Treasuring God's Truth in Your Heart

Isaiah 45:21-22: Our Court Summons:

Declare and present your case;
let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is none besides me.

22 “Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.

Many would enjoy dragging God to court for perceived wrongs, negligence, and/or injustice. Interestingly, in Isaiah, God summons people to court (Isaiah 41:1; 21-23, 43:9; 26, and 45:21). But those the LORD subpoenas find themselves as defendants, not prosecutors (Is. 41:1; 26; 44:7-8, 48:14, see also Deuteronomy 4:35, 2 Chronicles 16:9, Job 38-41:2, Psalm 11:7, 46:10, Zech. 3, Revelation 19:11-15, etc.). Why is the Almighty judging and condemning people? Isaiah explains that everyone’s, including our, best arguments, evidence, and actions for innocence amount to filthy rags (64:6). Accordingly, all people so are guilty before the divine Judge even our goodness demands our punishment. When we add on our crimes against God (sin) we all procure an eternal death sentence in Hell (Matthew 25:31-46, Rev. 21:8, etc.).

Praise be to God, there is one lawyer Who can take our case and win: Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1-2). Jesus represents us, and takes our guilt so the divine Judges sees His righteousness on us which grants His elect full pardon (Matthew 19:25-26, John 14:6, Romans 5; 10:9-10, 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, Colossians 1:15-20, Titus 3:1-8, Revelation 5, 7:14, 19:8, and so forth). Further, those cleared by Christ are promised: “Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:33-34). Your court date is coming, have you lawyered up?

This blog was written by Seth Dunn

Treasuring God's Truth in Your Heart

Psalm 73:25-26: Vengeance, Sin, and Hope

Psalm 73:25-26: Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

We do not need the news to inform us that bad people do not get what they deserve, that life is confusing and not the way it should be. If you can relate to these feelings, you can relate to Asaph (the writer of Psalm 73). Asaph lived with arrogant, gluttonous, wicked people who led others into their unjust lifestyle (Psalm 73:4-12). Asaph was so distressed by these bad people telling him living God’s way is foolish that Asaph felt obeying the Bible was a waste (Psalm 73:13-16).

Then Asaph experienced the life giving instruction that comes from being in God’s house (Psalm 73:17). In the LORD’s sanctuary Asaph learned two things: (1) the Almighty judges the unjust (Psalm 73:18-20; 27), and (2) Asaph was part of the problem (Psalm 73:3; 21-22). What Asaph learned is true for us as we experience injustice. As we encounter abuses from a sinful world, we need to continue obeying God’s commands, knowing that He will take vengeance (Romans 12:17-21). Also, we need to confess that our sinful hearts add to life’s brokenness, and leave us desperate for Christ’s Spirit-empowered help (Romans 3:9-26, Ephesians 2:1-10, etc.). Lives transformed by Christ know “there is nothing on earth” more desirable than God Himself. Lives transformed by Christ rely on the Holy Spirit’s strength and forgiveness when their “flesh and . . . heart[s]” fail. Lives transformed by Christ are in with love His ways which give hope in the face of injustice (1 John 2:3-6, Psalm 73:28). In short, lives transformed by Christ can boldly say, “I have one passion, it is He [Jesus Christ], He alone” (Count Zinzendorf). As you live in an unjust world, know there is a Triune God Who will bring vengeance, has atoned for your sins in His Son, and gives you hope that one day life will be as it should (Revelation 22:1-5).

This blog was written by Seth Dunn

Tresuring God's Truth in Your Heart

Psalm 40:5: Proper Worship

You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told.

Disappointment is easy to find. Disappointment lurks when keys are missing, and thrives in the chasms of a broken heart. Is disappointment easily found because life does not go as planned or because our hearts worship lesser things? Counselor and pastor, Paul David Tripp, defines worship as “[our] identity as . . . human being[s]. [We] were designed to worship. This means that [we are] always attaching the hopes, dreams, peace, motivations, joy, and security of [our] heart[s] to something. So you don’t just worship on Sunday; you worship your way through every day of your life” (Tripp, Sex and Money, 35). If Tripp is right, then God created us to be worshipers. Because the Fall into sin (Genesis 3), we regularly place our hopes, dreams, and peace on people, possessions, and perspectives that only God can fill (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

How does worship relate to Psalm 40:5? Psalm 40:5 depicts a heart in proper worship of the Triune God of Scripture. Because of proper worship and trust the Psalmist, King David, has hope in the face of pain and suffering (Psalm 40:1, 12, 14, and 17). Because of proper worship, David could proclaim and wait for God’s most wondrous deed: redemption through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:7-10). What about you? Where are your hopes, dreams, peace, motivations, joys, and securities resting today? The truth is Christians and non-Christians struggle with worshiping the right thing. The only way to escape improper worship and have lifelong hope is to rest in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ Who through His Spirit gives us all hearts like David (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).

This blog was written by Seth Dunn

Treasuring God's Truth in Your Heart

John 1:29: Forgiven by the Lamb

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

What would you give to have forgiveness? To have the pains you caused others, your careless words, and all the errors you cannot let go, pardoned? John the Baptist knew worldwide forgiveness cost lamb’s blood. But not just any lamb. If I am honest, I know the wrongs I have committed against others and God cannot be dealt with by a barnyard beast. My angry actions, my insensitive speech, my past have missed Scripture’s mark so much I need something God sized to heal my brokenness. If you are honest, you and I are in the same sinful ship in need of help (Romans 3:23).

That is why Jesus Christ is so amazing. Jesus is our once and for all sacrifice needed to move our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:11-12, Hebrews 10:12-18). Jesus is the Lamb promised in the Old Testament, Whose blood empowers holy living today (Isaiah 53:7, Jeremiah 11:19, 1 Peter 1:17-19). Jesus is the Lamb Who is worthy in this sight of heaven when all others are found worthless, and Whose impending victory is predicted in Scripture (Revelation 5, 19:11-21). What would you give to have forgiveness? Forgiveness already purchased for you? Whether you have not yet received Christ as your exclusive means of salvation or a struggling Christian, His forgiveness is for you when you confess your need for Him, crying out “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (1 John 1:9-2:2).

This blog was written by Seth Dunn

Communion with God Chapters 23&24

Here we are in the last two chapters of "Communion with God". I hope you enjoyed reading along this summer through both the book and this blog. It's always a privilege to read and blog on these books!
Chapter 23 continues Owen's discussion on communion with the Holy Spirit. The title of the chapter is "The Behaviour of the Saints towards the Holy Spirit", but really, the chapter is about what we strive to not do towards the Holy Spirit. Owen lists three things.

1-We strive to not grieve the Holy Spirit. Now, Owen is careful here. We have to speak of grieving the Holy Spirit carefully, lest we come away with the impression that the Spirit is manipulated emotionally. This is not true. The Westminster Confession states this clearly by saying that God is without passion. That does not mean God is without emotion or passions, but it means that he is not controlled emotionally by external forces. And yet, there is a very real sense where the Spirit does indeed grieve when we, as the blood-bought people of God, do not pursue holiness in our life. Owen offers up a meditation on this topic:

The Holy Spirit is infinite love and kindness to me. He has wonderfully chosen to be my Comforter. He does this work willingly, freely and powerfully. What great things I have received from him! How often has he comforted my soul! Can I live one day without him? Shall I not care what he wants to do in me? Shall I grieve him by my negligence, sin, and foolishness? Shall not his love constrain me to walk before him in such a way that brings him great pleasure?

2-We strive to not quench the Spirit. Drawing off of Old Testament imagery where the Holy Spirit was typified by the fire that was always burning on the altar in the tabernacle and temple, Owen here is speaking specifically about not suppressing the works of the Spirit. If we resist the Spirit's work, it would be as if we're throwing wet wood on a fire to smother it. 

Now when we want to resist fire, we quench it. So the opposition made to the Holy Spirit working in us is called 'quenching the Spirit', as wet wood will do when it is cast into the fire. So we are said by the same picture to 'stir up with new fire' the gifts that are in us. The Holy Spirit is striving with us, working in us, encouraging growth in grace and the production of his holy fruit in us. 'Take heed,' says Paul, 'lest by the power of your lusts and temptations, you do not pay attention to him, but quench his works of good will in you.'

3-We do not resist the Holy Spirit. Owen's point is so good here. Stephen accused the Jews of "resisting the Spirit" by rejecting and killing the prophets of God. How might we resist the Spirit? By holding the preaching of the Word of God up with contempt. 

When the Word of God is preached, the authority, wisdom and goodness of the Holy Spirit in setting up this ordinance is to be recognized and respected. For this reason, obedience is to be given to the Word when it is preached, because the Holy Spirit and he alone gives gifts fro the Word to be preached. When this truth keeps us humble and dependent on the Holy Spirit, then we have holy fellowship with him in this ordinance.

Chapter 24, the last chapter of the book, really focuses in on worshiping the Holy Spirit as God. We'll close this blog with these words:

Our fellowship or communion with the Holy Spirit should stir us to give him praise, thanks glory, honour and blessing for the mercies and privileges we receive from him, as we do the Son for his work of Redemption (Rev. 1:5-6). Are not the same praises and blessings due to him who makes Christ's work of redemption effectual to us? The Holy Spirit undertook to be our Comforter with no less infinite love than the Son who took it on himself to be our Redeemer. When we feel our hearts warmed with joy, strengthened in peace and established in obedience, let us give him the praise that is due to him. Let us bless his name and rejoice in him.

This blog was written by Andy Styer