Sunday, August 27, 2006

Communion Meditation-Faith of a Little Child

As we gather at this meal each Lord’s Day, we are reminded of God’s goodness to us. We need this reminding because we have been out in the world, not of it, but in it. And being in the world makes us painfully aware of our own sinfulness. The world pulls at us and we may even wonder if we are of it and not just in it. But that pulling is because there is resistance on your part. You are pulling back and that is because you are not of this world but you are of Your Father’s kingdom, the kingdom of our Lord and Christ.

We eat this meal as the congregation of the Lord, the people of God. Among us are little ones, children who also eat of the food of God. Some of them are quite small and do not have much understanding of what they do. They do not understand the distinctions of transubstantiation, consubstantiation, the real presence, the prayer of preparation, the meal as a sacrament, instituted by Christ and many such things. If we required them to know all of this, and to know it well, it would be many years before they could eat. Perhaps some of you adults would even have to abstain from eating until you learned more. But that is not what our children do. They eat the meal of God with the people of God. They do so cheerfully and with great enthusiasm. It is the highlight of their service. It is done in simpleness, sincerity and faith. When they eat, they know that they belong to this congregation of the Lord, even if they cannot articulate that doctrine exactly.

People of God, adults as well as children, we must learn this. You have pulled back from the world because you are not of it. You are of Your Father in Heaven. You know this because you are here at His table with His people. So, look around at the congregation, especially the little ones, know that you are of them, in Christ’s kingdom and partake, like them, with the faith of a little child.

Communion Meditation-Faith of a Little Child

As we gather at this meal each Lord’s Day, we are reminded of God’s goodness to us. We need this reminding because we have been out in the world, not of it, but in it. And being in the world makes us painfully aware of our own sinfulness. The world pulls at us and we may even wonder if we are of it and not just in it. But that pulling is because there is resistance on your part. You are pulling back and that is because you are not of this world but you are of Your Father’s kingdom, the kingdom of our Lord and Christ.

We eat this meal as the congregation of the Lord, the people of God. Among us are little ones, children who also eat of the food of God. Some of them are quite small and do not have much understanding of what they do. They do not understand the distinctions of transubstantiation, consubstantiation, the real presence, the prayer of preparation, the meal as a sacrament, instituted by Christ and many such things. If we required them to know all of this, and to know it well, it would be many years before they could eat. Perhaps some of you adults would even have to abstain from eating until you learned more. But that is not what our children do. They eat the meal of God with the people of God. They do so cheerfully and with great enthusiasm. It is the highlight of their service. It is done in simpleness, sincerity and faith. When they eat, they know that they belong to this congregation of the Lord, even if they cannot articulate that doctrine exactly.

People of God, adults as well as children, we must learn this. You have pulled back from the world because you are not of it. You are of Your Father in Heaven. You know this because you are here at His table with His people. So, look around at the congregation, especially the little ones, know that you are of them, in Christ’s kingdom and partake, like them, with the faith of a little child.

Communion Meditation-Faith of a Little Child

As we gather at this meal each Lord’s Day, we are reminded of God’s goodness to us. We need this reminding because we have been out in the world, not of it, but in it. And being in the world makes us painfully aware of our own sinfulness. The world pulls at us and we may even wonder if we are of it and not just in it. But that pulling is because there is resistance on your part. You are pulling back and that is because you are not of this world but you are of Your Father’s kingdom, the kingdom of our Lord and Christ.

We eat this meal as the congregation of the Lord, the people of God. Among us are little ones, children who also eat of the food of God. Some of them are quite small and do not have much understanding of what they do. They do not understand the distinctions of transubstantiation, consubstantiation, the real presence, the prayer of preparation, the meal as a sacrament, instituted by Christ and many such things. If we required them to know all of this, and to know it well, it would be many years before they could eat. Perhaps some of you adults would even have to abstain from eating until you learned more. But that is not what our children do. They eat the meal of God with the people of God. They do so cheerfully and with great enthusiasm. It is the highlight of their service. It is done in simpleness, sincerity and faith. When they eat, they know that they belong to this congregation of the Lord, even if they cannot articulate that doctrine exactly.

People of God, adults as well as children, we must learn this. You have pulled back from the world because you are not of it. You are of Your Father in Heaven. You know this because you are here at His table with His people. So, look around at the congregation, especially the little ones, know that you are of them, in Christ’s kingdom and partake, like them, with the faith of a little child.

Saturday, August 19, 2006

God is a Holy Tiger

Our God is a holy God. He is different from us in this regard. We always have some taint in us but in Him there is none. All His words are true. He perfectly keeps every promise. He says what is both just and right. All His dealings with man are according to His perfect righteousness. In Him there is no shadow, no darkness, no sin. For those who ponder long on God’s holiness, the result can be both terrifying and depressing. Terrifying because we realize that this holy God is one that cannot be approached by such as ones as us. We have sinned and do sin and not only in ourselves or against others. Depressing because many of our sins are ones that we know are only directly against God. We have failed, again, in the very area where we failed before, made commitments and promises and fell again. We know that we are new creatures and that are to be new creatures, but somehow our growth in grace seems to be painfully slow, sometimes lurching forward and other times sliding backwards.

When we contemplate these things, in the face of a Holy God, our Holy God, our tendency is to be afraid. We wonder if such a perfect one as Him will really accept such a feeble one as us. God is holy. This is fearsome and terrible. But we should not flee. We should not run from Him. But we should, we must, run to Him.

When our children were small, I often played tiger with them. I turned off the lights, growled, hid, stocked, and at the right moment, attacked them. Usually, the smallest one at the time was very unsure about this game. They stayed close to base. Dad is now terrible. He is the Tiger. But then, by degrees, they would venture farther from base and when they least expected it, I would spring out from behind a door and chase. The older ones would run to base, knowing the nature of the game. But the youngest would only freeze in her place, perhaps cry, in a state of confusion whether to run for base or to the Tiger. But they usually made the right choice. They ran for Tiger, hoping that Tiger really was Dad. And he always was.

One of our sins is a failure to know who God is. He is a Tiger. He is dangerous. He is holy. Therefore, we must know this. We must run to Him. To run away, to be stuck in the middle in confusion, to not know the Heavenly Father, this is the shame. So, let us learn Him and run to this fearsome one, for safety.

Communion Meditation-Holy People

Ps 99:9 9 Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.

Our God is holy but the response to that is not to shrink away but on the contrary, to come and worship Him in holiness. This means at a holy place in a holy way by a holy people. This seems foreign to us. Especially, if we have been raised on such large doses of our own unworthiness, our own lack of holiness. We are afraid to approach, because like, Uzza, we think that we might reach out and touch the Ark of the Covenant, and be annihilated by a Holy God.

But we are the people of God and we are called to holiness. This is a holiness that draws close to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit. It is not only possible but commanded. And it gives God glory. Listen to these verses.

Rom 12:1-2 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Eph 1:3-6 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Col 1:21-23 21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

Col 3:12 12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

So, with the Apostle Paul, I say to you, come, holy people of God and partake of Christ.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Communion Meditation-Worthily

The same sun that brings life and growth to the corn in the fields also bakes hard dry lake and river bottoms. This is an astonishing fact. The sun is a good and glorious gift but it can do immense harm.

The solution is in the water. If there is water present, then the sun can do his appointed job towards blessing. He brings life, growth, health, plenty, beauty and a plentiful harvest. But if there is no water present, he brings death, decay, sickness, want, ugliness and fruitlessness.

So, which is it, we wonder? Is our son growing us into glory or hardening us into uselessness?
Each week we eat this ritual meal, a representation of the power of God, the Son of God shining on us in all of his effulgent glory and might. The sacrament presents the promises of God to us. But for some, the promised blessing never arrives. The waters of life are absent and the radiant glory of the Son produces hardness of heart rather than fullness of joy. So, we must eat and drink but according to the revelation of God in Christ.

Primarily, I am speaking about confession of sin, repentance, and walking in the newness of life according to the Holy Spirit. This is not at all perfectionism. The fact that we must continually confess our sins and turn away from our will to His shows that we are not perfect. But for those who will not confess, who will not repent, who will not learn and obey the will of the Lord, then this glorious feast is a great danger. What is meant for life will bring hardness to your hard and waterless soul. The answer is not to refuse to eat but rather, to eat worthily, having confessed your sins honestly to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We confess our sins early in our service, as we ought to, so that we can draw near to God with clean hands and hearts, not fearing condemnation from Him who promises to forgive and receive us. For those of you who do so, amen, do not grow fearful at such frightening words as these.
I make mention of the dangers again here only for those who are not honest, who have perhaps deceived themselves, that a little tolerated sin here and there will do no harm, that a little hypocrisy is common to us all, that go through our confession of sin in a lifeless mechanical fashion, who believe that a short drought does not make dry lake bottoms.

O foolish man, O foolish woman, O foolish child and slow to learn, when will you turn from your folly? Confess your secret sins now, turn from your folly now, and come to the waters of life, the life giving Spirit and so eat and drink life and health and peace.

Let us take a moment now to confess any remaining sins and so come to Christ as the forgiven body of Christ, without hypocrisy, resting upon the grace of Christ and trusting in His life giving promises to us.

Exhortation-Trust and Obey

Many set out on a journey only to be dismayed along the way. Setting out is not the same as finishing. Have you ever seen a small child of three or four years old determine to go to the store? Or on some brave adventure to South America? If he is old enough to imagine some danger to himself, his leaving is very interesting. He may go without a care in the world, not even taking the time to look and see if his mother or father is watching, following, protecting. If he goes without wanting father or mother there, he is a foolish child, courting danger.

If he is a wise child, aware of danger and of his own small frame, he will keep looking back for the following safety and hurry home if his father is not there. But what if father is following, perhaps at a safe distance? But one in which both father and son are aware. What then? He must go, in faith, because the father is with him.

We are like these children. Sometimes we set off on our life journeys without a care in the world. We do not care what the Bible says. We have a plan in our mind and we are going to carry it out, even if we are not sure that to do so will bring the Father glory. So, off we go, tripping along like a three-year old heading to South America. Is it any wonder we find ourselves lost? Or in needless peril?

Or we start off on our journey only to find the way difficult. Although we know it is the right way and that the Father is with us, we complain and whine about the difficulty and strongly desire to turn back. But the Father is with us and encouraging us to continue on. We must go on because it is the Father’s will.

But there is a third and better way. We go on, not foolishly and blindly, without the Father, not complaining and grumbling with the Father, but rather, boldly, knowing that it is the Lord who is with us. With this knowledge, we can face the real dangers. We will persevere through many difficulties and we will not turn back. May the Lord make us wise in our travels and fearless at His side.