**SPOILER ALERT** - Ah, the dreaded warning for any movie lover. Do you remember the time you were excited to see a movie and hours before the showing someone made the innocent comment, “I did not expect {Insert Main Character Here} to die!” Arg!!!
Well, for today's post, thinking about this concept may help us understand this week’s message. I find a couple of verses absolutely intriguing, and they help me understand why things unfolded the way they did. Both passages talk about angels and prophets longing to know a mystery hidden from them, but one that has been revealed to us. And this mystery pivots at Calvary. Those before Calvary didn’t know the details of this mystery. Those of us after Calvary have the details of this mystery revealed to us.
The two verses are:
“It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.” (1 Peter 1:12 ESV).
And
“For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:17 ESV).
Sitting on this side of Calvary may cause us to miss the impact of these verses, because until Jesus and the Holy Spirit revealed the fullness of the gospel, there was a tremendous mystery that angels and prophets longed to understand. Only God Himself knew the mystery, which was this:
Man sinned and brought upon himself separation from a holy God who cannot have fellowship with sin. Yet God would somehow reconcile man back to Himself. Not for the Jews only, but for all of His created children- Jews and Gentiles alike.
The angels knew that man was sinful and unclean. The prophets longed to have a better understanding of how God would accomplish a reconciliation. But we have the gospel revealed and we can almost casually say, “Of course Jesus would die on the cross for our sins and reconcile us back to the Father.”
It seems so simple, and it is. Wonderfully, beautifully simple. But until it happened, no one knew it. No one would- could- fathom that God Himself would become man to suffer and die for His sinful creation. Even though He prophesied about it, no one could really grasp this mystery. Only God knew. Not the angels. Not the prophets. Not even Satan himself.
Understanding the scheme of redemption, I always wondered why Satan would help God in it by playing his role to have the Lamb of God sacrificed, thus ensuring his own defeat. But these two verses help me understand. Only God knew the fullness of the plan. It was conceived by the mind of God and carried out by God Himself. Before Calvary, all Satan knew was that he had to kill the Son of God to stop him from becoming the promised Messiah.
From this side of Calvary, we see the entire plan unfolded. From the other side of Calvary, reconciliation with God seemed an impossibility. Even the inhabitants of heaven- angels- knew sin could not reside in the presence of the Almighty. But they knew that God had a plan for man. They couldn’t figure it out and longed to look into this plan to see how God would do the impossible.
But we know the mystery. We know the plan. We know the role that God played to make us His again. We know how Satan unwittingly played into the hands of God’s simple, marvelous, wonderful plan. And having known what angels and prophets desired to know, what a shame for us to casually shrug it off and count it a common thing. I pray we all drop to our knees daily to thank God for having the mystery revealed to us, but more, for what the mystery means to our eternal soul.
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 ESV).
Someone recently asked me how my prayers have changed. The truth is, they have changed significantly. Mostly, in my attitude that I have when I approach God while praying. To give you a flavor of what I mean, let me walk you through my morning routine.
I get up around 5 am and the first thing on my mind is that I am about to go before the Throne of God. I wake up and take care of all my physical needs to prepare for what I am about to do. And eagerness starts to build.
When ready, I imagine in my mind approaching the throne of God. I see the Creator of the universe, Father, Son and Holy Spirit gathered in the throne room. As I step toward the throne, I imagine angels and all the created creatures of heaven standing silent as I make my way to God.
Then, all is silent. I have the undivided attention of my God. The Spirit stands with me, ready to help me utter things I do not know how to utter. Jesus stands as my mediator, with one hand on my shoulder and His other hand on God’s shoulder to eliminate the gulf that my sins have created.
As I open my mouth, I am humbled that all three members of the Trinity are active in my prayer. Each is listening and helping me- me a sinner who doesn’t belong where I am. But by grace, even I am there and the God of heaven is listening intently to me.
I find comfort knowing that what I don’t say right, the Spirit helps me say. I find comfort that while I do not deserve to be before God, Jesus has brought me as his special possession. And I get to praise, thank, and bring my request before the one who created all things, owns all things, and can do all things.
How have my prayers changed? To me, prayer is no longer something I must do; it is something I cannot wait to do. It is something that humbles me and teaches me so much about the grace of God.
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16 ESV).
What am I working on today? Seasoning my speech with love. Sometimes, it's not what I say, but how I say it that can build up or tear down.
“Lord, help me be a builder and not a wrecking ball to someone today.”
What does it mean to glorify God? It means that we do what we do so that He is honored and exalted. We say what we say so that He receives the praise.
Our danger is falling into the snare that the Scribes and Pharisees fell into. That is, doing and saying things “for God's glory” when in our heart, it is secretly for our glory. So that we can be puffed up in the doing and the saying.
If I do good so that God is glorified, I do so praying He is honored though I may never hear about it or see it. It is enough that He take all glory and honor from what I do or say.
I may never see a like on my post, get a thank you for my deeds, or be recognized for my actions. But I continue to do what glorifies Him and praise God that He has all glory from my words and deeds.
It is enough to deflect all glory to God so that we never become puffed up with stolen glory that belongs to God alone. That is our true reward and honor in Him.
I've done things in my past that are causing me to reap consequences that I am facing today. Is it God's punishment upon me for the evil I have done?
That's not how I see it. Rather, I hear God's voice tell me this, “Son, I know you have a rough road ahead of you because of the seeds you have sown. But I promise to be there with you every step of the way as you travel that road.”
On the Day of Judgement, when the Lord ask to examine your hands, will He find them rough with service to His people or supple and tender from withholding service?
Sometimes it's easy to think that all we must do is to obey and honor God. But Jesus says that everything rests on the first two commandments- To love God and to love neighbor.
What will you do today to make your hands rough in the service to your brothers and sisters?
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 ESV).
What am I reading today?
A few days ago, I started reading the book of Jeremiah. I am almost half-way through and things are not looking good for the Israelites.
God is about to send the people into Babylonian captivity because of their sins and because they have turned away from Him. God's long-suffering and loving kindness has reached its limits. Jeremiah is told not to intercede for them, not to pray for them and not to feel sorry for them.
What a scary place to be. It makes me wonder if we are pushing God to a place where His loving kindness and long-suffering is being pressed to the limits. We know that what made God angry yesterday makes God angry today.
As you go to worship God this Lord's day- if you are indeed going to worship Him- are you doing so in the same manner that Israel did in the days of Jeremiah preceding the captivity? Are you going to pay lip service to Him today and turn to your own ways tomorrow?
I am interested in seeing how the book of Jeremiah turns out, but I am sure that it will deliver a message of stark warning for us today. Indeed, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God and to push Him to the point where He pours out His cup of wrath upon us with no remedy.
Let me leave you with a chilling condemnation found in the first half of Jeremiah that sounds all-too familiar for our day:
“and because you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, every one of you follows his stubborn, evil will, refusing to listen to me.” (Jeremiah 16:12 ESV).
What's on my mind, Facebook asks... Well, I've been thinking a lot about the people who gave alms and made sure that everyone knew they gave. Jesus follows up with the instructions to not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
There is something pure about doing your good deeds in secret. My God is omnipresent. He sees everything I do and everything I do not do. Is it enough for me to know that my God sees when no one else does?
Sadly, not always. My sinful, natural man often craves the praise of men. But my spiritual man is starting to learn how to exert its dominance. Not always, but more and more.
And you know what? When I do as God wants me to do, I am so much more content. When my spiritual man wins the battle over my carnal man, I know it is God working in me. It is evidence that that He has not abandoned me, but is committed to transforming me into the image of His Son.
I'm not perfect, and my carnal man often gets the best of me. But it will not dominate me. And I know that my Lord will continue to extend His grace as I continue to walk with Him.
It comes down to this for me: What is it that I am really after? Is it that which pleases the carnal man in me or is it that which satisfies the spiritual man in me?
I am not strong enough to be the man Christ wants me to be. But He is strong enough to transform me into that man, and that I believe with all my heart.
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-4 ESV).