph 3:12-18 culminates in one of the greatest verses in the entire Bible: "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." 3:18 ESV
Notice that it is "we all"--all of us who know the Lord as Savior are being transformed gradually into Christ's image from one degree of glory to another.
And when is God doing this? As we "behold the glory of the Lord" and how do we do that? 4:6 gives the answer: "For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Where can we see "the glory of God"? "in the face of Jesus Christ" as we study the scriptures which are all about Him. "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." Luke 24:27 We cannot see the glory of Christ in its fullness until we see Him and are made like Him (1 John 3:1-3) but we can still see Him as we fellowship with Him in His Word. God meets with us in the pages of the scriptures which He wrote for us--that "through patience and comfort of the scriptures we might have hope" as we "wait for the Blessed Hope" which is the return of our Lord. Romans 15:4
Our study for tonight was 2 Corinthians chapter 3 which divides into 3 paragraphs. The first paragraph is 3:1-6 which discusses our inadequacy and God's sufficiency. "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God. . . ." 3:5 ESV It is possible to believe in the truth of scripture and yet not realize that it is sufficient for our life and guidance through life. Some people will take what they can from scripture and still look to modern psychology or our culture for guidance, not realizing that "God's divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness." [and given us] "exceeding great and precious promises" [that enable us] "to escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." 2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV
The second paragraph 3:7-11 tells of the greater glory of the New Covenant. The Old Covenant was glorious because it revealed God to man and revealed His will for man. It brought God into relationship with man (through the redemptive sacrifices offered in faith in the coming Messiah) and it revealed the "exceeding sinfulness of sin." But it was inadequate because it lacked the dynamic, the power, for obedience which comes in our relationship with Christ. So the New Covenant "far exceeds the old in glory" especially since it includes the greater glory of Christ. "For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory." 3:9 ESV
The third paragraph 3:12-18 culminates in one of the greatest verses in the entire Bible: "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." 3:18 ESV
Notice that it is "we all"--all of us who know the Lord as Savior are being transformed gradually into Christ's image from one degree of glory to another.
And when is God doing this? As we "behold the glory of the Lord" and how do we do that? 4:6 gives the answer: "For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Where can we see "the glory of God"? "in the face of Jesus Christ" as we study the scriptures which are all about Him. "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." Luke 24:27 We cannot see the glory of Christ in its fullness until we see Him and are made like Him (1 John 3:1-3) but we can still see Him as we fellowship with Him in His Word. God meets with us in the pages of the scriptures which He wrote for us--that "through patience and comfort of the scriptures we might have hope" as we "wait for the Blessed Hope" which is the return of our Lord. Romans 15:4
4. 2 Corinthians ch. 3 Glory of God
We're beginning the study of that great chapter 3 of 2 Corinthians which ends with this very significant verse 3:18 ESV "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." As we "behold the glory of the Lord," the Holy Spirit is gradually making us more like Christ "from one degree of glory to another." This is an amazing promise and encourages us to spend much time with the Lord in His Word--beholding His glory.
And what is the "glory of God"? It is who He is in His being--His attributes and all His works that He has done and is doing. So there is the Glory of God's greatness; the Glory of God's goodness; the Glory of God's grace; the glory of God's mercy and God's righteousness and God's holiness and God's wisdom--and everything else about Him. There is also the Glory of His Creation--"the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork." And especially the Glory of Redemption accomplished by Christ on the Cross and through His resurrection and ascension and coming again. God also gave us a visible representation of His glory in the glory cloud in the Tabernacle and in the Temple. Peter, James, and John saw that brilliant physical sight of the glory of God on the Mount of Transfiguration: "And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white." Luke 9:29 ESV
Man is created in the image of God and as such has a certain God-given intrinsic glory. King David observed the glory of God's creation in the sky and heavens above and saw the smallness of man in comparison to God's greatness and asked, "What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor." The New Testament also speaks of the glory of man--but characterizes it as transitory: "For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away." 1 Peter 1:24
We had a good group tonight and we thank the Lord for all of you. 9 people including 4 JBU guys and we talked about the glory of God as an introduction to studying 2 Cor. ch. 3. We read aloud and discussed all of Exodus 33 and 34. That's the remarkable passage where Moses asked the Lord, "Show me Thy Glory!" And God told him, Exodus 33:19-23 ESV "And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The Lord.' . . . [20] But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live." [21] And the Lord said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, [22] and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. [23] Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen."
The glory of God in its visible form of the glory cloud or the fire at the burning bush and the pillar of fire in the night sky all represented the Presence of God. Moses told the Lord, "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here." So God told Moses, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Exodus 33:14-15
We, too, must have the Presence of God in our lives for fellowship, for guidance, and for strength. And He has given us His promise, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Heb. 13:5 So He is there--always--whether we "feel" His presence or not. "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Col. 1:27 "Christ lives in me." Gal. 2:20 We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
"Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. [10] But if Christ is in you . . . , the Spirit is life because of righteousness. [11] If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." Romans 8:9-11 ESV
Because of His Presence within us and with us we should be able to have fellowship with God perhaps patterned after the way Moses did: "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." Ex. 33:11
We say, "Give glory to God" meaning to acknowledge God's providential hand in what has happened, but that does not enrich God any more than He already is. We can not "add" anything to God's perfections but He does want us to acknowledge our dependence on Him. It pleases Him for us to take our place as a creature before the Creator and to acknowledge His Lordship over our lives.
--Pastor Burnside
Word Study: Glory
1. Hebrew kabod "When applied to God, the word represents a quality corresponding to Him and by which He is recognized, a confession of God as God.
It means "majestic beauty, glorious light, preeminence, and lordship." "Glory and honor are in His presence; strength and gladness are in His place." 1 Chr. 16:27
2. Greek doxa (from dokeo meaning "to seem") = "the honor resulting from a good opinion." The "self-manifestation" of God in whatever way He reveals Himself, particularly in the person of Christ, in whom the fulness of His glory shone forth. The glory of God was exhibited in the resurrection of Christ and in His ascension and exaltation.
Click on this link and then on "Show me thy Glory!" to listen to an excellent message by Steven Lawson, pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/source_detail.asp?sourceid=christfellowship
And what is the "glory of God"? It is who He is in His being--His attributes and all His works that He has done and is doing. So there is the Glory of God's greatness; the Glory of God's goodness; the Glory of God's grace; the glory of God's mercy and God's righteousness and God's holiness and God's wisdom--and everything else about Him. There is also the Glory of His Creation--"the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork." And especially the Glory of Redemption accomplished by Christ on the Cross and through His resurrection and ascension and coming again. God also gave us a visible representation of His glory in the glory cloud in the Tabernacle and in the Temple. Peter, James, and John saw that brilliant physical sight of the glory of God on the Mount of Transfiguration: "And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white." Luke 9:29 ESV
Man is created in the image of God and as such has a certain God-given intrinsic glory. King David observed the glory of God's creation in the sky and heavens above and saw the smallness of man in comparison to God's greatness and asked, "What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor." The New Testament also speaks of the glory of man--but characterizes it as transitory: "For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away." 1 Peter 1:24
We had a good group tonight and we thank the Lord for all of you. 9 people including 4 JBU guys and we talked about the glory of God as an introduction to studying 2 Cor. ch. 3. We read aloud and discussed all of Exodus 33 and 34. That's the remarkable passage where Moses asked the Lord, "Show me Thy Glory!" And God told him, Exodus 33:19-23 ESV "And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The Lord.' . . . [20] But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live." [21] And the Lord said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, [22] and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. [23] Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen."
The glory of God in its visible form of the glory cloud or the fire at the burning bush and the pillar of fire in the night sky all represented the Presence of God. Moses told the Lord, "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here." So God told Moses, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Exodus 33:14-15
We, too, must have the Presence of God in our lives for fellowship, for guidance, and for strength. And He has given us His promise, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Heb. 13:5 So He is there--always--whether we "feel" His presence or not. "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Col. 1:27 "Christ lives in me." Gal. 2:20 We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
"Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. [10] But if Christ is in you . . . , the Spirit is life because of righteousness. [11] If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." Romans 8:9-11 ESV
Because of His Presence within us and with us we should be able to have fellowship with God perhaps patterned after the way Moses did: "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." Ex. 33:11
We say, "Give glory to God" meaning to acknowledge God's providential hand in what has happened, but that does not enrich God any more than He already is. We can not "add" anything to God's perfections but He does want us to acknowledge our dependence on Him. It pleases Him for us to take our place as a creature before the Creator and to acknowledge His Lordship over our lives.
--Pastor Burnside
Word Study: Glory
1. Hebrew kabod "When applied to God, the word represents a quality corresponding to Him and by which He is recognized, a confession of God as God.
It means "majestic beauty, glorious light, preeminence, and lordship." "Glory and honor are in His presence; strength and gladness are in His place." 1 Chr. 16:27
2. Greek doxa (from dokeo meaning "to seem") = "the honor resulting from a good opinion." The "self-manifestation" of God in whatever way He reveals Himself, particularly in the person of Christ, in whom the fulness of His glory shone forth. The glory of God was exhibited in the resurrection of Christ and in His ascension and exaltation.
Click on this link and then on "Show me thy Glory!" to listen to an excellent message by Steven Lawson, pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama.
http://www.sermonaudio.com/source_detail.asp?sourceid=christfellowship
3. 2 Corinthians ch. 2 Forgiveness
A key theme in the first half of 2 Corinthians chapter 2 is forgiveness and the particular issue there was forgiving and receiving back into the fellowship of the church a brother who had miserably sinned but was genuinely repentant. We immediately think of the terrible sin of King David first with Bathesheba and then the treachery against her faithful husband, Uriah, with orders from the king to fall back in the midst of a battle and leave him to be killed by the enemy. It is incredibly disconcerting to think of such a man as King David, "a man after God's own heart," to have fallen into such grievous and terrible sin. It is beyond our comprehension--only if we forget the warning in 1 Cor. 10:12 "Wherefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. " But the emphasis for us to illumine this passage in our text is all of Psalm 51, the greatest passage in all literature showing the depth of repentance, remorse, forgiveness, and cleansing by our Holy God. Can't you feel the deep emotion as David cries out in desperation to God, "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. . . . Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:1-3, 10
That is genuine repentance. The effects of his terrible sin were not erased and heavy discipline came, but we have the classic example of true repentance. Something similar had taken place in Corinth where there, too, had been a grievous sexual sin affecting many people. But the man had genuinely repented and God had genuinely forgiven him. Now it was up to the church to do the same and that included receiving him back into their fellowship. There is a difference between forgiving someone just because we must forgive all in the sense of not seeking revenge and desiring their good and not nursing a grudge, and the situation where there is genuine repentance. For him they must receive him as a brother. And it's so beautifully stated as to why they must show their love to him: "lest he be swallowed up with sorrow upon sorrow." 2:7 God does care about the intensity of our suffering and our sorrows.
And the second half of the chapter tells us that we are "a fragrance of Christ to God" and to those who are being saved, a fragrance of life to life. And the somber reality is that we are also "an aroma from death to death" "among those who are perishing" because they are unrepentant.
This alludes to the sweet savor offerings of the Old Testament, the ritual connected with the Golden Altar of Incense. Incense is a type of prayer and praise to God. "Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." Psalm 141:2 The time of prayer and sacrifice was the "ninth hour" (3:00 PM). The lifting up of holy hands was a sign that the believer identified himself with the Sacrificial Lamb being offered on the Altar. At the same time that the odor of the burnt sacrifice was rising to heaven, so also the fragrance of the sweet incense was ascending heavenward. And this takes us to a remarkable verse: ". . . Christ loved us, and gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour." Ephesians 5:2
And so we also are a "fragrance of Christ" to others but never forget what the fragrance is and where it comes from! It is Christ's fragrance, not ours. It is "Christ in us, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. . . ." Galatians 2:20 This fragrance of life is the beauty of Christ's holiness, imputed to us, but being made real in our lives by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. What is the fragrance and beauty that others see? Christ's kindness and compassion and humiility and love and help. The beauty of holiness, the beauty of Christ, the fragrance of the knowledge of God. "And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us." Psalm 90:17
"A glimpse of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ causes in the heart a supreme genuine love for God. This is because the divine light shows the excellent loveliness of God's nature. A love based on this is far, far above anything coming from self-love [and much more than simply gratitude that Christ died for you.] The true love of God which comes from this sight of His beauty causes a spiritual and holy joy in the soul; a joy in God, and exulting in Him. There is no rejoicing in ourselves, but rather in God alone." (Jonathan Edwards, "The Divine Light."c.1742)
That is genuine repentance. The effects of his terrible sin were not erased and heavy discipline came, but we have the classic example of true repentance. Something similar had taken place in Corinth where there, too, had been a grievous sexual sin affecting many people. But the man had genuinely repented and God had genuinely forgiven him. Now it was up to the church to do the same and that included receiving him back into their fellowship. There is a difference between forgiving someone just because we must forgive all in the sense of not seeking revenge and desiring their good and not nursing a grudge, and the situation where there is genuine repentance. For him they must receive him as a brother. And it's so beautifully stated as to why they must show their love to him: "lest he be swallowed up with sorrow upon sorrow." 2:7 God does care about the intensity of our suffering and our sorrows.
And the second half of the chapter tells us that we are "a fragrance of Christ to God" and to those who are being saved, a fragrance of life to life. And the somber reality is that we are also "an aroma from death to death" "among those who are perishing" because they are unrepentant.
This alludes to the sweet savor offerings of the Old Testament, the ritual connected with the Golden Altar of Incense. Incense is a type of prayer and praise to God. "Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." Psalm 141:2 The time of prayer and sacrifice was the "ninth hour" (3:00 PM). The lifting up of holy hands was a sign that the believer identified himself with the Sacrificial Lamb being offered on the Altar. At the same time that the odor of the burnt sacrifice was rising to heaven, so also the fragrance of the sweet incense was ascending heavenward. And this takes us to a remarkable verse: ". . . Christ loved us, and gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour." Ephesians 5:2
And so we also are a "fragrance of Christ" to others but never forget what the fragrance is and where it comes from! It is Christ's fragrance, not ours. It is "Christ in us, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. . . ." Galatians 2:20 This fragrance of life is the beauty of Christ's holiness, imputed to us, but being made real in our lives by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit. What is the fragrance and beauty that others see? Christ's kindness and compassion and humiility and love and help. The beauty of holiness, the beauty of Christ, the fragrance of the knowledge of God. "And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us." Psalm 90:17
"A glimpse of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ causes in the heart a supreme genuine love for God. This is because the divine light shows the excellent loveliness of God's nature. A love based on this is far, far above anything coming from self-love [and much more than simply gratitude that Christ died for you.] The true love of God which comes from this sight of His beauty causes a spiritual and holy joy in the soul; a joy in God, and exulting in Him. There is no rejoicing in ourselves, but rather in God alone." (Jonathan Edwards, "The Divine Light."c.1742)
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