A Resolution Worth Keeping

“And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD." And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. …When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.”
ESV 2 Kings 22:8;11

Before this day is over hundreds of thousands of people scattered all over the country will be making New Year’s resolutions. They’ll all be well intentioned. Most will be sincere. But many people will underestimate difficulties involved in keeping resolutions while overestimating their ability and/or desire to keep them. So, a good many resolutions will simply be abandoned early next year without a second thought.

But some resolutions are worth keeping. Let me suggest just one resolution for you that is most certainly worth keeping: ‘Resolved in 2009, to regularly and diligently search for God in his word and to keep his commandments.’ It is a resolution worth keeping; I promise.

You see, I’m convinced that the Bible is God’s primary way of revealing himself in our day and age. That being the case, the Bible is the one book above all others that can truly transform lives; in the present and for eternity. It is a book through which God speaks.

God’s word has been transforming lives for thousands of years. The book that Shaphan read to the king (Josiah) was most likely the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. God spoke to king Josiah through that book. When the word was read to him he recognized it as true. He also recognized the wickedness of his kingdom and subjects in light of the words and he “tore his clothes” in anguish. Josiah’s repentance before God resulted in Josiah’s deliverance from God’s coming wrath against Judah. Point: God’s word transforms kings.

Here’s another example. A zealous persecutor of Christians and Christianity named Saul was transformed by God’s word. So dramatic was his transformation that we speak fondly of him today as Paul; the gifted evangelist and writer of much of the New Testament. From then on, Paul never got his fill of God’s word. As he sat in a cold Roman prison near the end of his life, he wrote to Timothy asking him to visit and bring some personal items “and above all the things the parchments;” referring to God’s word. Point: God’s word transforms his enemies.

What effect has the Bible had on you? Paul wrote to the Romans that the gospel was “the power of God for salvation.” He wrote to Timothy that all Scripture was “profitable for teaching…[and] training in righteousness.” Have you experienced the Bible’s trans-forming power yet? If you have, are you using it for “training in righteousness?”

‘Resolved in 2009, to regularly and diligently search for God in his word and to keep his commandments.’

Scripture Says it Best

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son"? And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."

Of the angels he says, "He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire."
But of the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions."

And, "You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end."

And to which of the angels has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
ESV Hebrews 1:1-2:4

In the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, let’s dare not forget Christ the Savior.

Merry Christmas!

Redeem the Time

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” ESV Ephesians 5:15-16

Each of the past few years I’ve taken time in the fall to read a couple of sermons by one of my favorite theologians, Jonathan Edwards. One of the sermons is titled Procrastination; the other is titled The Preciousness of Time. Both of them remind me that every day is a gift from God.

Tabletalk, a devotional magazine, published an article about Edwards recently that brought him to mind this week. In it, they quote Sean Lucas as saying: “There was a time when Jonathan Edwards wasn’t Jonathan Edwards. That is to say, there was a time before Edwards was the great theologian and pastor his is now known to be.” His point is that Edwards made some decisions as a young man that very much impacted the direction that his life would take.

Somewhere beginning along about the age of nineteen, Edwards, over the course of a few years, penned seventy resolutions to himself. (They’re easy to find online if you’ll search keywords Edwards and resolutions.) Here is a sampling of his resolutions:

#5 Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

#6 Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

#16 Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.

#17 Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

#28 Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

#43 Resolved, never, henceforward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God’s.

Very soon Christmas celebrations and feasts will be in full swing. Many folks (myself included) would do well to adopt Edwards’ 20th resolution: Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance, in eating and drinking. Ouch!

Every time I read his resolutions I’m awestruck at his disciplined way of thinking. If you’ll read them all, you’ll quickly note that all seventy of his resolutions reflect his intense desire to honor God in all his ways.

Jonathan Edwards not only made God-centered resolutions; he lived them. Jonathan Edwards, while not without fault, sincerely strived for a godly lifestyle. Do you live each day for the glory of God? Paul admonishes us to do so in 1Corinthians 10:31 where he writes: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

What God-centered resolutions might you pen to yourself today? It’s never to late to start.

Ken Askew

Fire Came Down

“As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house.” ESV 2 Chronicles 7:1-2

How would we react today if we were to truly behold the glory of God? The Bible tells us that no man can see the actual face of God and live to tell about it. But there are several biblical accounts of the glory of God being seen.

Moses desired and asked to see God, but God cautioned him otherwise and instead instructed Moses to hide his face in the cleft of a rock as He passed by. Moses did and looked only to behold the glory of God from behind. Other biblical accounts described Moses’ face shining after coming out of the presence of God; so much so that he often wore a veil until it subsided.

Isaiah recounts his calling to ministry in Isaiah chapter six. On beholding the glory of God, Isaiah could only utter a cry of utter despair on his own behalf. He cried “Woe is me! For I am lost…for my eyes have seen the King, the lord of hosts.” In Isaiah’s vision, the hem of God’s robe alone filled the entire temple. And in the presence of the glory of God, Isaiah, perhaps one of the greatest prophets ever, could only view himself as doomed. I’m convinced that we should view God with the same sense of awe and wonder.

In our text today, King Solomon has just finished praying a prayer of dedication for the temple he has constructed for God. As soon as he’s finished, fire rains down from heaven and consumes the offerings and sacrifices that have been presented. Picture that in your mind—fire raining down from heaven. In my mind, it was a magnificent display of the greatness, majesty, and glory of God to the people.

How would we react to such a display? How would we react if fire rained down from heaven and consumed the parking lot at church Sunday? I can picture news crews convening on the scene (assuming nothing more spectacular occurred that day) to document the event. In a society that demands logical and immediate explanations for everything, speculation would begin almost immediately as to the cause. And if my intuition is correct, very little speculation would lean towards a miraculous faith-based answer. No, I suspect we’d try to explain it as an unusual, yet natural event.

How did the people present at the time react? “…they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, ‘For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.’”

How would you react after witnessing the glory of God? Food for thought.

Ken Askew

Teaching and Testimony

“…should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.” ESV Isaiah 8:19b-20.

God’s hand of discipline was weighing heavy on the nation when Isaiah penned these words. Things were bad and they were about to get worse. People would no doubt be moaning and groaning about their predicament. The nation as a whole was about to have what I like to call a pity party. Talk around town would center on their problems. Some would speak against God. Some would even consult fortunetellers and try to get advice from the dead!

I don’t know that we are experiencing God’s discipline, but as a nation, we are facing some difficult times. There’s little doubt now that we are in the midst of an economic recession and some folks will lose their jobs or be affected in other ways. Many of our neighbors are facing challenges that have nothing to do with the economy. Struggles with addictions, health issues, depression; the list goes on. I wonder where everyone is looking for answers? Coffee shops? Television? Fortunetellers? Pity parties?

Isaiah’s words bite just as hard today, here and now (and especially to Christians), as they did when he wrote them some 2,700 years ago. “…should not a people inquire of their God?” Why would a people of God turn first to every other means available for advice? Why would we depend on advice from the created instead of the Creator? Why would some go so far as to consult fortunetellers for their answers? Sounds silly doesn’t it?

The one thing that I’d like to communicate today is that Christians should always--no, Christians must--turn to God for advice. How? Through prayer and bible study. I read a book once whose title sums the concept well: “Think Biblically.”

Why is it so difficult to think biblically? Sadly, I think it’s because we sometimes don’t really want to know what God has to say about an issue. It’s much easier and soothing to cry out to a sympathetic friend than it is to lean on the sometimes difficult principles, precepts and truths that come from the Bible. Isaiah had a slightly different take on it. His opinion seemed to be that those who refused to turn to God’s word had never truly experienced God’s light; “it is because they have no dawn.”

So, be careful where you seek advice. Be mindful that God the Creator of heaven and earth is just a prayer away. Always keep in mind that His word is true and His precepts are not a burden. Be courageous and faithful enough to ‘think biblically” in all you do “To teaching and to the testimony!”

Ken Askew