Trusting Christ, Our Redeemer

In our materialistic and narcissistic society, the world, the flesh, and the devil offer us daily with all kinds of things that are really appealing to our senses and base desires. Things such as food, sex, gadgets, money, power, and fame are really pleasurable, which makes these things powerful incentive to yield to temptation and sin.

But we know that these things and the pleasure that they give are fleeting and they leave us empty, guilty, and restless. In fact, these are substitutes to the things that are eternal and really matter. They are counterfeit gods peddled by false gospel teachers and hucksters of holiness who are motivated by greed and selfish ambitions.

Jesus Christ, however, offers to us the real thing that truly satisfies both our body and soul. He offers himself in his Word, the gospel of salvation. Those who believe him, those who accept him and his claim as the Christ who suffered, died and came back to life on behalf of his people, he offers pardon and peace through his redeeming work at the cross that reconciles sinners to God. Jesus Christ is the only Savior and Redeemer from sin and he's the only one who is able to deliver us from the enticement of sin. As we fix our eyes on him by faith he helps us in conquering every sin that easily entangles us.

When we lay our hands on Christ by faith, when we put our trust in him and repent from our sin, the Father owns us as his children and seals us with the Holy Spirit, 'who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of [God's] glory' (Eph 1:14).

Some Year-end Reflections

As I reflect upon my life and experiences in 2013 I realize how slow my growth in holiness and obedience to the Lord has been. It’s been humiliating as the Lord painfully exposes the ungodly desires of my sinful heart. I have been secretly seeking the approval of people and inwardly seething with resentment some criticisms and corrections I received from people who love me. My mind keeps on falling into ‘the error of taking material prosperity as the ultimate mark of God’s blessing’ rather than ‘poverty of spirit, mourning for sin, and persecution for righteousness sake.’ I’m easily forgetting that ‘the only thing that matters is what God thinks’ and that true spirituality ‘is not seen in gathering wealth but in being delivered from loving it – whether we have it or do not have it.’ Greed, lust, hypocrisy, anxiety, and many other sins continue to hound me.

I can feel the indictment of the Lord telling me, “O you of little faith!” But thanks be to God! Although I have some setbacks and grieve for my slow growth in godliness I do not doubt the grace of God in Christ for such a sinner as me. And by the power of His Spirit I trust Him to enable me to rely upon His faithful provision for life and godliness and to seek His kingdom and righteousness first this year and the years to come. "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:26).

Does God Answer the Prayers of Unbelievers?

This question was asked in one of the Facebook fora that I’m a part of. Since I’m very interested in anything about prayer, I’ve shared some of my thoughts on this question. Here are a few of those thoughts.

First, the simple answer may be found in the Gospel of John: "We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him" (John 9:31).

Second, when one surveys the Biblical passages on prayer, the overwhelming evidence tells us that God answers the prayers of His people if it is according to His will. However there are instances in the Old Testament that even foreigners, non-Israelites, are heard by the Lord when they come to Him in faith, as 2 Chronicles 6:32-33 says, "“Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for the sake of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm, when he comes and prays toward this house, hear from heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name." That explains the Roman centurion in Matthew 8:5-13 and the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that "… without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."

Third, there are times of course that God does not hear the prayers of His people, that is, when they remain in their sin. "O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers? You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure” (Psalm 80:4-5). Psalm 66:18 also adds, “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Confession of sin and repentance from sin are necessary before the Lord could hear His people's prayer.

This is consistent with what James is saying in 4:13-16: "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." The Lord hears the prayers of His people who recognize and confess their sins before Him.

So it seems that the overwhelming answer of the Scripture to the question, “Does God answer the prayer of unbelievers?” is "No!"

Fourth, as one who subscribes to a Reformed confession, I think the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) gives us a very important thought on why Christians ought to pray and what kind of prayer that pleases God and moves Him to answer. In Lord’s Day 45, Question and Answer 116, the Catechism asks, “Why do Christians need to pray?” The answer goes, “Because prayer is the most important part of the thankfulness God requires of us (Ps. 50:14-15; 116:12-19; 1 Thess. 5:16-18). And also because God gives his grace and Holy Spirit only to those who pray continually and groan inwardly, asking God for these gifts and thanking God for them (2 Matt. 7:7-8; Luke 11:9-13).

The Catechism continues to ask in Question and Answer 117, “What is the kind of prayer that pleases God and that he listens to?” Here is the Catechism’s answer, “First, we must pray from the heart to no other than the one true God, revealed to us in his Word, asking for everything God has commanded us to ask for (Ps. 145:18-20; John 4:22-24; Rom. 8:26-27; James 1:5; 1 John 5:14-15). Second, we must fully recognize our need and misery, so that we humble ourselves in God’s majestic presence (2 Chron. 7:14; Ps. 2:11; 34:18; 62:8; Isa. 66:2; Rev. 4). Third, we must rest on this unshakable foundation: even though we do not deserve it, God will surely listen to our prayer because of Christ our Lord. That is what God promised us in his Word (Dan. 9:17-19; Matt. 7:8; John 14:13-14; 16:23; Rom. 10:13; James 1:6).

Finally, a friend raised the issue that there are occasions when it seems that God answers the prayer of unbelievers and because of the answer to that prayer these unbelievers got converted to Christianity. One of the examples she mentioned is the former Russian church persecutor Sergie Kourdakov who wrote a book, "Forgive Me, Natasha", and related in that book that when he prayed, "God, if you exist please show me Yourself," and God showed him, and he became a Christian after he defected and jumped ship in Canada.

She also mentioned another example. She related a "student exchange from China who has never heard of the name of God and did not know that Jesus is God. She never saw a Bible. She came to an international Bible study with the motive to practice speaking English. One day, her bag was caught in between the doors of a New York City Subway train. A week before that, she read about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and answering Mary's prayer. So she said, ‘I heard the God of Christians answers prayer. I am not a Christian but I want to pray to the God of the Christians to help return my bag.’ (Inside her bag were her passport, $400 cash, her student's class cards for New York University). She called the staff of International Students to pray with her and for her. She also called on the God of the Christian to show Himself to her. The Staff of ISI are under fire because it is impossible to retrieve a bag with cash in NYC. One week after, her bag was returned at the NYU Lost and Found section, everything was intact, and the cash was untouched! The unbeliever student from China said ‘I see that the God of Christians answers prayers indeed!' She became a Christian.”

I responded that these examples presuppose what the Scripture really teaches that before these unbelievers called upon the Lord they must have heard something about God and Jesus Christ first. Then through providential circumstances they were brought into a situation to call upon God. And as Hebrews 11:6 tells us, those who draw near Him must believe that He exists, even if that faith is but like a mustard seed.

I can't help thinking of two Gentile women who became true Israelites because of what they've heard about the God of Israel. Rahab, for example, must have heard about the God of Israel through the miracles He performed in Egypt and in the wilderness before she changed allegiance from the god of Jericho or the god of his people to the God of Israel (Judges 2:8-13). Likewise, before Ruth the Moabitess made that timeless confession to her mother-in-law, “Your people shall be my people and your God shall be my God,” she must have heard about the God of Israel, probably through her husband Mahlon and her in-laws.

This is quite relevant because in the case of the Chinese student exchange, before she prayed to the God of the Christians she must have read or heard about Jesus. This is the same situation even in the case of Sergei Kourdakov. Before he prayed to God, he must have heard a lot of things about God whom he denied and whose children he persecuted. Both of them might have believed God (in the sense that they have knowledge or heard about God) before they started praying to the Lord, but it seems clear that by the time they prayed to God, when they begin asking something from God, God has already started to work faith in them, otherwise how can they call upon Him?

So the Holy Scripture clearly teaches that God hears and answers the prayer of His children when they pray according to His will and purpose and when they ask Him humbly, fully aware of their undeserved status before Him who is holy and just, loving and merciful. Experience as well proves that. Just think of how many times we have failed to obey God’s will and yet when we draw near Him, humbling ourselves and confessing our sins, He hears us and grants us His blessings. Even those unbelievers whom He draws to Himself are given the faith to believe Him and to turn to Him and to call upon Him. This is all by His amazing grace and abundant mercy to undeserving sinners like you and me.

Leaving All to Follow Christ - Part 2

(Part 2 of a sermon based on Luke 18:18-30)

Entering the Kingdom of God (vv. 24-27)

So from Jesus’ demand to trust God and to rely on Him for salvation, Luke now focuses on Christ’s sad comment about the man. Jesus said, “It is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.” As we can see the expression ‘to enter the kingdom of God’ is closely related to the idea of obtaining eternal life and salvation.

To enter the kingdom of God is to inherit eternal life, and ultimately to be saved. But why is it that Christ said, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God’? Does it mean there are no rich people who can be saved? That could not be. We know Abraham and Job were rich people. Zacchaeus was also rich, and probably Barnabas.

One scholar has rightly said, “The inability to trust God and be humble can come with [self-preoccupation] and greed that money can bring” (see further Luke 6:24; 12:15, 21). While in some occasions wealth is a sign of divine blessing, those who pursue wealth and hold on to them can be distracted from pursuing God.

So what Jesus meant was that "those who persist in letting their riches come between themselves and their allegiance to God can never be saved." Anything that enslaves a person, whether money or other things, also keeps him from entering God’s kingdom. For God’s kingdom is for those who humbly submit to His kingship.

You cannot be a citizen of the God’s kingdom unless you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is your Lord and God is your one and only King. That’s the essence of entering the kingdom of God. The most important thing for you to do as citizen of the kingdom is to seek and to obey God and His will first above all else.

Earlier Jesus told his disciples that the kingdom of God belongs to the children (18:16, 17). The attitude being emphasized there is that children easily accept Christ’s calling and teaching. They simply trust God and obey what He says. So their trust and obedience to the Lord stand in stark contrast to the rich young ruler’s cold response and disregard of Jesus’ demand.

Again the point is that, those who trust on something other than God for their salvation will not obtain it. Those who want to enter the kingdom of God on their on terms will be surprised to know that they are excluded from it.

In the first place, it is God who has the prerogative who is in and who is out of His kingdom. He grants the privilege to anyone He is pleased to give to be in the kingdom. In Jesus’ word, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

So who has the power to grant eternal life? Who holds the key to the kingdom of God? No one except God alone. That’s what we have to remember always. If we belong to God’s kingdom, that’s only because God accepts us and loves us in His Son. He is pleased to give us to His Son Jesus Christ. By faith, we are united with Him and granted everything we need in order to live in this world as His subjects. Also in the life to come, He promises to clothe us with the righteousness of His Son so we can stand in His presence and see Him face to face.

However, those who want be in His kingdom, God asks one thing. In our text, we can see that the disciples fulfilled, again only by the grace of God, what is being asked: to be able to leave everything in order to follow Christ (v. 28).

Beware of Greed!

(a meditation on Luke 12:13-21)

Setting the Context

The Christian life is like a journey. There are road signs we need to observe and follow. Otherwise we will be in danger of accident or arrest. As followers of Jesus Christ, there are certain danger signs we need to be particularly aware of. Once ignored these danger signs can bring fatal destruction in our lives as believers.

One of these danger signs is greed or covetousness. The modern term is closely related to materialism. Sometimes we think that only rich people struggle with this problem. But greed is universal. It comes from the heart of every man (cf. Mk 7:20-23), young or old, rich or poor. It enslaves everyone whose ultimate purpose in life is to accumulate things of this world.

Once we measure success or blessed life by the number of material things we possess, by the income we receive, by the clothes we wear, by the cars we drive or by the size of our houses, greed has crept into our hearts.

The good news is, Christ has defeated the power of greed at the cross. He nailed it there. Being united with Christ by faith, we also had been set free from the power of greed. But as a power, as a master who wants to control our heart, we still struggle against it.

Many people today use the name of Christ in order to get rich. There are some people we know who are able to build big houses, even kingdom, using the name of Christ. They look very religious. They are well known. However their lives do not reflect Christ in His self-sacrificing love, compassion, kindness, humility and real concern for others.

Oftentimes these religious men use and manipulate people to achieve their personal agenda. Such selfish people are not worthy to be called Christ’s disciples. They may profess to be His followers but their lives betray their profession. Beware of such people!

In Luke 12, Christ is instructing His disciples to watch out for few things. First, He calls His disciples’ attention to the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He compared their hypocrisy to that of the yeast. Why yeast? Yeast is a baking material. A small amount of it can cause a small dough of flour to rise up to several times its original size.

In Scripture yeast is almost always a symbol of evil (cf. 1 Cor 5:6-7). This is why Jesus told His disciples to be on their guard against the ‘hypocrisy’ of the Pharisees. They appear to be godly but deep within they are burning with pride and envy. They seem to follow Christ but their intention was to kill Him and to persecute His followers.

Christ is a threat to their cause and religion. This explains why Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee, was so zealous in persecuting the church. This is something scary! So Jesus warns them. But He also said not to be afraid for God the Holy Spirit will take care of them. Trusting Him is all they need to do.

There is real danger in following Christ wholeheartedly. This makes Christianity a radical religion. If you follow Christ consider yourself to be dead. If you want to stand for God's truth and live for the sake of the gospel you will be persecuted. It can cost your life. Remember John Huss? Remember Guido de Bres and many others who stood for Christ and the Christian faith? They professed and lived out their faith in Christ in the hands of their enemies.

Remember our Lord Jesus Himself. He suffered the greatest injustice ever committed by man for the truth of the gospel. He, the sinless Son of God, was unjustly condemned as a worse criminal. Are you willing to suffer the same for the sake of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and for His gospel?

Keep On Praying!

(A magazine article by Vern Sheridan Poythress) For about fourteen years my wife and I have prayed that God would put a stop to abortion. For fourteen years we have prayed that God would end the persecution of the house churches in Mainland China. For years we have prayed for deep revival to come to our country. In all these cases, we haven’t seen much change. Are our prayers doing any good? Will there ever be an answer?

It is easy to give up hope if God does not answer our prayers right away. Jesus knew that we were prone to become discouraged, so he told the story in Luke 18:1-8. “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”1

How Do We Respond to a Hopeless Situation?

Jesus tells about a widow who had every reason to give up. We must picture a situation where some wicked person has wronged a widow. Perhaps he had taken over her home and kicked her out.2 Whatever the details, the widow desperately needs help.

The woman’s situation looks especially hopeless for several reasons. To begin with, she is a widow. Without a husband, she has no steady income or shelter in social situations.

She is also legally insecure. In ancient Jewish society the man who headed a family or clan would normally handle legal disputes. He would be familiar by experience with legal matters, and would probably know the judge personally. But this widow has no man to represent her—no husband, not even a father or a brother. She has to go herself, without the experience or social leverage that a man would have.

Now the situation worsens. The judge to whom she goes is unjust.3 He cares nothing for her plight. Can the widow perhaps hope to persuade him nonetheless? She can point out to him that God threatens to punish judges who pervert justice.4 But no, the judge does not fear God.5 Or the widow can argue that the people of the town will despise him for not helping her. No, this stratagem will not avail either. The judge “neither feared God nor cared about men.”6 He is indifferent to human opinions about him. Can she appeal to the man’s conscience, and make him realize how low he has sunk? No, the judge is already well aware of his position, and admits it freely to himself: “Even though I don’t fear God or care about men ... .”7 The judge has so hardened himself that no human appeal can get through. Apparently nothing that the woman might say will have the least effect. There is no hope for a change.

Have you ever suffered through a situation as bleak as this one? Have you felt despair because there seemed to be absolutely nothing you could do? “Just give up,” the Devil tempts us. “Curse God and die!” Job’s wife says.8 Jesus understands how despair may sometimes grip us like an iron vise.

Amazingly, though everything is against her, the woman does not give up. “For some time he refused,”9 yet the woman persists. She continues to bother him, to pester him. Finally, the judge wakes up to his own selfish interests. He decides to give justice, but only because otherwise she will “eventually wear me out with her coming.”10 The woman gets relief because she persevered.

What Kind of Perseverance Do We Have?

Now what is Jesus’ point? He tells us to pray and not give up. God will answer. Jesus says, “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.”11

Jesus is making a comparison. The persistence of the widow is like the persistence that characterizes “God’s chosen ones.” The widow cries out to the judge to give her justice.

Likewise, God’s chosen ones cry out to God to give them what they need. After awhile, the unjust judge gave justice to the widow. After awhile, God will answer his people, the chosen ones. Jesus gives the parable to encourage “God’s chosen ones.” To them he says, “Don’t give up. Persevere in praying to God. He will do what is right.”

How Does God Respond to Our Prayers?

But this comparison leaves many people uneasy. “What?” they say, “Is God unjust and reluctant and in need of being pestered like this horrid human judge?”

Jesus assumes that we know enough about God to see the point of the comparison. The Bible indicates that God is both compassionate and absolutely just.12 Far from being reluctant, God is like a father eager to give his children good gifts. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”13

The comparison with an unfair judge shows how much more we can expect from God. If even an unfair judge can be persuaded, how much more can we expect God to answer us for our good? If even someone who has no love or care for us can decide to help, how much more will God respond to us in outpoured love? The Bible well expresses the depth of God’s love and commitment to us in Romans 8:32: “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”14 How tremendous a commitment God has made! We are to come boldly to God, knowing that he will answer us fully and compassionately. He has proved his faithfulness and eagerness to provide for us by giving the most spectacular gift of all, his own Son!

Note that these promises all come to God’s children, his “chosen ones.”15 Not all prayers are equally acceptable. Speaking to hardened, sinful Israelites, God warns, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen.”16 For our prayers to be acceptable, we must receive forgiveness for our sins and be cleansed by the blood of Christ.17 Then we may have confidence that God loves and receives us even as he receives Christ his only Son.18

For What Do You Pray?

Is God’s promise to answer prayer like a blank check? No, even an earthly father knows how to give good gifts to his children. Not everything that a child asks for is good. A wise father takes into account the whole situation. How much more so with God our heavenly Father! We can be thankful that God in his wisdom does not always give us everything for which we foolishly pray. God must renew our hearts and minds so that we begin to pray for his goals rather than for our own selfish goals.19

The story that Jesus tells in Luke 18:1-8 points to the same truth. The widow in the story asks for a fair resolution of her case. Likewise, your prayer and mine should be for God to establish his righteous will.20 God answers such prayer: “his ears are attentive to their prayers.”21

But now we must understand God’s justice, his righteousness. God cares not only for just decisions in human courtrooms, but for what is right in every sphere of life. Every mean remark from a child, every social snub, is a violation of God’s righteousness. Every instance of right living and self-control expresses his righteousness. We are to pray for nothing less than the coming of God’s kingdom, the coming of his rule in all aspects of life. We pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”22 “Come, Lord Jesus!”23 Come and set things straight, wipe out evil, and make a new earth.24

God is so perfectly righteous that he cannot ignore sin. He showed his zeal against sin by the terrible punishment that he inflicted on sin when Christ bore our sin.25 We have only to look at the meaning of the cross to understand that God is utterly serious about righteousness, and utterly serious about punishing sin.

But the suffering of Christ issues in victory, in the glorious achievement of right when he is vindicated in his resurrection. “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.”26

God now works out true righteousness in history as people submit to what he accomplished in Christ. He abolishes sin in the souls of abortionists and liars and disrespectful children alike as people submit to Christ’s rightful authority: “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”27 Thus, we are to pray for all people everywhere to submit to Christ’s universal rule, to acknowledge him as Savior and Lord. We are to pray even for those who sin against us.28 This is His command.

God’s plan is to exalt Christ. We can pray no greater prayer. So we pray for revival. We persevere in true prayer when we understand this goal and yield ourselves to Christ in our praying. “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done.”29 We pray for Christ to come and bring his reign to completion.30 We plead for righteousness to come in our own lives, and for others to be saved and come to Christ. When we are praying for these goals, the goals of God’s own kingdom, we can have confidence. God himself tells us to persevere. He hears. He will accomplish his purpose in us and around us.

We do not know the details. We do not know how long we will have to wait for God to answer a particular prayer, like the prayer for persecuted Chinese Christians. We do not know just how he will answer. But we know that God is all wise and full of mercy and love. He has shown it through giving Christ. We can have perfect confidence in him. Keep on praying!

________________________________________
1 Luke 18:1 NIV.
2 Such a seizure apparently took place in the case of the Shunammite widow in 2 Kings 8:1-6.
3 Luke 18:6.
4 Deuteronomy 27:19.
5 Luke 18:2.
6 Luke 18:2 NIV.
7 Luke 18:3 NIV.
8 Job 2:9 NIV.
9 Luke 18:4 NIV.
10 Luke 18:5 NIV.
11 Luke 18:7-8a NIV.
12 Psalm 119:137-144.
13 Matthew 7:11 NIV.
14 Romans 8:32 NIV.
15 1 Peter 1:1; Ephesians 1:4.
16 Isaiah 1:13 NIV.
17 Hebrews 4:14-16; 10:19-22.
18 Ephesians 1:6; John 17:26.
19 James 4:3.
20 Luke 18:7 NIV.
21 1 Peter 3:12 NIV.
22 Matthew 6:10 NIV.
23 Revelation 22:20 NIV.
24 Revelation 21:1-4.
25 1 Peter 2:24.
26 Philippians 2:9 NIV.
27 Philippians 2:10-11 NIV.
28 Luke 6:28.
29 Matthew 6:10 KJV.
30 Luke 18:8; 1 Corinthians 16:22.

This article was taken from Decision magazine, October 1998 [Published in Decision magazine 39/10 (Oct. 1998) 31-35]; ©1998 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

God's Sovereign Election

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!"
- Psalm 33:12

The Lord God has indeed chosen us in Christ and has purposed our good and that He will not be frustrated in fulfilling that purpose. That is very clear in verse 12 as the psalmist shifts his thought from God’s active providence to God’s sovereign election.

Verse 12 reads, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.” John Calvin captures the connection between God’s providence with His electing love that is evident in this passage when he said, “The prophet, therefore, in proclaiming that they are blessed whom God receives into his protection, reminds us that the counsel which he had just mentioned is not a secret which remains always hidden in God, but is displayed in the existence and protection of the Church, and may there be beheld.”

The providence of God is clearly shown in the life and ministry of God’s people today, even in these trying moments of our history. The psalmist here highlights Israel’s unique status by using the word blessed. Israel is called “blessed” because among the nations of the earth God the Creator and Ruler of the universe chose her and made her His treasured possession. This privileged position of Israel is solely based upon God’s loving kindness and in keeping with His covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

God made a promise to Abraham that He will bless him and his descendants with great posterity and heritage in order that through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Calling to mind such privilege must evoke the people of God to praise and gratitude. And that’s what the psalmist is doing here in verse 12. He declares the blessedness of Israel as the nation whose God is the LORD, who out of His sheer grace, made Israel His own.

You and I need to understand that when Christ put His covenant seal in our baptism, He owns us. And we need to believe with all our heart and mind that we also are true descendants of Abraham by faith and recipients of those blessed promises of God (Galatians 3:26-29).

Just as God has His eye on Israel who hope and wait in Him in times of fear and danger, so God has His eye on us also, the church of Jesus Christ, who hope and wait patiently for His help and deliverance from our present anxiety and to lead us to a glorious future.

And that’s what really makes this psalm so appropriate to our situation because even though we do not know who wrote this psalm and the particular circumstance that prompted its writing, we can identify with the psalmist’s expressed dependence on God in times of need as he affirms in verse 20 that the Lord is “our help and our shield.”

Whatever was the situation behind Psalm 33, the author understands the truth that the Lord is the only One who can meet his needs. So he enjoins his fellow believers to praise God probably even in the face of death or the threat of famine (v. 19).

Oh how fitting it is that we should turn to this psalm in times of uncertainty. For the psalmist ends this psalm with confident trust in God. He concludes, “In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You” (vv.21-22).

So my dear brothers and sisters, would you, with confidence, praise the Lord for His faithful love to you? God delights in calling you His inheritance, chosen and called to be saints in Christ Jesus. God's sovereign election is clearly conveyed in verse 12.

That is what the psalmist calls a true state of ‘blessedness,’ to be called by God His own children, His treasured possession. It is not in your prominent status in society nor in the abundance of your material possession that you are blessed. It is not even in beautiful and secured houses or in the stability and security of your jobs and income. But your blessedness comes from the unchangeable fact that you and I belong to God by faith in Christ Jesus.

In His providence, the Lord will ultimately foil the plans of the wicked but He will bring to completion what He has purposed for us, that is, our redemption and eternal happiness with Him. And for that we rejoice!

Whatever kind of wickedness men have willed in their heart it will not prosper. Only God's purpose will succeed. God can use even the most wicked program of an individual or nation in order to accomplish His electing purpose and to advance His kingdom agenda. God alone can do this because He is the sovereign Creator and Ruler of all the earth. He rules the world and supervises the course of history for the sake of His elect.

While we do not know why the economy is getting worse and some businesses are going bankrupt, we know that these are in the hands of God. So while some of you may have been alarmed and distressed by the turn of events in our world, you should not lose sight of the fact that God continues to reign and rule over the nation and over the world. So you listen to God and to His Word for wisdom and direction. You turn to Him for comfort and assurance.

Seek refuge in His sovereign grace and mercy, for even in the most difficult time of our country’s history you and I will find perfect peace and rest knowing that God's purpose for us, as a body of Christ, will stand. If you serve the Lord faithfully and hope in Him only, no matter what the situation is, His promise remains in you which says, “Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 2:12).

God's Active Providence

"The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations."
- Psalm 33:10-11

The economic crisis is still felt by many. Others are declaring bankruptcy because of financial crisis or mismanagement. Many college graduates, board passers and other hopefuls will be added to our increasing unemployment and underemployment rates.

I understand that these stories do not bring positive note. I am no news analyst and I don't understand much of our economy. But by observing and listening to some people, I can tell that many questions cross their mind. Questions like “What else can our government do to improve our economy?” and “How long will our financial crisis last?”

Some of you might be wondering as to the future of our nation and our world with the kind of politics or the kind of politicians we have. The world has experienced Covid-19 pandemic. There's an ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine that has a global economic and political impact. Others are asking, "What would be the next tragedy that's going to happen?"

These are some of the questions you may hear floating around. Some of you may even asking, albeit silently in your heart, “Where is God in all of these? Is He really in control?” Others may simply wonder, “Where can we find hope? Where should we turn for stability and security?”

Difficulties and crises such as these must drive us to God. And as we focus our attention to Him and His character our worries are being transformed into worship. Our cares are turned into courage as God confronts us with His glorious character.

I pray that God would grant us a heavenly perspective of the things that are happening in our world. We need to view the current situation from God's vantage point and not from our limited perspective. So we humbly ask God to open our eyes to behold the splendor of His being and the greatness of His doing in the world and in the lives of His people.

As we look at Psalm 33:1-11, we want to focus on God's divine providence, which is His almighty and ever present power that upholds His whole creation.

In Psalm 33 Israel comes before the presence of God in congregational singing. Her gathering in the temple, singing in one accord the glories of her God, is part of God’s design in worship which is a wonderful sight to see. Take note how the lyrics vividly express an exuberant note exalting the glories of the Lord, seen in His divine perfections and mighty works. I can imagine children eagerly singing with their parents before God's presence in the temple.

Verses 10-11 boast of the plans of the LORD which stands forever. Several verses before these, the psalmist has been rehearsing the glorious character of God and His mighty power in creation (vv.4-9). Now he turns to God’s sovereign rule over the affairs of peoples and nations.

This rule of God is what we call His providence. God’s providence is portrayed here as active. In His divine providence God foils, He brings to nothing, the plans of the nations. He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. Do you believe that God can bring the plans of the nations and the peoples to nothing?

From the very beginning, God has been governing and guiding all events and circumstances in history, including the very acts of men, to its appointed goal. Nothing happens in the world that is not under the providence of God. He's been doing this in order to complete His redemptive plan in and through His Son Jesus Christ as made known to us in various parts of the Bible, particularly in Ephesians 1. God’s ultimate purpose of course is “to unite all things in [Christ], things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph. 1:10).

Verse 11 says His plans 'stand firm forever' and 'the purposes of His heart [stand firm] through all generations'. Take note how the psalmist talks about the plans of God which stands forever in contrast with the plans of the nations which God brings to nothing. God’s purposes stand firm because His providence, His activity as the Sovereign Ruler and Sustainer of all things, prevails over creation and over history. So be assured dear believer that God's throne is not shaken by the instability of the economy or the collapse of many big companies.

Because God is in absolute control not only in the creation of the world but also in all the events of history, we know and we can confidently say that the recent events in our history are under His powerful providence. He is in complete control of the situation. The economy may fail, our government may not be able to protect and support our country, but nothing can hinder God’s purpose in establishing His rule on earth and in your life.

God’s overarching decree, which Psalm 2:7-9 also declares, right at the beginning of the book of the Psalter, is that His Son would reign in justice and righteousness over the nations of the earth. Or as the Lord’s Prayer puts it, God’s decree is that “His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

It is amazing how God uses the powerful yet wicked rulers, even the devil himself, to fulfill His sovereign purpose. Remember that when it appeared as if Satan and the rulers of the world had won the victory by having Christ crucified, when it seemed like this was sure to be the world’s and the devil’s greatest hour, the Son of Man wearing a crown of thorns, despised and rejected by men, forsaken by His own Father, has triumphed over His enemies, making His crucifixion the moment of God's greatest conquest.

For in the death of God's Son our salvation was accomplished. Christ's death has set us free from the power of sin and death. In Christ's resurrection death was forever vanquished, the devil was finally disarmed, and eternal life was definitely secured for you and me, people of God. As believers of Jesus Christ, we revel in this truth, we live in this truth and we proclaim this truth, don't we?

Now think about this: the God whom you serve can turn evil for the good of His people. Now if you have a contrary view of God, or even a lesser view of Him than this, you may not join the righteous believers in singing this psalm. For at the heart of praising God in His divine providence is the confession that says, “I believe in God who is in complete control not only in the affairs of the nations but also in the lives of every person in this world, including my life.”

So if your confession, if your lifestyle betrays the sovereign rule of Christ, you better be wise. You need to humble yourself before the Lord and admit your act of insubordination, or worse still, of worshiping another god. “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment” (Psalm 2:12).

So fear God reverently, just as all the earth ought to fear Him and stand in awe of Him (v.8). You don't need to be paralyzed by the seeming success and the remaining threat of evil in our society. God is still the Ruler of the universe. So we can praise Him with the hymn writer who says, "This is my Father’s world; O let me never forget, That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father’s world; Why should my heart be sad? The Lord is King, let the heavens ring! God reigns; let the earth be glad."

Therefore what verses 10-11 boldly declare is that, historical events are not decided in the halls of the nations’ capital or in the secret headquarters of wicked men but in the holy chambers of heaven where God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, has drawn out an eternal plan realized in history’s event.

This history will culminate in the final overthrow of God’s enemies. Today it seems that wickedness is gaining the upper-hand. And we need not be surprised if lawlessness will intensify as history progresses and life in this world becomes more difficult. Just don't forget that God's Word declares that the rulers of this world will not win no matter how great and horrifying pain and terror they will inflict upon the earth. God's eternal purpose will ultimately prevail.

Remember the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Thess.1:8-10 that those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus will suffer eternal destruction in the fullness of God's wrathful presence, away from the glory of His grace and might.

As your friends and neighbors ask your opinion about the current situation, tell them that even though you do not have all the answers as to why the economy is not getting better, you know that our Almighty God plans and orders things, even the crises and tragedies we face, for the good of those who trust Him (Rom. 8:28).

Remind yourself and others that when the Son of God comes again in glory, He will set up His eternal kingdom here on earth where you and I will live and enjoy the gracious reign and eternal communion of our great King Jesus Christ. But warn the unbelievers that those who disregard the law of God, those who do not submit to His authority will experience the most terrible punishment in the hands of the Almighty God. This is the purpose of the Lord that shall stand forever!

So we live with that confidence in God burning in our heart. We go back to our places of work or learning with the sense of trust in the providence of God. Remember that God’s plan aims for our good, for the reign of perfect peace and order in the world, where true “justice roll down like waters and righteousness like ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24). That time is yet to come.

I cannot emphasize enough that this truth really calls us to respond in praise to God, praise expressed not just in words but also in hopeful trust, especially in this time of distress and crisis.

Author Jerry Bridges says, “Our first priority in times of adversity is to honor and glorify God by trusting His heart.” It is right therefore for us to praise God even in this time of national and global distress because God has chosen us in Christ and has purposed our good and that He will not be frustrated in fulfilling that purpose.

Persistent Praying Presupposes Faith

1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary....And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
- Luke 18:1-8

The main thing that we need to see in the parable and the concluding statement made by our Lord Jesus in verse 8 is that God will vindicate His elect. God will give justice to His people who have been crying out day and night for vindication. In other words, we can keep on praying for the kingdom of God to come because God will surely hear us and will deliver us from all our woes in this life.

Notice that in the parable, the idea of giving justice or vindication is quite prominent. There are two main characters in this parable. One is a helpless widow who desperately cries out for justice because someone had wronged her.

The other character is an ungodly and uncaring judge who keeps on denying and putting off the widow's request for justice. He was refusing to grant her request for a while because he doesn't care for her. But the widow would not take 'no' for an answer.

So when the widow keeps on coming to him to the point of bothering him and wearing him out, he finally yielded to her request.

I like the way one pastor described a modern version of her persistence. He said, “[The judge] no sooner leaves the courtroom to go home for lunch, than this woman dogs his steps all the way to his house. When he comes out to go back to work, there she is. When he goes home at night, she’s there again. Every morning she is parked at the door of the courthouse, waiting for him to show up. Every day he tells her to get lost, but she keeps coming back. He can’t get rid of her! She’s beginning to dominate his life. He begins to hate going to work, because he’s going to be confronted by this nagging woman!” That's a good description of her persistence.

The judge realized that the only way to get rid of her is to grant her request. So he said to himself, “Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.”

And what's the point that Jesus made out of this parable? It is this: If an unrighteous judge can be moved to grant justice to the persistent widow for the wrong reason, HOW MUCH MORE will the Righteous Judge vindicate His people who cry out to Him day and night out of His love and compassion for them?

Indeed, God is unlike the unrighteous judge. In fact He is the opposite of everything the judge was. God loves us and takes care of us as His children in our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, we were enemies of God because of our sin and disobedience. Yes, we were dead in our sins and trespasses and were objects of His wrath.

But because of His great mercy and grace, God freely saved us from His wrath through the propitiatory [wrath-removing] death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of His kindness He forgave us all of our sins, justified us and made us His children by faith in Jesus Christ. Such is the love of God toward us, dear people of God.

Don't you ever think that He has forgotten you when you're suffering and struggling in your life! Don't you dare to say that Christ doesn't care when you are assaulted by the world and the devil each day! Don't even think that God leaves you when you're tempted. No!

Even though Christ is in heaven and waiting for the right time to return, He doesn't leave us like a widow or an orphan. He is not totally remote and uninvolved in your daily struggles. In fact, as the book of Hebrews says, Christ sympathizes with us and he prays for us in time of need. He looks at us with compassion and He does something for us so we can deal with our struggles and pains. When sometimes God is silent to your prayers and longings, don't give up.

Again this is where you must see the role of the Holy Spirit as vital in the Christian life. We confess that both the Father and the Son have sent the Spirit as our Comforter and Enabler. The Spirit's work in us and through us is part of God's providential care so we will not give up but persevere in prayer. The Spirit empowers us to do the will of God and to resist every impulse of our sinful nature to sin (Gal 5.16-25).

He helps you and me to endure every trial and affliction even with joy (1 Thess 1.4-7). He strengthens you in your weakness and even intercedes for you when you do not know what to pray (Rom 8.26-27) and do not WANT to pray.

So you see, Christ's compassion toward us moves Him to equip us with His Spirit so we can keep on praying at all times in spite of the many trials in life.

But dear brothers and sisters, Christ is coming again. We do not know when but He tells us to be ready at all times. And the way to prepare for His coming is to be always on our knees praying, “May your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

When Jesus comes again He will completely and swiftly establish His eternal kingdom of justice and righteousness. He will put an end to all our pain and suffering and to all our struggles against the forces of this world. But when He comes will He find us persistently praying? Will He find FAITH in us? That's the challenge of Christ's instruction to persevere in prayer.

Why Pray Persistently?

1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' 4 "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'" 6 And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" ~ Luke 18:1-8

When Jesus told this parable to His disciples what was the situation or occasion? In order to find that out we need to go back to Luke 17. In Luke 17:11, our Lord Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem in order to suffer and to ultimately give His life for His people.

Crowds were following Him. Along the way He would heal the sick and answer people's question. In Luke 17:20 the Pharisees asked Jesus about the time of the coming of the kingdom of God. Of course, when they ask this question they were thinking of the coming of the Messiah, the overthrowing of their enemies and the restoration of the Davidic kingdom that will bring worldwide peace and justice. That was their interest in asking Jesus.

Jesus' answer, however, must have baffled the Pharisees who did not acknowledge Him as the Messiah, or the Christ of God. For in effect what He was telling them is that if their idea of the coming of the kingdom is the dramatic overthrow of the Roman authority, they will miss it, because the kingdom of God is already in their midst. Jesus Christ, the kingdom's king, is among them. And whenever He wins people's allegiance to Himself, His kingdom is established.

After dealing with the Pharisees, He turns to His disciples and taught them about the coming and the revelation of the Son of Man, that is, the coming judgment of God by the Son. The instruction to persevere in prayer fits in with this context, as Luke 18:8 also shows. The Lord Jesus told the disciples that the days would come when they will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but they will not see it (17:22).

Jesus, of course, is telling them about the time between His ascension and His Second Coming, when men would go on eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, oblivious of the condition of their soul and of the coming judgment, much as it had in the days of Noah and of Lot. And in one of those days, the Son of Man will suddenly come like lightning that flashes from sky to sky.

So Jesus warns His disciples not to be like Lot's wife (17:32). He is saying that in the hour of crisis you don't live like the world. You don't love the world. You don't turn back longing for the things of the world or you'll be unfit for the kingdom. In effect Jesus was telling us that eternal life hangs on whether you and I are ready when He comes again to judge the living and the dead.

This is the occasion or the setting when Jesus instructed His disciples with this parable. There will come a time after Jesus' ascension when the days will be long and the disciples will suffer persecution, opposition and injustice for the sake of the gospel while the rest of the world will be engaged in business as usual. In the midst of their suffering the disciples would long for Jesus' coming and it's not going to happen. What then are they suppose to do? How can they endure to the end?

This is the same question that we ought to ask ourselves. We know that Christ has promised to return and to take us to be with Him. But life is difficult, we know that. How can we endure to the end? How can we make sure that we don't become like Lot's wife, too much in love with this world to be totally committed to Christ? How can we resist the relentless temptations of Sodom and be desensitized to God's kingdom by the ordinary pressures of daily life?

Our days are evil. But the world tries to convince us that everything is fine or it will be alright. However, judgment in the days of Noah and Lot did not come simply because of gross wickedness and immorality. It also came because in the nice and ordinary activities of life, such as eating and drinking, God was denied. His law and His will were ignored. People took for granted every air they breathe and every meal they eat. They fail to thank God. They fail to recognize that every good gift comes from God.

So beware! The good things in life can make us just as insensitive to the reality of God as the gross things in life can. That’s why as disciples of our Lord Jesus we are left in a tremendous battle which most people don't even know is going on: the battle to maintain radical and self-denying faith in Christ.

This self-denying faith is not only needed in the threat of persecution and sinful temptations but also in the threat of ordinary home life and business life and school life which can numb all our sensitivity to God's eternal kingdom.

So the question is: How can we endure to the end? How can we remain faithful to our calling as disciples in this wicked and godless world? Jesus tells this parable to give us the answer. And His answer is quite simple, though not very easy to live out. He tells us in verse 1 that we ought to persevere in prayer, to always pray and not to give up in praying.

Have you noticed that prayer is not described simply as a duty as it is an absolute necessity? Verse 1 clearly says, "Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they SHOULD always pray and not give up" (my emphasis). Our Lord Jesus is not exaggerating here. Prayer, particularly persistent prayer to God, is indeed the antidote to our tendency to become complacent and impatient in the daily struggles of life.

We would truly desire to pray at all times when we understand that prayer is a humble expression of our absolute dependence to God. We would be encouraged to devote ourselves in prayer when we see it as the continual desire of the soul for God. Or as an old writer would say, we would be earnest in prayer if we view the whole life of the faithful as "one great connected prayer."

Perseverance and Prayer

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." - Luke 18:1

As disciples of Jesus Christ and citizens of the kingdom of God you and I are engaged in constant battle. We live in a day not unlike the days of Noah and Lot when wickedness has reached its limit and when people were more interested in goods and good times than God. Probably the only difference is that wickedness and perversity in our day is more sophisticated than their time. But the struggle for the righteous to remain faithful to the Lord remains the same.

And sometimes the battle can be fierce and tiresome, when unbelievers become aggressive in persecuting or marginalizing Christians, as in the case of many places around the world like North East Africa, the Middle East and China. Surely many Christians from those regions long harder for relief and vindication from the Lord.

But this battle can also be subtle. I say that because we wage war not only against the evil one and against the wickedness around us but also against our own sinful nature that constantly clings to us, against our own complacency and lukewarmness to the things of God. And it comes to us in the ordinary situation at home, at work, in school, even in church, when we eat and drink, when we're on our business trip. For college students the battle rages when they're in the dormitory or inside the classroom.

Whatever our status or situation in life is, our struggle is how to remain faithful to the Lord God and loyal subjects of His kingdom. Whether the heat of conflict escalates every passing moment and relief is not visible in the horizon, retreat or withdrawal from the battle line is not an option.

So what should we do? We can't give up. What we need to do is to persist. In order to persevere, we need to pray. We need to pray with our eyes of faith focused on God, not on the fierceness of our battle.

So we read from Luke 1 that our Lord Jesus instructs us to persevere in prayer and not give up until His return. He told this parable in order to drive the point that we need to pray at all times and not to be discouraged when circumstances in life sap our energy and sanctity, and our prayers seems to be unanswered.

The Lord Jesus knows our weakness and that we all are prone to give up. In light of that, He graciously gave His disciples and us this parable of the persistent widow to show that we always ought to pray until God vindicates us, His people.

The Gospel-blockers

"14For you, brothers, became imitators of God's churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, 15who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men 16in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last." - 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15.

Paul describes here these unbelieving Jews in verses 15-16 as killers both of the Lord Jesus and the prophets. What Paul means here is that they were the ones responsible for the death of Christ and the prophets of the Old Testament.

Paul also says that they were his persistent persecutors and pursuers. Wherever Paul and his companions go to preach the Word these Jews also follow them, preventing them from speaking to the Gentiles about the message of Christ’s salvation. These Jews may have thought that they please God by opposing all who proclaim and accept the gospel, but in reality what they continually do is counter to God’s will, which is the salvation of the Gentiles (v. 16a).

In that way they displease God and oppose all men for they hinder God’s mandate to advance the gospel to all nations. But it pleases God when people receive His Word even in the midst of trials.

So unlike the Thessalonians who accepted the Word of God with joy in affliction these Jews remain God’s enemies. Their opposition really boils down to their rejection of God’s Messiah, who ALONE has brought peace between God and man by means of His atoning death (Rom 5:1). They hated that message!

This rejection of God’s way of salvation precipitated strong Jewish opposition to Paul’s evangelistic enterprises as well as a general hostility toward all believers. The point here is that the Jews have displayed a consistent attitude of opposition to God’s way and God’s people.

So we have to ask ourselves also whether in our behavior and lifestyle we are hindering others from accepting the gospel of Christ. We should be channels and conduits for people to the kingdom of God rather than walls and fences that prevent them from entering in.

Thus Paul indicts these Jews of their sins. He says that they always “fill up the measure of their sins” (v.16). This expression is actually used first in Genesis 15:16, describing the measure or limit God places upon the sins of the Amorites. Jesus used it also in Matthew 23:32, decrying the sins of the scribes and the Pharisees.

In other words there is a point in our sinful behavior when chastisement or judgment is expected. For the Jews, it may have already come in their persistent rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. God left them in their unbelief and that in itself is a form of judgment. Later, when the temple of Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. God’s wrath was also poured out on them. How long will the enemies of God resist His will?

There is an implied warning in this passage which we all need to hear. While we know that God is merciful and compassionate, He is also holy and just. Those who test God’s forbearance in their impenitence will discover that there is a limit to God’s long-suffering.

Outright repentance is what God expects from us in our sins, not delayed obedience. Otherwise His anger will come unexpectedly when the day of salvation is already over. So we always need to examine ourselves and see if there is any wicked ways in us that ‘fill up the measure of our sins.’ God desires for your prompt obedience and growth in holiness, regardless of the situation. And He will do what ought to be done to purify you, even using His rod of discipline.

Now there is also an urgent call here for evangelism and discipleship. While we recognize the dangers and difficulties in bringing the gospel to the world, our task as a church of sending that gospel out and discipling the nations still remain. Who among you are willing to go to China, where believers are persecuted, or to Europe, where Christians are marginalized? Who among you are willing to help the churches in those places witness for and make disciples of Jesus Christ?

And who among us is eager to tell a friend or a co-worker about the love of God in Christ? Who among us is bold enough to warn relatives that the wrath of God is coming to those who do not know God and obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? Who among us is gentle enough to tell a brother to stop sinning and to repent from sin before it destroys him?

As a pastor and minister of the gospel, it is always rewarding to see those whom I preach grow and mature in the faith. The same thing, I suppose, for every minister and elder. And so Paul could not contain himself but express his thankfulness to God for the Thessalonians’ warm reception of the Word of God.

Further, Paul is delighted to see these new believers grow in their faith in God and love for the brethren. It would always be a great pleasure for me and the elders in our church to see God’s people embrace the Word of God and live out their faith in Jesus Christ wherever they are and whatever situation they are in.

May God grant us the joy to persevere in our service to Him for the sake of the gospel and for the sake of His kingdom.

Embracing God’s Word

"And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers." - 1 Thessalonians 2:13

Do you know what makes your missionaries really joyful in the field? It's not the monthly or quarterly financial support that you send them, though that is very important. It's not the regular letter or email of encouragement that you write them, though that is also very helpful. No. What brings real gladness to every missionary, and even to every minister, is when they see the people they are serving believe and embrace the Word of God.

Tremendous joy can overwhelm every pastor's and missionary's heart when they witness the Word of God working effectively in the lives of the people they minister. It's that kind of delight parents feel when they see their children promptly and wholeheartedly obey their word. Acceptance of God's Word manifested in the faithful and obedient lifestyle of every church member would bring pleasure in every pastor's and missionary's heart.

We turn to our text to meditate on how the Apostle Paul expresses thanks for the effective work of God’s Word. We see in this verse Paul's thanksgiving for the work of God's Word in effecting change in the life of God's people.The first thing we can notice here is the content of his thanksgiving. What is that thing or occasion that made Paul offer thanks to God?

The Thessalonians received the Word of God, which Paul and his co-workers preached to them. They heard it from Paul in the synagogue, where he reasoned with them from Scriptures (Acts 17:2). For three Sabbaths, Paul patiently explained and proved to them from the Old Testament that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead.

This Christ that Paul was telling them was no other than our Lord Jesus, the One whom the Jews rejected and put to death. He came from heaven to do His Father’s will. His mission was to save God's people from their sin. He who is God took the form of a servant and humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

He did this to fulfill all the righteousness that the law of God requires so that anyone who believes in Him will receive the righteousness that He achieved in His perfect obedience. Do you believe that Christ lived obediently to earn righteousness for you and me? Are you convinced that His death paid for the penalty of your sins?

The Thessalonians were confronted with similar questions when they first heard Paul. And they believed. They acknowledged that they were sinners in need of God's pardon. They believed that Jesus has suffered and died on their behalf so that in His suffering and death they might be spared from the coming wrath of God. They were so convicted by Paul's preaching that they turned from their idols to serve the living and true God (1:9). They were so convinced that Christ's death and resurrection brought life and hope for them who were dead in sin and enslaved by despair.

This is the Christ whom Paul proclaimed to them from the Scriptures. Is this the same Christ that you believe in? Is the Jesus that Paul proclaimed to the Thessalonians the same Jesus that you confess as your Lord and Savior?

Every time Paul remembers how the Thessalonians accepted and treasured every gospel truth he shared to them, he can't help thanking God for such a response. Of course, we are aware that Paul's evangelistic sermons were done by the power of the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit who opened the hearts of the Thessalonians, both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, to believe and appropriate the Word of God. And that's the occasion for Paul to say, “For this reason we also constantly thank God...” (v.13). God, through His Word and Spirit is at work in them.

Through Paul's bold gospel proclamation and by the power of the Holy Spirit, coupled by their exemplary lives, the Thessalonians eagerly embraced the Word of God. They were persuaded by it (Acts 17:4), believed its truth claims, appropriated its wonderful promises, and recognized what it really is, the “word that comes from the mouth of God” and not mere words of men. That Word, I tell you, has changed them and their lifestyle.

This is very important to us as 21st century believers. The Word of God in this passage in one sense can mean the whole Bible in its written form handed down to us. It can also mean the body of doctrines that summarizes the whole Biblical teachings on God, Christ, sin, salvation, second coming and other important truths of the Christian faith which we received from our forefathers in the faith. The faithful preaching of God's Word every Lord's Day can also be denominated as the Word of God as the Second Helvetic Confession, Chapter 1, declares, “Wherefore when this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very Word of God is proclaimed, and received by the faithful.”

We who are deeply convinced of the power of God's Word ought to be involved in getting that Word out to the world, one way or another. We are not just talking about sending missionaries overseas, though that's part of it.

We are talking about that sense of burden and faithfulness to witness both in word and in deed to our neighbors and friends. These neighbors may have been struggling for years in life and they do not have the same hope and comfort that you have in Christ. They may have never heard about the power of God’s kingdom and the rule of King Jesus. If you go out as a friend and share the good news of Christ, both in your word and action, they might be able to taste God’s goodness, which you have been enjoying.

As one with Christ, we have the ability and resources to make that Word visible to our friends and neighbors. It may start by becoming really acquainted with them and showing genuine interest in asking and listening to them. Before you know it, God may have been working in the heart of that neighbor-friend and he might just hold on to every word of God you share to him. Another soul will enter God’s kingdom as that friend of yours accepts and believes the Word of God.

It is a sad situation to behold when churches that bear the name of Christ reject the Word of God and regard it as mere words of men. An equally distressing phenomenon is the disinterest of the Bible and its doctrines by many professing Christians. Instead of listening and learning from the Word of God, they lean their ears and set their minds on various ideologies and philosophies to satisfy their curiosity. Pulpits and airwaves in this county and all over the world have become venues for selling watered-down gospel and management techniques of how to grow a church.

Of course, you don't want that to happen to yourself and to your church, do you? But once you start neglecting the faithful preaching and teaching of God's Word you are heading for that direction, too. Once you do not diligently guard what you hear from the pulpit and church classrooms, seeds of falsehood or different gospel, which is not a gospel at all, will creep in.
Disregard of God’s Word may also manifest in your failure to find regular time for Bible reading and meditation. It even shows in your lack of interest in going to a Bible study. It could also be seen in your casual and frivolous attitude toward sin.

The way to accept and embrace the Word of God the way the Thessalonians did is by, first of all, longing and thirsting for the pure preaching of God's Word every Lord's Day. Preaching of God’s Word is of primary importance for God’s people. As you let that preached Word saturate your mind you will be constrained by the Holy Spirit to act in obedience to that Word. As you patiently read and study that Word and let it regulate your heart and mind, God will show how great your sins and miseries are.

Maybe He will lead you to confess and repent from certain sins that you've been committing over and over. That Word of God gives you the grace to abstain from doing something immoral and destructive, like hurting your spouse, slandering your brother, abusing your freedom in Christ or even blowing your top.

Parents, how many times have we committed foolish mistakes by flaring up in front of our children, which could have been prevented if we hide the Word of God in our heart? Or how many young boys and girls could have obeyed mom and dad promptly and nicely if they just let God's word that says, “Honor your father and your mother” or “Do all things without grumbling” dwell in their heart.

Acceptance of God's Word would be evident in our lives when we start memorizing and meditating that Word daily that it becomes part of our daily thought and conversation with others. As we let those verses ring in our mind that Word will come out in our praying, in our encouraging and even in correcting in love of our fellow believer.

By filling our minds with Scriptures, praying with Scriptures and singing the Scriptures, we will be faithful recipients of the Word of God. That Word will come out naturally in our behavior and lifestyle. How serious have you been taking the Word of God?

Finding Grace in Drawing Near God

(Another meditation on Hebrews 4:16)

If we draw near to God with confidence on the basis of Christ's atoning sacrifice and as our sinless High Priest, we draw near Him for the purpose of obtaining mercy and finding grace (v.16b). God calls us to come boldly into His throne of grace for there we find mercy and grace to help in time of need.

A minister once said, “Prayer is our supply line to God in the battle. His abundant, sustaining grace flows to us through prayer. Because prayer is so vital, the enemy tries to sever that supply line. When we suffer, the enemy often whispers, 'God doesn’t care about you and He isn’t answering. Why waste your time with these worthless prayers?' It’s easy to get discouraged and quit praying, which cuts us off from the very help that we need!”

The Hebrew believers’ problem is that instead of drawing near to God they are in danger of drawing back (10:35). Instead of facing persecution, they seem to be discouraged to the point of going back to their old lifestyle and inadequate religion.

Some of us who are facing many trials might have been tempted to quit following Christ. This is the same struggle that these Hebrew believers were facing. God comforts us with these words of encouragement. He tries to lift our spirits up by looking unto Jesus, our high priest in the presence of God. So let us keep on looking at our Lord and Savior. Let's fix our eyes on Him.

God presents to us His Son, who endured every attack of sin so that you and I may not grow weary. I know that every trial that comes our way has the potential to drive us to self-pity, depression and apathy. Maybe you may have been praying to God to give you victory over besetting sin which haunts you all the time. I don't know how you persevere in such situation.

But the Scripture is clear in instructing us that when such occasion comes, it should drive us, not away from God, but near Him in prayer. When we do, we find help. We find that much needed 'supply' for that specific time of special need, when afflictions abound and temptations press us sorely.

If your faith in God is being tested today, God reminds you to pray with confidence. He would give you the grace to endure and to deliver you from that trouble. Help comes to those who ask for it!

Sometimes, of course, God does not positively answer our prayers. I think of broken vows in marriage, failing health and prolonged suffering of a relative, maybe you think of an unrepentant friend.

Both in all our trials and in our triumphs, God exhorts us to take delight in drawing near Him in prayer for we always find grace to help in time of need, and that time is actually all the time.

I can't help thinking how our Lord Jesus effectively interceded on Peter's behalf in Luke 22:31-32. There He says, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethen." Peter was fully restored to the faith only because of the faithful intercession of our merciful great high priest, Jesus Christ.

As you actively pursue obedience and holiness in life, be aware that there are trials of various kind. But I urge you to keep on pressing to the goal of godliness, asking God's grace and wisdom when troubles come.

On the basis of Christ's redeeming work and constant intercession, your faith is being strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit. Do not doubt the goodness of God when your faith is being tested. Trust His loving-kindness. Believe that in Christ, God will supply your need, even in the most difficult or dangerous circumstance. As you persevere and persist in prayer, God will surely mature your faith. May you and I remain steadfast in the Lord.

Drawing Near God With Confidence

Hebrews 4:16 says, "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."

The verse tells us to draw near the throne of grace with confidence. The word confidence is sometimes translated as “boldly” or “with boldness”. Confidence describes the manner or attitude of our approach to God’s throne. That throne itself is characterized as a place of grace. So anyone who comes to this throne must admit his unworthiness, his undeserveness, and recognize that access to it is only through the gracious privilege granted by God.

Through Jesus our Great High Priest we can come boldly before God and expect to find His grace rather than His wrath. Unlike the Old Testament people of God under Moses who were terrified and trembling at the presence of the Lord, we as the new covenant people may come boldly before Him in prayer. We can always stop and pause at work, at school, or at home and reach out in prayer to approach our heavenly Father. This is true any time and anywhere. All this is possible when we come before God in prayer through our perfect mediator. How often do you commune with God in prayer?

John Calvin notes that the author of Hebrews “encourages those who believe in [Christ] to be bold in presenting themselves before the sight of God without any hesitation.” As our high priest who understands our every weakness, Christ is presented in the Scripture as the One who holds out His hand to us, even holding us by the hand, ushering us into the presence of the Father whose love and delight for His children is unmeasured. So Calvin asks, “Indeed if we were so persuaded that Christ was holding out His hand to us, who would not [grab] the full boldness of approaching?”

Boldness of course does not mean presumption. We do not presume that because we feel holy or righteous or mature we have earned our right to approach God. No. This confidence does not come from our own effort or determination. It does not even come from our being Reformed or Calvinist. Boldness here implies faith, characterized by utter dependence on Someone's merit, on Someone's name. This confidence therefore in coming before God is not our own but was purchased for us by the blood of our Lord and Savior and inspired within us by the Holy Spirit.

So our confidence in coming to God comes from the fact that through our faith union with the One who died and rose again from the dead God will hear us. And how do you grow in this spiritual union with Christ? It is by constant fellowship with Jesus, who breathes by His Spirit into your soul the strength and courage of faithful service for the sake of God's kingdom.

As you and I are in constant communion with the living Word of God in the preaching of His Word and in the regular administration of the means of grace, and in prayer, our confidence, that is, our faith is also being nurtured. We want to grow in our faith and confidence in Him so that when we go out, ministering and witnessing to others the greatness and goodness of our God, they would see Jesus in us.

I think those of you who constantly battle against the pressure of life in this broken and sinful world can testify that it is not easy. Trials come. Difficulties abound. Relationships turn sour. We need strength. We need help. We need forgiveness. And the Bible tells us to come to God through His Son Jesus Christ and we will find mercy and grace in time of need.

Be Watchful of Your Doctrine

A meditation on 2 Peter 3:17

"You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability."

We need to be warned of the danger of false teaching and its natural outcome, that is, greed and immorality. It is true that the Scripture is quite clear when it comes to many teachings. Salvation or redemption from sin, for example, is clear from the Bible that it is from God alone, by His grace alone and to be received only by faith in Christ alone. Salvation is not by faith plus our good works. Rather the Scripture teaches that salvation by grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone, results in holy living and produces good works in the lives of those who are saved.

However, there are portions of Scripture that are not easy to interpret. Peter admits that some of Paul's letters contain some things that are hard to understand. These hard-to-understand writings of Paul and other hard passages of the Scripture are being used by these false teachers inside the church to teach strange and esoteric doctrines. These false teachers are twisting the Scripture to deceive many and to earn personal gains (v.16).

Peter is aware of such false teachers operating in the church. That's why he's telling his fellow believers, and he tells us today, to be watchful or else we be carried away by the error of these unprincipled men. By the way, Peter calls them untaught and unstable people who distort the Scriptures (v.16b). Thus he's warning us to be on our guard of our doctrine and to be aware of people who teach erroneous doctrines.

In chapter 2, Peter describes the nature of these deceivers (vv.1-2, 10-12, 13b-19). Then in 2:3b, 4-9, 13a, he warns his readers of the danger and destruction awaiting those people and those who follow them. They will be punished and destroyed by God at the proper time, the same way God punished the ungodly in the time of Noah and Lot (2:4-10a). The apostle is giving us a strong warning here. So we have to take his warning seriously.

If you claim you have received the grace of God in salvation you ought to have a godly lifestyle now, different from your careless and unproductive lifestyle in the past. Or, at least, some noticeable changes in your thinking pattern and behavior must have taken place. It doesn't mean, of course, that you are thoroughly perfect and everything is doing well in your life now. No, that's not what is meant here. In other words, as a professing believer of Jesus Christ, have you seen some growth in your life in terms of your interest in knowing God through the Bible? Or have you noticed a growing desire to obey God and a constant striving to resist sin and temptation in your life?

These are signs of growth in the grace and in the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters in Christ, to grow in the grace of God is also to grow in the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus. Peter makes this very clear in 1:2. We can notice there that God's grace and peace are multiplied in or through the knowledge of God. To know God is the means by which His grace and peace grow and become powerful in our lives.

If you want to enjoy God's perfect peace and His amazing grace, your knowledge of Him has to grow. As one famous preacher says, “Grace is not a mere deposit. It is a power that leads to godliness and eternal life [1:3]. And where the knowledge of the glory and excellence of God cannot be found, grace does not flow. The channel from God's infinite reservoir of grace into and through our lives is the knowledge of God.” This knowledge of God comes to us, of course, through our Lord Jesus Christ as the Spirit opens the Word to us.

Young boys and girls and dear young people, you need to listen, you need to learn the doctrines of our faith before you can take them to heart. And what's the best way to have the knowledge of God but to continually avail of God's appointed means of grace, that is, the preaching of the gospel of Christ and the sacraments. Bible study and meditation, as well as prayer, are also means by which God reveals Himself to us and increases our faith in Him. Faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17).

Do not underestimate the transforming power of God in gospel-preaching. Likewise, do not forsake the things that you've learned from the Bible which your parents or Sunday school or catechism teachers have taught you. Continue to live by them and diligently seek opportunities to share those precious gospel truths to others.

Parents, don't give up. Train your children in the way of God's covenant. Remind them of God's promise to them which was signified and sealed in their baptism. Challenge them to live by faith and to grow in the knowledge of their blessed Savior Jesus Christ.

So together, let us be faithful in the study of God’s Word – in preaching and teaching, and in upholding one another in prayer, asking God to cause us to grow in His grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Growing in God's Grace by Knowing His Patience

2 Peter 3:15-16: "And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters."

We need to understand that the reason Christ has not returned yet is to give time for the full number of God's people to be saved. 2 Peter 3:15a is a recap of 2 Peter 3:9. Peter is saying that the Lord is not unfaithful to His promise. The very reason why Christ is not coming back yet is to give time for the people of God to repent and be saved. Through the proclamation of the gospel, God is patiently calling His people from all over the world to repent from their sins and return to Him in faith.

Verse 15 is God's word on how to interpret the time between the first and the second coming of Christ. It is the time of salvation. The Savior has come and has opened the way for God's people, His sheep, to return to His fold. While our Lord Jesus Christ has not appeared for the second time, the way to God is still open. But when He comes back the way will be closed and the time of salvation will be over.

Notice that, according to Peter, this is also what Paul taught and wrote in his letters. Peter says, “And count the patience of our Lord as salvation.” Paul says in Romans 2:4, “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”

So both the Apostles Peter and Paul teach that God's postponing or withholding final judgment on the wicked is an act of forbearance that should be interpreted as 'giving more time', so to speak, for our repentance and salvation.

Moreover, in 2 Cor. 6:2 Paul also says, “And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain — for He says, "AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU." Behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION"” (emphasis mine).

So by mentioning Paul and his letters, Peter shows that there is agreement among the apostles. The false teachers may reject the perfect law of God or deny the second coming of Christ, but the apostles of Jesus are united on these matters: Christ is coming again and you should live a life separated from sin and consecrated to God. Meanwhile His delaying is for our salvation.

The knowledge that all the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ are united in their doctrine is really enriching. It helps us to see how God divinely superintended the writings of the Holy Scripture ( 2 Peter 1:21) so that when it is correctly interpreted and applied to us now, it confirms the divine authority of God. And it accomplishes the purpose for which it is intended for the hearers – that is, their salvation and sanctification, and for God – His praise and glory. Again verse 18 tells us, “...but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory, both now and to the day of eternity.”

God's patience is God's work of grace in order to give us time to repent, believe and be saved. In God's sovereign plan, it is also the time for us to grow in our knowledge of Him and to be continually transformed by that knowledge from the inside out so we can progress in holiness.

That's why we take this time as opportunity to spread the good news of Jesus Christ through out the world, to call people to repentance and faith and to disciple the nations of the world, teaching them everything Christ has commanded us to do. You grow in the grace of God when you participate in taking this opportunity to go out to your neighborhood and proclaim the mercy and grace of our God and, at the same time, warn them of the coming judgment if they persist in unbelief.

You also grow in the grace of God when you take your sin seriously. Sin is an offense to the holy character of God. When we sin we commit something that the law of God forbids and God will not let us go away with that, unless we repent and depend solely on the grace of God.

Will you forsake your sin and serve the Lord while the way is still open? Do not provoke the Lord's patience by persisting in disobedience. But in humility, confess your sin and trust in the finish work of Christ, the blameless and spotless lamb of God. He will truly save you until the end.

Draw Near God

A meditation on Hebrews 4:15-16

The Christian life is full of difficulties. We struggle against sin and temptation day after day. As we grow in holiness and obedience we realize that temptations also grow stronger and stronger. And sometimes the battle can be tiresome and lonely. One sobering reality in our Christian life is that as we seek to live godly lives we are going to face many trials.

Good thing is these trials are designed not to put us down or to destroy our faith for in God's providence He sends them for our good. Through suffering, God purges us from our dross so we might come out pure and pleasing in His sight, fit to be used by Him. We have many weaknesses that need to be dealt with continually so we can grow more and more obedient to God.

But holiness does not come easy and it doesn't come fast. It's by patient endurance and fervent prayer, through many trials, that we move forward in the Christian life. The author of the book of Hebrews is aware of this and so for several times he summons his readers to persevere in the faith and draw strength from God through prayer.

In this passage, the author of Hebrews deals with the issue of fervent and bold prayer as an effective means to holiness and maturity in the faith. He is aware of his readers' tiresome battle against sin and temptation and against various trials in the Christian life, compounded by the reality of their own weaknesses. So in this passage God calls us to draw near Him. He calls us, weary and troubled as we are, to approach His throne of grace.

I would like to focus our attention on the main exhortation of the passage which is in v. 16, considering the question, “On what basis can we enter the throne of grace?”

To draw near to the throne of grace is the same as to draw near God. The picture of drawing near has an Old Testament background. I have particularly in mind the duty of the high priest who enters the most holy place of the tabernacle appearing before God on behalf of Israel. Only the high priest is allowed to enter the most holy place. And he can only do that once a year after purifying himself through various ceremonies and sacrificial rites prescribed by the Word of God. There in the most holy place the high priest will sprinkle the blood of the animals on the mercy seat to make atonement for the sins of Israel.

The Word of God is clear that anyone who attempts to enter that place other than the high priest at anytime except on the Day of Atonement ‘must be put to death’ (Num 3.10). God allows no presumptuous sinner to draw near Him. He doesn't want to be approached without proper recognition of who He is and how He is to be approached. On our own we are not worthy to draw near God. He is holy. We are not. He is a 'consuming fire' (Heb 12.29). Somebody must go between us.

So now v. 16 calls us to come into the presence of God, into His 'throne of grace', because Someone mediates for us before God. Now what does this 'throne of grace' remind you? Is it not the mercy seat in the Most Holy Place where the high priest sprinkles the sacrificial blood? And though this sacrifice does not actually take away the sins of the people, God accepts it on the basis of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. As our great high priest Jesus has become both the Offering and the Offerer on our behalf. Through His ‘once-for-all’ sacrifice Christ took away our sins and paved the way for us into God's presence.

Then in His ascension our Lord Jesus passed through the heavens and has become our trailblazer in the presence of God. He is now at the right hand of the throne of God in heaven, ministering continually in the most holy place, in the very presence of His Father and your Father.

Does it encourage you to know that Jesus is in the heavenly sanctuary praying for you and me 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Yes, our Lord Jesus never stops praying for you and for me that we may persevere in the faith until we grow mature, sharing in His suffering and resembling in His obedience and faithfulness to God.

Friends, we must heed God’s call to draw near Him for Christ has now enabled us to enter in. He took away the barrier that separates us from God. So God summons you to His presence. And I just want to emphasize that the author's exhortation to draw near in verse 16 is in the present tense. That means he wants his readers to keep on drawing near God through Jesus Christ. That means He wants you to keep coming to Him in prayer.

What prevents you from coming to God in prayer? Your sins? Christ has already paid for them all. Your weaknesses? Your unworthiness? Read verse 15 again. Do you notice the double negative? In effect, it emphatically says that we have a high priest in the presence of God.

A possible misunderstanding may have occured in the mind of the Hebrew Christians as far as the heavenly ministry of Christ is concerned. The readers may have been asking, “If Christ is now exalted in heaven, how can He effectively minister to those who are struggling against temptation and are facing difficulties here on earth?” We might have asked this question ourselves.

We need to understand that Christ's state of exaltation in heaven is not separated from His state of humiliation when He became man and walked here on earth. For in His incarnation Christ has been tempted in every way as we are yet without sin (v.15). Therefore as One who has endured and prevailed over temptations (v.15), Jesus Christ is able to help and sympathize with us in all our sufferings (cf. 2:18).

From the start of Jesus’ ministry to the very end, Satan leveled all of his evil power and strategies to try to get Jesus to sin. But the devil never succeeded. Jesus always obeyed the Father on our behalf. Oh, how grateful you must be to your faithful Savior and Mediator!
Your sinless Savior resisted sin. So He knows the pressure of sin. But He also triumphed over sin and temptation. His sinlessness enables Him to sympathize with your struggles and to energize you in your weakness. And how does He do that? He prays for you before God effectively and wisely since He knows the problems you and I face.

Our Lord knows exactly how you and I struggle against lingering or besetting sin. He knows that you are assaulted by the world, the flesh and the devil each day, enticing you to do what is not pleasing to God. The fact that He is in heaven doesn't mean that He is totally remote and uninvolved in your daily struggles. In fact, when Christ sympathizes with us He looks at us with compassion and He does something for us so we can deal with our struggles and misery.

This is where you must see the role of the Holy Spirit as vital in the Christian life. He is our Comforter and Power. The Spirit's work in us and through us is connected with the high priestly work of our Lord Jesus Christ. As Christ intercedes for us in the presence of the Father, the Spirit empowers us to do the will of God and to resist every impulse of our sinful nature to sin (Gal 5.16-25). He helps us endure every trial and affliction with joy (1 Thess 1.4-7). He strengthens us in our weakness and even intercedes for us when we do not know what to pray (Rom 8.26-27).

So we should bear in mind that the three persons of the Holy Trinity continue to work together to keep us and sanctify us.

Are you troubled by sin? Or persecuted by someone or afflicted by illness? Christ calls you to pray. Do you need forgiveness, wisdom, healing or strength? The Lord calls you to draw near.

Or maybe you feel spiritually weak you need strength from God to persevere but you feel so unworthy to ask Him. Come, draw near Him not on the basis of your feelings or eloquence in praying. Come to Him on the basis of the finished work of His Son on your behalf. He will never drive you away. Come to God in the person of Jesus Christ, boldly, with confidence, that you may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.