How can I be sure?

When God made His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for Him to swear by, He swore by Himself, saying, "I will surely bless you and give you many descendants."

And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath.

God did this so that, by two unchanging things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be great encouraged.
                                     -- Hebrews 6:13-18

What are the "two unchanging things" the writer of Hebrews is talking about?

The two unchanging things are (1) the original promise (covenant) God made with Abraham, and (2) the oath He made later to confirm it.

The story is told in Genesis 15.

The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
     'Do not be afraid, Abram.
     I am your shield, your very great reward.

     '....Look up at the heavens and count the starts -- if indeed you
     can count them...so shall your offspring be.

     Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as
     righteousness.

     ....I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans
     to give you this land to take possession of it.'


But Abram questions God about the land:



     'O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession
     of it?'



This is such an astonishing glimpse of the Sovereign God, LORD Creator of the Universe, speaking to one of His small creatures.

But He doesn't speak to Abram in a condescending way, as if he were small and insignificant (most astonishing is that He would speak to him at all, if
you think about it).

Instead God takes Abram's question seriously.


"How can I know for sure?" Abram asks.


"Well, Abram, you foolish man," I might say. "God just told you what He was going to do...how can you
question Him?"

But Gold decides to swear to Abram, in an oath-confirming ceremony, just what He had promised.

It was a common, accepted ceremony performed in those days between people making business arrangements.

They would take sacrificial animals, cut them in two parts, and both parties would walk between the pieces, reciting the terms of the agreement.

This would make it binding, as if we went to the Court House and had our signatures on a contract verified by a Notary.

Perhaps one man was selling land to another man, and the buyer was going to pay in cattle.

The two men would walk between the pieces of the animal, reciting the terms to each other. When the ceremony was completed it was sworn testimony to their agreement.

In the book of Jeremiah there is another reference to one of these ceremonies.

So instead of being angry at Abram for his doubt, we see a gracious and kind God patiently dealing with Abram in human terms that he would understand.

And why did God do this act of mercy?

The writer of Hebrews tell us in the passage above: (1) to make His promise and purpose very clear
and (2) to encourage us.

Read about it in Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, chapter 15.

What does Abram do during the ceremony? Does he walk between the pieces with God?

No. Abram falls into a deep sleep and God walks alone through the ceremony.

Why? Because Abram had nothing to bring to the agreement. He wasn't paying anything. He was the recipient of all the blessings.

So God walked alone and confirmed His everlasting covenant with Abram and Abram rested and received it all.

It's called grace.

And it is pictured again at Calvary, when God the Son
confirmed His oath to mankind, and suffered alone.

We, like Abram, have nothing to bring to the table.

We are only recipients of the benefits of the oath.

Jesus performed the ceremony alone.


                              

Why do we hate God? Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon once on the four things that men hate about God. He titled his sermon Man Naturally God's Enemy.

At the beginning of the sermon Edwards said: "There are four things about God that make men hate him."

I wondered what his list of four things were. I guessed the first three:

(1) The first thing man hates about God is His Holiness.

     Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate
       wrong. Habakkuk 1:13

God's holiness terrifies man.  Contemplating it increases our own sense of sin. We try to minimize God's holiness by minimizing Him -- and, finally, by denying His existence all together -- then we don't have to deal with our own sin issue. 

Because if there is no God -- no measure of righteousness in the universe -- then we can't consider ourselves sinners! We have not violated any standard of righteousness!

But, sadly, if our lives are not accountable, then our lives don't count.

(2) The second thing man hates about God is His Omniscience.

If He knows everything, then we can't hide anything from Him.

     Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.
       Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes
       of Him to whom we must give account.  Hebrews 4:13

(3) The third thing man hates about God is His Sovereignty.

God has absolute authority and rule over all His creation. In order to be sovereign, He must be all-knowing, all-powerful and absolutely free. If He were limited in any of these areas His sovereignty would not be absolute.

If God is sovereign, then I am not. There cannot be
two equal absolute sovereigns. I am not the ruler of my life, much less the world around me. I am not the
"Captain of my fate."

God is the center of everything - not man and not me!

What I do does not change anything!

And man really hates this!

     Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory  
     and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and
     earth is yours.

     Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over
     all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all
     things.  1 Chronicles 29:11-12

So what's the fourth thing man hates about God?

(4) The fourth thing man hates about God is His Immutability! That is, He never changes - never has and never will. He does not mutate.....

So why is that so offensive to man?

Edwards explains, "Man faces this dilemma: Not only does man know and know clearly that God is holy and omniscient and sovereign, but he knows that God will always be holy; He will always be omniscient; He will always be sovereign.

"And there is nothing we can do to make Him less holy, less omniscient, or less sovereign.

"These attributes are not open to negotiation. We cannot find God involved in a process of change whereby He can enter into certain mutations to compromise with us."

     I, the LORD, do not change. Malachi 3:6

     Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
          Hebrews 13:8

              As Thou has been, Thou forever wilt be!

So man hates God especially for the fact that He never changes.

He is never going to be someone we will like better.
He is never going to be any different than He is now.

(We might wait till our mother gets in a better mood before we tell her we  broke her favorite piece of china. Bot God's standard is always the same!)

God's holiness, omniscience and sovereignty are perfect. And perfection cannot change - any change would indicate less than perfection at any stage.

And God is always perfect - so there can be no changing His character, ever!


But once we embrace God and welcome Him into our hearts, isn't it funny how that thing we hate most becomes the thing we love most about Him?

We cannot depend on human beings - they change - they mutate - they vary with the circumstances around us.

We might please them one day and make them angry the next. We don't know how they will react - we cannot predict how our actions will be received.


But God is always the same. His will is invariable.

We know what pleases Him and how He wants us to live. All the time and in every circumstance.


We can count on Him to keep His promises and to fulfill His eternal plan.

We can count on Him always to be who He says He is!

And that's really good news for His children!

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day

Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away

Change and decay in all around I see

O Thou who changes not, abide with me!

What do we inherit? - Charles Spurgeon

The boundless realms of His Father's universe belong by right to Christ.

As "heir of all things," He is the sole proprietor of the vast creation of God, and He has admitted us to claim it all as ours, by making us His fellow heirs.

The golden streets of paradise, the pearly gates, the river of life, the transcendent bliss, and the unutterable glory are all, by our blessed Lord, made ours for an everlasting possession.

All that He has, He shares with His people. The royal crown He has placed on the head of His Church, granting her a kingdom, and calling her sons a royal priesthood, a generation of priests and kings.

He uncrowned Himself that we might have a coronation of glory; He would not sit upon His own throne until He had procured a place upon it for all who overcome by His blood.

Crown the Head, and the whole body shares the honor.

Here then is the reward of every Christian conqueror!  Christ's throne, crown, scepter, palace, treasure, robes, heritage are yours.

He deems His happiness completed by His people sharing it.

The glory that You have given me

I have given to them.

John 17:22

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.John 15:11

The smiles of His Father are all the sweeter to Him because His people share them.

The honors of His kingdom are more pleasing because His people appear with Him in glory.

More valuable to Him are His conquests since they have taught His people to overcome.

He delights in his throne because on it there is a place for them.

He rejoices in His royal robes since they cover His people.

He delights all the more in His joy because He calls them to enter into it.

                    -- Charles H Spurgeon

Being Transformed and Renewed

                                                          

                                                      Being Transformed and Renewed

"Be transformed, by the renewing of your mind..." (Romans 12:2)

When the Spirit renews our minds, all of life  becomes an act of worship.

That's because the Spirit not only opens our eyes to see who Christ really is, but also breaks our hearts to see who we really are.

And rather than this being some deathly experience of unending humiliation, seeing ourselves as broken and in need of a Savior actually liberates us.

It frees us from self-absorption and throws us on the mercy of God with joyous gratitude and love.

"But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not by works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own  mercy, by the washing and regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior." (Titus 3:5)

                                                                   *****                                     

Now all of life has become an act of worship - every moment - every day --

How to Please God!

'I will praise God's Name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD...' 
Psalm 69:31

'LORD delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.'  
Psalm 147:11.

'If anyone wants to boast, they should boast that they know and understand Me...These are the things that please me."  
Jeremiah 9:24.

'Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please Him.' Hebrews 12:28...'True worshippers must worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.' 
John 4:23

'The LORD detests lying lips, but He delights in those who are trustworthy.'
Proverbs 12:22

'Let Israel rejoice in their Maker...Let them praise His Name with dancing and make music to Him with timbrel and harp. For the LORD takes delight in His people...Let His faithful people rejoice in this honor'.  Psalm 149:3-5



How do we please God? 

This is what I have learned...

     We please God when we thank Him!

     When we praise Him!

     When we seek to know Him and understand Him!

     When we worship Him and put our trust in His  unfailing love!

Look how easy and simple He has made it! Like a wonderful, kind Parent. 

How blessed we are.


BUT I usually just want Him to please me..

I need to change that....