Tag: Bible Thoughts

Matthew 18: 1-5 (KVJ) At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?  And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.  

            I want to remind you of a childhood song.  Perhaps you sang it in Sunday School.  Maybe you serve in a children’s ministry and still sing it frequently.  I’m talking about the little song “Obedience”.  I loved this song as a kid, but as I grew older, it dropped from my memory.  Its truths didn’t seem to apply to my adult life.  They were “little” truths, but I was adult now, and I had to think about “big” truths.  And so, I tucked the little song and the “little” truths away in the recesses of my memory.  Then about a month ago, I was flipping through our hymnal at church, and I came across this little song again.  Did you know it has two verses?  That made me so happy:  a sweet memory from childhood and another verse to add to my knowledge!  

Here is the song:

            1. Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.  Doing exactly what the Lord commands, doing it happily.  Action is the key, do it immediately.  Joy you will receive.  Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.

            2. We want to live pure, we want to live clean, we want to do our best; sweetly submitting to authority, leaving to God the rest.  Walking in the light, keeping our attitudes right, on the narrow way; for if we believe the Word we receive, we always will obey.

            On the chorus, you spell out O – B – E – D – I – E – N – C – E and then sing again, Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.

            In Matthew 18, the disciples asked Jesus who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus called a child to him and said the greatest in the kingdom of heaven are those who humble themselves as little children.  One of the characteristics that all parents want to teach their children is obedience.  I have a friend who has taught her children that the best obedience is that which is done with a happy heart.  Happy heart obedience shows the world the children’s love and respect for their parents.

            Obedience isn’t just for children.  It is just as important, and perhaps even more so, that as adults, we obey God and honor the authorities He has set in our lives.  How will the world know that we are Christians if we do not obey the commands of God?  Like the song says, obedience is the very best way to show that we believe.

            I want to challenge you to think about the “little” truths that we should obey, the ones we learned on our mothers’ laps or in our primary Sunday School classes.  Let us be like little children and obey the commands of the Bible with a happy heart.  Here are a few examples:

• Read, study, and memorize the Bible.  (2 Timothy 2:15)
• Honor those in authority over me.  (Hebrews 13:17)
• Be kind to those around me.  (Proverbs 18:24)
• Keep my life clean as an example to others.  (1 Corinthians 6:19)
• Confess secret sins.  (Psalm 51: 6)
• Trust God, even when I don’t understand.  (Psalm 34:22)
• Forgive those who have wronged me.  (Matthew 18:21-22)

            In closing, I want to reiterate the last line of that song.  “If we believe the Word we receive, we always will obey.”  Obedience is not always easy.  Sometimes, obeying God’s Word is the hardest thing to do.  Many people struggle to trust that He will take care of us, no matter how circumstances turn out.  But if we believe it, we must obey it.  The God of the Bible, who took care of Joseph, Daniel, and Paul, will reward our obedience and take care of us too.

Psalm 51: 1-4a & 11 (KJV) Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight… Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

             I heard a preacher say once that David is known for two things: killing Goliath and sinning with Bathsheba.  One was a great victory; the other a great defeat.  All of his life, David not only believed in God but built a close relationship with God.  His life of faith is recorded by others in 1 & 2 Samuel and by himself in the Psalms.  He trusted God for protection (1 Samuel 17: 37), thanked God for great military victories (2 Samuel 8), and tried to be an example to others (1 Samuel 24).  However, after all of this, David was still subject to sin.  He lusted after Bathsheba, sinned with her, and eventually killed her husband so he could make her his wife.  It seemed as though the man after God’s own heart had turned his back on God.

            Have you ever been in a situation like David, where it feels like you have forsaken your relationship with God and turned to sin instead?  Those awful questions begin to rise: Have I fallen too far?  Can God still hear me?  Does He still love me?  Could He ever forgive me?  I’ve asked myself these questions before, and I found the answers in God’s forgiveness of David.  

            Although David had shut the door of communication between himself and God, God kept knocking and pushing that door open.  He sent Nathan the prophet to confront David with his sin (2 Samuel 12).  I can see him, pointing at David as he said, “Thou art the man.”  And I can see David, as his walls come crashing down.  David could only reply, “I have sinned against the Lord.”  Perhaps by this time, he was weeping, acknowledging his sin, and knowing he needed forgiveness from God.  Nathan’s reply was quick.  “The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.”  All that was needed for God to forgive was for David to admit that he had sinned.  Repentance and forgiveness happened in the same moment.  

            I believe it was not long after Nathan left his presence that David penned Psalm 51.  I encourage you to read the full Psalm; it’s only 19 verses.  This is the passage that I run to when I need forgiveness in my life.  It is a constant reminder that God can forgive and that He will forgive.  He is a God of mercy.  To answer those questions from before: We can never fall too far.  God will still hear us; He wants us to cry out to Him.  He does still love us.  He wants to forgive us.  He wants to give us a clean heart, like a new slate, so we can start again.  God didn’t throw David away, and He won’t throw us away either.  God was quick to forgive when David repented, and He is just as quick to forgive us.

Revelation 5: 12-13 (KJV) And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 

             Earlier this year, I had the honor to hear a live production of several selections from Handel’s Messiah.  My favorite selection is from this portion of Scripture.  The Messiah follows Christ from prophecy to His birth to that glorious day when He is seated on His throne with believers of all ages praising Him.  The audience stood when the choir sang “Worthy is the Lamb”, the words of which are from this passage of Scripture in Revelation.  “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain and hath redeemed us to God – to God by his blood.”  As they sang, I began to imagine singing it with them.  Not just here in an earthly choir, but at the throne of Jesus Christ with my loved ones who have gone to heaven before me.  

             Imagine it for just a moment.  There’s a rainbow around the throne – a reminder that Christ has kept every promise throughout the ages.  And He who sits on the throne is more beautiful that any jewel or gemstone known to man.  And around Him, there is throng of grateful believers.  And I am there too.  I am one of those praising Him because He is worthy to receive all my praise.  I am the one singing “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain” to my Savior.  He is so worthy!  

             The greatest exhibition of the love of Christ was His death on the cross for the sins of the world.  Isaiah prophesied Christ’s horrible death.  Here are some passages from Isaiah 53.  “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief… he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities… and with his stripes we are healed… and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.”  

             The afflictions Jesus suffered on the cross are unimaginable.  Doctors have tried to tell us what His physical pain must have been, and preachers have tried to explain the pain of God the Son being separated from God the Father.  And yet, I believe it must have been much worse than we could ever express with words. But Christ was willing to go to the cross because He loved us.  He loved us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8).  He loved us even when He knew who we were.  He even loved those who He knew would reject Him.  There is truly no greater love than this.  That God Almighty, Creator of the universe, perfect in every sense of the word, would shed his blood for me, die in a horrible, painful, shameful manner, so that I could be with Him in heaven.  He truly is worthy of an eternity of praise and glory and honor and blessing.

Psalm 51:7-8 (KJV) Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Have you ever felt like you didn’t have any more joy in your life?  I don’t know your circumstances, but I know in my life, when I have felt like that, it was when I was battling sin or guilt in my own strength.  Usually, I was trying to hide from the Lord out of shame.  

I’m sure that’s how David felt when he wrote Psalm 51.  David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.  Then he planned how to kill her husband so his sin wouldn’t be found out.  He was adding sin to sin.  And he was trying to hide from God – whether he would admit it or not.  David forgot that God had seen and knew his secret all along.  God sent Nathan the prophet to point his finger in David’s face and tell him, “Thou art the man!”  I don’t know how long David tried to hide from God, but I can imagine he must have been miserable.  I can hear his misery in Psalm 51:

Have mercy upon me, O God!

Blot out my transgressions!

My sin is ever before me!

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned!

After admitting he had sinned, David started praying for cleansing.  “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice” (Psalm 51: 7-8).  Charles Spurgeon said of these verses, “He is requesting a great thing; he seeks joy for a sinful heart, music for crushed bones.  Preposterous prayer anywhere but at the throne of God!”  I love that!  Yes, what a preposterous request, but it is one that God longed to hear from David.  He longs to hear this request from us too.  Sin breaks our fellowship with God.  When He chastises us, He is trying to get our attention.  Sometimes God has to break us.  God broke David, but instead of complaining about brokenness, David acknowledged it was God who broke him so that he could be restored.  Remember, it wasn’t until David was faced with his sin that he repented and turned back to God.  

Did you notice David’s petitions for cleansing in verse 7?  Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean.  Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.  David was praying for complete cleansing.  He was praying with the expectation that God not only could, but would, wash him whiter than snow.  He didn’t just want a surface cleansing either.  He wanted perfect purity.  White as snow.

Then in verse 8, David requested that his joy be restored.  In his hiding, in his misery, the weight of sin and guilt had burdened him so that he had no joy left.  Perhaps he tried to sing and felt his voice crack; or maybe he tried to write but couldn’t move his pen.  It reminds me of John Bunyan’s Pilgrim Christian, so burdened by the weight on his back he could barely walk until he got to the cross and the burden rolled away.   Joy was restored when sin was confessed.  The Lord removed the burden.  Bones that were broken by that weight of sin were healed by the One who did the breaking.  Spurgeon said, “yet if he who crushed would cure, every wound would become a new mouth for song.”  

I believe God restored David’s joy.  Though David’s life was turned upside down from that time forward, with war and heartache on every side, he had the joy of a forgiven man.  He knew the Lord had broken him and the Lord had restored him.  He would know heartache, but he would also write Psalms.  Even today, we read the Psalms of David and find encouragement, comfort, and solace.  We look at the life of David, and we see a man who messed up but continued to seek the Lord.  Acts 13: 22 calls David a man after God’s own heart.  

We can follow David’s example.  When we sin, when we feel the weight of guilt, we can ask for forgiveness.  We can pray like David, in faith and with expectancy that God will cleanse us.  Then, we can ask for joy to be restored – that preposterous prayer, as Spurgeon called it.  That prayer God will both hear and answer.  He will forgive, and He will restore our joy.  I don’t know what you’re dealing with today, but I know this: you can have joy again.