I Want to Know Christ

Philippians 3:10

By Colleen Podmore

 

In the book of Acts, we read how the Lord gave His Apostles the task of testifying to His resurrection as eye witnesses.

Matthew’s gospel proclaims his resurrection (Matt  28:7, he has risen from the dead’)

Mark, a disciple of the apostle Peter writes, ‘Don’t be alarmed..He has risen’ (Mark 16:6)

Luke the doctor who associated with the Apostles but was not an Apostle also testifies, (Luke 24:7)

John also proclaims the resurrection (John 20:9)

Luke confirms it again in the letter he wrote called Acts. He says in Acts 1:3, ‘many convincing proofs that he was alive…’

Acts 1:22 states why the remaining 11 apostles thought they should replace Judas, who betrayed Jesus.

They say, ‘For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection’.

Peter testifies in Acts 2:32, ‘God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.’

And again in Acts 3:15, ‘You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this’

Acts 4:2, ‘They were greatly disturbed because the Apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead’

 

The fact of the resurrection has profound implications for us 2 000 years later.

 

The gospels and Acts are testifying to the resurrection. Most of the rest of the New Testament comprises letters that Paul wrote to the churches in the regions where he had planted them.

Paul teaches more theology and describes in detail how Christians should live.

Paul who never met Jesus before his crucifixion also testifies that Jesus is alive through the encounter he had on the road to Damascus when Jesus spoke to him after which Paul became a follower of Jesus Christ.

 

Paul was a really remarkable man – we know quite a lot about him through his writings and he also has some autobiographical parts in his letters. (Phil 3:5).

He also tells us what motivated him, what drove him on to do all he did and how he survived persecution, disappointments and suffering. He spent the rest of his life proclaiming the gospel. He believed whole-heartedly, without reservation that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and that His Name is the only Name by which we can be saved and that He is alive. Everything that he had achieved up to that point which may be to his credit, he considered as rubbish (Phil 3:7), in comparison to knowing Jesus.

 

Philippians 3:10 – this was Paul’s heart’s desire – what he lived for and worked toward. He said,

 

‘I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead’ (NIV)

 

Paul writes, ‘I want to know Christ’ – interesting!

He didn’t say ‘I wish I had of known Christ when he was alive’ or ‘I want to know more about Christ, let me talk to the people who knew him personally’, but he said, ‘I want to know Him’ – because he knew without a shadow of doubt that Jesus is alive!

Jesus is alive! The Bible testifies this through the eye witnesses at the time and the testimony of many who have met Jesus down through the ages and Paul, perhaps the greatest Apostle testifies that he can know him in a personal intimate way.

 

Which is good news for us, because like Paul we have not seen Jesus, we have heard of Him and we know a lot about him but we can also know Him personally because He is alive, not as we are but in a new resurrected dimension.

Knowing Jesus and knowing Paul -  Our minds testify to this, for example I really admire Paul but I would never think that I could know him as I can know Jesus. Paul is dead and will one day be resurrected but not yet and therefore I can only know about him.

In fact Jesus invites us to know him as a friend as a lover, as a brother, as a husband, as our Father – all the relationships we have on earth are kind of a shadow of what real intimacy with God looks like.

 

I want to know Christ – how do I do this?

We do need to know about him – we do need to read about him in the gospels, hear about him through preachers but real knowing comes through spending time together, talking with him and walking with him through all the ups and downs of life. Like any relationship, if it is neglected it will die.

 

In conclusion let us press on toward the goal of knowing Him. There is a song we sing ‘The Greatness of our God’ and a line in it which says, ‘I spend my life to know and I’m far from close to all you are’

And Paul felt the same way – his goal was to know Christ and yet he felt far from achieving that goal. It is our life’s work as it was for Paul!

Paul confesses, perhaps like us that he hasn’t got there yet but he ‘presses on’ (Phil 3:12) as we also must do. Let us not give up, but make it our goal to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in his suffering, becoming like him in his death and somehow we also will attain to the resurrection from the dead! Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friends - Communion meditation

By Colleen Podmore

At home, we have a new friend living with us. He is very loyal to us, always happy to see us when we turn up, no matter what the hour. He always comes to greet us and accepts the odd rebuke and is always forgiving. His name is Jimmy and he is a puppy.

I called him a friend – but is this correct? Can a dog be a friend? Can an animal be a friend?

Strictly speaking, no, because the definition of a ‘friend’ is a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual or family relationships. I may experience this bond of mutual affection with an animal but they are not people so they are more companions than friends.

I know a couple who have been friends for about 10 years and are now more than friends. They are still friends but a better description of their changed relationship is they are boyfriend and girlfriend. A friend is someone exclusive of sexual relations.

At the place where I work there are about 80 people that I know. I wouldn’t describe them as friends – more like acquaintances.

I, like you have many relations scattered around the country and world. They are relatives, some may be friends as well but not because they are relatives.

The term ‘friend’ is often used very generally to describe many relationships and in some sense I think that the idea behind the word is lost. Having friends and being a friend is one of the most important relationships for people. You may be an orphan and single and still be blessed because a friend is always possible.

A friend is a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual and family relationships. A friend is someone with whom we have common interests. Friends do things together, care about each other. Anyone can be a friend and can have friends.

What do we look for in friends? What sort of friend do we want to be?

 

Do we cultivate friends who push us nearer to God, spurring us on to love and good deeds.  And are we friends like that?

In conclusion, it says in John 15:13 ‘Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends”

Jesus laid down his life on a cross for his friends – that’s you and me.

Our friend Jesus has asked us to remember Him in only one way and that is through His death on the cross, the bread we eat represents His body broken on the cross, a substitute for our sin, taking the penalty of our sin on Himself, giving His life as a ransom for many.

‘Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends’

We also take the cup, representing his life. The Bible says that life is in the blood (Lev 17:11). His life given for our redemption. What a friend we have in Jesus.

Let us never neglect our friends and our friend Jesus is particular

Lord we thank you for your sacrifice on the cross for our sin. We have come now to specifically remember that and thank you for dying in our place.

Please bless both the bread and the juice as we eat and drink together,

In Your Name Jesus, Amen.

The Conscience

By Colleen Podmore

 

My topic tonight is the conscience.

What is it? How does it work? What happens when the conscience is corrupted? How can we keep our conscience sensitive?

 

What is it?

The conscience is a part of every human being and it helps us to decide between right and wrong. The conscience acts as a guide to our actions. It is sometimes called the ‘still small voice’ and ‘inner voice’.

It will produce good feelings when we do what is right according to our value system and it will produce mental distress and guilt if we do what is wrong.

 

The other day I bought some clothes at The Base and when I got home I realized I had 4 articles but had only been charged for 3. What to do? At first I just thought, ‘Oh well too bad’ but then I thought No – I will have to go and pay for the t-shirt. A couple of days later I got to the shop and explained what had happened and the lady was absolutely dumbfounded. She said she had never seen such honesty!

I just thought – well that’s pretty sad!

Discussion – have you experienced something like this?

 

 

How does the conscience work?

Odon gave a series of messages on the conscience in 2001 and he describes the conscience as being like a torch. Proverbs 20:27 says, ‘The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being’. The conscience (the lamp of the Lord), lets us know if what we are doing is right or wrong according to our value system. Furthermore there is nowhere that we can hide from the conscience. Even Jonah who tried to run away found no relief from his conscience in the belly of a big fish – the only way he could find peace was to repent!

 

In his messages, Odon also describes the conscience as being like a computer programme that can easily become corrupted or changed. When the conscience is re-programmed by satan then ‘right becomes wrong and wrong becomes right’ (Is 5:20) and our value system is changed completely.

We can see this happening in the conscience of the church today and unfortunately many churches serve satan rather than God (Rev 18:3) – examples: marrying homosexuals, witchcraft, gossip, factions, hatred etc.

 

If the conscience is weak it can easily be re-programmed by satan. Eve knew it was wrong to take the fruit but satan said, ‘Did God really say that?’ and she was tempted to take the fruit and eat it (Gen 3:1-6). Afterwards she felt guilty as her conscience condemned her and she hid from God. Then she tried to justify herself by blaming the serpent and a guilty conscience can lead us further into sin. The only solution to a guilty conscience is repentance.

 

I have imagined the conscience as being like a filter which guards and protects our hearts and minds. It warns us when an action may not be right. What I see, hear and do is filtered through my conscience. When my conscience is not working, the heart and mind become polluted.

If we want a clean heart and mind then we must keep our conscience clean. Paul says, ‘So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man’ Acts 24:16.

 

Intriguingly, Paul says in 1 Cor 4:4, ‘My conscience is clear but that does not make me innocent’.

Paul knew that he could claim a clear conscience and still act against the will of God. This happens when we trust in our feelings and lose touch with what the word of God says. When we neglect to read our Bibles.  When we listen to worldly wisdom rather than Godly wisdom.

 

Psalm 43:3 says, ‘Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me…’

 

I remember when it was really important to attend church every Sunday – if I didn’t go then my conscience made me feel guilty. But now I go twice a month and it’s ok because I have more knowledge and understanding of who God is. My relationship with Jesus is not based on my church attendance but rather the condition of my heart. God looks at the heart and not the outward appearance.

 

 

Odon describes 4 types of conscience

 

Sharp/sensitive conscience

We see this type of conscience in David when he hid in the cave and was tempted to kill Saul, but instead he cut a corner from his clothes (1 Sam 24:4).  Furthermore he immediately confessed his sin to Saul

 

Dead Conscience

God describes the Ninevites as being unable to ‘tell their right hands from their left hands’– meaning that their conscience was not working – it was dead. But God sent His servant Jonah to preach and they repented (Jonah 4:11).

 

David’s conscience was also dead when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and then conspired to cover his guilt. His conscience was awakened when the prophet Nathan spoke to him and in repentance he was restored – read Psalm 51:10, ‘Create in me a clean/pure heart’.

 

Hebrews 9:14 says, ‘..cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death’

Forgive us Lord, then he will remember it no more but what if we still carry the guilt –tell satan that you have been forgiven, your conscience is clear!

 

Sleepy Conscience

Peter’s conscience was asleep when he denied the Lord – but then it woke up and the Bible says He wept bitterly.

 

Elastic Conscience

Depending on the circumstances our conscience can stretch to justify certain actions and we can do something one day without batting an eyelid. Joseph’s brother’s described themselves as ‘honest men’ even though they had sold their brother into slavery. (Gen 42:11)

 

Knowledge of God’s word can help with an elastic conscience – we all know how patient God is with us.

 

So – be careful of your conscience. Ask God to keep it sharp. Always examine yourself, keep short accounts. If you are wrong say sorry. Be honest and more than anything – be accountable. Let people speak to you about your actions especially if they are not pleasing to God!

Judge Not

By Colleen Podmore

Matthew 7:1 says that we should not judge others or we will be judged ourselves. In this context the judgement made is negative. People will quote this verse in response to someone who has pointed out their sin to them. But this is not what Jesus means when He says, ‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged.’ We have to read on to verse 6 to get the complete message.

Matthew 7:1-6 is teaching us about living lives that are authentic, changing our own wrong and sinful attitudes, words and actions (our ‘planks’) before trying to help someone else with the ‘speck’ in their own eye – or the small sin in their lives.

Matthew Henry puts it quite succinctly in this excerpt from his commentary:

Matt 7:1-6   We must judge ourselves, and judge of our own acts, but not make our word a law to everybody. We must not judge rashly, nor pass judgment upon our brother without any ground. We must not make the worst of people.

Here is a just reproof to those who quarrel with their brethren for small faults, while they allow themselves in greater ones. Some sins are as motes, while others are as beams; some as a gnat, others as a camel. Not that there is any sin little; if it be a mote, or splinter, it is in the eye; if a gnat, it is in the throat; both are painful and dangerous, and we cannot be easy or well till they are got out.

That which charity teaches us to call but a splinter in our brother's eye, true repentance and godly sorrow will teach us to call a beam in our own.

It is as strange that a man can be in a sinful, miserable condition, and not be aware of it, as that a man should have a beam in his eye, and not consider it; but the god of this world blinds their minds.

Here is a good rule for reprovers; first reform thyself.

Keeping up appearances

The dictionary meaning of judgement is to ‘form an opinion about someone or something’. It does not have a value and may be either negative or positive, eg in my judgement they are a very fine person. In my judgement they could be less selfish.

We all make judgements when we meet people for the first time. We look at them and make a judgement about who they are, how they live and whether we like them or not. In the blink of an eye they are either ok or not ok. Have you ever been judged like this? Conversely, because others also do this to us, we learn to put on a certain appearance to become accepted or acceptable and we also act in certain ways especially around certain people who we want to impress.

I remember a sitcom a few years ago called ‘Keeping up appearances’ about a woman, Hyacinth Bucket, spelled bucket but pronounced bouquet. She plays the part of a real snob and desperately tries to make herself out to be upper class but her family is lower class.

The Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7) refers to a time when Jesus sat down to teach the crowds about how to live a life dedicated to and pleasing to God, free from hypocrisy, full of love and grace, full of wisdom and discernment. He preaches to crowds of people who have flocked to hear him. People who are maybe just curious, or maybe desperate to know God and how to live lives acceptable and pleasing to Him. Jesus has compassion on the crowds and he looks at them and begins to teach them! You can feel the compassion when Matthew says in Matt 5:1, ‘Now when he saw the crowds he went up on a mountainside and sat down’ – perhaps so that the crowds of people, men and women, young and old, rich and poor could hear him and see him? For no-one is excluded from the Kingdom of God.

The people did not have the benefit of Scripture, they were like sheep without a shepherd. The religious class known as Pharisees were hypocrites (Matt 6:2, 5, 16), who said one thing but did another. On another occasion Jesus told the people they were blind guides (Luke 6:39) and to do what they say and not what they do (Matt 23:3), as they do not practice what they preach! Perhaps these verse are mainly directed at them but because we can also be hypocrites at us also.

In summary then, these verses in Matt 7:1-6 are not telling us not to judge but to do so in a right manner and incidentally, verse 6 is also warning about people who will not listen and to be careful around them ie they are Pharisees.

Discernment is defined as the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure. When we make a judgement, we also need wisdom to discern the right way to act in a given situation. Perhaps it might be to be silent, or to pray or to encourage, or to warn. In addition, a discerning person needs to be self-aware regarding their own emotions and motivations for intervening. It also requires us to see through the lenses of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As I look at a person or consider a situation, I view through my eyes which are covered with the lenses of the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-23). Perhaps we need them all or just patience. Discernment is making a judgement with self-awareness and wisdom.

Let us desire also spiritual discernment. Hebrews 5:11-14 says, ‘But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil’. Solid food is understanding and grappling with God’s word. Reading it methodically and regularly, meditating on the meaning and allowing it to change us. Maybe we just like ‘milk’, that is easily understood and digested - passages that we don’t have to think too much about (Heb 5:12). We must know what the complete word says so that when the counterfeit comes along – we can spot it straight away. Know the voice of God so that we can distinguish it from the voice of the world (ie good and evil).

This is the gift of discerning spirits as Paul talks about in 1Cor 12:10, it is not being able to see Angels and Demons but it is about discerning situations and distinguishing between good and evil and being able act accordingly.

Finally, let us not be hypocrites keeping up appearances but let us be mature Christians who are being transformed by the renewing of their minds as we daily read the Scriptures, chewing the solid food and when we are called to judge, combine that judgement with spiritual fruit and wisdom to be able to discern correctly and act accordingly.

Warfare

By Colleen Podmore

Are there different sorts of warfare? What sorts of warfare are there?  Is there such a thing as a Holy war or a moral war? Is war ever justified?

The books of Deuteronomy. Numbers and Joshua describe the Israelites going to war and some of the passages describe brutal events.

Deuteronomy 3:3b ‘we struck them down, leaving no survivors’

Deuteronomy 3:6 ‘we completely destroyed them…men, women and children’

How do you feel about these passages? Do they seem wrong compared to our Christian principles that we should love our enemies and pray for those who hate us (Matt 5:44). Jesus said that if someone strikes you on the right cheek, offer him the other also (Matt5:39).

Some people consider these passages as pre-Christian or sub-Christian, that mankind was evolving into a kind of more civilized people and therefore today there is no justification for war (NIV study Bible). However as we think about this subject we need to consider the following:

God was adamant that the nations living in Canaan, known as the ‘Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites’……were to be completely destroyed.

The reason they were to be cut off was to prevent Israel and the rest of the world from being corrupted by their practices (Deut. 20:16-18). They were detestable in the eyes of God and they would influence the Israelites to sin

This is a Holy war they are fighting because it is God’s war and as far as I can see – it is the only Holy war in history. The Israelites were given the land of Canaan to establish Yahweh’s kingdom. They did not then go on to conquer neighbouring kingdoms and so create a world-wide kingdom. The land had specific boundaries that they were to conquer and then to settle down and live peacefully. This is quite unique amongst the Nations when you consider the neighbouring kingdoms which later came like the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the Greeks and the Romans. Israel had no expansion plan. This marks it as a Holy war and not a Human war.

“The war is about how God, who owns the whole earth re-conquered a portion of it through Israel. A kind of partial redemption. How the land was taken out of the hands of the Canaanites who had turned away from God and were fully under the control of evil. They were an idolatrous and dissolute people (NIV Study Bible)

(Dt 9:5, it is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going to take possession of their land but on account of their wickedness…)

God cared nothing for the land but he wanted a people to live there, a righteous people who were true to Him and upheld his honour and glory.

 

How wicked were the Canaanites? What about the ‘innocent children’? The Canaanites were set in their ways and they were not prepared to change. They had heard about the Israelites and how God was leading them. They had heard of the miraculous signs and wonders that had occurred in Egypt. They heard of the power of God through the plagues and the escape through the sea. Rahab testifies to that  (Josh 2:9-11), Moses tried to reason with the Amorite kings Og and Bashan to the east of the river Jordan, to allow them to pass through the land and in the end they had no choice but to fight (Numbers 21:23; Dt 2:26;3:1). The Israelites honored their treaty with the Gibeonites (Josh 10:7), even though they had been tricked into it (Josh 9:4).

Warfare was inevitable but they were not a people focused on war. Anybody anywhere who repented would be saved.

The people of Canaan were utterly corrupted by their beliefs and practices. They were polytheistic –they worshipped many gods. They were idolaters, they worshipped carved images and statues, they sacrificed their children by burning them (Lev 18:21).  They practiced all kinds of immorality, drunkenness and perversions (Lev 18:23, 24, 20:3). In a similar way that God cleansed the earth of the corruption of evil with the flood, He was now cleansing the land, this tiny corner in the world to demonstrate his rule and His kingdom.

Finally, these events recorded in the Bible also serve as a warning to all generations in all nations that God will judge wickedness and there will be a future time of judgement. That God although He is compassionate is also Judge.

These things have been written down to teach us and as warnings  (1Cor 10:6;11), and therefore we should set ourselves the task of understanding.

The Bible shows us who God is as He interacts with the Nation of Israel. We see in this directive His uncompromising holiness and we need a correct interpretation of who God is.

·         He is the Creator of heaven and earth and we have no rights before him except what He allows.

·         We are familiar with the book of Job and God’s response to him when Job demanded an explanation. Basically God told Job he was nothing and Job had no right to question God (Job 38-40).

·         Scripture says we should not fear those who can kill the body but fear Him who can destroy body and soul ( Luke 12:4-5, Matt 10:28 )

What is wisdom? It is fear of God that is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10) Teach our children to fear God through our examples, our lives.

These passages of the judgement of God on the Cananites remind me that God will ultimately judge everybody who chooses to live apart from Him.

Fear Him means to respect His authority, stand in awe of His majesty and trust Him and obey him.

 

People fighting wars today claim that their wars are holy and justified, but all I see are fanatics wanting to conquer and rule and subjugate and destroy – sounds more like the thief that Jesus described in John 10:10.

Often warfare within countries starts with a legitimate protest against some injustice and then escalates to violence and other more militant factions get involved with their own agendas.

·         eg in Syria in March 2011, there was non-violent ‘Arab spring’ uprisings and Al Qaeda became involved and the govt retaliated with armed troupes and then the peaceful protesters were armed and became more militant as atrocities were multiplied.

·         A similar scenario in the Ukraine saw the country divided and the threat of Russia invading which seems to have been sorted out now.

·         In the continent of Africa, many wars are being fought for control and possession of rich minerals and resources.

God is neither for them nor against them. But ‘blessed are the peacemankers’ (Matt 5:9). Both sides can justify their actions but at the end of the day both sides are guilty. God can even allow these wars and to bring good from them. For example, the early Christians suffered terribly under the tyranny of Rome – but this caused the spread of the gospel. What should we do? Pray for persecution?  No but pray for those who are suffering persecution to hold onto their faith and hope.

To sum up there are three sorts of warfare: Holy warfare, human warfare and spiritual warfare.

What about spiritual warfare?

When the Israelites were rescued from slavery in Egypt, we say that is like when we become Christians. Pharaoh or satan had power over us but God rescued us. When we believe that Jesus died on the cross and paid the price for our sins and we call Him our Lord and Saviour we are redeemed from the power of satan. It’s like God parts the sea and brings us from death to life! Salvation.

We then go to Mt Horeb and learn about Him and learn to worship Him (Exodus).

The children of Israel, stayed at Mt Horeb for two years and then Moses organized them into a military camp to go in and conquer the land, but as we know fear and doubt stopped them and they wandered in the desert for 40 years until that generation died out, then under Joshua, they went in and conquered the land.

They took possession of it and settled in it.

If the Exodus is a picture of salvation, what part of our Christian lives would conquering the land represent?

In one sense, the land is our own lives. When we begin to understand who we are, we want to change. We want to stop doing some things and start doing other things. We want to conquer our flesh and our enemies and be in control of our lives, being victorious over whatever stumbles us in our Christian lives.

Who or what are our enemies? Fear, doubt, laziness, sickness, poverty, loneliness, unforgiveness, resentment bitterness etc

Sometimes these enemies are not completely destroyed and they come back to defeat us again, but during that process we become stronger as we learn how to live victoriously!

Judges 3:2, he left some of the Canaanites to teach warfare to the Israelites

 

In another sense the land might represent out gifts, talents and ministries. Where in the kingdom of God do I preach the word of God? Perhaps it is at the Little Bethlehem Church as an administrator, an encourager and a helper. Perhaps it’s as a prayer warrior or an evangelist or a pastor. Maybe I have a gift of faith to believe the impossible, to cast out demons and set captives free. What is the land that we are fighting to possess?

The land is our lives, our families lives, our communities and our nation and to the ends of the earth. We battle for the hearts and minds of those enslaved by satan and to make disciples and to build the church. God said to Joshua and he says to us today, ‘Be strong – be courageous, I will never leave you nor forsake you (Joshua1:5). Let us put on the full armor of God and fight with spiritual weapons (Ephesians 6) – faith hope and love, calling on the name of the Lord as Joshua did and praying without ceasing (1Thess 5:12-22).

 

References – some websites and other sources of information used in this study

1.      NIV Study Bible (Zondervan)

2.      Quartz Hill School of Theology  http://www.theology.edu/canaan.htm

3.      Christian Research Institute  http://www.equip.org/article/say-want-revolution/

4.      http://followtherabbi.com/guide/detail/fertility-cults-of-canaan

 

 

 

Holiness

By Colleen Podmore

 

 ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God am holy’ Lev 19:2

This is a commandment that God made to the Israelites. His people were to be holy. The book Leviticus is written to the Levites and is about how they were to be holy, so that they could minister between God and His chosen people and ultimately to all nations on earth.

‘I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.’ Lev 11:44

The people, all the Israelites were to do this, consecrate themselves or dedicate themselves to being holy, living by and under the law and living for God. The point I want to make here is that it was the people’s responsibility to consecrate themselves. It starts with a choice, a desire and it is reflected in the way they lived their lives. God decided to dwell with them and He showed them how He was to be worshipped and He showed them how to build the Tabernacle and all the furnishings; what they were to sacrifice and where and how to go about making the offerings, but the people were to dedicate themselves, making the decision to be holy.

‘We no longer live under the Law,’ you might say –‘that was 3 000 years ago, we live under the new covenant, we live under grace’. True, but aren’t we also called to be holy? Aren’t we to consecrate, dedicate ourselves to God? Of course, we have the Spirit of holiness (Romans 1:4), to prompt our consciences whereas the Israelites had the law. Peter also exhorted the church to be holy, counseling Believer’s to be alert and fully sober, not conforming to the evil desires of this world’.

‘Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’ (1Peter1:13-16)

We want to be like Jesus? Then we will be holy in all our thoughts, attitudes and actions! We will not conform to evil desires

Is holiness something we aspire to? Do we wake up in the morning and say, ‘Today I’m going to be holy?’ or is it reserved for a few people only? What do you think? Do you know any ‘holy’ people?

What is holiness?   Definition of holiness is the quality or state of being holy, which is not very helpful. Another way to look at it is to think about  synonyms, or words that are similar. Synonyms to holiness are: humility, purity, righteousness, sanctity, godliness, piety, reverence, sacredness, saintliness, prayerfulness, goodness. And opposites (antonyms) are: godlessness, impiety, ungodliness, unholiness.

 

The passage in Hebrews chapter 12 gives us some clues about holiness, especially what it is not

Heb 12:14-17, says, ‘Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.

This is a very sobering warning that we should take seriously. We see from the example of Esau that it is so easy to loose your birthright. He thought he was secure because he was the firstborn son. We may have said the sinners prayer and been baptized but will that be enough? Esau was godless, he did not take God seriously, and instead he lived to please himself. Others were sexually immoral, still others were bitter.

‘Without holiness, no-one will see the Lord’ Heb 12:14-17.

This passage points to three areas in our lives where we need to do a stock-take, if we want to see God.

Firstly, take God seriously. Everything we do for God is important, the messages we prepare, our leading, coming together to fast and pray, diligently reading our Bibles. We may think that what we contribute makes no difference but even the tiniest thing we do, if we do it for God, can make a difference in the kingdom of God. Don’t be discouraged from doing good.

Don’t get into sexual immorality. This can take many forms and we can inadvertently be compromised especially with some of the programmes on TV. What images come back into your mind afterwards? We as God’s holy people are counseled to think about … ‘whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable –if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things’ (Phil 4:8).

I’m not saying don’t watch TV, but be careful what sort of programmes you watch. Don’t be enticed by the lusts of the flesh and remember even that to think something is to commit the sin and so become defiled. ‘Jesus said whoever lusts after a woman in their minds has committed adultery with her already.’ (Matt 5:28).

 Don’t fall short of the grace of God – or in other words, don’t miss out on receiving grace because of unresolved feelings and letting bitterness and resentment dictate our words through gossip or slander. What flavor, what aroma do we leave behind in a room when we leave it?

 

The other day I was reading in Leviticus the way that God enjoyed the aroma of the sacrifices. It says, ‘it is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD’ (Lev 1:17b).

I thought yes I can relate to that – it smells nice when the roast is cooking – unless you are a vegetarian, but what do you think when the roast starts to burn, catching on fire? Is that still a pleasing aroma?

It’s not the smell so much as what the smell represents. The sacrifices were an act of worship, of atonement and as such had a pleasing aroma. As we worship we are a pleasing aroma even though we are using our voices, God sees what our motives are and how pure our hearts are and this is fragrant.

 

In the book of Romans we are exhorted to be ‘living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God’ (Romans 12:1), an aroma pleasing to God. Jesus was a ‘fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.’ (Eph 5:2)

The other day as I was thinking about these things, I said to God, ‘I want to be a fragrant offering.’ and for a while I may have been but then I spoke to my husband in a wrong way and straight away I thought I was more like a ‘stench’!  God showed me the difference between a fragrant aroma and a stench. Let us always be a pleasing aroma, a fragrant offering, through our attitudes and actions!

 

Becoming holy is also the process of being sanctified. To be sanctified means to be set apart for special use or purpose. If you want to be used by God then be sanctified, value holiness,

‘It is God’s will that you should be sanctified…’ 1Thess 4:3

Remember we are first of all justified when we come to faith in Christ – legally set free from the penalty of our sin which is death. Then our lives are sanctified as we change and become more like Jesus and finally we step into heaven and we are glorified!

Let us live holy lives, consecrated to God, fragrant offerings, aromas pleasing to God.

By the Skin of My Teeth

By Colleen Podmore

 

Introduction

The well known saying ‘by the skin of my teeth?’ comes from the book of Job.

It means that the person has only just escaped from something. But do teeth have skin? Some people think that skin may refer to gums.

“I am nothing but skin and bones; I have escaped only with/by the skin of my teeth” (Job 19:20)

Job has lost everything and has only just barely escaped death. He literally has only his skin and bones – everything else has been taken away.

Historical setting

The setting of Job nestles in nicely after Genesis 11, life after the destructive flood, but before Genesis 12 and the call of Abram –around 2000BC.

It says in Genesis 11:2 that people moved eastward and they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

Shinar means Babylonia – so probably around the region of modern day Iraq.

In Job 1:3, he is described as ‘the greatest man among all the people of the East’. But in addition it says he comes from the land of Uz, which was just east of the Jordon River, modern day Jordan, but not as far away as Iraq.   (Indeed Job describes himself in Job 29:1-25)

The book in the Old Testament of the Bible is named after Job and the story about Job is known as wisdom literature and therefore it’s grouped with the psalms, proverbs, Ecclesiastes and song of songs.

It is thought that the author of Job was an inspired Israelite because he uses Yahweh, the covenant name for God and that he drew on oral or other written sources and may have written the account around the time of King Solomon to before the exile.

The situation

Job’s wealth was legendary – but he lost it all.

In chapter one, we have a scene in heaven and a scene on earth. We won’t look at the scene in heaven – remember that Job and his friends had no idea what was going on in heaven, which explains the events that happen to Job.

Moving down to verse 14, we read about the first of four catastrophes in Job’s life – a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, …”

First his oxen and donkeys were raided and carried off and his servants were killed. There would be no crops planted that year or no harvest brought in.

Then down to verse 16, ‘another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants”. Maybe a lightning strike which killed all his sheep, which meant no wool for making clothes and blankets and to trade , no meat for food and no income!

In verse 17 we read that Job lost all his camels. “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off…” The servants were killed. Job may have used his camels to take his produce to market

The forth catastrophe verse 18, was perhaps the hardest for Job to bear - his children were killed. His children were his legacy. His name, which would live on through them, but now was effectively wiped out.

Job’s first test! Then we read after that, that he was also afflicted with painful sores on every part of his body –Job2:7

Summary:

Job not only lost his livelihood, his name but he also suffered physically and later on we find he also suffered mentally when we read in chapter 13:21, Job pleading with God, “Withdraw your hand far from me, and stop frightening me with your terrors.”

Finally we could add to Job’s miseries – he had three friends who came to help him but just added to his suffering. Their advice seems well-meaning and full of wisdom but essentially they just advised Job to repent of his sin – because he must have done something wrong – and God would forgive him and all would be well!

Elihu went a bit further and agreed that Job must have sinned but perhaps God was using this experience to teach him something!

Would we give him any different advice?

What advice or help would we give Job?

Theology

Human perspectives on why people suffer

·         Agree with his three friends – Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar - if Job is suffering it is not because God is evil or unfair – it must be because Job has sinned and therefore is suffering because he is guilty.  (Conversely we can suffer through the consequences of sin)

·         Agree with Elihu – Job must be a sinner and God is punishing Job with the purpose of redeeming him. (Conversely God does discipline His children –Hebrews 12:5,6)

·         Agree with Job who claims to be innocent and agonises over why God is silent

Divine perspectives on why people suffer

·         Satan seeks to either alienate mankind from God – through temptation (Gen 3; Matt4)

·         Satan seeks to alienate God from mankind – through accusation. (His name is accuser –Zec3:1; Rev 12:10)

The accusation

Satan accuses Job of trusting God only because he is so blessed – take away the blessings and Job will no longer be righteous

Job never loses his faith. He shines in the dark. Although he agonises over the apparent silence of God, he believes one day he will be redeemed and see God – Job 13:18; 14:13-17; 16:19; 19:25-27.

Although he curses the day of his birth (Ch 3), he never curses God.

Application

Finally, do you feel like you are suffering today and are not sure why? Then we as the people of God must pray and intercede. We must keep our theories to ourselves about why – we just don’t know.

If there is sin – repent. If there is chastisement then take it and learn from it. If it comes from the accuser then let us stand firm in our faith

Let us be vindicated by God and silence our accuser.

Let us agree with Job who says ‘even though he slay me; yet will I trust Him ’ Job 13:15